There are plenty of ways to save for retirement. Pick an index fund. Or use a Roth. But what about a safety net of classic VW Bugs? Tom Kramer has the story.
Columbia University is starting a $4 billion capital campaign — the largest ever in American higher education. But even larger campaigns are expected to be announced soon. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
The government released some worrisome economic data. August's core inflation, which excludes food and energy prices, posted the biggest year-over-year increase in more than a decade. And consumer spending was down. Janet Babin reports.
Brazil's voters are expected to reelect President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday. The country is enjoying moderate growth, but much of its economy is still off the books. Paulo Prada reports.
When Medicare launched its new drug benefit a year ago, critics predicted horror story scenarios. But new details released by the Bush administration have Medicare officials doing a victory dance. Helen Palmer reports.
The agency that sets U.S. accounting rules has issued new requirements for corporations to state pension liabilities on their balance sheets. Marketplace's Amy Scott reports.
Commentator Jeff Birnbaum says he's skeptical that members of the Senate will open their campaign finances to scrutiny on the Internet — though they have no problem requiring it for others.
A great example of how companies are getting even more creative looking for tax breaks? The pharmaceutical industry's presence in Puerto Rico. Kai Ryssdal talks about it with Jill Barshay of Congressional Quarterly.
Even though Congress passed new rules on earmarks, the $447 billion defense budget expected to pass today is full of anonymous pet spending projects. Amy Scott reports.
Some British employers are complaining about a new law banning age discrimination at work, saying it will be costly, confusing and unfair. Stephen Beard reports.
The city of Bangalore is India's IT capital, but the state government there launched a linguistic crackdown this week that critics say could threaten that status. Miranda Kennedy reports.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva is almost certain to win reelection this weekend. Leftist intellectuals have abandoned the leader, but Brazil's rank and file remain firmly in Lula's camp, Paulo Prada reports.
Warner Bros. is employing new tactics to battle China's DVD pirates. It's releasing the "Superman Returns" DVD earlier and cheaper in China, but will it work? Jocelyn Ford reports.
Former chairwoman Patricia Dunn says she didn't know HP's leak investigation employed potentially illegal methods. CEO Mark Hurd says he didn't know about the pretexting. But Congress wants to hold someone accountable.
Sony has lost more power in the battery market. IBM, Lenovo and Toshiba are the latest PC manufacturers to recall batteries for their laptops. Brian Watt reports.
Doctors and manufactures are lobbying health regulators to discontinue use of the word "recall" when issuing advisories on faulty heart devices. Helen Palmer reports.
Commentator and business forecaster Knight Kiplinger is concerned that too little attention is focused on the original sin at the heart of the HP scandal: board members blabbing to the press.
Dearborn, Mich., is home to some 30,000 Arab Americans. Many of them run their own businesses and that has transformed areas of the Detroit suburb once considered lifeless. Nancy Farghalli has the story.
Iraq's oil industry has lost $16 billion over the past two years to insurgent attacks, crime and sub-par equipment. On top of that, Iraq is paying billions more for refined petroleum imports. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Host Kai Ryssdal checks in with Wall Street Journal Detroit bureau chief Joseph White for the latest on a possible alliance between GM, Nissan and Renault.
Hewlett-Packard execs reported to Washington today for a Congressional hearing into the company's pretexting scandal. We take a look at the day's events and the legality — or illegality — of the practice that's caused the stir.
After less than a year, ESPN is closing down its cell phone operation aimed at sports fans. Now it'll try to make deals with other wireless operators to offer multimedia content. Lisa Napoli reports.
The government is considering new ways to calculate the Gross Domestic Product in order to include intangible assets such as research and development. Hillary Wicai explains.
The FCC is looking into whether there's a link between the growing childhood obesity problem in the U.S. and marketing aimed at kids. And that's making some advertisers and broadcasters uneasy, Lisa Napoli reports.
While many American farmers struggle to stay in business, Mennonite farmers in Yates County, New York have made the small farm so successful, they're looking to expand. Sidsel Overgaard has the story.
Negotiators from the United States and European Union today are expected to finalize new rules under which U.S. security officials can access the passenger lists of European airlines. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
The Hewlett-Packard pretexting scandal will continue to play out in Washington today. A House panel plans to grill company leaders about the practice. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
7-Eleven is ending a 20-year deal with Venezuelan-owned CITGO following last week's fiery anti-Bush remarks by Hugo Chavez. Sound like the beginnings of a boycott? Not so fast, Sam Eaton reports.
The world's largest retailer opened its first store in Chicago yesterday, advancing a strategy to try to cash in on urban hipsters. But being the low-cost leader doesn't guarantee success, Helen Palmer reports.
Wal-Mart has issued its annual report on how the 7,200 factories it buys from in 60 countries treat workers and the environment. The increased awareness may be helping improve working conditions in China, Jocelyn Ford reports
The Virgin head says airlines could cut pollution and help in the effort against global warming if they would adopt his proposals. Sarah Gardner reports.
The New York City Board of Health has unanimously agreed to push forward with a plan to severely limit the amount of artificial transfats used by restaurants. Lisa Napoli reports.
Investing in a recently pacified warzone may not be most people's idea of smart business, but some with financial ties to Lebanon still see opportunity. Ben Gilbert reports.
More companies are listing on exchanges overseas instead of in America these days. Commentator Glenn Hubbard argues that we need to change laws that limit businesses' competitiveness.
A new study by the Pew Hispanic Center shows joblessness among Latinos at a record low in the second quarter. But some fear the housing slowdown could make that figure short-lived. Dan Grech reports.
There's word today that the hedge fund that bet on natural gas prices and lost $6 billion will sell off bits of its company and pay off angry investors.
Frito-Lay and Chevrolet are planning to involve amateurs in the making of their TV commercials as part of the next Super Bowl broadcast. Janet Babin reports.
Investors were firmly focused today on the chance the Dow Industrials would hit a record close. Host Kai Ryssdal talked with Marketplace's Amy Scott about why it matters. . . . If it does.
British billionaire Richard Branson later today will call on the aviation industry to tackle climate change. He says the airlines could cut pollution substantially by making some simple changes. Stephen Beard reports.
Not everyone's bemoaning the housing market's decline. A slowing economy and steady inflation rates are boosting the bond market. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
The House passed a record $448 billion in defense spending last night. The measure is expected to be passed by the Senate as soon as today. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
Procter & Gamble has sold Sure brand deodorant to a private equity firm. It's part of a trend to shed brands with little growth potential, Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
Google expends a lot of human energy on products that don't always make it. Host Kai Ryssdal talks to Fortune Magazine's Adam Lashinsky about the company's strategy that embraces risk and failure.
A militant insurgency and the drug trade are pretty much the only industries thriving in Afghanistan now. U.N. figures show opium production there more than doubled last year to the highest level ever recorded. Miranda Kennedy reports.
We know, we know . . . Al Gore used Apple's Keynote in "An Inconvenient Truth." Host Kai Ryssdal shares that and some of the other letters we've received in the past few weeks.
It's no surprise that health insurance costs are going up, but at least last year's 7.7% jump is the lowest increase in seven years. That's according to an annual survey out today. Helen Palmer reports.
A federal judge went easy on former Enron CFO Andrew Fastow today, reducing his plea bargained prison sentence from 10 years to just six for his role in that company's collapse. It pays to cooperate, Amy Scott reports.
The nation's largest patent holder, IBM has announced it will begin publishing its patent applications on the Web for public review — a move that could affect the entire patent system. Janet Babin reports.
Search leader Google today urged the high-tech industry to stop wasting so much energy, calling on computer-makers to come up with a more efficient standard power supply for PCs. Sarah Gardner reports.
Last month AOL mistakenly allowed its users' search data to be posted on the Internet. Now three of the people whose searches were revealed are suing the company. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
There hasn't been a large-scale computer virus aimed at taking down corporate America for years. Could be because home users are the target of most attacks, according to a new report. Dan Grech reports.
Collectors from around the world are expected to offer up to $10,000 each for works of art believed to have been painted by Adolf Hitler. Stephen Beard has the story.
Viacom CEO Sumner Redstone will lose half his salary and cash bonuses, the company reported Monday. But some don't think that's going far enough. Sarah Gardner reports.
Disgraced WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers is scheduled to start his 25-year prison sentence today for fraud and conspiracy. And his incarceration will be no Club Fed, Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Shinzo Abe was elected as Japan's new Prime Minister today. One item high on his agenda is repairing relations with China — and that could be good news for the U.S. Jocelyn Ford reports.
A federal judge has granted class action status to just about anyone who's bought "light" cigarettes since the early '70s. Tens of millions of smokers could seek as much as $200 billion from tobacco companies. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
As Republican candidates talk up falling gas prices, a USA Today poll finds 42% of respondents believe the Bush administration "deliberately manipulated the price of gasoline" heading into fall elections. Bob Moon reports.
More than $300 billion is spent on advertising every year, with about a third of it considered wasted. Host Kai Ryssdal talks to author Rex Briggs about the secrets of today's advertising world.
The Army has sent up an unprecedented flare over spending in Iraq. Its top officer deliberately withheld a required 2008 budget plan — and it's getting a lot of attention in Washington, Hillary Wicai reports.
Britain's finance chief Gordon Brown has presided over a long economic boom, but he's just not popular with voters. That could be a problem for the ruling Labor Party when Tony Blair steps down. Stephen Beard reports.
The New Orleans Saints today return to the Superdome for the first time since Katrina — and they'll be bringing much-needed leisure spending along with them. Rachel Dornhelm reports.
GM CEO Rick Wagoner travels to Paris this week to meet with Renault and Nissan head Carlos Ghosn regarding a possible alliance among the three automakers. Lisa Napoli reports.
Microsoft's Xbox gaming console hit store shelves in India this weekend. The company's eager to capture the market before Sony or Nintendo, but it may take a while to turn a profit. Miranda Kennedy explains.
DaimlerChrysler is talking with a leading Chinese auto company, Chery, about manufacturing small cars to be sold under the Dodge brand in the U.S. Jocelyn Ford reports.
Working Mother Magazine has released its annual list of the top 100 companies for working moms. As Nancy Marshall Genzer reports, the winners offer everything from free breast pumps to flex time.
Britain's finance chief Gordon Brown is Prime Minister Tony Blair's likely successor. But even though the economy has boomed under Brown, he's not popular with British voters, Stephen Beard reports.
Bowing to White House pressure, the Senate has agreed to restore billions in defense spending cuts, which could spell bad news for some domestic programs. Hillary Wicai reports.
