Your Money

5 Reasons Why Your Financial Outlook Just Got Better

6:49pm November 07, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Even if a big raise is not imminent for you, five factors are helping stretch today's paycheck: cheap gasoline; a strong dollar; low interest rates; fierce retail competition and a huge corn harvest.

A plane takes off over a departure board at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta last November. Airlines say they expect an uptick in Thanksgiving travel this year.

Jet Fuel Is Down, But Not Enough For A Thanksgiving Fare War

9:29am November 07, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Airlines say they expect an uptick in Thanksgiving travel. This November, jet fuel prices are down, but carriers are using the saved money to upgrade equipment and software rather than cut fares.

Fast-food workers and activists demonstrate outside a Chicago McDonald's in July in favor of a higher minimum wage. Illinois voters on Tuesday called on the state Legislature to approve a $10 minimum wage.

Thumbs Up For Higher Minimum Wages, And For Marijuana Industry

3:44pm November 05, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Voters in Alaska, Arkansas, Nebraska and South Dakota overwhelmingly approved minimum-wage hikes. Illinois voters approved a nonbinding wage-hike referendum. Recreational pot was approved in Oregon.

One proposed solution for New England's energy price spike problem: Importing more liquefied natural gas and feeding it into the pipeline network on the other side of the region's bottleneck.

New England Electricity Prices Spike As Gas Pipelines Lag

11:58am November 05, 2014

by Sam Evans-Brown

Consumers in the region are in for a shock this winter. Electricity rates there are set to jump as much as 50 percent for some customers as New England awaits the construction of more gas pipelines.

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Economy

CVS Pulls Apple Pay, And Many See A Fight Over Mobile Wallets

3:25pm October 27, 2014

by Bill Chappell

Rite Aid took the same step, leading many observers to note that the two companies are part of a group of retailers that's developing its own payment system, called CurrentC.

Macy Gould shared this photo from Lexington, Ky., where the gas prices are under $3.

You're Enjoying Low Gas Prices, But Is It Really A Good Sign?

2:40pm October 23, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

All around the country, drivers are seeing signs that gas prices are depressed. Those drops helped hold down the latest consumer price index. But economists worry about too much of a good thing.

Candice Nelson fits her daughter Arya Kubesh with a Halloween hat at a store at Galleria Mall in Edina, Minn. Retailers are hoping Halloween will give them a good bounce into the peak spending time of the year.

Halloween-Thanksgiving-Hanukkah-Christmas-New-Year Buying Begins

8:58am October 23, 2014

by Marilyn Geewax

Most retailers are feeling optimistic as analysts forecast rising sales over this long shopping season. They are hoping Halloween will give them a good bounce into the peak spending time of the year.

The California Public Employees' Retirement System has capped how much it will pay for some common medical procedures and tests.

More Insurers Put Spending Limits On Medical Treatments

3:29pm October 21, 2014

by Michelle Andrews

To contain costs, some plans are capping how much they will pay for certain routine procedures, such as knee replacements. Patients can be on the hook for anything over the limit.

Your Car Won't Start. Did You Make The Loan Payment?

1:10pm October 21, 2014

by Robert Szypko

Growing numbers of lenders are getting tech savvy, remotely disabling debtors' cars and tracking customer data to ensure timely payment of subprime auto loans.

Amid The Chaos Of Debt Collection, 'Bad Paper' Offers A Riveting Roadmap

5:32am October 19, 2014

by Colin Dwyer

It's not often that a book can mix machetes with hedge funds. Then again, few industries are as chaotic, and compelling, as debt collection — which Jake Halpern's book reveals in alarming detail.