Making Sen$e

Missed a credit card payment? Just call your credit card company

By Kristen Doerer

A new survey finds that 89 percent of those who had bothered to call about a late fee succeeded in having it reversed, and 78 percent were able to get a lower APR.

Social Security’s divorced widow abuse — an isolated case?

By Laurence Kotlikoff

It's important for anyone dealing with Social Security to know exactly what they are due and to tell, not ask Social Security to give them what's theirs, writes economist Larry Kotlikoff.

Trump says he’ll bring jobs back to America. Economists are skeptical

By Paul Wiseman, Associated Press

Trump's assault on trade deals seems to be winning politics. But his analysis of how trade hurts American workers is flawed, and as president, he would struggle to deliver on his promises.

Does science advance one funeral at a time, researchers ask

By Making Sen$e Editor

When a star scientist dies, outsiders often tackle mainstream questions in the field by leveraging new ideas that arise in other domains.

Why Apple vs. FBI might be the worst cybersecurity dilemma ever

By Vikram Mansharamani

Given the critical importance of both cybersecurity and national security, prioritizing one over the other is no trivial task.

Here’s a finger-picking bluegrass song about the Fed’s plan for interest rates

By Jon Shayne

What do a fiddle, a barn dance and a bale of hay have to do with the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy? A whole lot, says Merle Hazard, who's written yet another finger-picking country song about the economy.