Marketplace Staff

Latest from Marketplace Staff

Dec 25, 2010
How perception affects our sense of wealth, and taxes
How we each individually live our lives often depends on how we see our peers live their lives. For people making $250,000 a year, or the top 2 percent income in the country, that means probably surrounding themselves with even richer people. And that's why there was a debate over taxes, says the New Yorker's James Surowiecki.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
Question: What makes us feel wealthy?
In a second question posed to financial psychologist Ted Klontz and the Wall Street Journal's Robert Frank, Tess Vigeland asks what it is that makes people feel wealthy. It turns out, the fact that many don't believe they're rich may be the problem.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
Question: Is $250,000 rich?
The number of $250,000 a year has been thrown around by politicians as being "wealthy" and "rich." But is it really? Tess Vigeland talks to financial psychologist Ted Klontz and the Wall Street Journal's Robert Frank about wealth in America.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
America, get realistic and tax the rich
The American Dream — the belief that anyone can work their way up the ladder to prosperity — is deeply intertwined into U.S. culture. But it's also deeply affecting our thoughts about income taxes, says commentator Felix Salmon, and we need to become more realistic.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
The story behind ‘Christmas Wrapping’
Is one of your favorite holiday songs "Christmas Wrapping?" Nate DiMeo has the story behind the music of this semi-holiday classic and two decades of Christmas bonuses.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
Shopping for Christmas $50,000 in debt
A survey out not too long ago showed almost half of Americans are still paying off the credit-card bills we racked up last December. So what happens when you are facing severe debt right before the shopping frenzy begins? We've got the story of one woman who faced Christmas being $50,000 in debt.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
Weekly Wrap: Obama and the economy
Heidi Moore from The Dealbook at The New York Times and Felix Salmon from Reuters talk with Kai Ryssdal about where things stand economically, whether they believe President Obama's statement that the economy will be his singular focus, and the latest scandal with Merrill Lynch.
Read More
Dec 25, 2010
Jill Schlesinger: Looking forward to 2011
It has been a strange year for the economy. The markets are back at pre-recession highs. Companies have reported strong earnings. But unemployment remains high and the housing market is still sputtering. What will the next year hold?
Read More
Dec 24, 2010
Stock prices end the year at the highest level since 2008
Stock prices are ending the year at their highest level since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008. Markets both here and in Europe have enjoyed a powerful pre-Christmas rally.
Read More
Dec 24, 2010
Nintendo’s Wii is already outdated
Nintendo's wireless Wii system was a big hit a couple years ago, appealing most to usual non-gamers for its ease. But this season, sales are down nearly a quarter. Sally Herships reports.
Read More