Forty years ago, when Borders opened its first store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the book industry was a different place. But for years, Borders acted like it wasn’t, culminating in the announcement this week that it would …
Economics & Policy
Our Real Debt Problem
On Friday, I posted a piece on the U.S. debt and how we are creating a false crisis given current interest rates and our ability to manage that. Judging from the responses, you would have thought I was penning a piece in defense …
The U.S. Is Not Drowning In Debt
In case you haven’t noticed, Washington is currently consumed in an acrimonious debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling. There is no agreement about whether to do so or how, but both parties appear to accept the logic …
The Rebirth of the U.S. Auto Industry? Not So Fast
Over the past year, story after story has touted the rebirth of the U.S. auto industry. Ford Motors, which unlike General Motors and Chrysler survived the 2008-2009 crisis without taking bailout money from the federal government, …
Why Free Things Can Cost A Lot (And Make Your Brain Freeze)
News that Slurpee sales spike on days when 7-Eleven gives Slurpees away got us wondering why — well, it got our editors wondering why — and we think we have an answer. So, in this Mind Over Money post, we’ll explain how …
Why the Real Estate Recession is Halting Divorces
Study after study has looked at the impact of the recession on everything from obesity to fashion. But I’ve had my eye on a number of reports all year which, collectively, seem to indicate that the recession has made for …
Why We Know Our Toilet Paper Better Than Our Banks
Bad news for banks: A survey conducted by marketing research firm Brand Keys found that consumers make no differentiation — none — between bank brands. “They’re still among a group of brands where there is zero …
Need Some Investing Advice? Ask Your Congressperson
The average returns for members of the U.S. House of Representatives outperform the market by 6 percentage points. And Senators? They do even better.
Odd Consumer Behavior Files: When Stuff Is Free, We’re More Likely to Buy
Slurpees are free today at 7-Eleven. And, oddly enough, if consumers act like they have on previous Free Slurpee Days, the number of customers paying for Slurpees will soar today.
What Would a U.S. Government Default Feel Like For the Average American?
A compromise between the budget proposals being batted around by President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner will, hopefully, be reached before the federal government defaults on any debt.
But what if the August 2 deadline to …
Social Networking Gone Wild: Foreclosure via Facebook
The most distressing content most of us have ever seen on Facebook falls within the realm of the overshare: your boss’s Vegas stag party pics, or your new boyfriend’s status change from single to “it’s complicated.” But …
Even in the Struggling U.S. Economy, It’s Still Only Money
Listening to an interview with an Iranian-American journalist about being detained in jails in Damascus and Tehran, I was struck by the contrast between the extremis of those experiences and the daily drumbeat of high emotions …