Week of January 6th, 2014

Dawn in Albany, New York learns about about how to organize and manage her multiple retirement funds.

Grocery store owner Don Tate is telling customers to buy microwavable food and disposable dishware.

Breaking down the bad news from the falling unemployment rate.

Why does Congress use "continuing resolutions" for a lot budgeting?

Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state to pay down some of the debts it piled up during the bad years.

The labor force participation rate (LFPR) hasn’t been this low since the late 1970s.

The Labor Participation Rate hasn’t been this low since the late 1970s.  Who’s in? Who’s out? Target has upped the total number of customers impacted by its two-and-a-half week data breach to 70 million. A staggering figure that’s a reminder of the volume of shopping that happens in the U.S. consumer economy. California’s state budget famously sank during the recession. Now that the state has just as famously turned it around and has a revenue surplus, Gov. Jerry Brown wants the state to pay down debts it piled up during the bad years.

Analysts suspect that PCs are being replaced by tablets, as trust in the cloud grows.

The Supreme Court says it's going to consider a case involving a company called Aereo, backed by media mogul Barry Diller.

An exemption in the Affordable Care Act lets people keep their faith-based alternative without penalties.

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The U.S. economy added only 74,000 jobs in December, way below most economists' predictions. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent. Attention, Target shoppers: That data breach was worse than you thought. And, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks polar vortex, the farm bill, and food prices.

That hack affected 70 million — not 40 million — people.

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack talks polar vortex, the farm bill, and food prices.

The U.S. economy added only 74,000 jobs in December, way below most economists' predictions. The unemployment rate dropped to 6.7 percent.

The Safari Club of Dallas, Texas wants to auction off the right to shoot an endangered black rhinoceros… for conservation purposes.

This week's Silicon Tally is CES themed. How closely have you been following the news?

This morning, the government will release its official data on the U.S. jobs market. Economists’ predicitions collectively point to payrolls being up, but still not the stellar growth they have been hoping for. Marketplace Morning Report checks back in with a Florida woman living at the sharp end of the jobs market. And, an unusual story about fundraising and animal rights out of Namibia and Texas to watch tomorrow. The Safari Club of Dallas, Texas wants to auction off the right to shoot an endangered black rhinocerous.

Marketplace Tech has been talking about the International Consumer Electronics Show all week. And on the last day of CES, we’re starting to get a sense of this year’s offerings. One takeaway is that there is no one takeaway. We saw updates of smart devices and the ways they might talk to one another. And wearable technology is seeing a bunch of growth. But even if the future of 2014 is bright, it’s not really in focus yet. Plus, the production designer of “Her” discusses designing the ways we interact with technology in the future.

Private sector hiring is up, mostly among small businesses. One business owner gives her perspective.

A lot has changed since Bernard Madoff defrauded $17 billion. Has it made a difference?

An increase in heroin use has been reported in many states, in part in response to government efforts to restrict access to prescription opiates.

Cellular phone carriers like T-Mobile offer incentives to switch networks, but for some consumers it's too much of a hassle.

A report shows that more than half of Congress members are millionaires.

It’s a little known historical fact that when it was created 110 years ago, the Department of Commerce was actually called the Department of Commerce and Labor. It’s a reflection, perhaps, of the relationship between those two parts of the economy. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker stops by to talk about growing the American export economy as one way to keep American businesses competitive. Next, T-Mobile is offering big incentives to try and get you to leave your phone carrier. But to do so, you’ve got to change the family plan, the data plan, get a new phone, etc. Even where there’s a better deal out there, consumers don’t always make the switch because it’s just too much trouble. Also, an increase in heroin use has been reported in many states. This week, Vermont’s governor devoted his entire state of the state speech to the problem.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker sits down to talk about the state of the American economy and what she thinks it will take to get it back on track.

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There's a recent trend of (former) employees quitting jobs and putting up videos and comments on social media criticizing their employer. How many weeks of pay would you give up to be able to say what you want to about your job and not worry about burning a bridge?

The former New York Times tech critic talks about CES and his new job with Yahoo! Tech.

The unemployment report comes out tomorrow, but there are some positive signs in advance. And, in Silicon Valley, a failed start-up is often considered to be a helpful lesson in how to succeed — next time.

The program hasn’t made much since winning Jeopardy, but the company says that’s about to change.

If you're someone whose job it is to study global financial crises, you might take a look at the last few years and conclude that while things were bad, they could have gotten a lot worse.

Earlier this week, Intel announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that its chips will be produced from 'conflict-free' sources.

The unemployment report comes out tomorrow, but there are some positive signs in advance.

We know about the tough job market for recent college grads, but a new report from the New York Fed finds there's a long history of high unemployment after graduation, going back decades.

As the negotiations in Congress continue on the massive farm bill, what impact does the government’s price controls of milk really have?

In Silicon Valley, a failed start-up is often considered to be a helpful lesson in how to succeed – next time.

Congress is facing a number of deadlines in the coming weeks, and one of them involves passing a new, half trillion dollar farm bill. For months, the fight has been over cuts to the food stamp program funded through the bill, but there are also changes being considered on how the government helps prop up the price of milk. You may have met them since the Great Recession — college grads working retail cash registers or as baristas. More than a third of recent graduates are considered “under-employed,” meaning their jobs don’t require degrees. But new research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York suggests this is not a new phenomenon. And if you think times are tough now, let us walk you through 400 years of financial crisis history.

Earlier this week, Intel announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that it’s getting serious about mineral sourcing. Where companies get the ingredients for our chips and our devices is kind of a dirty open secret. And until the creation of new materials, it will stay that way. But the world’s largest chip maker is promising all of the microprocessors it ships this year will be free of conflict minerals.

China has some of the worst smog in the world – impacting the lives of more than a billion people as well as the bottom line for the world’s second biggest economy.

From January 8, 1963, to today, we look back at the history of the War on Poverty.

Bloomberg's Venessa Wong talks about how supplies of the famous cheese are melting away just before the nation's busiest dip season.

A Missouri cattle farmer tells us why.

Between competition from Amazon, and the less-than-tremendous success of its Nook, Barnes and Noble is in a tough spot.

The Washington Post’s Lydia DePillis explains the deceptive advertising around weight-loss drugs.

Researchers in the UK come up with a literary misery index that corresponds with economic downturns.

Today, on the the fifty-year anniversary of Lyndon B. Johnson’s State of the Union address, in which he issued a call to arms against poverty, we look at the fierce debate, not only over whether the U.S. has won or lost the war on poverty, but whether the country as a whole is gaining ground or retreating. Also, this week marks the 50th anniversary of a report by the Surgeon General on the health effects of smoking, linking it to lung cancer and heart disease. We hear about the impact the report had on one of the biggest industries in the nation. And, the National Federation of Independent Business said small business owners added more jobs per firm last month than they have in eight years. Even so, there are more Americans unemployed now than at any time since World War II, while Congress is debating whether to extend benefits for the long-term unemployed.

As Congress considers extending federal benefits, the long-term unemployed find it harder to find a job with every day they're out of the workforce.

At CES in Las Vegas, the Commerce Department highlights its "Open for Business Agenda." 50 years of the War on Poverty. And, Silicon Valley's embrace of failure as a step toward success can be confusing — especially if you're the venture capitalist that put up the money.

The Gateway Pacific Terminal would be the largest coal-exporting terminal in North America. But Goldman Sachs doesn't want to back it anymore.

Some of the most exciting innovations at this year's CES are… sensors.

The rules are more strict in an effort by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to make the housing market safer for consumers.

Today, Greece takes over the presidency of the European Union for the next 6 months.

At CES in Las Vegas, the Commerce Department highlights its "Open for Business Agenda."

The 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson's declaration of the War on Poverty.

An interview with David Good, the co-founder of a start-up called GameCrush that was the target of much press and much investment.

Silicon Valley's embrace of failure as a step toward success can be confusing — especially if you're the venture capitalist that put up the money.

Today, Greece takes over the presidency of the European Union for the next 6 months. Greek authorities have imposed an 18 hour ban on protests amid plans for demonstrations against the EU from groups sick and tired of all the austerity that followed the country’s debt crisis. In the U.S., today marks 50 years since President Lyndon Johnson declared his famous War on Poverty, and the battle is still going on. And, you may find it harder to get a mortgage in this new year. The rules are more strict in an effort by the government to make the housing market safer. We take a look at the new mortgage rules.

The convention facilities in Las Vegas are nothing to sneeze at, but this number is still impressive. At the International Consumer Electronics show this week, two million square feet of exhibit space is being used. And that means a lot of gizmos — big, small, airborne, and worn. And you’ve heard of Bitcoin, but this week a website surfaced for a new cryptocurrency named after a short man with a high kick: Norris Coin.

Tossing boiling water in the air in subzero temperatures will only get you burned.

Economic historian John Steele Gordon describes the only time in American history that a president erased the federal debt.

Fifteen percent of Americans live in poverty. That official rate hasn't dropped much since 1964.

This weekend, host Carmen Wong Ulrich explores what seems to be a growing trend of publicizing tense employer-employee relations online. She speaks with law professor David Yamada about why workers choose to take their departure from a job public and the implications of that. Plus, certified financial planner Greg Fisher helps answer listeners’ personal finance questions and comedian W. Kamau Bell shares how his childhood experiences with money shaped his current financial habits.

For the start of 2014, we're tackling all of your questions about credit cards.

Much of the value in the Olympics comes when the winners show up on the Today show the next morning and drive ratings.

A deal to reinstate unemployment insurance is working its way through Congress, but would it mean that people on unemployment would just take a few months longer to find a job?

As a deal to reinstate unemployment insurance works it way through Congress, we delve into the “freeloader argument.” What happens when folks lose their benefits — do they finally start looking and land a job? Next, AT&T is offering companies the opportunity to pay for your smartphone’s data use. The idea is that a company would offer, say, a video for which it pays the data charge, getting you to stream it when ordinarily you’d pass. It gets a view, and AT&T increases the data flowing through its system. And also, Lindsey Vonn, one of the few big names in winter sports, is out of the Winter Olympics with an injury. For NBC/Comcast, which paid a fortune for the rights, a lackluster games could come at a very high cost:  lower ratings for the game themselves, but also a loss of ratings for the Today show.  

Jury selection began in the trial of former SAC Capital trader Mathew Martoma.

AT&T is offering companies the opportunity to pay for your smartphone’s data use.

Made in the USA fossil fuels alter the country's trade status. The American Beekeeping Federation and the American Honey Producers Association both start their annual meetings. And, Provo and Salt Lake City are home to a cluster of tech start-up companies, thanks to the culture and geography of Utah.

If money is power, then one place we have the most power is how we invest our savings.

FailCon is an annual event in San Francisco for the Silicon Valley crowd, who've taken to heart the notion that failing teaches us how to get it right the next time.

The Pebble Steel is a star at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Despite today's vote, Washington gridlock has led to creative accounting on Capitol Hill.

A look at how cold weather reallocates resources

Or will it just drive consumers nuts with invasive ads?

After 14 years, China is lifting its ban on foreign video game consoles in its Shanghai free trade zone.

The American Beekeeping Federation and the American Honey Producers Association both start their annual meetings.

A court hears arguments on a rule that requires companies to report on whether their products contain conflict minerals.

Provo and Salt Lake City are home to a cluster of tech start-up companies, thanks to the culture and geography of Utah.

There was a fascinating moment yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas when Intel CEO Brian Krzanich turned the discussion to human rights. Intel says it will make sure that none of the raw materials in its chips comes from parts of the world where the proceeds lead to armed conflict and death, especially when they are mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Today, a federal appeals court hears arguments challenge a new rule forcing company to disclose the use of so-called conflict minerals. There’s news China has lifted a ban on video game consoles in its free trade zone surrounding Shanghai. And, if money is power, then one place we have the most power is how we invest our savings. This is part of a larger movement called values investing. 

The big story in the tech world all week is the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. At last year’s show little smartwatch maker Pebble was a big star. This year’s event has seen an explosion in wearable technologies and a new, sophisticated-looking watch from Pebble, called the Pebble Steel, has just been unveiled to the world. But there are still big questions about whether consumers are interested.

The Chinese media is reporting the value of China’s global trade has overtaken the United States to become the world’s largest trading economy. It’s another milestone for China. But if you take a good look behind the numbers, the claim begins to fall apart.

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For gyms and fitness studios, January is usually a busy time.

This is the time of year when Wall Street bankers get their bonuses.

The bank faces a hefty penalty for failing to warn customers of Bernie Madoff's infamous scheme, but all the fines don't seem hurt the company at all.

As CES opens, exhibitors are showing all sorts of gadgets and apps that will connect you to everything in your home and your car. But if you look back at some of the futurist visions promised in the past, what happened to them? Next, a really deep freeze can screw with an economy built on moderate temperatures. And finally, we take a look at the accounting tricks behind extending unemployment benefits. Pay for something today that we will save the money for tomorrow.    

What happens when we go into a really deep freeze?

As CES opens, exhibitors are showing all sorts of gadgets and apps that will connect you to everything in your home and your car.

Some long-overdue corporate rebranding from Europe.

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At the big tech CES conference in Las Vegas, many new devices will come out that will help construct the internet of things.

Honda and GM will join Audi in using Android operating systems.

About 40 percent of Big Spring’s water now comes from a $14 million “direct potable reuse” system.