NEW YORK — Two companies with quirky names, Ubiquiti Networks and Zeltiq Aesthetics, made their public debuts earlier this month with listings on the Nasdaq Stock Market. Each company’s stock went up modestly on the first day …
Why Barnes & Noble is Selling Rugs
Last week, Barnes & Noble started selling items like rugs and cooking utensils on its website. “If shoppers are buying cookbooks from bn.com, it’s natural to offer them cooking supplies at the same time; if shoppers are buying new …
We Pay More to Drive Than We Spend on Taxes
By the time the costs of gas, insurance, tolls, parking, and car payments are added up, the average American family spends more on driving than on health insurance or taxes. And for the bulk of society—those who use cars every …
Why Europe’s Latest Debt-Crisis Agreement Could Be DOA
The leaders of the euro zone held an important conference on Sunday to try, once again, to resolve its destabilizing debt crisis. And though a final agreement wasn’t reached — and probably won’t be until Wednesday — we can already read the writing on the wall. The new grand agreement is likely to be dead on arrival.
Why so? On …
‘Occupy Wall Street’ For Sale
The “Occupy” movement may purposefully be trying to resist being branded or labeled with specific messages and demands, but there are already plenty of creative types eager to come up with logos and slogans for the protests—and …
Shocker! The Rich Expected to Go on Big Shopping Sprees This Holiday Season
The average consumer is expected to spend less on the winter holidays this year. Yet it’s anticipated that overall holiday spending will rise slightly compared to 2010. How could this be? While middle-class shoppers scale back, …
Wells Fargo Mails Statements to Wrong Customers
Some Wells Fargo customers who opened their accounts in Florida or South Carolina are getting an unpleasant surprise when they open the monthly statement they receive in the mail: At least some of the statement pages inside don’t …
Credit Union Guarantees Free Checking and No Debit Card Fees—Forever
One reason people give for sticking with their bank even as it adds absurd debit card fees is that soon, all financial institutions are likely to charge for these services. So why bother going through the hassle of switching banks at all? Small banks, online banks, and credit unions understand that the absence of fees helps them woo …
What Your Supermarket Knows About You
The global financial crisis of 2009 hit consumers hard. Two years later, and they’re still reeling. Spending is down across the board, and even the more affluent are watching their pennies. In this fearful climate, retailers …
‘Gotcha’ Fees Force Customers to Quit Banks
Hidden bank fees are pushing the working poor out of mainstream banking and into riskier, more expensive alternatives to managing their personal finances. A new study released by the Pew Charitable Trusts provides a stark …
The Ticket to Free Travel? Carrying 40 Credit Cards Helps
What’s in your wallet? For travelers who sign up for credit cards left and right and strategically compile bonus points and miles in order to see the world for next to nothing, answering that question takes some time.
Credit Scores Down But Credit Card Debt Up
Numbers don’t lie, but sometimes they don’t tell the whole story. Credit score and product site CreditKarma.com compared the amount of credit card, mortgage and student loan debt in each state, along with each state’s average …