“Parents spend thousands and thousands of dollars to send their kids to school to finger-paint.”
Oil Price Spike: Was it Bernanke, the Arab Spring or Something else?
The Federal Reserve’s $600 billion bond buying program ends at the end of this month. The program, which was the second round of quantitative easing for the central bank and has become known as QE2, has been controversial. So you are likely to read a lot of commentary over the next week or two about what it did and what it didn’t do, and …
Federal Agency Sues Banks For Credit Union Failures
One of the most frustrating things about the 2008 financial crisis was the sense that the people who got us into this mess weren’t going to face any kind of repercussions. For ordinary Americans watching their nest eggs tank while reading about bailouts and golden parachutes, there was a widespread feeling that somebody needed to be held …
Guest Column: Staying Quiet About China is a Dangerous Approach
Zachary Karabell’s June 9 article, “How Can Americans Get China to Do What They Want? For Starters, Shut Up,” promotes a dangerous approach that allows China to freely continue its mercantilist economic policies without …
It’s a Deal: 40% Off Everything at Calvin Klein
Through Thursday, June 23, only, Calvin Klein is hosting a site-wide sale in which nearly all merchandise is 40% off. Shipping costs a flat extra $8 per order, or free shipping is available for orders of $150 and up.
A New Airline Add-on Fee: That’s the Spirit!
Spirit Air, which has been leading the charge when it comes to airfare add-ons, has one upped itself. Passengers will now have to pay $5 if the airline prints out a boarding pass for them. It’s a cheeky, you-gotta-be -kidding-me move for passengers who last year got hit with a baggage fee—that is, carry on baggage. Chalk it up to …
Is a 3-D Movie Really Worth an Extra $5?
Generally speaking, movie goers love special effects. For an action film in which giant robots come to life and battle for the earth’s survival, it’s a safe assumption that the more special effects, the better. But what if …
Q&A: Marc Ostrofsky on How He Got Rich … ‘Click’
The Internet has been good to Marc Ostrofsky. He has made more than $50 million in the past 20 years as an online entrepreneur, and his current online companies net over $75 million annually. You might suppose that someone with …
6 Ways To Make Your Travel Rewards Go Further
The only thing better than a relaxing getaway is a relaxing getaway you don’t have to pay for. But sometimes chasing those freebies can cost you more than if you just ponied up in the first place. Recently, we took a look at the …
Real Estate’s in the Tank? Not in the Land of IPOs
It’s been what my grandmother would call “a month of Sundays” (i.e., a long, long time) since we’ve heard of a local housing market that wasn’t in the doldrums. In fact, much of the country is now officially in the …
Can Comcast Cut Waits for The Cable Guy?
As a consumer, nothing is more annoying than being told to wait for the cable guy during a ridiculously long window – yes, we’ll fix your system, but our repairman will arrive between noon and 4 p.m. When he’s then late, or doesn’t show up at all, smashing the set with a baseball bat sounds like a reasonable response.
Financial Crisis Payback: JP Morgan Pays Second Largest Housing Bust Related Fine
It appears JP Morgan Chase is a vampire squid as well.
JPMorgan will pay a $153 million fine to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that it misled investors in a mortgage bond deal just as the housing market was about to crack. The SEC alleges that JPMorgan sold a type of risky mortgage deal called a collateralized debt …