The Latest Debt & Finance Blog

Where Does the Military Stand on the Fiscal Cliff?

By Bill Fay | December 3, 2012

As much as President Obama and Congress have talked about dealing with the “fiscal cliff,” there is one term noticeably missing from the discussion: Sequestration and its effect on the…

New Jersey Residents Don’t Deserve to Pay for Rutgers’ Rice, Pernetti Ousters

By Bill Fay | December 2, 2012

Imagine being forced to leave your job . . . and being forced to accept $1.2 million on your way out the door. That was the case at Rutgers University,…

Groupon and LivingSocial Struggle as Daily Deals Lose Popularity

By Katherine Pilnick | November 30, 2012

Groupon executives decided Thursday to keep their CEO, Andrew Mason, but for how long? Amid rapid revenue declines in the daily deal industry, experts wonder if the fad has run…

Potential Buyers Line Up for Hostess Brands

By Bill Fay | November 30, 2012

Just as Americans were saying their emotional goodbyes to a cultural icon, the Twinkie, Hostess Brands Inc. made an encouraging announcement: More than 100 potential buyers are interested in purchasing…

Unemployment Drops as Job Market Shows Slow Growth

By Bill Fay | November 29, 2012

Unemployment rates fell this week, and analysts are predicting a further decline as more businesses reopen in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Weekly unemployment benefit applications fell by 23,000 to…

Billionaire Warren Buffett Rallies Support for Tax Hikes on the Rich

By Bill Fay | November 28, 2012

The new book about Warren Buffett is called “Tap Dancing To Work,” but what the billionaire investor is saying during promotional appearances this week feels much more like clogging than…

Solving the Deficit Problem by Adding Tax Brackets, Flattening Tax Curve

By Bill Fay | November 28, 2012

In the first round of budget negotiations between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, the congressman blinked first. The day after Obama was re-elected, Boehner said that “revenue was…

The Benefits of Saying No to Grover Norquist

By Bill Fay | November 27, 2012

Pity poor Grover Norquist. The creator and enforcer of “the Pledge” – an agreement signed by 258 Republican members of the U.S. House and Senate never to vote for a…

Obama Returns to Campaign Trail to Push ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Solutions

By Bill Fay | November 27, 2012

The election might be over, but the urge to campaign still burns inside President Obama. Obama, who received a tepid response from congressional leaders about his ideas on solving the…

New SEC Chairman Will Bring Little Change, Analysts Say

By Bill Fay | November 27, 2012

With Mary Schapiro, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman, stepping down next month, industry leaders said the choice of Commissioner Elisse Walter (pictured at right) to take her…