How Can Pensions Stop Blowing Your Money?

We were flabbergasted as well as flummoxed to learn recently that New York City’s pension funds have paid billions of dollars in fees to Wall Street money managers over the past decade. Is there, perhaps, a better way for public officials to manage your retirement money?
99-Year-Old Woman Finally Gets College Degree After Settling $5 Charge
Jessie White, a 99-year-old woman from Belfast, Maine, was finally granted her college degree from Bangor's Beal College after the college's president stepped up and paid the $5 transcript fee she'd not been able to afford in 1939.
Private equity firms have discovered an exciting new strategy for screwing their investors over (more than usual).
Why You Should Never Feel Bad About Not Paying the Met's 'Recommended' Admission Fee
Two hero lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit against the Metropolitan Museum of Art over the museum's attempts to make its absurd but optional $25 admission fee appear to be mandatory:
If You Pay $30 to Not Carry Your Own Luggage, You Should Be Taxed Into Penury
American Airlines is offering a new service: for $30, they'll deliver your checked luggage to any address within 40 miles of the airport. Instead of picking up your own luggage from the carousel, simply leave the airport, and your luggage will arrive at your destination within four hours.
Bank of America Unveils New, Stealthier Fees
Last year, Bank of America tried to sneakily, oh so sneakily, instate a $5 fee on debit card users. Outrage ensued, and the idea was scrapped. But you didn't think that BoA's insatiable need for sweet, sweet money was just going to disappear, did you? There are plenty of new, sneakier fees they will hit you with.
Here's the New Way ATMs Will Screw You
You know how money, and by extension the oppressive global system of debt and credit that lives within its rotting husk, is just, like the worst? It's going to get marginally worse. Reuters' Felix Salmon flags the above shot of an ATM charging either $3 or 3% of the total withdrawal.
At Least Some Lawyers Somewhere Are Making Tons of Money
Yes, we admit, there's been quite a bit of bad news recently for those ambitious young pups entering the field of law. Well, trying to enter the field, I guess. Buck up, underpaid young strivers: at least someone is successful in your field!
Bristol Palin Cancels College Abstinence Lecture Amid Student Uproar
When students at Washington University found out that grizzly cub Bristol Palin was getting paid $17,500 out of their activities fund to come speak about abstinence, they got upset. So, having learned from others' past mistakes, Palin pulled out.
What New Fees Will Banks Screw You With This Year?
Recent laws have limited what fees banks are allowed to charge for certain services. So naturally, banks are dreaming up an entirely new set of fees on other services to make up for it. Below, a quick guide.
Firefighters Watch Home Burn Down Because Owners Didn't Pay $75 Fee
A family forgot to pay a $75 fire protection fee to their small Tennessee town. Then their house caught on fire and firefighters stood by as it and all their possessions burned to the ground. Here's the sad news report.
Airlines Pledge Not to Charge for Carry-On Bags
It is a sad day when this is something to be celebrated — but five airlines have pledged not to follow the lead of Spirit, who now demand $45 for use of their overhead bins. [AP]
