Posts by Ari Page
No Bad News for the Wealthiest One Percent
They say money doesn’t buy happiness, but America’s richest one percent might disagree. That’s because the chasm between the richest one percent of Americans and the rest of the country’s workers has gotten bigger … meaning the rich keep getting richer. In fact, that one percent cross-section took home just shy of 20 percent of…
See Full Article Here ->It costs HOW MUCH to raise a child?
Have you ever thought about how much money it takes to raise a child from birth to age 18? If you’re a parent you probably have, but you might not have been able to put a dollar figure to your question. Now you can. The United States Department of Agriculture has released some new data…
See Full Article Here ->Can you find a job? Yes. Can you find a GOOD job? Maybe not.
Is the economy turning around? Is the job market getting better? On the surface the short answer is yes … but when you take a closer look, your own answer will depend upon your viewpoint of the topic. The unemployment rate dropped in July, (source) and July was the 34th consecutive month the job market…
See Full Article Here ->Bernanke’s legacy will include more communication than his predecessors
It seems like Ben Bernanke believes the old saying, “Knowledge is power.” When his term as leader of the Federal Reserve is up in January 2014, one of the things people will remember most about him is his willingness to disseminate more information to the public than any of his predecessors (source). Want examples? He’s…
See Full Article Here ->The Average American Automobile is Now Older than Ever
If you’re one of those people who is currently driving an older car, you may be feeling self-conscious as you navigate your way down the road. But if you stop and take a closer look, you may very well find you’re not the only one driving a “mature” automobile – not by a long shot!…
See Full Article Here ->You know who you are … but does Big Data?
“Big Data” is defined by Wikipedia as “the term for a collection of data sets so large and complex that it becomes difficult to process using on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications.” One of the “Big Data” files floating around out there in cyberspace is all about you. We imagine you’ve…
See Full Article Here ->Google Stock Splits
A little more than a year ago, Google announced a stock split. This was done in an effort to be able to sell more shares, but they weren’t able to carry out their plan because of a legal dispute. Now, however, a major obstacle to bringing the split to fruition has been carried out with…
See Full Article Here ->Bank of America Under the Microscope for Possible HAMP Violations
Bank of America could soon be in some serious hot water due to claims made by former employees. A statement made by Simone Gordon, a former Bank of America loss-mitigation specialist who departed the bank in 2012, said the bank improperly disqualified some applicants to the Home Affordable Modification Program or HAMP (source). Gordon’s statement…
See Full Article Here ->Home Repos Up Sharply in May
Banks are revving up their efforts to take back homes. In May, according to RealtyTrac, completed foreclosures were up 11 percent from the previous month (38,946 in May vs. 34,997 in April). In addition, it was the first time in five months the total had risen. Foreclosure starts also are on the rise, going up…
See Full Article Here ->The 3% Interest Mortgage Loan May Be a Thing of the Past
According to a recent CNN.com article, the days of too-good-to-be-true mortgage interest rates below four percent will soon be just that. As recently as early May, the rates for a fixed mortgage were at 3.3%, but in the last week of that month they had already escalated to 3.91% (compared to 3.67% at the same…
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