Since September, Apple’s stock price has declined by 40%, wiping out hundreds of billions of dollars in shareholder value and costing the tech giant the title of world’s largest firm by market capitalization, a distinction that …
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Hoping For a Raise? How About a Gift Card, Instead?
Many a disgruntled employee has complained of working for peanuts. But is working for lattes any better?
Unemployment rates are still high and wages stagnant, but American workers are more productive than ever. That’s good news for the economy, but means that rank-and-file employees are working longer and harder.
And what are we …
We Talk a Big Game But Don’t Follow Through When It Comes to Saving For Retirement
Like the diet that always starts “tomorrow,” Americans like to say they’re going to get their finances in shape, but then fail to follow through on those good intentions. After the financial crisis gave a lot of us a harsh reality check about the inadequacy of our saving and investing plans, we promised to do better. We’re still …
The Trouble Lurking on Walmart’s Empty Shelves
And according to recent reports, Walmart has cut employee hours so deeply that it doesn’t have enough associates on hand to get stuff from back-of-the-store staging areas to the shelves.
Was Thatcherism Good (or Bad) for the Economy?
Margaret Thatcher was known as the woman who, from 1979 to 1990, brought austerity and — at least for part of her tenure — economic growth to a stagflation-riddled Britain. She’s also known as a heedless free-market …
Crowdfunding Soared to $2.7 Billion in 2012, But Equity Funding Is Still On Ice
Asking strangers for money has never seemed cooler. With stars like Kirsten Bell and Charlie Kaufman attaching their names to successful crowdfunding projects, the stigma of soliciting donations online has largely been eliminated. And now we have the numbers to prove it.
Home Price Gains Continue Increasing Nationwide
Citing “steady employment and low borrowing rates” as well as inventories that have fallen “to their lowest post-recession levels,” the S&P Dow Jones Indices released Case-Shiller housing data that showed home prices jumping 8.1% from the previous year. When charted, the data looks like it’s been hit with a booster rocket, with the past …
Obama Administration: Mobile Phone ‘Unlocking’ Should Be Legal
The Obama administration will push to reverse a new prohibition on mobile phone unlocking, after an online White House petition protesting the ban drew more than 100,000 signatures. The ban makes it a federal crime for consumers …
What’s an Oscar Worth at the Box Office?
Is winning a coveted Academy Award a priceless experience? Come on, this is Hollywood. Movie studios don’t tailor their release schedules around Oscar season and pour money into Oscar-bait films just for that warm, fuzzy …
Lessons in Socialism: How Cuba Can Become Relevant Again
An entrepreneurial wave is emerging in Havana that, along with immigration reform in the U.S., is giving Cuba renewed relevance while giving Americans a close look at the dangers of extreme wealth redistribution.
Bank Robbers Going the Way of Blacksmiths?
Perhaps there really is no such thing as easy money. Based on declining bank robbery statistics, criminals seem to be realizing that it’s hard to make a living by following in the footsteps of Bonnie and Clyde.
Facebook ‘Friends’ Apple and Takes a Shot at Google
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made it crystal clear Wednesday that the social networking juggernaut has a better working relationship with hardware giant Apple than it does with Web search leader Google. The 28-year-old …