Week of December 9th, 2013

What I understand from the research I've done is that the housing market has just about matched inflation over the long term, whereas the stock market has done the best of any investment in any 20 year (or so) period. I'm not just talking about the latest crash, but the scope of the last 120 years. Why do we still want to think of home ownership, and not wealth building, as the "American Dream" to the point where we are still, after the burst of a painful boil/bubble, allowing people to borrow more than they can afford? Personally, I have no desire nor aptitude for home repair and condos seem far riskier than index funds. Why not throw some money away by renting and invest more in the stock market, rather than just barely keep afloat by paying a mortgage and throw money away repairing a home?

Mark in Great Falls, Montana, is looking to find love a second time around and wants to know the financial implications of combining money with a new spouse.

When we grow up and create a new way of living In response to the bad habits of those around us, going against the grain can be exactly what we need to move forward. With that in mind, this blog caught our eye: "7 Ways To Eat Good On A Hood Budget."

We thought he'd be a lightweight.

The University of Kentucky offers special housing and support for students whose parents didn't graduate from college.

Unless Congress acts, struggling homeowners who seek relief could face an unexpected tax bill.

The mystery behind Samantha West and Premier Health Plans Inc.

Instant feedback from customers poses new challenge for companies like Twitter

"Saturday Night Live" took the backlash over its lack of female black performers seriously enough to hold a special audition.

Forget long, involved marketing campaigns. Beyoncé released a 14-song album last night online (with videos!), no promotion, no announcement. Is this the sort of trick that only the super-est of superstars can pull off? Next, Twitter’s done of the fastest-ever flipflops, reversing a change in its process after users slammed it. Is it something about Twitter, Twitter users, or a particular kind of social media that makes customers get heard. And finally, “Saturday Night Live” took the backlash over its lack of female black performers seriously enough to hold a special audition Monday night for seven or eight candidates. The winning candidate will be hired and will join the cast for shows beginning in January.

Beyoncé released a 14-song album last night online (with videos!). No promotion, no announcement.

Google might be getting into the game of making chips.

The House passed a budget agreement aimed at avoiding another government shutdown. How will it affect the sequestration? A mish-mash of tax credits about to expire. And, you just won the lotto: Should you take the lump sum, or is there more advantage in agreeing to regular payouts?

The House of Representatives has passed a budget agreement aimed at avoiding another government shutdown. How will it affect the sequestration?

1.3 million people take an immediate hit, but that number would go up throughout the year.

Ireland's bailout comes to an official end on Sunday.

You hit the jackpot: Should you take the lump sum, or is there more advantage in agreeing to regular payouts?

Brick and mortar retailers are hitting back against customers who shop in the store, but buy online.

This story about 55 tax breaks about to expire starts in an unlikely place: Barn 63 at the Belmont Race Track in Belmont, N.Y., at the stall of a pretty brown horse with a white star on her forehead.

John Koskinen is expected to be recommended for confirmation as IRS commissioner.

First General Motors, now all of Ireland. This week, the U.S. government sold its remaining stake in the automotive company — a stake acquired to help GM stay in business during the great financial collapse. This weekend, Ireland will finish with its European Union bailout. Today, the Senate Finance Committee is expected to vote on a new leader of the IRS. John Koskinen faces a tough road ahead, helping the agency recover from scandal and carrying out the IRS piece of the new health care law. And, retailers gnash their teeth and call it “showrooming.”  You may call it “comparison shopping” — the tendency to check out the merchandise IRL but then buy online if the price is right. But the non-digital stores, the ones that exist in three dimensions, are responding with tactics of their own. 

In the next few days, a rover launched by China’s space agency is scheduled to land on the Moon. It’ll be the first spacecraft to touchdown on lunar soil in almost 40 years. So what might a Chinese space rover be looking for on a dusty rock we haven’t been to since the Bee Gees were still topping the charts? And it’s Friday, which means time to play Silicon Tally, the game where Marketplace Tech host Ben Johnson and a worthy adversary try and stump each other with numbers from the week’s tech news.

12,000 people, 30 percent and 48 hours. What do these numbers mean? Take the quiz and find out!

Author and historian Maureen Ogle dives headfirst into the history of American meat production in her new book "In Meat We Trust."

The budget deal getting a vote in the House essentially undoes sequester cuts set for the current fiscal year. We take stock of what was gained and lost in the sequester experiment, but also look ahead to the remaining eight years of automatic cuts that are still part of the law. Plus, as the FDA tries to curb antibiotic use on the farms, we look at the economics of feeding antibiotics to livestock and poultry: How many extra pounds of pork does it produce, and how big is that animal-husbandry antibiotic market? Finally, Instagram users have a new way  to share their photos privately and have text conversations.

Thanksgiving is over, but let's give a moment of thanks for the U.S. Department of Transportation.

John Roderick is the leader of the Long Winters. Hear how his experience growing up has shaped his business—as a musician and a bandleader.

Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnances and solo-music fame shares what money lessons she learned from her family and living as a musician.

As the FDA tries to curb antibiotic use on the farms, what are the economics of feeding antibiotics to livestock and poultry?

Instagram users have a new way to share their photos privately and have text conversations.

The budget deal that passed the House essentially undoes sequester cuts set for the current fiscal year.

This weekend on Marketplace Money, host Carmen Wong Ulrich explores why new car sales are soaring and what that means for the used car inventory and consumers. Plus, the holidays are a great time for folks to earn extra cash through sites like Taskrabbit, where freelancers can bid for odd jobs. Carmen and a guest expert answer questions about saving for retirement from listeners working in the gig economy. Also, feeding your family can be an expensive feat during the holidays, particularly if you want to make meals that are nutritious. Stic of the rap group Dead Prez joins the show to talk about how to “eat good on a hood budget.”

Tickets for the Rose Bowl are the most expensive ever. One Michigan credit union is giving cash-strapped fans options.

Dangerous work and long hours combine for a lot of oil-field injuries. Small-town ambulance crews have their hands full.

Is the U.S. ready to become an oil exporter? This month federal regulators are expected to come out with new rules around Black Lung. And, as January quickly approaches, it’s time to consider resolutions for the new year. Eat healthier, drink less and “live life to the fullest” are all standbys, but personal finance goals often top these lists.

In a recent survey, 38 percent of respondents said they would rather pay a $400 fine than pay $3,000 for health insurance.

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Exxon and other oil companies say, “Heck, yes.”

In Germany, 10,000 people are getting letters from a law firm claiming they owe cash for watching pornographic videos online. And unique addresses of computer users are part of the legal filing.

This month federal regulators are expected to come out with new rules around Black Lung. Mine owners have argued against stricter regulations. It's been decades since major changes were made in standards for coal dust exposure.

For the past two years, Apple has allowed independent inspectors to examine factory conditions for the Chinese workers who make iPads, iPhones, and the company's other iconic products. Today, the Fair Labor Association released its final report on three factories run by the Apple supplier Foxconn.

Adobe's security concerns could impact the company’s financial performance, eventually.

For the past two years, Apple has allowed outside inspectors to examine factory conditions for the Chinese workers who make iPads, iPhones, and the company’s other iconic products. Today, the Fair Labor Association released its final report on three factories run by the Apple supplier Foxconn. And, there are 9 out of 10 chances that the orange juice you just had comes from Florida — or maybe the juice you didn’t have because of the high prices. A look at an orange tree disease that’s changings the economics of breakfast.    

Tonight, around midnight, you may see some nerds running around in cloaks and bare feet. The destination will be the movie theater of course, for the first showing of “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The film promises to be full of special effects — not all of them visual. There are a lucky few who will be watching the movie in theaters fitted with new speaker technology from Dolby called Atmos. Plus, an IP troll targets Germans who watch porn online. And, the challenges facing Adobe after a security leak last month exposed usernames and passwords.

Steel industry is picking up post-government shutdown.

The 'kill switch' is an anti-theft technology designed for cell phones. But not everyone is on board. Now the Attorney General of New York wants to know why.

If Congress manages to pass the newly-reached bipartisan budget deal, it will mark something of a change. At long last, the government will have finally managed to get out of its own way and stop being a drag on the U.S. economy. One analyst calls such a turn of events “hard to believe.” On the other side of the Atlantic, Denmark – yes, Denmark – is staking its claim to the sea surrounding the North Pole, raising tensions among the countries with a stake in the opening of Arctic seas to oil exploration. And finally, Samsung can put a kill switch in its phones, but carriers won’t let customers activate it.

The magazine is going strong, even though it's subject isn't what it once was in this country.

Hire me: I'm a responsible and creative strategizer!

Many small insurers expected a bonanza of new customers when Healthcare.gov began on Oct. 1, but the website's problems made the first weeks very quiet for them.

The South Korean Parliament is considering legislation that would put limits on video game advertising and also tax the industry's revenue to help fight addiction.

Bipartisan negotiators in Congress agree to 2 year budget deal.Hilton Worldwide is prepping for its initial public offering. And, Warren Buffett's son Peter and his wife Jennifer wife talk about their ideas on philanthropy.

Denmark and other countries are staking claims to the sea surrounding the North Pole, with an eye to oil exploration.

At long last, the government will have finally managed to get out of its own way and stop being a drag on the U.S. economy.

A researcher at Harvard shows sometimes tracking cell phones can be a good thing.

As January quickly approaches, it’s time to consider resolutions for the new year. Eat healthier, drink less and “live life to the fullest” are all standbys, but personal finance goals often top these lists.

Hilton Worldwide is prepping for its initial public offering.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation backs up about 44 million people’s retirements … and it’s got problems.

Warren Buffett's son Peter and his wife Jennifer wife talk about their ideas on philanthropy.

President Obama is calling a surprise bipartisan budget agreement in Congress a good first step. The deal will roll back some of the across-the-board sequester cuts to the budget while at the same time raising fees on things like the security surcharge on airline tickets. If the deal is approved, federal pensions will change. And, not long ago, Peter Buffett sent a frisson through the world of philanthropy with a recent op-ed piece saying a lot of charity gets it wrong. Buffett presides over a major philanthropy along with his wife, Jennifer. Their foundation works to empower girls and women globally and to foster locally-focused economies. Jennifer and Peter Buffett tell Marketplace Morning Report why philanthropies have to watch out for the unintended consequences of their giving.

Today the World Health Organization releases its annual report on malaria. The disease kills some 600 thousand people every year — most of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. Part of fighting any disease is understanding how populations move. And there’s a tech device now being used to tackle this challenge. It’s called a cell phone. Plus, 3-D printed guns. And, should surgeons wear Google Glass in the operating room?

The federal government released a key part of the Dodd-Frank financial reform, and attorneys for banks are poring over its more than 900 pages.

The $85 billion agreement would set new spending levels for the next two years and create $63 billion in so-called 'sequester relief.'

We here at Marketplace Money have been asking our listeners what their financial New Year's resolution will be in 2014. What's yours?

Despite public efforts, private equity firm struggles to sell Freedom Group.

Kai's got a 2-for-1 deal today.

So the Volcker Rule text is out – and now the search for loopholes begins. To what extent have lobbyists and lawmakers already negotiated the workarounds so they’re baked into the Volcker Rule’s language? Also, the U.S. is no longer an investor in General Motors – and today the automaker has a new CEO in the shape of Mary Barra. Finally, the founding chairman of Lululemon has stepped down after 15 years at the head of the company. Investors regarded him as something of a “loose cannon”, and news stories abound of his curious approach to corporate culture. 

GM is now free of the U.S. government holding at stake in it, and has named a new chief executive, its first woman but a GM lifer.

A simple idea that finds success in the world of affordable luxury.

Mary Barra, the current global head of product development at GM, will become chief executive in January. The Volcker Rule went public today. And, Nobel Prize in Economics winner Lars Peter Hansen discusses his work.

Virtual worlds already have “bad guys” — and company spies.

A New Zealand company is building jetpacks. Yes, jetpacks.

Wireless technology company Qualcomm has been building a new way for all our devices to communicate, and it just made the source code of this new protocol public.

Mary Barra, the current global head of product development at GM, will become chief executive in January.

A new study suggests that having more women getting degrees from Stanford or Harvard matters far less than having more women getting degrees in engineering or business.

In about 2.5-3 years my husband and I have a balloon payment due on a second mortgage. The mortgage amount is 42,000 that we will need to pay back. After the addition of twins to our family in dec. 2011 I became a stay at home mom and while we are mostly breaking even we aren't making a dent in that balloon and have no idea at this point how we are going to pay it back. Our house value is underwater and all attempts so far at refinancing have not resulted in anything. The solution seems to be to take a loan from our 401K but I am sure that there are all sorts of things that I am not realizing or thinking of since the number one rule of retirement finance seems to be "don't touch the 401K". My husband currently makes 100K a year at a stable job. That will never increase but he gets variable bonuses twice a year equaling about an additional 30K. He is 31 and has 190K in his 401K. I have about 90K in retirement savings between a roth IRA and my 401K that I rolled over after leaving work. In a few years I may go back to work but right now that is up in the air. We are just worried that when the balloon payment hits our only option at that point will be to borrow from the 401K and were wondering whether doing it now versus then made more sense. We would certainly save a lot of interest in the mean time on the mortgage. We have several other debts as well that we are working on including car payments, student loans, and an IVF loan. In a few years our financial situation will be greatly improved with paying some of these off but we will still have the second mortgage to contend with. Any thoughts would be appreciated, Thanks, Gin Braband

Nobel Prize in Economics winner Lars Peter Hansen discusses his work.

But interbank lending is a bedrock part of the legitimate financial system and some foreign banks are feeling caught up in China's crackdown.

Banks are eager to get a look at the rules on hedging — and they'll also keep an eye on rules for CEO and board members.

One philanthropist passes on lessons she's learned, including the risks of "following your passion" without doing your homework

If you think of a classroom day as an economy, there are some who don’t believe coding should get a piece of it.

The final text of the so-called Volcker rule is set to debut this morning. The controversial centerpiece of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law that came out of the 2008 economic collapse, the Volcker rule will attempt to limit this proprietary trading in the interest of avoiding another taxpayer bailout of Wall Street. Officials in China are worried that credit there got too easy, fueling what might be a speculative bubble. Some Chinese lenders have used borrowing between banks as a disguise for some of their riskier ventures. But interbank lending is a bedrock part of the legitimate financial system and some foreign banks are feeling caught up in China’s crackdown. And, this week, Marketplace’s Wealth and Poverty Desk is taking a deep dive into philanthropy. Today, we meet someone who’s learned a few lessons about grant-making, the hard way. 

If there is one vehicular tech promise that has captured our imagination for decades but never quite been delivered, it’s the jetpack. From Jules Verne to James Bond, we’ve pretended these things are just around the corner. But for some reason, we don’t have them yet — until now. New Zealand’s Martin Jetpack hopes to rekindle our interest and bring us closer to our dreams. Plus, should computer coding be a required subject for kids in school? And, the latest NSA leaks reveal the government is spying on massive online multiplayer games like “World of Warcraft” and “Second Life.”

Protests continue in Ukraine over the government's refusal to join the European Union. A look at why the economy is at the heart of it all.

As more people are excluded from homeownership, the demand for rental housing has grown beyond capacity, driving rental costs up.

A merger in the world of America’s food distribution behemoths.

The tax break for charitable deductions reflects American attitudes about government, and about the best way to help others.

Eight major tech companies have rallied against the NSA’s spying efforts in an openly published letter.

The federal government is now officially out of the car business.

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There are some 80,000 private charitable foundations operating in the U.S. today, and you don't have to be crazy rich to launch a one.

Pollution isn't free … but who should pay?