Jan 01 Undisputed facts about the minimum wage By Simone Pathe The minimum wage is increasing in 29 states this year. Who are minimum wage workers? And what do they look like? We boil down the facts behind the minimum wage debate. Continue reading
Dec 31 What's it take to build a business in China? By Larisa Epatko China's new tech-driven economy has opened opportunities for entrepreneurs. But they still face some hurdles when starting a business. Continue reading
Dec 31 How can selling your home raise your Medicare premiums? By Philip Moeller Even a one-time boost in income, from the sale of a home, for example, will raise your Medicare Part B and D premiums, explains Making Sen$e Medicare Maven Phil Moeller. You probably won't see that increase, though, for two years… Continue reading
Dec 30 Why Republicans should thank Obama for opening up Cuba By George C. Lodge George Cabot Lodge asks why Republicans want to deny the Cuban people the better life that he predicts will come with U.S. investment in their country and deny American business new opportunities. Continue reading
Dec 30 Think you know how oil prices work? By Simone Pathe A new working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research remodels the relationship between oil prices and production, suggesting that the actual pressure inside the wells dictates the pace of extraction more than price swings. Continue reading
Dec 29 Are more FICA taxes worth it? Social Security as longevity insurance By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security benefits are inflation indexed and continue until you die. There is nothing like them that you can buy on the insurance market, says Larry Kotlikoff. That's why paying more FICA taxes, often by working longer, may pay off… Continue reading
Dec 28 Watch 4:03 Did plunging gas prices boost holiday spending? By PBS News Hour Ever since oil prices started falling, experts have predicted that consumers would use the extra money saved to spend more on holiday gifts. Did that happen? Sara Germano of the Wall Street Journal joins Hari Sreenivasan from Albany with the… Continue watching
Dec 26 Watch 5:59 Why was 2014 a year of mergers and mega deals? By PBS News Hour 2014 has been a banner year for corporate mergers, with more than $3 trillion in deals announced worldwide. What kind of impact do these deals have on the companies, employees and the economy? Hari Sreenivasan learns more from Andrew Ross… Continue watching
Dec 26 Why did some Indonesian women bear more children after the 2004 tsunami? By Simone Pathe Years after the Indian Ocean tsunami that struck Indonesia on Dec. 26, 2004, researchers noted a higher than expected fertility rate, particularly among the communities that had experienced the most mortality. They took a closer look to see who was… Continue reading
Dec 25 What are your Christmas gifts worth to you? By Simone Pathe Those gifts you opened this morning -- they're worth less to you than the gift-giver paid for them, no doubt. That's the deadweight loss of Christmas for you. But plenty of economists are saying "bah, humbug" to economic rationality and… Continue reading