Tomorrow is one of the most popular shopping days of the year, with stores all across the country offering discounts on all types of products. However, before you head out tomorrow morning be sure to check out the following 10 tips for getting the best bargains from About.com. 1. Check Out the Ads Your local Thanksgiving Day newspaper will be stuffed like your Thanksgiving turkey with ads, coupons, and circulars. This will be your number one source to local Black Friday savings. It wi... Read Full Story
Last week one of my favorite blogs, The Glass Hammer posted a very interesting article by Liz Cornish on how to thrive in today’s tough economy. You can check out a section of the entry below, or click here for the full text. It’s been a tough and frustrating year for financial professionals. Watching other smart, motivated people lose their jobs is sobering. Increased regulation is forcing many institutions that were playing by the rules to endure shrinking margins and panicked cust... Read Full Story
From USAToday: More than 314,000 taxpayers made inaccurate claims for a popular tax credit that helps pay college expenses, getting $532 million they weren't entitled to receive, a government report said Thursday. The Hope Credit provides up to $1,650 a year to help pay expenses for the first two years of college. The taxpayers claimed the credit for the same student three consecutive years, instead of the two years available, said a report by the Treasury inspector general for tax ad... Read Full Story
The United States Senate voted last week to debate their health care bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. However, their legislation is significantly different than the bill passed by the House of Representatives a few weeks ago. To help anyone curious about the differences between the two Democratic bills, ABC News has put together this informative article. I’ve included a few sections about each bill, but be sure to checkout the full text here. The Senate Democratic... Read Full Story
From the WallStreetJournal.com: A few weeks ago, President Barack Obama signed legislation extending an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers. The refundable tax credit, available even if a family has no taxable income, will enable many more buyers to close on a home. But it also could bankrupt the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and, by doing so, damage an already weak housing market. The tax credit was put in place as part of the stimulus package signed into law earlier ... Read Full Story
According to an article on Bloomberg.com, the jobless rate rose in 29 of states across the country last month. California, Delaware, South Carolina and Florida were all among the list of states with record unemployment rates, while Michigan, Nevada, and Rhode Island had the highest jobless rates with 15.1%, 13%, and 12.9% respectively. The national rate last month reached a 26-year high of 10.2 percent, weighing on consumer spending that accounts for about 70 percent of the economy. Fed... Read Full Story
From the Associated Press: Schoolteacher Kinzi Blair makes only $46,000 a year, but she has what many would consider a "Cadillac" health plan, now targeted for a big tax increase by health reformers. She has $10 co-pays and no deductible. She gets generic prescription drugs for $10. Her plan covers mental health counseling, organ transplants, acupuncture. It covers speech therapy for preschoolers and in vitro fertilization. Sound pretty good? It surely must to millions of Americans ... Read Full Story
Over the weekend, the United States Postal Service announced that it had lost $3.8 billion over the past fiscal year, which ended on September 30th. Their report claimed that they also delivered about 26 billion less pieces through the mail then they had the prior year, which translates to a nearly 13% drop. The Postal Service, as it is quick to point out, is legally prohibited from taking tax dollars. But in order to stay afloat, the agency has been actively borrowing from the U.S. ... Read Full Story
From CNNMoney.com: In a sign that more foreclosures could be on the horizon, 23% of people with mortgages owe more than their home is worth, according to a report released Tuesday. Almost 10.7 million U.S. mortgages were "underwater" as of September, said research firm First American CoreLogic. Another 2.3 million homeowners are within 5% of negative territory, the report said. The two figures combined comprise almost 28% of all residential properties with mortgages. Negative equity,... Read Full Story
