Economy May 12 Are Taxes Lower Now Than the 1950s? Name: Peter Anderheggen Question: I recently heard that in 2011, the nation, on the whole, is paying substantially less in taxes than it did in the nineteen fifties. I do not know if this is true or just a spin.
Economy May 09 My Least-Favorite Investment Vehicle (Except For All the Other Ones) Name: Will G. Knox Question: Safety of TIPs? Paul Solman: The shortest question ever received on the Business Desk demands a rather more discursive answer. As longtime readers of this page may recall, my own family's retirement fund…
Economy May 04 A Dark Abyss of Blessing or Curse Name: Hillhopper Question: I just listened to a business executive on TV say that the investment he made would return in three years based on fuel savings. Why is it that people that make financial decisions are not math savvy?…
Economy Apr 28 Coming Soon: Keynes vs. Hayek, Round Two Today marks the release of a second Keynes versus Hayek video. We'll be linking to it and channeling Lord Keynes on the subject of the budget later this afternoon. Stay tuned.
Economy Apr 27 The Obamas Gave $131,000 to the Fisher House Foundation Last Year. What Is It? Editor's Note: The Obama document du jour may be the President's birth certificate but here on the Business Desk we've been looking into another document: the First Family's tax return. Last week we ran an infographic illustrating their…
Economy Apr 26 Suppose You Want to Pay Down the National Debt All by Yourself? Slate, the online magazine, has a fascinating explainer of an oft-asked question: can individuals help pay down the debt and if so, how?…
Economy Apr 21 Budget Showdown: What’s In the Obama and Ryan Plans? Editor's Note: This week President Obama has been crisscrossing the country selling his budget plan to the American people. Meanwhile, Republican Representative Paul Ryan has been pitching his budget proposal to constituents in Wisconsin. We wanted to take…
Economy Apr 20 What Happens to Us Codgers if the Debt Limit Isn’t Raised? We reported last week on the fear and trembling of bond vigilantism, real or imagined -- that the bond market would punish the country for profligacy by raising the interest it demanded to lend us money, thus making everything…
Economy Apr 18 How Much Did President Obama Make in 2010? Editor's Note: The First Family's 2010 tax return was released today and we've pulled out some of the more interesting numbers in a graphic for you. Here's the snapshot: the Obamas reported an adjusted gross income of $1,728,096, about…
Economy Apr 15 How Does Investing Create Jobs? Name: Scott Question: If my company's stock is currently $10 and then in a month goes to $20, how does this doubling show up on a company's balance sheet? And if it does not show up on a firm's balance…