The European Central Bank (ECB) is now in the process of implementing its own quantitative easing program modeled after what was done in the U.S. and Great Britain. The powers that be believe that the ultra-slow recovery in Euro Zone countries is largely due to not enough lending going on. They also believe that printing more money and flushing the system (a.k.a. quantitative easing) is the solution to the problem.
We hear a lot about government debt, also known as the public debt, during election season. However, once the votes are cast, the topic seems to fade from the collective conscience of America. That is dangerous. Government debt is a very real problem that should be important to every American citizen.
Take a look at your next pay stub. There should be a heading labeled FICA along with a specific dollar amount underneath it. Do you know what that is? Most people do not, except to say that it is something they know is deducted from their pay every week. It turns out that FICA, also known as the Federal Insurance Contributions Act of 1939, officially established what we now know as the Social Security system.
Every night on the evening news, you see numbers relating to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the S&P 500. The broadcasters seem completely confident talking about these numbers, but do they really know what the numbers mean? What’s more, do you really know what they mean?
Now that the 2014 midterm elections are behind us, political pundits and economists are turning their eyes to the 2016 presidential election. That means for the next two years, you will be hearing a lot more about something known as the consumer price index (CPI). This number, published regularly by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS), is intrinsically tied to inflation.
The Better Business Bureau, also known as the BBB, is a nonprofit organization involved in consumer advocacy since 1912. American consumers have trusted the BBB for decades as a source of valuable information about companies of all sizes. However, many consumers misunderstand what the BBB is and how it functions. Here are the most important things you need to know about this organization. Read the rest of this entry »
When you hear politicians mention economic policies, do you understand what they are talking about? If not, it’s important that you learn. Economic policies not only affect government operations and national economies, they affect what goes on around your kitchen table. The more you know about economic policies, the better you will be able to make decisions that affect you personally.
Anyone who has purchased a home has probably heard the term “amortizationâ€. However, that does not necessarily mean every homeowner understands it. Amortization is an easy concept for bankers and mortgage lenders to grasp because they have been trained in all the fine details of borrowing and lending. It is not so easy for the average consumer.
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