Aug 04 How do stay-at-home parents collect Social Security? By Laurence Kotlikoff Social Security expert Larry Kotilkoff advises several couples nearing retirement how to collect benefits when one spouse hasn't worked outside the home. Continue reading
Aug 01 Watch July jobs boost keeps up recovery progress, but low ‘quit rate’ tells another story By PBS News Hour July was the sixth month in a row that the economy expanded by more than 200,000 jobs, with growth in a variety of sectors. But despite the good news, there may be other trends that tell a more troubling story,… Continue watching
Aug 01 Another 200K jobs for ‘The Little Engine That Could’ By Simone Pathe July marks the sixth straight month of job gains exceeding 200,000 -- a growth record not seen since 1997. But there's still not enough turnover in the labor market, the Brookings Institution's Justin Wolfers and MIT's Peter Diamond say, to… Continue reading
Aug 01 Economy hits sixth month of steady job gains By Simone Pathe The economy added 209,000 jobs last month, slightly fewer than expected, but still making July the sixth straight month to add more than 200,000 jobs, which economists are largely interpreting as a sign of a steady recovery. Continue reading
Jul 31 Why the benefits of the EPA’s new carbon rule outweigh the costs for the U.S. — just not by as much as you’ve heard By Robert Stavins The EPA's proposed regulation to cut carbon emissions is the subject of public hearings across the country this week. Environmental economist Robert Stavins weighs in on how the government is calculating the regulation's benefits, concluding that the benefits do outweigh… Continue reading
Jul 31 Obama takes aim at labor violators with new executive order By Josh Lederman, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Some companies that earn billions of dollars as government contractors are among the worst violators of U.S. labor laws, yet year after year they keep winning new contracts. So President Barack Obama is aiming to end impunity for… Continue reading
Jul 30 Watch What the economic rebound looks like around the country By PBS News Hour The American GDP grew at a 4 percent annual rate in the second quarter of the year, surpassing most predictions. But will the upward swing continue? Jeffrey Brown gets a snapshot of economic recovery around the country from Shirley Leung… Continue watching
Jul 30 U.S. economy grows at 4 percent rate By Andrew Troast The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 4 percent this spring, rebounding strongly from the disappointing numbers in winter. Continue reading
Jul 30 Big Mac index: Is the U.S. dollar overvalued? By Paul Solman Everyone knows prices in the U.S. vary regionally, just like certain products are cheaper in China, say, or far cheaper in the Ukraine. But that hardly demonstrates that the renminbi or hyrvnia currencies are overvalued, Paul Solman says, noting that… Continue reading
Jul 30 Watch Falling dollar By PBS News Hour Leaders of the industrial world met in Florida earlier this year to discuss international finances and exchange rates. Paul Solman reports from New York on the effects of the fall of the U.S. dollar against other currencies, the biggest currency… Continue watching