NEWSTALK 860 » Economy

New $100 Bills Coming in October

Chris Chaberski — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:11:55 +0000

Get ready to throw away all those ratty old Benjamins that are just laying around your house—the newly designed $100 bill will be going into circulation in October.

Last-Minute Tax Tips: Filing an Extension, Payment Plans, What Happens if You Don't Pay

Chris Chaberski — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:55:41 +0000

Today, April 15, is Tax Day, and while most of you have filed your 2012 returns, surely some of you out there are going down to the very last minute ... or maybe even a bit beyond. Here are a few important reminders:

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Jobless Claims Fall by 42,000 — Is the Job Market Doing Better?

Chris Chaberski — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 17:37:02 +0000

After last week's disappointing March jobs report, the Department of Labor released some rather encouraging news on Thursday.

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88,000 New Jobs in March Is Weakest Growth in Nine Months

Chris Chaberski — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:16:39 +0000

Job growth appeared to slow drastically during March, as employers added 88,000 new jobs, down from 268,000 in February. The unemployment rate went down a tick, from 7.7 percent to 7.6, but that was due to a reduction in the labor force.

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Is Your Unclaimed Tax Refund Among the $1 Billion Being Held by the IRS?

Chris Chaberski — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:23:29 +0000

There are still a few weeks left to file your 2012 tax return, but April 15 of this year marks another important deadline for taxpayers: it's your last chance to file for a refund on your 2009 taxes.

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Economy Adds 236,000 Jobs; Unemployment Rate Drops to 7.7%

Chris Chaberski — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:22:32 +0000

The labor market—and the economy overall—is improving, albeit gradually, with employers adding 236,000 jobs in February. That gain brought the unemployment rate down a few ticks from 7.9 percent to 7.7, its lowest point in four years.

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Post Office Will Not Deliver Mail on Saturdays Anymore

Chris Chaberski — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 16:37:14 +0000

Starting this summer, you won't be getting any mail over the weekend.

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Economy Added 157,000 Jobs in January

Chris Chaberski — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:22:44 +0000

The Labor Department announced that the U.S. economy added 157,000 jobs in January. The unemployment rate inched upward by a tenth of a point, to 7.9 percent.

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Economy Adds 155,000 Jobs in December, Unemployment Rate Stays Even

Chris Chaberski — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:27:18 +0000

The American economy created 155,000 new jobs in December, according to the latest report from the Labor Department. The unemployment rate is 7.8 percent, the same as November.

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The Funniest Fiscal Cliff Memes

Emerald Catron — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 15:37:13 +0000

Hey, did you hear the good news? We managed to avoid soaring headlong off the fiscal cliff yesterday. Granted, the House pulled the plug on a bill providing emergency aid to people whose lives were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy to do it. But they did it. Hooray!(?)
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Today is Gift Card Exchange Day

Jen Austin — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 18:47:50 +0000

Gift cards are more popular than ever it seems. They were an easy gift this year for many of us, and quite a few of us received them too.

The research firm CEB TowerGroups says around $110 billion worth of gift cards were sold this year in the United States, up ten percent over 2011.

But if you received one you don't want, you can exchange it for cash.

Here's how it works.
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Christmas Spending is at an All-Time High

Jen Austin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:30:25 +0000

The amount we fork over for Christmas gifts has gone up every year since 2008.

The iPads, flat screen TVs, and video game must-haves ain’t cheap! When you add up the hot electronics, the ugly sweaters, and the popcorn tin gift sets, we’re spending just shy of a thousand bucks on Christmas.
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The Middle Class Is Poorer Than It Has Been in 43 Years — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 17:04:35 +0000

The median net worth of working-class Americans is now lingering at a 43-year low of $57,000.
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Job Market for College Graduates Is Improving — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:30:13 +0000

Good news for college students: the job market is starting to look a little brighter, with 5 percent more employment opportunities predicted for new college graduates this year, according to a recent survey conducted by the Michigan State University’s Collegiate Employment Research Institute.
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Thanksgiving Turkeys Will Be Cheaper Than Expected This Year — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 15:58:03 +0000

The price of turkey is going to be cheaper than expected this year, largely because many retailers were able to lock in the cost of the birds before the summer’s drought sent feed prices way, way up.

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Buying Underwear Fuels the Economy

Jen Austin — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 14:47:09 +0000

Have you heard the crazy notion that men’s underwear sales are an economic indicator?

When men’s underwear sales are up, the economy is doing well. When people are not buying guys’ tighty whities, the economy is in the tank.

Do you think it’s true?
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Credit Card Delinquencies Reach 11-Year Low — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:21:14 +0000

These days more credit card customers are paying their bills on time than they have over the course of the last decade.

A report released earlier today by the American Bankers Association indicates that delinquencies on credit cards are currently at an 11-year low, with only 2.93 percent of credit accounts reported past due by 30 days or more. These figures come in substantially under the 3.91 percent 15-year average.

So, what’s with all of the newfound responsibility?
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Americans Keep Having Fewer Babies, Probably Because of the Economy

Jeremy Taylor — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 18:56:09 +0000

Call it the "baby bust." For the fourth straight year, birth rates in the United States have declined.

Slightly fewer than four million babies were born in the U.S. in 2011, the lowest total since 1998. However, the 1 percent drop in the birth rate was less than it had been in the previous three years. This suggests that the economic pressure experts believe is depressing the birth rate may be easing up.

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Job Market (Finally) Improving for College Grads — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 15:00:30 +0000

For recent college graduates, the economic downturn and very, very slow recovery of the past few years have been brutal. But things may be looking up.

According to the Job Outlook 2013 survey, employers are on track to hire 13 percent more graduates from the class of 2013 than they did for those who walked away with their degrees in 2012.

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ATM Fees Skyrocket, Again, While Free Checking Disappears — Dollars and Sense

Mike Adams — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:31:51 +0000

The days of the free checking account are nearing extinction and ATM fees are on the rise, according to the latest financial research from bankrate.com. Those annoying ATM surcharges that consumers incur every time they withdraw cash from a money mover that is not the property of the their bank have risen once again, to an all-time high of $2.50, up 4 percent from last year.

And lest you think we would mislead you by using a term like "skyrocket" in the headline to describe a mere 4 percent increase—there's more ...

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