[Post 560] How To Make And Keep Money Goals In 2025 | Money Mind | Money Goals

Summary

How to make and keep money goals in 2025.

 

[Post 559] Package deal: A day in the life of a delivery driver

Summary

It is the season for gifts, parcels and deliveries. But to get the packages to you requires a job with long hours and a lot of heavy lifting. The Straits Times follows deliveryman Don Ng to learn the ins and outs of the job. 

[Post 558] Why Restaurants Have Become So Important To Shopping Malls

Summary

Foot traffic to suburban shopping malls has returned to pre-pandemic levels and high-end malls are thriving. Yelp found that 17 out of the top 25 brands driving consumers to malls are restaurants, and the dining options for visitors have moved well beyond the traditional food court that would include chains like McDonald's, Chipotle and Panda Express. CNBC visited the American Dream Mall in New Jersey to see how dining has evolved at the mall.

[Post 557] Why Fed Rate Cuts Aren’t Making Mortgages Cheaper

Summary

Federal Reserve interest rate decision can affect the cost of mortgages. But that link from the Fed to your monthly payment isn’t direct.  Fed decisions affect the investors demand for debt products like treasury bills and mortgage-backed securities. The shifting demand will, in turn, affect the rates Americans pay for new mortgages. Meanwhile, the Fed is reducing its holdings of debt, which it accrued during recent economic emergencies. That reduction in the Fed's assets, particularly mortgage-backed securities holdings, could keep upward pressure on mortgage rates. The upward pressure may keep rates elevated even as the Fed reduces the federal funds rate heading into 2025.

[Post 556] How Employees Are Coffee Badging To Avoid Full Days At The Office

Summary

Experts indicate that workplace trends often reflect the current job market. During the pandemic, when there was high demand for workers, the concept of 'quiet quitting' became a dominant theme. However, as the job market tightens, especially for white-collar positions, 'coffee badging' is trending. Watch the video above to learn more.

[Post 555] Why Dollar Stores Are Struggling

Summary

Dollar General and Dollar Tree, which also owns Family Dollar, brought in about $70 billion combined in sales in fiscal 2023. Both companies have historically been Wall Street darlings, outperforming the broader market for much of the past decade. But the past two years have played out differently as the dollar store industry is facing an economic environment that has disproportionately affected the dollar store’s core, low-income consumer. Watch the video to find out why dollar stores are struggling.

[Post 554] Why 27 U.S. States Are Going Broke

Summary

27 state governments lack the necessary cash on hand to pay their bills, according to researchers. The debts largely relate to the public pension system, which provides lifetime benefits to state and local government employees. $800b in federal aid during the pandemic obfuscated the long-term challenges of states. As that extra aid expires, even economically powerful states have to tighten their budgets. That could mean more tax hikes or cuts to public services like education and transportation.