consumer spending

The subprime crisis certainly highlighted the need for American consumers to become more financially literate. But who defines financial literacy? And what makes someone an expert? Mike Konczal at Rortybomb asks these and other questions regarding financial literacy education — a subject TWI has also been looking into lately.
Did you know that since 2003, when [...]

Joe Weisenthal at Clusterstock finds that inflation will soon hit home for some, with price hikes on the horizon from beer manufacturers and cattle farmers. First, Weisenthal cites a Los Angeles Times story explaining that brewers are being affected by increases in commodity prices, leading them to the unusual step of charging more for beer.
The [...]

On ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, both Paul Krugman and Robert Reich offered far more pessimistic views of the economy than the rosier outlook put forth by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Friday. Krugman described the economy as languishing in purgatory. Reich explained that the only good news is that the economy is getting [...]

The Chronicle of Higher Education raises a question worth examining, as the credit stays tighter than usual and the economy remains sluggish: Is higher education the next bubble to burst?

The U.S. economy may never return to the days of rapid expansion, Bloomberg reports, and an unemployment rate greater than eight percent and a long period of slower growth may become the “new normal,”
The U.S. financial crisis and recession have produced lasting shifts in consumer spending and savings reminiscent of the 1950s that may [...]

Beginning this week, workers’ weekly paychecks will jump by roughly $10 as the tax rebates in the stimulus bill take effect, The Associated Press reminds us today.

Via Financial Armageddon, the new reality of retailing is that consumers are not the only ones cutting back on spending and changing their shopping behavior. It’s finally sinking in to retailers that maybe people don’t want pricey jeans anymore, or that they may be unwilling to drop $1,000 or more on leather jackets.

I know, I know: It’s a time of national service today, and of growing excitement about Tuesday’s historic events. But The Consumerist can’t help noting that Tuesday morning also marks a massive cosmetics giveaway by major department stores, beginning when the doors open in the morning for business.
From The Consumerist:
Americans face a tough choice Tuesday [...]

Has the economy scared you into cutting back on your spending, paying down your credit cards, getting your budget in order? Good for you, but bad for the country’s financial health, the Wall Street Journal points out today. Big-spending Americans have dramatically changed their habits, and economists expect the savings rate, which has dipped below [...]

Guess what turned out to be a popular gift this holiday season? Piggy banks. Retailers reported that sales of the old-fashioned way to save flew off the shelves, Reuters reports:
“We have been selling coin banks really well,” said Laura Kellner at Kikkerland Design Inc. in New York City, whose stylish chrome pig is priced at $31.