Well, I guess today's data makes it official: everything's back to normal.
"U.S. Economy Quickens on Gains in Spending, Exports" (Bloomberg)
The U.S. economy accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2010 as consumer spending climbed by the most in more than four years.
Gross domestic product grew at a 3.2 percent annual rate, Commerce Department figures showed today in Washington, falling short of the 3.5 percent median forecast of 85 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News because of a slowdown in inventories. Excluding stockpiles, the economy rose at a 7.1 percent pace, the most since 1984.
“The consumer really drove…
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You have an emergency fund. But, perhaps it’s not what you want it to be. You wish you had more money in it. You wish it was more easily accessible. You wish! Today, let’s explore how to actually strengthen your emergency savings!
Why an Emergency Fund?
Why are emergency funds so very important in the first place? Let me list the reasons:
They protect you from income loss from losing a job. With the unemployment rate high, job loss can happen to you! Most likely it won’t in the short term (the odds are in your favor), but if…
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This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new article to Get Rich Slowly every two weeks.
Those of you who are parents — and those of you who came from them — may have already read the Wall Street Journal article by Amy Chua (which is an excerpt from her new book, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother). If you haven’t read it, this excerpt will give you an idea:
A lot of people wonder…
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Ah, budgeting. New year, same old goals? While I’m not one of those people that think everyone needs a detailed budget, I do think everyone should track their spending at least once a year or so. This way, you have a real snapshot of where your money is going (which may just surprise you). Writing down every little transaction on a piece of paper or even tapping it into your smartphone can get really tedious. So here’s what I do to manage it in 15-minutes a year.
Put All Your Spending On A Credit/Debit Card
The main idea is…
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If you invest your money, you have to deal with stress. You ask yourself, “Is this the best place to invest?” and you ask yourself this question often.
Besides family and health, there aren’t many things more important to you than your money. I know it. You know it. We might as well admit it. This creates financial stress and makes it harder to make smart financial decisions.
But if you want to invest wisely, you have to cure your investment management stress and anxiety. The way to do that is to know and accept yourself completely and live with…
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Not quite a year ago, my wife and I started investing in Series I Savings bonds. For those that are unaware, “I Bonds” are low risk, inflation-indexed savings bonds issued by the Federal government.
Unlike CD rates, which are fixed, I Bond rates are adjusted for inflation on a semi-annual basis in May and November. When it comes to buying I Bonds, you have two options… You can purchase them online using TreasuryDirect or by visiting your local bank.
The primary limitation with I Bonds is that you can only purchase $ 10k worth of them ($ 5k electronic and…
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The Friday “Ask the Readers” column generally follows a set format: I introduce the topic, share a reader e-mail, give my best advice, and then ask for your feedback. Today’s column is a little different. Jennifer sent me a 1000-word question, and rather than write any sort of response, I’m just going to let her have the entire space. Everything that follows is from Jennifer.
My husband and I are in our mid twenties (no children yet), and currently both employed full time with good benefits. We live in Phoenix, which has a relatively low cost of living (our rent…
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Jeremy Siegel, the author of Stocks for the Long Run, was correct with his prediction for the stock market comeback in 2009. Looking back, it may be easy to say that was an easier prediction due to the low starting point that year, but many experts thought the stock market had further to dive.
This year, Siegel expects a 4% increase in the stock market due to low interest rates and dividend-paying stocks. In this recent video, Jeremy butts heads with Robert Shiller, who thinks the stock market is currently not undervalued, and doesn’t have much room to increase…
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