Baby boomers about to retire are all asking the same question: “Should I pay off my mortgage before I retire to avoid having a house payment in retirement?” That depends on many variables. You should ask your financial adviser or retirement planner what the right answer is, given your circumstances. A list of circumstances follows. [...]

The 30 percent earnings dip Duke Energy reported Thursday might not be the last of the pain stockholders feel as a result of a power plant nearing completion in Indiana. A $222 million charge for cost overruns at the Edwardsport plant shaved 10 cents a share off Duke’s third-quarter earnings. Profits fell to $472 million, [...]

In December, some high-end retailers at Somerset Collection in Troy will return to empty storefronts in downtown Detroit for an encore of the CityLoft shops, where retailers will set up for three, possibly four days starting Dec. 1. Today, young entrepreneur Margarita Barry launches BohoModern.com, a green lifestyle brand of new and vintage items. She [...]

PARIS — The finance chiefs of the world’s leading economies opened the door Saturday for the International Monetary Fund to play a bigger role in fighting the eurozone’s escalating debt troubles. The Group of 20 rich and developing nations asked the IMF to propose ways that it could help stop countries under severe market pressure [...]

Oil rose more than 5 percent Tuesday on hopes that European leaders are closer to drafting a plan to contain the region’s debt crisis. Investors are encouraged that another recession can be avoided and demand for energy products — from oil to diesel and gasoline — will improve if Greece does not default on its [...]