Topic: National Debt

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Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
Briefing
Six 2012 races where the tea party counts

After playing kingmaker in the 2010 election cycle, the tea party movement is having a less prominent role in 2012. But its support or opposition could swing some key races and even determine whether Republicans win control of the Senate. Here are six US Senate contests where the tea party could make a difference.
Marco Rubio & 9 likely Republican VP candidates

Too soon to start speculating about possible Republican vice-presidential candidates? Evidently not. Mitt Romney's rise to the level of presumptive presidential nominee seems to have given political writers and pundits the go-ahead to begin one of the favored handicapping contests in all of politics.
A hard landing for China? Six top economists weigh in.

China's economy grew 8.9 percent last quarter, the slowest pace in 2.5 years, and on Monday Premier Wen Jiabao cut the nation's growth target for 2012 to 7.5 percent, an eight-year low. Worries of a Chinese hard landing, defined as a sharp and sudden deceleration in growth, have gained momentum. However, China has been proactive in its efforts to prevent a hard landing. It has fine-tuned its policies to curb inflation, boost domestic consumption, and prevent a housing bubble. The Chinese government intervened heavily from 1989 to 1991 to cool its economy, causing real growth in gross domestic product to plunge to 4.1 percent in 1989, from 11.3 percent the previous year. It stepped in again in 1993. And some argue that this time around it's no different, and that the government knows exactly what it is doing. So we asked six top China analysts whether they saw a hard or soft landing scenario and what we should keep an eye on.
Can the national debt be cut? How Republican candidates' plans compare.

Here's a comparative look at the candidates based on the group's numbers.

All Content

As fears about Europe's future worsen, the Dow closes down

Fearing a financial rupture in Europe, investors around the world fled from risk Wednesday. They punished stocks and the euro, and the yield on a benchmark US bond hit its lowest point since World War II. The Dow closed down 161 points to land at 12419.
Despite oil prices, falling euro, Dow closes up slightly

Oil prices fell, the euro sank to a 22-month low, and the yield on the U.S. government's 10-year Treasury note fell near a historic low. But the Dow Jones industrial average edged up 125 points to close at 12580 as investors continue to hope for a Chinese growth spurt.
Stock market opens higher on hope for China

Stock market opened higher Tuesday amid optimism that China will take action to reverse the recent slowdown in its economic growth. Rising home prices also gave the stock market a boost.
Tax VOX
How the debt limit delay will affect US fiscal policy

What if hitting the statutory debt limit does not happen until sometime in the first quarter of 2013? That is increasingly likely, say the folks who watch this sort of thing. And it would completely change the politics of the coming train wreck.
Decoder Wire
Has the tea party sold out? House freshmen aren't who they seem.

A report by the arch-conservative Club for Growth undercuts the notion that freshmen House Republicans are unified – and uniformly committed to the most stringent tea party ideals.
Decoder Wire
Is Washington careening toward another debt limit crisis?

Another showdown appears to be brewing over the national debt limit – and under what conditions Congress will raise it next time. But something big will happen between now and then that may prevent it.
Boehner draws line in sand on debt ceiling

The Speaker of the House says any raise in the debt ceiling must be accompanied by steep cuts.
Decoder Wire
Democrats return fire after John Boehner's opening debt-ceiling salvo (+video)

Democrats charge that John Boehner's renewed call for spending cuts as a condition to raise the debt ceiling is 'dangerous,' recalling the standoff last summer that drove consumer confidence – and Congress's approval rating – sharply down.
Decoder Wire
John Boehner fires opening shot in potential debt-ceiling showdown

In a speech Tuesday, Speaker John Boehner will lay out his expectations for how the debt ceiling will be handled in the next round. His plan harks back to the House Republicans' position last year.
Greece's economic woes may hurt US

Greece's problems and the larger European debt crisis may impact banks, the stock market, trade and even the 2012 election.
Seven retirement questions you need to answer

Retirement planning isn't easy. Nearly half of Americans don't feel financially prepared to live to age 75, according to a survey from Northwestern Mutual. But the process is a lot less burdensome if you break the task down into simpler parts. Here are seven questions to ask as you plan for your long-term financial security in retirement.
Greek impasse deepens as talks fail

Three days after Sunday's election, parties failed again to form a coalition government. A new election may be on the horizon if no majority can come together.
Donald Marron
What is medicare 'double counting,' and why are budget experts fighting over it?

A new study of the Affordable Care Act finds peculiar Medicare budgeting practices, including counting spending cuts and revenue increases twice. It's causing a stir among budget experts.
Tax VOX
With European elections, is austerity in the US doomed?

It's easy to look at European elections in France, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Denmark and see a massive rejection of fiscal austerity. Is that accurate, and what does it mean for proponents of austerity in the US?
The Daily Reckoning
Will austerity come to the US?

The United States may be headed for the same belt-tightening austerity that has caused an uproar across Europe. Done right, it could actually work.
No government yet for Greece after Sunday's election

Voters sent a strong message of anger over austerity measures imposed by Greece's foreign lenders, but with no party in the majority a government has yet to be formed.
Greece election results cause problems for bailout plans (+video)

Elections in Greece over the weekend saw both far-right and left-leaning politicians gain seats in parliament, setting up a fight over the country's economic future.
The New Economy
Is US a model for austerity-wary Europe?

Despite its sluggishness, the US economy is growing while Europe's is contracting. A rising number of policymakers blame Europe's austerity moves.
Finally, European debt crisis goes to the polls

Elections in France and Greece may help quell a rising sense of victimhood from this long euro crisis. Such popular sentiment is exactly what the European Union is meant to curb.
Briefing
Six 2012 races where the tea party counts

After playing kingmaker in the 2010 election cycle, the tea party movement is having a less prominent role in 2012. But its support or opposition could swing some key races and even determine whether Republicans win control of the Senate. Here are six US Senate contests where the tea party could make a difference.
Stocks surge on strong US profits; Spain

The Dow jumped 194 points to close at 13115, its biggest gain in a month after promising signals about the profitability of US companies and a strong debt auction by Spain.
Euro debt crisis: Is Spain the new Greece?

Spain has become the focal point for Europe's debt crisis. But Spain isn't Greece. It's better – and worse.
Why the GOP loves to hate the Democrats' Buffett rule

For Republicans, the danger in disavowing the so-called Buffett rule, a tax hike on millionaires, is that Democrats can paint them as the party that protects the rich. But they believe they can prevail with voters by fighting it. Here's why.
Stocks' worst day in 2012: Dow loses 213

The Dow slipped 213 to 12715, its biggest drop of the year and third triple digit loss in four days.
Donald Marron
A tax on high heels?

High heels can exert a heavy toll on the body, and are often uncomfortable and unsafe. Should they be taxed?