Jun 24 Illinois could be 1st state with ‘junk’ credit due to budget By Sara Burnett, Associated Press Illinois is on track to become the first U.S. state to have its credit rating downgraded to "junk" status, which would deepen its multibillion-dollar deficit and cost taxpayers more for years to come. Continue reading
Jun 23 Why the actors behind popular video games are on an epic strike By Andrew Wagner The gaming world put its best and brightest new offerings on display at E3 last week, but eleven video game publishers remain under pressure from the Screen Actors Guild. Here's why. Continue reading
Jun 22 Watch 8:27 The surprising logic behind the use of check cashers and payday loans By PBS News Hour Often seen as predatory, the check cashing industry has been booming. Lisa Servon wondered why lower-income people who were struggling would cash checks instead of getting a bank account, so she took a job as a cashier to find out. Continue watching
Jun 22 Column: The bank fees you don’t even know about By Lisa Servon The average charge per overdraft went from $21.57 in 1998 to $31.26 in 2012. Similarly, average ATM fees more than doubled between 2001 and 2014. But there are more fees -- fees you may not even be aware of. Continue reading
Jun 22 My husband and I are both on disability. Would getting divorced help us financially? By Philip Moeller A reader and her husband fall short of qualifying for assistance programs because they are both on disability. Should they split up to get more help?… Continue reading
Jun 16 Column: The only conquerors of inequality are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse By Walter Scheidel Walter Scheidel argues that economic inequality is not only inevitable, but that whenever inequality has been reduced, the reasons forcing inequality down have been nothing short of horrific. Continue reading
Jun 15 Watch 9:02 Kushner family’s real estate dealings land foreign-investor visa back in the spotlight By PBS News Hour Thousands of investors apply and participate annually in the little-known EB-5 visa program, designed to stimulate the U.S. economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports that recently, one real estate business in… Continue watching
Jun 15 How Jared Kushner and others gerrymander to sell visas to foreigners — at a steep discount By Paul Solman Trump Bay Street is a model of luxury as well as a model of a loophole U.S. developers use in a controversial citizenship-for-cash program. Continue reading
Jun 14 Help! I lost my job and just turned 65. What do I do about health insurance? By Philip Moeller In the haze that can accompany such surprises, don't just simply take COBRA and assume you're done with health insurance concerns, Philip Moeller advises. Continue reading
Jun 14 Column: 5 ways higher interest rates could affect you By Teresa Ghilarducci The Federal Reserve moved to raise short-term interest rates on Wednesday. What does that mean for American households and American workers?… Continue reading