Protecting Yourself from the Giant New Deficit

• FEBRUARY 6, 2010

For every dollar in debt that Americans have paid off since they started cleansing their balance sheets in mid-2008, the U.S. government has borrowed more than $7. All the hard work by consumers to replenish their piggy banks may be for naught if big government budget deficits play havoc with the economy.

Last week's federal budget didn't provide much solace. The Obama administration projected that the federal debt could double over the next decade, prompting Moody's Investors Service to warn that the pristine AAA credit rating of the U.S. "could come under downward pressure."

Investors need to account for the burgeoning federal budget deficit as they save for retirement, college tuition or homes. Uncle Sam's borrowing binge could set off a surge in inflation and push down the dollar, both of which would erode the value of savings. It could also push interest rates higher, hammering the value of the more than $1 trillion in Treasury bonds owned by households directly or through mutual funds. Income taxes, already set to rise, might have to climb further to help close the government's budget gap.

The Big Picture

Munis Get More Expensive

The result could be what Laurence Siegel,>>>

Google 411

Google 411 - Good One...NO, GREAT ONE!

Just leave it up to Google to come up with something like this!

Here's a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411 or 1-800-466-4411.

This is an awesome service from Google, and it's free -- great when you are on the road. Don't waste your money on information calls and don't waste your time manually dialing the number.

I am driving along in my car and I need to call the golf course and I don't know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed (1-800-466-4411). The voice at the other end says, "Say the name of the business and the City & Province." I say, "Kingsville Golf Course, Kingsville , Ontario ”. He says, "Connecting" and Kingsville Golf Course answers the phone.

How great is that? his is nationwide, Canada & US, and it is absolutely free! Works on cell and landline phones, all you have to remember is 1-800-466-4411. Give it a try.

Click on the link below and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.

http://www..google.com/goog411/

Secrets of a New-Car Price Sticker

by Dana Dratch
Tuesday, January 5, 2010provided by

Ever wonder just what goes into new-car prices?

What you pay represents more than just the aggregate cost of steel, glass, rubber, chrome and labor. But getting to that bottom line can be confusing.

Here are some of the behind-the-scenes items that can affect the total price of your new car, truck or SUV:

Dealer Invoice Price. This is what "the dealership is presumed to have paid for the car," says Jeff Bartlett, deputy editor online, autos for Consumer Reports. But that price "may not reflect the cost to the dealership of acquiring that car," he says. One big reason is something called a "dealer holdback," which is a "percentage the manufacturer awards the dealership" for selling the car, he says. Typically, a holdback is about 2 percent to 3 percent of what the buyer pays for the auto, Bartlett says. "This insures that the dealer makes some money on the car."

With a little research, you can find dealer pricing data, but don't expect the dealer to show you the actual dealer invoice on the car you buy, he says.

One the bright side, "there's no real need," Bartlett says. "You're much better off doing your homework before you get to the lot."

and much more here>>>

21 Things We're Learning to Live Without

• By Rick Newman , On Thursday January 21, 2010, 4:09 pm EST

What do you really need?

It's become a national question. With jobs and money scarce, consumers are taking inventory and tossing lots of stuff once deemed important into a humongous discard pile. To safeguard the essentials--a safe home and supportive community, the kids' education, Internet connectivity, sustenance for a pet--Americans are giving up lots of other things. Some sacrifices are painful; others bring surprise benefits.

To gauge America's changing priorities, I synthesized market research, business trends, economic data, and reports from hundreds of consumers into a list of things that many people seem to be significantly cutting back on, or living without completely. Here are 21 of them:

[Slide Show: 21 Things We're Learning to Live Without.]

Monthly payments. Old mentality: I don't care about the price, as long as I can borrow to pay for it and I have enough income to cover the monthly payment. New mentality: I've already got too much debt, and the banks won't lend me the money anyway. Result: More cash purchases and a lot less financing of cars, furniture and other costly items. "The era of unbridled, debt-financed consumer spending is over, and the monthly payer is out of action," Eric Janszen, president of iTulip, a finance-advisory firm, wrote in Harvard Business Review last year.

Window shopping.>>>

N.Y. Dairy Farmer Kills 51 Cows, Commits Suicide

Friday, January 22, 2010

COPAKE, N.Y. — State police in New York say an upstate dairy farmer shot and killed 51 of his milk cows in his barn before turning the rifle on himself.

State police found the body of 59-year-old Dean Pierson in his Copake barn on Thursday. A visitor found a note Pierson had left on the barn door that said not to come in and to call police.

State police would only say that>>>

Snow Tractor

1926 Snow Tractor "Neat"-one of Henry's toys This is fascinating. This was 83 years ago , but does this thing look like fun or what !! It appears very stable and moves along quickly. I knew I've never seen it all. This is a rare video of an invention that never went very far. Wait until you see the automobile version it is all on here. 1926 Snow Tractor. Talk about ingenuity! This is a 1926 silent film (on video) of a tractor-snow-machine invented by Henry Ford, shown here driving it. Watch the whole thing. Note the "hat." http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,213971.0/topicseen.html Our modern snowmobiles are far better but Henry's machine is pretty clever for the time.

Wasp Spray

Wasp Spray

A friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote. She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn't attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection... Thought this was interesting and might be of use.

FROM ANOTHER SOURCE

On the heels of a break in and beating that left an elderly woman in Toledo dead, self defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

Val Glinka teaches self-defense to students at

Sylvania Southview High School. For decades, he's suggested putting a can of wasp and hornet spray near your door or bed.

Glinka says, "This is better than anything I can teach them."

Glinka considers it inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, Glinka says, "spray the culprit in the eyes". It's a tip he's given to students for decades.

It's also one he wants everyone to hear. If you're looking for protection, Glinka says look to the spray.

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out."

Maybe even save a life.

Please share this with all the people in your life.