Most people seemed to agree that the narrowly avoided government shutdown would have hurt the economy. But the question is whether the budget deal struck to avert the shutdown will hurt the economy more than if Washington had just turned off the lights?
The budget deal struck by President Obama and John Boehner and other Republicans …
It may prevent or delay you from getting married, buying a house, having kids, starting a business, or otherwise getting on with your life. It’s … student loan debt.
During a JetBlue sale, flights are available at one-way prices such as $39 (Las Vegas-Long Beach), $49 (Boston-Washington, D.C.) $59 (New York-Burlington, Orlando-Montego Bay, Jamaica), $114 (New York-Bermuda), and $124 (Boston-Cancun). Tickets must be purchased by April 13, and travel at these fares is valid between April 26 and June 22.
A trio of new studies indicates that to live a long and healthy life, one should have a job—just one that doesn’t require exceptionally long hours. And it seems like getting out and shopping regularly seems to extend one’s life in the golden years. So long as unemployment or a stressful job hasn’t already killed you, that is.
Curious CapitalistEconomy & Policy
I spent this past weekend up in Bretton Woods at the INET conference, a shin dig put on by the George Soros funded Institution for New Economic Thinking, which is a group dedicated to figuring out new and better ways to run the global economy. You may have seen the outrage over the conference on Fox News and in the Wall Street …
One-third of homeowners who have paid for energy-efficiency upgrades—switching to CFL lightbulbs, installing Energy Star appliances, etc.—say they haven’t seen the decrease in energy bills that they expected.
Curious CapitalistEconomy & Policy
Last week’s budget wrangles in Washington remind me of reality TV. You watch it like you watch a train wreck. While Republicans and Democrats have (temporarily) avoided shutting down the federal government, you almost wish they wouldn’t have. At least then, they would have been forced to confront the economic consequences of …
“People who simply want to save money — especially those who are older or those who cannot manage the complexities of a financial portfolio — continue to be caught in a bind. They either lose ground, because interest rate returns are low while food and energy costs are going up, or they have to consider making investments that are …
Tuesday, April 12, is Free Cone Day at Ben & Jerry’s, when participating shops are giving free ice cream cones to all customers between noon and 8 p.m.
During the recession era, Walmart made a distinct shift upscale in an attempt to woo more affluent consumers. The move proved to be a disaster, and the world’s largest retailer has suffered through an extended sales slump amid accusations it betrayed blue-collar shoppers everywhere. To bring the masses back, Walmart is now promising to …
“The last thing I remember is getting a second tray of two-for-one mug-a-ritas with the guys from work … Next thing I know, I’m coming to on my couch, I’m nauseous, my head’s pounding, and I’m fully vested in a Roth IRA that’s completely deductible and contains a diverse spread of steady dividend-paying stocks with an impressive …
A government shut down could cause consumer spending to drop by just over $30 billion. It’s a lot of money. And certainly meaningful to the people who count on those checks. But the real question is this: Is that enough to derail the economic recovery, or at least delay it?
The spending hit has to do with tax refunds, which many …
