After putting your local coffee shop out of business years ago, Starbucks is looking to do the same to that bakery down the street. The coffee behemoth recently announced plans to begin testing various warm pastries, croissants and other baked items in hopes that their success will ultimately lead to national distribution.
The dream of many college graduates—to earn a good-enough starting salary to pay off student loans without being rendered homeless or forced into starvation—comes easier or harder depending on where they graduate.
With that in mind, which American colleges offer the worst possible opportunity for a earning a decent entry-level salary, and which offer the best?
In an attempt to be a forethought on the shopping lists of parents this holiday season, Toys R Us has announced plans to match the prices of their competition. The company’s new “price-match guarantee” will be extended to all products from Toys R Us and Babies R Us retail outlets.
These days more credit card customers are paying their bills on time than they have over the course of the last decade.
A report released earlier today by the American Bankers Association indicates that delinquencies on credit cards are currently at an 11-year low, with only 2.93 percent of credit accounts reported past due by 30 days or more. These figures come in substantially under the 3.91 percent 15-year average.
So, what’s with all of the newfound responsibility?
According to a study by the Congressional Research Service, roughly 2,360 millionaires collected unemployment insurance benefits in 2009. The study, titled “Receipt of Unemployment Insurance by Higher-Income Unemployed Workers,” determined that 2 percent of unemployment insurance claims received in 2009 were to millionaires, adding up to nearly $21 million in benefits.
If you want to buy something but don't currently have enough money, one option is to use layaway. Under that plan, the customer makes payments in installments and doesn't receive the item from the store until they have paid the full price.
Those who want to buy their holiday gifts this way probably have to start thinking about doing so soon. So how many holiday shoppers are planning on using layaway this season?
Last week, Sears and Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Red Lobster) announced that they were seriously entertaining the idea of doing away with their traditional health insurance programs and opting instead to provide their employees with a heath-coverage allowance.
The two major American companies plan to allow employees to select coverage through an online marketplace, where workers will have the opportunity to browse and purchase various employer-backed health plans.
Have an American Express card that you never leave home without? You can expect a refund.
According to a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, American Express will be refunding $85 million to some 250,000 customers due to what officials are calling deceptive practices that include the charging of illegal late fees and discrimination against applicants 35 years old and up.
For nearly a decade, American Express was guilty of committing various infractions against its card owners that cheated customers into believing they were obtaining benefits like sign-up bonuses and improved credit scores that never came to pass.
Consumer error appears to be greatly benefiting the financial industry, as a new banking report finds that charges to checking accounts caused by insufficient funds generated $31.5 billion last year. That is up from $30.8 million the year before, marking roughly an overall 2 percent increase.
