MarketplaceĀ®

Daily business news and economic stories
  • Dec 29, 2007

    Getting Personal

    Getting Personal
    Marketplace

    Economics editor Chris Farrell answers your money questions with Tess Vigeland in this holiday version of Getting Personal.

  • She donates about a quarter of her income a year, but never reveals her identity to her recipients. Amy Radil brings us the story of a mystery donor, why she gives close to home and what she's learned about the art of charity.

  • Baker Abdul Satar in Kabul, Afghanistan shakes hands with one of his benefactors from microlending website Kiva.org.
    NYTimes.com

    Looking for a new way to be charitable? How about lending to a business on the other side of the world? New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof did, and traveled to meet his beneficiaries. He talks to Tess Vigeland.

  • Hedge funds have drawn fire for their methods in buying companies and selling off the pieces. But one London-based fund has largely escaped criticism, depite its fearsome reputation. Stephen Beard reports.

  • The business model for TOM's Shoes gives an impoverished child a pair of shoes for each customer that buys a pair. Brett Brune reports the for-profit nature of the company helps it stay in motion.

  • School bus
    istockphoto

    With threats of budget cuts always looming, public schools have come to rely on their students as a resource for generating funds. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on the business of school fundraising.

  • A stack of 100 Yuan notes
    Frederic J. Brown/AFP/Getty Images

    Economist Burton Malkiel has recommended China-based ETFs for a while. He tells Tess Vigeland how investors can still profit from China's booming economy.

  • Giving yourself a credit check
    iStockPhoto.com

    Our credit score is one of the most important numbers in our lives, and it's in store for a huge makeover. Tess Vigeland talks FICO in the new year with whiz Liz Pulliam Weston.

  • MoMA gift store buyer Chay Costello Sosin travels the world to find artifacts, jewelry and other items to stock one of the hippest stores in the world. We try to get some of that cool by hanging around.

  • Luggage pick-up at the airport
    iStockPhoto.com

    It's a traveler's worst nightmare: You arrive on vacation, but your bags took the scenic route. Tess Vigeland talks consumer rights and how best to cope if your luggage disappears with Anne Banas from SmarterTravel.com