At the last possible moment, Congress finally approved a deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff that was threatening to enact automatic cuts to government programs and tax increases on Americans. While the fiscal cliff was a self-imposed crisis resulting from a previous bipartisan deal by members of Congress, it’s nice to know that our… Read More

If there ever was such a thing as a fiscal cliff, most Americans will tell you that they fell off it around 2008. But that’s not what our politicians would have you believe, and the political theater to which we’ve all been subjected over the past few weeks is clear evidence of that. In what… Read More

With the economy likely to feel the effects of a fiscal plan standstill, the National Retail Federation is urging Congress to act on the ‘fiscal cliff’ and help consumers remain in good financial standing. Middle-class tax increases will only lead to continued financial hardships for many consumers, the NRF noted. Not only will consumers feel… Read More

The impending fiscal cliff is causing lawmakers to consider many tough decisions and make every kind of consideration for getting the government back on budget. That has led to the proposed slashing of a popular tax break that helps homeowners save thousands every year. The tax deduction that allows homeowners to write off the cost… Read More

During the arduous and acrimonious debate over the fiscal cliff, one potential part of the solution that has come up often is the elimination of the mortgage interest tax break. And while many lawmakers treat it as a sacred cow, it turns out the majority of consumers don’t take advantage of it. The average deduction… Read More

The shopping season is upon us. Black Friday. Cyber Monday. For the next month,  intrepid American consumers will hit the stores like there’s no tomorrow — nudging hundreds of thousands of retailers into the black and ourselves into the red, only to spend the balance of the year clawing our way back to some semblance… Read More

The biggest news of the week still revolves around the fiscal cliff, on which little political progress has been made. U.S. Fiscal Cliff Showdown Turns Into Early Blame Game If anyone thought we would get through talks about the fiscal cliff without any politicking, they were sorely mistaken. The fiscal cliff, a combination of hundreds… Read More

With so much focus on the Presidential election in the past few weeks, only financial journalists were paying attention to what’s been going on in Congress — or, to be more accurate, what has not been happening in Congress. However, the news focus shifted toward the next obstacle Congress will face before the year ends… Read More