How to Inflation-Proof Your Retirement – The United States Debt Crisis – Protect Yourself
Article by Sophie Reade
The total official U.S. national debt stands at approximately $ 11 trillion. The “unofficial debt”, which includes the funding shortfalls of both the Social Security and Medicare programs, raises the total debt closer to $ 60 trillion. Of this, the last trillion dollars were added in less than six months. The United States’ government estimates that the national debt will reach $ 16.2 trillion by September 2012. The annual value of the American gross domestic product (GDP) is $ 14 trillion. To put this in perspective, if the $ 60 trillion in total federal debt was converted into single dollar bills, they would stretch out and loop around the sun and back around the earth over five times. In order to fund this much debt, the United States has to sell a lot of debt. One faithful buyer of this debt is the Federal Reserve System. In the parlance of government bureaucrats, this is called quantitative easing. When a government buys its own debt, it is said to be monetizing the debt. This is a polite academic term that means that the government prints the money it then uses to buy its own debt. It seems to be a counter-intuitive act; yet, the United States is not alone in monetizing its debt. The United Kingdom recently announced that it too would be pulling money out of thin air to purchase GBP 150 billion of its newly created debt. The International Monetary Fund estimates that, for the time period of 2010 through 2012, the U.S. will need to finance debt equal to 26 percent of its GDP. The only advanced economy with a higher financing need (52.9 percent) is Japan. This puts the U.S. squarely ahead of the three Euro zone countries that have recently needed bailouts: Greece (23.2 percent), Portugal (18.9 percent) and Ireland (19 percent). In fact, in the developed world, only Japan and America are increasing their underlying budget deficits. Japan does have one advantage over America, in that approximately seven percent of its debt is foreign-owned. For the United States, however, 50 percent of its debt is now foreign-owned. The question many economists ask today is this: Once the Federal Reserve stops purchasing U.S. debt, will there be enough for others to buy it? The U.S. has no alternative but to continue issuing debt. Interest payments on the national debt consume $ 4,000 billion per year. One way for the U.S. government to deal with its extensive debt is, of course, inflation. Many politicians create fiscal policy in a way that it, at least temporarily, alleviates the debt crisis. For us average citizens, this poses an immediate threat and creates a need to protect our hard-earned retirement assets from inflation. There are many safe ways to do it, the most intelligent being by investing in overseas bank accounts and trusts, denominated in foreign currencies. Another way to do it, which many people are unaware of, is by investing in Swiss annuities with companies like Gonthier Group. Swiss annuities are very flexible financial structures that allow one to take advantage of the safety, stability, and security behind the Swiss Franc.
Gonthier Group is your partner for Swiss annuities and retirement solutions. Protect yourself from inflation! We are there for your Swiss annuities, IRA rollovers and retirement solutions needs.
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Routes & Trains in the United States of America
Article by Barry Sheppard
Before we get to the routes across America let’s have a look at what to expect..
Well before that let me ask you a question.
Why do kids wave at trains?
Films, Legends, Scandals, Stories and Songs are amongst those that have created a sense of adventure with train travel. And that is the adventurous side of us. So kids wave at trains. You most probably did the same as a child.
I remember doing it with trains but not buses or planes.
Cross the Mississippi. Call in at Dodge City. Watch the steers on the Kansas Plains. Ride alongside the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Explore the Rockies. Watch a movie. Go to the bar for a drink. Cross deserts and rivers and you can do this all by train.
On top of that. Stretch your legs, have a walk right down the train to the front or back. Enjoy a meal. Have a snooze. Read a book and spend quality time with your children. Kids just love trains. Think about that one.
Last night 3rd December 2006 I was returning from France on Eurostar. I noticed a family, Mom Dad 5 kids, various ages. The eldest with headphones on but not in the least bit bothered about the siblings asking him questions. They were either writing, drawing, talking to Mom or Dad.
Mom dishing out the food and very organised. Dad holding the little one and feeding him bits. And that was coming to the end of only a 5 hour journey. How much did they learn?
We all know travels broadens the mind.
Amtrak is known to be extremely helpful. Their attendants pamper you no end. You have spacious reclining seating in air conditioning carriages, which even have observation domes.
Your whole journey becomes a magnificent picture. Framed in your memory. I know I still remember my travels across America so many years later and know they will never leave me.
I have advocated train travel for years and years.
It’s fun.
It’s an adventure.
Its learning.
It’s an experience.
You will not suffer from jetlag.
It’s a holiday on its own. Spend a day here and there. As you choose.
Here’s more. There’s a lot less pollution from trains, especially from planes
On a more sombre note. I hope that any of you reading this, who have a bad experience with other forms of travel, realise by reading the articles on my site now know…….
You can travel the world without a plane
Let the train take the strain.
All Aboard
All name trains preceded by the word “The” i.e. “The Cardinal”
Adirondack New York – Montreal
California Zephyr Chicago – Emeryville (For San Francisco)
Capitol Limited Washington – Chicago
Cardinal New York – Chicago
City of New Orleans Chicago – New Orleans
Coast Starlight Seattle – Los Angeles
Crescent New York – New Orleans
Empire Builder Chicago – Seattle
Empire Builder Spokane – Portland
Lake Shore Limited Boston/New York – Chicago
Maple Leaf New York – Toronto
Northeast Corridor Boston – Newport News
Northeast Corridor Boston – Washington
Northeast Corridor New Haven – Springfield (for Boston)
Pacific Surfliner Los Angeles – San Diego
Pennsylvanian New York – Pittsburgh
San Joaquin’s San Francisco – Bakersfield
Silver Star New York – Miami
Silver Meteor New York – Miami
Southwest Chief Chicago – Los Angeles
Sunset Limited Orlando – Los Angeles
Texas Eagle Chicago – San Antonio (for Los Angeles)
Vermonter Washington – St Albans (for Montreal)
Wolverine
Barry Sheppard, an established author and filmmaker, has written over 140 articles on train travelhttp://www.traintraveller.com
Question by Drock: Feeling Pinch, Stores Woo Lagging Shoppers. Evaluate Article?
Lackluster sales in this holiday season have retailers scrambling to wring a few last dollars from procrastinators by slashing prices, extending hours and wooing customers more persistently than last year.
The moves show that retailers’ strategy during this final weekend before Christmas — when about 10% of holiday sales are expected to take place — has become increasingly reliant on the same promotions and marathon hours once unique to the “Black Friday” weekend following Thanksgiving. But the discounts also reveal the pinch stores are in this year as the credit crunch, rising gas prices and winter storms have taken a toll on companies dependent on end-of-year sales.
The tough economy has left aisles more empty this year. Total foot traffic at U.S. retail outlets took an 8.9% dive during the second full week of December, compared with the same period last year, according to an estimate from ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which bases its numbers on a formula that involves an electronic count of shoppers in malls and other retail outlets nationwide.
A bright spot, however, has been online, where aggressive discounting and cut-rate deals on fast shipping have contributed to a surge in spending. From Nov. 1 to Dec. 16, online shoppers spent $ 23.5 billion, 19% higher than the corresponding days last year, according to comScore Inc., a Reston, Va., market research firm that tracks Web spending and traffic. Videogames, consoles and accessories are the fastest-growing category, more than doubling from the comparable period last year. Furniture, appliances and equipment ranks second, up 63%, while event tickets and consumer electronics are up 29% and 24%, respectively.
Now, a final push is on, both online and in stores. Web retailers continued to hunt for business by cutting shipping charges to seal deals before the pre-Christmas shipping window closes. Shoebuy.com, a Boston-based unit of IAC/InterActive Corp. offered free express shipping until today. Online handbag merchant eBags upgraded purchases made by Wednesday from standard shipping to two-day air-shipping through UPS for no extra cost.
Brick-and-mortar stores, meanwhile, retooled their hours for the weekend, hoping to spark their own shopping flurry. J.C. Penney Co. stores are staying open until midnight tonight and Saturday. Select Macy’s Inc. stores on the East Coast will stay open nonstop throughout the weekend — 107 hours straight for one branch in Queens. And New York-based FAO Schwarz made discounts of 25% to 50% on certain toys. Ed Schmults, the chief executive officer at FAO Schwarz, said that while foot traffic was up, business had not been as booming throughout the season as he hoped.
The National Retail Federation, a trade group, is predicting just 4% in sales growth for 2007, the smallest growth rate in five years. Britt Beemer, chairman of America’s Research Group, paints an even grimmer picture: He lowered his forecast of 2% retail sales growth to 1.8%, his lowest forecast in nearly 10 years.
In the apparel category, men’s clothing has showed modest single-digit growth through the first 20 days of the shopping season, according to MasterCard Spending Pulse, a unit of MasterCard Advisors, which tracks spending of all types. But women’s apparel — which last year constituted three times the sales of men’s — has been a major disappointment, as shoppers have avoided big purchases. Sales were down 5.7% from the same time last year.
Retailers have responded with a flurry of price cuts, but large inventory remains in some stores. One of Gap Inc.’s Old Navy stores in downtown Chicago on Wednesday had piles of festive sweaters marked down to $ 20 from $ 36.50. Women’s coats still stuffed the racks, despite being already marked down 50%, and its signature “performance fleece,” also half off, was stacked eight shelves high.
The bad tidings for apparel have left some retailers looking for other items to push. At Banana Republic, also owned by Gap, $ 64 gift sets of its perfumes, body creams and shower creams were marked down 30%. Gold-boxed gift sets of a new line of bath products at Ann Taylor Stores Corp. stores were discounted to $ 19.50 from $ 29. At Limited Brands Inc.’s Victoria’s Secret, stores were piled with beauty gift sets, many 40% off.
Meanwhile luxury goods are expected to have a good season this year, and retail consultant Frederick Crawford of AlixPartners predicts “pockets of good news” for high-end retail. For brands like Prada and Gucci, he expects to see 5% to 7% growth.
According to retail surveys, electronics sales were down 0.5% in the three-week period between Nov. 18 and Dec. 9 compared to a year ago, according to Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis for market watcher NPD Group. He said consumers in recent years have been delaying purchases until closer to Christmas, which may account for the slowdown.
Indeed, Angela Smith has waited until the last week to make her purchases. A 39-year-old bank employee in Dallas, Ms. Smith said she is waiting for prices to drop further as well as trying to spend less. For her three nephews, ages 12, 8 and 7, she plans to buy remote-controlled cars, which Wal-Mart Stores Inc. initially priced at $ 59 and has since dropped to $ 49. “I am going to swing by this weekend and see if they are going to take it down one more time,” says Ms. Smith, who was shopping for a co-worker’s present at her local Wal-Mart midweek.
Home-furnishings retailers, fighting the weak housing market, are being particularly aggressive with their promotions this year. At Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s Pottery Barn store on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, Christmas-tree-shaped candles were discounted 50%, and holiday garlands of fake evergreen branches were 30% off. Wrapped gifts such as silver jewelry boxes, also marked down 30%, were stacked high Wednesday afternoon.
Home-improvement outfits like Lowe’s Cos. Inc. and Home Depot Inc. are destined to be hardest hit, says AlixPartners’ Mr. Crawford. “Consumers are absolutely showing us that they will be delaying discretionary purchases” like gear to remodel a kitchen, he said.
A boom-bust pattern is typical after Thanksgiving’s Black Friday discounts, which encourages a flurry of purchases early but leads to a tapering off in early December, killing shopping momentum. This year the pattern was more pronounced: A double-digit sales surge on Black Friday exceeded retailers’ expectations; but come December, throngs of shoppers didn’t return.
There was one exception, however: online retail. Web merchants have discounted and promoted heavily this season, say industry analysts. Shipping promotions have been particularly popular. Sixty-eight percent of surveyed Web retailers said they are offering express shipping promotions this year, up from 49% last year, according to Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, an online retail trade group and unit of National Retail Federation.
As the boom continues, these companies are becoming increasingly creative to draw customers. This year Ice.com, a Montreal-based Internet jeweler, has rolled out new videos to promote products and free overnight shipping. It has experimented with new marketing tricks such as buying front-page ads on Microsoft Corp.’s MSN and Yahoo Inc.’s Web sites this week. Ice.com even tried to tap influencers to drive word-of-mouth among blogs, magazine mentions and celebrities.
Best answer:
Answer by Ty H
Good article. Sounds like they arent doing so hot.
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Exactly Why Did United States Of America Seriously Strike Lia?
Article by Andriel Casannova
Previous several days, I’ve been curious about Libya. Pondering hard concerning just what the simplest course of action really should have been, the way an equivalent scenario can be ended later on, and so on. I wandered in the line of thought regarding just how low-priced human life is, in some context. But that is all for later. Straight away, I begin with the beginning, slicing wide open the case for the universe to discover.
It is obvious in my mind that Gaddafi must be demised. He is a barbarous, vicious leader that has zero qualms concerning killing the actual citizens of the country he rules. We are speaking about an individual who kills the dissidents in public, and the executions tend to be showed on country television channels. The traitors will be the those that are brave enough to question his regime, and were taken to notice through the in depth monitoring procedure set up by him. Many Libyans shed their lives in the battle against Tanzania, when Gaddafi tried to save his buddy Idi Amin. He is the average ruler with high strength with no brain. The eastern part of his land grew to become impoverished under his commercial practices. The land is run on pressure exclusively, with not just a speck of libertarianism any place in his regime.
Thus clearly, when the wave of flourishing radical changes flew around Egypt and Tunisia, the Libyan folks too took to avenues to claim their simple human liberties. As Mr. President Obama recounts, an unnamed Libyan suggested, that for the very first time, they finally have anticipation that their nightmare of forty years may shortly be over.
Nevertheless, Gaddafi didn’t hand over effortlessly. He escalated his strikes, announced a military campaign against Libyan men and women, slaughtered the innocents, clogged off resources of nutrition as well as energy, assaulted journalists, turned off drinking water. He applied intense power.
O.k.. He should be finished. But how? This is why the Leader of the USA, Mr. Barrack Obama stepped in. And deservingly so, considering that something had to be undertaken. He received the assistance of his nearest allies, Portugal, Britain and the Arabic nations and a few more states. But going through his vastly public address presented on April 17, 2011, his priority was the humanitarian crises that will have started plus the destabilization of the whole region.
Right now, the measures undertaken by the United Nations were an absolutely no travel zone has been enforced on Libya, the tanks and government assets were bombed. This was what has been assured by Barack Obama to his men and women. Even so the variety of joe public killed in this procedure is being significantly predicted, Gaddafi Govt approximate that over 80 have been completely killed in the hits, many state that very near to 60 have been slaughtered, even though Dr Suleiman Refardi explained to the BBC that 5 are already murdered and 27 hurt right after a coalition air strike in eastern Libya.
The particular war within Libya is really a battle among 2 wolves, the sheep will forfeit towards the end, folks will get murdered, as the two attempt to obtain their unique objectives. The way it occurs mainly worldwide, the great and powerful fight, and poor compensate. These days Quaddafi is dead and everybody is searching for Moammar Gadhafi executed youtube so it is what it is girls and gentlemen!
Question by Aguilas1!: Whats your score prediction for the america/chivas game?
Best answer:
Answer by Jessica
america will win 3-0 and a goal by cabanas
Add your own answer in the comments!
