The Daily Economy
Do All Small Businesses Aspire to Grow?
Although conventional wisdom may suggest the answer is yes, the short answer is, not always. Some entrepreneurs just do not want to make it to the big leagues.
Should Policy Battle the Next Recession?
Government policy, in the form of monetary or fiscal stimulus, may be helpful if the economy is facing a temporary slowdown in demand — and even then economists disagree on the estimate of just how effective government stimulus is. But fiscal or monetary stimulus is very unlikely to be helpful if the slowdown in the…
Strong Confirmation of a Slow Expansion
The economic expansion has been even slower than previously understood, and while the economy is likely to keep expanding in the foreseeable future, there isn’t much pressure on wages to rise. That’s the message from the August edition of Business Conditions Monthly, the American Institute for Economic Research’s bird’s-eye view of the economy, which was…
Steady Economic Growth Continues
This morning’s retail sales numbers underscore a continued pattern of slow but steady economic growth.
One Answer to Hillary Clinton’s Uber Concerns
The employment status of Uber’s drivers and other workers in the “sharing economy” has become a hot political issue, with Hillary Clinton and others criticizing the lack of protections and benefits afforded to independent contractors. Implicit in this criticism is the notion that independent contractor status is a bad deal for workers. However, reclassifying contractors…
Financial First Steps: Cautions on Credit Card Use
Credit cards can be great. Their convenience and ease of use, combined with the ability to extend your budget, makes them almost a necessity in today’s world. However, credit cards are not all good; in fact, they actually lead many people into crippling debt, bankruptcy, and financial ruin. While many of my previous posts have…
Medicare is Hardly Self-Financed
Many believe that Medicare (similarly to Social Security) does not add anything to the federal budget deficit because it is financed by dedicated tax revenue. This belief is one of the reasons for the outrage at the suggestion that Medicare needs to be reformed to prevent future budget deficits from spiraling out of control. But…
A Reason to Celebrate Social Security’s Birthday
Eighty years ago this week — on August 14, 1935 — President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act. It created a national old-age retirement program in the United States for the first time. It was an investment that continues to pay dividends even today.
Jobs Report Presages an Accelerating Economy
The broad gains in the July Employment Report from the Labor Department this morning suggests the economy continues to grow at a moderate pace. We continue to expect the economy to post faster growth in the second half of 2015 following the weak first quarter.
Is College Worth the Expense?
The cost of attending a four-year college in the United States has increased sharply of late, from around $3,500 in the early 1980’s to around $24,000 for this upcoming academic year. Since 1980, nothing has increased in price more than college. Not health care. Not gasoline. Not housing.
Hints Point to a Good Employment Report on Friday
As we await the July employment numbers, some data that we’ve received this week suggest Friday’s report will be a good one. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing survey on […]
Financial First Steps: How to Establish Credit
For those who aren’t students and are attempting to build credit, there is a hurdle to overcome, because lenders abide by the unwritten law, “you must have credit to get credit.” Fortunately, there are a number of ways to overcome this.
