After zooming in and out of Winter Las Vegas Market earlier this month, I was delighted to discover that Winter 2012 was the strongest market recorded from the past three years! According to The Editor at Large, Winter Las Vegas Market officials reported booming attendance among retailers in all categories, interior designers, and international buyers. Robert Maricich, CEO of International Read more

I love renting bikes when I am on vacation. It's a great way to incorporate exercise when traveling and an easy way to test out the waters if you're thinking about buying one. But bikes aren't the only fitness-related things you can rent, which is something I learned when visiting my favorite outdoor gear store, Sports Basement. While I was waiting in line to make my purchase I was surprised to Read more

Looking for an alternative to CareerBuilder and Monster? You might want to listen to what superstar marketer Charlie Hoehn has to say. If you're sick of getting rejection letters and would like to start getting called by companies who want to hire you, free work is the answer. Charlie says free work isn't what you think it is — it's not an internship. Instead, it's freelance projects that you Read more

In the May issue of Vanity Fair, Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph E. Stiglitz collects some shocking statistics in his thought-provoking piece, "Of the 1%, by the 1%, For the 1%." According to Stiglitz, the top one percent of Americans, including business tycoons, congressmen, and banking execs, secure nearly a quarter of the country's income a year and controls 40 percent of the nation's Read more

Before the recession, we were living in a happy bubble, in which real estate prices kept on rising (or so we thought), and Wall Streeters lived like fat cats. Then everything came crashing down — the economic bubble burst, the housing market collapsed, and the big bankers landed on their feet. The truth is, America isn't the same anymore. We have a national debt of over $14 trillion and what Read more

The recession was a shock to everyone's systems, and as a result, more people have picked up frugal habits. According to a New York Times article, consumers have stuck with those thrifty ways post-recession. One of the bigger saving trends is extending the life of products. For example, people are taking longer to upgrade cars and gadgets like phones and laptops; even daily hygiene products like Read more

Wow, on top of all the unique aftereffects of the recession, here's another one: 38 percent of people have postponed divorce or separation plans due to the recession, a survey by the National Marriage Project at University of Virginia finds. Not only that, but another 29 percent said that the economic downturn has "deepened their marriage vows." Don't forget, though, there's also research out Read more

The recession has brought about many things, one of which is a series of TV shows that highlight the downturn in the economy. There's a new one on the block: the brains behind Jersey Shore have come up with "Repo Games," according to CNN. It's a game show hosted by repo men and will feature contestants who are about to lose their cars due to faulty payments. The participants will have to answer Read more

The good news is that jobs are coming back, the bad news is the pay of those jobs are far from stellar, said CNN. According to experts, this job recovery is mainly driven by temp and low-wage jobs, which is concerning. "Growth has been concentrated in mid-wage and lower-wage industries. By contrast, higher-wage industries showed weak growth and even net losses," said Annette Bernhardt, a Read more