The bottom line

The growth of alternative financing

Researchers at George Washington University say one in four Americans has used “alternative financing” options such as payday loans, pawn shops, auto-title loans, and tax-refund anticipation loans.

The Washington Post

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Many Americans skip medical care

Almost half of working-age Americans skipped necessary medical care last year because it was too expensive. Most of those 80 million people were uninsured or underinsured, but 28 percent with good insurance still did without treatment because of cost.

CNN.com

Sales from pot-farms surpass $1 billion

Professional pot farmers run an estimated 2,000 to 4,000 operations that grow marijuana legally. According to an industry publication, the legal pot-farming industry raked in total sales of more than $1.2 billion in 2012.

The Wall Street Journal

How the rich control their fortunes

More than 30 percent of the world’s 200 richest people—with a collective net worth of $2.8 trillion—control their fortunes through offshore holding companies that hide assets from tax authorities and lawsuits.

Bloomberg.com

The habits of Internet buyers

Sixty-nine percent of Internet buyers do research online before purchasing a product, and almost 80 percent of them say they change their purchasing decisions based on negative product reviews. Even more of them—87 percent—say they make up their minds based on positive reviews.

The Wall Street Journal

Middle class anxiety

Fifty-nine percent of Americans who consider themselves solidly middle class “are concerned about falling out of their economic class,” according to a new poll.

NBCNews.com