Jul 18 A Flaw in Our College Costs vs. Income Calculator? Paul Solman frequently answers questions from the NewsHour audience on business and economic news here on his Making Sen$e page. Here is Wednesday's query:… Continue reading
Jul 17 The U.S. as the New Saudi Arabia: An Environmentalist’s Nightmare? A flame from a Saudi Aramco (the national oil company) oil installation known as 'Pump 3' burns brightly during sunset in the Saudi Arabian desert. According to Forbes, Saudi Aramco generates more than $1 billion a day in… Continue reading
Jul 16 Chinese Identity Amid an Economic Slowdown A security guard patrols outside the headquarters of the Bank of China in the Xidan shopping area of Beijing. Photo by Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images. With all the talk of a Chinese economic slowdown there, I have a suggestion:… Continue reading
Jul 13 Where is a Safe Place to Invest? Today we add a new wrinkle to Making Sen$e. The NewsHour has partnered with Next Avenue, a PBS site "that provides in-depth information, perspective and inspiration to help those 50… Continue reading
Jul 12 Ray Kurzweil on Bringing Back the Dead and a Viewer Question: When Is Paul Solman Going to Retire? EmbedVideo(3873, 620, 386); We round out "Ray Kurzweil Online" with the third and final installment of our miniseries. Thursday's outtake with Mr. Immortality: Does Kurzweil believe that an avatar of his dead father -- created with artificial intelligence… Continue reading
Jul 11 Ray Kurweil’s Immortality Cocktail; And a Student Loan Skeptic EmbedVideo(3861, 620, 386); Wednesday we feature the second of our interview outtakes with inventor/author/futurist Ray Kurzweil. (Tuesday's installment: the melding of man and machine.) In our broadcast story, which debuted on Making Sen$e Monday, Kurzweil explained… Continue reading
Jul 10 Buying Gold and Futurist Ray Kurzweil on Melding of Man and Machine EmbedVideo(3851, 620, 386); Author, inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil has been a key voice in our occasional series on the future of technology. The latest installment on the advent of immortality debuted here on Making Sen$e July… Continue reading
Jul 09 Disappearing Dead: Economic Optimism about Immortality EmbedVideo(3842, 620, 386); Will we one day be able to live forever? Interesting question, especially for a page where I usually take your financial, rather than science, questions. But what is the goal of economics if not the… Continue reading
Jul 09 Are Student Loans Forgiven for the Peace Corps or Disability? Peace Corp volunteer Scott Wilhelm, right, worked as an agroforestry volunteer in El Salvador, assisting local farmers in growing fruit trees after a volcanic eruption destroyed their crops. Photo by the Peace Corps via a U.S. Government Work license. Continue reading
Jul 06 U7 Unemployment Rises Again An applicant speaks with a prospective employer at a New York job fair. Photo by John Moore/Getty Images Distressing. That's our verdict after studying this morning's unemployment data for June. Continue reading