If you'd asked me a few months ago what I think of Zoom, you'd be met with a look of bewilderment. I'd neither used nor heard of the application until two weeks ago, when my departing boss's daughter threw her a virtual retirement "party" that I and several other co-workers were invited to attend. I must say, it quickly grew on me. The coolest feature in my estimation is the ability to change out your background, making it appear as though you're at Walt Disney World, in the Simpsons' living room, or wherever else tickles your fancy. And, this past weekend, I joined the wifey for a Zoom chat with a close friend and colleague of hers. There's no denying that Zoom is all the rage now. With the coronavirus pandemic forcing us to stay indoors, everything from birthday celebrations to corporate budget meetings are being carried out through the service. Surprisingly, though, people have told me that while while these platforms offer convenien...

There's no question we've been living in a different world the last couple of weeks -- one that has upended our routines and made Zoom meetings, food delivery, and shopping for virtually everything through Amazon our new, sometimes unpleasant reality. No event has felt this disruptive and widespread since the global recession of 2008. While back then we were dealing with a global financial crisis, this time, as President Donald Trump put it, we are grappling with an invisible enemy. So just how will the world be different once this pandemic is behind us? As was the case with the Great Recession, people are going to retrench for a while. From souped-up cars and big vacations to fancy clothes, consumers are going to put the kibosh on high-end purchases until they feel that (1) the economy is mending (2) their financial affairs are in order. The first order of business for many will be finding a job. Those who have been fortunate enough to still have jobs may be contem...