Consumers see or hear thousands of advertisements each day. The April 2017 issue of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance reviews advertising history and strategies ads use to create demand and influence consumer tastes and preferences.

There are many reasons to keep your money in a bank or credit union. The October 2020 issue of Page One Economics®: Focus on Finance describes what banks, credit unions, and online banks are and outlines things to consider when choosing where to have an account and what type of account to have.

Many people find themselves in financial trouble, but it is good to know there are options available should you need serious financial help. The April 2018 bonus edition of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance discusses earning income, budgeting, late payments, and collections. It introduces the basics of legal protection offered in the form of bankruptcy and describes some potential consequences of filing a bankruptcy case.

While many people have heard of Bitcoin, far fewer understand it. In short, Bitcoin is a digital currency that allows transactions independent of the banking system. Lately, many people are buying Bitcoin purely as a financial investment, hoping it will appreciate. So which is it—currency or financial asset? Read more about it in the March 2018 issue of Page One Economics.

What do you need to know before buying a car? Aside from knowing what you want in a vehicle, you’ll need to know about budgeting and credit before you start shopping. Learn some car-buying basics in the February 2019 Page One Economics: Focus on Finance essay.

As the Rolling Stones song says, "You can't always get what you want." So we make choices. Every day, governments and individuals choose how much money to spend and what to purchase. The January 2013 issue discusses opportunity costs and scarcity and how they effect our spending decisions.

It's often said that a college degree is the key to future success. Choosing to attend college is a major decision for young people. But why is a degree so important? The December 2015 issue of Page One Economics examines two economic models used to study how education, productivity, and income are related.

Credit bureaus have evolved into big businesses. The December 2017 issue of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance addresses the growth of credit bureaus and how the credit reports they maintain affect both creditors and borrowers.

FRED® (Federal Reserve Economic Data) provides access to a wide range of data from multiple sources. Describing the source of data used in a presentation, written report, or research project with a citation makes that work more thorough and easier to replicate. This article describes the elements of a good data citation for new data users and serves as a reference for advanced data users.

Is international trade good for Americans? The November 2017 issue of Page One Economics provides the ins and outs of trade, including some history, the costs and benefits, and policy choices.

How are economics and the environment related? The quick answer is that environmental quality is a worthy goal, but there is an economic trade-off: a clean environment does not come without costs. The September 2014 Page One Economics article, "Economics and the Environment, "provides some economic strategies for protecting the environment.

Years ago, airline passengers enjoyed more legroom and in-flight extras—for a price. Find out in the November 2018 issue of Page One Economics how deregulation increased competition, lowered prices, and created crowded flights.

America is a nation of immigrants, who currently make up about 13 percent of the overall population. The May 2014 issue shows how immigration affects the average American. The essay weighs the costs and benefits of immigration and discusses the concept of immigrant workers as substitutes for and complements to native-born workers.

People are passionate about professional sports—they give people pride and a sense of community. And they create economic benefits for the community. But should tax dollars be used to subsidize sports stadiums? The May 2017 issue of Page One Economics describes some pros and cons.

No surprise—people with more education often earn higher incomes and are unemployed less than those with less education. Those with higher incomes also tend to accumulate more wealth. Why? Research shows that well-educated people tend to make financial decisions that help build wealth. Their strategies, though, can be used by anyone.

The lump of labor fallacy holds that there is a fixed amount of work to be done, which determines the number of jobs in an economy. If this were true, new jobs could not be generated, just reallocated. This essay provides some clear thinking about the role of labor in an economy.

Oil prices affect the U.S. economy in many ways. For example, fluctuations in the price of oil can influence inflation, unemployment, and disposable income. Some local economies with close ties to the oil industry, however, are affected even more directly in both positive and negative ways. The May 2015 issue covers one recent example of the local impact of oil prices.

Payday loans are convenient and provide FAST cash to cover emergency situations or help pay a borrower’s expenses from one paycheck to the next. But the fee-based structure of payday lending is quite different from a traditional loan, and laws vary among the states. The April 2019 edition of Page One Economics®: Focus on Finance takes a look at the structure and fees that make these loans costly.

Stocks and bonds offer potential gains for investors, but they can also help fuel the economy. The October 2016 issue of Page One Economics: Focus on Finance explains how stocks and bonds can help companies grow, entrepreneurs start businesses, and governments fund public projects.

Prepaid cards were invented to solve a problem: replacing coin usage in pay telephones. Since then, prepaid cards have evolved into a huge competitive market for general-purpose reloadable (GPR) prepaid cards. Read more about GPR prepaid cards in the May 2015 inaugural edition of Page One Economics Focus on Finance.