Month: July 2008

At the end of July the federal minimum wage jumps to $7.25 an hour from $6.55, according to the US department of Labor. However, many question if this will help or hurt low income workers and the small business that employ them. The minimum wage has increased over the last…

Over the weekend, Congress gave final approval to the housing relief bill that is aimed at helping thousands of struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure and to temper falling home prices. It also includes provisions to assist institutions that operate in the mortgage market, namely the Government sponsored enterprises (GSE) Fannie Mae…

A less serious, but widespread fallout of tough economic times for American companies has been the cutting of employee perks and benefits to lower operating costs. Working in corporate America myself, I can attest to some of these cutbacks first hand and I know more are coming down the line…

When I bought Apple (AAPL) stock a few weeks ago for around $140 (worth $16,000) before the launch of their latest iPhone, I was pretty confident about the prospects for the stock. I expected some short term volatility as it is a growth stock, but since my purchase it has…

From a company press release I saw on a financial news site: Reserve Management Corp (RMC) is offering a service to employees that allows debit cards to be linked to 401(k) plans, for easy withdrawal of funds. Their Chairman, Bruce R. Bent, justified this offering by saying that they encourage…

Over the weekend I went shopping to a specific large outlet mall with some visiting out-of-town friends. This outlet mall was one that they specifically wanted to go as was not in the city they came from. During the shopping trip, which lasted about 2hrs, they spent close to $1000…

I recently received a reader question asking me which high yield online savings account is better -  the one from HSBC or Capital One's 360 savings account? I had previously written about the appropriate use of high yield savings accounts (HYSA) and in uncertain times, like now, they are a good place to…

How many times have you looked back on life and wished that you had started investing earlier? Teaching your children, or grandchildren, a few simple lessons about saving and investing can start them off in the right direction toward an informed and more secure financial future. Step 1: The value…

>Oh VMware, I was so disappointed when I didn't buy you in the IPO at $29. My pain was worse when you soared past $100, but now I am not so sad since your CEO left and stock price bled. Will I buy you now? I think not, after all…

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index, based on a representative sample of 5,000 U.S. households, declined even further in June. In recently released figures the index now stands at 50.4 (1985=100), down from 58.1 in May. The (outlook) Expectations index also declined to 41.0 from 47.3 in May. Consumers' assessment…

Gas Shortages and Siphoning One of the more unsavory aspects of the sudden rise in gas prices has been a marked increase in criminal gas siphoning activities. This has been widely reported in the media, but over the weekend it struck very close to home when a neighbors car, which…

With gas prices at an all-time high, more and more people are looking for ways to reduce their fuel costs. Being a personal finance blogger, I thought I would join in on the advice band wagon and provide some simple ideas I use and have read about to save on…