Following an earlier column on consumer debt, I had the opportunity to discuss the subject with a number of people. One of the questions I was asked was particularly enlightening: “In addition to scaling back spending, what else can someone do to better manage their debt?”
My answer: “read all of the terms of your credit
According to a 2015 World Health Organization report, a mother dies from pregnancy-related complications every 104 seconds. Each time a mother dies, her baby — and even some of her other children — often die as well.
Of the 830 daily global maternal estimated deaths in 2015, 550 or so happened in sub-Saharan Africa, 180 in
Attending college has become increasingly politicized. As a result, discussing the relative costs and benefits of college has become somewhat contentious. This is unfortunate because for many people paying for college will be their second largest purchase, second only to their home.
Similar to purchasing a home, many people fund college with debt. The trend of
Dr. Theodore Roosevelt Malloch’s biography, “Davos, Aspen and Yale,” tells part of the story that unfolds each year at this time in a town high in the Swiss Alps. But who is Ted Malloch? We are talking about someone who has been a high-ranking officer at the United Nations and the World Economic Forum, member
Whether the concern is polluted air, greenhouse emissions or dependency on a finite supply of resources, businesses and governments worldwide have begun the search for cleaner, more abundant fuels. In particular, lives are affected by pollution on a regular basis in Salt Lake. The city was ranked as the seventh most polluted in the U.S.
Due to the difficulty in accessing drugs from brand-name pharmaceutical companies, most patients in developing nations are heavily relying on less-expensive generic drugs.
One inhibiting issue is that of patenting and intellectual property protection. The World Trade Organization’s law stipulates that patents should last for 20 years from the registration date. This presumably will provide the
Finding opportunities and sorting them out from grand possibilities is what Mo Ibrahim has done throughout his lifetime. However, in attempting to change the perceptions of an entire continent, Ibrahim has elevated the scale of his ambitions to a different realm altogether.
When companies participate in an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), the results are fairly conclusive. A Rutgers University comparison of benefits between ESOPs and non-ESOPs shows that employee ownership plans are financially beneficial for workers. Individuals who participate in ESOPs are likely to reap greater financial rewards than those whose employer plans are the traditional
On Dec. 10, 1948, the United Nations General Assembly passed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that created a vision of peace and prosperity for the world. As part of that vision, the Universal Declaration sought to achieve elementary education everywhere.
Though first set forth more than 65 years ago, after multiple reassessments and delays, today
Fancy dining and charity have been closely linked since at least the 19th century. What better way to raise funds for a charity than to collect potential donors together and to feed them? Ticket sales alone raise money, and then an inspirational program conducted over a sumptuous luncheon or dinner persuades the paying guests to reach more deeply into
Open enrollment for the Health Insurance Marketplace ends January 31 for 2016 coverage. A growing number of people shop for their health insurance coverage during the last months of the year using the Health Insurance Marketplace or a state-based insurance exchange. Unfortunately, many of the people who are eligible for financial assistance through the Affordable
Personal debt levels are very high and, since the recent financial crisis, are rapidly rising. The reasons why levels are so high vary. For example, some people have mortgages so and therefore they get a long term asset that comes with their debt. Others, however, fund leisure goods through borrowing.
The scope of leisure goods is
I grew up in the suburbs of Milwaukee, WI. I have many lovely memories of my childhood, often bright and hyperbolic in a way that can only come from the childish excitement of discovery. One such memory is of “The Pothole.” The Pothole was legendary among neighborhood children, and its borders were avoided with gleeful
I was recently speaking with someone about the personal financial challenges that I have observed over time. Toward the end of our conversation the person I was speaking with stated that, “It would likely be helpful if you could distill key personal finance “rules” into a grand list that is easy to follow. Sort of
A good friend recently asked me several questions about selecting a charity. As I was considering how to respond, he asked, “Isn’t it a lot like selecting an investment?”
There are obvious differences between making an investment and supporting a charity. Primary amongst these is that charities are generally chosen to align with one’s belief system
A robust and relatively wealthy middle-class has long been a trademark of the United States. This is still the case, although in recent years we have seen the middle class, as well as the poorest of Americans, lose a portion of their share of the economic pie.
A recent New York Times study shows that America’s
The potential for a long-term job with competitive wages, cash bonuses, paid sick leave and an outstanding retirement plan is an attractive employment opportunity for any job seeker, especially in the wake of what has at times been called “the jobless recovery.” These are real benefits that are provided as part of an employee stock
Winston Churchill is widely regarded as one of the most influential people of the 20th Century. Many political and military books have been written about him. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I came across a recently published book that chronicled Mr. Churchill’s life from a personal finance perspective.
David Lough’s superb book, “No More Champagne:
In the first week of November 2015, Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, reported that the percentage of people living in extreme poverty is projected to fall to around 9.6 percent by the end of this year. While this is excellent news, and mostly due to Chinese economic growth, the fact remains that
Inequality is a phenomenon that humans have dealt with for millennia. No society has been able eliminate inequality and it’s unlikely to ever disappear completely. In the US, inequality has become an increasingly popular topic in the media as different groups advocate for higher wages or additional benefits. A recent poll conducted by The New
