Well, whenever money is tight, as in today’s struggling economy, there will be a lot more temptation to pass fake money. Also, some organizations that may be against the government may wish to to launder fake money for real money. But, all told, the amount of conterfeit money in the US money supply is fairly low. It is also much harder to duplicate money than it was a few years ago. Still, the problem is out there, and it is good to have some tips to detect fake money!

Hold the bill up to the light. Look for the watermark, security thread, and color changing ink! A security thread should run to the right of the president’s picture. The watermark should display, further to the right. Also the numbers should turn from copper color to green in the light. The color shifting ink is only on US dollar bills worth $10 or above.

Check the look and feel of the money. You know what money feels like, and you can often tell if money is bogus just be the feel of it. If the bill does not feel right, you should suspect it. Also, US money is printed with very good quality ink. If the bill looks fuzzy, you should also suspect it.

Older Bills - Now all of these security features were not in bills that were printed in past decades, or at least before 1996. And some experts advise you to suspect any bill that is that old, especially if it is a large denomination. Now, I can think that their may be some cases of people stashing a $100 they got for a present, and then finding it 15 years later - but maybe they should just deposit it in the bank, and use newer bills for purchases.

Get more information - US Secret Service Conterfeit Money Page

If you suspect fake currency, you may just tell the buyer you do not accept cash for large purchases. If it is a smaller purchase, you may risk it and take the bill to your bank to check it. Now, you cannot assume the buyer knows the bill is conterfeit, and he or she may have been duped into accepting it. In that case,  though, it would probably good to pass along some education to prevent trouble in the future.

If you have felt like your wallet was shrinking over the last several months, at least you can have some comfort because you are not alone. In fact, the US Federal Reserve reported that US assets strunk over a trillion dollars in the first quarter of this year. The net worth loss was largely caused by shrinking home values and portfolios, though, so if things ever climb back up, we may regain some of this without doing much except holding on.

Spending is Conservative Too

Of course, consumers are nervous too as they watch their net worth sink. And their low spending habits cannot really help the recession end sooner. The market, mostly, drives stock prices up and down. If investors, for instance, are scared to buy stock, the price will stagnate. Likewise, if consumers are not buying new cars or flat screen tvs, but nursing the old models for a few more years, it will be difficult for producers to thrive.

But we do have some good news about the economy. Following 2 monthly declines, retail sales picked up half a percent in may. That is according to the Commerce Department. And the number of newly laid off workers has dropped to the lowest number since late January.

So even though our assets are down, we Americans may feel better about our future incomes. These days, any news is good news.

Well most of us are pretty sick of paying our bills only to have our credit limits dropped while our interest rates are raised. It seems that once we sign up with a credit card company, they pretty much have the right to treat us as badly as they want to treat us. And we may have changed companies in order to let the market speak, but it seems like those great offers evaporate in a few months, and we are no better off.

Well, we are all hopeful about the new credit card bill. Hopefully, it will help consumers, but it will also put the breaks on rampart consumer misuse of credit which, as we know, caused part of the problem.

• Young consumers, from 18 to 21, will need a parent, guardian, or over 21 spouse to cosign in order to get a credit card. Exceptions can be made if the younger person can prove they have enough income to pay their credit card bills. This may seem unfair, since 18 year olds can still go to war, but frankly, younger credit card holders are one of the problems. This also keeps the credit card companies from targetting younger people, and weighing them down with debt, before they are old enough to be wise in the ways of the man.
• Interest rates cannot be raised without warning.
• No penalties for credit card holders who pay on time.
• No excessive fees. Ever been late on your bill and gotten hit with the double whammy? Yeah, that’s what we are talking about here.

In my opinion, if credit card companies complain they cannot stay in profit without duping young people or using any excuse to charge fees, they should consider how they issue credit cards in the first place. A lot of this just makes good sense.

Look for 0% credit card balance transfers.

A lot of visitor want to know if any businesses do well during hard times! And yes, while many companies are struggling, others are doing just fine. They provide some service that actually helps consumers when money is tight, or else they have found a way to make their service so valuable, that it is a priority on the list of bills.

• Grocery Stores - Sales are actually up at the supermarket. Why? People are probably eating at home instead of eating out.
• Repairs - People are more willing to fix their cars or household appliances than replace them when the budget is lean. This is also probably green most of the time because things are fixed and used until they drop, rather than thrown out at the first sign of a blemish.
• Personal Care - Now you have to look at this as an increase in basic services, and not the really fancy stuff. But people still get hair cuts and manicures. They may cut their trips to the day spa.
• Trade Schools - Schools that teach a vocation are doing well. These are practical and usually more affordable than university educations. People want to learn a skill they can make an income with.
• Financial Services - Again, you need to look at the type of financial services to see if they are doing well. But small business owners and families will pay for help with their finances to help them get through tight money times.

While many businesses are struggling or closing their doors right now, those companies that can help consumers and business owners make do with less are actually growing. Maybe we should remember this, just as our parents or grandparents learn to be frugal during the recession. These habits could serve us well as individuals, families, or a society during fat times and lean times!

Good Luck Out There!

It may seem odd to discuss casino parties on a bad credit blues website! But a tough economic conditions hurt lots of organizations, religious institutions, charities, and schools. Just when these institutions may need more donations, it gets harder to get people to part with their money!

But people need an escape, and the fact that part of the money will go to support a good cause really adds to the effectiveness of this strategy. Casino parties, where party goes buy chips they can use at expertly run gambling parties, makes this an attractive and fun event. The partiers will get to have a fun time, use their “winnings” to bid on donated prices, and the organization will be sure to have a great take!

Learn More : Fundraising Tips with Casino Gambling Parties!

This reminds me of when the talking heads on TV, and certain conservative politicians, were telling us how strong our economy is! The jobless rates has climbed to 8.5% in the US, and over 663, 000 jobs have been lost. This is the highest jobless rate since 1983, and job losses have come from a variety of business sectors in the US.

Since the recession was acknowledged to have started in late 2007 (not that anybody was admitting it), Americans have lost over FIVE MILION jobs. However, we have to admit that the past few months have posted most of the job losses.

The number of unemployed people (unemployed and seeking work) is over 13 million.

Who Is Unemployed?

Factor in part time and discouraged workers, and you can probably add two million to that total.  Some workers have just given up looking for a job in their normal field. So they take part time work, or a lower paying job, to keep bills paid.

 Even though they may not consider themselves well employed, they may not be counted under the unemployment numbers. In other cases, a spouse who is unemployed, may just count on the other spouse’s income for awhile.  Or many younger people move back in with parents or visa versa. Though these people’s unemployment situations are not stable, the move off of the actual unemploymet counts.

And now economist believe this will last, at least, until the end of the year.

Any Good News About The US Economy?

Well, factories reported an actual increase in orders in February! Of course, they had declined for the previous 6 months. But still, maybe lower prices are spiking a bit of interest. And after half a year of decline, consumer spending inched up a bit in the beginning of the year.

Maybe things can only get soooo loooow!

Read More: Employment and Unemployment Articles

No, these tips are no big secret, but are actually published on the IRS website. They are the most common type of tax deductions and credits that can reduce your federal tax bill. I am pubishing them here, because people often overlook them. We all have to pay taxes, but there is no reason to pay more than we legally have to pay!

• Exemptions for children and a spouse
• Deudctions - Home mortgage interest, Other Taxes Paid (i.e. real estate), Student Loan Interest, Charity, Casualty and Theft Losses, Some Job Related Expenses.
• Credits - Education, Child Care, Child Credit, Earned Income

This list is not comprehensive by any means. You can do more research on the IRS website, with a good tax software program, or of course, with a tax professional.

If You Cannot Pay Your Tax Bill…..

As a side note, if you cannot pay your tax bill, do not panic yet. You can charge your taxes to a credit card, or work out a payment plan with the IRS. It is important to file your taxes anyway, even if you cannot pay. The IRS will work out something with you.

• Distressed sales, including foreclosures, drove the price of single family homes down to a national median rate of about $180,000.
• Distressed home sales accounted for almost 40% of the sales. This done mean that this inventory is slowly being absorbed back into the economy.
• Some home buyers may benefit from lower prices, and hopefully, the market will eventually correct itself to a more normal market level.
• In fact, some of the states which actually had increased sales were some of the most disstressed areas. The lower home prices are generating sales. So buyers in places like Nevada and California may benefit from these decreased prices. In cities, like Houston, where home prices were never so inflated, the sales figures may not be affected as much.

But overall, this looks like a tough time to be a seller, and a better time to be a buyer - provided you have the credit and resouces to qualify for a mortgage.

Update: Friday Feb. 6 - Recession-battered employers eliminated 598,000 jobs in January, the most since the end of 1974, and catapulted the unemployment rate to 7.6 percent. The grim figures were further proof that the nation’s job climate is deteriorating at an alarming clip with no end in sight.

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New state unemployment benefit filings in the US have jumped to a 26 year high. In addition, the number of people who are staying on the unemployment rolls have also hit record levels.  Analysts expect a loss of over 500,000 payroll jobs to be reported soon.  That’s half  a million new people who are out of work, which would fill up a mid-sized US city.

Labor Costs Decline

For business owners, labor costs are sliding downwards. If you can afford it, and need labor, it may be a good time to add staff. People who are looking for work may have to accept lower salaries, and businesses can find qualified people at bargain prices. While this is not good news for workers, it should be a time for some thriving businesses (and there are some) to add more staff.

Hopefully some of the promised tax cuts and other economic stimulus programs being debated in congress will help tide workers and strugglilng businesses over until this all turns around. But meanwhile, it is time to hunker down (as we say in Texas) as this is not expected to end soon.

Sometimes You Just Need More Money

For struggling workers, it may be time to look into moonlighting. Many freelancers are booming now!

Now I’m watching CNN, and they are reporting that most economists feared that the number would go up to over 700,000, and so half a million lost jobs was actually good news. The unemployment rate is now 7.2 percent. In fact, we have lost the most jobs since the time after world war two when the companies were cutting back from the war years.

So just how bad can this streak of layoffs get, and when will it get better? Some economists are predicting a 9 or 10 percent unemployment rate since the end of the end of the year. Hopefully, they are being over pessimistic again

If you are an employee who is concerned about your future, it may be time to consider Layoff Protection Plans to insure your future.