Why has the American economy grown so slowly since the Great Recession?  This year, GDP growth will fall somewhere in the 1.5% to 1.8% range, below the 3% growth rate that is considered a sign of robust economic health.  Critics have blamed everything from China’s slowdown to globally outsourced manufacturing to fiscal fights in Washington.  But new research from economists

If you think taxes are higher than their historical rates, well, it depends on how far back in history you’re comparing them to.  Take a look at the accompanying chart, which shows tax revenue as a percent of total national income for four countries—France, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the U.S.—since 1868.  The chart ends in 2008, and is taken from research by tax

If you drink coffee habitually, you’ll like this.  A new study monitored the coffee intake of 208,500 men and women over the course of 30 years, and found that people who drink coffee in moderation (fewer than five cups a day) received a number of significant health benefits.

Just over 35,000 Americans were killed in automobile crashes in 2015, a 7% increase over the previous year, which represented the largest annual increase since 1965.  Does that mean Americans are less safe, or more safe, than drivers in other parts of the developed world?

How do you become an empowered health care consumer?  A recent blog post on the Forbes magazine website, authored by financial planner/doctor Carolyn McClanahan, suggests that the relationship between doctors and patients is entering a third phase of its long-term evolution.  Phase one was paternalistic, where the doctor told the patient what to do and the patient was expected to do i

Remember Brexit?  Of course you do.  Many short-term traders thought the sky was falling when British voters unexpectedly decided to opt their country out of the European Union.  But the process of extricating the British economy from the complexities of European membership has been deliberate and thoughtful—on both sides. 

You hear about how technology is disrupting entire industries, but one that sees disruption coming most clearly is the auto insurance companies.  Eventually, perhaps within ten years, automobiles will be driving themselves, and the common assumption is that there will be fewer accidents.  But what, exactly, will the industry be insuring: drivers or computer code?  How likely will

It would seem obvious that companies that do well—enjoy better profits and deliver higher returns to their shareholders—would pay their CEOs more, while companies that didn’t fare as well would pay less.

It would also be wrong.

The opening celebration for the 2016 Olympic games is just days away, and of course all you’re hearing about is pollution, crime, unfinished facilities, Zika and cheating Russian athletes.  Chances are, the games will go off without a hitch and be highly-entertaining, despite some of the challenges that the athletes will face in their housing and venues.  But once the games are

According to the Student Loan Marketing Association (more commonly known as Sallie Mae Bank), the average tuition, room and board at a private college comes to $43,921.  Public tuition for in-state students at state colleges amounted to $19,548, with out-of-state students paying an average of $34,031.

How are parents and students finding the cash to afford this expense?