salaries

The combination of the high price of college and the less-than-promising job prospects for new grads are fueling a hot debate about the value of a bachelor's degree: Is it worth the money? The Census Bureau parsed the data, and found that of all the variables that effect lifetime earnings, nothing packs the punch that education does.

The vast majority of American businesses are privately held, run by ordinary people with all the same worries the rest of us have. And if you're cutting back on personal spending at home, how likely are you to feel comfortable hiring at work?

This week, researchers at Georgetown took the nation's humanities majors to task for making such unlucrative choices in college. But their report takes too shallow a look at the results of not becoming an engineer. Former Latin American Studies major Loren Berlin offers a wider take on the real value of a B.A. in the humanities.

Wells Fargo's stock dropped by about 5% after it announced its earnings last month, due to lower than expected home mortgage originations. While rising interest rates could be one factor, non-interest expenses jumped from a year ago. Will those expenses lower the target price for the stock?

Forget about cash-stuffed wedding envelopes. A Dutch study suggests brides could pick up an extra half million dollars by doing nothing -- specifically, by not changing their names. Women who kept their maiden names were judged to be more professional, were more likely to win a job, and attracted higher pay, the study showed.

The U.S. set the forces of globalization in motion, and now more than ever, it's clear we're suffering the consequences: high unemployment, stagnant or declining incomes, and rising costs for goods. Can the policies of the surging Tea Party provide solutions, or will they just make matters worse?

Inflation has inched higher in the past six months, but that's not a danger sign, but rather a harbinger of improving economic conditions and a strengthening recovery. And that, in turn, should lead to higher wages and more hiring in the year ahead.

A new study says top-performing teachers turn out students who learn more than the students who had the worst teachers. And that extra learning has a huge impact on earnings -- and the nation's economy. Still, some educational experts say the study raises more questions than it answers.

Compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the ECI usually gets little attention from the general media. Here's why it's a statistic worth tracking: Its current tiny increases are helping keep inflation in check and allowing the Fed to stick to its stimulative policies.

Highly skilled women will lose about a quarter of a million dollars, or as much as a third of their lifetime earnings, by choosing to have a child, making the prospect of raising a family a far more expensive one for college grads than their less-educated counterparts, a new study shows.