The Tooth Fairy is one girl gone wild. Some kids are getting $50 a tooth and the average bounty is up 42% in two years. Here’s what the trend says about the economy and our collective parenting skills.
Economics & Policy
Report: Fix Social Security Now–or Pay a Stiff Price
A bipartisan think tank finds that the costs of shoring up Social Security will skyrocket in coming years. We need to act now, while the costs are manageable.
The Weird Reason Consumers Write Bad Online Reviews for Products They Never Bought
It’s not complicated why people write fake online reviews: The goal is to help a company out, either by praising its services or products and pumping up its ratings, or by bashing the competition with a scathing critique. But researchers have another theory about why some consumers—with apparently no axe to grind or financial interests …
Study: Pinching Pennies Is Good for Your Dating Life
In the movies, the ideal partner is often the impulsive, uncontrollable romantic who makes grand gestures to show his love, no matter the cost. Research shows that in real life, however, sex appeal comes in the form of having the …
Atlantic City Casino Promotion Bashed By Watchdogs Is a Big Hit with Gamblers
The “You can’t lose” promotion, which promised to refund losses at slot machines Atlantic City’s Revel, appears to be a big winner for the casino—even if consumer advocates think the deal is misleading at best.
Turns Out You Only Think You’re Spending Less Money
American consumers claim that they’re not spending as much money this year on restaurants, bar tabs, home purchases, and other key categories. The actual consumer spending data tells a different story.
Back to School Shopping: Parent-Teen Worlds Collide
A renewed sense of thrift has overtaken back-to-school shoppers, setting the scene for parent-teen conflicts
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.
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 …
What It Means to Be ‘Wealthy’ in America Today
Correction appended: July 24, 2013, 11:03 p.m. E.T.
The rich don’t really think they’re rich. In a new survey, the vast majority of investors with $1 million in assets don’t consider themselves wealthy. Which brings up the question: What do the terms rich and wealthy really mean?
Alleged Fake Online Review Spammers Get Taken to Court
Websites that rely on user reviews and ratings often use filters to screen out opinions that are likely to be fraudulent. But the filters can only do so much. This week, Edmunds.com decided to file a lawsuit to get alleged spammers to stop flooding its ratings service with fake reviews of car dealerships.
Don’t Go Shopping This Weekend: Sales Tax Holidays Coming
Retailers have been promoting back-to-school deals since, well, since before many kids were even out of school. But the annoyance of endless seasonal promotions is only one reason to hold off a little while longer on back-to-school purchases.