Income

I first recall seeing Dylan Collins years ago on the basketball court of my son's junior high school, 6-feet-plus of gangly adolescence with a wild head of hair and an easy, impish grin. Among my son and his friends at the Georgetown Day School, any mention of Dylan invariably brought a knowing smile as they recalled some recent bit of derring-do of which he invariably was the ringleader. Twelve years later, I am sitting next to Dylan in a nondescript office in one of those new town centers that have sprouted along Florida's gold coast.

ASUNCION, Paraguay — Paraguay exports enough soy, wheat and corn to feed 80 million people, more than 10 times its population, and its rivers provide abundant fresh water. But 14 percent of its children suffer chronic malnutrition, and many others lack clean drinking water. Public Health Minister Antonio Arbo and Vice President-elect Juan Afara cited these numbers Wednesday in announcing that the incoming government will fight poverty as a top priority. Arbo said a free milk...

The Obama administration is engaged in a broad push to make more home loans available to people with weaker credit, an effort that officials say will help power the economic recovery but that skeptics say could open the door to the risky lending that caused the housing crash in the first place. President Obama's economic advisers and outside experts say the nation's much-celebrated housing rebound is leaving too many people behind , including young people looking to buy their first homes and...

THE NEWS: Lowe's Cos. said Wednesday that its first-quarter net income rose nearly 3 percent, but results fell short of expectations as rainy weather hurt spring gardening sales. THE CONTEXT: Home-improvement retailers such as Lowe's have begun to see signs of improvement as the housing market turns around. But cooler weather dampened consumers' lawn and garden projects. WHAT'S NEXT: Lowe's still expects fiscal 2013 earnings of about $2.05 per share, with revenue up about 4 percent, implying...

When someone in the Washington area begins to type the president's last name into the search box of Google's home page, the top three terms it suggests as the most popular selections are Obama, Obamacare and . . . Obama phone. Obama phone? A hotline, maybe, to the Oval Office? Hardly. "Obama phone" is the widely used — and misleading — nickname of a 28-year-old federal program known as Lifeline . It provides discounts, averaging $9.25 a month, on phone service for 13.3 million...

Shorty needed a ride home. She got confused sometimes, the result of some undefined mental condition, and wasn't always sure where she'd wandered. Her family knew this about Michelle "Shorty" Knight, all 4 feet 7 inches of her, and that's why they worried. She got in a car. It begins there, with that simple act, a 21-year-old — in many ways still very much a girl — got in a car. Aug. 22, 2002. If she'd looked up in that last moment of freedom, she...

Oh, remember the days when poverty was cute? You ate Ramen noodles and shared a pizza with a dozen friends because collectively you could only afford to buy the one pie. Oh, those were the days. At least those are the days politicians have been recounting during this presidential election year to try to appear to be just like real people, Americans who are struggling paycheck to paycheck. Ann Romney, Vice President Biden, New Jersey's Gov. Chris Christie and Michelle Obama "all either disinterred...

Jim Roumell is founder of the investment management firm Roumell Asset Management LLC . In the aftermath of 9/11, many young, strong Americans enlisted, willingly agreeing to sacrifice their lives if necessary to protect our country's interests. Today's wealthiest Americans have the same opportunity to put their country's interests before their own. Politicians should not shy away from asking them to put forth not their lives but what are, for them, their modest Social Security checks.

Gas tax increases recently passed by lawmakers in Maryland and Virginia are both aimed at a common target: relieving the traffic congestion strangling key regions in both states. And while they were shaped by very different sets of political forces, both levies are likely to have similarly modest economic impacts. In Maryland, political power is concentrated in the hands of Democrats in the urban corridor connecting the D.C. suburbs with the Baltimore region. There...

The Supreme Court's decision to uphold all but one provision in the Affordable Care Act means that for now, at least, one of the most far-reaching overhauls of the nation's health-care system will be the law of the land. New rules for insurers that have taken effect will remain in place, while new opportunities to gain health-care coverage will begin in 2014. If I don't have health insurance, what will happen? Nothing right away. But beginning in 2014, virtually all Americans will have to obtain coverage...

MCLEAN, Va. — Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp. said Wednesday that its fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose 8 percent, helped by lower compensation and infrastructure cuts. For the quarter ended March 31, the McLean, Va.-based company, which operates a management and technology consultant to government and corporate clients, earned $54.8 million, or 37 cents per share. That compares with $50.6 million, or 36 cents per share, a year ago. Excluding one-time items, the company said it earned...

HARRISONBURG, Va. — Residents of a low-income housing apartment building in Harrisonburg will soon be using solar power. The Harrisonburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority has signed a 20-year solar services agreement with Staunton-based Secure Futures. The company will install solar panels on the roof of the building. The panels will generate a total 34 kilowatts of electricity. Secure Futures CEO Tony Smith tells WHSV-TV (http://bit.ly/11XQtxP) that the project will save money...

May 22 (Bloomberg) -- Ireland provides no special tax concessions for Apple Inc. or other U.S. companies operating in the country, the nation's inward investment agency chief said, echoing comments by Irish political leaders. "There is no special deal for Apple or any other company," Barry O'Leary, chief executive officer of IDA Ireland said in an interview with Dublin-based broadcaster RTE today. "I'm certainly in a position to say that nothing like that has been agreed by the Irish government.

THE NEWS: Home Depot Inc.'s first-quarter net income rose 18 percent, thanks to the ongoing housing recovery, despite a chilly and wet spring. Its quarterly results topped Wall Street expectations, and the world's biggest home improvement chain boosted its full-year earnings and revenue forecasts Tuesday. THE CONTEXT: Home Depot and other retailers are enjoying easing pressure as the housing market slowly improves. THE QUOTE: "While weather negatively impacted our seasonal and...

NEW CASTLE, Del. — The panel that sets Delaware's official financial projections increased its revenue estimates by about $20 million Monday, giving budget writers in the General Assembly a little more money with which to work. The Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council boosted its revenue estimate for the current fiscal year to $3.71 billion, an increase of $15.4 million due primarily to a $12 million jump in estimated corporate income taxes. While...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Gen. Ashfaq Kayani, who heads Pakistan's powerful army and holds significant sway over civilian affairs, visited the incoming prime minister Saturday in what the military described as a show of support for stronger democracy and greater stability as the nation struggles with an economic meltdown and continued insurgent attacks. Kayani met for more than three hours with Nawaz Sharif , the ­center-right conservative poised to take over as prime minister for an...

President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama reported paying $112,214 in taxes last year on $608,611 in adjusted gross income, for an effective federal income tax rate of 18.4 percent, the White House announced Friday. The Obamas reported donating about one-quarter of their income — $150,034 — to 33 different charities, including the Fisher House Foundation, which provides temporary housing for the families of wounded veterans. The White House also released the tax returns of Vice President Biden and his...

WEDNESDAY, June 25 (HealthDay News) -- Being well-off and well-educated may improve your chances of surviving a heart attack, according to new report. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic, studying medical records of heart attack patients from its home base of Olmsted County, Minn., report that those with lower incomes and less education were more likely to die after the attack than their more affluent, educated counterparts. The study, published in the June issue ofMayo Clinic Proceedings, looked 705 people --...

WEAK DEMAND: Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter net income fell 3 percent, hurt by weak demand for spring merchandise and softer performance in the Northeast and Midwest. SLOW START TO YEAR: It was a rare miss for the luxury retailer, since higher-end spenders have generally kept shopping. Shares fell more than 3 percent in aftermarket trading. The company said it had lower sales trends in seasonal products, as well as in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and the Midwest during the first two months...

NEW YORK — Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday its first-quarter net income fell 3 percent, hurt by weak demand for spring merchandise and softer performance in the Northeast and Midwest. The results were below Wall Street estimates, a rare miss for the luxury retailer given that higher-end spenders have generally kept shopping in the lackluster economy. The company's stock fell more than 3 percent in aftermarket trading. Nordstrom said it had lower sales trends in seasonal products, as...