Lifestyle

Catalina Island is a delight for people desperate to get away from the atrocious traffic along America's West Coast, and a haven for visitors who descend on the island for privacy, excitement and romance.

How are medical liability laws applied to websites, tweets, blog posts or emails? It would be helpful if there was case law to guide us, but at present there is little or none. In lieu of that, here are some safeguards when communicating online.

Physician compensation accounts for roughly 8% of the total annual healthcare costs in the U.S., and more than a third of physician pay comes from fixed sources, such as a flat salary, hourly rate or stipend, according to a new survey.

There seems to be a trend in financial media to publish long lists of stocks that were bought by successful hedge funds, but it doesn't do much good for individual investors. Here's the right way to follow the "smart money," without wasting your time on lists.

Think your practice is located in a high-crime area? According to a new survey, you have a 1 in 1 chance of being mugged, having your car stolen or having your laptop ripped off within a year in these five neighborhoods.

Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer so I thought for this next posting, it would be fun to share a few books that are on my own summer reading list this year.

One of Wall Street's old adages -- sell in May and go away -- turned out to be good advice for stock investors. On the heels of April's 4% surge, the Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 1.88% this month. Should you sell? Not so fast.

In an opinion piece in the New York Times this weekend, two prominent physicians explained why they believe medical school needs to be tuition free, and offered up a proposal on how to pay for it.

Before determine the value of your medical practice, you have to know why you're valuing it and how best to approach the valuation process. Here's a look at what you need to know to find out how much your practice is worth in today's market.

Increasingly, physicians -- who tend to be wealthier than the average, and who have access to sensitive patient medical and insurance data -- are being targeted by new "spearphishing" scams, physician-focused emails that appear legitimate and trick doctors into falling victim to fraud.

Google unveiled its new Google Wallet smartphone app, an application that will allow consumers to pay for goods and services, and quality for discounts and loyalty rewards, with a tap of their phones.

The day after Thanksgiving is not the only time to nosh on leftovers. In my financial fridge there are some goodies lurking that didn't make it all the way to prime time in the first pass. So I am going to open them up, lay them out and wish you bon financial appetit!

The best travel rewards credit cards today offer more than just the promise of free airfare or an upgrade. Here are five credit cards that offer the greatest miles, cash-back rewards and other valuable perks for frequent flyers.

The approaching end of the Federal Reserve's QE2 program in June will put pressure on high-yield corporate bonds, according to an investment research report. That could spell trouble for bond investors.

Physicians are reporting richer employment contracts, including signing bonuses, job-relocation packages and loan-forgiveness programs, a new survey found. Starting salaries, however, have remained flat to slightly higher over the last few years.

Many physicians and physician leaders have routinely seen fellow physicians behaving badly on the job, a survey found. Yelling, throwing things, making insulting or degrading remarks, and even physical assault are just a few of the disruptive behaviors reported.

When the stock market is falling and moral fiber seems to be near rock bottom (see Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dominique Kahn-Strauss), it is pleasant to transfer one's thoughts to a subject that is uplifting. This is indeed the case with the current exhibit, "Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore," at the Jewish Museum in New York City.

I've got a theory about why financial advisors purposefully make investing far more complicated than it should be: Many want to confuse clients in order to justify their high fees -- either that, or they're just plain incompetent. Here are some things you need to understand and ask about your own investments, whether you do it yourself or hire an advisor.

A reader and his spouse would like to tour Europe by car this summer and asks our travel columnist for suggestions. Here are his tips for proceeding on a fun and sometimes challenging trip.

With social-networking shares on fire after the sizzling Yandex and LinkedIn IPOs, investors may be eager to chase the next "winner." These four tech companies may be generating a lot of buzz, but their stocks are too hot to handle.

The National Physicians Alliance issued two Top 5 lists that it hopes will capture the attention of physicians, and their patients, to improve the quality of primary care and lower costs. The lists focus on reducing the number of tests and prescription antibiotics ordered.

This week's busy economic calendar should help answer some questions about U.S. growth, following a spate of recent soft readings. Until then, stocks remain under pressure as negative ratings agency actions remind investors of Europe's debt woes.

A recent state court ruling in favor of a malpractice insurance company highlighted the need for physicians to examine their liability coverage to see if insurers are allowed to settle cases against a physician's wishes.

Two recent encounters with solo medical practices demonstrated to me the stark contrast between a medical practice business model stuck in the 20th century and that of one that has boldly stepped into the 21st century.

The first Medicare EHR incentive payments have been issued under the 2009 HITECH Act, according a notice by the Office of the National Coordinator.

Sometimes progress is made by taking one step back before moving forward, or just standing in place for a moment to assess before pressing onward. Such is the case when looking to grow a medical practice. There are two key indicators that can diagnose the health of your practice, which is essential to growing it. Let's look at them.

The American Society of Health System Pharmacists recently reported a record number of drugs are in short supply. What is behind widespread drug shortages, and what can be done to remedy this critical problem?

A reader who is in a position to pay off his mortgage wants to know whether the tax benefit of having a mortgage outweighs the potential peace of mind of ditching his mortgage.

A growing number of luxury homes are turning up on foreclosure listings, as wealthy owners who've seen their home values drop significantly lower than their jumbo mortgages simply walk away. See a slideshow of some of the most expensive homes in foreclosure.

A new report out of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed "significant concerns" about security gaps in the electronic health records system, citing breaches that resulted in losses, injury or death.