Posted on March - 04 - 2012
Macroeconomist Mark Thoma is wondering whether Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is finally coming to terms with the Feds role in the national economic crisis based on recent comments Bernanke made before the House Committee on Financial Services that did not mirror the Chairmans typical rose-colored pronouncements. As he related in a recent CBS News commentary, Thoma has been given hope by Bernankes sterner disposition that the Fed will continue to support the U.S. economy during the tender stages of its recovery, rather than resort to austerity before any improvements have a chance to take root.
I have been pretty critical of the Fed throughout the crisis. I still don’t think policy is aggressive enough, and the Fed has been behind the developments in the economy due to its propensity to see green shoots that aren’t actually there. But at least it’s leaning in the right direction:
COMMENTARY Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke seems to have learned an important lesson.
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Posted on March - 02 - 2012
1) interest earned by an Individual
Development Account (IDA) project participant on
funds deposited in the participant’s personal account is currently
includible in the participant’s gross income under section
61 of the Code;2) a project participant may exclude,
as a gift under section 102, parallel funds paid for a qualified
expense of the project participant.
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Posted on March - 01 - 2012
You’ve probably seen big sign-up bonuses with credit cards at some point. They’re often used with rewards credit cards or frequent flyer credit cards to help one offer stand out from the competition. Have you ever applied for a new card because one of these bonuses got your attention? Have you considered applying for one just to get the bonus? Are these bonuses even worth it?
Let’s look at some examples of big credit card sign-up bonuses and some signs that they may or may not be worth your while.
Examples of Credit Card Sign-Up Bonuses
- Bonus rewards points
- Bonus frequent flyer points
- Extra (like double) rewards points on purchases for a limited time
When Sign-Up Bonuses Are (and Aren’t) Worth It
Do these bonus rewards really make one credit card offer better than another? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. For exa
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Posted on February - 24 - 2012
Sure is a lot of buzz today about the economy really showing signs of turning around…
Hmm, lets see… just on CNBC.com we have: Warren Buffet stating that single family homes are very attractive Pending home sales rise to a two year top Apple hits a new high (good for them!)… AND the DOW is above 13000 and they say if it closes above 13000 we are off to 15000!
Of course I am not an economist. Maybe the economy IS getting better. But I don’t believe it. Too many factors like unemployment, fuel prices, and the fact that 80% or so of companies in the US are NOT hiring.
I don’t know…. I just don’t buy into it..
What I DO know though is TRADING. That, I know inside out. Ive been a day trader, swing trader, and a market connoisseur for a long time.
I remember telling my students we were bottomed out at the 660 level or so. And right now
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