For years, small business owners have been going on less and less summer vacations. But this time, it might be because they see opportunities.
Careers & Workplace
Congratulations, College Graduates! But Did You Just Waste Your Money, and Four Years of Your Lives?
There seems to be no stopping the argument that college is overpriced, overvalued, and not particularly good at preparing students for their lives after being kicked out of the dorms. Upon hearing some of the factoids gathered by …
Post-Recession Lingo: Need-to-Know Phrases for Today’s Consumers
Adding to the list of post-recession terms such as “unbanked” (individuals without checking or savings accounts), “anti-dowry” (student loan debt holding you back from getting married or buying a house), and “Groupon remorse” …
Everything You Need to Know About Consumers, Part II
In Part I of this consumer factoid extravaganza, we learned all sorts of weird info about spending habits, housing costs, and family expenditures. For the sequel, we’re dealing with moms, Mexicans, McDonald’s, men’s dwindling DIY skills, the earning power of maiden names, how using a cell phone can be a sign of poverty, grandparents …
Alligator Trapping Just Doesn’t Pay Like It Used To
In another quirky sign of the times, it’s probably smart to now scratch “alligator trapper” off your list of possible careers. Here’s a job that would never be described as easy. And because of rising gas prices, a falloff in the market for alligator meat and hides, and strapped government budgets that refuse to pay more for trappers to …
The Big List of Consumer Curiosities
Here’s a compendium of interesting, sometimes weird, sometimes surprising factoids about consumer spending, housing, modern family life, and more.
Does Biking to Work Inspire You to Write Poetry?
May is National Bike Month, and May 16-20 is Bike to Work Week. So if the money-saving, environmentally-friendly concept of pedaling to work will ever move you to write poetry, it’s probably now.
Both Unemployment and Working Too Much Will Kill You. But Shopping Helps You Live Longer?
A trio of new studies indicates that to live a long and healthy life, one should have a job—just one that doesn’t require exceptionally long hours. And it seems like getting out and shopping regularly seems to extend one’s life in the golden years. So long as unemployment or a stressful job hasn’t already killed you, that is.
78 Money Tips: Why It’s Sexy to Be Frugal, Secrets Your Jeweler Never Reveals, and More
This week’s roundup of consumer tips and personal finance advice also includes a list of actions to take right now that promise to “change your financial life forever.” One such suggested action: Do something nice for your spouse today, so that you don’t have to buy her something nice later on.
Financial Lessons from the Final Four, Yoga, Homer Simpson, and Other Odd Sources
Continuing in a series of posts gathering financial wisdom from unusual sources—ranging from Dungeons & Dragons and Charlie Sheen to geese flying patterns and Star Wars—here are some more financial lessons found in unlikely places.
204 Money Tips: Ways to Find Jobs, Get Free Shipping, Avoid Debt and Impulse Purchases, and More
Also: tips for cutting back on what you pay for everything from groceries to toys to your first home.
This Week in Mostly Awful Job News
Plummeting employee moral, the job fair cancelled because of lack of jobs, a study showing that crappy jobs are as bad for your mental health as being unemployed, and more.