LINGO: The Language of Business

Finance maestro Sandy Leeds explains what goes wrong when a handful of US banks get too big for their britches.

Marital bliss can come at a cost when tax laws place higher rates on the combined incomes of married couples than they do on single individuals earning the same amount. McCombs professor Lillian Mills explores this concept in a simplified theoretical example brought to life through the scribble-tastic magic of LINGO.

Some shareholders are more engaged than others, and demand more from the management of the companies in their portfolios.

Kept alive by regulators, these lending institutions are as dangerous as a horde of living dead. The McCombs School of Business presents a chilling tale from former Senior Finance Lecturer Michael Brandl.

Tools that help you minimize your taxes or taxable income are seen as unfair ...unless you qualify for them.

Economist and McCombs senior lecturer of finance Michael Brandl explains the concept of systemic risk, and how it is used as justification in bailig out financial insitutions that are "too big to fail"

Pessimistic economists in the 1970's made up a new word for an economic worst case scenario. When rising prices from inflation combine with an already stagnant economy, the resulting "stagflation" is a dire condition of self-perpetuating economic doom and gloom.

Greece's economic woes have spawned lots of talk about Sovereign Debt. For insight into what this means and why the world is talking about it, LINGO brings you a quick summary, courtesy of McCombs senior lecturer of finance Sandy Leeds.

Economist and McCombs former senior lecturer of finance Mike Brandl clarifies what it means when you hear that unemployment data has been "seasonally adjusted"

McCombs Senior Lecturer of Finance Sandy Leeds illuminates the concept of the "risk premium" that less-trustworthy borrowers pay on their loans.

Accounting guru Lillian Mills dispels the myth that graduating to a higher tax bracket decreases your income.

Lillian Mills explains where the chunk of money missing from your paycheck goes.

What happens when someone is insulated from the repercussions of their actions and never has to face the consequences? From fire insurance to bank bailouts, moral hazards abound in our economic landscape. Professor Robert Prentice has the details.

If you want to sound like a biz pro, drop words like "leverage" when a simple "debt" would suffice. McCombs Senior Lecturer of Finance Sandy Leeds explores the ups-and-downs of downs of carrying debt, regardless of what you call it.

Economist Mike Brandl explains how some sectors respond sooner (or later) than the rest of the economy.

You see them every day, but nobody knows where they came from, what they do, or who they even are. To their managers, they might as well be dead. University of Texas Communications and Business Professor John Daly tells the spooky tale of the Ghost People.

Tax maestro Lillian Mills sheds light on the IRS's practice of giving businesses credit for the taxes they pay to other countries.

McCombs Tax Maestro Lillian Mills answers the questions of whether nor not a flat tax is simpler or more fair than our current progressive tax system

Is your portfolio "overweight"? Get fiscally fit with McCombs Senior Lecturer of Finance Sandy Leeds as he uncovers the meaning of "exposure," and what it means for the health of your investments.

Much like Tinkerbell, doubt and disbelief can prove fatal to a fledgling economic recovery. Economist Mike Brandl shows how some recessions snatch defeat from the jaws of victory to become double-dippers.

McCombs Professor of Management Janet Dukerich explains the Distributive approach to negotiation that pits parties against one another in a battle for the best value.

Economist Mike Brandl explains the danger of deflation, where constantly falling prices and wages set the stage for economic collapse and depression.

By allowing investors to take out insurance on others bonds, Credit Default Swaps have gotten a bad reputation for promoting speculation on the misfortune of others. McCombs Senior Lecturer of Finance Sandy Leeds explains how this practice has also been blamed for setting up the financial crisis.

Economist and former McCombs senior lecturer of finance Mike Brandl explains the concept of economic contagion, and how instability in one market can spread into a worldwide epidemic.

A simple economic concept that has brought the nation to its knees, It's likely that you've already heard about the debt ceiling. But what is it, and why is it so contentious?