December 5, 2011 – 11:30 am
Though the United States government hasn’t been fiscally responsible this year, at least the American people have: For the 9th consecutive quarter, delinquency rates fell for consumer credit cards. It’s exciting news, but it remains to be seen if consumers kept up these good habits on Black Friday. US retail sales hit $11.4 billion to kick off the holiday shopping [...]
September 28, 2011 – 5:40 pm
Broke professional sports stars are nothing new, but ever wonder why athletes — with their outsize salaries — seem so much more prone to bankruptcy than Average Joes? The New York Times took a shot at answering that question in a recent “Your Money” column by interviewing Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young: Steve Young has [...]
In the good ol’ days, a gold or platinum credit card signaled that you had arrived. It meant lenders considered you a good credit risk with significant spending and a sterling payment history. With that came perks, most often a higher credit limit and cash back on purchases as a concession for a bank’s best [...]
The Real Housewives reality-television franchise has spawned more bankruptcy filings than pro sports and celebrity accountant Kenneth Starr combined. We wondered why, so we reviewed the most notorious examples of the “real housewives” living beyond their means. Teresa Giudice is one of the most combative Real Housewives of New Jersey, and with this group, that’s [...]
It’s been a few years since Saturday Night Live produced this skit — and boy, has a lot changed in the global economy since 2007 — but its message will still make anyone interested in personal finance giggle. Starring Steve Martin and Amy Poehler as a frustrated couple in debt, the video hawks a free [...]
Should colleges disclose to undergraduates the expected future salaries for people with degrees in their field of study? That’s the major question (no pun intended) posed by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, which compared the median lifetime earnings for bachelor’s degrees in a range of disciplines, from engineering and computer science to English [...]
Last October, R&B singer Toni Braxton filed for bankruptcy — for the second time in 12 years. The court determined she owed her creditors — among them Tiffany & Co., Neiman Marcus, and the Four Seasons — between $10 million and $50 million in unpaid debts. Now Braxton has a reality television show ready to [...]
Welcome to this week’s edition of our Tuesday Top 5, Econ4U’s weekly tips post to help you manage your money in five easy steps. Whether you’re drawing up a draft of your first budget or you’d like to tweak an existing plan, there are simple ways that you can free up more cash for savings or [...]
February 1, 2011 – 1:05 pm
Just when you think playing for the NBA couldn’t get any better between the insane paychecks and adoring fans, here’s a new perk: If you’re a big enough star, your employer will even pay your way out of trouble with the Internal Revenue Service. That’s what former Miami Heat point guard Tim Hardaway found out [...]
January 19, 2011 – 1:05 pm
Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year, is coming up on January 24. How was it calculated? Here’s the official formula, courtesy of the U.K.’s Mental Health Foundation: According to the scientists who developed it, “The model was broken down using six immediately identifiable factors; weather (W), debt (d), time since Christmas [...]
