The green bars are retail sales in every December since 1992.  The red bars are the average monthly sales for the first 11 months of the year.  Keep in mind the red bars include Black Friday. It’s clear that not only are December sales about 30% higher on average, but based on the compression in [...]

Back when the Constitution was being drafted, interstate commerce was a really big deal.  With the federal government being so small, power lived in the states.  States established sales taxes to collect revenue from commerce.  But the internet wasn’t around and so thanks to old school law a number of online retailers don’t have to [...]

Back in 2006, enough people in Washington agreed on a behavioral economics principle to pass a law about it (Pension Reform Act).  It gives employers the authority to automatically enroll employees in 401(k) plans.  The intent is that many people don’t enroll in retirement accounts because they are simply lazy.  The idea works, and companies [...]

The CEO of Zappos has famously explained why they don’t really do coupons and crazy deals.  They don’t want to attract the customer that is only hunting for deals.  They want customers that are loyal shoppers and appreciate their unique brand and service. Most retailers don’t operate that way.  Zappos’ own parent company doesn’t operate [...]

The season of family and holiday parties is just about to start. Lots of conversation over food and drink and invariably, people will start talking about this season’s hot topics. Every family and social situation has its own hot topics, but I’m pretty sure there will be quite a bit of talk around income, especially [...]

Back in college I got a job at a well known national retailer. Well, I did for long enough to deal with the not-so-fun aspect of giving up my holiday. When you’re in school, holidays are everything. Giving them up just to make a few bucks can be a tough decision, unless you really need [...]

Another blogger by the name of Debt Ninja at the blog Punch Debt In The Face succinctly explained the subject matter of most personal finance blogs: Other than the image above his post is made up of just a few words to explain the secret behind personal finance: spend less than you make. I thought [...]

The smartphone today is as prevalent as the Motorola RAZR was a few years ago when carriers started giving them away for free.  Now tweens, great grandmothers, and even a homeless guy I pass on the way to work have some kind of smartphone. We say they are so popular because it allows you to [...]