Nursery flourished by going native

The gig: Mike Evans is the founder of Tree of Life Nursery near San Juan Capistrano, California's largest seller of native plants....

Homeownership likely to be delayed for 'Generation Now' members

CHICAGO — Maxine Lauer calls the group of consumers 15 to 34 "Generation Now" because they want what they want and they want it now.

Outdoor retailer Patagonia puts environment ahead of sales growth

High-end outdoor clothier and gear maker Patagonia Inc. is out to prove that a company can generate strong sales while being nearly...

Obama urges Congress to extend clean-energy tax credits

NEWTON, Iowa — From a wind-power factory in this battleground state, President Obama urged Congress to extend tax credits he said...

Internet phone service bill advances in California Senate

SACRAMENTO — A controversial bill that would ban state agencies from regulating telephones that use Internet connections passed a...

Consumer bureau moves to regulate reloadable prepaid cards

WASHINGTON — The consumer financial watchdog is taking aim at reloadable prepaid cards, moving to regulate a fast-growing product that...

Ford credit rating upgrade wins it control of famous oval logo

Moody's Investors Service raised the credit rating of Ford Motor Co. to an investment grade, giving its seal of approval to a corporate...

Microsoft making house calls? No, it's a scam

Has your Internet Explorer browser ever crashed while you were cruising the Web? Of course it has. And you've probably then seen a box...

Facebook shareholders are wedded to the whims of Mark Zuckerberg

Trial attorney Jamon Hicks grew up in courtrooms

The gig: As a kid Jamon Hicks spent many afternoons in courtrooms where his mother was a clerk. He still spends a lot of his time...

Searching for a way to get a human being on the phone at Google

If there's one issue that consistently cheeses off consumers, it's being unable to get a human being on the phone when you have a problem...

Wal-Mart posts 10.1% profit increase, possibly ending its struggles

Despite multiple corruption probes into its Mexican subsidiary, retail giantWal-Mart Stores Inc.reported first-quarter profits that exceeded...

Facebook IPO: Buy early or wait and see?

Facebook Inc. is certain to make a dramatic entrance to the stock market Friday with its hotly awaited initial public offering.

Skechers agrees to pay $50 million to settle toning-shoe cases

WASHINGTON — Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana said they improved his strength and posture. Celebrity Kim Kardashian boasted they...

Small investors shut out of Facebook IPO, and that's a good thing

If you're a small investor seeking a piece of the Facebook initial public offering, here's the bad news: You're too late and you're too...

Hollywood lobbies to extend state film tax credit through 2018

Amid mounting evidence that rival states are chipping away at California's movie and TV production business, a coalition of entertainment...

Retail sales are soft in April; inflation eases

Add slowing retail sales to the story of the payback for the warm winter weather.

Don't trust JPMorgan chief's spin machine

In a rational world, a corporate chairman who presided over a huge unexpected loss would be raked over the coals at his...

It's time to serve up some big incentives to curb obesity

Americans eat too damn much. And we all pay a rising cost for this gluttony in the form of higher insurance premiums and lost productivity.

Google may not be evil, but it's also not trustworthy

You've heard all about how banks present a danger to the financial system once they become "too big to fail" (I'm looking at you, JPMorgan...