Would it be easier to learn about personal finance if your teachers were your favorite daytime soap stars? Some U.S. officials want to make it happen. Lisa Napoli talks about it with U.S. Treasurer Anna Escobedo Cabral.
If you're an older couple and both of you have considerable wealth, does getting hitched make financial sense? Lisa Napoli talks to Money Magazine editor Cybele Weisser.
More and more companies are hiring independent health care advocates to walk employees through the maze of provider options, and to get them speedy care. Lisa Napoli talks to BusinessWeek's Lauren Young, who successfully lobbied her own company to provide this service.
The business of online networking is growing, and part of the reason is that people are using their networks to recruit and job-seek. Jeremy Hobson found that, just like it is offline, it's less about what you know — it's who you know.
Chris Farrell answers listener questions about advising a son on his mother's finances, investing in frontier markets, and what to do with a 401k after you've left a company.
Just in case you needed another reason to be spooked out this month, it's the 20-year anniversary of the market crash of 1987. Economics editor Chris Farrell looks back and tries to learn something.
A big COLA can help rejuvenate the spirit and replenish a thirsty wallet. But this year, not everyone will find their Social Security COLA all that refreshing.
Of all the different ways to earn and invest money that we talk about, this is one method we don't necessarily advise. But that doesn't mean some folks aren't doing it. Reporter Sean Cole looked into "sugar daddies" and the "sugar babies" who want them.
Reading Beowulf has been dreaded by students for many years. Now the latest film adaptation is putting its own demands on theater owners. Stephen Shankland of C-Net talks with Tess Vigeland about the movie's 3-D dilemma.
Members of the Writers Guild of America think they should be paid whenever someone views their work off the Web. But studios say they haven't even figured out how to make money online, let alone share it. A strike looms. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
You may remember about a month ago there was talk of more pain to come at the pumps. But it didn't quite work out that way. Jeff Tyler reports on the margin of error in economic forecasting.
Commentator Chuck Epstein was working for the New York Stock Exchange 20 years ago on Black Monday — when the Dow dropped 22%. He says that day highlighted a raging battle between the old guard and newer institutional traders.
Detroit heaved a sigh of relief when the news came that a deal had been reached between the United Auto Workers and Chrysler. But they may have been slightly premature. Alisa Roth reports.
The NFL's New England Patriots have won a lawsuit against StubHub.com for reselling Patriots game tickets. But some fans and civil libertarians complain that the team is guilty of interference. Dan Grech reports.
The dollar has fallen to a new record low against the euro. Steve Henn reports on how the dollar was one of the big issues staring G7 finance ministers in the face as they met in Washington today.
After winning a ruling against online ticket reseller StubHub, the New England Patriots might revoke tickets from 13,000 of the site's customers. Dan Grech explores whether they had fans in mind.
European finance leaders are more worried than ever that the weakening dollar will curb E.U. growth. The issue will take top priority at this weekend's G7 meeting in Washington. Megan Williams reports.
October is the mid-point in the Oscar season, but don't expect the nominated films to be big earners. Doug Krizner talks to Variety's Stuart Levine about why the best films make the worst money.
To save money, FedEx classifies its drivers as independent contractors, not employees. So they made a special delivery back to the company — a lawsuit.
World Bank President Robert Zoellick is seeking help from private-sector companies to uplift nations out of poverty. But some critics say this could give more influence to special interests. John Dimsdale reports.
Living in sub-human conditions, cane workers in the Dominican Republic labor to bring us the sugar we use in our morning coffee. Scott Jagow talks to Bill Haney, who covers their conditions in the new documentary "The Price of Sugar."
Even the cheapest Volkswagen model can't compete against Japanese cars in the U.S. So the auto maker is going to start revamping its design. Jill Barshay reports.
While Congress readies itself for a housing market bill next week, states like Massachusetts and Minnesota are passing their own measures against abusive lending practices. Amy Scott has more.
How does a television company get around its clips being posted on YouTube? Viacom has a solution that even The Daily Show might not poke fun at. Well…
Los Angeles Fashion Week may play second fiddle to New York's extravaganza. But Tinsel Town's star-packed shows this week are breaking new ground in a fast-growing niche called eco-fashion that seeks to be environmentally friendly. Sam Eaton reports.
England and South Africa will scrum it up in the final of the Rugby World Cup this weekend. Marketplace business-of-sports analyst Ed Derse talks with Kai Ryssdal about what's in play.
The leading Democratic presidential candidates are talking about what they'll do to restore America's place in the world. Commentator Dan Drezner says they should start by paying close attention to economic policy.
For every share you own of a company's stock, you get one vote in company elections. So, it stands to reason that the more shares you own, the more interest you'll have in the company's financial success, right? Well, maybe not. Amy Scott explains.
Many places in Iraq still get only a couple of hours of electricity a day. So the Iraqi government is turning to contractors from Iran and China for help. Not exactly what the Bush administration wanted. Dan Grech reports.
Democratic Senator Charles Schumer is calling for a formal investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into questionable stock trades by Countrywide CEO Angelo Mozilo. Alisa Roth reports.
Federal rules about owning a newspaper and a TV or radio station in the same market have been around for decades. The FCC tried to relax those rules, but a federal appeals court tightened them up again. Now Congress wants to get involved. Steve Henn reports.
Thanks to careful frugality and skyrocketing copper prices, Chile will have $20 billion saved up. But some Chileans want the government to spend more. Dan Grech reports.
The FDA is meeting with an advisory panel about problems with children's cold medicines. Some companies have pulled products off the shelves, but that only amounts to a small fraction of the market. Jeff Tyler reports.
There's competition in the air at London's Heathrow airport, and British Airways is responding to new international partnerships with merger ideas of its own. Scott Jagow talks to David Robertson of the Times of London.
Rome's second film festival opens today and brings a bit of Hollywood glamour to the ancient city. Rome correspondent Megan Williams tells Doug Krizner the event is the first in decades to bring in modern culture.
About 2 million subprime loans set up with teaser rates will expire over the next 18 months, leaving homeowners with much higher mortgage payments. But finding a better loan deal to prepare for the jump isn't easy. Mhari Saito reports.
U.S. mining law has gone unchanged for more than a century, and large corporations have taken advantage of the free pass given to the original miners of the Western frontier. But Sam Eaton tells us that could soon change.
The first of 76 million baby boomers filed for Social Security this week. But economics correspondent Chris Farrell says there's no need to worry about a system overload. He talks to Scott Jagow.
Several banks are reporting profits this week, and despite analysts' grim expectations, they're not doing so badly. But that doesn't mean there may not be trouble ahead. Jill Barshay reports.
Only a small fraction of trains in France are running as workers strike against President Sarkozy's reforms. Eleanor Beardsley looks into whether Sarkozy will win his first battle with the unions.
The NBA's offiicially gone global. NBA China has opened for business. China is the league's biggest market outside the United States. And don't think sneaker companies and sports marketers haven't noticed. Scott Tong reports.
The spicy red sauce created by the McIlhenny family isn't as hot a market leader as it once was. Jeffrey Rothfeder, who has written a book about the product and the family, explains to Kai Ryssdal.
While Big Oil is pumping big profits, independent gas stations selling non-branded fuel are seeing hard times. But reporter Kate Golden found one stubborn holdout in Northern California who's doing a brisk trade by offering tasty foods, good talk and impulse buys.
The Fed says growth has slowed almost everywhere in the nation. And the Treasury Department says foreign investors are pulling their money out of U.S. markets at a record pace. What's this mean? Kai Ryssdal got the views of Alec Young of Standard & Poor's Equity Research.
Lots of companies are going green. And they can't wait to tell you about it in their ads and press releases. But commentator Robert Reich says, Big whoop!
What could be a more straightforward brand than the Better Business Bureau? For some, though, the BBB's become the place to go to complain about business. So it's launched a nationwide campaign to let people know it does some other things, too. Steve Tripoli reports.
A new study offers compelling evidence the labor market has gone global. Roughly 150 million people have left their homes and taken jobs abroad, and they send billions of dollars back home. Steve Henn reports.
The latest version of a "cap and trade" plan for reducing carbon dioxide emissions is set to be introduced in the Senate. Big utility companies are petitioning the Senate for special relief. Sarah Gardner reports.
Brazilian authorities have raided Cisco offices and several homes on allegations the company evaded millions in taxes. Dan Grech reports the raids point to Brazil's bigger problem with high corporate taxes.
Billionaires Herbert and Marion Sandler are starting a news organization dedicated entirely to investigative journalism. But Steve Tripoli reports where Pro Publica may already hit a conflict of interest.
A decision by a New York court is allowing survivors of South African apartheid violence to seek damages from U.S. companies who supported the regime. Gretchen Wilson has more.
HCR ManorCare is deciding whether to sell the company to private-equity firm Carlyle Group. Karen Kasler reports the $6 billion deal could mean severe changes for the company's many nursing facilities.
Air France and Delta Air Lines are teaming up to offer nonstop transatlantic routes from the U.S. to Europe. Kyle James explains why this is a good deal for passengers.
Countries like Russia and China are using vast pools of government-controlled capital, or "sovereign funds," to purchase Western assets. Commentator David Frum says the U.S. should be mindful of the buyers.
Video website Vimeo may not match YouTube in users, but it's promising viewers something its rival doesn't have on the menu: high-definition content. Jill Barshay reports.
The House and Senate want to continue the terrorism insurance program established after 9/11, but each has its own version of what should be covered. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on where they differ and why some insurers are concerned.
What makes Guinness beer such an integral part of pubs worldwide? Writer Bill Yenne talked to everyone from its master brewer to pubgoers and put their thoughts into a new book. He shared some of them with Kai Ryssdal.
The high end of the retail market has been immune to the queasy economy. Adults with disposable income have kept brand-name retailers feeling no pain. But Andrea Gardner tells us the average luxury consumer is getting younger — much younger.
The European Commission won a landmark case against Microsoft last month, in which it charged the company with maintaining a monopoly on computer operating systems and media players. Commentator Barry Lynn says Washington ought to think like the Europeans.
Remember in grade school when you had the cool kids and the losers? The Scripps media company has taken a page from the 5th grade handbook. Broadcast darlings like HGTV and the Food Network on one side, old-media slackers like newspapers on the other. Jeff Tyler reports.
Democratic lawmakers on Capitol Hill want companies such as Verizon and MCI to detail how they've participated in federal eavedropping. But the companies say the executive branch won't let them tell. Evan Perez of the Wall Street Journal explains with Kai Ryssdal.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke have modified their public statements on the state of the U.S. housing market. Each now says they see a significant risk to the economy. Steve Henn reports.
Oil closed on the NYMEX market today at $87.61 a barrel. What happens if, or maybe when, it hits triple digits — at $100 a barrel? John Dimsdale reports.
House and Garden magazine is attempting to win readers by posing editor Dominique Browning in the window of a Crate and Barrel. Jill Barshay reports stunts like these are becoming more common for glossies.
The numbers are in for what presidential candidates pulled from fundraisers over the summer, and the Democrats raised twice the amount as the Republicans. But candidates from both parties are spending more than they're raising. Dan Grech reports.
Public pension fund CalPERS is considering a plan to pay fund managers only if they perform well. If they don't beat certain benchmarks, they'll make nothing. Jeff Tyler reports.
Citigroup earnings are down by more than half in the third quarter, its biggest decline in three years. And billions more in losses could be on the way for other financial institutions as well. Chris Farrell takes an in-depth look.
Cell-phone maker Ericsson profits are down more than 25 percent. Kyle James looks into what's behind the company's weak sales — and why they may actually be ahead of the mobile phone industry's earnings curve.
Telecoms want Congress to give them sweeping immunity from penalties for privacy violation. But Steve Henn reports the phone companies already have immunity.
In response to poor ratings, television networks in Italy are no longer buying reality TV shows. Scott Jagow talks to Megan Williams in Rome about what made Italians lose interest.
The National Retail Federation estimates that we'll spend more than $5 billion this year on candy, costumes, decorations, and other assorted paraphernalia for Halloween. Commentator Sandra Tsing Loh says she finds the whole experience ghoulish.
In Beijing the Communist Party Congress has begun. Delegates heard a two-and-a-half hour opening speech from President Hu Jintao, in which he talked lots of politics, but not much economics. Marketplace's Scott Tong talked with Kai Ryssdal from Shanghai to right that wrong.
Various groups have created their own special networking sites online. One that's popular with thousands of physicians is called Sermo. Today the site decided to let the drug maker Pfizer in on the conversation. And that's causing some indigestion. Stacey Vanek Smith reports.
The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics announced today goes to three American economists whose work fits right in with what's been happening in the markets. John Dimsdale reports.
The nation's biggest banks have been chatting amongst themselves about how to make sure the liquidity squeeze doesn't get worse. They've decided it's time to put up or shut up — and Treasury is involved. Jill Barshay explains.
Over the past 20 years Alaskan oil entrepreneur Bill Allen and people who work for him gave more than $1 million to candidates running for Congress. But his connections gave him another way to gain influence in Washington — fishing. Steve Henn reports.
Three Americans won the Nobel Prize in Economics this morning for Mechanism Design Theory, which economists can use as a market tool. Dan Grech explains how it works.
A nationwide survey of homeowners with adjustable-rate mortgages shows only a small percentage are worried about impending trouble. Steve Tripoli reports there may be a dangerous knowledge gap at work.
Today is the deadline for people who filed for a tax extension in April. But Alisa Roth reports that many of them have yet to pay up — and thanks to the current economy, it may take them even longer.
The word "corruption" is popular slang used among Chinese youth to invite someone out to eat. But some cultural critics think the word is too close to the truth. Scott Tong has more.
