You probably bought a cool new flat-screen TV within the last couple of years. But aren’t you ready for a new-new one now?
Why are Recoveries More Jobless?
Still waiting for the right jobs or workers (Shannon Stapleton/REUTERS)
The cover story of TIME magazine this week is about the job market. Bill Saporito and reporter Deirdre Van Dyk have done an amazing job of finding employers who want to hire.
Kent Niederhofer can’t find enough mechanical engineers to work for him — in
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Bank of America’s New Checking Accounts Offer More Options, and (You Knew It!) More Fees
In a new pilot program, the biggest bank in the U.S. says it wants to provide customers with more checking account options—and more transparency regarding the fees that come along with each option. “We are trying to provide you choices on how you compensate us,” explained on BofA executive. What’s transparent about that statement is …
Shout Out: ‘How to Prepare for Homelessness’
It’s the specifics in this post—some shelters limit the ages and genders allowed, the importance of having IDs, school records, and social security cards for all members of your family—that make the tips especially helpful, and that really pack a wallop as you read them.
It’s a Deal: Virgin America Flights from $59
During a Virgin America sale, flights cost as little as $59 each way on routes such as San Francisco to San Diego or Seattle, $79 (Los Angeles-Seattle), $119 (Boston-San Francisco, Washington, D.C.-Los Angeles), and $129 (New York-San Francisco, Toronto-Los Angeles). Tickets must be purchased by January 10, a two-week advance purchase is …
Financial Lessons Learned from 5 Unusual Sources
If you look hard enough, there are personal finance lessons to be learned at nearly every turn—on TV, at the movies, and … by observing your pets, and listening to geese honk in the sky?
Are government jobs becoming dead end jobs?
There used to be no safer career path that landing a government post. Sure, you might be able to pull in a bigger salary in the private sector, but it was hard to beat the benefits, or the job security. Public sector labor unions are often politically influential and fiercely protective of the perquisites of the civil servant. In times …
Why the Nano, the ‘World’s Cheapest Car,’ Is Going Nowhere
To much fanfare in 2009, India—a hotbed of innovative products within reach of the poor like the $70 refrigerator and the $23 stove—introduced the world to the Tata Nano, a car retailing for a mere $2,200. A year and a half or so later, the Nano is basically considered a flop, with only a few hundred sold each month. Why aren’t …
Quick Tip: Why Right Now Is a Great Time to Shop Secondhand Stores
“Ever wonder what happens to the returned items that retailers take back from consumers, but can’t sell back on their shelves? A trip to a thrift store during this time of year will answer that question.”
2011: The Year of the Cord Cutter?
There’s plenty to hate about cable TV—most notably, the nonsensical package structure of monthly bills in which the average customer pays for 117 channels and watches only 17 (and nothing good seems to be on ever), and the fact that cable rates have risen 59% since 1996 (three times the rate of inflation). While some 800,000 cable …
It’s a Deal: 40% Off CVS Brand Products
Through January 4, CVS.com is selling all store brand products for 40% off when purchases are made online. Free shipping is available for purchases of $49 and up.
My 2011 New Year’s resolutions for the global economy
Ah, yes, it’s that time of year again, when we all sit pensively with pen and paper and scrawl out our resolutions for the New Year. In that spirit, I thought I’d lend a hand to the leading figures of global economic policy with a few suggestions of what I think should be on their 2011 lists:
Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany: Give …