Economy

If you have a new credit card, chances are good you’re paying more for the privilege now than ever before — interest rates have reached an almost unparallelled high.

As consumers, we’re all used to being nickel-and-dimed to death with fees — from charges for checking a bag when we fly to charges to pay a bill online, we see them every day. They may be small, but they add up. And some were even more egregious than others in 2011.

The USPS is launching a feasibility study of ways to cut costs and save money in the national postal system.  Closing or reducing services at mail processing facilities is one proposal on the table, and the Lufkin Mail Processing Center is one that could be closed or affected.

Because of a sharp and disappointing drop in holiday sales compared to a year ago, Sears Holding Corp. says it will close between 100 and 120 Sears and Kmart stores nationwide.

The health risks of obesity are well-documented, but there’s a financial downside, too — data shows obese people also earn less money, especially women.

In light of the Occupy Wall Street movement focusing attention on the “one percent” and the debate over raising taxes on the wealthy, Gallup asked 1,012 adults how much money they would need to make a year in order to consider themselves rich.

Investigators and authorities have learned that a Seattle couple lived in a million-dollar home and traveled the world, all while collecting more than $135,000 in welfare benefits.

Proposed cuts to services from the US Postal Service will save the cash-strapped organization some much-needed funds, but the public may not like the outcome.