Recession? What recession? I must admit that was my reaction lately upon learning of the existence of “baby planners.” Add them to the growing list of personal service providers who, for $100 an hour and up, will help coordinate the nitty-gritty details of major life milestones people used to handle on their own. Some of [...]
Binyamin Appelbaum continues The New York Times’ coverage of the SEC lawsuit against Goldman Sachs with a context builder to explain what each side is up against. He writes: “To a layperson, the case against Goldman may seem clear cut. After all, investors did not know some information about the product that they might have [...]
This tutorial will guide you through some highlights from an online chat with personal finance columnist and author John Wasik. Wasik is an award-winning author of 13 books on topics ranging from history, politics, the environment, economics and investing. He is a personal finance columnist for Bloomberg News and regular contributor to Huffington Post. We [...]
Below is the agenda for our “Covering the Green Economy” seminar on June 28-30. This three-day specialized workshop will help journalists spot greenwashing, understand how to track stimulus money earmarked for “green” initiatives and get up to speed on eco-trends in a variety of industries. The seminar’s jam-packed schedule and a list of top-notch speakers, [...]
After the worst U.S. mining disaster in almost 40 years left 29 miners dead, NPR’s Howard Berkes took a look at the proxy statement for the mine’s owner, Massey Energy Co., to see what it said about safety. He found that “Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship was paid $17.8 million last year even as some [...]
Lots of housing-related economic data will be freshened this week, giving you a few news pegs for another story about the home buying and selling markets in your region. On Wednesday, the Mortgage Bankers Association updates the applications data. On Thursday, the National Association of Realtors reports March existing home sales, and on Friday the [...]
These days Jeff Goodell, a best-selling author and investigative environmental journalist, is everywhere. First broadcast outlets, radio stations and print media wanted Goodell to provide insight into the West Virginia mine explosion. Makes sense since he’s the author of one of most well-known books to pull back the curtain on coal,“The Big Coal.” Then after the [...]
Oversight of financial institutions is in spotlight again this week. On one hand you have the stunning fraud charges from Friday against Goldman Sachs, which allege that the company knowingly sold subprime mortgage securities to investors, even as it bet against those securities with its own complex investments. Meanwhile, the Senate is expected this week [...]
Who would’ve believed that fluffy volcanic ash from peaceful Iceland could cause global air-traffic gridlock ? Aside from the aggravation factor, this disruption will take an enormous economic toll on people and industries already suffering from financial malaise. Here’s a recent New York Times piece about some aspects of commerce – such as perishable foods [...]
