In tough times, people turn to activities that relieve stress—specifically laughing and having sex (not necessarily at the same time). Though you might think economic turmoil wouldn’t exactly put people neither in the mood for comedy nor otherwise “in the mood,” based on the successes of comedy clubs and TV comedy ratings we are …
Shout Out: ‘Confessions of Former Debt Collectors’
“You’d be surprised what goes on behind closed doors. Every day, you were asked to break the law. If you didn’t break the law, you were asked what was wrong with you.”
It’s a Deal: Up to 60% Off at Nautica
Shorts, bathing suits, polo shirts, and other summer items for men, women, and children are being discounted by up to 60% during Nautica’s seasonal sale, which lasts through July 24. Free shipping on orders of $50 or more too.
Is Your Boss a Psychopath? Or Merely Mean?
Two separate studies offer insights for why your boss is such an abusive jerk. One says that corporate managers score higher than the average population on tests measuring psychopathy. The other reveals that bosses who make big bucks are much meaner to their employees compared to executives who aren’t earning astronomical salaries. So …
Experiments in soda taxes and pay walls: an update
A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about soda taxes, the subject of a story I had in the magazine. At the time, Time.com readers couldn’t see the story, thanks to our new (pay) wall. Well, as it turns out, we’re only hiding our magazine stories for two weeks, and then they’re going up on the web site in full form. So now, after much …
Seeking ‘Retail Therapy’ When What You Need Is Real Therapy
Why do some people take their roles as consumers literally and consume and consume and consume—purchasing items they don’t need, splurging on silly gifts (for friends and themselves) without pausing to consider costs, hitting the mall whenever they’re feeling down or bored, and digging themselves huge amounts of credit card debt in the …
Bank Profits: How $6 billion is Bad News?
You would expect a very basic rule of the stock market to be that earnings are good. Yet this morning after two of the biggest banks in the nation Citigroup and Bank of America reported nearly $6 billion in earnings, not only did the shares of those two companies drop, but so did the whole market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was …
Financial re-regulation: did we reach a middle ground?
Financial re-regulation: check! Here’s a great graphic summarizing what wound up in the final bill. For each category of re-regulation, Jon Hilsenrath explains what problems existed, the solutions Congress came up with and the chances that those solutions will work. It’s a great compilation, one worth checking out.
As I’ve been digging …
It’s a Deal: 20% Off Entire Purchase at Big Lots
Print out this coupon (thanks Buxr) to get 20% off your entire in-store purchase at Big Lots this Sunday, June 18.
Smart Portfolio: Goldman Sachs, BP and GlaxoSmithkline?
If you’re wrestling with the problem of how to invest your money at a time when the economy is uncertain, the President is unpopular and the Fed is out of ammunition, then how about investing in trouble with a capital T? The stocks I’m thinking of are the headline grabbers of the last couple of months—not that any of them wanted to be. …
261 Bits of Advice for Saving Money, Avoiding Financial Problems, and Picking Liquor That’s Cheap But Not Cheap-Tasting
This humungous roundup includes healthy foods that cost under $1 a pound, retirement myths, websites for free TV viewing, most annoying things about grocery stores, stuff marketed to kids that kids simply don’t need, bargain booze picks from bar experts, and wedding dresses that you’ll wear more than once—and not only if you get …
Cheapskate Wisdom … About How Banks Will Adapt to New Limits on Fees
“If you’re a restaurant and you can’t charge for the soda, you’re going to charge more for the burger … Over time, it will all be repriced into the business.”