Your Money

Michael and Katharine Powers don't expect to be able to retire. Here, they are with two of their daughters and Michael's grandfather.

Golden Years Tainted As Retirement Savings Dwindle

8:58am June 10, 2013

by NPR Staff

Forty-seven-year-old Michael Powers says he expects to be working for a long time. He and fellow members of Generation X, ages 38 to 47, are on track to be the first generation to do worse in retirement than their parents. Assuming they retire at all.

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Economy

Resisting The Temptation To 'Win' When Investing

8:17pm June 05, 2013

by Uri Berliner

Some financial experts say the fees charged by actively managed mutual funds are not worth it. Over the long haul, they could cost a retirement account tens of thousands of dollars. So NPR's Uri Berliner explores funds that have minimal expenses.

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President Obama, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan at his side, calls on Congress on June 21, 2012, to stop interest rates on student loans from doubling. He is going to make that appeal again Friday.

Obama Presses Congress On Student Loan Rates

11:25am May 31, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Interest rates on government-backed college loans are set to double July 1 — unless Congress agrees on a fix before then. The president is expected to urge Congress on Friday to block that increase.

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By leasing land for drilling, city leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, hope to generate funds to demolish vacant buildings.

What's Under Youngstown May Help What's On Top

7:18pm May 29, 2013

City leaders in Youngstown, Ohio, are hoping that by leasing land to drilling companies, they might generate funds to demolish vacant homes and buildings. Some refer to this as "frackmolishing," and opponents worry the drilling will cause environmental damage.

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Jonathan Heisey-Grove kisses his 4-month-old son, Zane, in their home in Alexandria, Va. Jonathan is part of a growing number of fathers who stay at home full time while their wives financially support the family.

Stay-At-Home Dads, Breadwinner Moms And Making It All Work

9:21pm May 16, 2013

by Jennifer Ludden

For decades, the role of breadwinner was reserved for men, but today, more than a quarter of American working women earn more than their spouses. That means more fathers are opting to stay home with the kids.

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The Tricky Business Of Retirement: Hidden 401(K) Fees

2:04pm May 16, 2013

You could end up with a lot less savings at 65 than you ever anticipated because of fees charged by the financial institutions managing your retirement accounts. Robert Hiltonsmith, who researches retirement security, says those fees were disclosed to 401(k) plan participants until only recently.

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Managing The $30 Million 'One Fund' To Aid Boston Victims

1:59pm May 16, 2013

Days after the marathon bombing, officials established the One Fund for Boston to assist victims and their families. Attorney Ken Feinberg, who managed similar funds after Sept. 11 and Virginia Tech and is managing this fund, says there's no easy way to decide who gets how much of the $30 million that's been donated.

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Economy

Peers Find Less Pressure Borrowing From Each Other

8:10am May 10, 2013

by Wendy Kaufman

The Internet has managed to disrupt many industries, from publishing to music. So why not lending? Google's recent investment in Lending Club has raised the profile of peer-to-peer lending, which gets borrowers and lenders together outside the conventional banking system.

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The Senate on Monday approved a bill to allow states to collect sales taxes from online retailers. Proponents say sellers will get help navigating tax collection, but many retailers says complying will be burdensome and opens the door for unforeseen probl

Some Net Retailers Aren't Buying Online Sales Tax Proposal

9:00pm May 06, 2013

by Yuki Noguchi

Proponents of the bill, currently before Congress, say collecting taxes from online sales should be relatively simple for retailers. But with close to 10,000 tax jurisdictions around the country, some online businesses say collecting the taxes and navigating potential problems will be a costly burden.

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Casual clothing detail fashion background made in the USA

Ethical Fashion: Is The Tragedy In Bangladesh A Final Straw?

4:05pm May 02, 2013

Since a garment factory collapsed last month in Dhaka, killing more than 400 people, ethical fashion has been in the spotlight. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion, explains the economy that created this tragedy and what we can do to fix it.

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