On March 9, 2009, it felt like the world was ending.

The Dow Jones industrial average had tumbled to a 12-year low of 6,547, and looked to keep plunging. A day later, Citigroup Inc. stopped the market’s drop with news that it was turning a profit. That began the stock market’s answer to the Great Recession: the Great Rebound.

The numbers are hard to believe. The Dow has rocketed 61 percent in a year. That’s the kind of gain that would normally come in five or six good years. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index — which is the basis for many retirement accounts and mutual funds — jumped 20 percent in the first 10 trading days after March low. It’s now up 68 percent.

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Small business owners who compile their own income tax returns can find themselves falling into some common quicksand pits. The mistakes can be costly if they raise a company’s tax bill unnecessarily or subject it to penalties and interest in the future.

Some of the problems are mechanical in nature, such as not filling out the right forms. Others are more strategic, including not considering how the deductions you take on your 2009 return might affect your taxes in future years.

Other mistakes are the result of owners not being well informed about the tax laws and the requirements they can impose, for example, on an owner’s salary or the way employees are classified. . . . read more

Figures on government spending and debt (last six digits are eliminated). The government’s fiscal year runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. . . . read more

FDIC Approves the Payout of the Insured Deposits of Centennial Bank, Ogden, Utah

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved the payout of the insured deposits of Centennial Bank, Ogden, Utah. The bank was closed March 5, 2010 by the Utah Department of Financial Institutions, which appointed the FDIC as receiver.

The FDIC entered into an agreement with Zions First National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah, to accept the failed bank’s direct deposits from the federal government, such as Social Security and Veterans’ payments . . . read more

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Jeremy Lesniak owns a small Web design firm in Randolph, Vt. He has 10 employees and hundreds of clients. Sick isn’t an option.

“I have two cell phones and a pager” he said. “I have taken partial sick days or just worked from home, but I haven’t had a real one in over six years.”

The swine flu epidemic had employers desperately trying to keep sick workers at bay, calling into question companies that didn’t. But the economic meltdown has stepped up pressure on worker bees and bosses alike to produce from home rather than heal in bed, said Dave Couper, a career coach and corporate human resources consultant in Los Angeles . . . read more

Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley)

Skyrocketing premiums have stunned some consumers who buy their own health insurance policies. People in several corners of the country are facing increases of 20 percent or more from some insurers.

Congress has asked the largest health insurer, WellPoint Inc., to testify about rate hikes of up to 39 percent for its Anthem Blue Cross plans in California, and President Obama wants federal oversight of rate increases. Insurers say rising medical costs are to blame for the price hikes.

There are steps consumers can take to shrink their payments while all this haggling takes place. Here are things to consider: . . . read more

Zions Bank has recently announced a new service called Zions Bank Retirement Resources, which provides customers with information on a variety of retirement considerations, such as wills, trusts, 401(k)s, IRAs and a host of other important topics.

Over the coming months, Zions Bank Retirement Resources along with Zions Direct and Zions Investment Services Group will be hosting a series of seminars on a variety of retirement subjects.

The next seminar will be held March 10 . . . read more

The government is giving homeowners another year to refinance their loans under a little-used program designed to help borrowers whose homes have plummeted in value.

The Obama administration effort, known as Home Affordable Refinance Program, had been scheduled . . . read more