Stephen Yeargin

The weather is slowly starting to match the seasons. It is much cooler out than the 75 degree days in December where we were all but convinced that winter was giving way to an early spring. As I walked out of the office this afternoon on my way home, I could not help but smile [...]

This past month has had numerous occasions for tears. Very few of which have been my own, but rather others’ expressions of joy and sorrow, hope and hopelessness. Take for example a young lady telling a story of how their group had donated food, clothing and toys to a family that had lost everything in [...]

Today my wife and I went to the bank to close a savings account we had set aside for special, short term purchases now that our big purchase is out of the way. We will now be resuming our regular contributions to the remaining savings account. The current economic climate reminds us of how blessed [...]

I hear this a lot from co-workers and other acquaintances: “The news is just so depressing these days — I hardly ever watch it or read the papers.” It is easy to see where they are coming from with the recent acknowledgment that the United States has been in a recession since last December. I [...]

It has stood as a symbol of American consumerism for decades: the tradition of “Black Friday” shopping. It has been taught almost as a civic duty for men, women and children to rise early the day after Thanksgiving and run up a credit card balance that is not fully paid down until spring of the [...]

I have tried over the past few weeks to overlook the market reports and the ongoing talk of bailouts and failing banking institutions. After all, you and I likely are not changing our plans dramatically even though the Dow dropped into four figures for the first time in five years. Charts tell a harrowing story. [...]

One of my fraternity brothers from UT Martin was featured on NBC Nightly News last night. This gives a rare glimpse into some of the struggles faced by job seekers, and how national policies put in place by the next president will have a direct effect on job creation.
As you watch the video, remember that [...]

Right after the closing bell sounded on Friday afternoon on Wall Street, government regulators announced that they were shutting down the operations of Silver State Bank of Nevada. Bank failures are announced after trading ends on a Friday because it inevitably would lead to an industry-wide sell-off.
In 2007, three banks failed. With more than three [...]

The Subway inside a convenience store down the street from work always has a “Help Wanted” sign tucked behind the sneeze guard. According to the nightly news and climbing unemployment, it is probably a fairly uncommon sight to see these days. The woman who manages the business (or at least, the only one that works [...]

My regular routine in the morning, if I have not had breakfast or stockpiled some kind of snack and Cokes at work, is to stop at one of three convenience stores along the way. Today I picked up my usual, signed the debit card receipt and walked out the door into the parking lot. [...]