archive
Worth The Deal? Groceries Get A Personalized Price
August 19, 2012 KPLULoyalty cards have long given discounts to shoppers, but lately national grocery store chains are getting even more personal. They're offering discounts tailored to each customer's unique shopping habits, which means someone else might be getting a better price than you.
Student Loans Can Dent Retirees' Social Security
August 17, 2012 Families often pull together to help finance a college education, with parents and grandparents chipping in or co-signing loans. But when a federal student loan isn't paid back, the government withholds money from Social Security recipients.
All Tech Considered
What's In Your Wallet? Wait, You Don't Need One
August 16, 2012 A growing number of companies hope more consumers will soon be making purchases with mobile phones. More retailers are also using technology that turns devices like tablets into cash registers.
Opinion
Foreign Policy: Tomorrow, We Save
August 16, 2012 Foreign Policy's Joshua E. Keating says linguistic differences may offer useful hints about a nation's economic policies.
American Dreams: Then And Now
Persuading Banks To Give Homeowners A Break
August 16, 2012 Over the past four years, Bruce Marks has been on a traveling road show to help people avoid foreclosure. He says his nonprofit, the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America, has helped more than 200,000 people get their payments lowered so they can afford to keep their homes.
Planet Money
Everybody Always Thinks Inflation Is Higher Than It Really Is
August 15, 2012 "When prices go up, they notice it. When prices go down, they don't care."
It's All Politics
Ryan's Mission For Fed: Focus On Prices, Not Unemployment
August 14, 2012 Mitt Romney's new running mate has authored some provocative policy proposals to cut budget deficits and overhaul Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. But Rep. Paul Ryan has also been an advocate for a different course for the Federal Reserve.
Planet Money
What A Very Old Menu Tells Us About The Price Of Steak
August 14, 2012 We found a 1918 menu from Delmonico's, a New York steakhouse. Here's what it taught us about the U.S. economy.
Small Investors Stay Wary Of Betting On Wall Street
August 12, 2012 The stock market has been rising lately, but a lot of small investors are sitting the rally out. After years of watching their 401(k)s lose ground, it's hard to convince people to trust stocks with their money — if they still have any.
Planet Money
Paying For College: Financial Aid In America, In 2 Graphics
August 9, 2012 Tuition has gone through the roof in the past decade. But so has financial aid.
All Tech Considered
As Starbucks Adopts 'Square' Payments, Will Other Merchants Follow?
August 8, 2012 You could soon pay for a latte at Starbucks simply by walking into the store with a smartphone in your pocket and giving the cashier your name. Square, a San Francisco-based payments startup unveiled a deal Wednesday with the world's largest coffee chain that will move its mobile payments products into Starbucks stores around the world.
Economy
How America's Losing The War On Poverty
August 4, 2012 Close to 16 percent of Americans now live at or below the poverty line. On top of that, 100 million of us — 1 out of 3 Americans — manage to survive on a household income barely twice that amount. How is this poverty crisis happening?
Education
Families Make Big Changes To Pay For College
August 2, 2012 More students are reconsidering their decisions to attend costly out-of-state schools or choosing to enroll in more affordable community colleges, a new study shows. Even as they foot most of the bill and are co-signing loans, some parents are still paying off their own student loans.
Economy
One Job Seeker's Ruse To Check Out His Competition
August 1, 2012 Eric Auld wants a full-time job. He barely earns enough, part-time, to cover the bills. After a fruitless job search, he grew more curious about his competitors. So he created a fake Craigslist ad and, in one day, received 653 responses from applicants with a wide range of education and experience.
Planet Money
How The Poor, The Middle Class And The Rich Spend Their Money
August 1, 2012 The poor spend more of their money on essentials like groceries and utilities. The rich spend more on education.
