Apr 06 Why you should shop Social Security offices for the best deal By Laurence Kotlikoff How could different Social Security offices be dishing out different benefits? The rules are the rules, but staff within the offices have different interpretations, only one of which is right. Continue reading
Apr 04 Watch What does March’s job market slowdown mean for wage growth? By PBS News Hour There was a bright spot in Good Friday's disappointing jobs report that revealed the number of jobs added fell well below expectations: Wages, stuck for so long, are finally starting to go up. The Wall Street Journal's Eric Morath joins… Continue watching
Apr 03 Watch 4:27 Do weaker U.S. jobs numbers suggest a downshifting economy? By PBS News Hour March put an end to a year-long streak of solid U.S. job growth. The Labor Department reported that employers added a net of just 126,000 jobs last month. Hari Sreenivasan talks to Diane Swonk of Mesirow Financial about what’s behind… Continue watching
Apr 03 How much of March’s disappointing jobs report is just a blip? By Simone Pathe The economy added a disappointing 126,000 jobs in March. And while economists often caution that one month's data shouldn't be weighted too heavily, this latest jobs report comes on the heels of other news about slower economic growth. All of… Continue reading
Apr 02 Watch 6:35 Why some Cadbury-lovers are bitter that they can’t buy their favorite sweets By PBS News Hour The Easter holiday brings in the largest share of seasonal candy sales in the U.S. -- more than $2.3 billion last year. A mainstay of American Easter baskets, Cadbury is a British company that is licensed in the U.S. by… Continue watching
Apr 02 Why education won’t solve America’s inequality crisis By Simone Pathe Earnings inequality in America has increased since 1979 — that much we know. But why and what to do about it is murky — in part because we’re often talking past each other when we talk about inequality. There are… Continue reading
Apr 01 Where does Chicken Little invest? By Terry Burnham You might think of economist Terry Burnham as the "Chicken Little of Finance." That's because he's repeatedly argued that the Dow will hit 5,000 before it hits 20,000. Since he first made that forecast in the summer of 2013, the… Continue reading
Apr 01 What Medicare could do to get you lower drug prices By Philip Moeller Medicare has zillions of rules. But there's one more that columnist Philip Moeller would like to see adopted. Right now, Medicare beneficiaries are pawns in the drug pricing system, and plenty of Americans don't take the drugs they need because… Continue reading
Mar 29 Watch 3:07 Inside the new federal pay day loan rules By PBS News Hour This week, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took new steps to protect the working poor from people critics describe as predatory lenders, those who make what are known as pay day loans. Chico Harlan of the Washington Post joins… Continue watching
Mar 27 Why Canada’s economy is headed off the cliff By Vikram Mansharamani Between steadily rising home prices and plummeting oil prices, Canada is an economy on the edge. And there's a risk the country's credit-binge will push it over, argues Harvard Kennedy School fellow Vikram Mansharamani in today's Making Sen$e column. Continue reading