Feb 11 Creator of popular 'Flappy Bird' discontinues game By Ruth Tam Not many people choose to walk away from a fortune. But that’s exactly what Dong Nguyen, 29, did as the creator of the notoriously difficult but immensely popular smartphone game “Flappy Bird.” “Flappy Bird,” which appears as a throwback to… Continue reading
Feb 10 How Social Security could affect your eligibility for food stamps or other public assistance By Laurence Kotlikoff Public assistance recipients are required to apply for all other types of benefits for which they may be eligible, including Social Security. If their Social Security benefits exceed a certain amount, that could affect their eligibility for other forms of… Continue reading
Feb 09 Watch Erosion of middle class buying power hits familiar brands By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Feb 08 Watch Unemployment rates are higher for young people, minorities By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Feb 07 Watch Economist warns against overacting to January's lower-than-expected jobs numbers By PBS News Hour Just 113,000 new jobs were added in January, according to the Labor Department’s monthly employment report. The numbers failed to meet expectations, but the unemployment rate nevertheless ticked down to 6.6 percent. Economics correspondent Paul Solman deciphers the numbers with… Continue watching
Feb 07 Jobs report: 'Whatever you thought yesterday is pretty much what you should feel today' By Simone Pathe If you read the headlines, January's jobs report was, by most accounts, disappointing. The number of jobs added wasn't as high as expected, even though the unemployment rate ticked down. But Bureau of Labor Statistics data is more noisy than… Continue reading
Feb 07 Jobs report shows slow growth, lowest unemployment since 2008 By Cindy Huang The US economy added 113,000 jobs in January, 2014. [/caption]The jobs report for January was weaker than expected for the second month in a row, but also boasts the lowest unemployment rate since October 2008. The US economy added 113,000… Continue reading
Feb 06 Watch Is academia suffering from 'adjunctivitis'? Low-paid adjunct professors struggle to make ends meet By PBS News Hour Juggling multiple part-time jobs, earning little-to-no benefits, depending on public assistance: This is the financial reality for many adjunct professors across the nation. Economics correspondent Paul Solman looks for the origins of this growing employment trend at colleges and universities. Continue watching
Feb 06 Two loves: An adjunct's journey from the classroom to the racetrack By Ingrid Steffensen Ingrid Steffensen thought she'd be spending her life on a university campus. But the relationship she imagined for herself -- teaching and reading and writing full-time (and making a living doing it) -- wasn’t to be. Her love for the… Continue reading
Feb 06 The housing crisis: What's the Fed's excuse? By Charles Calomiris, Stephen Haber The massive increases in risky mortgages and thin bank capital requirements underlying the financial crisis wouldn't have been possible without the Fed’s willing participation. But the Fed doesn't act alone. In this adaptation of their forthcoming book, Charles Calomiris and… Continue reading