Almost everyone gets at least a little anxious when applying for an auto loan or a mortgage, but it’s even more stressful for people who get stuck paying higher interest rates or are turned down because of their credit. These …
News Corp.’s Tabloid Troubles: The Downside of Competition
The U.K’s phone hacking story is tailor-made for the New York Post: a high-powered celebrity businessman and his top lieutenants caught up in a major scandal involving Hollywood stars, top pols, and royals, with a murder thrown in for grisly good measure. The newspaper loves cutting powerful figures down to size in 120-point type …
Debit Card Rewards Aren’t Dead
Most banks have been killing off or scaling back their debit card reward programs. JP Morgan Chase, for instance, is scheduled to end its programs for nearly all debit card customers next week, with interchange swipe fee changes cited as a main reason for the debit reward demise. Just as the typical brick-and-mortar-based bank’s perks …
Hey, Rating Agencies: Too Bad We Can’t Downgrade You!
There are many aspects of the debt ceiling talks that are untoward. The political posturing. The lack of compromise. The somewhat terrifying reality that the U.S. might not be able to pay its bills.
But one part of the whole affair is really irritating: the righteous indignation of the rating agencies.
Big Oil: Synergy is Dead
U.S. oil companies seem to be giving up on synergy, spinning off their refining businesses so that they can focus on oil production. Conoco, which I previously recommended, announced yesterday that it would split in two, thereby …
Wall $treet Wives: Will It Be a Dud?
Here we go again. Another show about conspicuous consumption for the debt-riddled masses.
If you love the cardboard mansions of “MTV Cribs” or the botox-heavy cat fights of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” shows, chances are you’ll love this: “Wall $treet Wives,” a reality show about the fabulous lives of the women behind the men of Wall …
It’s a Deal: Up to Extra $200 Off on Floors at Lumber Liquidators
Place an order by Monday, July 18, with Lumber Liquidators, and you can get a discount of $40 to $200 off already marked-down merchandise. Different coupon codes listed at the site give a range of discounts: JUL40, for instance, grants $40 off orders of over $1,000, while JUL200 gives $200 off purchases over $3,000. Codes are valid on …
The U.S. Is Not Drowning In Debt
In case you haven’t noticed, Washington is currently consumed in an acrimonious debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling. There is no agreement about whether to do so or how, but both parties appear to accept the logic …
Inflation Falls: Is the Economy Saved or Doomed?
Inflation in June fell for the first time in a more than a year. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which is the government’s most widely watched gauge of what the things average Americans buy cost, fell 0.2% last month. The drop was mostly driven by a fall in gas prices, which were down nearly 7% alone in June. The question is whether …
Google Soars
Google shares shot up more than 12% in after-hours trading on Thursday following the company’s report of surprisingly good second-quarter earnings. Results were far stronger than analysts expected, with both revenue and net income increasing more than 32%. Cash and marketable securities rose to more than $39 billion, compared with debt …
Charges Dropped Against Woman for Front Yard Vegetable Garden
The weird, bureaucrats-run-amok saga in Oak Park, Mich., in which a woman faced jail time for planting a veggie garden in her front yard, is over for the time being. After news of the case went viral and the city was hammered …
How I Knew It Was Time to Quit My Day Job
Brett Farmiloe, founder of the pursuethepassion.com, talks about how he decided to quit his day job to be an entrepreneur.