Marketplace Money for July 17, 2009 | Marketplace From American Public Media

Friday, July 17, 2009

In this show. . .

Recession squeezes 2-year schools

With the costs of four-year colleges rising and laid-off workers needing to learn new skills, enrollment at community colleges is way up. But the two-year schools are struggling to meet the demand in the face of budget cuts. Tamara Keith reports.

Entrepreneurs see upside in downturn

While the recession has hit big industries hard, some entrepreneurs have been well-positioned to weather the tough times. Marketplace's Mitchell Hartman talks to small-business owners whose new enterprises are doing quite well.

Straight Story: Balance work-life needs

Economics Editor Chris Farrell says former General Electric CEO Jack Welch's contention that women can't succeed in business without sacrificing family life is nonsense. He says more family-friendly policies are needed in business.

Casting lots with home ownership

Alyssa Katz's book, "Our Lot: How Real Estate Came to Own Us" provides a historical look at how and why we buy homes, and when the real estate market turned scary. She talks with Tess Vigeland.

It's real estate musical chairs

Tess Vigeland talks with a couple who've become "accidental landlords." Instead of selling their old home to buy a new one, they're renting out the old place. And the couple moving in? They're renting out their previous home, too.

Getting Personal

Tess Vigeland and Chris Farrell answer listeners' personal finance questions about changes to Roth IRA accounts, where to get the best interest rates on student loans, whether using online tools to write a will is a good idea, and more.

Hodding Carter IV holds on to his jug of mead

'Daddy helper' makes frugality easier

With no money for camp, Hodding Carter IV is taking his kids' summer entertainment upon himself. That includes helping Dad make mead, an ancient kind of wine, to take the edge off so much quality time.

Web tools make finances more personal

ATMs are no longer novel. Checking your balance online? Old news. For the very latest in Web personal finance tools, Tess talks to CNET's Brian Cooley.

In Vegas, 'It just got worse and worse'

Las Vegas had one of the nation's hottest economies when home prices were rising. Now, it's gone bust. Reporter Krissy Clark meets a former mortgage broker who's trying to make a life after living through the boom's rise and fall.