After a three-year hiatus, tens of millions of Americans are starting to make payments again on their federal student loans. While a robust job market and wage growth should ease the sting of the added bill, stubbornly high prices for food and housing have stretched household budgets. Households are less optimistic about their financial well-being and report being worse off than a year ago, according to a September survey released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data. Respondents reported a higher probability of missing a debt payment over the next three...…After a three-year hiatus, tens of millions of Americans are starting to make payments again on their federal student loans. While a robust job market and wage growth should ease the sting of the added bill, stubbornly high prices for food and housing have stretched household budgets. Households are less optimistic about their financial well-being and report being worse off than a year ago, according to a September survey released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s Center for Microeconomic Data. Respondents reported a higher probability of missing a debt payment over the next three...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMarshe Wyche arrived at her store as dawn broke, anxious to see what the night’s protests might have brought. The door had been smashed and windows shattered, and a woman was reaching through one of the jagged openings to nab a potted plant.As Wyche stood Sunday inside Rumors Boutique, the consignment shop she co-founded 13 years ago on a stretch of Richmond once known as “Black Wall Street,” she tried to make sense of it all.“To see my store smashed in — it was really scary,” said Wyche, 35, who is black. “But at the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMarshe Wyche arrived at her store as dawn broke, anxious to see what the night’s protests might have brought. The door had been smashed and windows shattered, and a woman was reaching through one of the jagged openings to nab a potted plant.As Wyche stood Sunday inside Rumors Boutique, the consignment shop she co-founded 13 years ago on a stretch of Richmond once known as “Black Wall Street,” she tried to make sense of it all.“To see my store smashed in — it was really scary,” said Wyche, 35, who is black. “But at the...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSen. Elizabeth Warren is urging Congress to enact extra protections for front-line workers — including medical, grocery, janitorial and child care providers — in its next coronavirus relief package.Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) plan Monday to introduce a 10-point “bill of rights” that calls on lawmakers to go beyond the $2.2 trillion Cares Act to ensure higher wages, universal paid sick leave and job security for all employees — including independent contractors and gig workers — deemed essential during...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareSen. Elizabeth Warren is urging Congress to enact extra protections for front-line workers — including medical, grocery, janitorial and child care providers — in its next coronavirus relief package.Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) plan Monday to introduce a 10-point “bill of rights” that calls on lawmakers to go beyond the $2.2 trillion Cares Act to ensure higher wages, universal paid sick leave and job security for all employees — including independent contractors and gig workers — deemed essential during...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareEarly in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareEarly in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he’d spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket — even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items...WW…

This article was published more than 5 years agoGift ShareToy store chain Toys R Us is planning to sell or close all 800 of its U.S. stores, affecting as many as 33,000 jobs as the company winds down its operations after six decades, according to a source familiar with the matter.The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt — much of it dating to a 2005 leveraged buyout — and has had trouble finding a buyer. There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers,...…This article was published more than 5 years agoGift ShareToy store chain Toys R Us is planning to sell or close all 800 of its U.S. stores, affecting as many as 33,000 jobs as the company winds down its operations after six decades, according to a source familiar with the matter.The news comes six months after the retailer filed for bankruptcy. The company has struggled to pay down nearly $8 billion in debt — much of it dating to a 2005 leveraged buyout — and has had trouble finding a buyer. There were reports earlier this week that Toys R Us had stopped paying its suppliers,...WW…

Listen11 minCommentGift ShareLeslie Morgan is doing everything she can to save money: She quit smoking, cut back on groceries and is rationing hot showers so she can keep her water heater off for days at a time.But it hasn’t been enough, she says. Rent, food and utilities are all becoming more expensive, making it tough for the retired teacher to make ends meet on roughly $3,000 a month in pension and Social Security payments.“Just surviving day to day has become a big concern of mine — because, how in the world?” said Morgan, 65, who lives in Asheville, N.C. “Yes, I can afford what I’m...…Listen11 minCommentGift ShareLeslie Morgan is doing everything she can to save money: She quit smoking, cut back on groceries and is rationing hot showers so she can keep her water heater off for days at a time.But it hasn’t been enough, she says. Rent, food and utilities are all becoming more expensive, making it tough for the retired teacher to make ends meet on roughly $3,000 a month in pension and Social Security payments.“Just surviving day to day has become a big concern of mine — because, how in the world?” said Morgan, 65, who lives in Asheville, N.C. “Yes, I can afford what I’m...WW…

This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareAdrienne Whyte used to go to the mall twice a week, where she might meet up with her personal shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue or scour Macy’s for bedding and kitchenware.But it’s been well over a year since she set foot in a department store — and she isn’t sure when, or whether, she will again.“Now if I need something, I buy it online,” said the 72-year-old retiree from Falls Church, Va. “The department store is a one-stop shop, but so is the Internet.”Department stores, once a middle-class mainstay of...…This article was published more than 1 year agoCommentGift ShareAdrienne Whyte used to go to the mall twice a week, where she might meet up with her personal shoppers at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue or scour Macy’s for bedding and kitchenware.But it’s been well over a year since she set foot in a department store — and she isn’t sure when, or whether, she will again.“Now if I need something, I buy it online,” said the 72-year-old retiree from Falls Church, Va. “The department store is a one-stop shop, but so is the Internet.”Department stores, once a middle-class mainstay of...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWalmart plans to invest $350 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the United States over the next 10 years, a move it says will help create 750,000 jobs.The world’s largest retailer said Wednesday it is committing to source a wide range of American-made products, including textiles, plastics, small electrical appliances, food processing, and pharmaceutical and medical supplies.The announcement follows a similar commitment from 2013, when it said it would invest $250 billion in products made (or grown or...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWalmart plans to invest $350 billion in products made, grown or assembled in the United States over the next 10 years, a move it says will help create 750,000 jobs.The world’s largest retailer said Wednesday it is committing to source a wide range of American-made products, including textiles, plastics, small electrical appliances, food processing, and pharmaceutical and medical supplies.The announcement follows a similar commitment from 2013, when it said it would invest $250 billion in products made (or grown or...WW…

Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he'd spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket - even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items like hand sanitizer and baking yeast in more conspicuous areas. Park...…Early in the pandemic, Joo Park noticed a worrisome shift at the market he manages near downtown Washington: At least once a day, he'd spot someone slipping a package of meat, a bag of rice or other food into a shirt or under a jacket. Diapers, shampoo and laundry detergent began disappearing in bigger numbers, too.Since then, he said, thefts have more than doubled at Capitol Supermarket - even though he now stations more employees at the entrance, asks shoppers to leave backpacks up front and displays high-theft items like hand sanitizer and baking yeast in more conspicuous areas. Park...WW…

Add to list On my list The coronavirus recession tipped dozens of troubled companies into bankruptcy, setting off a rush of store closures, furloughs and layoffs. But several major brands, including Hertz Global, J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, doled out millions in executive bonuses just before filing for Chapter 11 protection, according to a Washington Post analysis of regulatory filings and court documents. Since the pandemic took hold in March, at least 18 large companies have rewarded executives with six- and seven-figure payouts before asking bankruptcy courts to shield them from...…Add to list On my list The coronavirus recession tipped dozens of troubled companies into bankruptcy, setting off a rush of store closures, furloughs and layoffs. But several major brands, including Hertz Global, J.C. Penney and Neiman Marcus, doled out millions in executive bonuses just before filing for Chapter 11 protection, according to a Washington Post analysis of regulatory filings and court documents. Since the pandemic took hold in March, at least 18 large companies have rewarded executives with six- and seven-figure payouts before asking bankruptcy courts to shield them from...WW…