Money Talk: Don’t Trash Your Credit Score Over Stolen TV
Question: A few months ago, I purchased a large television from a nearby store. I was offered no interest for 12 months using the store’s credit card. The TV was stolen from the back of my pickup truck before I was able to bring it into my apartment. I called the police and filed a report. The next day I returned to the store and asked if anything could be done. They said they could only offer another television for a discounted...
Economy Adds a Surprising 271,000 Jobs
Washington — An unexpected surge of hiring last month accompanied by strong wage gains suggests that the U.S. labor market remains solid and increases the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will make its first interest rate increase in nearly a decade next month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday that employers across a broad spectrum of industries added a net 271,000 new jobs in October. That is far more than most analysts’...
Output Gains Lag, As Do Wages
Washington — Leroy and Lauri Dixon used to plow $40,000 a year into promoting their party-supply business in a dozen telephone books. Today they spend $4,000 less and reach a lot more people by advertising on Google, Yahoo and Bing. Also gone are the house calls to potential customers; the Dixons and their staff of 15 at Party Plus Tents & Events now get leads through Facebook, Instagram and other social media. Technology has...
As Rich Get Super-Rich, They Pay Lower Taxes
Washington — One of the cornerstones of American income tax policy is that taxes are progressive. People who make more money devote a higher share of their income to federal income taxes than people who make less money. That allows for a redistribution of wealth that lowers inequality. At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. But data out this spring from the Internal Revenue Service gives us a closer look at how such taxes work at...
