Mar 22 Tool$ Tuesday: How the Government Spends Your Money By Elizabeth Shell Just in time for tax season: a tax receipt calculator that shows you how the federal government spends your taxes. It's easy to use: just enter your federal tax amount for 2010 and press 'calculate receipt.' The… Continue reading
Mar 21 Why Weaken the Japanese Yen? The Conflicting Claims of Economics By Paul Solman Business correspondent Paul Solman answers questions from NewsHour viewers and readers on business and economic news most days on his Making Sen$e page. Here's Monday's query: From Thursday's NewsHour: "The Japanese yen settled near record highs against the… Continue reading
Mar 18 Deflation: Inflation’s Evil Twin By Paul Solman Paul Solman answers questions from the NewsHour audience on business and economic news most days on his Making Sen$e page. Here's Friday's query: Name: Doug Shoaf Question: Given the harm that inflation does to the personal finances… Continue reading
Mar 17 Live Chat: Paul Solman, Patchwork Nation’s Chinni on Economic Inequality By Paul Solman Editor's note: Join us at 3 p.m. ET Thursday for a chat between Paul Solman, Dante Chinni of Patchwork Nation and Derek Thompson of The Atlantic. The discussion will be moderated by PBS… Continue reading
Mar 16 The Financial Blame Game: Who’s At Fault? By Paul Solman Paul Solman answers questions from NewsHour viewers and web users on business and economic news most days on his Making Sen$e page. Here's Wednesday's query: Name: Michael Cassady Question: With the suffering from the financial crisis falling… Continue reading
Mar 15 Paul Solman, Patchwork Nation’s Chinni Talk Income Inequality in Ohio By Elizabeth Shell Business correspondent Paul Solman and Dante Chinni of Patchwork Nation recently traveled to two counties in Ohio: Crawford and Delaware. Thirty years ago the counties had similar average incomes but they've grown apart. The town of Galion… Continue reading
Mar 11 Japan’s Earthquake, Tsunami: What We’re Reading on Economic Impact By Elizabeth Shell Editor's Note: Paul Solman is traveling today but we here at Making Sen$e wanted to share a list of reports we've been following on the financial impact of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Though it's too… Continue reading
Mar 10 ProPublica’s Mortgage Mod Squad: HAMP’S a Flop By Paul Solman As you've probably heard by now, either on our program or elsewhere, the administration's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP for short) has been a disappointment -- to put it generously. The program, announced back in February 2009, was aimed… Continue reading
Mar 09 The Public Worker Battle, Cartoonified By Paul Solman With all the strife over public-sector unions, including irate e-mails in response to our pension coverage on the program, we thought we'd lighten the mood by sharing some recent political cartoons. Continue reading
Mar 08 Making Sen$e Tool$ Tuesday: Tips For Lessening the Pinch at the Pump By Paul Solman You may have noticed that gas prices are up rather dramatically, in tandem with the drama in the Middle East and North Africa. No coincidence, obviously. The fear of supply disruptions, sabotaged wells, and turmoil in general have… Continue reading