We all know the impulse. When confronted with evidence that we are wrong — whether in a domestic or professional setting — our pride often compels us to dig in our heels and refuse to acknowledge the error. Sometimes, …
Back-to-School Special: 5 Top-of-the-Class Credit Cards for Students
While the Credit CARD Act cut down on a lot of the shady marketing practices credit card issuers used to target college students, there are still a plethora of cards out there for the campus crowd, and wading through them can be …
Is Rick Perry Right About a Runaway Fed?
Updated Aug. 17, 11pm EDT
Yesterday’s viral video of Texas Governor Rick Perry deriding the Fed is getting a lot of play. The new presidential candidate seems to think our wily central bank is plotting the country’s demise through “money printing” policies that “play politics” and are practically “treasonous.” Let’s move past the part …
Social Security Declares 14,000 Living People Dead Every Year
Are you dead? No? Well, the Social Security Administration might think so, considering that every year thousands of people are incorrectly entered into its Death Master File.
Student Loan Delinquency Rate on the Rise
If you believe conventional wisdom, student loans are “good” debt: They’re safe, lead to higher incomes, and generally pay off in the long run. The problem is that an increasing amount of evidence is showing that this thinking is distinctly unwise.
How to Boost Your Income
I’ve written a lot — at TIME Moneyland and other sites — about the importance of taking charge of your own financial life. Nobody cares more about your money than you do. If you’re not willing to be smart with your money, you …
10 U.S. Retailers That Are Thriving During Tough Times
In much the same way that outlet malls are booming due to a combo of a shaky economy and shaken consumers, retailers that cater to thrifty-minded shoppers have benefited during an era that’s been mostly bad for business. Here are …
ForSaleByOwner.com Founder Sells Condo — Using Real Estate Agent
Correction: An earlier version of this article mistakenly identified Colby Sambrotto as a founder of FSBO.com. In fact, he is a founder of ForSaleByOwner.com.
They’re known as “FSBOs” — properties that are For Sale By Owner. Every year, hundreds of thousands of properties are listed, not by real estate agents, but by the owners …
Back-to-School Special: 9 Credit-Card Tips For Students
Even as school starts up again around the country, students may already be falling behind in one critical area of knowledge: How to choose and use credit cards. Unfortunately, until financial education is taught in high schools …
Will Germany’s Slowdown Doom Global Growth?
As if Europe doesn’t already have it bad enough, here comes some more foul news: Germany’s growth, widely considered to be the saving grace of the flailing eurozone, is grinding to a halt. The question is what that means for struggling Europe and the global recovery.
Only a year ago, the region’s biggest economy seemed to be powering …
Why Buffett’s Plan To Tax the Rich Won’t Fix the Debt
The chattering class is agape over an op-ed in The New York Times on August 14, written by a billionaire, for billionaires, and about billionaires. The op-ed was penned by investment legend Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire …
When is $11.4 Trillion in Debt an Improvement?
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released a report on Monday that shows America is chipping away at its collective debt — but slowly. According to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit, overall consumer debt was down by $50 billion at the end of June. If that seems like a lot, it’s not; in fact, it’s a measly 0.4 percent …