Most of the public scorn for payday lenders is heaped on mom and pop storefront operations — and the national chains that do nothing but payday loans: publicly-traded companies like Advance America, EZ Corp, and QC Holdings. These companies make small cash loans to generally low-income consumers — and charge a fee of, perhaps, $20 for …
Will the second Greek bailout save the euro?
After 18 months of dithering, bickering and delusion, the leaders the euro zone have finally conceded to the inevitable and cobbled together a second bailout of Greece. The total package agreed to on Thursday – with fresh loans of $157 billion – includes some startling breakthroughs in Europe’s approach to solving the destabilizing …
States Try to Squeeze Taxes Out of Online Travel Sites
For years, Expedia, Orbitz and the like have avoided paying most state sales taxes because their businesses aren’t physically located in those states. But now legislatures and courts are cracking down on online retailers. Will …
Why Job Hunters Shouldn’t Worry So Much About Paltry Job Growth
As you are probably aware, the latest job markets news isn’t good: Unemployment is still more than 9 percent, and new job growth has fallen close to zero. That’s bad for the economy, of course. And it may be especially …
The Perils of a Balanced Budget
Families have to balance budgets, so shouldn’t governments have to do the same? Not according to Rana Foroohar’s column in the latest issue of TIME. There’s a folksy appeal to the idea of a balanced budget amendment being pushed by Congressional Republicans. Since individual households aren’t supposed to spend more than what they make, …
Boeing’s American Airlines Deal: A New Mini Stimulus?
American air travelers have reason to celebrate. American Airlines is trading in its fleet of outdated gas-guzzlers for a brand new crop of planes. It’s a welcome development, since the country’s third largest airline is notorious for carting customers around in some of the industry’s shabbiest and noisiest planes. It’s also good news …
Look for Electric Vehicle Charging Stations at IKEA, Walgreens, Convenience Stores
One of the big holdups stopping drivers from buying electric cars is that there aren’t many places to recharge the battery as it’s dying down. Hence, the concept of “range anxiety,” in which electric car owners drive with a …
New CFPB Thinks Credit Scoring is Confusing, Too
Elizabeth Warren must have eaten her Wheaties Thursday morning, because the brand-new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is already busy. Bright and early this morning (we checked at 6:30 a.m. ET), a link to a new “credit card …
Apple Does it Again: Why Companies Win While Economies Lose
As Washington continues to skate perilously close to the economic abyss, 3,000 miles away in Cupertino, California, this week Apple released its results for the second quarter. To no one’s surprise but to almost universal …
It’s a Deal: 75% Off Dickies Clearance Merchandise
Use the coupon code HOT75 to get 75% off the regular price of shoes, clothing, and other items in Dickies’ clearance section. The discount is valid for purchases made by Sunday, July 24.
CFPB Will Tackle Credit Card Issues Soon, Advocates Predict
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officially opens its doors today. Conceived in the wake of the subprime meltdown and the subsequent financial market crash, the CFPB was envisioned as a financial services version of something like the Consumer Product Safety Commission, except that instead of pulling lead-tainted toys or …
Extreme Couponing: Never Hotter, Yet Never More Pointless
Spending a good chunk of the work week hunting and gathering coupons, then strategically shopping at the supermarket for hours, all to save $50, $75, even $100 on groceries, is a dubious use of time. Now that supermarkets, …