Bush Unveils $3 Trillion Budget Proposal

Feb 4th, 2008 by admin1 | 4 Comments

By Jonathan WeismanWashington Post Staff Writer
Monday, February 4, 2008; 11:57 AM

President Bush today unveiled a tough-minded, $3 trillion budget proposal for fiscal 2009 that would slice $14.2 billion from the growth of federal health-care programs, eliminate scores of programs and virtually freeze domestic spending — but would still record a $407 billion budget deficit.

This Story

• Bush Unveils $3 Trillion Budget Proposal

• On the Web: Budget of the U.S. Government (pdf)

The president’s final budget is a sharp contrast to the priorities of the Democratic-controlled Congress, which is likely to wait out Bush’s presidency rather than accede to many of his demands. The Bush budget plan would continue his first-term tax cuts beyond their 2011 expiration date, at a cost to the Treasury of $635 billion through 2013, extend abstinence education programs, create elementary and secondary education vouchers and guard other White House initiatives.

The president also takes aim at programs that Congress has guarded zealously — and is likely to continue protecting. Among the programs Bush would eliminate are commodity price supports for farmers, research assistance to manufacturers, career and technical education grants, weatherization assistance, community development grants, graduate medical education at children’s hospitals and a public housing revitalization program that the House just overwhelmingly reauthorized.

“In my 2009 Budget, I have set clear priorities that will help us meet our nation’s most pressing needs while addressing the long-term challenges ahead. With pro-growth policies and spending discipline, we will balance the budget in 2012, keep the tax burden low and provide for our national security,” Bush said in his final budget message.

Overall, the budget proposal underscores the precariousness of the federal government’s fiscal position as the demands of the aging baby boom generation begin to climb and an uncertain economy no longer can be expected to churn out tax revenue at a record pace.

The White House foresees the federal budget deficit rising to $410 billion this year, a sharp increase from 2007’s $162 billion deficit. Measured against the size of the economy, the deficit, at 2.9 percent of gross domestic product this year, would be well shy of the deficits of 2003 and 2004.

But, bloated in part by the $150 billion stimulus plan Bush is expecting Congress to pass in the coming weeks, the red ink of 2008 would rival the nominal dollar record of $412.7 billion in 2004. Bush’s budget office projects that the deficit will stay at $407 billion in 2009 before falling sharply, then reaching a surplus in 2012.

Budget analysts and Democrats say the good news in later years is probably illusory. The Bush budget plan makes room for $61 billion in 2009 to stop the growth of the alternative minimum tax, a parallel tax system enacted in 1969 to make sure the rich pay income tax that is increasingly squeezing the middle class. The cost of an AMT fix will continue to grow each year, but the budget makes no more allowances for the cost of that fix.

The document also assumes $70 billion in costs for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars next year, a fraction of the true costs, which could reach $200 billion in 2008. Beyond 2009, the budget includes no war costs at all.

Bush also foresees raising $2.1 billion in health-care fees on non-disabled veterans through 2013. A promised crackdown on tax cheats is supposed to raise $10.5 billion over that time.

“We’ve seen this script before,” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said in a statement. “The President proposes more of the same failed fiscal policies he has embraced throughout his time in office — more deficit-financed war spending, more deficit-financed tax cuts tilted to benefit the wealthiest, and more borrowing from foreign nations like China and Japan. The result can only be the same — a further explosion of debt and the undermining of our nation’s economic security.”

Response to the budget’s toughest proposals was equally fierce from groups that would be affected. Under the budget, funding for after-school education programs, known as 21st Century Learning Centers, would fall from $1.1 billion to $800 million, and Bush proposes to transform the effort from a competitive grant program administered by the states to a system of vouchers given to the parents of participants.

“What he is proposing to do would dismantle after-school programs,” said Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance.

Under the plan, a $301 million program that trains 4,700 pediatricians and pediatric sub-specialists at children’s teaching hospitals also would be eliminated, at a time when pediatric sub-specialties, such as rheumatology and pulmonology, face critical shortages.

“The request to eliminate funding to train the doctors that care for kids comes on the heels of the president’s veto of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program,” said Lawrence McAndrews, president and chief executive of the National Association of Children’s Hospitals. “I don’t think the president could be any clearer about his intentions towards children’s health care. ‘Wrong’ doesn’t begin to describe his actions.”

Bills.com Offers Powerful Information to Master Personal Finance

Jan 2nd, 2008 by admin1 | 1 Comment

SAN MATEO, Calif. (PRWeb) January 10, 2007 — Last year, Bills.com co-founders and co-CEOs Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh offered more than 200 tips to help consumers manage personal finance issues, and they are making those tips available to interested media parties via a list of topics this month.

“Education is a powerful tool when it comes to taking charge of personal finances,” Housser said. “We would like to remind consumers and media professionals alike that Bills.com is a consumer information portal designed to help individuals master their money to reach their personal goals.”

In addition to the news release tips, Bills.com offers a free consumer guide, “Debt Freedom: You Can Be Debt-Free, Starting Today.” The guide is available electronically in PDF format by visiting www.bills.com/guide.

The news releases are available online via Bills.com’s media room at http://www.bills.com/news_releases/. To request more information on any of the topics below, or to arrange an interview with Housser or Stroh, contact Aimee Bennett at (303) 843-9840 or via e-mail. Members of the media who have requests or ideas for tips on additional topics can also contact Bennett.

Consumer Finance Topics Available

Consumer debt
1. The Four Flavors of Healthy Debt
2. 4 Steps to Make the Most of Your Student Loans
3. Level the Playing Field With Collections Agencies for Fair Debt Payment
4. Back-to-School Season Means Hitting the Books - for Smart Ways to Borrow
5. Hone Your Debt Consolidation Savvy
6. Crash Course in Credit Scores
7. Understanding — and Avoiding — Credit Denials

Credit card debt
8. Expert Available to Discuss Increase of Minimum Payments on Credit Cards
9. 6 Steps to Begin Digging Out of Credit Card Debt

Credit counseling
10. IRS Credit-Counseling Investigation Advances, Strips Tax-Exempt Status From 50 Percent of Industry
11. Experts Available to Discuss IRS Crackdown on Credit Counseling Industry
12. 8 Ways to Spot a Credit-Counseling Scam

Bankruptcy
13. Expert Source Available to Discuss Bankruptcy Bill
14. Screws Tighten for U.S. Credit Card Borrowers With Higher Payments, Rising Rates, Bankruptcy Reform

Holiday spending, post-holiday debt
15. 5 Ways to Avoid Holiday Overindulgence
16. Six Ways Not to Overindulge in a Post-Thanksgiving Spending Spree
17. After Holiday Spending Craze, Consumers Can Refocus Spending
18. Holidays Timely for Personal Financial Checkup

Home finance
19. $360 Billion of Mortgage Debt at Risk of Foreclosure Among U.S. Homeowners
20. Home Loan Tips: Avoid Mortgage Troubles, Other Pangs of Rising Interest Rates
21. When Second Mortgages Make Sense
22. Is Now the Time to Refinance?
23. Reverse Mortgage Basics
24. Loan-to-Value: The Key to Getting the House You Want
25. ‘Is My House in a Bubble?’ Avoiding Foreclosure in Today’s ‘Bubbly’ Market
26. More Americans Refinance Homes to Pay Existing Debt — But Should They?

Insurance and health care
27. Choosing the Best Type of Health Plan for Your Budget
28. Insurance 101: The Basics Explained
29. How to Take a Scalpel to Medical Costs

Taxes
30. Don’t Delay in Managing IRS Tax Debt
31. Halftime for Tax Year 2005: Estimated Tax Deadline Looms on Sept. 15

General personal finance
32. Keep Spending Down as Temps Climb
33. This Year, Resolve to Clean Your Financial House
34. Experts Available to Discuss National Financial Literacy Month
35. Financial Literacy ABCs
36. The Feminine Financial Mystique: How Every Woman Must Take Control of Her Finances
37. Feast-or-Famine Budgeting: Savings 101 for Consultants, Freelancers, Artists and the Self-Employed

Based in San Mateo, Calif., Bills.com is a free one-stop online portal where consumers can educate themselves about complex personal finance issues and save money by choosing the best-value products and services. Since 2002, Bills.com and its partner company, Freedom Financial Network, have served more than 10,000 customers nationwide while managing more than $350 million in consumer debt. The company’s co-founders and CEOs, Andrew Housser and Brad Stroh, were named Northern California finalists in Ernst & Young’s 2006 Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.

My Current Income Venture - Proxy Sites

Nov 11th, 2007 by SalMaggio | 3 Comments

About 2 weeks ago i jumped into getting some proxy sites developed. I dont know how to buy one domain name and just try it, so i leap, and i pickup 10 domains. Well we get those put together, up and running, and i see a dollar, so i go for about 10 more domains. Now they’re up, and and we’ve got 20 domains for proxy sites. In the meantime, i pick up about 15 more domains, not yet developed. But After optimizing and submissions, and of course posting to groups several times a day, I watch. And today is the highest revenue so far, for only google adsense. And i am up to $15.00 $20.00 a day now. Doesn’t sound like much, but i haven’t really earned anything on adsense in the past.

So if i can keep that growing, maybe add the other 15 domains i purchased, hell i can live with $20 + a day coming from one little source. Thats $600 a month in my eyes. And if i can keep that steady, i can look at a dedicated server not to far down the road.

I also went into myspace, i figured that would also be an ideal place for pushing proxy sites. I got over 30 subscribers/friends on the first night, and its growing. I never really knew anything about proxy sites, but i’m learning and its another income source for me.

The way i see it, for all these domains i have, they will never go down in value. I’ll eventually weed out the junk. But in the meantime, i’m gonna have fun developing them.

I really have to much fun going in forums and buying up domains.

I’ve got an inventory of over 1500 domains, kinda like a druggy gettin there fix. All categories, Adult to Wholesaling. Must be that compulsive disorder i’ve got, lol. I have some junk and some good domains. I am really just in the process of sorting thru my 2 year buying binge and starting to get some of these developed. I try slowing down, but different circumstances are always encouraging me to pick up on other ideas(domains). I really have no intent on selling my domains, but hey, if i get the right offer, who knows. Hell, i’m still learning how to develope sites.

I guess not for nothing, if the income from proxy sites can help me pay for domain renewals(amounts to about $500 a month average) and a dedicated server, i’d be real happy right now. Although i do look forward to adding some personal income so i can eat regularly, lol. So far, revenue from some of the ads posted on this sight have been pretty descent.

SUPER FAST PROXY… START SURFING ANONYMOUSLY….

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Online Business Ideas

Nov 6th, 2007 by admin1 | 3 Comments

Online Business Ideas
By Sam Silverman

Looking for some low cost online business ideas? I will share some with you that I know others or myself have had great success in.

Drop Shipping is becoming huge. To be honest, all I know about it is there can be a great deal of money to be made, and there is a very slim chance of losing any money. But, because I haven’t tried it, only heard about its growth and success, I can not guarantee anything for it.

Another business is domain buying and selling. I happen to be in this business. It’s quite simple. You go to either godaddy.com (That’s what I use) or another domain provider, register a domain or buy one from someone else for a cheap price that you think others would be interested in (Try to stay between $10-$20), and you go on domain selling sites like Sedo.com and sell them for a higher price than you bought them for.

A different business that you could get into online at a low cost is building a website on some sort of subject of a variety of subjects. Then put affiliates or google adsence on your site and all you need to do is keep adding content, and then you sit back and hope the money starts flowing. If you want an example of a site with a variety of subjects that does this, visit www.WebsterContent.com or if you want an example of a site on one subject that does this, visit www.Rubiks-Cube-Solutions.com.

My last low cost online business idea that I will tell you about is quite simple. Look around your house for some stuff of yours that you don’t want and you think others would, and sell the item on eBay. Try to remember back to when you bought and what you bought it for, and sell it for more on eBay. I have done this before with a lot of the items in my basement that I didn’t want anymore and got quite a lot of cash.

I hope my ideas were helpful. Please comment and tell me what you thought and if you’re going to use any of my ideas. Thanks!

(We are not responsible for any of your success of failure in any of these businesses.)

Entreprenuer Makes a Killing Online with his Automated Analytical Forex Software.

Nov 5th, 2007 by SalMaggio | Comment

DID YOU KNOW THAT:

50% the people that trade forex loose, even in the long run? For many of the people trading equals gambling. And here lies the problem. To make money CONSISTENTLY and increase your bank account you need a PROVEN AUTOPILOT NO-GUESSWORK SYSTEM.. No, even better, a proven software that does the thinking, eliminating the “human error” factor.

What we came up with is unlike anything else available on the internet today.


Forex Killer Features:

- used by professionals & beginners alike with no experience whatsoever
- You can start with as little as 500 usd on a real forex account or learn the ropes on a demo account without risking any real money at all.
- Works with all trading plattforms, it is an independent program. You just have to feed it with market data and follow its trading advices.
- Developed by a mathematics professor, a behavioural psychologist and an experienced forex trader
- Works in any country with every broker you like
- Highly profitable system that let`s you earn thousands of dollars every day
- Applies to each and every currency pair and any financial market
- Reliable and consistent. Stand-alone software!
- Can be tested without risking any trading capital!
- Can be used at any time anywhere as the market is always open!
- Breathtakingly simple. Easily and quickly understood by the average independent trader 6 newbies alike!


Feed Shark

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“People should be investing furiously between the ages of 15 and 65″ says Jim Cramer

Oct 27th, 2007 by admin1 | 2 Comments

Whether you love him, hate him, or never even heard of the guy, Jim Cramer is one of the most influential figures on Wall Street. He is most famous for his television show Mad Money, as well as being the co-founder of TheStreet.com. He has made his living in the stock market and has also written a handful of financial books about investing and finance.

Recently, I was reading an article featuring Jim Cramer in Maxim Magazine. The article was entitled, “Are Our Financial Prospects Bright?”

Of course being the host of a hit stock market television show he strongly supported investments in stocks throughout the interview. But Cramer touched on some points about the young and their investments, and the desires he has for people to get into playing the stock market.

Cramer’s take…

“I am advocating that stocks are great- I mean Multi-year great. I see many years of tremendous opportunities to make money outside of your paycheck..I want to emphasize that people should be investing furiously from when they’re 15 to when they’re 65.”

Cramer is then asked about the easiness of getting into the stock market through the use of the internet. And about the Google generation we live in, and is all for it, stating: Youth plus Google equals “I know what people are buying in the real world, and I can go buy their stocks and make money”

With that statement in mind Cramer lastly touches on the youth and what their investment strategy should be:“Play your hunches. Buy the wildest stock. If you’re wrong you have the rest of your life to make the money back. But you could also hit the proverbial home run and be set for life. These aren’t lottery tickets. There’s not one winner. There are alot of winners. If this were the NCAA Tournament, you’d be taking a chance on the 16th seed.”

My thoughts…

I am currently in the process of getting my portfolio set up, but I have almost saved up $3000 on the side to buy some stocks, when I reach that mark. But, looking past my inexperience in the market, I too, agree with Cramer.

A while back I wrote an article entitled “Is Time More Valuable then Money” and quoted an unknown source’s line which stated: ” waste money but never time, money comes back to you but minutes are hard to find.” This definitely is the philosophy of investing for the young in my opinion. Like Cramer said as the young investor we definitely have more time to make up our losses, so it is ok to chase whims and gamble on certain stocks. I encourage people to get started as soon as they can, investing on whatever they think can make them money, before it’s to late.

Cramer also hit the nail on the head about the Google generation, with Google and the technology that is available to our generation, we are more capable of investing and doing research now more than ever.

It should not be that hard to pick a good stock if you know how to use the internet, there are even sites that rate stocks such as TheStreet.com, to give the investing newbie an head start on finding a good stock.

If your a young investor, use your knowledge of pop culture to make you money by using Google, don’t underestimate yourself about knowledge of the economy. You are the consumer and you know what people want and need, so use that knowledge to buy a good stock.

So gamble a little bit, it is the only way you will have a chance to make money, and who knows it may pay off

As far as investing furiously up to the age 65, I do not agree with that, as you get older obviously your risk taking needs to get lower and lower to secure your future, but definitely gamble away until your mid forties in my opinion

What do you think? Should we gamble away while we are young? Is it as easy as Cramer says to find a good stock by using the internet? What is your investment strategy right now?

Start Investing With as Little as $100

Aug 30th, 2007 by Leonid Shalimov | 4 Comments

Got $100 lying around in your checking or savings account? Why not take a shot at investing. You might think “oh no that would be way to complicated, screw that noise.” But let me tell you, it’s a lot simpler than you might think. If you’ve already invested and are actively trading, this article will be overly simplified for you as it is aimed at beginners. If you have never invested in your life, keep reading!

About a year ago I decided I wanted to invest. Why? I’d never done it before and I figured it would be a learning experience. I knew that I didn’t have much but I could put away $100-$200 and try my luck. And I did. I opened up a ShareBuilder account and got to work.

Why did I choose ShareBuilder? Well, I looked at a lot of options and most of them are for hardcore-tons-of-cash-investors, and that wasn’t me. I needed something cheap and easy and luckily ShareBuilder offers $4 stock trading. Now don’t be fooled, the $4 trading is a time system, not real-time. If you want real-time trading it will cost you $15~ per trade. The $4 system you can trade twice every month.

OK, I understand the ShareBuilder thing, now what do I invest in and how should I go about choosing?

Well of course, research is the answer. But before we dive into that, let’s look at what mistakes a beginner investor makes so we don’t make those same mistakes (which will obviously cost us money).

1. Diversify your portfolio, don’t put all your eggs into one basket.

As the old saying goes, it surely applies to stocks. I invested in two stocks when I just started, a couple of shares to AAPL (Apple) and a bunch into SUNW (Sun MicroSystems). I bought Apple stock at around $70 a share and now its up over $130. However I also bought SUNW at about $6.60 and now its down to $5.21. If I had decided to put all my money into SUNW I would be down a decent amount per share.

Now I also made a mistake. I shouldn’t have just gotten into regular stocks, I could’ve put a couple of dollars into Mutual Funds and the like (but at the time I didn’t have enough money to do so) but I decided to stick to my guns.

2. Getting into the market at the “right time” is a myth.

There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ time. According to a classic study by William F. Sharpe, Nobel Prize-winning economist and a founder of Modern Portfolio Theory, a widely followed statistical method for minimizing risk while maximizing investment returns. The study revealed that a person who attempts to time the market needs to be right roughly three times out of four to match the performance of a buy-and-hold investor. Given that the market tends to make major moves in response mainly to unexpected events, that 75% accuracy rate can be a tough mark to hit, as the dismal record of individual investors demonstrates.

3. Stay away from penny stocks if you want to sleep at night.

Not much to say here. Penny stocks are the most volatile trading tool. Sure, you can make a lot of money, but you could also lose all of it. Stick to the ‘blue-chip’ stocks (big companies & fortune 500’s) when starting out to ensure your money will grow (hopefully).

That should cover the beginner mistakes. If you have anymore, feel free to leave a comment and add on.

A quick tip from MSN Money.

For the small-dollar investor, one of the best ways to get started is to buy exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. These are instruments that trade like stocks and mimic the behavior of a variety of different types of assets (stocks, bonds, real estate or commodities) or indexes (S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrials ($INDU), Russell 2000 ($RUT.X).

More to come.

This is the first part in a string of articles I will hopefully be publishing in the near future to try and get young investors on their feet and putting a little money away. Let me know if this article helped you and I’ll be sure to continue the series.