What industry/people came out the richest after the Great Depression? And what industry/people do you predict will be the richest after the one we are headed towards? [more inside]
posted by schindyguy on Dec 2, 2008 - 16 answers

With some products, the off-brand is as good as any other brand, sometimes even coming off the same production lines in the same factories. With other products, there is a quality difference between brands. How about for replacement HEPA filters for a Kenmore air cleaner? (And, as a bonus, should I believe the warning against washing and reusing the charcoal pre-filters?) [more inside]
posted by daisyace on Oct 30, 2008 - 4 answers

How to handle a retro-reduced inheritance? [more inside]
posted by Anonymous on Oct 13, 2008 - 14 answers

I want to invest, but I'm a little wary, is a money market the right choice for me? [more inside]
posted by DrDreidel on Oct 7, 2008 - 10 answers

How can I evaluate the financial health of a US bank using publicly available records? [more inside]
posted by croutonsupafreak on Jul 12, 2008 - 12 answers

How is the downturn in the US economy affecting you? [more inside]
posted by bystander on May 5, 2008 - 78 answers

I'm going to Europe for at least a year in September. When should I convert my dollars to euros? [more inside]
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel on Mar 3, 2008 - 17 answers

Bill Hicks said, in one of his acts, and I quote "It's gonna fuck up the economy... the economy thats fake anyway!" Is the economy fake? [more inside]
posted by Effigy2000 on Feb 2, 2008 - 27 answers

I have just been offered a staff position at a large University of California campus. Given that my current job is with a small (employees<15) consulting company in the technology field, and given the current national (and global) economic situation; is a UC job more likely to be stable in the next 5 years when compared to one in a small tech company? Also, what's it like to work at a UC? [more inside]
posted by Anonymous on Jan 23, 2008 - 16 answers

(Possibly Advanced) Economics Filter: How does new value created by industry and economy become money? [more inside]
posted by SlyBevel on Dec 28, 2007 - 32 answers

Should I be worried about an impending collapse of the US dollar? [more inside]
posted by doctorcurly on Sep 20, 2007 - 20 answers

We used to support all of our dollars with gold, is there now a paper dollar behind every electronic dollar in the economy? [more inside]
posted by nameless.k on Sep 10, 2007 - 11 answers

Currency Exchange: I have a handful of Japanese Yen and a desire the British pound wasn't so strong. What are my best options for getting my Yen converted into Sterling? [more inside]
posted by 0bvious on Sep 21, 2006 - 6 answers

When economists talk about broad- and narrow-money, what exactly are they talking about?
posted by dobie on Jul 26, 2006 - 2 answers

Is there a chart that shows what major companies own other companies (preferably constantly updated)? A lot of buyouts / mergers have been taking place lately and I'd like to see how the corporate power is centralized / organized. I also seem to recall a site that mapped power relations between powerful corporate individuals, and that would be of interest as well.
posted by banished on Feb 2, 2005 - 13 answers

FinancialFilter: let's temporarily assume that Stephen Roach is correct, and the US economy is going to collapse. If I have zero debt, but significant dollar-denominated assets, what's my best strategy for handling my affairs? Should I be bulking up on foreign investments, or would they just be dragged down too? Ideas? I'm not a finance wizard, so when someone says "people with debt will be destroyed" it doesn't mean much to me, since I have no debt and don't understand how things ripple throughout the economy.
posted by aramaic on Nov 23, 2004 - 24 answers