Some Obama opponents are struggling to find a cloud in the silver lining of January’s jobs numbers, which estimated that there was a 243,000-job boost and a big drop in the unemployment rate, from 8.5% to 8.3%, last month. Their biggest gripe focuses on the size of the labor force: As the unemployment rate has trended down over the …
How Random Companies Desperately Try to Attach Themselves to All the Super Bowl Hoopla
The Super Bowl is obviously a big deal for business. Advertisers are paying an average of $3.5 million per 30-second commercial aired during the game, and they’re spending millions more to promote online contests and viral video …
Super Bowl Viewers Expected to Use Facebook, Twitter at Record Levels This Year
Unemployment Falls As U.S. Adds 243,000 Jobs
The U.S. labor market continued to add new jobs in January, pushing the unemployment rate to the lowest level in nearly three years, in a sign that the economy is recovering from the worst recession in decades. The Bureau of …
Pension Income Is Guaranteed, Right? Yes, But …
As if we needed another reminder that our safety net is threadbare, AMR Corp., the American Airlines parent company, says it will shut down pensions covering 130,000 employees and retirees as part of a reorganization in …
Is ‘Made in America’ Back In Style?
My grandparents had two criteria for buying a car: It had to be blue, and it had to be American. The last time they purchased a car was in the ’90s, when American car companies didn’t have the best reputations for quality or …
Personnel Finance: Productivity Down, Employers Target Debt Stress
Financial education advocates point to three primary places to reach those who need help with their money: in schools, the point of sale, and at work. A debate rages over the first two. But efforts to educate employees at the …
Advertising Killed the Radio Star: How Pop Music and TV Ads Became Inseparable
Chances are you’ve heard indie singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson. But not on the radio. Or in a music video. And probably not from buying her album, or even downloading her songs from iTunes.
Zynga Shares Jump On Facebook IPO Connection
It’s good to be friends with Facebook. Zynga, the online video game company, saw its stock soar nearly 20% Thursday after Facebook disclosed that it made 12% of its revenue off the company last year. The social networking giant, …
9 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Trust Online Reviews
You shouldn’t believe everything you read. And if you’re reading online reviews of products, hotels, restaurants, or local businesses or services? Then you should believe even less.
New Sony CEO Faces Historic Losses and Global Challenges
Sony Corp. announced grim projections for the fiscal year on Thursday in Tokyo, reporting $1.2 billion in operating losses for the third quarter and a projected $2.9 billion loss for the year. The bleak figures highlight the …
$2.5 Million FTC Settlement Targets Collection of Expired Debt
One of the biggest debt collection companies in the country recently agreed to pay a $2.5 million civil penalty in a settlement with the FTC — part of an escalating effort by the agency to keep tabs on and, when necessary, rein …