Month: March 2009

It looks the rest of the world is getting tired of using the once mighty Greenback as it's reserve currency. Recent reports show that China and other emerging super powers have started seriously calling for the creation of a new global currency to eventually replace the US dollar. China, the…

As you may know, based on some recent articles, I have started my home buying process. I have looked at many factors like the economy, monies available for down payment and job security when weighing the decision to buy a place. However, I have found that the one financial factor…

[Update Sep 2010] Following on from President Obama's plans to help small business, Congress and the President have approved the Small Business Jobs Bill ( H.R. 5297) to cut taxes, provide more SBA funding and ease credit for small businesses (details below). The legislation would create a $30 billion lending program and provide small…

My dad use to say, "you can't get blood from a turnip". When you hear this phase during your younger years, your thoughts tend to imagine a guy squeezing a turnip and hoping blood will come out. Your next thought is something along the lines of, "why would someone squeeze…

I received a letter in the mail the other day from some legal firm saying that they were on the verge of winning a class action suit against a large medical corporation and that I could be entitled to part of their structured settlement; if I could prove I had…

As I get older and my family grows, one question that comes to mind is, “will they manage if something happens to me? Particularly from a financial aspect.” I can’t do much to prevent the emotional impact, but I want to ensure that my family will not suffer financially if…

Nowadays every extra dollar counts more than ever. Despite a paycheck from working a regular job, once taxes and other fixed expenses are accounted for, it is getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Since there are only twenty four hours in day, physically working more (provided you can…

[Latest update] The government has finalized details of coronavirus relief stimulus checks and is expected to make these direct payments to millions of Americans in the coming days. Details can be found here. [Updated with new extensions] Based on a number of reader questions, there is still some confusion around…

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the latest unemployment report showing that the US economy has now lost at least 650,000 jobs for three consecutive months, the worst decline in percentage terms over that length of time since 1975. The rise in the unemployment rate from 7.6% to 8.1% translates…

Here's a worrying byline on many levels: Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) Chairman Sheila Bair said that the deposit insurance fund used to protect bank account holders could be insolvent this year, unless the agency imposes additional fees on the industry amid a surge in bank failures. The first thought…

I wrote a few months ago that the Dow index crashing was an outside possibility following the first wave of the credit crisis induced market panic. The Dow had fallen below 10,000 at that time and even I thought that 5000 was highly unlikely. But, it looks like the seemingly…

Just another sign that the Mortgage Giants are really in much more trouble than the government regulators are letting on. David Moffet was CEO of Freddie Mac for just under 6 months and he must have thought the problems are too much too handle. The C-Level musical chairs at Freddie…