The new game/marketing promotion from Groupon is called Clicky. That rhymes with “icky,” an apt description of the “Clickable-Value Wheel” that looks like a carnival game of chance, only with a human mouth and eyes, producing a …
How 401(k)s Make Many Americans Poorer
One of the most widely dispensed and universally accepted pieces of financial advice is that you should contribute at least enough to your 401(k) to get the full match from your company. If you don’t, so the wisdom goes, you will …
Price of Orange Juice Futures Soars—Will OJ Prices at the Supermarket Do the Same?
First, it was coffee prices spiking last spring. Then, over the summer, the cost of bacon surged. Now, the price of another breakfast staple—orange juice—could suddenly be heading northward.
In November, We Racked Up $5.6 Billion More Credit Card Debt
Americans spent an unexpected $52 billion over Black Friday weekend, and now it’s becoming clear how we managed to afford this shopping spree: we charged it. New Federal Reserve data shows that consumer borrowing surged by $20.4 …
Unable to Work, Retirees Move in with Kids and Find it’s not So Bad
Bunching family under one roof isn’t the Holy Grail of retirement. But for those with few choices at least it’s an answer with some unexpected benefits.
Cord Cutting: The Sensitive Guy’s Guide to Breaking Up With Cable TV
A year ago, observers speculated that 2011 would become the “Year of the Cord Cutter,” during which a record number of consumers would drop their cable subscriptions. Needless to say, the vast majority of American households …
Americans Are Expected to Buy a Million More Cars in 2012
Check Out the New Walgreens — Where You Can Get Sushi, Cognac, a Smoothie, and a Manicure
For more than a year now, shoppers have been able to buy cheap six-packs of private-label beer at Walgreens around the country. The brew, Big Flats 1901, is often described by reviewers as “drinkable,” high praise considering it costs about 50¢ a can. Ironically, though, the brand-new upscale 27,350-square-foot Walgreens in downtown …
Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?
How many ping-pong balls would fit in the Mediterrean Sea? Can you swim faster in water or syrup? When there’s a wind blowing, does a round-trip by plane take more time, less time, or the same time? Today, a number of companies …
One Promising Economic Sign: Demand for Coins is Up
The U.S. Mint circulated more quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies last year. And that’s a good thing.
Why Germany is Making Money on Eurozone Fears
A few months ago, it seemed Germany’s ego couldn’t get any bigger. The country’s joblessness rate had fallen to its lowest levels since German reunification in 1990, and its small Mittelstand businesses, the backbone of the …
The Secret Cause of Buyer’s Remorse
Being able to hold things before we buy them makes us more satisfied with our purchases.