Shoplifting costs U.S. businesses more than $30 billion a year, but studies show it remains an underreported crime — and one on the rise in the wake of an improving economy. While people seem to be drawn to more “ethical stealing” during a recession, one explanation for the rise in theft, says Rachel Shteir, author of the new book The Steal, is that people feel less guilty for shoplifting when they see the excess of celebrities and other wealthy people.
The author of New York Times bestseller Women Food and God lost her entire life’s savings in the Bernie Madoff scam. Since then, Geneen Roth has come to realize an ugly truth: For years, her relationship with money had been just as unhealthy as her relationship with food. She always wanted more of both, and [...]
Plenty of people survive on a monthly budget of $1,000 or less. But when you’re accustomed to spending $4,000 or $5,000 a month without thinking too much about it, abruptly switching to a $1,000-a-month budget requires some serious lifestyle adjustments.
For thoughtful, insightful answers—or at least discussions with some funny comments—about these and other pressing consumer issues, here’s a roundup of recent posts and stories. The list even includes a special bonus question: What’s the difference between a collection and junk?
It is Valentine’s Day. For desperate, procrastination-prone men everywhere, the clock is ticking. You might assume that expensive jewelry or a pricey night on the town are your only options. But, according to 10 women who understand value better than most—after all, they write about money and personal finance for their livelihoods—the best, most memorable [...]
Liz Weston, author of a new personal finance bible of sorts, issues this key point in as straightforward a way as possible: “Anybody with a high school education can figure out the basics of money.”
Next up in our personal finance guru Q&A series is Farnoosh Torabi, who doles out financial advice regularly on all the major morning talk shows, writes MoneyWatch’s Your So Money blog, and has a new book out called Psych Yourself Rich: Get the Mindset and Discipline You Need to Build Your Financial Life.
In the first of a new series of Q&As with personal finance experts, the TV host and author of Generation Debt offers her thoughts on everything from why she would never pay cash—or even put more than 20% down—when buying a house, to why she always pays top dollar for quality tequila.
