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I've Always Wondered ...

If you’re like us, you’ve got a lot of questions about the small, simple, ubiquitous things in the world of business. Let's find the answers.
What have you always wondered about the economy?

Are too many commercials bad for a company?
I've Always Wondered ...
Are too many commercials bad for a company?
Why aren’t all gas tanks on the same side of the car? 
I've Always Wondered ...
Why aren’t all gas tanks on the same side of the car? 
Who does the U.S. owe $31.4 trillion?
I've Always Wondered ...
Who does the U.S. owe $31.4 trillion?
Why are bananas so cheap?
I've Always Wondered ...
Why are bananas so cheap?

From This Collection

I've Always Wondered ...

Why do we still use paper checks?

by Janet Nguyen
Jan 5, 2024
Their use is waning, but not everyone is sold on digital payments.
If you're still using checks, beware of fraud.
YinYang/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

What happens to your Christmas tree after the holidays? 

by Janet Nguyen
Dec 22, 2023
They're anything but trash. Recycled, they can strengthen soil, feed goats and shelter fish. But first remove the ornaments.
The goats at the Farm at Awbury Arboretum in Philadelphia will take care of your Christmas tree after the holidays.
Jessica Kourkounis
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I've Always Wondered ...

What is the economic impact of lost and stolen packages? 

by Janet Nguyen
Dec 15, 2023
$6 billion worth of packages were stolen over the past year, according to one estimate.
$6 billion worth of packages were stolen last year.
cybrain/Getty Images Plus
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I've Always Wondered ...

What you should know when you’re buying olive oil

by Janet Nguyen
Dec 8, 2023
There are different varieties of the kitchen staple, so olive oil experts joined us to break down the basics.
Extra virgin olive oil is supposed to taste fruity, pungent and bitter, food writer Nancy Harmon Jenkins told us.
ValentynVolkov/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

Why are perfume commercials so weird? 

by Janet Nguyen
Dec 1, 2023
They’re often surreal or provocative. Occasionally kinda now, kinda wow.
Perfume sells you a fantasy.
Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

Why does oat milk cost more than dairy milk? 

by Janet Nguyen
Nov 17, 2023
Some brands of non-dairy milk are half the price of regular milk.
Is it a simple case of "the yuppie premium," or something more complex?
Scott Olson/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

What happens to Social Security benefits in a debt default or a government shutdown? 

by Janet Nguyen
Nov 10, 2023
A shutdown is looming, though beneficiaries don’t have to worry. But they would if default was on the table.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

Can human market investors beat the algorithms?

by Janet Nguyen
Nov 3, 2023
Algorithms are good at disguising their behavior.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
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I've Always Wondered ...

Who pays to maintain old graves at a cemetery?

by Janet Nguyen
Oct 27, 2023
If you want to learn the history of your community, cemeteries are a good place to start.
Green-Wood Cemetery in New York, which was founded in 1838, is a National Historic Landmark.
Maike Schulz
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I've Always Wondered ...

If money doesn't grow on trees, then why do banks have "branches”?

by Janet Nguyen
Oct 20, 2023
The concept actually has a long and contentious history.
ATMs at a Bank of America branch in San Francisco. There weren't always large networks of convenient locations.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
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