unemployment

Your Kids Are Bumming Out The Mall Santa

Your Kids Are Bumming Out The Mall Santa

By cwalters 12.14.09

The Wall Street Journal says that this year, mall Santas are spending their breaks looking bleakly at the wall and salting their mugs of bourbon with bitter tears. Why? Because your kids keep sitting on their laps and acting like characters from a Loretta Lynn song. One Santa used to joke that bad kids would get socks, but no more:

This year, he stopped telling the joke. Too many children were asking for socks. “They’ve probably heard their parents say, ‘Geez, I wish I had some money to get them clothes,'” says Mr. Riemersma, 56 years old.

Animated Map Of Rising US Unemployment Since 2007

Animated Map Of Rising US Unemployment Since 2007

By Ben Popken 11.23.09

It’s like watching a slow-motion video of cirrhosis of the lung.

What Cheer? Consumers More Glum Than Ever

What Cheer? Consumers More Glum Than Ever

By cwalters 11.13.09

Retailers have been hoping that we’d enter the annual Festival of Shopping with higher spirits than last year, but it looks like that might not happen after all. The Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index was updated today, and it shows a drop to 66.0, “well below October’s reading of 70.6 and a sharp reversal of the 71.0 figure economists had expected.”

Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet

Keep Track Of Which Diploma Mills Will Work Out Best For Your Pet

By cwalters 11.10.09

In this job market, anything you can do to give your cat or dog an edge is worth pursuing. That’s why you shouldn’t enroll your pet in just any diploma mill—you want one that’s a proven scam. Boingboing points out that there’s a Wikipedia page to keep track of animals with fraudulent diplomas to make it easier to comparison shop for that next fake certificate.

Golden Parachute Or Gilded Noose?

Golden Parachute Or Gilded Noose?

By Ben Popken 11.10.09

WSJ takes a look at the “severance class” – unemployed formerly high-ranking folks burning through their chunky termination pay package to maintain the outward apperance of their pre-pink slip lifestlye.

Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB

Capital One Activates Payment Protection Plan Thanks To EECB

By cwalters 11.7.09

Earlier this week, I posted about a college student who couldn’t get Capital One’s Emergency Payment Protection Plan activated on his account because of missed deadlines. Andon wrote back today to say that after he sent an EECB to the credit card company’s executives, they apologized and activated the service.

What You Need To Know About Today's Unemployment Benefits Extension

What You Need To Know About Today's Unemployment Benefits Extension

By cwalters 11.6.09

If you’re still struggling to find a job in the current economy, you’ll be happy to know that this morning President Obama is expected to sign legislation to extend benefits for few more months. The New York Times has more info on how the extension will work, and who qualifies for it.

Unemployment Hits A 26-Year High Of 10.2%

Unemployment Hits A 26-Year High Of 10.2%

By 11.6.09

The pace of job losses has slowed significantly, but the economy still divested itself of 190,000 jobs in October, sending the national unemployment rate to 10.2%, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It should be noted that the unemployment rate only tracks people actively seeking work.

Capital One Tricks Customer Into Not Activating Emergency Payment Protection Plan

Capital One Tricks Customer Into Not Activating Emergency Payment Protection Plan

By cwalters 11.3.09

Cory wrote in earlier to complain about Capital One‘s nasty habit of having their collection department call you to upsell you on other products. At almost the same time, Andon wrote to us to let us know that the company’s protection plan—the sort of thing they’re trying to sell to people like Cory—is useless unless you can manipulate time (Andon can’t).

Costco Will Expand Food Stamp Program Nationwide

Costco Will Expand Food Stamp Program Nationwide

By cwalters 10.28.09

It turns out more Costco customers use food stamps than CEO James D. Sinegal originally thought, because after a test run earlier this year the company has decided to roll out the program nationwide.

Being Unemployed In A Downturn Will Damage Your Career Forever

Being Unemployed In A Downturn Will Damage Your Career Forever

By 10.18.09

If you’re just starting out in your career, BusinessWeek has some sobering news for you. Statistics show that people who come of age and spend the early years of their careers un- or underemployed will fall behind their always-employed peers in both earnings and career status, and most will never recover the lost ground.

Unemployment Visualized As A Zombie Outbreak

Unemployment Visualized As A Zombie Outbreak

By cwalters 10.12.09 — Updated: 2.28.13

At some point, we’re going to have to stop referring to every red-hued outbreak map as being zombie-like, but this is not that point. It’s nearly Halloween, the #2 movie in the nation is Zombieland, and yesterday the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis warned that unemployment may exceed 10% before the end of the year. This is the appropriate way to view unemployment today.

6.3 Unemployed Americans Now Compete For Every Job Opening

6.3 Unemployed Americans Now Compete For Every Job Opening

By 10.10.09

As if your job search wasn’t already discouraging enough, this month the Department of Labor reported that there are now 6.3 applicants competing for every job opening. That’s the highest since the recession began.

It Will Take You Six Months To Find A New Job

It Will Take You Six Months To Find A New Job

By consumerist.com 10.2.09

If you’ve been out of work for months, and still don’t have any leads on your next job, you’ve got a lot of company. According to the latest government job report, the average job search now takes over six months, the longest average since the government started tracking unemployment in 1948.

13 More Weeks Of Unemployment Benefits For Some Americans

13 More Weeks Of Unemployment Benefits For Some Americans

By 9.24.09

On Tuesday, the House voted to extend unemployment benefits for Americans who live in states where the unemployment rate is greater than 8.5 percent. 400,000 people were set to run out of benefits at the end of September, and will now continue to receive them until the end of the year if the bill passes.

Couple Attempts To Stretch Half A Year's Pay Into A Full Year

Couple Attempts To Stretch Half A Year's Pay Into A Full Year

By cwalters 9.18.09

CNN profiles a young family living in a Chicago suburb who have decided to carry out an experiment in frugal living—they want to see if they can reduce their expenses enough to get by on about half of what they made before the wife and sole breadwinner was laid off earlier this summer.

How To Win Your Local Job Fair

How To Win Your Local Job Fair

By Phil Villarreal 9.17.09

The anonymous, newly unemployed personal finance blogger behind Well-Heeled with a Mission put together a timely, helpful guide on how to avoid wasting your time at job fairs and actually come away with the experience with some positives rather than feel as though you’ve wasted your time in a cattle call.

«Previous Page
Next Page»