Hip-hop pays well, very well, at least for Jay-Z. Forbes reports Jay-Z racked up $63 million in the past year -- owing about $22 million in federal and state taxes, a sum greater than the total earnings of every rapper and hip-hop mogul besides second-ranked Diddy.

LeBron James' decision to sign with the Miami Heat means the owners of the New Jersey Nets will miss out on a huge jump in team value that would have likely occurred had the basketball star chosen to move to the Garden State. And one of the Nets' owners is LeBron's pal, Jay-Z. The hip-hop mogul could be missing out on a potential gain of over $5 million.

Even former cocaine kingpins have to worry about brand protection. Infamous drug lord Ricky "Freeway Rick" Ross is suing the rapper known as Rick Ross for alleged violations including trademark infringement and misappropriation, among others, for $50 million in damages.

Rapper-producer Lil Jon is hedging his exposure to the sagging music business by expanding his empire into energy drinks, sunglasses -- and wine.

A year after the eclectic Philly ensemble became Late Night with Jimmy Fallon's house band, it has a new strategy. Drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson discusses the network salary, late-night jams, and less touring.

Grammy-winning producer Jim Jonsin discusses the economics of winning an award: the ability to demand $75,000 per song from a music label, and the potential to demand $150,000.

You can deal with future dollar declines by gaining exposure to foreign currencies -- either by investing in the currencies themselves, or by buying stocks in companies whose earnings aren't denominated in dollars.

The autumn's juicy apples and fresh squash will soon give way to the stale processed foods of winter. And just as people like to pick what produce remains as the agricultural season ends, investors may want to "harvest" their stock market losses as the calendar year closes. Here's the deal: Any...