Stacey Vanek Smith

Farmers across the nation face the possibility of having to hike wages to make up for a shortage of farm laborers. Will consumers ultimately pay the price in higher food costs? Stacey Vanek-Smith has more.

The United States Postal Service has announced it is going to end the year with a profit, but as Stacey Vanek-Smith reports, don't expect the post office to roll back those imminent postage increases.

The clock is ticking for states wanting to put electronic voting machines in place. Local officials must make sure their machines meet national reliability standards by the end of this year. As Stacey Vanek-Smith reports, there are security concerns.

The retail giant's efforts to improve its image don't appear to be working. A new survey shows 56% of respondents think Wal-Mart "is bad for America." Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

Credit card companies have begun to raise finance charges for unpaid balances. Stacey Vanek-Smith looks at why.

The SEC is considering a rule change that would allow companies to use e-mail to send proxy statements to shareholders. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

President Bush is touring the Southwest this week talking about his policy on illegal immigration. Yesterday he stopped in Tucson, and today it's on to El Paso. His message? It's the economy, stupid. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports.

As instances of online theft increase, more and more bank customers are getting nervous about conducting transaction over the Internet. Stacey Vanek Smith reports.

Investments in hedge funds have dropped while the purchase of junk bonds has increased. What's going on? Stacey Vanek Smith reports.

The FCC gave the go-ahead Monday to mergers between SBC and ATT and between Verizon and MCI. What's all this consolidation going to mean for consumers? Stacey Vanek Smith has the answer.