The economy may be getting stronger, but everybody is still looking to make a buck in any way possible. Verizon Wireless, the nation’s largest mobile provider, is no different, particularly since it had “a fourth-quarter decline in its wireless profit margins,” thanks in large part to “hefty subsidies” it had to fork over to Apple for its iPhone, according to Reuters.

Partially as a result, Verizon Wireless users will get the honor starting April 22 of paying an extra $30 when they decide to upgrade to a new phone. So consumers will pay the price of the new mobile device as well as the $30 service fee to upgrade. 

Verizon, of course, would like consumers to know that they are not the only wireless company doing this. “AT&T Inc. said in January that it would tighten its upgrade policies this year to help reduce its costs for handset upgrades, but has not provided details,” Reuters reports. Perhaps this change at Verizon will now open the door for a similar effort by AT&T.Continue reading...

Remember the "Simpsons" episode when Mr. Burns decided he felt bad about all the money he was making while the rest of the town suffered, so he decided to give everyone in Springfield five thousand dollars? Me neither. That’s because it never happened. And if even a fictional money grubbing billionaire is keeping every penny to himself, why would the real world equivalent do anything differently?

The truth is they wouldn’t. At least, not anything so altruistic. In response to Thursday’s announcement that Goldman Sachs (dubbed “sacks of gold” by some) achieved record profits in 2009, at a time when recessionary woes, high levels of unemployment, and a general economic malaise has blanketed the country like nuclear fallout, the company decided to scale back the amount it had set aside for bonuses.Continue reading...

The Washington Redskins — along with baseball's Cleveland Indians, one of the last two teams in US pro sports to cling to an archaic, racially tinged brand — are playing an aggressive game against their cash-strapped fans. Long-suffering season ticketholder (since 1962!) Pat Hill, 72, is only now learning what it means to be an NFL fan.

Hill's real estate business hasn't fared well during the crash. In danger of going broke, the diehard fan requested a few years' waiver on her 10-year season contract, until she could again secure the funds needed to watch New England crush her beloved team, live and in the stadium. No dice. Continue reading...