A battle between retailers and financial institutions is likely to spill over into Congress this week. The Senate is expected to vote on a bill sponsored by Jon Tester (D-Mont.) that would delay the implementation of a 12-cent …
It’s a Deal: Southwest Airlines Flights from $29
During a Southwest Airlines sale, flights start at just $29 one way on routes such as Louisville to Birmingham; $39 (Baltimore-Norfolk, Boston-Philadelphia, Midland-Albuquerque); $49 (San Diego-Phoenix, Pittsburgh-Baltimore); $59 (Reno-Boise, Phoenix-Los Angeles); and $74 (Detroit-Chicago, Sacramento-Las Vegas, Newark-Baltimore). Tickets …
Customer Service Hell
The modern-day world is seriously lacking in satisfied customers. A new report reveals that 64% of consumers stomped out of a store in the past year because of frustration with the awful customer service, and 67% hung up the …
Fighting the High Cost of Fuel — with My Feet!
As gas prices soar across the United States, I decided to spend a month walking instead of driving whenever possible.
What Can You Do To Help Greece? Go There
It now appears that Greece will once again be bailed out of its financial morass. A year ago at this time, the world was roiled by the prospect of Greece defaulting on its considerable debts, and only the reluctant decision of …
Were You Really Surprised by the Market Downturn?
Just as investors were starting to hope that the worst was past, last week the stock market suffered its worst decline in nearly seven years.
Headlines attributed the slump to unexpectedly bad economic numbers. But you have to …
Why do we fear a rising China?
It’s hard to argue that the rise of China, taken on the whole, is anything but good for the global economy. New wealth for China’s 1.3 billion people means 1.3 billion more people who can buy stuff from the rest of the world, creating jobs from American research labs to Japanese industrial zones to Brazilian mines. A global economy …
Kevorkian Economics: Should People Be Allowed to End Their Lives to Save Money?
In a new survey, more than one-third of respondents say that “mentally able seniors” should be allowed to end their lives in order to “help save health care costs.”
Are More Productive Workers Hurting U.S. Jobs?
In discussing our unemployment problem today, WSJ‘s Real Time Economics points to an important issue: worker productivity. The piece explains that, with more productive workers supporting a growing population, the American employment rate and living standards are falling. Indeed, productivity has become a bad word in this economic …
Is the Economy Hurting Your Kid’s Report Card?
The economy, it appears, is hurting your child’s ability to do algebra.
A study published this week by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that higher rates of unemployment tend to lead to lower student test scores. And it’s not just kids whose parents have lost their jobs, but all kids. The study by a group of Duke …
Will Banks Target the Unbanked Next?
During the recession, the number of people categorized as unbanked — without a checking or savings account — or underbanked — without access to credit — increased. In a new study, consulting firm KPMG suggests that banks can make money from this group, not by bringing them back into the financial mainstream, but by offering them …
Coupons Are Hot. Like in the Stolen Property Sense
Talk about extreme couponing: Two newspapers in Idaho report that there are one or more Sunday newspaper coupon bandits on the loose, snagging all of the coupons from entire racks of papers.