Your Money

Iran To Countries Capping Oil Output: Good For You! But Not For Us

5:42pm February 17, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Iran applauded the effort led by Saudi Arabia and Russia to freeze oil production at January levels. But it would not commit itself to participating in plans to cap oil output to drive up prices.

Tax time comes with a new health wrinkle.

Taxpayers Confused By Late Health Law Forms

1:20pm February 17, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

Employers, insurers, Medicare and Medicaid are required to send taxpayers a form showing whether they had health care coverage, but the government has pushed back the deadline for the forms.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Qatar and Venezuela have agreed to freeze oil production at January 2016 levels if other producers do the same.The move reflects growing concern among major oil producers about the economic effects of a prolonged slump in crude price

OPEC Tries To Freeze Oil Output, But Most Say Effort Will Melt Away

7:00pm February 16, 2016

by Marilyn Geewax

Drivers may start to see an uptick in gas prices, but the cause won't be OPEC, analysts say. Prices will drift up with a switch to pricier summer blends, not because OPEC gets its act together.

Arts
Economy

Money May Not Buy You Love, But It Sure Helps

1:19pm February 12, 2016

by Zhai Yun Tan

Someone has to pay for the cocktails on the first date, dinners in that classy restaurant, the wedding by the beach — and that messy divorce. Here are some fun facts on the economics of romance.

How 401(k) Withdrawals Can Complicate Health Plan Subsidies

12:27pm February 09, 2016

by Michelle Andrews

When someone taps into pretax retirement savings, the IRS considers it income. An unexpected withdrawal can change a person's subsidy for health premiums.

States Not Waiting To Close Gender Wage Gap

8:45am February 06, 2016

by Jennifer Ludden

Efforts to close the pay gap between men and women have gone nowhere in Congress, but states are forging ahead with a string of equal pay laws. And new proposals are being debated in two dozen states.

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Economy

Auction Fever: Buyers Share Tricks On How To Grab A Bargain

6:54pm February 04, 2016

by Keith Romer

Not everything can be sold like a box of cereal with a price tag on the side. If something needs to be sold right away, an auction might be the right approach. For buyers, auctions can be a great chance at a bargain, but only if they are wise to the tricks of the trade. Planet Money goes to an auction to scout out techniques.

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R&B singer Kem helps Mwamini Wallace carry bottled water to her vehicle in Flint, Mich., last month.

Michigan Governor Wants $30 Million To Help Pay Bills For Lead-Tainted Water

4:31pm February 03, 2016

by Merrit Kennedy

Flint residents are still being billed for water that's unsafe to drink. Tens of thousands of petitions have demanded a moratorium on residents' drinking water bills.

Consumers have been benefiting from lower gas prices. Here, prices dip below $2 per gallon at an Exxon station in Woodbridge, Va., on Jan. 5.

Why Cheap Gas Might Not Be Good For The U.S. Economy

1:34am January 29, 2016

by Chris Arnold

A drop in global oil prices saved U.S. drivers $100 billion last year. Good news, right? Not so, say some economists. The energy industry is now so big that cheap oil may actually hurt the economy.

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Beyonce performs onstage in 2013 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Can't Buy A Ticket To That Concert You Want To See? Blame Bots

7:36pm January 28, 2016

by Jim Zarroli

A report from New York's attorney general points to abusive practices in the market for live-event tickets on sites such as StubHub. Computer programs snap up seats faster than humans can.

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