Shoplifting is on the rise, and it's not just the poor who are stealing. Middle-class people around the world are shoplifting items like French cheeses, expensive makeup and clothing.

Utah, Washington and Minnesota are the happiest states in the U.S., according to a study that measures education, wealth, emotional health and physical health by England's University of Cambridge. The least happy states in America are Mississippi, Kentucky and Virginia.

Nearly one in seven families in the U.S. are having "difficulty putting enough food on the table at times during the year," according to a report by the U.S. Agriculture Department.

With unemployment the highest it has been in years, will people go out and shop on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year?

Fast fingers: how do people count cash around the world?

Who is taking the hardest hit in the recession? Young black men without a high school degree, according to The New York Times. (via Waxy)

Remember those ads with guys playing guitars that promise you a free credit report? The government says they're actually charging people for an annual credit report that is already free.

The cost of college continues to rise: the average yearly cost of a four-year public college is now up to $7,020, over $400 more than last year.

The Obama Administration is said to be mulling over a directive that would force companies that received bailouts to reduce the salaries of their 25 highest-paid executives by 90 percent.

Months after the government passed credit card reform legislation, banks are coming up with new fees to charge cardholders, including penalties for inactivity or not charging enough money on your card.