Entry bubble Word of the Year: Bailout

By: Joanne | January 13, 2009 | Category: Money

cartoon man carrying a giant bag of money

In its 19th annual words of the year vote, the American Dialect Society voted “bailout” as the word of the year. When I heard the story on NPR yesterday morning, I was really hoping that the word of the year would be something fun, like 2005’s word of the year, truthiness, made popular by Stephen Colbert. I guess 2008 was a more serious year than 2005.

2008 found us in an economic crisis and it’s going to take a lot to get our economy back on track. I think it’s pretty painful to pinch pennies at the grocery store and drive aging cars, and watch the federal government give billions and billions of dollars away. Yes, I work for the government, but I pay taxes too, you know!

Like you, I don’t have to power to give away billions of tax dollars, but there are some things that we can do. President-elect Obama has a plan to stimulate the economy – get informed about the plan. Gov Gab’s readers are highly intelligent and always writing in to tell us about their great ideas. You can send your economy-saving idea directly to the Obama transition team. They’re listening.

Don’t forget to contact your Senator and Representative in Congress to let them know your ideas and how you want your tax dollars to be spent. They’re the ones that write the laws after all, and we need to hold them accountable to give us the truth, not just the truthiness.

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Entry bubble BAILOUT

By: Colleen | October 01, 2008 | Category: Money

Wall Street, New York street signTruth be told, I can recite the entire Phillies lineup by memory, yet I know embarrassingly little about finances.

With all that's been going on this week, it's time I educate myself. A good friend of mine is an I-banker in New York, and I asked him to give me an easy breakdown of what's been going down on Wall Street the past few months. He sent me an e-mail using different sports teams as an analogy. On the most basic of levels, I think I'm starting to understand what all the fuss has been about—and it ain't good.

I realize now more than ever the importance of making wise investments. I'm doing some reading to help get a better understanding of how to be smart with my hard-earned cash.

These are just a few helpful resources available to help you feel more secure in these unsteady economic times. Another helpful site is www.mymoney.gov. It gives ideas on how to plan on everything from investing to paying for college.

With a bailout plan still in limbo on Capitol Hill, we're all anxious to see what's going to happen next. What are you doing to protect yourself and your finances?

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