“Inflation helps debtors and spenders at the expense of creditors and savers.”
Something I Expected: Health Insurers’ Requested Rate Hikes Are Way Higher Than Expected
We were told that health care reform would result in an increase of premiums to the tune of 1% or 2%. Now, however, insurers are trying to jack up premiums by more than 20%.
No Need for Jobs: The Recession is Over
Recession Deals, Going, Going, Gone (Source: AP)
Good news for everyone who has been out of work for months, facing foreclosure or generally struggling to make their bills: The recession is over. The bad news: It has been for a while. The National Bureau of Economic Research, which is the organization that officially designates when a …
Could A Republican Sweep Hurt Stocks?
Beware of the Elephants (Source: Birinyi Associates)
Markets, in general, like elections. And there is a long standing belief on Wall Street that Republicans are good for stocks. So the rising possibility that Republicans could win back majorities in the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate this November has whipped a …
More Proof Consumers Just Love the Quick-Fix Gimmick
Trendy “toning” sneakers justify their high asking prices ($100 to $200 and up) by saying that their unique rounded soles help wearers to get better workouts, burn more calories, and better tone their butts, legs, and calves compared to normal sneakers. You can understand why consumers love the idea that simply putting on a pair of shoes …
It’s a Deal: Buy Two Toys, Get Third Free at Toys R Us
During Geoffrey’s Birthday Toy Sale at Toys R Us (lasting through September 25), when you buy two LEGO construction sets, Barbie Dolls, LeapFrog Learning Toys, video games priced up to $19.99, and toys from Playmobil, Mega Bloks, Playskool, Melissa & Doug, and Hasbro, you’ll get a third free.
Why Killing and Caring for Animals Are Both Recession-Proof
How are animals faring during the recession era? Well, in some ways, they’re better off than ever. In others, however, animals are more likely to find themselves literally in the crosshairs.
Saving by the Numbers
Here are 20 new resources that, among other things, will help consumers to save money or spend it wisely, to enable folks to get good customer service or to do good in the world even if they’re broke.
Small Biz Is Still Sucking Wind
President Obama had a shinning moment on Thursday when the Senate pulled together (in barley bipartisan fashion) and passed the assistance package for small business. Now there will be a quickie conference with the House, which passed its own version in June. The bill basically puts billions of dollars into the hands of community banks …
Apparently This Is Grim Economic Statistics Week
More Poverty! More Uninsured! More Stagnation! Plagues! Locusts! OK, I think I got carried away there for a moment. But yikes.
It’s a Deal: Free Admission at 1,300+ U.S. Museums
Saturday, September 25, is Museum Day, when more than 1,300 museums across the country offer free admission to all visitors who visit the above link, enter some info, and print out a ticket sent via e-mail. Participating museums are spread all over the country—33 in Illinois, for example, including Chicago’s Adler Planetarium and …
Does America need an industrial policy?
I was reading The Wall Street Journal the other day and came upon an essay that made me feel as if I had been shoved into a time machine and sent back to 1985. No, it wasn’t about or a new Molly Ringwald movie or a longing for acid-washed jeans. The essay, written by Jeremy Wiesen, a professor at New York University’s Stern School of …