MILWAUKEE - Every time Kathleen Hirscher receives a bill for her health insurance, the premium is higher.

OK, so we all want to go green and save the planet. However, we are also all pinching pennies to make ends meet. And we all want homes that are comfortable and beautiful. So how can we save the planet, save money and live comfortably all at the same time? Here are a few suggestions.

A state program that provides parents with funds to use toward education has grown more than three-fold since it began.

Parents can learn more about Arizona’s education savings account program this week during a meeting at the state Department of Education.

Arizona families of children with special needs have until Wednesday to apply for the initial round of Empowerment Savings Accounts to pay for private school or other education services.

If you're too young for Medicare, consider a health savings account.

The new, tax-sheltered health savings account, part of the Medicare bill passed late last year by Congress, has big potential benefits for small business owners, their employees and their employees' families.

Dear Debt Adviser,

When Jill Kelley pulls out her plastic to buy clothes, movie tickets or gas, mom and dad are watching. Jill, 16, uses an Allow Card, a prepaid debit card featuring technology that lets her parents monitor and restrict how and where she spends her monthly allowance.

It’s time to let everyone—parents in Arizona and other states, along with state and national policymakers—see the results of Arizona’s education savings accounts. Over 400 children are using the accounts this year, and thousands more become eligible next year.

Mesa mom Lynell Watkins wanted to make sure her 14-year-old twin daughters learned how to manage money early on to avoid potential disaster later in life.

Quick. How much are you paying every month just to have a checking account? And for ATM Fees? If you’re not sure, it’s time to find out.

Did you know there is a way to convert your business accounts receivable received from selling tangible personal products into your 401(k) as an investment while reducing your business taxes and receiving tax-free income all at the same time? This is a little-known tax strategy that is permitted by the pension rules but not promoted by banks, insurance companies or investment firms (there is no product for them to sell).

Surveys show 90 percent of American parents don’t keep track of how much spending money they give to their children each month. And a typical college student will emerge after graduation with thousands of dollars in credit card debt.

Many objections are being raised to the partial privatization of the Social Security system, but our greatest concern about the idea — which we generally support — seldom is mentioned. Frankly, we worry less about the harm partial privatization could do to Social Security beneficiaries than the damage it might do to freely functioning stock, bond and security markets (and, by extension, the economy).

WASHINGTON - With the acquiescence of their leaders, key House Republicans are drafting Social Security legislation stripped of President Bush's proposed personal accounts financed with payroll taxes and lacking provisions aimed at assuring long-term solvency.

Q: I’m a college student. My mom uses coupons and keeps telling me I could save money. I’m on the meal plan, so I don’t really need groceries. Do you have any tips on saving money geared for college students?

Q: I got an e-mail from a company that claims that they found negative comments about my company on some websites and can get them taken off for a fee. Is this just another scam? - Jill

NEW YORK - Several recent government reports indicate that inflation is heating up. What can consumers do to protect their savings — and preserve their buying power?

Many parents need to set aside funds for retirement and other long-term needs.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety first began its photo enforcement program in November 2006, prior to the Arizona Legislature and governor enacting legislation calling for the current expanded program.

The Arizona Department of Education approved 75 "empowerment savings accounts" for students with disabilities to attend private schools this fall. The accounts total just over $1 million.

Q: My Hotmail account has been hijacked and someone is sending fake messages to my friends that I am stuck in London and need money. What can I do? — Jim

Q: I’m a college student. My mom uses coupons and keeps telling me I could save money. I’m on the meal plan, so I don’t really need groceries. Do you have any tips on saving money geared for college students?