Family Pays Down Massive Consumer Debt with Credit Counseling - 2004-02-02
The moment of truth came for Mark and Kelly Williamson in 1997 when he tokk his wife's car. He opened the glove compartment and out dropped a stack of unopened credit-card statements. The bills totaled more than $42,000.

What had started for the Brea couple as manageable debt in the 1980s -- a small credit-card balance, student loans and the mortgage on a new house -- had mushroomed out of control in the 1990s.
Read the full story at Miami Herald

Don't worry -- Fed won't be hiking rates soon - 2004-02-02
The Federal Reserve's rate-setting committee left out the highly scrutinized phrase about leaving interest rates low for "a considerable period" -- and financial markets dropped in response.

Removing the "considerable period" phrase doesn't necessarily mean the Fed is any closer to raising interest rates, but it eases the transition to the time when they are.
Read the full story at Bankrate.com