Richard Barrington

Young people are known for going their own way, but college students may regret bucking one recent trend.

At a time when most forms of consumer debt have been declining, the amount of student loan debt outstanding has been rising rapidly. With tuition costs soaring at many colleges and an...

News that the European Union had arranged a bailout for Spain's embattled banks brought little cheer, as nervous investors quickly shifted to the next string of obstacles.

It's becoming clearer that each new bailout, emergency deal or central bank intervention, while often reached after much difficulty and drama, is just...

A key interest rate has been cut to stimulate the economy. Sound familiar?

It's becoming an old story, but this time there's a difference. This time it could actually help the economy -- and maybe even deposit interest rates.

What is the crucial difference? This time, the interest rate cut...

The trading errors that led to a more than $2 billion loss at JPMorgan Chase made national headlines. But what may not be immediately obvious is the impact this may have on the average bank customer.

Some aspects of multinational banking are far removed from the business of...

The latest wrinkle in the Greek financial crisis is a rush by its citizens to withdraw their savings from banks. This is both a symptom of the fear that Greece might leave the euro zone and a potential catalyst to force that exit.

While Americans might view news like this...

The Facebook IPO is shaping up as one of the biggest opening flops in stock market history. By the end of its third day of trading, the stock was down by more than 18 percent from its initial offering price, and regulators were investigating amid accusations that the investment bankers...

How good is the Federal Reserve at its job?

That can be a difficult question to answer. Monetary policy is subjective, and it can take years before the results become apparent. However, MoneyRates.com has found a way to hold the Fed accountable...

Along with disco, leisure suits and Watergate, one of the horrors of the 1970s was stagflation. Economic signs in April hinted at its return, with a 21st-century twist that could be especially hard on money market accounts.

Stagflation is a worst-of-both-worlds mix of a stagnant economy and high...

In its latest Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the Federal Reserve resolved to stay the course with its current policies, despite some disturbing signs in recent economic data.

As a result of its two-day meeting on April 24 and 25, the FOMC showed no change in its conviction that...

Last Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report showing that the unemployment rate declined in 30 states during March, compared with just eight states that saw unemployment increase (the unemployment rate was unchanged in the remaining 12 states). But while the actual employment situation is...

With the economic recovery still lagging, the intended rewards of the Federal Reserve's aggressive campaign to lower interest rates have yet to be realized. But the cost of that campaign to depositors can be counted, and according to the latest MoneyRates.com analysis, it may have exceeded $200 billion in...

Just when it seemed savings and money market rates couldn't fall any lower, finding decent rates somehow got a little tougher in the first quarter of 2012. But MoneyRates.com's America's Best Rates feature is still here to help savers maximize the returns on their deposit accounts.

America's Best Rates differs...

On Wall Street, vague feelings of optimism about the economy have given way to specific fears of judgment day. The S&P 500 lost 1.71 percent Tuesday alone, and is down 3.47 percent already in April. In the process, falling stock prices have dragged bond yields down, which has ominous implications...

Is your money market account stuck in a rut?

If so, you're not alone. Money market rates have been locked into a long and steady descent for a few years now, resulting in average money market rates of just 0.14 percent as of the end of March. Finally,...