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Nearly every man who develops an idea works it up to the point where it looks impossible, and then he gets discouraged. That's not the place to become discouraged.
Thomas Edison Categories
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Editor’s Choice
Cartoon used under comics.com and/or dilbert.com terms of use, copyright United Feature Syndicate. The inclusion of this cartoon does not imply that United Media, comics.com, and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s), nor does it imply that the authors/illustrators of the comics/works appearing on comics.com and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s). Read More
Consumer spending up, sign of decent recovery
Consumers spent modestly last month, a sign that the economic recovery is proceeding at a decent — but not spectacular — pace.
The Commerce Department reported Monday that consumers boosted their spending by 0.3 percent in February. That was a tad slower than the 0.4 percent increase registered in January and marked the smallest increase since September. Still, the increase in spending was considered a respectable showing, especially given the snowstorms that slammed the East Coast and kept some people away from the malls. . . . read more Read More
House boosts college aid for students in need
Riding the coattails of a historic health care vote, the House on Sunday also passed a broad reorganization of college aid that affects millions of students and moves President Barack Obama closer to winning yet another of his top domestic policies.
The bill rewrites a four-decades-old student loan program, eliminating its reliance on private lenders and uses the savings to direct $36 billion in new spending to Pell Grants for students in financial need.
In the biggest piece of education legislation since No Child Left Behind nine years ago, the bill would also . . . read more Read More
Unemployment claims by state, at a glance
Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell more than economists expected last week, according to a Labor Department report Thursday, a sign that the job market is slowly healing.
Here are the states with the largest increases and decreases in claims for the week ended March 13, the latest data available. The state data lags the initial claims data by one week:
BIGGEST INCREASES:
California: 3,434 . . . read more Read More
A look at the health care overhaul bill
Congress approved a major overhaul of the nation’s health care system for President Barack Obama’s signature. Here are some of the features of the legislation.
HOW MANY COVERED: 32 million uninsured. Major coverage expansion begins in 2014. When fully phased in, 94 percent of eligible non-elderly Americans would have coverage, compared with 83 percent today.
COST: $938 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
INSURANCE MANDATE: Almost everyone is required to be insured or else pay a fine, which takes effect in 2014. . . . read more Read More
Wall Street’s fear gauge sinks to 2-year low
What’s not to like about this stock market? It’s been steadily rising for more than a month. And it’s been the kind of gentle climb that appeals to investors eager for a respite from a couple years of sharp ups and downs.
As stocks have ticked upward from a Feb. 8 low, a measure of the market’s volatility has sunk to its lowest level in nearly two years. The Chicago Board of Index Options’ Volatility Index — informally known as Wall Street’s fear gauge — has closed below 17 points for five trading days in a row, and finished Tuesday at 16.35. The last time the VIX closed below 17 was May 16, 2008. It’s even slightly below its historic average of around 19 points. . . . read more Read More
A look at the Fed’s January, March statements
A comparison of the Federal Reserve’s statement on the economy and its policy positions from its last meeting on Jan. 26-27 and the meeting Tuesday.
LABOR MARKETS
January: “The deterioration in the labor market is abating.”
March: “The labor market is stabilizing.”
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
January: “Household spending is expanding at a moderate rate but remains constrained by a weak labor market . . . read more Read More
Vote for the Weekly Cartoon
Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Taking standard deduction may mean paying more
To itemize or not to itemize?
Debating the answer to that question can stall the best intentions to get a tax return filed before the April 15.
Taxpayers have two choices: take the standard deduction or itemize deductions such as mortgage interest, charitable donations and job-related spending.
Internal Revenue Service statistics show that only about 35 percent of tax returns include itemized deductions. That means it’s likely many are missing out on tax savings they’d get if they claimed all . . . read more Read More
Low fee 401(k) option, benefits and downsides
Collective investment trusts are increasingly popular in 401(k) plans. Some 70 percent of plans with more than 1,000 employees offer them either as an option or as their sole investment. Their popularity is growing rapidly. More than 770 collective trusts have been started since 2000. Although exact numbers are hard to come by, estimates are that there are about 2,000 CITs in 401(k) plans.
CITs are similar to mutual funds in their investment goals but are regulated by banking rules not securities regulations. . . . read more Read More
Editor’s Choice
Cartoon used under comics.com and/or dilbert.com terms of use, copyright United Feature Syndicate. The inclusion of this cartoon does not imply that United Media, comics.com, and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s), nor does it imply that the authors/illustrators of the comics/works appearing on comics.com and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s). Read More
Finance Bookshelf: Questions for every life stage
Which professions are worth exploring right now? How do you instill good money habits in your children? What financial future do you envision for yourself?
Those are some of the big life questions tackled in three new personal finance titles. Which book you pick up will likely depend on where you are in life.
New or expecting parents, for example, might be interested in “Your Kids Are Your Own Fault.” Author Larry Winget explores the broader task of raising responsible children, and devotes a key chapter to teaching kids about the fundamentals . . . read more Read More
Mortgage rates remain below 5 percent
Mortgage rates held below the 5 percent threshold for the second straight week, a report said Thursday, weeks before a government program that has been keeping rates low is scheduled to expire.
The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 4.95 percent this week, down from 4.97 percent a week earlier, mortgage finance company Freddie Mac said.
Rates dropped to a record low of 4.71 percent in December and have hovered around 5 percent since, kept down by a Federal Reserve campaign to stabilize the housing market by lowering mortgage rates. . . . read more Read More
