Dr B: The State of our Economy

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 
The economic downturn has hurt us all. Black unemployment has been nearly 70% higher than that for white Americans, and the blow is even greater for people of color, since there is less black wealth to fall back on during tough financial times. We must remember, however, that the global [...]

IMF Chief Says Economic Crisis is Complex, Slow to Recover

Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s chief economist
August 19, 2009
(RFE/RL) — According to a new report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the world has begun to recover from recession but the process will not be simple. And sustaining any recovery will require refocusing the United States toward exports and Asia toward imports. The [...]

Dr Boyce – Black Love, Black Money and Black Relationships – What they have in common

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University 
Some people think that money and sex have nothing in common. Actually, they have everything in common. The act of merging your assets with another person’s can be an exhilirating process leading to the high of a lifetime, or it can be a devastating and emotionally crippling experience.
In [...]

Dr Boyce: Soulja Boy’s Bad Money Moves

In his video called "Rich N*gga Sh*t" (I can’t even write the title, since I don’t want to pollute the eyes of my readers. Maybe you can fill in the missing letters, like in the TV gameshow "Wheel of Fortune."), the rapper Soulja Boy has worked overtime to set an all-time record for massive hip [...]

Women and Money: Tiny and Toya Tell a Story

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Syracuse University
OK, was I confused when I found out that Tiny and Toya (TI’s "baby mama" and Lil Wayne’s ex-wife, respectively) were being given a reality show on BET? Yeah, I was a little surprised. If only I could find a way to become a high [...]

Dr Boyce explains the meaning of “consumer confidence”

Beyonce has a song about how she loves men with "big egos." This might imply that she likes men with confidence. Confidence matters a great deal in terms of male/female attraction, but believe it or not, it actually impacts our economy. Every month, the University of Michigan measures consumer confidence, to determine if Americans are [...]

Dr Boyce Money: Raising the Minimum Wage: A Very Good Idea

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
Syracuse University
I am a curious professor, a compassionate capitalist and the owner of a small business. All of these hats create a complex perspective on whether or not it is a good idea to increase the minimum wage. After all, we are in a recession, and one might be tempted to [...]

News: Free from Power 105 Talks to Dr. Boyce about Financial Lovemaking

Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University speaks with Free on Power 105.1 about Financial Lovemaking.  Click here to listen to the interview!

Michael Jackson’s Money Update – Mother Loses Control of the Estate

 

Executors of estate-not MJ’s mother- given control over estate by judge
About MJ’s families fight to claim his estate
U.S. Congressman calls MJ a perverted pedophile who could sing and dance
Did Debbie Rowe want to keep her kids from the Nation of Islam?

Boyce Watkins: Michael Jackson’s Kids and Their Money

by Dr Boyce Watkins
"Stuntin like my daddy" was the first song on the album, "Like Father, Like Son," issued by Lil Wayne and Birdman in 2006. "Stuntin" is a hip hop term synonymous with "flossing," blinging," and "balling." It means that you’ve engaged in excessive spending to ensure that you have the finest of everything [...]

Learning from Michael Jackson’s Debt

by Dr. Boyce Watkins

Janet Jackson honors Michael at BET Awards

Doctor talks to police about Jackson’s final moments
Let’s remember what Michael did for us

Michael Jackson is not dead. No, he’s not on a deserted island chilling with Tupac and Elvis (who some believe faked their deaths), but he is certainly alive in corporate and social [...]

Why I support Obama’s Financial Overhaul

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor Syracuse University
I have a friend who broke both of his legs climbing a dangerous mountain in Southeast Asia. This friend has nearly died 8 times, been chased by bears, and has had food poisoning too many times to count. After his latest injury, we presumed that he would understand [...]

The Changing Face of Retirement

From our Black Money Blog.  For more black wealth advice, please click here.
They grew up during a time of cultural change, and now are being forced to redefine retirement at midlife.
The 77 million Americans in the Baby Boom generation face an economic storm: The Wall Street meltdown trampled their retirement nest eggs more than any [...]

Rebuilding the Brand of Kobe

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
Syracuse University
Kobe Bryant started his career with the LA Lakers as a tremendous athlete with a valuable brand. His stock rose like an elevator, as Madison Avenue loved him as much as Laker fans. Then life took a strange twist. First, there was the nasty departure of Shaquille O’neal, which instantly reduced [...]

America’s Pending Retirement Crisis: Are you and your family prepared?

by Dr. Boyce Watkins, Finance Professor at Syracuse University
www.TheGrio.com
I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But then again, it must not bother me very much, since I am going to give you a big pile of bad news right now. Given that I earned a Masters Degree in the "morbid science" of [...]

Your Black News: Detroit Becoming a Hot Bed for Real Estate Purchases

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — As Detroit home prices in Detroit crash, sales are heating up. But with all of the plant closings and layoffs, who’s buying? Investors — some of whom are snapping up five and 10 houses at a time.
"I have investors from all over the country and the world," said Jeremy Burgess, co-founder [...]

The Capitalist Enslavement of Black America

Dr Boyce Watkins – Syracuse University: Black Scholars Coalition
I recall giving a speech at a university in Upstate New York. We were talking about wealth building for the Black community and how Black folks can remove themselves from the underbelly of American capitalism. I’d heard this school had a reputation for strong liberalism and I [...]

How to Not Lose your home

Black finance expert Ryan Mack brings us advice from a place of real heart to help hard-working Americans deal with the mortgage mess. With his warm brand of personal finance advice, Mack’s strongest words to the community are: "If you are having problems paying your mortgage DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM YOUR HOME!" In part [...]

Wells Fargo Getting Sued by City Governments for Discrimination

by Dr. Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com
Tavis Smiley needs to have a conversation with one of his primary sponsors, Wells Fargo. This week, it was announced that Wells Fargo is being sued by the city of Baltimore for egregiously racist predatory lending practices in the black community. The company has been accused by some former loan officers of [...]

Dr. Christopher Richardson Explains Wells Fargo Alleged Discrimination

Dr. Christopher Richardson
Dr. Christopher Richardson, one of the world’s leading experts on predatory lending and banking, comments on a recent report that Wells Fargo, one of the sponsors of the State of the Black Union event held every year, is being sued by several government agencies due to accusations of financially exploiting and deliberately misleading [...]

Where do you stand financially compared to others?

Polonius wouldnt have gotten very far in America today. He’s the Shakespeare character in Hamlet who warned, neither a borrower, nor a lender be.
Modern society, as we know all too well, is overrun with both borrowers and lenders. But just how big is the typical family’s debt? How fast is it growing? How does your [...]

What You Should Know About the Obama Credit Card Bill

Click the image below to hear what Dr. Boyce Watkins has to say about the new credit card legislation signed by President Barack Obama:
 

Technorati Tags: barack obama,black scholars,credit card legislation,black professors,african american money,black money,african american wealth,black wealth

How to find a job in this economy

Even in the current job market, getting a pink slip doesn’t always lead to long-term unemployment – especially if you’re willing to do the extra legwork it takes to get hired these days. When David Hudson was laid off from his computer programming job, he sharpened his skills, did his [...]

President Obama Signs a new Credit Card Bill

U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law on Friday sweeping reforms that restrict credit card interest rates and fees, marking a victory for Democrats trying to help recession-weary consumers and a setback for banks seeking to retain sorely-needed revenues.
The law is expected to hurt profits of major card issuers such asCitigroup Inc, Bank of America [...]

How to Make sure You Have Enough Life Insurance

For more financial advice, visit www.DrBoyceMoney.com.
It may shock you to read this, but you are going to die. Young people don’t seem to believe they are ever going to leave the earth and even old folks aren’t ready to accept it. Many of us become sole providers for our families under the assumption that [...]

Love and Money: Where Should Couples Draw the Line?

Hip-hop "mogul" Irv Gotti has gotten tremendous criticism for mistreating his estranged wife, Deb. Let’s be real, Irv is mean and appears to be highly inconsiderate. He cheats on Deb openly, disrespects her and doesn’t seem to care if she stays or goes.
"Irv Gotti treats his wife worse than an abandoned dog in a [...]

“Buy Black” Campaign is working

It’s been two months since 2-year-old Cori pulled the gold stud from her left earlobe, and the piercing is threatening to close as her mother, Maggie Anderson, hunts for a replacement.
It’s not that the earring was all that rare — but finding the right store has become a quest of Quixotic proportions.
Maggie and John Anderson [...]

What is the “Wizard of Oz” Syndrome?

by: Lawrence M. Watkins

Last weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to go home to Louisville and attend the Kentucky Derby. Growing up, I was not allowed to participate in many of the Derby festivities. My father was a Major with the Louisville Metro Police Department and was often [...]

Black Financial Expert Boyce Watkins Joins AOL

Syracuse, NY – Dr. Boyce Watkins of Syracuse University has recently joined America Online as a financial writer and expert commentator.  He will be the resident Financial Expert for AOL Black Voices, the premier Black news website in America, with over 100,000 readers per day.  Dr. Watkins has been on the faculty at Syracuse University [...]

Your Black News: New York Pastor Gets $600K Pay Package

Dr Boyce Watkins
www.BoyceWatkins.com
I read today about the financial compensation package of pastor Brad Braxton of the New Riverside Church in Manhattan.  Here is the breakdown of Braxton’s compensation:
$250,000 in salary.
$11,500 monthly housing allowance.
Private school tuition for his child.
A full-time maid.
Entertainment, travel and "professional development" allowances.
Pension and life insurance benefits.
An [...]