Have you noticed how, in the pandemic era, people have been panic buying, stockpiling, and hoarding more than usual? Panic buying is when consumers buy unusually large amounts of a product in any of these scenarios: In anticipation of a disaster or perceived disaster following a disaster  in anticipation of an incredibly large price increase or shortage The irony of it all is that there tends to be no shortage to begin with; the panic buying itself precipitates the very shortage people fear. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. That, in turn, causes prices to soar and, in the worst cases, price gouging. Talk about a terrible domino effect! Here are four things people have bought in droves at some point within the past 14 months: 1. Toilet Paper and Hand Sanitizer. We witnessed both of these fly off the shelves like hotcakes almost immediately after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. My wife and I ventured far and wide to snag toilet paper, to no avail. It says a lot that we ha...

Because of the sweeping layoffs and closures caused by the coronavirus pandemic -- the effects of which were felt as early as March -- the economy is bruised and battered. The question on everyone's mind is, of course, how these turbulent economic conditions may affect them. Here are three things that are likely to remain higher than usual for the foreseeable future: 1. Unemployment. Looking to get a better job? With over 40 million Americans filing for unemployment during the pandemic and the real jobless rate purported to be at a staggering 24%, you might be better waiting out the economic storm. While the number of weekly jobless claims has dropped eight straight weeks since topping out at 6.9 million in April, it still marks 10 consecutive weeks with claims exceeding 2 million. To put this in perspective, before the coronovirus prompted the shutdown of  businesses across the U.S., weekly U.S. unemployment claims had averaged 218,000. Needless to say, those applying ...

I hadn't even heard of Uber until just a few months ago, when my friend told me he had signed up as a driver to supplement his income. My wife and I finally used it during our vacation in Boston earlier this month. While we saw the vast majority of the sites and attractions on foot -- mind you, Boston is a very walkable city -- we opted to use the service to travel further distances, e.g., from Boston to Cambridge and back. Let's just say I came away feeling as if Uber is the best thing since sliced bread. In case you've never used it, all you have to do is use the Uber app on your phone to indicate where you are and where you want to go. You'll be assigned to the driver nearest you, who will likely arrive in less than 5 minutes. The fare is charged to the credit card you have on file, and you can later rate the driver as well as your overall experience. Luckily, all our drivers were prompt and friendly, earning them high marks from us. I'm amazed at ho...