Some soon-to-be-published research finds that CNBC's Jim Cramer's stock picks aren't so crazy.
Two professors at Northeastern University found that following Cramer's advice yielded a 12% annual return on average, compared with 7% for S&P 500 index over the same period.
Continue reading "Cramer, Not So Mad?" »
David Kestenbaum
11:56 AM ET
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05-11-2009
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The other day at the ices stand (think snocone, Hawaiian shave ice, etc.), my seven-year-old popped a wiggly when they handed him his treat in a plastic cup instead of a paper one. Proving why you should never let a first grader do your taxes, he refused the already used plastic one on environmental grounds and walked away happy only when we poured the sugary concoction into a second (readily biodegradable) cup.
For him, plastic is a huge, huge problem.
In the New York Times today, I finally caught up with the apparent phenomenon of The Story of Stuff, a 20-minute take on the perils of consumer culture that has been making the rounds of American classrooms. Some call it an educational breakthrough, some an unfair takedown of capitalism, and I'm betting many economists will say its reasoning is flawed.
But since the next generation's watching The Story of Stuff at school, I'm thinking we might out to watch it together on the blog. I'll reach out to a couple of economists about it, to get their view. The full video's after the jump.
Continue reading "'The Story Of Stuff'" »
Laura Conaway
10:56 AM ET
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05-11-2009
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Planet Money listener and self-described "Michigan exile" Chad S. sends along the story of a Michigan couple who are using an economy themed essay contest to sell their home. With an entry fee of $750, the couple hope to raise enough money to sell the farmhouse and start a new life in South Carolina. Besides the fee, entrants are required to write a 500 word essay about how the economy has affected their lives and how winning the home would change that. The Flint Journal reports:
"We want to help someone start their life over, along with ourselves," he said.
Worley, 51, and Debra, 49, have lived in the farmhouse for five years.
He said the 1,200-square-foot home, built in 1892 and possibly eligible for designation as a centennial farm, is worth about $245,000, but he'd be lucky to get half that through a sale in the present economy.
Caitlin Kenney
10:45 AM ET
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05-11-2009
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