Money
The Woman Who Warned About the Financial Meltdown Ahead
Brooksley Born speaks on a re-broadcast of PBS Frontline program, The Warning, about her failed campaign to regulate the secretive, multi-trillion-dollar derivatives market whose crash helped trigger the financial collapse in the fall of 2008. "What was it that was in this market that had to be hidden?" more »
Bernanke: Facing Significant Headwinds
The housing sector typically plays an important role in economic recoveries; the depressed state of housing in the United States is a big reason that the current recovery is less vigorous than we would like... Overall inflation measures reflect these [commodity] price increases: ... over the six months through April, the price index for personal consumption expenditures has risen at an annual rate of about 3-1/2 percent, compared with an average of less than 1 percent over the preceding two years. more »
The Asset Cost of Poor Health
The results of a new study indicate that the asset cost of poor health may be substantially greater than most estimates of out-of-pocket medical spending. Poor health may result in reduced earnings near the end of an individual’s work life, or may trigger expenses associated with home renovation, relocation, or the hiring of various service providers. more »
A Daunting Topic by Elizabeth Duke: How to Improve Consumers' Financial Education
"If our schools can't spare the resources to provide financial literacy as a subject unto itself, I believe that the concepts required for sound financial decisionmaking should ... be incorporated into existing subject areas. Math problems can involve consumer financial calculations. Social studies classes can help students understand the real world financial issues and decisions they will face as young adults" more »