Dollars and Sense

On Wednesday, the Powerball lottery reached a record $587.5 million. So far two winning tickets have been announced, one in Arizona and one in Missouri. But there's at least one more guaranteed winner: the Internal Revenue Service. Lottery winners can take their prize in the form of a lump sum or an annuity paid over the next 29 years...

Lawmakers in Texas are exploring affordable-education options for people under the financial hammer of the nation’s exploding tuition rates. The most controversial option is a bachelor’s degree for $10,000, which would cover tuition costs and textbooks.

For those holiday shoppers wanting a second chance at the deals they might have missed over Thanksgiving weekend, Cyber Monday awaits. And while there may be a bit less hand-to-hand combat involved, industry experts say that Cyber Monday is great for bargains—as long as you know where to look.

Holiday spending is expected to increase this year, as a new report indicates that more Americans are finally seeing a little reprieve from the last four years of economic anxiety.

Four years ago, during the last presidential campaign, the American economy was collapsing faster than it had since the Great Depression. Now, with the 2012 election upon us, most analysts agree that the economy is in a period of slow recovery—a bit too slow, according to just about everyone.

In a possible sign of further economic recovery, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that wages are making a steady recovery across the board, with a great number of companies now offering higher paying jobs.

Regardless of the American economy’s checkered enthusiasm, it appears as if consumers are currently aboard the fast track to higher taxes and rising prices on things like health care and grocery items scheduled to come around at the turn of the new year.

It took some serious slithering, but Anthony Johnson was able to steal as much as $70,000 a week from unsuspecting movie-theater patrons. According to an accomplice who turned on him, Johnson would purchase a ticket for a movie that women were likely to see. Then he and a female partner would crawl around on the floor of the dark theater, plundering the purses sitting at the ladies' feet. Read Mor

Regardless of who wins the presidential election, starting January 2013 some 163 million workers across the United States will be slapped with a significant tax increase.

While many analysts predict that holiday shopping will remain on the conservative side yet this year, a new survey suggests that more people intend to give the gift of giving to none other than themselves.