The Color of Money Avoid Pitfalls on Auto Trade-Ins May 29, 2007 • Resist the urge to buy a new car if you still owe money on your old one. Our financial consultant says you may save money in the long run if you choose a a shorter term loan when you're buying a car.
Business 'Marketplace' Report: The Battle for TV Ad Dollars May 29, 2007 • The competition for network television viewers and advertisers is brutal because of forums like satellite TV and YouTube. NBC has wound up on the bottom of the ratings wars.
Money Train: 'All Aboard' May 29, 2007 • Money coach Alvin Hall kicks off the summer financial fitness series, "Money Train: How to Get (and Keep) Your Finances on Track." He engages listener experiences.
National E-Z Pass Violators Display Ingenuity in New Jersey May 28, 2007 • The increasing use of E-Z Pass for the electronic payment of tolls is cutting down on traffic jams. But state officials now have a new dilemma: the E-Z Pass scofflaw. Nancy Solomon reports from New Jersey.
National Feds Revive Effort to Stop Sale of Katrina Cars May 28, 2007 • The federal government is showing renewed interest in a system intended to prevent wrecked or stolen cars from being resold without the buyer's knowledge. But it's too late to help people who unknowingly bought cars flooded during Hurricane Katrina.
The New Ad Age State-of-the-Art Ads Are Increasingly One-to-One May 27, 2007 • Word-of-mouth advertising, also called "buzz marketing" and "viral advertising," is all the rage. Companies are spending millions on this one-to-one marketing trend; critics say it's intrusive, raises legal and ethical questions, and needs regulating.
National Pentagon Lags on Business Help for Disabled Vets May 26, 2007 • Congress passed a law eight years ago that would set aside 3 percent of all federal procurement dollars for service-disabled veteran entrepreneurs. Is the government living up to expectations?
Business Poison-Dart Frogs Find a Home in the Desert May 26, 2007 • A couple outside Phoenix, Ariz., run a thriving poison-dart frog business in their home. The creatures, which normally live in the rain forest, have become the latest fad in exotic pets.
Economy Dairy Prices Drift Higher in U.S., Globally May 25, 2007 • You can expect to pay $3 a gallon for it in a lot of places, and the price is going higher as we head into the summer. No, we're not talking about gasoline — we're talking about milk. For most of this year, prices for dairy products have drifted higher, not just in the United States but around the world.
National Family Road Trip: The Cheapest Way to Travel May 25, 2007 • A family of four traveling from Washington, D.C., to Boston for a holiday weekend faces a range of options: air, train, bus and car. But which one is best? Robert Siegel measures the cost of traveling for two adults and two teens and learns that, despite higher prices at the pump, gassing up the car is still a bargain.
'Marketplace' Report: Sticker Shock at the Pumps May 25, 2007 • Gasoline prices are nudging toward $4 a gallon in some parts of the country, but Americans will still be hitting the road in record numbers this Memorial Day weekend. One gas station chain is helping customers get a jump on rising prices.
National Study: Men in Their 30s Make Less Than Their Dads May 25, 2007 • Men in their 30s in the United States are not doing as well financially as their fathers' generation did. A study released Friday appears to challenge conventional wisdom that each generation will do better than the one before.
World Fears Rise of Chinese Stock Implosion May 25, 2007 • Alan Greenspan, the former Fed chief, says China's stock-market boom is due for a "dramatic contraction" that could rattle world markets. Small investors taking big risks are driving China's red-hot market, which has many observers worried.
The Peculiar Role of Gasoline in Consumers' Lives May 24, 2007 • Consumers watch the price of gasoline like no other product. As Valerie Folkes tells Robert Siegel, gas is unique. Folkes is a professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
Economy The Road to Better Gas Mileage May 24, 2007 • As gas prices soared to an all-time high this week, drivers are trying just about anything to improve their mileage. The automotive world is abuzz with special tricks and tips on how to save gas. Guests discuss the strategies that hold up when gas-saving tips are put to the test.