All Economy
- Bernard Madoff victims to get $405M in settlement
Bernard Madoff investment scam victims will get $405 million settlement payout from hedge fund manager J. Ezra Merkin. Additionally, New York state will get $5 million to cover the cost of the settlement for the Bernard Madoff victims.
- The national debt as a high school subject
Current high school and early college textbooks don't adequately explain what the federal debt is and why the students should care about it. This is a problem, because they are the ones set to inherit it.
- 30-year mortgage rate falls to record 3.66 percent
30-year mortgage rates continued to spiral downward last week, falling to yet another low. The average 30-year mortgage rate fell to record low for the seventh time in eight weeks.
- Bargain finds at your local post office
Next time you mail a package or stop in to buy stamps, take a look at your post office's bulletin board. No telling what you'll find.
- 8 ways to lower your monthly rent
With these tips, you could save thousands annually on your apartment rental.
- Good news? Demand for gas plummets, oil prices sink
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.45 -- 18 cents below last year, and 23 cents lower than May. That's good news for commuters, road-trippers, and other folks who depend on their cars. Crude oil prices have also dropped.
- Rise of the robots: The man versus machine advisor debate
When it comes to investing, a new article written by Nick Shalek claims that software is better than 99 percent of humans when it comes to financial advising. His post has spread around the industry like wildfire, with wildly mixed reviews.
- Portugal stands out as largest euro success story so far
Portugal stands out as the country making the biggest improvements, while neighboring Spain is seeing the smallest. Portugal's deficit in the first four months of 2012 is far lower than it was in the same period of last year.
- GM recalls Chevy Cruze for engine fire risk. Is yours on the list?
GM (General Motors) is recalling more than 475,000 Chevy Cruze models due to a risk for engine fires. The GM Chevy Cruze has been one of the most popular compact cars n the US in recent years.
- Rio+20: Green infrastructure gets its day to shine
Held two decades ago, the original Earth Summit gathered world leaders in Rio de Janeiro to try to grapple with climate change, biological diversity, and other environmental challenges. Rio+20 is smaller, but still generating interesting ideas.
- Credit card worries? 5 ways to teach kids about plastic
Credit card debt can be financially crippling, so it's important to teach your kids responsible card use early. Here are five tips to get you started.
- 5 great travel rewards credit cards Summer travel can be cheap with the help of credit card rewards. Here are five great credit card rewards programs to fit your vacationing style.
- Oil prices increase, but stay near 8-month lows
Oil prices made small gains above $78 a barrel Friday but remained near eight-month lows after signs of slowing global economic growth triggered a sharp plunge this week. Most indicators hint at a continuing slide for oil prices.
- Moody's ratings cut for giant banks: a new weight on US economy
Moody's downgrade of the US banking system, following turmoil in Europe's banking sector, is a blow to reputation of banks but is not expected to tip the economy into recession.
- Taking a new look at an old consumption tax
The idea of the X Tax–a progressive consumption tax designed 25 years ago–generated lots of discussion among tax experts. Whatever you want to label it, there are so few new ideas in tax policy, it never hurts to revisit an old one.
- Accidental entrepreneurs a side effect of a weak economy
The number of accidental entrepreneurs, who started businesses after finding themselves unemployed and unable to find work, has doubled over the rate found before the recession began (from 9 percent to 18 percent). And a good chunk of those are struggling to make end's meet.
- $1.3 million utility bill? Monthly payment stuns Texas woman.
$1.3 million utility bill sent to a woman in Abilene, Texas was so huge she thought it was a joke. She is still waiting for a replacement for her $1.3 million utility bill.
- Bad reports give Dow its second-worst day of year
The Dow started sinking after the Fed's Philadelphia branch reported a manufacturing slowdown resulting from a steep drop in companies' orders. It only got worse, as the index ultimately lost 250 points to close at 12,573, a 2 percent drop.
- Hobby bleeding you dry? Might be time to put away the Magic cards
Hobbies that requires constant spending, may keep you from improving your finances. Instead, look for a way to cap the hobby or, better yet, find a new, cheaper hobby or activity with which to replace it.
- Ultimate driving machine: BMW M5 won’t offer manual transmission?
Performance cars like the BMW luxury-performance sedan M5's make numerous concessions in the interests of comfort and civility, that cost speed and handling. But the next M5 may make a big concession, and not offer a manual transmission option.