Economy Jan 03 Happy New Year? Job Market Looking Up for College Grads? Not surprisingly, a poor economy does not bode well for college grads trying to enter the job market. "The last couple of years have been a very, very tough time to be coming out of college," said Richard…
Economy Dec 15 Why Doesn’t the U.S. Just Print More Money, Rather Than Borrow? Name: Bill Turner Question: Why does the U.S. borrow so much instead of printing as much money as we need? Paul Solman: Superb question. Two responses. Response 1: First, mightn't you borrow if you could get today's rate: a 30-year…
Economy Dec 14 Tool$ Tuesday: Interactive Tax Cut Graphic Today's tool concerns the extension of the Bush tax cuts and comes via the Washington Post, which generated the interactive graphic some time ago. But it's as timely a tool as ever, given that the Senate voted Monday night…
Economy Dec 13 What’s Causing US Personal Spending to Drop- Job Loss, Fear? Name: Michael Cassady Question: Paul, If the U.S. consumer market is the economic driver of the U.S. economy, and that of China too, with middle-class incomes stagnant, and consumer debt more controlled following the housing market bubble, how many jobs…
Economy Dec 10 Loan Modifications: A Question of Economic Injustice? Three questions today, one answer. Name: James Tracey Question: On a recent program, you interviewed a lady from the New York city area, who works in the public education field. She was about to lose the house that her family…
Economy Dec 09 Good Ideas to Save the Economy Can Have Bad Unintended Consequences Name: Fred Damato Question: Would this work to jump start the economy? Give all citizens (with incomes up to $250,000) the option to withdraw some or all of their retirement savings tax free if they pay all cash for a…
Economy Dec 08 Looking To the Past To See the Future: More Anxiety May Await Us Name: Sophia Shelko Question: What does the future hold for people that have lost or have been victims of this economic crisis? An example: those who faced foreclosures of their homes and had their credit ruined. Paul Solman: If the…
Economy Dec 07 Two Retirement Planning Tool$ to Use NOW Retirement tools. The questions they ask you to fill in seem designed to scare your pants off: How much do you expect to earn on your assets? When are you planning to retire? When are you going to die? Sadly,…
Economy Dec 06 Malemployed College Graduates Cope with Discouragement Headline unemployment (U-3) was up to 9.8 percent in November, and the government's broadest indicator, U-6, which includes all who worked at all last month, even if just for an hour -- is holding steady at 17 percent. Add…
Economy Dec 06 Malemployed College Graduates Cope with Discouragement Headline unemployment (U-3) was up to 9.8 percent in November, and the government's broadest indicator, U-6, which includes all who worked at all last month, even if just for an hour -- is holding steady at 17 percent. Add…