A new year, a new batch of resolutions! Alas, these promises to ourselves rarely produce long-lasting results. (Depending on the source, nearly nine in 10 resolutions don’t take.) Worse, failed resolutions could be harmful if …
Psychology of Money
Retro Sneakers Literally All the Rage: Air Jordan XI Concords Cause Fights, Sell for Nearly $1,000
Each holiday season, an especially hot, must-have gift emerges, often triggering behavior by desperate consumers that seems wacky and ugly at the time — and even more so in retrospect. (Example: Some guy made $6,000 selling Zhu Zhu pets on eBay last year.) This year, the behavior surrounding one hot item seems especially extreme — …
The Blackberry Moral (Or: The Trouble With Too Many Options)
We were intrigued but not surprised by a recent article in the New York Times detailing troubles at Research in Motion, maker of the Blackberry. Among several problems facing the Canadian tech company is an overabundance of …
Why the Smell of Cinnamon Makes You Spend Money
Every December, you vow it’s not going to happen and yet, without fail, you return home from your Christmas shopping with far more than you intended. Do you ever wonder why? The answer might surprise you, because you’ve …
Why You Should Shop For Cars When You’re Grumpy
Nearly all accounts about why people have the tastes and preferences that they do center around the idea that the human brain has been “wired” to have those tastes and preferences because of advantages they provided to our …
Don’t Cry for Goldman Sachs, Despite ‘Bad’ Year and Partner Exits
Has Goldman Sachs lost its lustre? The Wall Street powerhouse is wrapping up its worst financial performance since 2008, with profits down more than 40% so far this year. As a result, end-of-year bonus payouts are sure to be …
A Better Way To Pay Off Debts
‘Tis the season … to accumulate debt, and in that spirit we thought we’d write about a pair of related and timely subjects. The first is a new study, containing findings that could help you pay off loans faster. The second is a …
Gift Registry for Everyone? Why Surprise Presents Are a Bad Idea
Say your mom, or best friend, or spouse has made it perfectly clear what they’d like in a holiday gift. Better think twice before going off the script and buying something else you have a gut feeling they’ll just love. Studies …
What Darwin Can Tell Us About Black Friday
The seeming economic success of this year’s Black Friday-But-Really-Thursday, judged by many as an economic win-win for business and consumers, got us wondering what we as a country have gained in terms of what psychologists …
Going Shopping? Beware of Shopping Momentum
The Christmas shopping season is upon us, and if you decide to indulge in the shopping frenzy, be careful. Not just of your health, but of your wallet. Buying at bargain prices is a worthy thing, but once you start shopping it …
Attention Holiday Shoppers: Plastic Hurts—Then Hurts Again!
The always-insightful Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal once said that great personal finance journalism is really the art of communicating the same handful of important lessons over and over again without boring people. …
Jennifer Lopez Drives Fiat on Stage: Most Brazen Product Placement Ever?
At the American Music Awards last night, Jennifer Lopez shed her clothes, strutted back and forth on stage in a nearly nude body suit, and simulated sex with the rapper Pitbull. But because the performance featured a Fiat 500 at center stage for no sensible reason, JLo probably won’t be remembered for being raunchy, but for being a sell-out.
