Blog Posts by CNBC

By Christina Cheddar Berk, CNBC.com

The disappointing jobs report is stoking fears that another recession may be inevitable, but it is worth considering that there has been some encouraging signs from the retail sector.

If this back-to-school shopping season has taught us anything, it is that if you look at the difference between what consumers are saying and what they are doing, the outlook for consumer spending gets a bit brighter.

The back-to-school season, which extends from July through September, is the second busiest shopping period after Christmas, and many people-rightly or wrongly-look to it to help project how spending will shape up during the upcoming Christmas holiday season.

It is also important for the economy. Consumer spending makes up about 70 percent of the economy, and retail spending is the biggest chuck-or a bit more than 40 percent of all spending.

What is the back-to-school period telling us?

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By Dan Bukszpan, CNBC.com

There are few sensations that can beat the thrill of a frivolous purchase. After struggling all month to make sure that the rent, bills, and car payments are paid in a timely fashion, it can be downright exhilarating to blow a big chunk of change on something unnecessary.

Sadly, the thrill passes once the next billing cycle kicks in. That $300 pair of shoes may have seemed like a well-deserved extravagance, but now it's starting to feel like an ill-advised and anxiety-provoking mistake.

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The morning-after regret of the frolicsome purchase is familiar to almost anyone living on a budget. However, it's something that billionaires never have to confront. They can indulge their whims and buy every toy that catches their fancy, however briefly. This includes antique cars, jumbo jets, and even spaceships. No urge is too outrageous and no desire is too extravagant.

What are some

By Paul Toscano and Jill Weinberger, CNBC.com

NOAA How likely is it that on the East Coast of the U.S., in the same week, an earthquake is felt and a hurricane makes landfall? Statistically speaking, this should occur only once every 128 years.

Based upon information from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there have been 6 earthquakes since 1973 of magnitude 5.0 or greater that could be felt on the East Coast. According to the USGS, this 38 year span is representative of general seismic activity over the past century in a region where earthquakes are relatively rare.



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During any given week, this would mean that the odds that cities on the East Coast would feel an earthquake is roughly 0.304%. In the past 38 years, an earthquake has happened every 329 weeks, or about once every 6.3 years. The last quake that could be felt on the east coast was

By Colleen Kane, CNBC.com

Coworkers With Benefits

If a company hopes to impress potential employees and retain the ones already on board, it's no longer enough to offer the token fitness room and free coffee in the break room.

Some employers are supersizing their benefits and perks, and hopefully this trend is here to stay. Internet startups and tech companies have been at the vanguard of the covet-worthy corporate culture since the days of the dot-com boom. The best of these sound like day camp for (semi-) grownups.

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As for some of the popular new benefits, they fall into a few categories. For the elbow-benders, Miller-Coors has a pub for employees, but so does Yelp (which is rated 5 stars on Yelp.com). Company meals are another big treat-Etsy offers the locally sourced weekly meal with requisite cutesy name "Eatsy."

A major trend in workplace benefits are include

By Cathy Benko, Vice Chairman Deloitte LLP and author of, "The Corporate Lattice" - CNBC.com

GUEST AUTHOR BLOG: Tips For Managing Your Career in the Changing World of Work by Cathy Benko, Vice Chairman Deloitte LLP and author of "The Corporate Lattice: Achieving High Performance In the Changing World of Work."

There's nothing like relaxing on a Sunday morning with a cup of joe and the crossword. A few weeks ago, while leisurely making my way through the Sunday puzzle, I came across the clue "lifetime job." They were looking for a six-letter word beginning with C and ending with the letters E and R. "Career" was the right answer, but it gave me pause: is a career still synonymous with a "lifetime job"? I think not.

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Our world, and by extension the world we work in, is quickly changing. "It's almost like you have to embrace a lot of

Where are the best cities for young Latinos to live, work, play and fall in love?

mun2 ranked the country's biggest cities by how young, affordable, diverse, well-educated and single they are. Above and below are the top 15.


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Latest News from mun2

How we ranked the cities?

mun2 identified the largest metropolitan cities with populations over 500,000 residents.

We then analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and several large national studies that used similar data to narrow the list.

Next, we analyzed more than a dozen criteria for our rankings, including the percentage of 18-34 year-olds per city, Latino college graduation rates, the number of colleges and universities, affordability, housing costs, income growth over time, average salary, percentage of singles, weather, safety, how the city's diversity compares to

Burt Reynolds' Florida Home. Photo provided by Realtor.comBy Dan Bukszpan, CNBC.com

Ever since the housing crisis began, Americans have gotten used to hearing a word that only used to apply to the very desperate - foreclosure. In the past, the word summoned to mind images of abandoned, dilapidated homes with boarded windows, a vacant porch swing and the occasional tumbleweed.

Those days are over, and the foreclosed home in move-in condition is an increasingly common sight today. It seems like something that can happen to anybody, including famous people. The idea that celebrities are immune to market forces is long gone.

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Many of the celebrities who went into foreclosure were in career decline at the time. However, some have gone into foreclosure while still having a popular movie in the multiplexes, or a recording that tops theBillboard charts. Fame is no longer protection from foreclosure, and neither is success.

Who are some of the

By Colleen Kane, CNBC.com

Just about every job entails some measure of stress, and most office jobs require being sedentary at a desk all day. Both of these common factors in the workplace can have negative impacts on health. Even just leaving the house to go to work and going about the workday brings with it risks to health and safety.

But that's nothing compared to the working conditions some endure. At some perilous and unhealthy jobs, workers take their lives into their hands every day. Unfortunately, even more common are jobs that take a gradual toll on the health of the worker.

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Common occupational health hazards include prolonged exposure to harmful substances and vapors, structural failures, accidents, and neglecting to follow safety procedures. As you'll see in the list of least healthy occupations that follows, heavy lifting does a lot of damage in the workplace, causing musculoskeletal injuries and