IN the aftermath of the global crisis, there has been a call for tighter regulation of financial services. But what is a financial service? Among the things money can buy, there is a distinction ...

You’ve got $1,000 you don’t need for, say, a year and want to earn income from the money until then. Or you want to buy a house and need to borrow $100,000 and pay it back over 30 years. It would be ...