Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/economy/business-july-dec09-mstopics_12-31 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Topic Archive of Making Sen$e with Paul Solman Economy Dec 31, 2009 12:00 AM EDT Autos Banking Business Consumer Behavior Economic History Financial Crisis Global Economy Personal Finance Real Estate Trade Unemployment Unions U.S. Government Wall Street top Winners and Losers of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman files a report from Florida on people who have lost their homes to foreclosures and the buyers who are snapping up those properties. (April 12, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Pocket Change: How New Credit Card Rules Affect You Credit cards companies have dramatically hiked interest rates, introduced new hidden fees, and slashed credit lines over the past year. But new reforms are forcing credit card companies to change the way they do business. Paul Solman speaks with Credit.com’s Adam Levin for insight. (October 23, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finance Fallacy: Stocks in the Long Run Financial advice is often loaded with misconceptions and misinformation. Paul Solman and Boston University professor Zvi Bodie debunk the belief that investing in stocks is the safest, smartest route to financial security over the long run. (June 12, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Dan Ariely Explores Your Brain on Credit (June 10, 2009) Watch Weighing the Interplay Between Money and Morality Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, weighs in on the nexus of money, morality and irrationality, and how it all relates to the roots—and possible cures—of the banking crisis. (May 20, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finance Fallacy: Saving vs. Investing Understanding today’s economy is hard enough without having to wrestle with popular misconceptions and misinformation. In a new series, Paul Solman and guests debunk the conventional wisdom to help make sense of our economic world. (May 5, 2009) In Slumping Economy, a Shift in Shopping Habits A leading retail consultant discusses why this recession may change consumer behavior permanently. (April 24, 2009) Watch The Paradox of Thrift With the U.S. savings rate quickly rising, some worry that the economy could be further damaged by the shift away from consumption. (April 15, 2009) Watch Historian Finds Positive Side of Economic Downturn Robert McElvaine explains how the Great Depression turned many away from conspicuous consumption and toward a more community-oriented way of life. (March 27, 2009) Watch Upside of the Downturn The economic downturn isn’t bad for everyone: Some are taking advantage of it to improve their quality of life. (February 20, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Highs, Lows of Real Estate Market Virginia realtor Mary Jane Dimino on some unusual activity in both the lower and higher ends of the real estate market. (February 20, 2009) Watch The Amazing Adventures of ‘Savings Man’ Will a higher savings rate be our salvation? Or could it make things even worse? (February 19, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finland’s Don’t Feed the Recession A full length look at a public service ad airing in Finland about the recession. (February 19, 2009) Watch top WEB EXCLUSIVE: Even in Tough Times, Realtor Offers Helping Hand Even as realtor Kevin Jarrett grapples with his own financial woes, he has reached out to other struggling colleagues to offer a helping hand. (May 11, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Foreclosure Bargains Hurt By Chinese Drywall At the height of the building boom, contractors in the southern United States ran out of U.S. and Canadian drywall. All they could get quickly: drywall from China. (May 3, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: South Florida — From Backwater to Boom Towns Excerpt of a documentary chronicling how south Florida was transformed in the years after WWII from a sleepy, swampy backwater to the very picture of the American dream — an ‘affordable paradise. (April 22, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: When Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Want to Pay to Stay Why won’t the bank negotiate with homeowners who can pay more than the house is worth? To find out, Paul spoke to realtors, homeowners, and bankers in southern Florida. (April 21, 2010) Watch ‘Strategic Defaulters’ Skip Mortgage Payments as Home Values Tumble Paul Solman tells the story of some homeowners who have stopped paying their mortgages even though they can still afford them. (April 20, 2010) Watch Winners and Losers of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman files a report from Florida on people who have lost their homes to foreclosures and the buyers who are snapping up those properties. (April 12, 2010) Watch Home Price Experts Give Take on Markets in Atlanta, Beyond Paul Solman takes a real estate tour in Atlanta, Ga., with Karl Case and Robert Shiller, two experts on home sale prices. (January 27, 2010) Watch Making Sense of the Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman speaks with Alyssa Katz, author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us, about how a decades-long government push to expand homeownership exacerbated the foreclosure crisis. (October 15, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Insider Forum with Alyssa Katz The author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us answers viewers’ questions. (October 21, 2009) Hints of a Meltdown in Commercial Real Estate Is the commercial real estate market the next shoe to drop in the U.S. economy? (October 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Great Recession Through an Economist’s Walk to Work Labor economist Richard Freeman offers Paul Solman a unique guide to the recession: a tour of newly empty storefronts in the Boston area. (October 5, 2009) Watch Economics Reporter Finds Self in Mortgage Crisis New York Times economics reporter Ed Andrews discusses his new book, Busted: Life Insides the Great Mortgage Meltdown, which chronicles his personal journey to the brink of foreclosure. (May 21, 2009) Watch See also: The Business Desk: Ed Andrews Responds to Criticism and The Business Desk: Paul’s Response to Andrews-McArdle WEB EXCLUSIVE: Highs, Lows of Real Estate Market Virginia realtor Mary Jane Dimino on some unusual activity in both the lower and higher ends of the real estate market. (February 20, 2009) Watch Nobel Laureates Trace How the Economy Began to Fall Apart The subprime mortgage meltdown caught some officials and the public off guard. Yet there were some clear indicators of the impending crisis. Paul Solman speaks to two Nobel award-winning economists about how the economy began to unfurl. (December 26, 2008) Watch top The High Cost of Discount Culture In the book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, author Ellen Ruppel Shell explores modern consumers’ love of cheap, mass-produced products, and the downsides — on wages, the environment, and quality — that a discount culture creates. (August 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Insider Forum with Ellen Ruppel Shell The author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture answers viewers’ questions. (August 13, 2009) **Global Trade Freezes Amid Economic Downturn A year after visiting the Port of Long Beach, which was booming in early 2008 thanks to a weak dollar, Paul Solman returns to find the port virtually paralyzed by the worldwide economic crisis. (January 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tummy Tuck Jeans in a New Economic Landscape A company that was doing well last year, in part because of the weak dollar, finds itself doing even better in the Great Recession. (February 2, 2009) Watch top Florida Struggles to Keep Up With Demands on Unemployment System Paul Solman examines troubles for both those receiving and those paying for jobless benefits in Florida, where jobless rates are the sixth highest in the country. (April 2, 2010) Watch Hiring Stalled as Economic Outlook Remains Murky Paul Solman travels to Atlanta to speak to small business owners about hiring in a down economy. (January 8, 2010) Watch Older Workers Face Tough Job Market in DownturnPaul Solman looks at the challenges older workers face trying to secure a job, let alone retirement, amid the downturn. (December 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Is Retirement Good for You?Paul Solman explores the debate over whether retirement is good for your health, and whether our definition of old age is itself outdated. (December 10, 2009) Watch Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Freelancers Lack Safety Net When Jobs Are Scarce Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, explains why freelancers still lack many of the protections afforded to other workers. (November 6, 2009) Watch Realities of the Recession and the Changing Workforce Paul Solman looks at the faces and places that illustrate the realities of the recession. (September 7, 2009) Watch Few Glimmers of Hope for Many Unemployed Americans With the long-term unemployment rate at its highest level since 1948, the nation’s jobless are taking little solace in recent data suggesting the recession is winding down. (August 31, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The New Meaning of Recovery Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh speaks to Paul Solman about why this crisis has created a need for new metrics to evaluate economic recovery. (August 31, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: In a Difficult Job Market, Settling for Less Philip Mereday, a former executive who has been out of work for a year, speaks to Paul Solman about the frustrations of settling for less in this job market. (September 4, 2009) Watch For Executives and Ex-Cons Alike, Finding Work Proves Difficult When it comes to the emotional toll of unemployment, ex-cons and former executives are really not so different. (July 8, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: How Salary Ranges Affect Job Applicants A former human resources executive discusses how salary ranges can be used to eliminate qualified job applicants. (July 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Laid-off Executives Search for Work Laid-off financial and construction executives in the Chicago area discuss how long they have been looking for new work. (July 10, 2009) Watch Many Left Uncounted in Official Jobless Rate If you include the number of unemployed who fall outside official government statistics, the nation’s jobless rate approaches 20 percent. (July 2, 2009) Watch In East St. Louis, a Racial Divide in Unemployment A look at the disproportionately high unemployment rate of African American men in East St. Louis, IL. (May 8, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: ‘Colorism’ in the Labor Market Economist William “Sandy” Darity discusses his research on skin color and employment discrimination. (May 8, 2009) Watch Some Workers Willing to Sacrifice to Avoid Layoffs Amid rising unemployment, workers across the country are making sacrifices to avoid further layoffs and share the pain of the economic slump. (April 3, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Share Economy at Beth Israel Hospital The CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explains how he and his staff worked together to save 400 jobs. (April 3, 2009)Watch Elkhart Among Hardest Hit By Rising UnemploymentA visit to the Indiana city with the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the nation. (March 6, 2009) Watch top Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Freelancers Lack Safety Net When Jobs Are Scarce Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, explains why freelancers still lack many of the protections afforded to other workers. (November 6, 2009) Watch AFL-CIO’s ‘Bulldog’ Trumka Faces Dwindling Ranks As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka works to shield organized labor from the excesses of big business, he faces many challenges, including dwindling ranks. (October 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Inside the AFL-CIO’s Health Care Lobbying Efforts AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka meets with state labor leaders to discuss the labor federation’s health care lobbying efforts. (October 27, 2009) Watch Detroit Feels Ripple Effects of GM’s Bankruptcy Paul Solman talks to Michigan residents about the ripple effects from GM’s declaration of bankruptcy. (June 3, 2009) Watch GM Bankruptcy Affects Myriad Stakeholders On the day of GM’s bankruptcy filing, a report from Michigan on how the major stakeholders –suppliers, dealers, bondholders and the UAW – are reacting to the concessions they’ve been muscled into making. (June 1, 2009) Watch Gettelfinger Gives UAW’s Take on GM Deal, Industry On the eve of GM’s bankruptcy filing, the president of the United Auto Workers union weighs in on what Chapter 11 will mean for his members. (May 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE Gettelfinger Answers UAW Retirees’ Questions Five retired auto workers pose questions about UAW’s bankruptcy deal with GM directly to the union president. (June 1, 2009) Watch Some Workers Willing to Sacrifice to Avoid Layoffs Amid rising unemployment, workers across the country are making sacrifices to avoid further layoffs and share the pain of the economic slump. (April 3, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Share Economy at Beth Israel Hospital The CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explains how he and his staff worked together to save 400 jobs. (April 3, 2009) Watch Michigan Autoworkers Face Uncertain Future Prospects for extending a federal rescue package to Detroit’s Big Three automakers remain unclear after a congressional effort stalled until December. (November 21, 2008) Watch top Do Obama’s Financial Reforms Measure Up Against Past Attempts? Paul Solman talks to author and MIT economics professor Simon Johnson about how President Obama’s attempts to regulate financial firms compare to reform campaigns of past presidents. (May 13, 2010) Watch Simon Johnson on Misleading Messages in the Fight for Financial Reform Economist Simon Johnson discusses his anger at how corporate money is being used to mislead the public about the need for financial reform. (May 13, 2010) Watch Should Obama Pull the TARP from Under Banks? As part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street, Paul Solman sits down with bank consultant and former FDIC chair William Isaac for a critical look at the Troubled Asset Relief Program. (February 18, 2010)Watch Former Regulator Talks Fraud and the Big Bank Getaway Paul Solman sits down with former bank regulator and author Bill Black as part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street. (February 17, 2010)Watch Reagan Budget Chief Offers a ‘Gunslinger’ Defense of Obama’s Bank Reforms With President Obama pushing a bipartisan deal on reforming banking regulations, Paul Solman talks with David Stockman, former Reagan budget chief and Wall Street “gunslinger,” about the proposal to tax banks on their size and amount of risk. (February 5, 2010)Watch Are Big Banks Good for the Economy?The Obama administration is trying to rein in big banks, but Robert Kelly, chief executive officer of Bank of New York, says that’s a big mistake. (February 2, 2010)Watch Unmasking Interest Rates, Honky-Tonk Style Paul Solman explains how interest rates are set, with a little help from economic country musician Merle Hazard. (January 27, 2010) Watch FDIC’s Bair: Bank Bailouts Were ‘Not a Good Idea’ In an interview with Paul Solman, FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair discusses lessons learned from the financial crisis and looks back on the federal bailout of institutions deemed “too-big-to-fail,” saying, “In retrospect, I think it was not a good idea.” (November 13, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: FDIC’s Bair Answers Your Questions FDIC Chair Sheila Bair answers NewsHour viewers’ questions on too big to fail, the power of the banking lobby, and how to tell if a bank is healthy. (November 13, 2009) Watch Efforts to Revive Economy Test Inflation Theories With the economy showing hints of a recovery, the threat of inflation is testing policy makers at the Fed as they work to determine how quickly to unwind emergency moves taken during the height of the financial crisis. (August 21, 2009) Watch Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch Problem of Transparency Nothing New to the Fed As questions rise about the Federal Reserve’s transparency, Paul Solman looks at the agency’s attempts to balance public disclosure and the secrecy it uses to protect financial markets. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Wall Street’s Perfect Storm Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Popular Misconceptions of the Fed Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 29, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Why the Fed Must Be Independent Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on the Effect of Lehman’s Failure Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on Transparency at the Fed Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on Disagreeing with Alan Greenspan Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 31, 2009) Watch Making Sense of the Stress Tests Paul Solman explains how stress tests played into the government’s decision to let 10 big banks repay the Treasury’s bailout funds. (June 9, 2009) Watch In St. Louis, Signs of New Deal Stimulus Projects Paul Solman reports on plans for federal stimulus money in St. Louis and compares today’s projects with ones constructed during the New Deal era. (April 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The New Deal’s Lasting Legacy A look at some of the enduring investments of the New Deal. (April 27, 2009) Taxpayers Weigh Options for CEO Bonus Payback As anger and frustration mount over lavish pay packages of executives at bailed-out financial institutions, a look at the possibilities of getting at least some of that money back. (April 10, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Bailing Out the Boardroom Personal gains vs. public losses. (April 10, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Kenneth Rogoff Discusses U.S. Debt and China A conversation with the Harvard economist about U.S. debt and China’s stake in it. (March 20, 2009) Watch Where Does the Bailout Money Come From? How is the government coming up with the hundreds of billions of dollars promised for the economic stimulus and financial industry bailouts? (March 17, 2009) Watch Bailout Reform Tops Obama’s Economic Agenda After a report about Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner’s testimony before the Senate, analysts examine the Obama administration’s economic agenda. (January 21, 2009) Watch Infrastructure Spending May be Key to Boosting Economy Some economists believe increasing government spending on infrastructure is the only way out of the nation’s economic crisis. (December 22, 2008) Watch top Do Obama’s Financial Reforms Measure Up Against Past Attempts? Paul Solman talks to author and MIT economics professor Simon Johnson about how President Obama’s attempts to regulate financial firms compare to reform campaigns of past presidents. (May 13, 2010) Watch Simon Johnson on Misleading Messages in the Fight for Financial Reform Economist Simon Johnson discusses his anger at how corporate money is being used to mislead the public about the need for financial reform. (May 13, 2010) Watch Should Consumers Move Their Money From Megabanks to Smaller Banks? Paul Solman explores the differences for consumers between small community banks and the “too-big-to-fail” financial giants. (April 6, 2010)Watch Should Obama Pull the TARP from Under Banks? As part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street, Paul Solman sits down with bank consultant and former FDIC chair William Isaac for a critical look at the Troubled Asset Relief Program. (February 18, 2010)Watch Former Regulator Talks Fraud and the Big Bank Getaway Paul Solman sits down with former bank regulator and author Bill Black as part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street. (February 17, 2010)Watch Is Taxpayer Money Behind Profits at Goldman Sachs? Paul Solman continues his series of reports examining investment powerhouse Goldman Sachs and how it makes money. (February 12, 2010) Watch Unraveling the Profit Puzzle at Goldman Sachs Paul Solman examines the inner workings of investment powerhouse Goldman Sachs and how it makes money. (February 11, 2010)Watch Reagan Budget Chief Offers a ‘Gunslinger’ Defense of Obama’s Bank Reforms With President Obama pushing a bipartisan deal on reforming banking regulations, Paul Solman talks with David Stockman, former Reagan budget chief and Wall Street “gunslinger,” about the proposal to tax banks on their size and amount of risk. (February 5, 2010)Watch Are Big Banks Good for the Economy?The Obama administration is trying to rein in big banks, but Robert Kelly, chief executive officer of Bank of New York, says that’s a big mistake. (February 2, 2010)Watch How Big is Too Big to Fail?Paul Solman speaks with economist George Schultz about how massive bank mergers affect the idea of “too big to fail.” (December 15, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: George Shultz on Working at Age 89 George Shultz, former Secretary of State, Treasury and Labor, discusses working at age 89. (December 16, 2009)Watch FDIC’s Bair: Bank Bailouts Were ‘Not a Good Idea’ In an interview with Paul Solman, FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair discusses lessons learned from the financial crisis and looks back on the federal bailout of institutions deemed “too-big-to-fail,” saying, “In retrospect, I think it was not a good idea.” (November 13, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: FDIC’s Bair Answers Your Questions FDIC Chair Sheila Bair answers NewsHour viewers’ questions on too big to fail, the power of the banking lobby, and how to tell if a bank is healthy. (November 13, 2009) Watch The Man Behind the Lehman Brothers Collapse Paul Solman reports on Lehman Bros.’ fall from storied Wall Street investment bank to a catalyst for the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. (September 14, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Robert Glauber on Lehman’s Collapse Former Treasury Undersecretary Robert Glauber discusses the difficult decisions involved in dealing with a troubled institution. (September 18, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Lehman’s Lawyer Discusses Decision to Let It Fail Bankruptcy lawyer Harvey Miller describes a meeting with regulators as Lehman Brothers faced collapse. (September 18, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales from the Fed: Alan Blinder on the Effect of Lehman’s Failure Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales from the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Wall Street’s Perfect Storm Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 27, 2009) Watch Making Sense of the Stress Tests Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, weighs in on the nexus of money, morality and irrationality, and how it all relates to the roots—and possible cures—of the banking crisis. (May 20, 2009) Watch Taxpayers Weigh Options for CEO Bonus Payback As anger and frustration mount over lavish pay packages of executives at bailed-out financial institutions, a look at the possibilities of getting at least some of that money back. (April 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Bailing Out the Boardroom PPersonal gains vs. public losses. (April 10, 2009) Watch Where Does the Bailout Money Come From? How is the government coming up with the hundreds of billions of dollars promised for the economic stimulus and financial industry bailouts? (March 17, 2009) Watch Bailout Reform Tops Obama’s Economic Agenda PAfter a report about Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner’s testimony before the Senate, analysts examine the Obama administration’s economic agenda. (January 21, 2009) Watch Economists Place Their Bets with Predictions for 2009 Paul Solman asks economists about the year ahead, among them “standup economist” Yoram Bauman, who mines financial news for his comedy act. (January 14, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Yoram Bauman, Standup Economist Did you hear the one about the hamster strung out on credit card debt? (January 15, 2009) Watch Nobel Laureates Trace How the Economy Began to Fall Apart The subprime mortgage meltdown caught some officials and the public off guard. Yet there were some clear indicators of the impending crisis. Paul Solman speaks to two Nobel award-winning economists about how the economy began to unfurl. (December 26, 2008) Watch Risky Credit Default Swaps Linked to Financial Troubles Insurer AIG is among the financial titans to hit troubled times in the recent Wall Street crisis. Paul Solman takes an in-depth look at the woes at AIG and explains how credit default swaps played a role its financial turbulence. (October 7, 2008) Watch Firms’ Soaring Credit Debt Prompted Federal Rescue Unmanageable debt of firms like Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG led to declines in their credibility and the end of growth based on credit. Paul Solman explains how these giants lost control of their finances. (September 23, 2008) Watch A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now
Autos Banking Business Consumer Behavior Economic History Financial Crisis Global Economy Personal Finance Real Estate Trade Unemployment Unions U.S. Government Wall Street top Winners and Losers of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman files a report from Florida on people who have lost their homes to foreclosures and the buyers who are snapping up those properties. (April 12, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Pocket Change: How New Credit Card Rules Affect You Credit cards companies have dramatically hiked interest rates, introduced new hidden fees, and slashed credit lines over the past year. But new reforms are forcing credit card companies to change the way they do business. Paul Solman speaks with Credit.com’s Adam Levin for insight. (October 23, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finance Fallacy: Stocks in the Long Run Financial advice is often loaded with misconceptions and misinformation. Paul Solman and Boston University professor Zvi Bodie debunk the belief that investing in stocks is the safest, smartest route to financial security over the long run. (June 12, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Dan Ariely Explores Your Brain on Credit (June 10, 2009) Watch Weighing the Interplay Between Money and Morality Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, weighs in on the nexus of money, morality and irrationality, and how it all relates to the roots—and possible cures—of the banking crisis. (May 20, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finance Fallacy: Saving vs. Investing Understanding today’s economy is hard enough without having to wrestle with popular misconceptions and misinformation. In a new series, Paul Solman and guests debunk the conventional wisdom to help make sense of our economic world. (May 5, 2009) In Slumping Economy, a Shift in Shopping Habits A leading retail consultant discusses why this recession may change consumer behavior permanently. (April 24, 2009) Watch The Paradox of Thrift With the U.S. savings rate quickly rising, some worry that the economy could be further damaged by the shift away from consumption. (April 15, 2009) Watch Historian Finds Positive Side of Economic Downturn Robert McElvaine explains how the Great Depression turned many away from conspicuous consumption and toward a more community-oriented way of life. (March 27, 2009) Watch Upside of the Downturn The economic downturn isn’t bad for everyone: Some are taking advantage of it to improve their quality of life. (February 20, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Highs, Lows of Real Estate Market Virginia realtor Mary Jane Dimino on some unusual activity in both the lower and higher ends of the real estate market. (February 20, 2009) Watch The Amazing Adventures of ‘Savings Man’ Will a higher savings rate be our salvation? Or could it make things even worse? (February 19, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Finland’s Don’t Feed the Recession A full length look at a public service ad airing in Finland about the recession. (February 19, 2009) Watch top WEB EXCLUSIVE: Even in Tough Times, Realtor Offers Helping Hand Even as realtor Kevin Jarrett grapples with his own financial woes, he has reached out to other struggling colleagues to offer a helping hand. (May 11, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Foreclosure Bargains Hurt By Chinese Drywall At the height of the building boom, contractors in the southern United States ran out of U.S. and Canadian drywall. All they could get quickly: drywall from China. (May 3, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: South Florida — From Backwater to Boom Towns Excerpt of a documentary chronicling how south Florida was transformed in the years after WWII from a sleepy, swampy backwater to the very picture of the American dream — an ‘affordable paradise. (April 22, 2010) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: When Homeowners Facing Foreclosure Want to Pay to Stay Why won’t the bank negotiate with homeowners who can pay more than the house is worth? To find out, Paul spoke to realtors, homeowners, and bankers in southern Florida. (April 21, 2010) Watch ‘Strategic Defaulters’ Skip Mortgage Payments as Home Values Tumble Paul Solman tells the story of some homeowners who have stopped paying their mortgages even though they can still afford them. (April 20, 2010) Watch Winners and Losers of Florida’s Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman files a report from Florida on people who have lost their homes to foreclosures and the buyers who are snapping up those properties. (April 12, 2010) Watch Home Price Experts Give Take on Markets in Atlanta, Beyond Paul Solman takes a real estate tour in Atlanta, Ga., with Karl Case and Robert Shiller, two experts on home sale prices. (January 27, 2010) Watch Making Sense of the Foreclosure Crisis Paul Solman speaks with Alyssa Katz, author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us, about how a decades-long government push to expand homeownership exacerbated the foreclosure crisis. (October 15, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Insider Forum with Alyssa Katz The author of Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us answers viewers’ questions. (October 21, 2009) Hints of a Meltdown in Commercial Real Estate Is the commercial real estate market the next shoe to drop in the U.S. economy? (October 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Great Recession Through an Economist’s Walk to Work Labor economist Richard Freeman offers Paul Solman a unique guide to the recession: a tour of newly empty storefronts in the Boston area. (October 5, 2009) Watch Economics Reporter Finds Self in Mortgage Crisis New York Times economics reporter Ed Andrews discusses his new book, Busted: Life Insides the Great Mortgage Meltdown, which chronicles his personal journey to the brink of foreclosure. (May 21, 2009) Watch See also: The Business Desk: Ed Andrews Responds to Criticism and The Business Desk: Paul’s Response to Andrews-McArdle WEB EXCLUSIVE: Highs, Lows of Real Estate Market Virginia realtor Mary Jane Dimino on some unusual activity in both the lower and higher ends of the real estate market. (February 20, 2009) Watch Nobel Laureates Trace How the Economy Began to Fall Apart The subprime mortgage meltdown caught some officials and the public off guard. Yet there were some clear indicators of the impending crisis. Paul Solman speaks to two Nobel award-winning economists about how the economy began to unfurl. (December 26, 2008) Watch top The High Cost of Discount Culture In the book Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture, author Ellen Ruppel Shell explores modern consumers’ love of cheap, mass-produced products, and the downsides — on wages, the environment, and quality — that a discount culture creates. (August 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Insider Forum with Ellen Ruppel Shell The author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture answers viewers’ questions. (August 13, 2009) **Global Trade Freezes Amid Economic Downturn A year after visiting the Port of Long Beach, which was booming in early 2008 thanks to a weak dollar, Paul Solman returns to find the port virtually paralyzed by the worldwide economic crisis. (January 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tummy Tuck Jeans in a New Economic Landscape A company that was doing well last year, in part because of the weak dollar, finds itself doing even better in the Great Recession. (February 2, 2009) Watch top Florida Struggles to Keep Up With Demands on Unemployment System Paul Solman examines troubles for both those receiving and those paying for jobless benefits in Florida, where jobless rates are the sixth highest in the country. (April 2, 2010) Watch Hiring Stalled as Economic Outlook Remains Murky Paul Solman travels to Atlanta to speak to small business owners about hiring in a down economy. (January 8, 2010) Watch Older Workers Face Tough Job Market in DownturnPaul Solman looks at the challenges older workers face trying to secure a job, let alone retirement, amid the downturn. (December 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Is Retirement Good for You?Paul Solman explores the debate over whether retirement is good for your health, and whether our definition of old age is itself outdated. (December 10, 2009) Watch Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Freelancers Lack Safety Net When Jobs Are Scarce Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, explains why freelancers still lack many of the protections afforded to other workers. (November 6, 2009) Watch Realities of the Recession and the Changing Workforce Paul Solman looks at the faces and places that illustrate the realities of the recession. (September 7, 2009) Watch Few Glimmers of Hope for Many Unemployed Americans With the long-term unemployment rate at its highest level since 1948, the nation’s jobless are taking little solace in recent data suggesting the recession is winding down. (August 31, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The New Meaning of Recovery Sociologist Sudhir Venkatesh speaks to Paul Solman about why this crisis has created a need for new metrics to evaluate economic recovery. (August 31, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: In a Difficult Job Market, Settling for Less Philip Mereday, a former executive who has been out of work for a year, speaks to Paul Solman about the frustrations of settling for less in this job market. (September 4, 2009) Watch For Executives and Ex-Cons Alike, Finding Work Proves Difficult When it comes to the emotional toll of unemployment, ex-cons and former executives are really not so different. (July 8, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: How Salary Ranges Affect Job Applicants A former human resources executive discusses how salary ranges can be used to eliminate qualified job applicants. (July 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Laid-off Executives Search for Work Laid-off financial and construction executives in the Chicago area discuss how long they have been looking for new work. (July 10, 2009) Watch Many Left Uncounted in Official Jobless Rate If you include the number of unemployed who fall outside official government statistics, the nation’s jobless rate approaches 20 percent. (July 2, 2009) Watch In East St. Louis, a Racial Divide in Unemployment A look at the disproportionately high unemployment rate of African American men in East St. Louis, IL. (May 8, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: ‘Colorism’ in the Labor Market Economist William “Sandy” Darity discusses his research on skin color and employment discrimination. (May 8, 2009) Watch Some Workers Willing to Sacrifice to Avoid Layoffs Amid rising unemployment, workers across the country are making sacrifices to avoid further layoffs and share the pain of the economic slump. (April 3, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Share Economy at Beth Israel Hospital The CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explains how he and his staff worked together to save 400 jobs. (April 3, 2009)Watch Elkhart Among Hardest Hit By Rising UnemploymentA visit to the Indiana city with the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the nation. (March 6, 2009) Watch top Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Freelancers Lack Safety Net When Jobs Are Scarce Sara Horowitz, founder of the Freelancers Union, explains why freelancers still lack many of the protections afforded to other workers. (November 6, 2009) Watch AFL-CIO’s ‘Bulldog’ Trumka Faces Dwindling Ranks As AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka works to shield organized labor from the excesses of big business, he faces many challenges, including dwindling ranks. (October 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Inside the AFL-CIO’s Health Care Lobbying Efforts AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka meets with state labor leaders to discuss the labor federation’s health care lobbying efforts. (October 27, 2009) Watch Detroit Feels Ripple Effects of GM’s Bankruptcy Paul Solman talks to Michigan residents about the ripple effects from GM’s declaration of bankruptcy. (June 3, 2009) Watch GM Bankruptcy Affects Myriad Stakeholders On the day of GM’s bankruptcy filing, a report from Michigan on how the major stakeholders –suppliers, dealers, bondholders and the UAW – are reacting to the concessions they’ve been muscled into making. (June 1, 2009) Watch Gettelfinger Gives UAW’s Take on GM Deal, Industry On the eve of GM’s bankruptcy filing, the president of the United Auto Workers union weighs in on what Chapter 11 will mean for his members. (May 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE Gettelfinger Answers UAW Retirees’ Questions Five retired auto workers pose questions about UAW’s bankruptcy deal with GM directly to the union president. (June 1, 2009) Watch Some Workers Willing to Sacrifice to Avoid Layoffs Amid rising unemployment, workers across the country are making sacrifices to avoid further layoffs and share the pain of the economic slump. (April 3, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The Share Economy at Beth Israel Hospital The CEO of Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center explains how he and his staff worked together to save 400 jobs. (April 3, 2009) Watch Michigan Autoworkers Face Uncertain Future Prospects for extending a federal rescue package to Detroit’s Big Three automakers remain unclear after a congressional effort stalled until December. (November 21, 2008) Watch top Do Obama’s Financial Reforms Measure Up Against Past Attempts? Paul Solman talks to author and MIT economics professor Simon Johnson about how President Obama’s attempts to regulate financial firms compare to reform campaigns of past presidents. (May 13, 2010) Watch Simon Johnson on Misleading Messages in the Fight for Financial Reform Economist Simon Johnson discusses his anger at how corporate money is being used to mislead the public about the need for financial reform. (May 13, 2010) Watch Should Obama Pull the TARP from Under Banks? As part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street, Paul Solman sits down with bank consultant and former FDIC chair William Isaac for a critical look at the Troubled Asset Relief Program. (February 18, 2010)Watch Former Regulator Talks Fraud and the Big Bank Getaway Paul Solman sits down with former bank regulator and author Bill Black as part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street. (February 17, 2010)Watch Reagan Budget Chief Offers a ‘Gunslinger’ Defense of Obama’s Bank Reforms With President Obama pushing a bipartisan deal on reforming banking regulations, Paul Solman talks with David Stockman, former Reagan budget chief and Wall Street “gunslinger,” about the proposal to tax banks on their size and amount of risk. (February 5, 2010)Watch Are Big Banks Good for the Economy?The Obama administration is trying to rein in big banks, but Robert Kelly, chief executive officer of Bank of New York, says that’s a big mistake. (February 2, 2010)Watch Unmasking Interest Rates, Honky-Tonk Style Paul Solman explains how interest rates are set, with a little help from economic country musician Merle Hazard. (January 27, 2010) Watch FDIC’s Bair: Bank Bailouts Were ‘Not a Good Idea’ In an interview with Paul Solman, FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair discusses lessons learned from the financial crisis and looks back on the federal bailout of institutions deemed “too-big-to-fail,” saying, “In retrospect, I think it was not a good idea.” (November 13, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: FDIC’s Bair Answers Your Questions FDIC Chair Sheila Bair answers NewsHour viewers’ questions on too big to fail, the power of the banking lobby, and how to tell if a bank is healthy. (November 13, 2009) Watch Efforts to Revive Economy Test Inflation Theories With the economy showing hints of a recovery, the threat of inflation is testing policy makers at the Fed as they work to determine how quickly to unwind emergency moves taken during the height of the financial crisis. (August 21, 2009) Watch Freelancers Struggle as Unemployment Worsens Paul Solman looks at how freelancers are faring in the declining job market. (November 6, 2009) Watch Problem of Transparency Nothing New to the Fed As questions rise about the Federal Reserve’s transparency, Paul Solman looks at the agency’s attempts to balance public disclosure and the secrecy it uses to protect financial markets. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Wall Street’s Perfect Storm Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Popular Misconceptions of the Fed Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 29, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Why the Fed Must Be Independent Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on the Effect of Lehman’s Failure Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on Transparency at the Fed Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 30, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales From the Fed: Alan Blinder on Disagreeing with Alan Greenspan Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 31, 2009) Watch Making Sense of the Stress Tests Paul Solman explains how stress tests played into the government’s decision to let 10 big banks repay the Treasury’s bailout funds. (June 9, 2009) Watch In St. Louis, Signs of New Deal Stimulus Projects Paul Solman reports on plans for federal stimulus money in St. Louis and compares today’s projects with ones constructed during the New Deal era. (April 27, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: The New Deal’s Lasting Legacy A look at some of the enduring investments of the New Deal. (April 27, 2009) Taxpayers Weigh Options for CEO Bonus Payback As anger and frustration mount over lavish pay packages of executives at bailed-out financial institutions, a look at the possibilities of getting at least some of that money back. (April 10, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Bailing Out the Boardroom Personal gains vs. public losses. (April 10, 2009) WEB EXCLUSIVE: Kenneth Rogoff Discusses U.S. Debt and China A conversation with the Harvard economist about U.S. debt and China’s stake in it. (March 20, 2009) Watch Where Does the Bailout Money Come From? How is the government coming up with the hundreds of billions of dollars promised for the economic stimulus and financial industry bailouts? (March 17, 2009) Watch Bailout Reform Tops Obama’s Economic Agenda After a report about Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner’s testimony before the Senate, analysts examine the Obama administration’s economic agenda. (January 21, 2009) Watch Infrastructure Spending May be Key to Boosting Economy Some economists believe increasing government spending on infrastructure is the only way out of the nation’s economic crisis. (December 22, 2008) Watch top Do Obama’s Financial Reforms Measure Up Against Past Attempts? Paul Solman talks to author and MIT economics professor Simon Johnson about how President Obama’s attempts to regulate financial firms compare to reform campaigns of past presidents. (May 13, 2010) Watch Simon Johnson on Misleading Messages in the Fight for Financial Reform Economist Simon Johnson discusses his anger at how corporate money is being used to mislead the public about the need for financial reform. (May 13, 2010) Watch Should Consumers Move Their Money From Megabanks to Smaller Banks? Paul Solman explores the differences for consumers between small community banks and the “too-big-to-fail” financial giants. (April 6, 2010)Watch Should Obama Pull the TARP from Under Banks? As part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street, Paul Solman sits down with bank consultant and former FDIC chair William Isaac for a critical look at the Troubled Asset Relief Program. (February 18, 2010)Watch Former Regulator Talks Fraud and the Big Bank Getaway Paul Solman sits down with former bank regulator and author Bill Black as part of his continuing series of reports examining bank reform and the future of Wall Street. (February 17, 2010)Watch Is Taxpayer Money Behind Profits at Goldman Sachs? Paul Solman continues his series of reports examining investment powerhouse Goldman Sachs and how it makes money. (February 12, 2010) Watch Unraveling the Profit Puzzle at Goldman Sachs Paul Solman examines the inner workings of investment powerhouse Goldman Sachs and how it makes money. (February 11, 2010)Watch Reagan Budget Chief Offers a ‘Gunslinger’ Defense of Obama’s Bank Reforms With President Obama pushing a bipartisan deal on reforming banking regulations, Paul Solman talks with David Stockman, former Reagan budget chief and Wall Street “gunslinger,” about the proposal to tax banks on their size and amount of risk. (February 5, 2010)Watch Are Big Banks Good for the Economy?The Obama administration is trying to rein in big banks, but Robert Kelly, chief executive officer of Bank of New York, says that’s a big mistake. (February 2, 2010)Watch How Big is Too Big to Fail?Paul Solman speaks with economist George Schultz about how massive bank mergers affect the idea of “too big to fail.” (December 15, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: George Shultz on Working at Age 89 George Shultz, former Secretary of State, Treasury and Labor, discusses working at age 89. (December 16, 2009)Watch FDIC’s Bair: Bank Bailouts Were ‘Not a Good Idea’ In an interview with Paul Solman, FDIC chairwoman Sheila Bair discusses lessons learned from the financial crisis and looks back on the federal bailout of institutions deemed “too-big-to-fail,” saying, “In retrospect, I think it was not a good idea.” (November 13, 2009)Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: FDIC’s Bair Answers Your Questions FDIC Chair Sheila Bair answers NewsHour viewers’ questions on too big to fail, the power of the banking lobby, and how to tell if a bank is healthy. (November 13, 2009) Watch The Man Behind the Lehman Brothers Collapse Paul Solman reports on Lehman Bros.’ fall from storied Wall Street investment bank to a catalyst for the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. (September 14, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Robert Glauber on Lehman’s Collapse Former Treasury Undersecretary Robert Glauber discusses the difficult decisions involved in dealing with a troubled institution. (September 18, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Lehman’s Lawyer Discusses Decision to Let It Fail Bankruptcy lawyer Harvey Miller describes a meeting with regulators as Lehman Brothers faced collapse. (September 18, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales from the Fed: Alan Blinder on the Effect of Lehman’s Failure Former Fed Vice Chair Alan Blinder weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 28, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Tales from the Fed: Alice Rivlin on Wall Street’s Perfect Storm Former Fed Vice Chair Alice Rivlin weighs in on the Fed and the financial crisis. (July 27, 2009) Watch Making Sense of the Stress Tests Dan Ariely, author of Predictably Irrational, weighs in on the nexus of money, morality and irrationality, and how it all relates to the roots—and possible cures—of the banking crisis. (May 20, 2009) Watch Taxpayers Weigh Options for CEO Bonus Payback As anger and frustration mount over lavish pay packages of executives at bailed-out financial institutions, a look at the possibilities of getting at least some of that money back. (April 10, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Bailing Out the Boardroom PPersonal gains vs. public losses. (April 10, 2009) Watch Where Does the Bailout Money Come From? How is the government coming up with the hundreds of billions of dollars promised for the economic stimulus and financial industry bailouts? (March 17, 2009) Watch Bailout Reform Tops Obama’s Economic Agenda PAfter a report about Treasury nominee Timothy Geithner’s testimony before the Senate, analysts examine the Obama administration’s economic agenda. (January 21, 2009) Watch Economists Place Their Bets with Predictions for 2009 Paul Solman asks economists about the year ahead, among them “standup economist” Yoram Bauman, who mines financial news for his comedy act. (January 14, 2009) Watch WEB EXCLUSIVE: Yoram Bauman, Standup Economist Did you hear the one about the hamster strung out on credit card debt? (January 15, 2009) Watch Nobel Laureates Trace How the Economy Began to Fall Apart The subprime mortgage meltdown caught some officials and the public off guard. Yet there were some clear indicators of the impending crisis. Paul Solman speaks to two Nobel award-winning economists about how the economy began to unfurl. (December 26, 2008) Watch Risky Credit Default Swaps Linked to Financial Troubles Insurer AIG is among the financial titans to hit troubled times in the recent Wall Street crisis. Paul Solman takes an in-depth look at the woes at AIG and explains how credit default swaps played a role its financial turbulence. (October 7, 2008) Watch Firms’ Soaring Credit Debt Prompted Federal Rescue Unmanageable debt of firms like Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and AIG led to declines in their credibility and the end of growth based on credit. Paul Solman explains how these giants lost control of their finances. (September 23, 2008) Watch A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now