Erika Beras

Reporter

SHORT BIO

Erika Beras is a former reporter at Marketplace. She has covered wealth & poverty, aging and other beats for Marketplace's programs.

Latest Stories (345)

Prepaid card users to get more protections

Apr 8, 2019
The protections for prepaid debit cards are now the same as those extended to users of debit cards tied to bank accounts.
Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Report says network news lacking when it comes to climate coverage

Apr 8, 2019
A report from Media Matters finds that broadcast TV news coverage of climate change fell by 45 percent between 2017 and 2018.
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) speaks as Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) (R) and other Congressional Democrats listen during a news conference in front of the U.S. Capitol February 7, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Study says support for school principals leads to better test scores

Apr 8, 2019
The report is based on a program of investment in 1,100 principals.
The report is based on a program of investment in more than 1,100 principals.
sshepard/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Census Bureau wary of 2016-style interference

Mar 29, 2019
The U.S. government is worried the same kind of interference that made its way into the 2016 presidential campaign could affect the 2020 census. As a result, the Census Bureau is asking for help from technology and social media giants like Google, Facebook and Twitter to fight any misinformation campaigns that might target the once-a-decade […]
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Democrats launch bill to bolster ACA

Mar 27, 2019
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the Democrats' bill to bolster the Affordable Care Act aims to lower premiums.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) holds a news conference about healthcare legislation on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2019 in Washington, DC. On the day after the Trump Justice Department sided with Republican governor plaintiffs who have filed suit to strike down in its entirety the Affordable Care Act, House Democrats gathered to outline their healthcare agenda.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

FHA tightens standards on insuring home loans

Mar 25, 2019
The Federal Housing Administration is growing concerned that lenders are allowing some first-time home buyers to take on too much risk. Earlier this month, the FHA told lenders that it will flag more loans as high risk, and raise the hurdle some borrowers must jump for FHA-backed loans. Click the audio player above to hear […]
The reflection of blue skies and palm trees are seen in the window of a Countrywide banking and home loans location offering reverse mortgages in Sun City, Arizona.
RICHARD A. BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images

New overtime proposal raises salary threshold to $35,000

Mar 25, 2019
Three years after a similar, failed Obama administration proposal, the Department of Labor has issued a new proposal that would allow most employees making $35,000 or less to qualify for overtime pay. This time, the proposal is not tied to inflation — something that employers might welcome. 
AndreyPopov/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Repairing Nebraska will take money and time

Mar 22, 2019
Nebraska officials report that the flooding in the wake of the recent "bomb cyclone" has caused more than $550 million in damage.
Floodwaters in Fremont, Nebraska, on March 16.
Courtesy of Scott Olson/Lee Valley Inc.

For many second-generation Asian-Americans, academic achievement doesn't translate to professional achievement

Mar 21, 2019
Asian-Americans have the highest percentage of college grads of any minority group. And though they represent just 6 percent of the population, they account for 20 percent of Ivy League students. But once they enter the workforce, it’s a different story.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.
Students walk near Royce Hall on the campus of UCLA on April 23, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

In the age of the selfie, a younger market for cosmetic procedures

Mar 18, 2019
Botox and injectable fillers are now being marketed to women in their 20s and 30s.
Michael Gottschalk/Getty Images