Does Housing Drive Income Inequality?

The widening gap between the wealthy and – well, everyone else in America has occupied news headlines since the housing collapse of a few years ago. As the famous one percent gets richer and the other 99 do not, a new theory suggests that income inequality is really...

Not a Student? Student Loan Debt Still Hits Home

You’re not a college student. You don’t have a child in college. But the escalating crisis of student loan debt still affects you, in ways large and small. In the spring of 2014 the total student debt load in the US had reached $1.1 trillion – and that burden of debt...

Social Media For Investors: Networking, Support, Success

Mention social media, and all too often the image that comes to mind is a group of teenagers furiously posting selfies to Facebook and Instagram. But think again. Social media has grown up, with serious real world applications for professionals, entrepreneurs and...

The MintChip: Mainstream Banking Tries to Get Digital

It sounds like a new kind of snack: the MintChip. But this product of the Royal Canadian Mint represents a new stage in the evolution of digital currency: digital money created and controlled by a state bank. And its demise in April 2014 serves as a cautionary tale...

What’s the Right Retirement Age Anyway?

For decades, 65 has been that magic age for “retirement” – leaving a longtime job and riding off into the golden years with visions of vacations, grandkids and hobbies dancing through graying heads. But a variety of social, economic and personal factors are turning...

America’s Getting Younger – And Making Changes

Move over, baby boomers. The younger generation is taking over – at least in terms of population. The latest US Census Bureau stats reveal that the much-analyzed baby boomers, those people born between 1947 and 1960 or so, are no longer the country’s biggest...

In a Soft Economy, Wary Buyers Look, But Don’t Leap

The US economy has come a long way since the historic housing collapse of 2008. But a relatively flat employment picture and tighter lending standards may be slowing that recovery down. Case in point: the rebounding housing market, where would be buyers are...

Mixed Messages on Housing Shadow Economic Recovery

Is the housing market in recovery? Or decline? It depends on who you ask – and when. New figures suggest that the much-touted housing recovery may have flattened after a promising surge in 2013 – a trend that, if true, has significant consequences for the health of...

The Hierarchy of Human Needs Guides Consumer Behavior

“You can’t always get what you want,” sang the Rolling Stones. But, as the next line goes, you might find you get what you need. What people really need has been debated by experts in economics, psychology, and many other fields. But it turns out that a theory from...

Housing and Job Numbers Suggest a Turnaround

Amid the gloomy news about a slow and fitful economic recovery, some corners are clearly being turned. Those two major indicators of economic health, housing and employment, go hand in hand to suggest a more stable future. Case in point: a drop in mortgage delinquency...