The $1.2 trillion national student loan debt is holding back many people from potentially purchasing homes and starting a household, which is also at the same time hurting the overall economy, says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in a new report released … [Read more...]
Malware Installed on Jimmy John’s POS System: Data Breach
Jimmy John’s is the latest United States company to fall victim to a near nationwide data breach where a large number of customers’ credit and debit card information was stolen by hackers. According to the sandwich restaurant chain, the possible security infiltration took place … [Read more...]
U.S. Economy Transforming Into a Ponzi Scheme
There are many critics of the way the United States government and the Federal Reserve are handling the overall economy. Some detractors of the current stimulus policy say the U.S. central bank is distorting the economy through quantitative easing, record-low interest rates and … [Read more...]
AT&T Unveils Killer Combo: Internet & TV $39 Month
How much are you paying every month for Internet, cable television and other media outlets? United States wireless carrier AT&T (NYSE:T) unveiled a new $39 per month Internet and media bundle Tuesday that will include U-Basic TV, U-Verse Internet Max Plus (18Mbps), HBO and HBO … [Read more...]
Appliances, Groceries, Wills and Now Banking at Walmart
That’s right, Walmart (NYSE:WMT) has entered the banking business. The nation’s biggest retailer is partnering with Green Dot Bank to offer customers a low-cost checking account, according to a press release. Named GoBank, the checking account will come with a MasterCard debit card … [Read more...]
Regulators Tighten the Noose on Corporate Tax Inversion Loophole
The United States Treasury Department issued new rules Monday that it calls the “first, targeted steps” toward solving the problem of corporate tax inversion deals, an issue that has plagued Washington politics over the past year and one matter that U.S. officials say is hurting the … [Read more...]
Kickstarter Revises ‘Terms of Use’ to Protect Project Investors
Kickstarter, the popular crowd-funding website that gives businesses and entrepreneurs with new ideas the opportunity to raise funds for their venture, has updated its terms and conditions in order to give backers more protection. Under the new terms of use, when a project’s … [Read more...]
Problems with Social Security Continue to Grow
New reports have been released in the past couple of days analyzing the various problems facing Social Security, beneficiaries and overall retirement. A number of institutions have compiled data that covers an array of issues, from Social Security statements continuing to be mailed … [Read more...]
End is Near for Google Inc.’s Social Media Platform
Google has abandoned all efforts to push the Google+ social network onto new Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) users. A new report from Marketing Land suggests that the search engine juggernaut has ended the requirement that new Google account holders must also establish a Google+ profile … [Read more...]
Lacker Opposes Fed Plan to Hold Mortgage-backed Securities
The Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) voted in favor Wednesday to reduce its monthly bond-buying program by another $10 billion, keep its interest rates to near zero and continue to reinvest the returns from maturing bonds as the balance sheet reaches to an … [Read more...]
U.S. Household Net Worth on the Rise
The Federal Reserve released a new report this week that found the net worth of American households is now 20 percent higher than it was prior to the financial collapse in 2007. At the second of the quarter this year, households put together were worth $81.5 trillion, up 10 percent … [Read more...]
Amazon Unleashes ‘The Most Powerful Tablet Under $100’
Amazon continues to embark upon its journey into hardware with lines of Kindles and tablets. On Wednesday, the online retail juggernaut Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN) unveiled six new or upgraded devices that will begin to ship in October. These electronic devices are meant to maintain … [Read more...]
FTC Files Lawsuit in Million-dollar Payday Loan Scheme
The newest financial scheme has everyone baffled: consumers found money in their bank accounts, usually for the sum of $200 to $300, but then between $60 and $90 in fees were taken out every two weeks indefinitely. When consumers disputed the deposits and the withdrawals, the alleged … [Read more...]
Bank of England Votes 7-2 to Keep Interest Rates Unchanged
The Bank of England (BoE) has voted 7 to 2 in favor of keeping interest rates unchanged, citing a decline in inflation, according to the latest minutes of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) released by the British central bank. The central bankers noted that there isn't enough … [Read more...]
Exploit on Amazon Kindle Allows Malicious Code Injection
Has another popular household electronic product been the victim of a security bug? It may be so after one security expert discovered a potential flaw in Amazon’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) Kindle Library that might be susceptible to Cross Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. This means that malicious … [Read more...]
Is the Vintage Automobile Market Revving Up a Bubble?
This week, a collection of nine vintage muscle cars netted approximately $2.5 million in less than 60 minutes. Late last month, a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO Berlinetta sold for $38.1 million at the Bonhams Quail Lodge auction in Carmel, California – this is 28 percent higher than the … [Read more...]
Two Weeks Left to Score Free Coffee at McDonald’s
How badly do you need coffee in the morning? For the next two weeks, you don’t have to pull out your wallet when you head over to McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD) to imbibe your morning ritual. Instead, the fast-food juggernaut is offering free morning coffees for the next two weeks as part … [Read more...]
What Happens on Google Inc. Doesn’t Stay on Google Inc.
The United States government’s demands for information pertaining to Google Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) users’ communications has increased 250 percent over the past five years, says a new report issued Monday by the search engine juggernaut. According to the report, the number of requests … [Read more...]
United Way Charities to Accept Bitcoin Donations
Retailers and merchants aren’t the only establishments incorporating digital currency into their business model. Non-profit organizations and charities are the latest entities to begin utilizing the power of bitcoin and other virtual currencies. United Way Worldwide has become one … [Read more...]
China Builds Sidewalk “Cellphone Lane” Exclusively for Texting
For years, we have been warned about the dangers of texting while driving. However, a growing issue in a lot of major metropolitan cities is pedestrians walking and texting at the same time – also known as distracted walking – which creates an unsafe environment as many cross the … [Read more...]
