Tough times make those coupons in the Sunday paper even more tempting. But even that familiar search for savings is transforming in the Internet age. Janet Babin reports.
After tuition and room and board, there's still the question of day-to-day expenses for your college student. Estimates are all over the map, so host Tess Vigeland takes a closer look at the cost of being in college.
Thinking of changing careers? More employers are offering lifelong learning accounts. Think of it as a 401(k) plan for your future education. Katie Macpherson reports.
In this edition of Getting Personal, Chris and Tess talk about filling a gap in health insurance, retirement savings options for non-citizens, a safe place for short-term investments and what to do with old savings.
We often hear about the damage big storms cause, but they can also wreak havoc on the bank accounts of families stuck in their path. David Martin Davies reports.
As the government stepped in to save Fannie and Freddie, mortgage rates dropped under 6 percent. Host Tess Vigeland asks bankrate.com's Greg McBride if the more favorable rates will hold.
In a volatile market, is Wall Street really the smartest place to keep your money? Economics editor Chris Farrell sets the story straight on the safest place to save for retirement.
From Bear Stearns to Fannie and Freddie, we've seen a host of investments that were "too big to fail" topple over. Host Tess Vigeland asks economist Diane Swonk if there are any truly fail-safe investments.
With the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, homebuyers and homeowners may have an better luck making a connection. Mitchell Hartman reports from Portland, Oregon.
Fine wine prices have shot up dramatically in recent years. But wine collectors aren't the only ones seeing dollar signs. So are wine counterfeiters. An estimated 5% of wines sold in secondary markets could be fakes. Krissy Clark reports.
Presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain say they'll reform the federal government's $150 billion student financial aid program. Commentator Kim Clark says that's great, but it's going to come with political costs.
With unemployment up, community colleges' enrollments are rising too. Many schools are short on funds and are having trouble handling the spike, especially in California where politicians are late in approving the state budget. Julie Small reports.
In a few days, Lehman Brothers will still be a going concern or it won't. It's a turn of events that didn't seem likely on Monday when the news was all about Fannie and Freddie. Amy Scott's been following developments this week. She talks with Kai Ryssdal.
China recently bought $300 million in bonds from Costa Rica in a "checkbook diplomacy" strategy to move the nation's allegiance from Taipai to Beijing, according to a newspaper report. Dan Grech has more.
Weather forecasters say Hurricane Ike is going to wallop the south Texas coast and its oil refineries early Saturday morning. To find out what that's going to mean for oil and gas prices, Kai Ryssdal talked with economist Ray Perryman.
Financial institutions aren't the only companies poking around Washington looking for help. Car makers want low-interest loan guarantees of $25 billion to retool factories to build hybrids and other fuel-efficient cars. John Dimsdale reports.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson hasn't said anything in public yet about rescuing Lehman Brothers from its credit crisis calamity. We asked Jeremy Hobson to find out why not.
Word today that U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson opposes using any federal money to resolve the crisis at Lehman Brothers, was followed with word that the bank itself is for sale. Janet Babin reports.
The death of one baby in China and hospitalization of dozens of others has been linked to tainted baby formula. The formula isn't approved for sale here, but the FDA warns of illegal imports. Scott Tong has more.
Ever wanted to go straight to voicemail when you called someone, without their phone ringing at all? Clever entrepreneurs are making that and other services available. Rebecca Sheir dials in.
Fundraising or even asking for money at all is just not something the Brits are comfortable with. From London, Christopher Werth reports that many organizations hire Americans to do the dirty work.
The Department of Energy today weighs the pros and cons of extracting natural gas from shale and coal seams. Oil companies say they can make it work financially, but what about the environment? Mitchell Hartman reports.
Most large businesses set ergonomics standards for themselves, but small and large businesses worry about the cost if federal standards are adopted. Rachel Dornhelm reports on a forum being held today.
New York's Fashion Week was bigger than ever. American designers are doing well in general because overseas customers are taking advantage of exchange rates and shopping here. Sally Herships reports.
With the jobless rate up over 6 percent, more people are receiving unemployment benefits and staying on unemployment. That means states are struggling more to pay the bill. Dan Grech reports.
Agricultural exports have been going strong but American farmers are frustrated because they could be exporting even more, if not for a bottleneck in shipping. Scott Tong reports.
Commentator Dan Drezner says economic modernization is considered to be a good buffer against war for most countries. But in Russia's case, standard ways of thinking may not apply.
Lance Armstrong's out of retirement and training for next year's Tour de France. NFL Quarterback Brett Favre also ran a retirement reverse. Why can't they stay away? Business of sports commentator Diana Nyad discusses that question with Tess Vigeland.
When the credit crunch hit about a year ago, Wall Street was just recovering from losing thousands of jobs to recession and the World Trade Center attacks in 2001. Amy Scott reports on how the rebuilding effort is doing amid the economic downturn.
We've been hearing a lot lately about negative TV ads stirring up America's ongoing culture wars. Some new ones are about to come out, not from one political candidate attacking another, but from McDonald's attacking Starbucks. Rico Gagliano reports.
Several investment banks have been helping foreign clients evade millions of dollars in U.S. taxes, a Congressional report says. But the transactions have been around for years. Jeremy Hobson reports.
While everyone has been watching the mortgage-meltdown struggles of the major investment firms, another financial industry has been taking a huge hit. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on difficulties ahead for big banks and S&Ls.
Are we there yet? The U.S. financial sector took yet another beating this morning. And things are worse in Europe. You wonder how much more it can take. Bob Moon talks to stock trader Ted Weisberg of Seaport Securities.
The report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says the U.S. loses $100 billion a year in tax revenue to tax havens arranged by Wall Street banks for foreign investors. Janet Babin has more.
Determined to quell militant violence in the oil-rich but impoverished Niger Delta, the Nigerian government has set up peace talks and established a ministry for the region. Gretchen Wilson explains.
Compact fluorescent bulbs, or CFL's, come in many different sizes and shapes, not just the squiggly one. But are they dangerous because they have mercury in them? Joellen Easton finds out.
One of the blue double-deckers made in Belgium starts a trial run in the city today. It can carry more passengers and costs less to operate than the standard NYC buses. Ashley Milne-Tyte has more.
In the past decade, European companies have been on a borrowing spree that is now coming back to haunt them. Megan Williams reports that those companies are in worse shape than companies here.
The little wheeled bots bring products to shipping clerks, who say they like the assistance. Online retailer Zappos.com is one of several companies using them to get orders out faster. Sally Herships reports.
GoodGuide.com gives consumers a fast and easy way to find product ratings in numerous categories from reliable sources like government and academic databases. Rachel Dornhelm tries it out.
Wall Street firms moved thousands of employees out of lower Manhattan after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Jeremy Hobson reports that the relocations affected bottom lines — in a good way.
Troubled investment bank Lehman Brothers says it lost almost $4 billion last quarter but it has plans to bounce back. What are its chances of recovering without a white knight? Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.
New York City's Fashion Week is designers' big chance to show off their stuff and hope it sells — no sure thing in a troubled economy. Kai Ryssdal talks with Kate Betts of Time Style and Design to get her take on the business of fashion this year.
We've all heard money can't buy you love or happiness. But if you have enough of it, you might have a chance at changing people's hearts and minds. That's what software millionaire Tim Gill is trying to do. Jeremy Hobson reports.
Hurricane Gustav, Hurricane Hanna, Hurricane Ike … Commentator Robert Reich says now would be a good time to look at how we insure homeowners in disaster-prone places.
The Pentagon is again delaying its request for proposals to build a new refueling tanker plane. That's good news for Boeing in its competition with Airbus and Northrup Grumman for the $40 billion contract. Mitchell Hartman reports.
The federal government's takeover of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has led to a drop in mortgage rates, making it a lot more attractive to buy a house or refinance the one you have. Dan Grech reports.
A subsidiary of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway group is going to stop insuring bank deposits over $100,000. Does this mean Buffett is worried about future bank failures? Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
In southern Italy most small businesses pay protection money to the Mob. But a movement to fight back is gaining ground. For the first time, a restaurant owner has reported the extortion to the police and named names. Megan Williams has the story.
Fire sale at Lehman Brothers. The struggling bank will spin off its commercial mortgages as part of a plan to keep itself afloat. Lehman has lost nearly $4 billion in the fourth quarter. Janet Babin has more.
OPEC ministers surprised many oil experts who expected the cartel would keep production levels the same. Host Scott Jagow asks a reporter from the Financial Times why OPEC decided to cut them.
Azerbaijan, Albania and Belarus are among countries rated high for regulatory reforms that are favorable to American corporations looking to get away from U.S. rules. John Dimsdale reports.
The oil cartel meeting in Vienna ended with a surprise decision to lower output now that prices are falling. Not everyone sees the decision as a permanent one. Megan Williams has more.
Problems have plagued the project to install video cameras, sensors, radar and night vision equipment to create a virtual fence that would discourage Mexicans from crossing the border into the U.S. illegally. Steve Henn reports.
Jefferson County, Alabama, has already missed several bond payments for a sewer project. No one really wants the county to go down, though. Tanya Ott reports on the situation.
Scammers prey on desperate homeowners who have missed mortgage payments, offering to help save the home from foreclosure. Alisa Roth reports on how the fraud works and talks to a homeowner victim.
Car makers are looking for government-sponsored loans so they can retool their assembly lines for fuel-efficient cars. Just don't call what they want a bailout. Commentator Will Wilkinson has more.
Ukraine used to be known as the breadbasket of the Soviet Union. Now it holds another distinction: Home to one of the world's largest pools of tuberculosis. Frank Browning reports on publicly and privately funded efforts to deal with the disease.
Kai Ryssdal reviews letters from our listeners about acupuncture, Social Security's disability benefits, David Frum's take on immigration policy, and the correct way to pronounce "nuclear."
A new children's book series called "The 39 Clues" is being marketed with a website, a movie deal and $100,000 in prize money for readers. But after Harry Potter can it still cast a spell over kids? Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Target is opening four stores in Manhattan the size of designer boutiques — and then closing them in a few days. It's part of a publicity campaign the company hopes will drive customers to its big stores and website. Jeremy Hobson reports.
A mass transit group says public transportation ridership was up 5% this spring over a year ago, due to $4-a-gallon gas. Meanwhile, a Senate committee is considering new transit funding. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
If the global financial system keeps going the way it has been, Lehman Brothers is going to need help. Shares fell almost 45% today as investors worried that the Wall Street investment bank doesn't have enough money in the bank. Stacey Vanek Smith reports.
Do your retirement funds have any Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac stock in them? If so, you may want to check how much you've lost. Kai Ryssdal did, and he talks with Marketplace Money host Tess Vigeland about the financial hit you might not be aware of.
The high price of gasoline has inspired more and more drivers to take public transportation. So much so that a transit industry group says buses, trains and subways are reaching their limits. Janet Babin reports
IBM researchers are looking at emails, calendars and social networking data from thousands of workers, The aim, commentator Stephen Baker says, is to find a formula to calculate how much work gets done.
The dramatic drop in newspaper ad revenue hasn't just affected city and local papers. As Stacey Vanek Smith reports, college newspapers, such as UC Berkeley's Daily Californian, are hurting too.
The latest in line for financial help from the feds are the auto makers. They're in Washington to ask for government-backed loans to retool their factories for fuel-efficient cars. John Dimsdale reports.
Speculation is that Steve Jobs will announce several changes to iPods in a broadcast today. Some will also be looking for clues to the health of the reclusive CEO. Rachel Dornhelm has the story.
A theater chain in Britain has banned popcorn on Tuesdays. The company says some people just hate the smell, the noise — and the price. Scott Jagow talks to the author of "Why Popcorn Costs So Much at the Movies."
You might think tuberculosis hasn't been a problem since your grandparents' era, but the illness is making a worldwide comeback. Its costs of treatment and lost productivity are estimated at almost $3 billion a year. Frank Browning reports.
The presidential candidates' stands on the issues are what most of us will look at as we vote this fall. But what about John McCain's and Barack Obama's skills as a chief executive officer? Kevin Cashman from Korn/Ferry International sizes them up.
The White House has pulled a nuclear cooperation deal with Russia back from Congress. The cancellation means Russia will lose billions in potential profits. Some American companies aren't too happy, either. Nancy Marshall Genzer reports.
A couple members of OPEC — which will be meeting in Vienna on Tuesday — say they think there's too much oil on the market, pushing prices too low. Ashley Milne-Tyte reports.
Does that sense that every American ought to own a home get us and our financial institutions into trouble? Commentator Gregory Ip says we need to answer that question before we decide what to do with Fannie and Freddie.
There's more we don't know about what's going to happen in the mortgage finance market than we do know. To get some perspective on the bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, Kai talks with Karen Shaw Petrou at Federal Financial Analytics.
