Some passports are better than others. Here’s a list of the most powerful ones

[ad_1] A new index ranks Luxembourg as the top passport in the world for aspiring global citizens.   The small European country ranked No. 1 out of 199 places in the “Nomad Passport Index 2022” published by the tax and immigration consultancy Nomad Capitalist. While many passport rankings focus solely on visa-free travel, this index … Read more

Mortgage refinance demand plunges 60%, as rates hit their highest level since 2018

[ad_1] Mortgage rates took another jump higher last week, taking their toll on current borrowers who might have wanted to refinance. Demand from homebuyers, however, appears to be hanging in for now. Total mortgage application volume decreased 6.8% last week compared with the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. This, … Read more

Why ‘free’ shipping isn’t free

[ad_1] The big carriers such as FedEx, UPS and Amazon make lots of deliveries, and none of those packages are being shipped for “free.” “People like free shipping because the word free is very powerful, even if people know that it’s not really free because someone is paying for it,” Kara Buntin, owner of the … Read more

Here’s where the jobs are — in one chart

[ad_1] As Covid restrictions eased, rebounds in the leisure and hospitality and business sectors helped to drive a strong March jobs report. The U.S. economy added more than 400,000 jobs in the final month of the first quarter, the Labor Department said Friday. Leisure and hospitality, which includes hotels, restaurants and amusement parks, added a … Read more

How the hotel industry is fighting its human trafficking problem

[ad_1] Human trafficking generates about $150 billion a year globally in illegal profits, according to the International Labour Organization, and poses a complicated challenge for major hotel chains. In 2020 there were more than 10,000 reported cases of human trafficking in the U.S., with 72% of those related to sex trafficking, according to the National … Read more

Developers are turning to master-planned communities to solve the housing affordability crisis

[ad_1] Americans who are short on cash to make rent may need to face an uncomfortable reality: Conditions will likely get worse before they get better. U.S. housing supply fell to the lowest levels observed in over 20 years, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s dramatically pushing up prices for consumers, and catching … Read more

Walmart says it is raising truckers’ pay and starting a training program as it grapples with a driver shortage

[ad_1] A Walmart truck departs the company’s distribution center in Washington, Utah. Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images Walmart said Thursday it is raising pay for long-haul truck drivers and launching a new program to train the next generation, as it seeks the staffing it relies on to replenish store shelves and warehouses across the … Read more