Jun 11 Soon, there may be no such thing as a free reservation By Paul Solman Walk-ins may be a thing of the past. Tock, a service that allows you to buy or put down a deposit for a reservation, could be coming to a restaurant near you. Continue reading
Jun 11 How to save Greece: Turn its banks into mutual fund companies By Laurence Kotlikoff Einstein defined insanity as repeating the same thing and expecting different results. So why then, asks economist Laurence Kotlikoff, doesn't Germany, the European Central Bank, and the IMF take a different approach to Greece's debt?… Continue reading
Jun 10 Why Wall Street loves Medicare Advantage (and why this should bother you) By Philip Moeller A top issuer of Medicare Advantage plans has put itself in play for an acquisition, triggering largely bullish Wall Street reports about the investment appeal of this sector. Continue reading
Jun 09 Will the new killer ‘butler app’ kill our ability to fend for ourselves? By Paul Solman By completing your to-do list, Hello Alfred claims to give you back time for leisure. But do outsourcing apps simply open up more time for us to be imprisoned in other ways?… Continue reading
Jun 08 Can you collect your late spouse’s Social Security and still work? By Laurence Kotlikoff Trying to understand how to maximize your Social Security can be a confusing process, but it doesn't have to be. Ask Larry your questions. Continue reading
Jun 05 Watch 3:16 Unemployment rate goes up for all the right reasons By PBS News Hour The May jobs report was surprisingly strong. Employers added 280,000 jobs, marking a rebound from the year's first quarter and stemming fears of an economic cool down. Judy Woodruff learns more from Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial. Continue watching
Jun 05 Jobs up, joblessness up: How can that be? One explanation By Kristen Doerer, Paul Solman The U.S. added 280,000 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate rose a tenth of a percent to settle at 5.5 percent. How do we reconcile May's numbers?… Continue reading
Jun 04 Watch 6:46 Tech-age butlers aren’t just for superheroes anymore By PBS News Hour If you're too busy and you want to outsource your chores, there are apps galore these days. Now there’s Alfred, a new online service that aims to scale up the business of butlering by offering relatively low-cost help with shopping,… Continue watching
Jun 04 Dirty laundry? Batman’s butler, Alfred, to the rescue By Paul Solman Paul Solman chats with Hello Alfred CEO Marcela Sapone about how more Alfreds will liberate people in busy careers. Continue reading
Jun 04 A creepy vision of the new economic order, harvested from you By Anna Bernasek, D.T. Mongan What happens when corporations become Big Brother? Anna Bernasek and D.T. Mongan paint a Orwellian future, where big data reigns. This data collection won’t just infringe on the privacy of real people, they argue, but also on market competition. Continue reading