The FINRA 2012 National Financial Capability study results are due out soon and likely will show no improvement in individuals’ money management skills. With so much energy being put into financial education, poor test results embolden critics and threaten a movement.
Saving & Spending
Car? House? Sorry: Graduates of 2013 Are Each $35,200 in Debt
Student debt is creating the most debt-ridden twentysomethings in modern history, and we’re all going to pay a price. Here’s the best advice from new grads.
This Trick Will Motivate You to Reach Your Financial Goals
You’ll be more successful reaching your financial goals if you give yourself a target range rather than a single number you want to achieve. It sounds weird, but a new study shows that we’re more motivated when we have a little wiggle room in our goal.
4 Dirty Secrets of So-Called Installment Loans
There’s been a lot of chatter about the risk of payday loans lately, but “safer” installment loans can be just as dangerous, a new report says.
Airline Baggage Fees: On the Rise — Yet More Passengers Deem Them ‘Reasonable’
Even as overall baggage fees have increased, some of the nation’s biggest airlines aren’t collecting as much as they did a couple of years ago. Perhaps even more surprisingly, there’s been a sharp rise in travelers who aren’t …
McDonald’s McRib Has a Challenger: Burger King Roll Outs Its Own Boneless Rib Sandwich
The battle for boneless rib sandwich supremacy is on. This summer, Burger King menus will feature the BK Rib, a pork sandwich slathered in tangy barbecue sauce that may sound very familiar to loyal fans of the McDonald’s McRib.
The Hot New Online Retail Strategy: Pushing More In-Store Purchases
You’d think that when retailers enhance their online shopping options, the goal would be increased online sales. Not so with Target, Gap and Rite Aid — which are adding new online tools with the hopes of boosting in-store sales.
Chuck E. Cheese: Where a Kid Can Gamble Like an Adult
What with all the flashing screens, dinging bells, and glazed-over customers absorbed in the games at hand, a Chuck E. Cheese arcade bears quite a resemblance to the slot machine section of a casino. Are kids, in fact, gambling in between their pizza and soda?
The New Retirement: Forget Being Rich, All We Want Is Peace of Mind
Four years after the recession ended we are still getting signals that our values have changed–at least partly of necessity.
Forget ‘Buy American’? U.S. Retailers Push an ‘Imports Work’ Campaign
Wanna support American workers? Buy imports. So says a new report, which claims that a cheap, robust imports marketplace not only helps American workers and families, but local farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses as well.
My Beer Can Is Better Than Yours: Aluminum Can-ovations for Better Beer Drinking
You might think that one beer can is the same as any other. Big beer companies and craft brewers alike say different, and they’re rolling out new cans with wider mouths and funky designs that they claim make for vastly superior …
Video: Sorry eBay — Turns Out Some Small Businesses Support the Marketplace Fairness Act
Online giant eBay is leading the charge against legislation that would require sales tax to be collected on Internet sales. The mandate would be an unfair burden on small businesses, eBay says. And yet who are among the bill’s strongest supporters? Yep, small businesses.
