Making Sen$e

Column: The rise and fall of the U.S. corporation

By Gerald Davis

The corporation is not an eternal institution, but a transient one, at least in the long sweep of history.

Last year’s COLA headache is likely to return this fall

By Philip Moeller

The wheels started falling off this wagon last year, because there was no consumer price inflation and thus a zero COLA for 2016. Medicare expenses and premiums continued to rise, however.

Income is up, poverty is down, but neither are back at pre-recession levels

By Kristen Doerer

With improving incomes, 3.5 million people climbed out of poverty in 2015, pushing down the official poverty rate to 13.5 percent.

How banks target less savvy borrowers with visual distractions and hidden fees

By Making Sen$e Editor

There are substantial differences in the credit card offers that banks extend to different potential customers.

Column: Why a $15 minimum wage should scare us

By Veronique de Rugy

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would be a boon to some workers, but the aggregate effect would be overwhelmingly negative.

Yes, trade with China took away blue-collar jobs. And there’s no getting them back.

By Gordon Hanson

Trade economist Gordon Hanson says American blue-collar jobs have gone away as a result of China's rise, but not because of unfair trade practices.

I didn’t want Medicare Part B. Why did Social Security enroll me in it?

By Philip Moeller

Social Security administers many aspects of Medicare including the enrollment process and handling the deduction of Part B premiums from monthly Social Security payments.

Column: Like it or not, these billionaires are shaping the direction of discovery

By Vikram Mansharamani

Today’s billionaires regularly channel their wealth into traditional areas of philanthropy like education and public health. But the richest of the rich are also devoting significant resources to futuristic moonshots.

Column: When industrial-scale farming is the sustainable path

By Miriam Horn

There's a large and growing movement across the heartland states to use big, intensified agriculture as a path to restoring soil life and a stable climate.