No matter their small selections and the near absence of brands you’d recognize: Trader Joe’s and Aldi are winning top honors in consumer surveys and proving to be enormously influential in the supermarket business.
Student Loan Rates Reset Lower — But Probably Not for Long
The student debt crisis is now being likened to such contentious issues as the draft and health care. We just got a near-term fix. But borrowing rates will rise substantially in a few years.
Gmail Segregates ‘Promotions’: Why This Won’t Slow Down the E-mail Marketing Machine
Gmail’s new tabs system separates marketing messages into a “Promotions” box, making it easier than ever to ignore e-mail ads. Yet one theory holds that Gmail’s new design could actually make e-mail marketing more effective.
New President’s Council to Focus on Kids and Money
President Obama has authorized a private-sector advisory council focused squarely on young people’s ability to learn about money. Student debt and early retirement saving are high on the hit list.
Stream Movies for Free – With a Library Card (But Don’t Cancel Netflix Just Yet)
By the end of the year, patrons of 100 library systems around the U.S. are expected to be able to stream thousands of videos for free. Music albums and ebooks too, with no waitlists to worry about.
Who Isn’t Being Left Behind During the Economic Recovery?
While the economy has been in recovery mode for the past several years, many groups have been said to be “left behind” — like essentially the entire middle class.
Why Is Insider Trading Even Illegal?
Ever since the financial crisis, U.S. regulators have been hard at work putting away Wall Street financiers who play fast and loose with the law. The only problem is, those Wall Street crooks that the feds have been cracking down on aren’t those who actually caused the financial crisis, but a different breed of white collar criminal: …
Your Funeral Home May Be Scamming You
Funeral homes have long been accused of taking advantage of their customers, who are forced to make a series of expensive decisions in the immediate aftermath of a loved one’s death, when they’re extraordinarily vulnerable. And a …
Want to Give Your Family the VIP Theme Park Experience? Cough Up Around $2,000 Per Day
Travelers are used to the idea that airline passengers who pony up big bucks get special treatment in first class. As theme park VIP tours spread, more travelers are enjoying behind-the-scenes tours and line-cutting privileges—which wouldn’t be so bad except these perks turn the rest of us into (bitter, jealous) second-class citizens.
SAC Capital Indicted, in a Blow to Billionaire Steven A. Cohen
The Feds say SAC Capital engaged in “systematic insider trading” on a scale “without known precedent in the hedge fund industry”
Steve Cohen’s (Allegedly) Corrupt “Information Gathering Machine”
When I first met Steve Cohen back in 1999, we were discussing SAC’s vaunted trading strategies, the ones that made his hedge fund one of the most successful in the finance world and burnished Cohen’s rep as one of the …
The Real Reason Taco Bell Killed Kids Meals
The decision came down to money, not concerns about nutrition or childhood obesity. In fact, after eliminating kids meals, Taco Bell may wind up feeding just as many children as it did in the past—and they’re likely to pay more, while scarfing down even more calories.