Media
Still Hate Your TV Company? You're Not Alone
As cable companies and satellite TV providers made their latest quarterly reports, one thing became clear: Americans are fed up with their bills for premium TV. The cable and satellite TV industries ended the period with 292,000 fewer customers than they started with.
Continue reading »Money and Politics
Obama: Americans Agree with My Approach on Deficit
President Barack Obama, laying down his marker for grueling budget and tax negotiations, said Friday he won't accept any approach to deficit reduction that doesn't ask the wealthy to pay more in taxes.
Continue reading »Economy
3 Compelling Reasons to Think an Economic Boom Is Coming
After five rough years, we could be on the cusp of a new economic boom. Not like the mid-1980s or late 1990s, mind you. But the odds that the next five years will be markedly better than the last five years are good, and growing better by the day.
Continue reading »Market News
Oil Prices Rise as Americans' Confidence Improves
Benchmaark crude is up 48 cents to $85.57 around noon EST; the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index reveals that Americans feel better about the state of the world's largest economy than any point in the last five years.
Continue reading »Features
Pop Quiz: What Were 2012's Strangest Ballot Propositions?
While the main event on Tuesday night was the presidential election, many voters also had the opportunity to amend their local or state laws -- and some of those propositions were more than a bit off-the-wall. Curious about the bold and bizarre ideas that made the ballot? Take our quiz.
Continue reading »General Motors
Dear President Obama: Sell the Government's GM Stake Now
Dear Mr. President: I know you're proud of the effort made by your team back in 2009 to save General Motors. You should be. But as good as this GM thing has been for you, with the election now over, it's time to let go and direct the Treasury to sell its stake in General Motors.
Continue reading »Taxes
Tax Hike for Wealthy Americans Won't Kill Growth
Allowing income tax rates to rise for wealthy Americans, and maintaining rates for the less affluent, would not hurt U.S. economic growth much in 2013, the Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday, stepping into a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over how to resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff."
Continue reading »Personal Finance
Financial Planning for Same-Sex Couples: 5 Tips You Can't Ignore
Though same-sex marriage and gay civil unions are legal in 13 U.S. states, the federal rights that traditional married couples enjoy still don%u2019t apply to such unions. That means that it's critical for same-sex couples to get their paperwork and plans in order.
Continue reading »Retirement
What Will $1 Million Get You in Retirement?
This is an interesting question because many people believe that $1 million is a comfortable amount to meet their retirement goals. We can also look at the different ways in which a couple can use this $1 million without running out of money.
Continue reading »Earnings
No Sale: J.C. Penney Reports Worse Than Expected Quarterly Loss
J.C. Penney reported a bigger-than-expected loss in the third quarter on plummeting sales as customers continue to reject its move get rid of blockbuster sales in favor of everyday low pricing. It's the third consecutive quarter of losses and steep sales declines.
Continue reading »Autos
Chrysler Recalls 919,000 Jeep SUVs to Fix Air Bags
Chrysler is recalling more than 919,000 older-model Jeep SUVs worldwide because the air bags can inflate while people are driving them. The recall affects Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 2002 through 2004 model years, and Jeep Libertys from model years 2002 and 2003.
Continue reading »Crime
Identity Theft: How to Protect Yourself from the Fraudsters
In the past five years, 27.3 million Americans were victims of identity theft, says author and identity theft expert Steve Weisman. Here are his tips for keeping your identity protected from the con men, criminals and fraud artists.
Continue reading »Market News
Stock Upgrades: 3M Is in the Money, Money, Money
Ah, that innocent age when our biggest beef with Europe centered on freedom fries. This election week, no one was asking "where's the beef?" with Wendy's, with the coiner of that iconic phrase bucking a brutal tape to gain 3.05%.
Continue reading »Market News
Disney's Turnstiles Are Clicking Ahead Faster Than Its Studios
Disney posted mixed quarterly results after Thursday's market close. Revenue climbed just 3%, while net income soared 18%. But perhaps the most surprising nugget for Disney is that, of its five segments, theme parks continue to be its fastest growing segment.
Continue reading »Shopping
Walmart's Black Friday 2012 Will Start at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving
Black Friday sales have been starting earlier and earlier, and now, Walmart is pushing the retail craziness even further: It will open its doors at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving, before the evening's football game between the Jets and the Patriots even kicks off.
Continue reading »Crime
MoneyGram Agrees to Pay $100 Million to Settle Scam Charges
MoneyGram said Friday that it has agreed to set up a $100 million compensation fund as part of a settlement of government allegations of fraud through money-transfer scams from 2003 to 2009.
Continue reading »Stocks in the News
India's Largest Travel Website is Losing Altitude Fast
There was plenty of buzz behind MakeMyTrip when India's largest travel website went public two years ago. The stock soared far beyond what the company's outlook could have justified. Now, the laws of finance and physics have kicked back in, and the stock price is crashing back down to Earth.
Continue reading »Saving Money
How to Fly for Free: 10 Tips to Earn Air Travel Vouchers
Scott Ford flies constantly, but he rarely pays for plane tickets. By getting bumped from flights, he has racked up so many travel vouchers and frequent flier miles that he spent all of 2011 on vacation without opening his wallet -- and he wants to share the secrets to his free travel success.
Continue reading »Company News
Has McDonald's Menu Gotten Too Expensive?
McDonald's in October suffered its first monthly decline in comparable-store sales since 2003 -- and October is usually a good month for the burger giant. So what did Ronald do wrong? Too much focus on premium menu items, too little on what its customers really want: Low cost eats.
Continue reading »Investing
AlphaClone: Assemble Your Fantasy Hedge Fund Team ... And Win
Investing in hedge funds is a lot like playing in the NFL: A tiny elite can do it and make millions while the rest of us can only watch and dream. But just as we mere mortals can coach our way to gridiron victory through fantasy football teams, now hedge funds have a "fantasy team" option too.
Continue reading »Stock Picks
Stock Upgrades: Bank of America About to Bounce Back?
As markets cratered amid concerns over a $607 billion fiscal cliff, Bank of America was the worst Dow stock, down 7.14%. Today, it's boosted to Buy from Hold at ISI Group.
Continue reading »Retail
Now That the Election is Over, Retailers Would Like Your Attention
The good news is that the election is behind us, so expect political ads to disappear from the airwaves. The bad news is that you can now spend the next six to seven weeks getting thoroughly sick of Christmas advertising.
Continue reading »Economy
Weekly Jobless Claims Fell to 355,000
Initial claims for state unemployment benefits dropped 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 355,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The report is a sign the labor market's slow recovery is gaining traction, although Hurricane Sandy's impact on the Northeast may have distorted the data.
Continue reading »Economy
10 Common Money Problems That Need Fixing Now
The election may have put economic issues like the fiscal cliff in the spotlight, but there are still plenty of consumer-level financial pain points that need fixing. Here are 10 of the most common consumer money problems.
Continue reading »Economy
U.S. Trade Deficit Falls to Lowest Level Since December 2010
The U.S. trade deficit declined to the lowest level in almost two years as exports rose to a record high, a gain that is not expected to last given the global economic slowdown. U.S. exports climbed 3.1 percent to an all-time high of $187 billion.
Continue reading »Shopping
Slash Your Holiday Gift Bill By Tapping Credit Card Rewards
If you're looking for a way to save on gifts this holiday season, you might want to tap your credit card. No, not by charging up a big fat bill -- but by maximizing your rewards points. Here are six ways to do just that and in turn, stretch your gift-giving budget.
Continue reading »Election 2012
Karl Rove's Historically Colossal Waste of Money
Karl Rove is the co-founder and senior advisor to American Crossroads, a multifaceted organization that has raised massive amounts of money in order to get Mitt Romney elected to the presidency. That did not work out. Here's how much the super PAC spent on Romney.
Continue reading »Credit Cards
Google Wallet's Latest Innovation: A Plastic Mobile Wallet Card
In what at first glance seems like a step backward in the mobile payment space, Google Wallet is close to launching a physical plastic card. So much for all the oracles predicting the imminent fall of cash and plastic.
Continue reading »Earnings
Wall Street Watch: Activision Blizzard Earnings Get Bonus Points
Activision Blizzard,the company behind the "Call of Duty," "Skylanders," and "World of Warcraft" video game franchises posted better than expected results after Wednesday's market close. Adjusted earnings more than doubled to $0.15 a share as revenue rose nearly 20% to $751 million.
Continue reading »Features
15 Corporate Heroes, Antiheroes, and Villains of Hurricane Sandy
Some companies won consumers' admiration over the past week -- others have lost both trust and dollars.
Continue reading »Shopping
Amazon Testing Monthly Prime Membership, Just in Time for the Holidays
Amazon (AMZN) quietly made a big change to its Prime service this week, allowing some customers to subscribe on a monthly basis rather than committing to a full year.
Continue reading »Retail
PayPal Announces the Season's Best Price-Match Policy
Every holiday season, most major retailers roll out special seasonal price-match policies in an attempt to assure customers that they won't be undersold. But chains like Target and Best Buy just saw their price-match deals blown out of the water -- not by another retailer, but by payment processor PayPal.
Continue reading »Company News
Apple Is Suddenly in a Rut
There's no dying that Apple, the world's most valuable company, is suddenly in a rut. Here's the evidence of the tech giant's recent troubles.
Continue reading »Taxes
Home Damaged by Hurricane Sandy? Get Some Tax Relief
If Hurricane Sandy damaged your home, you may face months of waiting for much-needed repairs and insurance reimbursements. And even after the final insurance checks come in, you may find yourself left with a hefty bill. But you might find some relief from an unlikely source: the IRS.
Continue reading »Mice are pests that no one wants to see in their home, but getting rid of them can be costly, not to mention unpleasant. Here, our experts show you how to remove rodents in humane and budget-friendly ways. Watch Video