Jun
18
Americans Are Mad About Sale of Budweiser
June 18, 2008 | 5 Comments
Are Americans mad about political shenanigans on Capitol Hill? Are they upset about dirty deals on Wall Street? No, Americans are fired up about the possible hostile takeover of Anheuser-Busch (maker of Budweiser ) by the Belgian company InBev. Americans love their beer.
Usually when a company is sold to foreign owners, the reaction is mild. When the Germans bought Chrysler, there was some discontent but most realized if someone didn't buy Chrysler, it …
Jun
17
What Is Flood Insurance?
June 17, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Every year people and property are devastated by floods. Floods can strike anywhere. The government established National Flood Insurance Program ( NFIP ) to help deal with the financial cost of flooding. Find out how the flood insurance works.
Even with modern management techniques, floods happen every year. Look at the recent Katrina disaster or the flooding in the Midwest as examples.
Before 1968, the government tried to control flooding with dams and …
Jun
16
IRS Withholds $842 Million in Stimulus Payments
June 16, 2008 | 15 Comments
If you're missing your stimulus check, you're not alone. The IRS is withholding $842 Million from stimulus payments. How do you know if you're stimulus payment will be withheld?
According to this CNN/Money article, stimulus payments have been withheld from 1.5 million people. Over 50% of the money has gone for back child support .
About 54% of the cash intercepted will be funneled to states for child support, according to Dean …
Comment by Chris: … have to contact the IRS for that information. See …
Jun
13
The economic stimulus payment program has been a fiasco. Hundreds of readers have shared their horror stories. You'd think the government could figure out how to get checks to people. Put the check in the mail, what's so hard about that? When government gets involved, simple things get complicated fast. If the government can't mail a check right, why would we let the government take over …
Jun
10
6 Ways to Spend Your Stimulus Money
June 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
By now a majority of Americans have received their stimulus payments from the IRS. If you're wondering what to do with that money, I have some suggestions.
Start an Emergency Fund.
Everybody needs an emergency fund. Dave Ramsey recommends at least $1,000 until you pay off your debts then you need 3 to 6 months of income. I recommend you put as much as you can into an emergency fund. In reality $1,000 is a good …
Jun
7
Nassim Nicholas Taleb got rich on a day when many many people went broke. He predicted the sub-prime fiasco and the crash of 1997. He didn't really predict these events, he just predicted some kind of event, a black swan, could happen.
The Times Online has a new interview piece with Taleb.
An interesting article. Worth your time if you're interested in economics, investing or banking. I'm going to get around to reading both his books. He's a fascinating …
Jun
3
What Does the Stimulus Notification Letter Look Like?
June 3, 2008 | 4 Comments
If you're still waiting for your stimulus payment, you'll want to be on the look out for a notification letter from the IRS. I just got mine. I decided to scan it in so you'd know what to look for.
Here it is in all its government envelope glory:
I've scanned in the letter I received also, but I'll upload that later. I need to read it over first. I'll post the text of the letter once I've scanned it in.
Make sure you save the letter when you get it. …
Comment by Chris: … does not count. The IRS should have sent you several …
May
29
Where Is My Stimulus Payment?
May 29, 2008 | 107 Comments
… for your Economic Stimulus Payment ? You're not alone. Thousands of comments on this site and others indicate many people are waiting for their stimulus payment. So where are the checks?
Double Check Your Facts
You may be confused by the stimulus payment schedule. Who can blame you, it is confusing. However, you need to make sure you have your facts straight before contacting the IRS.
I've made a list of the most common problems/issues with stimulus payments. Items are …
Comment by billy: … i called today and the y said it was undelieverable like …
May
23
The IRS Stimulus Payment program is a real mess. Many people haven't received their payments. Some haven't received the amount they were supposed to get according to the IRS web site. Some people have questions relating to child support or other debts owed to the government. Many people are searching the internet because they don't know how to contact the IRS by phone.
The IRS stimulus …
Comment by Chris: … to help you but the IRS is the best source. If you …
May
19
Everyone likes to complain about the price of gas. Gas Prices are at record highs. What can the US do about it? What can US consumers do about it?
This is the 3rd article in a multi-part series on gas prices in the United States. You can read part 1 (Why Does Gas Cost So Much? here. You can read Part 2 (Gas Prices are Cheap in the US) of the Gas Price Series here .
We Got Ourselves Into This
Most articles on …