The Christmas shopping season is upon us, and if you decide to indulge in the shopping frenzy, be careful. Not just of your health, but of your wallet. Buying at bargain prices is a worthy thing, but once you start shopping it …
Can the Super Marios Save the Euro?
Over the past couple weeks, the hopes of the euro zone have been pinned on two Marios – Mario Draghi, the newly installed president of the European Central Bank, and Mario Monti, the newly installed Prime Minister of Italy. …
Crooks Prey on Unsuspecting Credit Card Customers
Claims of lost or stolen credit cards go up by nearly 20% during the holiday season, according to PNC Bank. The reasons are twofold: We tend to use our cards more during this time of year, and thieves are smart enough to know that people tend to be rushed and distracted during this time of year. But some criminals don’t wait until the …
Weirdest Cyber Monday Deal Ever? Homes Marked Down By Up to $80,000
Holiday promotions usually consist of discounts on electronics, toys, clothing, and the like. Drivers in the market for new wheels can expect good deals on cars on Black Friday too. But a Cyber Monday discount for a new home?
Check Out All the Best Cyber Monday Shopping Deals
After blockbuster sales figures on Black Friday, retailers are expecting consumers to keep up the shopping pace on Cyber Monday. Shoppers have plenty of tempting offers to choose from.
Home Affordability Near Highest Level in 20 Years
It’s easy to drown in real estate statistics, but looking at “affordability” — the homes that someone on a median income could buy — is a fascinating gauge of housing markets. (Plus, it’s a statistic that can be fine-tuned to …
How to Fix Your 401(k) Plan
As the traditional pension disappears, the 401(k) plan is evolving into something that one day might actually be just as good. That’s saying a lot. The certainty of monthly income for life, which traditional pensions promise, is a high bar. Meanwhile, 401(k) plans have taken their licks.
Holiday Shopping: Will Cyber Monday Outshine Black Friday?
Black Friday was no bust. Retail sales turned out to be far stronger than predicted, rising by nearly 7% compared with last year’s day-after-Thanksgiving shopping bonanza. Finishing off the holiday weekend that’s all about consumption—first, in terms of turkey, and later on, shopping—is the e-commerce spectacular, Cyber Monday. …
How to Get Your Dream Job in a Bad Economy
How Much are Workers to Blame for Income Inequality?
A common refrain in conversations about poverty—and unemployment and income inequality—is that more education will lead people to better-paying jobs and higher living standards. I certainly don’t want to make an argument against education, but recent research from MIT economist Frank Levy and business professor Tom Kochan provides …
Is Germany the Next Victim of the Euro Crisis?
Reading about developments in the euro zone these days makes me recall the old American TV sci-fi show Lost in Space. Every time the Robinson family got itself into trouble, their robot would swing its arms and flash its lights …
Attention Holiday Shoppers: Plastic Hurts—Then Hurts Again!
The always-insightful Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal once said that great personal finance journalism is really the art of communicating the same handful of important lessons over and over again without boring people. …