Nov 27 Why it’s OK to splurge on Black Friday, according to a behavioral economist By Kristen Doerer Dan Ariely says go ahead, buy that new ski jacket on Black Friday. As a behavioral economist at Duke University, he's studied how people can successfully indulge one day, and then resume normal spending practices for the rest of the… Continue reading
Nov 26 Watch 8:20 Were pilgrims America’s original economic migrants? By PBS News Hour Four hundred years ago, a group of pilgrims founded a colony in Plymouth. But what did they hope to accomplish there, how did they live? Economics correspondent Paul Solman jumps back in time to interview some of these early settlers… Continue watching
Nov 26 What you didn’t know about the pilgrims: They had massive debt By Ruth A. McIntyre About 70 investors, known as merchant “adventurers,” pooled together capital and funded the pilgrims' passage. They expected, of course, a return on their investment. Continue reading
Nov 25 Why health savings accounts and Medicare don’t mix By Philip Moeller Journalist Philip Moeller, who writes widely on health and retirement, is here to provide the Medicare answers you need in “Ask Phil, the Medicare Maven.” Send your questions to Phil. Continue reading
Nov 24 Column: Widows lose thousands in Social Security benefits due to misinformation By Laurence Kotlikoff A Social Security whistleblower claims that widows are losing thousands due to agency mistakes. Continue reading
Nov 24 Move over turkey. Here comes the Thanksgiving ham By Vikram Mansharamani Can you imagine a Christmas ham on your Thanksgiving dinner table in place of the traditional turkey? It’s a scenario some agricultural economists have been worrying about for months. Continue reading
Nov 23 One startup’s solution to your student loan debt By Cristina Quinn A Boston startup wants to help you tackle your student loan debt — by having your boss foot part of the bill. Continue reading
Nov 20 Column: The case for employee-owned companies By David Ellerman If employees are responsible for the consequences of their actions while on the job — committing a crime, say — how can it be that they’re not responsible for the positive things they do, such as making money?… Continue reading
Nov 19 Watch 8:50 What’s made the Islamic State one of the richest terrorist armies in history? By PBS News Hour How does the Islamic State militant group make money to fund its operations? A key source is oil extraction, which has helped make the group one of the richest terrorist armies in history. Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes a look… Continue watching
Nov 19 Is China’s one-child policy to blame for its economic slowdown? By Vikram Mansharamani China’s one-child policy created a demographic wave that is beginning to crash on the economy. Continue reading