The bottom line
Seniors lose $2 billion-plus to scam artists; McDonald's plans for China; Will Google TV fail?; Taxes as a percentage of GDP; Homeownership reaches lowest level since 1998
Seniors lose $2 billion-plus to scam artists
One in five older Americans has been sold an inappropriate investment, paid excessive fees, or been a victim of financial fraud, according to the Investor Protection Trust. Insurer MetLife estimates that seniors lost $2.9 billion last year to financial predators and scam artists.
Money
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
McDonald's plans for China
McDonald’s plans to greatly increase the number of its outlets in China, to 2,000 by 2013, up from 1,300. Hoping to grow its 16 percent of the country’s fast-food market, it also plans to recruit 50,000 employees in China this year.
Bloomberg.com
Will Google TV fail?
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Google TV may be on the skids. The tech giant’s bid to enter the TV market was unveiled last year with software that connects TVs to the Internet. But a key partner producing Google TV devices says more units were returned last quarter than were purchased.
The Wall Street Journal
Taxes as a percentage of GDP
The total tax burden on Americans in 2009, as a percentage of GDP, was 24 percent, lower than it was in 1965. In comparison, Canadians pay 31 percent of GDP in taxes, Britons 34 percent, Germans 37 percent, and the French 42 percent.
Toronto Globe and Mail
Homeownership reaches lowest level since 1998
U.S. homeownership has fallen to its lowest level since 1998. Currently 65.9 percent, the homeownership rate is down from a record high of 69.2 percent in 2004. Analysts say foreclosures and stricter borrowing terms are the chief factors in the decline.
Bloomberg.com
-
Why more and more adults are reaching for soft toys
Under The Radar Does the popularity of the Squishmallow show Gen Z are 'scared to grow up'?
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Magazine solutions - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
Magazine printables - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - December 27, 2024 / January 3, 2025
By The Week US Published
-
The bottom line
feature Working families continue to struggle; The least-trusted industries; The bestselling vehicle; Mobil device use triples; Global unemployment among the young
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature The cost of e-filing; Dipping into nest eggs early; What Americans are drinking; Planning for death; How tax refunds are spent
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Building bigger houses; And tuition at OSU is?; Christmas at McDonald's; Self-gifting at Christmas; Lloyd’s prepares for Hurricane Sandy claims; Google's billions
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Good results for the third quarter; Compensation at financial firms hits a high; Three cities with recovering economies; Good year for car sales; Broadway's best performance ever; Tax bite is less in 2010 than in 1980
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Airlines cut domestic flights; Income up in small cities and rural areas; Bond and Lincoln lift box office earnings; Don't be fooled by Black Friday; The high toll of identity theft
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature The gender pay gap; U.S. economic growth; Parents who argue about money; Online subscriptions rise
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Can the U.S. keep up?; Airlines spend billions on runway taxiing; Americans exaggerate their working hours; The Dow Jones's 67.9 percent gain; Success and summer babies
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
The bottom line
feature Consumer confidence jumps; Wall Street cuts jobs, raises pay; Goldman Sachs's muppet hunt; Desktop web searches decline; Pizza Hut scraps debate freebie
By The Week Staff Last updated