This USA Today article, which talks about the average personal tax rate being at a 60-year low, is getting a lot of attention. The conclusion is pretty fascinating:
Americans paid their lowest level of taxes last year since Harry Truman’s presidency, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data found. Federal, state and local taxes — including
…
From time to time, London’s Hoxton Hotel offers rooms for just £1, so long as a guest can get a little lucky while making a reservation. The next sale starts Thursday, May 13 at 12 p.m. London time (7 a.m. EST). At that time, 500 rooms will be offered for £1 per night for reservations between May 14 and August 31, 2010, and another 500 …
That’s if you’re average. Everything’s bigger in Texas—and apparently that includes what folks spend on food and drink. The average household in the city of Austin spent $12,447 on food and drink last year ($6,301 on dining out, $6,146 on groceries). That’s the most of any U.S. city, where the overall average household food bill came …
The FCC is proposing a new requirement that would force wireless companies to alert customers—probably via text message—when they’re about to get hit with overage charges for exceeding their plan’s data or text limits.
“Basically, everything in America is 40% overpriced.”
Ok. So here’s what we do know. It is very unlikely that a “fat finger”–Wall Street lingo for a trader keying in the wrong trade, say selling billions of shares instead of millions–caused the market crash. But what did? Mary Shapiro, the head of the Securities and Exchange Commission, told a Congressional panel today that the SEC still …
Yesterday, Fannie Mae said that it would need another $8.4 billion to cover losses on the home loans it backs, and today the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees both Fannie and sibling Freddie Mac, said that the ultimate taxpayer tab of supporting the two housing giants is still unclear.
That’s the sort of news …
Ah, the much-welcomed flip side of Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems: After a year when people were forced to get by with less, Americans paid the lowest tax rates in six decades.
Rich people tend to buy—and soon thereafter give away—lots of clothing. And where do they donate them? Most likely to nearby thrift stores, where shoppers have their pick of cheap, high-quality, barely-used merchandise.
On Tuesday, May 11, participating Dunkin Donuts stores are giving away free small (16 oz.) iced coffees to customers, no purchase necessary. Note: The freebie is only available in 13 markets around the country—including Baltimore, Md., Charlottesville, Va., and Phoenix, Ariz.—so check first before demanding your free refreshment.
—WSJ has perhaps the definitive story on what caused the market crash last Thursday. So who is to blame? Nassim Taleb, Mr. Black Swan himself. Felix Salmon, Reuters’ uber blogger, thinks pinning the drop on Taleb is poppycock. It’s a disturbing revelation and more than anything else reason why we need new rules to stop this from …