Ever thought something was a bad idea — like walking down a dark street, or adding a feature to a product you thought no one would want — but did it anyway because everyone else around you seemed to think it was ok? Group process can be a wonderful thing. [Keep reading]
I’ve spent my career writing about the scourge of hidden fees and surcharges — and how they wreck the normal price function of market economics — but for once, I’m not sure how I feel about a new fee making the rounds. (In fact, it’s the 10th Anniversary of Gotcha [Keep reading]
k Once upon a time, Americans waited until dinnertime to find out what happened in the world that day. Then, Ted Turner had a crazy itch to scratch and everything changed. Not for the better, I’d argue. For starters, people now tune to TV news — and to the Internet [Keep reading]
I’ve been fascinated lately by the inability of people to use the simple phrase: “I was wrong.” Being wrong is great! It’s a powerful life tool! Sure, it hurts for a moment or two, like ripping off a band-aid. But after that, it’s liberating. Letting go of an idea that [Keep reading]
What’s it like have a baby – to start a family — while living in a homeless shelter? Author Lauren Sandler lets us know by taking us on a painstakingly reported journey through a young mother’s life, from the birth of her son through his first birthday. Readers ride along [Keep reading]
Nearly one-quarter of Americans say they missed their rent or mortgage payment during the first week of May, double the rate that indicated they missed their April payment, according to a new survey. Another 9% say they were only able to scrounge together a partial payment, signaling a brewing crisis [Keep reading]
We are living through the golden age of scams right now, so I’m going to do an ongoing series about coronavirus crimes. First up: My conversation with Grace Brombach, who just wrote a report on scams(PDF) for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. You can hear my conversation with Brombach [Keep reading]
Peer-to-peer payment app Venmo has long told users not to use the service to pay strangers for goods or services. That appears to be changing. The service has quietly added a feature it’s calling the “Venmo Purchase Program.” For a hefty, optional 3% non-refundable fee, which can be added on [Keep reading]
Erin and her son Noah think they’ve finally found a safe place to live, in a quiet Ohio town, invisible to Erin’s abusive ex-husband. But that life is shattered by a disturbing voice mail after a single photo of Noah accidentally appears on a school website. The call sends [Keep reading]
Erin and Noah, on the run from Erin’s abusive ex-husband, make their way from Ohio to Missouri as they search for a safe place to spend the night after a near-disaster that morning at Noah’s school. Even simple tasks like shutting off Internet service are dangerous and mind-numbingly frustrating. That’s [Keep reading]
Bob Sullivan