During and after the financial crisis, consumers had a hard time obtaining new credit cards or accounts. This trend appears to be reversing, but a closer look at who banks are lending to has some experts worried. The number of …
Why Slovakia Is Still a Big Problem for the Euro Zone
So after creating a giant kerfuffle on Tuesday by voting down much-needed measures to expand the powers of the euro zone’s $1 trillion bailout fund, Slovakia’s parliament reversed course and voted for those very same reforms a mere two days later. That means the euro zone can now use the European Financial Stability Facility (or …
Regulations and Jobs: The Debate Goes On
The idea that regulations eliminate jobs has been a persistent Republican talking point this year. At Tuesday night’s GOP presidential debate, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney said, “Of all the Obama regulations we say no. It costs jobs.” And he wasn’t alone. Texas governor Rick Perry said that regulations “are strangling the …
Wealth Matters: Materialistic People Are Less Happy in Marriage
Hot on the heels of a study suggesting that people who have a car, investments or other personal wealth are more likely to marry drops the other shoe: a study that suggests that people who prioritize money are less likely to be …
Raise Prices in a Slow Economy? Nice Try
Falling diaper sales and the mess at Netflix point up the risks that big banks are taking by boosting fees in a recessionary environment.
As the Economy Goes, So Goes Birth Rates: Fewer Babies Born Since Recession
It seems like more than just coincidence that the birth rate and the overall number of births in the U.S. have sharply declined since the beginning of the recession.
Suze Orman Offers 4 Tips on How to Save (and Spend) Your Money
“Are you afraid?” asked Suze Orman. “Are you afraid when it comes to your money? Well, you should be.” The lively personal finance expert and host of CNBC’s The Suze Orman Show appeared at Chicago Ideas Week (CIW) last night, …
Family Personally Delivers Party Invitations, Gets Charged Postage Anyway
Just how desperate for revenues is the United States Postal Service? Here’s one indication: A family in Connecticut recently stuffed 80 invitations in neighbors’ mailboxes for a Halloween block party, and now the postal service …
Could Occupy Wall St. and the Tea Party Unite?
The lines being drawn between the ultra-right Tea Party and its nearest complement in the realm of public furor, Occupy Wall Street, are curious. My colleague Michael Scherer over at Swampland describes the parallels as follows:
In its broadest outlines, this new outpouring of protest is driven by the same fuel that gave fire to the
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Just Rewards: Americans Trade In Credit Card Points for Cash
Rewards points and miles are a powerful tool in credit card companies’ marketing arsenal. Ads show people vacationing in exotic locales, kicking back in first-class airline seats or enjoying a pricey gadget. But in today’s …
Citizens Of What U.S. City Have the Highest Credit Scores?
Hint: It’s in a state with a lot of cheese. It has a low unemployment rate. It has about 40,000 people. Ok, you probably haven’t heard of it.
Forget Prince Charming: Why Economic Education Is A Worldwide Imperative
As the severity of this recession sinks in, the call grows louder for a serious plan to help people help themselves when it comes to their finances. After all, things won’t get much better anytime soon.