For well over half a century, the American dream has typically centered on life in the suburbs. A move to the idyllic suburbs—picket fences, sidewalks, cul-de-sacs, the whole deal—has traditionally signified success, a move …
Economics & Policy
With Interest Rates So Low, Why The Heck Are Credit Card APRs So High?
It doesn’t seem to make sense: The Federal Reserve just announced a plan intended to lower long-term interest rates; it’s kept short-term interest rates at historic lows, and says it will continue to do so through mid-2013. So …
Why You Shouldn’t Buy Winter Clothes in Winter
In our first Moneyland post we advocated a “Wait and C” strategy for big financial moves, especially spending ones. Our basic idea was that many decisions, to the extent that they’re affected by hidden biases or impulses, would …
Gas Prices Finally Start Dropping as Predicted
The price at the pump was supposed to be a heckuvalot cheaper by now. In early August, gas prices appeared poised to plummet, with experts forecasting the national average for a gallon of regular would decrease by 1¢ per day. …
Market Tanks on Recession Fears (So What Else is New?)
When the Federal Reserve issues a statement warning about “significant downside risk” to the global economy, you don’t have to be Warren Buffett to guess what happens next – stock prices are going to take a dive.
And so they did. By the end of Wednesday trading, the Dow Jones industrial average had fallen 391.01 points, or …
“I’m a real believer in the power of free markets. But free markets need rules. If those rules aren’t sensible or if they go unenforced, then markets don’t work well.”
Dog’s Life: Owners Don’t Cut Pet Spending During Tough Times
During a worrisome, unsteady, and just plain bad economic climate, consumers change their behavior—typically by trying to spend less and save more. But when it comes to one sector of consumer spending, scaling back is more the …
Work from Home? You Must Be a Slacker
The concept of working from home took a beating during the Great Recession, raising questions about companies’ ability to make the most of the wired world. The setback also throws a bit of cold water on the hopes of mature …
5 Ways to Prepare for a Double Dip
We’ve been hearing a lot about a double-dip recession lately, and for good reason. So is anyone doing anything to prepare? Here's how to start.
Will Post Office Cuts Cost You Credit Card Late Fees?
The cash-strapped United States Postal Service has proposed a number of cost-cutting moves in the face of a $9 billion deficit. Two big ideas suggested by Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe are eliminating Saturday mail delivery and closing 252 mail processing facilities, which would lead to first-class mail taking longer to reach its …
Don’t Let the Stock Market Rally Fool You: The Euro Hasn’t Been Fixed
Last week’s attempt to prop up the European common currency probably won’t work for long – and when it goes, U.S. stocks will feel the pain.
The Worse the Economy, the Better Business Is at Auto Repair Shops
The “new normal” among consumers is to make due with automobiles long after they’ve lost that new car smell. Plenty of drivers plan on sticking with their aging cars well past the six-figure mileage marker, until they can’t be …
