China Increases Worker Retirement Ages
China’s legislature recently approved a policy that raises the retirement age for workers. The new policy raises the retirement age of men from 60 to 63. The retirement age changes for women are based upon the type of work they do. The retirement age for women with professional careers will change from age 55 to […]
Longshoreman’s Strike Deal Prevents a Major Economic Ripple Effect
Nearly 50,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) reached an agreement to end their strike on Friday, October 4, 2024. These union members are dockworkers at the cargo ports on the nation’s East Coast and Gulf Coast. The United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) which represents ocean shipping companies and port operators offered 62 percent […]
Japan’s New Currency
For the first time in 20 years, Japan has new banknotes (paper currency). On July 3, 2024, the Bank of Japan introduced new 10,000-yen, 5,000-yen, and 1,000-yen bills. They showcase three important figures in Japan’s history. They also include new features to limit counterfeiting, or illegally making fake money. Another new feature of the banknotes […]
National Financial Literacy Month
Since 2003, Congress has designated the month of April as National Financial Literacy Month. This month was chosen to help young people learn how to make smart decisions about money. What Is Financial Literacy? Financial literacy is the ability to manage and take control of personal finances so that one’s financial future is secure. […]
Caitlin Clark Smashes the Records on Court and with the Crowd
Caitlin Clark, a senior with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team, has broken numerous records throughout her four-year career at the school. Not only has she excelled at basketball, but Clark is also responsible for an economic boom in college sports. Basketball Beginnings Clark was born on January 22, 2002, and grew up […]
Revitalizing Tulsa’s Historic Greenwood District
Greenwood is a neighborhood in north Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the early twentieth century, it was referred to as the “Black Wall Street” of America because of its successful African American business district. This nickname was a reference to the prosperous Wall Street financial district in New York City. In 1921 and again in the early […]
Layoffs in the Tech Industry
In 2023, more than 260,000 jobs in the United States were lost in the technology industry. During the first four weeks of 2024, nearly 100 technology companies laid off about 25,000 employees combined. This included workers from Google, Amazon, TikTok, and Microsoft. Why are employees being let go in an industry that continues to innovate? […]
United Auto Workers Tentatively End Strike
Members of the United Auto Workers (UAW) labor union went back to work on October 30, 2023. Since September 15, they had been on a historic strike against the “Big Three” U.S. automakers: Ford Motor Company, General Motors (GM), and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler). It was the first time the UAW had gone on strike at […]
United Auto Workers’ Strike Intensifies
On Friday, September 15, 2023, thousands of autoworkers went on strike. The work stoppage included nearly 13,000 workers at three auto plants in the Midwest. A strike is when union members stop working in order to get their employer to meet their demands. Members of the United Auto Workers union (UAW) organized a strike against […]
Colombian American Makes U.S. History
For the first time in its 109-year history, the Federal Reserve now has a Latina on its governing board. The U.S. Senate confirmed Colombian American economist Dr. Adriana Kugler by a 53-45 vote in September 2023. New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez said Kugler’s place on the Board of Governors is a step in changing the leadership […]