So here’s my prediction: America’s debt is going to be downgraded and the ramifications of that will be worse than many think. And don’t count me as a debt worrier. I don’t actually think the U.S.’s debt is a problem, at least …
The Economy
The Faulty Logic Behind the Market Sell-off
With the debt deal concluded, you might have expected global markets to have rallied. Instead, the Dow Jones industrial average closed down 266 points yesterday, or 2.2 percent.
The reason? There is a growing consensus among the …
Budget Deal Forces Grad Students to Help with Spending Cuts
If you were a politician looking to raise a paltry sum of money to make it look like you’re serious about balancing the budget, there are a number of places you might look. Wasteful farm subsidies, defense spending, and tax …
Investment Strategies for a Broke America
Conflicts over taxes, spending and entitlements will very likely continue for decades – and transform the outlook for investing.
Hit by the Fine Print: Three Ways the Debt Deal Could Hurt Seniors on Medicare
Medicare turned 46 last week, but instead of celebrating its major accomplishment — keeping millions of older Americans healthy — it finds itself under siege. The program appears to have squeaked through unscathed in the debt …
Deal or No, the U.S. May Be Downgraded: Why Investors Can’t Rest Easy in the Short Term
At a reception this past weekend for former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is promoting his new book, On China, the onetime statesman said he had never seen Democrats and Republicans so at odds. It wasn’t hyperbole. He …
Could U.S. Manufacturing Slump Signal a Downward Slide?
Stocks are about 3.5% cheaper than they were a week ago, and for value-hungry investors, that number could go even lower this week once reality sets in.
Debt Deal Winners and Losers on Wall Street
In a stagnant economy, there are no winners on Wall Street – only survivors. That goes double for Wall Street’s winners (and losers) coming out of the 11th-hour debt deal between Republicans and Democrats in Washington. While …
The Economy’s Being Blamed for the Decline of Pet Burials
A pet burial, complete with a casket, ceremony, and cemetery plot, runs around $800. Cremating a pet, on the other hand, costs about $80. Guess which option is increasingly being chosen by pet owners?
Family Finance Lessons From the Budget Battle in Washington
The two sides are locked in a seemingly endless tug-of-war over budget issues. Again and again they say they’ll work together for the greater good. But when it comes down to making actual decisions about money, it’s a …
Things Are Bad Unless You’re Amazon, Starbucks or Expedia
The markets have been sinking steadily, fed on a diet of weak economic data — GDP growth in the second quarter came in at an anemic 1.3% — and debt ceiling deadlock (which, finally, appears to have been broken). Yet, in the …
Brother, Can You Spare a Billion? Apple Has More Cash Than Uncle Sam
An iPod in every pot? The Statue of Liberty holding an iPad in her left hand? Steve Jobs’ on Mount Rushmore? Don’t laugh, considering Apple (Stock Quote: AAPL) now has more cash on hand than the U.S. government.