Especially for people hoping to retire early, but also those just hoping they can retire at all, there's the question, "How much money do I need?" People who are alr
You don't hear much about the rentier class any more. Perhaps that's because we all expect to be members by retirement age. Perhaps it's because even the very wealthy
Recessions spread. A minor downturn in one business spreads to its suppliers and then to their suppliers. Workers are laid off (or simply fear that they will be) and buy less, sp
All the cool kids have credit cards. What if you don't? What if you are so young, so poor, so uncool that you can't get one? Do you have to stoop to paying for your food
Twenty years ago, I parked at a supermarket, near where a poor family had just parked. I knew they were poor, because they looked like poor folks are supposed to look: Their clot
The first time I drove across the country, my aunt gave me her old highway atlas. My finances were a bit tight at the time, so the gift, worth maybe $12, was very much apprecia
I saw an article recently suggesting that neighbors share a garbage service. One neighbor hires the service, the other kicks in to cover half the bill, and both bring their stuff
I have a theory about sleep. My theory is this: everyone who routinely uses an alarm clock suffers from chronic sleep deprivation. Using an alarm clock a few times a year (to c
Hobbies generally end up in the expense category. Depending on the hobby, you may be paying for equipment, supplies, books and magazines, classes, training--the list goes on.
I'm stealing the title for this post from the cover of a magazine that I saw back in the early 1980s. It caught my eye especially, because at the time I had just gotten a rais
For as long as there has been international trade, there has been a need to make international payments. To show up in person with gold or silver coins risked both your life and y
I don't just mean that the rate of inflation is higher than the government's reported rate--that's evident to anyone who's paying attention. But there are other co
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson gave a speech yesterday, talking about the administration's plan to "address the challenges" of the housing market downturn and relat
Because homeowners are also voters, and because the subprime lending crisis threatens the whole economy, the federal government is trying to come up with ways to head off a massive
It has never been unusual for borrowers to run into difficulty, and sometimes it becomes clear that a loan will never be repaid in full. The lender's job then is to recover as
How bad could things get? The New York Times asked that question about the economic situation. It's a good question, but they gave a really bad answer.
To someone in the US, the decline in the value of the dollar has mainly made itself felt up to now in the form of increases in the prices of globalized commodities--everything from
Every notice how upset people get, when someone poorer than them has better crap? I'm talking about the guy agonizing over whether to spring for a 32-inch flat screen who find
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