Stories related to: money

The German company that supplies Zimbabwe with the paper for its hyper-inflated currency has caved to pressure from the German government and stopped doing business with embattled dictator Robert Mugabe. The secretive Bavarian firm, Giesecke & Devrient, had been airlifting tons of special blank bank notes—fortified with watermarks and other antiforgery features—to Mugabe so that new currency could be printed, adding more zeros,  every couple of weeks. More »

From tech stocks to real estate, the succession of bubble markets leads Joel Stein to ask himself: How can I exploit other people's bad investment decisions? The Los Angeles Times columnist teams up with a Princeton economist "to figure out where people will idiotically dump their money next." Right now green technology, currency, wine, and art offer a great chance to capitalize on the financial misjudgments of others. More »

The wedding industry is a bloated, $10 billion sham that presses each bride to "express her essential self," Janice Turner writes in the London Times . Butterflies in boxes? Check. A “lifesized butterscotch-flavored effigy” of the bride? Check. But as odd offerings increase and wedding bills average $40,000, marriages have hit a 144-year low. More »

A federal appellate court agreed today with a lower court’s ruling that the US must change its paper money to accommodate the blind, who are unable to tell the current, single-size bills apart, the Washington Post reports. The court ruled that the bills violate the Federal Rehabilitation Act, rejecting Treasury's argument that the blind could get along on assistance from others. More »

Unlike mom and dad, young Americans are likely to gab about salary with friends, the New York Times reports. To older generations, "it’s very hush-hush," one 22-year-old said. "You don’t talk about money, politics, or religion with friends. But in this generation, it’s important.” Many young professionals say it helps to navigate the workplace or simply plan a night out. More »

When Eli Estrada found $140,000 in unmarked bills sitting in the middle of the road, he thought he was rich. “That’s just your first reaction,” Estrada tells the Los Angeles Times , “but it’s not yours, and you feel nervous… like you did something wrong.” So the 40-year-old landscaper, deep in debt and supporting his mother, took the money directly to police. More »

Money can buy happiness after all, the Globe & Mail reports. A new study shows that people reported being happier if they spent money on others rather than themselves. "This work suggests that even making small alterations in how we spend money on a daily basis can make a difference in happiness," the lead researcher told the AP. More »

Worried that exchanging your dollars into pounds will leave you with pennies? MSNBC outlines 25 ways to stretch your money in Europe. Find no-cost entertainment, like free days at museums or public concerts. Use a credit card or get cash from an ATM for the best exchange rates and lower fees. Haggle, especially at outdoor markets or street vendors. More »

Vanuatu, a former Anglo-French colony once called the world's happiest country, is de-emphasizing cash in favor of traditional forms of exchange: shells, necklaces, grass mats, and pigs. The Telegraph travels to the South Pacific, where Vanuatu's government decreed a "Year of the Traditional Economy," encouraging citizens to reject consumerism and embrace alternative understandings of wealth. More »

It's never too early to get savvy about money. The Journal 's Jonathan Clements explains how he's put his teens on the right track. Delayed gratification: When they spend their own cash, they make better decisions. Pace yourself: The Clements kids had to make a 3-month allowance last. Family values: Stories, not lectures, get the right values going. Pile on the rich: Clements disparages opulence. Long-term compounding: Choose annuities that incentivize waiting. More »

Some earn money; some write about it. Some do both. CNN Money recommends these six memoirs about money: getting it, managing it, spending it, and not having enough of it: The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre American Sucker by David Denby More »

Don't let emotional pain cloud your judgment on financial matters—you may both end up the poorer for it. Here are five divorce pitfalls to avoid, from USA Today : Clinging to the house if you can't afford the upkeep. Not making a clean break on joint accounts. More »

Give your kids a head start in the real world with these tips from Zen Habits: Let them control a small portion of your budget, like $50 a month for eating out. Show them how to save for large purchases. Teach them to reduce expenses to reach goals faster. More »

Even as the weakening US dollar has Americans dropping European vacation plans, some economists are finding a silver lining: A sudden upswing in exports that could help offset the tanking housing market. And while that jump was predictable, writes the Wall Street Journal, a limp greenback also works to slow one vital export: that of American jobs and factories. More »

Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey continues her reign as the Queen of  Media, topping Forbes' list of 2007's 20 highest earning TV stars with a whopping $260 million. Jerry Seinfeld came in a distant second with $60 million—mostly from residuals. They were followed by Simon Cowell ($45 million), David Letterman ($40 million), Donald Trump ($32 million) and Jay Leno ($32 million). More »

Bank of America has raised its ATM surcharge to $3 for non-customers—and other banks' are likely to follow. That's the highest surcharge in America, and it affects millions, because BoA has the largest ATM network in the country, USA Today reports. Expect the hike to be contageous: "Banks often move like a school of fish on punitive charges such as ATM surcharge," says an analyst. More »

Banks around the world are clamoring to loan money to Russia, just nine years after the country paralyzed the economic world by defaulting on $40 billion in debt. These days, Russia looks like a haven from the US mortgage meltdown. Russian corporations borrowed $29 billion over the last three months, Bloomberg reports, up 40% from last year. More »

A new study shows that paying people to lose weight works, a possible boon to employers and employees beset by the high costs of obesity. Researchers separated participants, who weren’t given a specific weight loss program, into three groups—two of which would be paid either $7 or $14 for weight loss and the third would receive nothing. More »

Following the invasion of Iraq, the US shipped $12 billion in “walking-around” money to Iraq's transitional government, the American-led Coalition Provisional Authority. An astonishing $9 billion has gone missing. Funds "entered a free-for-all where anyone with fingers could take it" as the "Coalition of the Willing turned into the Coalition of the Billing," reports Vanity Fair in a lengthy exposé.  More »

Hey, smarty. You went to an Ivy League school and you have a respectable job, so why are you broke? The Consumerist points out 10 money-suckers that plague otherwise intelligent people: Paying your bills late Overdrafting and ATM fees Traffic and parking tickets More »