| Don't panic over long-term investment
EVERY JANUARY, my husband and I update our finances, but this year's review nearly sent me over the edge. Last week, as we were tabulating our assets, I looked at the latest statement from my 401(k) retirement plan. In the first 18 days of this year, the portfolio was down 10 percent, losing -- at least on paper -- more than $30,000. Beginning to panic, I began to pull the statements on our other investments. More bad news. A fund we use to save for our children's college expenses was down by about $8,000. My husband's federal government Thrift Savings Plan also had dropped, 6.4 percent, or $20,000, in the same period. "Honey, we've got to do something," I said, worry rising in my voice. That panicky feeling is one shared by many investors these days, as markets around the world tumble.
Barely into '08 and she already has the status that Billy Jeff had in ...
I will say it again and again. Hillary is a lying, conniving, power hungry politician. She will never, ever win a general election. Anyone who thinks so is as delusional as Hillary when she said 'it's a vast right-wing conspiracy.'
And Hillary and healthcare reform? Puhleez. Bill Clinton ran on healthcare reform. He stupidly put Hillary in charge. It was an absolute circus; every way she handled it was WRONG! Her final plan was such a disaster that the Democrats, who controlled Congress and the White House (perfect time to get it done), wouldn't even vote on it. This is why we are still talking about it 15 yrs. later. Why does anyone want this incompetent fool?! Posted 09/01/08 at 1:37 AM EST | Alert an Editor | Link to Comment .
News Minute: Home sales...State of the Union...Iraq attack
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - Mitt Romney and John McCain are accusing each other of harboring liberal tendencies as both men enter the final full day of campaigning before Florida's primary. Polls show a close race between the two in the Sunshine State. WASHINGTON (AP) - Plenty of support from the Kennedys is heading Barack Obama's way. Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and his son, Rhode Island Congressman Patrick Kennedy, are both endorsing Obama for president. The senator's niece, Caroline, also announced her support for Obama over the weekend. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. .
Thinking About Tomorrow
Shoppers will still be greeted at Wal-Mart, but a computer may be the one saying hello -- and reminding them of what they bought on their last visit. Friends will still send each other birth and wedding announcements, but the process will be virtually automated, thanks to alerts on social-networking sites. Most of these changes will spring from a couple of rapidly improving technologies. Mobile devices will get smaller and more powerful, and will connect to the Internet through high-speed links. The result: People will be able to do anything on a hand-held that they can now do on a desktop computer. In fact, they'll be able to do even more, as mobile gadgets increasingly come equipped with global-positioning-system gear that can track your every move. As you drive around, for instance, you might get reviews of nearby restaurants automatically delivered to a screen in your car -- maybe even projected onto the windshield.
Digital River's Jim Wehmann: Building a Better E-Commerce Site
"The measure of a site is how long are consumers staying there, and are they buying and doing the things that we want them to do?" said Digital River's Jim Wehmann. "We've gone beyond whether or not something is the coolest, flash-enabled sexy site. That may not be what consumers are looking for and don't always produce the best results." Forrester analyzes the business model of commercial open source CRM in large enterprises. Plus, Info-Tech Research analyzes the spectrum of CRM offerings for the SMB. Download the FREE Forrester and Info-Tech reports. .
CHILI BOWL MIDGETS
December 15 was the entry deadline. Pre-entrants paid $150 to December 15 and post-entrants after that date paid $200. CB veteran drivers and newcomers of known experience were assigned to race in only one of the three preliminary nights. They drew for heat race starting positions each night and had to race for all-important finishing positions. There were 76 races and 776 laps of action during five days. This year there were 70 Chili Bowl rookies and most of them raced on the Tuesday pre-qualifying night with that advanced the top finishers in the 76 car field to the regular Wed., Thur. and Fri. preliminary qualifying nights. Winners of the 25-lap four qualifying main events were: Tues.- Josh Most, Red Oak, IA; Wed.-Josh Ford, Oxnard, CA; Thur.-Brad Kuhn, Avon IN, and Fri.-Damion Gardner, Concord, CA & Pittsboro, IN.
Change in credit scoring may be good for you
Bob Friedrich always pays his bills on time . . . well, almost always.
Three years ago, he sent in his monthly mortgage payment as usual, but it got lost in the mail. He thought the problem was history after he paid the overdue balance the following month. But when he got his credit report last month, he found the single late payment with a note that it was negatively affecting his credit score. Friedrich, an accountant who lives in Glen Oaks, wasn't happy, even though his score was still an impressive 790 out of 850.
"I think it was improper," said Friedrich, who contested the blemish and hopes it won't appear on future reports, which he checks yearly. "It was a single late payment that wasn't my fault. It was the post office's fault."
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