In his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, Jonah Lehrer writes about how Barbie was actually the result of a cultural misunderstanding -- an innocent mix-up that became a huge moneymaker for Mattel.

As an example of how volatile these markets can be, the Bangladesh stock market sat near the top of Bespoke Investment Group's 2010 list of stock market performance by country, with a 75% return. A year later it was down 33%, and is down another 19% so far this year. That kind of volatility...

The NFL scandal over bounties has put big money at risk -- not just for the New Orleans Saints, but for the whole league. With so much ad revenue at stake, it's no wonder the NFL is pushing so hard against any offensive behavior.

It has been 63 years since Frank McNamara invented the credit card, and those little pieces of plastic are everywhere. But now, a groundbreaking new technology could upend the industry he created.

Walmart built a successful retail empire powered by low prices and high volume, but it hasn't kept innovating. Now other companies are successfully changing consumers' behaviors in a way that is slowly strangling the world's largest retailer.

I'm no Apple hater, but I don't see the appeal of its expensive new iPad. Clearly, I'm in the minority here -- Apple sold 3 million of them in a single weekend -- but allow me to explain.

What terrifies a man as smart and successful as Bill Gates? What's the real reason for his early retirement? These two words.

A business journalist reveals the three stocks he most regrets mishandling -- investments that could have made his portfolio much larger than it is today. Learn from his mistakes, and you can avoid making them yourself.

When asked for the secret of his success, baseball player Wee Willie Keeler replied, "Hit 'em where they ain't." What worked for Willie at the plate applies equally well in investing. Seeking stocks that others ignore, shun, or simply forget gives individual investors like you an edge over the...

Do you fear something awful is around the corner when it comes to your finances? Given recent years' economic woes, it's not unreasonable. But you can turn your worries to your advantage by planning for the worst before anything goes wrong.