Personal Economics
  • U.S. Poverty Rate Rises to 1 in 6

    By HOPE YEN

    The ranks of the nation's poor swelled to nearly 1 in 6 people last year, reaching a new high as long-term unemployment woes left millions of Americans struggling and out of work. The number of...

  • More College Grads File for Bankruptcy

    By YLAN Q. MUI, The Washington Post

    College graduates are the fastest-growing group of consumers who have filed for bankruptcy protection in the past five years, according to a new study by a financial nonprofit, which underscores the...

  • Obama: Tax Wealthy to Pay for Jobs Plan

    By David Nakamura, The Washington Post

    President Obama, who is sending his jobs plan to Congress this wevening, is proposing to pay for it by limiting tax deductions for individuals who earn more than $200,000 and couples earning more...

  • Wal-Mart Brings Back Layaway

    By YLAN Q. MUI, The Washington Post

    Wal-Mart announced Thursday that it is bringing back layaway for the holiday season, part of the big box behemoth’s ongoing efforts to recover from recent missteps and draw back customers still...

  • Working-age Adults Make up Record Share of US Poor

    By HOPE YEN

    Counting adults 18-64 who were laid off in the recent recession as well as single twenty-somethings still looking for jobs, the new working-age poor represent nearly 3 out of 5 poor people — a switch...