recession

Over the weekend, I stumbled upon the solution to our economic woes: Ikea. My epiphany wasn't the result of performance research, extensive data mining or an MRI of Paul Krugman's brain. I was just trying to put together some new office furniture. Go figgah. Whenever I attempt home assembly, my mind tends to wander. This may explain why my home office most resembles Picasso, the Read more...

A year ago, when we first explored the idea of a humor column at Bankrate, the U.S. economy had just (swoosh!) slipped on the banana peel of the market meltdown, staggered dazed (wha? huh?) into the swinging door of the housing bust and (splat!) taken the cream pie of soaring job loss full in the face. Hilarious? Maybe if you were the Marquis de Sade. Not so much if you'd just taken on a Read more...

You can almost hear the collective slaps to the head. This recession has brought to light dumb money management practices, forcing just about all of us to confront our financial foibles. Maybe, for instance, you're one of the ones who panicked and sold during the market bottom. Or, you believed housing prices were guaranteed to rise. The federal government is tapping behavioral Read more...

Breaking up is hard to do, but during a recession, it's even tougher. Throughout Central Florida, couples who want to split up are handicapped: by the high cost of attorneys' fees, because they can't sell their homes or can't afford to set up two households. So some of them are stuck living together -- miserably. "Some are agreeing to be roommates and stay at separate ends of the Read more...

MIAMI -- The American waistline may be expanding, but plus-size shoppers are tightening their belts. People just aren't buying plus-size clothing at the rate they used to. Apparel in general -- being a discretionary purchase -- is suffering because of the economy, but plus-size has been particularly hard hit. According to the NPD Group, a market research company, the overall women's Read more...

America's retirement picture looks anything but rosy. Bankrate's recent survey reveals that 70 percent of Americans worry about saving enough money for retirement. And after getting burned in the recent bear market, only half (49 percent) believe stocks and stock funds offer the best chance for good long-term returns. Even American attitudes about homeownership are mixed. A whopping 92 Read more...

More than 6 million Americans have lost jobs since the recession began in December 2007, and for many, the loss of a job means the loss of health insurance benefits. Even for those who still work, many companies are dialing back health benefits for employees. For instance, about 58 percent of small U.S. employers offered health insurance for their workers five years ago, but that number has Read more...

With nearly one out of every 10 workers currently unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers across the country are updating their skills. Luckily you don't have to go into debt to retool your career. From company-funded retraining programs to adult-targeted financial aid awards to federally funded work force development centers, several free education options are available Read more...

Tough economic times are changing the way Americans collect and redeem credit card rewards program points. Gone are the days of hoarding loyalty and rewards program points for an all-expenses-paid trip to Paris or a weekend romp in Las Vegas. The recession has brought consumers' point redemption habits back to earth -- literally. For the first time in history, more U.S. consumers belong to Read more...

When the going gets tough, the tough go it alone. During recessions, when other job opportunities dry up, the ranks of the self-employed rise, says Brian Headd, economist at the U.S. Small Business Administration, or SBA. Right now, about 12 million people are thinking about or launching a business, says Paul Reynolds, visiting professor at the School of Public Policy at George Mason Read more...