Call it Bitcoin blowback if you will. And that didn’t take long. Bitcoin’s meteoric valuation rise late last year had the usual impact of such a speculative bubble — during the holidays, everyone from your barista to your grandfather to your taxi driver was asking questions about blockchain and also [Keep reading]
January is a natural time to take stock of your financial life, and to dream big dreams about 2018. Could this be the year you make the leap to homeownership? Or, will you make a big change and trade in your mortgage payment for a landlord? In the complex calculus [Keep reading]
We’re all getting quite the lesson in “speculative execution” today, and why faster isn’t always better. It’s the oldest story in technology — and perhaps in human existence. In a race to make things faster and better and stronger, we’ve once again stumbled into danger, or flown too close to [Keep reading]
As you stroll by the packed windows of January-effect health clubs, consider this: the first month of the year is a time of good intentions that pave the way to…well, despair, anyway. I’d be willing to bet more than half of those health-seeking treadmill joggers in the window will get [Keep reading]
International travelers returning to the U.S. on New Year’s Day faced massive frustration nationwide as the computer systems operated by Customs and Border Protection failed. Long lines and delays were report from New York To Denver to Miami. The New Year’s Day disruption is oddly similar to one that occurred [Keep reading]
Well 2017, it’s been nice to know you. What a year it’s been for consumers, and I don’t mean that in a good way. Looking back at my most clicked-on stories, it’s obvious which headline captured the most attention: The Equifax hack, and all its fallout. At a time like this, [Keep reading]
People rushing to pay their 2018 taxes early to avoid adverse changes in the just-passed Republican tax plan should hit the brakes. It’s very possible that at least some of those early payments will have been made in vain, according to an announcement made Wednesday by the IRS. The payments [Keep reading]
Every year I make a calendar for my family and friends — been doing it 20 years. It’s my way of saying, “Here’s what I’ve been up to for the past 12 months when I probably should have been spending more time with you.” The 12 months, and the cover, are [Keep reading]
If you have any doubts that the companies you trust with your data are indeed watching you closely, a few new creepy ads should disavow you of that notion. In fact, it seems digital firms are starting to lean in to the creepy. The ad above, and the ads below, [Keep reading]
You’ve probably heard that residents in “rich,” high-tax coastal states like New York and California are getting badly screwed by the Republican tax bill that’s about to pass. What you haven’t heard is that plenty of people in decidedly not-rich places like Ohio, Arkansas, Nebraska, and even West Virginia will [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan