What’s going on with the stock market after last week’s ups and downs? It was a bumpy ride last week. On Monday, we watched the market extend a decline it started the week before. On Tuesday, the indices recovered some of the losses, and Wednesday was pretty call. Then on Thursday and Friday, the selloff […]
This morning we are discussing the government shutdown. First, how did we get here? Congress is responsible for passing budgets that authorize funding for the government. In recent years, these have often been short-term, meaning multiple new bills have been required. The bill authorizing current spending expired on Friday. However, given Republican control of the […]
What is net neutrality? When people talk about net neutrality, they are referring to regulations that govern access to the Internet. Net neutrality is the principle that Internet providers should make all content available at the same speed. Current Federal Communications Commission regulations ensure everyone has equal access to the Internet, treating broadband Internet access […]
The monthly jobs report was released Friday. What did we learn? According to the report, the labor market rebounded in October in the wake of the hurricanes, and continues to be strong. Employers added 261,000 workers last month, and with the number of jobs added in September revised from a loss to a gain […]
Today we turn our attention to tax cuts. What are we hearing out of Washington? We don’t have the final details of the tax cuts the Republican Congress and the White House are pursuing. On Thursday, the House and Senate passed budget legislation by a very thin margin – the vote was 216 to […]
What is going on with student loans and Black borrowers? A few weeks ago, for the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Education released a report on long-term outcomes for student loan borrowers. The findings were also broken out results by race and ethnicity, and according to an analysis by the Center For American […]
A very important topic – the financial impacts of this hurricane season. What are we looking at here? Obviously, these storms – Harvey, Irma and most recently Maria – have been incredibly destructive and impacted many millions of people across the Caribbean and the United States. The combination of their intensity, the fact that […]
Why are we talking about student loans right now? An interesting analysis shows that shopping around is a good thing for student loan holders willing to do their homework. I did some research to get the full story for our listeners and to provide some tips for those who may be able to benefit from […]
How is the American consumer doing? Because the American consumer is one of the most important components of the American economy. You have heard me say many times on this show that consumer spending is responsible for 70 percent of GDP. (Gross Domestic Product). Where the American consumers go, the economy tends to follow. […]
A new study is out that will give parents of college students another thing to think about. What does it say? If parents of college students, or college-bound students, did not have enough to think about financially – be it paying tuition or dealing with student loans– a new study from Nerdwallet found that college […]
What do we need to know about the U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement last week? The Paris Accords were brokered in 2015 and agreed to by 195 countries, with the goal of reducing emissions through individual government plans. On Thursday, the president withdrew the U.S. from the agreement. I spoke with dozens […]
Last week was a bad one for traditional retailers. What’s going on? That is right. The earnings last week from major retailers – Macy’s, Kohl’s, JC Penney, and others – were dismal. And it is a sign of things to come. The decline in this sector is secular, not cyclical. In a time of […]
