Irrational Exuberance & The Roots of Our Economic Problems

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Have you received a bonus this year? Or, are you one of the millions who are unemployed at this time? There has been so much hype about company bonuses in the last year that this country seems to have become an anti-bonus citizenry. Sure, I agree that companies being subsidized by the government to avoid bankruptcy (and an even greater economic fallout) should not be paying exorbitant bonuses. But really, is anyone else sick of hearing about how bad the economy is, and what is or isn’t fair?

Let’s face it; this country was built, among other things, on the premise of free ideas, enterprise, and capitalism. Any

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CNNMoney rates Credit.com as one of the best websites for personal finance questions

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A credit score has become more important than ever when it comes to things like trying to get an auto loan or better mortgages rates.

And, with credit tightening, lenders are looking for people with higher credit scores as they try to limit the risks involved with letting consumers borrow money. As a result, people may wonder where they can go to get an idea about how their credit history stands.

Recently, CNNMoney.com released a list of the top 20 websites related to personal finance. Read more…

Understanding Your Credit Card

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When something is misunderstood the results can be catastrophic. Misunderstandings usually come with miscommunication and it could’ve been avoided. If you do not understand your credit card you will end up hating every minute of having it but if you know that understanding something as valuable as your credit card you will always be able to enjoy its benefits. This article will guide you through the basics of a credit card so your credit card can help you.

 

There are common misconceptions about a credit card. The first would be that a credit card rate stays the same. Th

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Work-based safety net without any work

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The New York Times article: Millions of Unemployed Face Years Without Jobs foretells a future of joblessness for former middle-class workers caught in the current great recession.

Call them the new poor: people long accustomed to the comforts of middle-class life who are now relying on public assistance for the first time in their lives — potentially for years to come.

Yet the social safety net is already showing severe strains. Roughly 2.7 million jobless people will lose their unemployment check before the end of April unless Congress approves the Obama administration’s proposal to extend the payments, according to the Labor Department.

Here in Southern California, Jean Eisen has been without work since she lost her job selling beauty salon equipment more than two years ago. In

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AIG: The Main CDS Insurer for Greek Government Debt?

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Yves Smith and I received a tip at the weekend from a friend who reads the German press regularly about credit default swaps (CDS) on Greek government debt. Read Yves’ piece based on that article here. Below is mine.

Previously, I had mentioned the CDS exposure of the hapless German Landesbanks (banks owned by the individual German states or Länder – hence the term Landesbank). These same companies lost enormous amounts of money in the subprime meltdown – and apparently they have all sorts of other toxic exposure like Greek CDS still on the books.

So I find it interesting that the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine is focussing instead on the AIG CDS connection to Greece. Here’s

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Quicken 2010 50% Off Coupon Code

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Quicken also sent me a 50% off link to all their 2010 products. Offer good only until 2/22/10. The following Special Offer Code was included in the e-mail: 6321762157. Download version might be better if you plan on returning?

Note: Offer applies only to purchase of Quicken Deluxe, Premier, Home & Business, or Rental Property Manager when you order directly from Intuit by February 22, 2010, 11:59 PM PST.

If you’re not 100% satisfied, return Quicken 2010 software with your dated receipt within 60 days of purchase for a refund of the purchase price (return shipping and handling charges are not included). <

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