The Balance • 16th June 2022 Empty Shelves? Long Waits? Blame the Labor Shortage The struggle to find and keep enough workers is the new normal for many employers these days, as are the frustrations of customers impacted by the fallout.
The Balance • 2nd June 2022 Are Student Loan Payments Too Broken To Bring Back? Two years ago, the clock stopped for at least 37 million people with federal student loans. Their stories reveal why many are now questioning the entire lending system.
The Balance • 27th May 2022 Number of the Day: Saving Rate Falls to Lowest Since Great Recession 4.4% - That’s how little income Americans saved in April, the least for any month since 2008 and a clear sign of how hard inflation is hammering budgets.
The Balance • 6th May 2022 Economy Adds 428,000 Jobs, Chugs Toward Full Recovery At this rate, it won’t be long before the job market is back to where it was before COVID-19 changed everything, government data showed Friday.
The Balance • 4th May 2022 Federal Reserve Uses Entire Arsenal on Inflation The Fed wielded both major tools for fighting inflation Wednesday, raising its interest rate by an unusual half percentage point and making plans to cut asset holdings.
Photo by Kindel Media on Pexels The Balance • 23rd March 2022 Off the Charts: Could the Hot Housing Market Have Hit a Tipping Point? Higher mortgage rates might be bringing some balance back to the real estate market, a new poll suggests. A chart marks the potential turning point.
The Balance • 22nd December 2021 Seeing Is Believing: 2021 in Charts For the U.S. economy, 2021 was full of contrasts and extremes, recoveries and setbacks. See all that in 12 of the most compelling metrics we could chart.
The Balance • 9th December 2021 Maybe Banks Don’t Need Overdraft Fees After All Some banks are walking away from overdraft fees as government regulators turn up the heat on a practice that disproportionately impacts lower-income customers.
The Balance • 23rd November 2021 Public Servants Released From Student Debt ‘Sentence’ Changes to a loan forgiveness program for public servants are transforming lives overnight. Teachers and lawyers say they can finally retire or save for a home.
The Balance • 3rd November 2021 Federal Reserve Dictionary: Your Guide to the Jargon As the economy changes, the Federal Reserve’s role is more relevant to consumers and their bottom line. But the Fed’s jargon is dizzying. Here’s what the key terms mean.
The Balance • 12th October 2021 Is the US Economy Headed for ’70s-Style Stagflation? Consumer prices for gas, food, and housing are surging even as the economy appears to be slowing. For some, it’s conjuring fears of 1970s-style stagflation.
The Balance • 24th August 2021 Buyers ‘Take a Deep Breath’ As Housing Market Calms After a year of frenzied competition and desperate tactics, the housing market is starting to look a bit more normal as supply and demand rebalance.
The Balance • 23rd June 2021 Can Memories of Grandma Help Win Home Buying Battles? Looking for ways to stand out in a crowded housing market, more buyers are trying personal letters to sellers.
The Balance • 13th April 2021 Why Student Loan Forgiveness Is a Step Closer A provision in the latest stimulus package makes any student loans canceled through 2025 tax-free, removing an obstacle to Biden authorizing forgiveness on his own.
The Balance • 2nd March 2021 More Stimulus Is Great, But Will It Fan Inflation? More stimulus may give a much-needed boon to the U.S. economy, but some economists are warning to be careful what we wish for.
The Balance • 18th September 2020 Pandemic Creates Test Case for Universal Basic Income Universal basic income, the provocative idea from former presidential candidate Andrew Yang, sounds a lot less outlandish now than it did a year ago.
The Balance • 23rd June 2020 Is the PPP Helping Small Businesses as Intended? The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) is designed to help small businesses keep employees on the payroll. But is it working? Read our analysis.