Steve Tripoli

Now's the time of year when many people who heat their homes with oil get a chance to lock in prices for next winter. But there's no guarantee prices won't fall. Steve Tripoli looks at whether it's worth the gamble.

Small businesses are supposed to get 23% of federal government contracts. Yet, big companies have been winning some of those jobs. New rules take effect tomorrow that are intended to change that. Steve Tripoli reports.

When you're not up for venture capital but still need cash, where do you go? Steve Tripoli talks to small business-owners about how they approached the money chase... and how they'd do it differently if they could start again.

With The Blackstone Group going public today, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts may be next. But Congress is looking into how private-equity earnings are taxed. So how can anyone know what the companies will be worth? Steve Tripoli reports.

Business isn't going so well, but how do you know when to cut your losses? It's a difficult decision, and the serial entrepreneurs among our listeners have some smart advice for the first-timers. Steve Tripoli reports.

Looks like we haven't seen the worst of the foreclosure crisis yet. New data shows filings are up significantly. The outlook for the real estate market is grim, and it could be bad news for the economy as well, Steve Tripoli reports.

Lots of small-business owners say they never would have succeeded if they hadn't failed first. Steve Tripoli brings us the common lessons of some failed entrepreneurs.

Stagnating wages combined with a growing number of house-hungry families could lead to a housing affordability challenge that could have ripple effects for the U.S. economy. Steve Tripoli reports.

Backers of stem-cell research say federal funding's needed, because wary investors won't step up to the plate. Investors worry that promising new therapies won't be profitable for years. Steve Tripoli reports.

Wal-Mart plans to unveil a pre-paid Visa card aimed at the 80 million U.S. residents who don't have bank accounts. Steve Tripoli reports that the nation's largest retailer may have something to teach competitors about servicing the poor.