It is easy to forget that the cigarette box-sized device in your pocket is a computer more powerful than the one that sent Apollo 11 to the moon. Smartphones, tablets and laptops now hold some of our most priceless assets. But let's put a price on them: The value of a wired American's digital life averages nearly $55,000, and it's at risk.
The American consumer's financial health is showing signs of improvement, but the weak job market continues to derail the nation's economic recovery -- particularly for people in the lower income brackets, according to September's Consumer Reports Index, released on Tuesday.
Almost nothing loses its value faster after being bought than a car, and 24/7 Wall St. has found the 10 worst performers from a resale standpoint. But the reason most people would expect a new vehicle to drop in value -- poor reliability -- is rarely why they actually depreciated so much.
Amazon (AMZN) boss Jeff Bezos doesn't take the usual approach to sales, technology or even competition. At this week's ShopSmart summit, he spoke with candor about his idiosyncratic strategies, growth opportunities, and how digital technology is still reshaping retailing.
Asian automakers have traditionally fared well in tests conducted by Consumer Reports magazine, and this year is no exception. Overall, eight Japanese and Korean models were named "best values" in their segments, the publication said Monday.
Government measures show that inflation, at 1.6% in January, is still below the Fed's target of 2%. But commodity prices are soaring, and anyone who pays their household bills knows that food and energy prices are rising because of it. Is the Consumer Price Index getting it wrong?
If Apple comes out with an iPhone 5 this summer, what happens to those customers who just shelled out a few hundred dollars for the newly released Verizon iPhone 4 this week? Consumers Union, publisher of the highly influential 'Consumer Reports,' is calling on Verizon to clarify its upgrade policy.
The Consumer Confidence Index jumped far higher than expected in January, and that could have big implications, both for retailers and for your wallet. Here's what you need to know.
Toyota's recent spate of quality woes have allowed competitors to steal sales from the beleaguered automaker. Ford is also catching up with Toyota in another important measure of auto industry success -- consumers' opinions of vehicle brands.
