Week of July 1st, 2013

Loan forgiveness and discharge programs may help ease — or even erase — your student loan burden.

How the Egyptian military’s takeover is viewed could have financial consequences. A federal law calls for cutting aid to a country where the military deposes a democratically elected government. Is that what happened in Egypt? Or… could it be called… something else? There may be more jobs out there, but too many people are looking for full time work, when all there is, is part time. The film “World War Z” offered $50 tickets for a sneak preview with perks. But Steven Spielberg and George Lucas see a night at the cinema becoming as expensive as a night on Broadway.

Shopping malls around the country are dropping like flies. Roughly a third have trouble keeping the lights on.

The Labor Department's latest jobs report shows 195,000 jobs added to the economy, and unemployment steady at 7.6 percent.

Guess what just went up this week? Yes, the temperature — but also the interest rate on new federal student loans. That’s affecting students, young and old. We talk with one woman whose wages were garnished because she defaulted on her student loans and speak with a couple of young adults worried about how they’ll ever dig their way out of student debt. More seniors are also facing the challenge of college debt. We have the story of one 65 year old who is paying off his own loans and his kids’. Plus, did you know there are legitimate ways to get rid of your student debt without paying? Learn all about loan forgiveness. Also, what to do now that bond prices have fallen and how prepaid debit cards are causing problems for millions of wage workers. Finally, are yard sales or online auctions the best way to get rid of household clutter?

Lawmakers in France's lower house have voted to ban restaurants from passing off dishes cooked off-site as freshly prepared on the premises.

The America's Cup, the world's most prestigious yacht race, kicks off this weekend. How billionaire Larry Ellison and a car mechanic helped to change the rules of the sport.

In a new digital era, payroll debit cards are becoming increasingly popular. But be sure you are aware of the fees associated with them.

My husband and I are receiving $10,000 each from his mother as a gift after she inherited her father's trust. We both have IRAs, he has a 401k, I have a 403b and make required contributions to the MA Teachers Retirement. We have a rainy day savings. We have low interest rates (1.8%) on our 2 cars. He has no student loan debt. I have $16,000 at 2.8% and $27,000 at 6.8%. How should we invest our $20,000 with the idea that we want to use it as a down payment on a house. A house which we are not planning to even look into buying for at least 3 years, maybe as long as 5 years. We've considered just stashing it in our IRAs and then removing the principal amount later when we need it. Or a short term CD which would get us only slightly better return that stuffing it in the mattress. I suggested that we use half of it to pay down my student loans that are at 6.8%. Reducing the principal and thus the interest we pay on it. Thoughts or ideas on what we should do?

There may be more jobs out there, but many people are looking for full-time work, when all there is, is part-time.

What’s behind the movie ticket price creep?

How the Egyptian military’s takeover is viewed could have financial consequences. A federal law calls for cutting aid to a country where the military deposes a democratically elected government.

Part-time workers dampen the otherwise good numbers in the Labor Department's monthly jobs snapshot.

Most people think of student debt impacting folks in their 20s or 30s. But it's affecting older Americans as well.

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Is Japanese-owned Honda an American success story? The latest jobs numbers. And despite the sequester, park attendance in 2013 is up.

With July comes three more investments: Bignoggins Productions, Qwiki and Xobni.

Ignoring your problems rarely ever makes them go away. Anna learned that the hard way when the government started garnishing her wages after she defaulted on her student loan payments. But, she says, she's thankful it happened.

Samsung is selling huge numbers of smartphones and its profits are up 47 percent. Not good enough, say investors.

Older Americans, whose retirement portfolios include a lot of bonds, might be concerned about fluctuations in the bond market right now. We've got some advice on what to do.

Two young adults share their stories of how student loan debt has impacted their lives since graduating from college.

Honda sales are up and the company sales it expects to become a net exporter of vehicles from the U.S. by late next year.

Will the Tour lose viewers after seven-time winner Lance Armstrong admitted to widespread doping last year?

What is designed to give insight into the labor market may also guide future interest rates, since the Federal Reserve will be watching — and so will Europe.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the economy added 195,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate remained at 7.6 percent.

A Reddit user maps out the most significant television shows set in each state.

To speed things up, officials offered contractors a $20 million incentive if they finished on time.

Job sectors that excelled during the housing boom are still trying to regain their footing.

Despite federal budget cuts from sequestration, the National Park Service says attendance is up in 2013.

There's a new video website that wants you to stop watching cat videos and start paying attention to things that matter.

Summer is the perfect time to get rid of your unwanted items, but is it more lucrative to sell stuff online or at a traditional a yard sale?

In Kenya, a growing group of amateur aviation enthusiasts are building homemade flying machines out of everything from junk metal to old car engines.

Europe eyes America’s June jobs report. A new bridge between San Francisco and Oakland is set to open on Labor Day. And how the Tour de France plans to keep us watching after Lance Armstrong.

There’s a new video website that wants you to stop watching cat videos and start paying attention to things that matter. For example, who actually works for minimum wage? If that stuff sounds like homework, you’d be surprised at how good Upworthy is getting at making the videos they find go viral. And the Johannesburg Zoo has a new social media editor — a honey badger.

Egypt has sworn in an interim president, but it's not clear how much time the public will give him to solve the country's ongoing economic problems.

A look at how cable dramas changed the business of television.

Egypt has a new interim president. We head to Cairo to find out the latest news and explore how the unseating of former Egyptian President Morsi might impact U.S. businesses. Plus, on this Independence Day, a look at how brand “America” is doing. If you’re having a drink today, you might want to check out our story on how cheap beer, like Pabst Blue Ribbon, is pushing up the price at bars and restaurants. Also, a look at “difficult men,” Spain’s “Robin Hood mayor,” and what it takes to pass the Master Sommelier exam.

As hipsters demand more Pabst Blue Ribbon, restaurants and bars raise prices.

On this Independence Day, we check in on our "national brand."

U.S. companies hope leadership change leads to more stable business climate.

Egyptian coup leaves freelance journalist a choice between on-the-ground reporting and risks to her safety.

Mayor of Spanish town says socialism blunts sharp edges of the country's economic crisis.

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Markets spike on Egypt's sharp turn. BART strike reveals the divide between tech and transit workers. And what business lessons can be learned from the Battle of Gettysburg?

An ad agency has invented a talking window — and how many hot dogs does it take to win a hot dog eating contest?

This year is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Aside from its historical importance, turns out there are enduring business leadership lessons to be learned.

Markets in Egypt rose so quickly this morning officials had to temporarily suspend trading.

Tarek Tawfik, managing director of the Cairo Poulty Company, discusses the political and economic challenges ahead for him and his country.

The strike has laid bare a tricky cultural divide in the Bay Area, between traffic-weary tech workers who drive the local economy, and blue collar transit workers who feel left behind.

Ohio's film tax credits have drawn movie crews back to Cleveland, but there's debate as to whether the tax breaks truly deliver.

The flag flying over the U.S. Capitol on July Fourth? Made of hemp.

Rap Mogul Jay-Z is releases copies of his new album ‘Magna Carta Holy Grail’ to 1 million Samsung Galaxy S4 owners. The tech and finesse behind fireworks. And a rally to restore the Fourth, the Fourth Amendment that is.

From Cairo, a businessman’s view of Egypt’s new chapter. Today the American flag flying over the U.S. Capitol in Washington will be made of hemp. And Detroit answers our question: How do you know when you are wealthy?

Displays are getting more impressive thanks to new technologies like computerized electronic matches and synchronized music.

Rap Mogul Jay-Z releases one million copies of his new album "Magna Carta Holy Grail" today to one million Samsung Galaxy S4 owners.

Resignations by Portugal’s finance minister and foreign minister sent European markets tumbling.

Egypt’s government is in turmoil, putting its economy at even further risk. Obamacare implementation is delayed, and employers may take advantage by exploring how to drop health care coverage. And why Freakonomics thinks McDonald’s is a global economic indicator of hope.

The port city of Tianjin has taken on billions of dollars of debt building a city that looks exactly like Manhattan. It hopes to become one of the financial centers of the world. But China's economy is slowing down, and developers and investors are pulling out of the project.

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With an unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, the Minneapolis-St.Paul area beat out Oklahoma City.

An argument for why the McDonald's burger is the "cheapest, most nutritious, and bountiful food that has ever existed in human history."

Hundreds of homes have already been lost to wildfires this summer. There are ways to make these houses less likely to burn, but fire mitigation is a hard sell to homeowners.

In its petition to the White House, Tesla said, “state legislators are trying to unfairly protect automobile dealers in their states from competition."

Affordable Care Act mandate gets delayed: Who wins, who loses? Layoffs hit the financial sector in June. And Bitcoin attracts Wall Street.

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A Danish company called Create it Real says it has software to help prevent people from creating gun components on their 3D printers.

John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger Grey & Christmas, discusses which sectors are going strong and which are cutting back.

In the years climbing out of the great recession, regular investors were leary of buying stock, thrice burned, enduringly shy. But in the last six months, as the S&P 500 index has gone up 13 percent, the masses are back to buying.

Europe's financial crisis flared anew on Wednesday, after Portugal's finance minister quit and the government teetered on the edge of collapse.

Now that the Obama administration has delayed the health care madate, some analysts expect employers to consider dropping coverage for their workers.

Tesla wants to cut out the middleman and sell directly to consumers. But most states require car makers to sell through a dealer.

Weddings are going digital. Think handheld devices at destination weddings streaming to Grandma, who couldn't fly out.

A new study says Facebook behavior isn't a good indicator of prospective employee performance.

Some people's Twitter musings are worth more than the Tweets of the rest of us according to the SEC.

Pick your headline: Bigger companies get another year to arrange health insurance, or Many employees have to wait another year to get health insurance.

Staffing cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services mean fewer cases of Medicare, Medicaid fraud are investigated.

The latest "Fiske Guide to Colleges," includes a special list of colleges with relatively low cost and high quality academics.

All police have to do is ask, and the post office will tell them what kind of mail you've been receiving.

Yelp has created heat maps showing the geographical density for search terms 'hipster,' 'pricey,' and more. Here's our (unscientific) look at the correlation between hipsters and money.

Weddings are going digital. Wedding trend watchers are seeing a big jump in couples who want to share their nuptials with the world in real time. Think handheld devices at destination weddings streaming to Grandma, who couldn’t fly out. And a reminder that some people’s Twitter musings are worth more than the Tweets of the rest of us.

Europe’s financial crisis flares anew, after Portugal’s finance minister quit and the government teetered on the edge of collapse. China enacts a new law requiring adult children to visit their aging parents or else face punishment. A reality check on stock market excitement. And is there a geographical correlation between hipsters and money?

Earlier this week, Twitter quietly launched a translation service.

A crop of start ups with venture capital backing are trying to make Bitcoin more mainstream and easy to trade.

Critics say the new law is unnecessary. They suspect China's state pension fund is running low on money and the government is passing the buck.

The Obama administration announces the employer mandate in the Affordable Care Act will be delayed by a year.

In the past, Dunkin' Donuts put out aggressive ads against coffee competitor Starbucks. Now, it's following its lead.

The heat continues to bear down on the Southwest United States. One business that is booming: air conditioner repair.

Would you go all out for a friend's bachelorette party or plan something more affordable? Our experts weigh in on an argument between one listener and her sister's bridal party. See what they say and weigh in.

Why you should care about Basel III and obscure banking rules.

You hear it again and again as if it's a natural law: "bond prices decline inversely as interest rates rise." Here's why they do.

Several brands that top a list of the 25 most patriotic brands in America aren't exactly American anymore.

App-based car services like Uber and Lyft rise in popularity, much to chagrin of traditional taxi companies. Uber is even offering helicopter services this Independence Day holiday.

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Engineers like to take things apart to learn how they work. When applied to computer networks, the urge can increasingly get young techies in trouble.

Heads roll at the Vatican bank. More and more houses built in 'red zones' despite wildfires. And Wimbledon upsets threaten TV ratings — or do they?

The Winklevoss twins of Facebook fame are pitching an investment fund for Bitcoin.