Our Business News

A First Home Owners’ Grant can be a confusing thing for those approaching it from the outside. Many don’t fully understand why the First Home Owners’ Grant was instituted in the first place. The Grant was created in the year 2000. The primary goal is to offset the GST, or Goods and Services Tax. This allows individuals who are purchasing a home from a lower position of financial status to  [ Read More ]

If you are someone that is worried about your family dealing with the circumstances that would arise should you pass away, you may want to look into life insurance packages. Life insurance ensures that your family will have some monetary help, should you unexpectedly passed away. This is incredibly important for families in which one parent earns in income, and another parent takes care of the children. You want to  [ Read More ]

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke took to the podium to answer reporters’ questions about the Federal Open Market Committee’s latest announcement. Here are the big takeaways. 1. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is really, really worried about the “fiscal cliff.” Asked if he felt the risks to the economy over the expiration of the Bush-era tax cuts and automatic budget cuts set to take effect Jan. 1 were overblown, Bernanke had a clear answer: No. “I don’t buy the idea that a short-term descent off the fiscal cliff would not be costly,” Bernanke said.  Pointing to declining consumer and business [...]

If you’re considering slipping the keys to a brand-new car under the tree, you have a daunting task ahead of you. Not only do you have to find the perfect car, it must be paid for, titled and insured without tipping off the object of your affection. On top of that, you somehow have to get it home late on Christmas Eve with a big red bow mounted on the roof. Advertising campaigns such as Lexus’s “December to Remember” have helped drive both holiday sales and car gifting in general. Lexus started the campaign in 1998 and has turned December [...]

Last week’s upward revision of the official estimate of GDP growth raises an intriguing question: Could the economy actually survive a fall off the fiscal cliff? It’s a question worth asking since this week’s news from Washington has brought more posturing than progress on budget negotiations. Failing a deal, the package of spending cuts and tax increases due to begin on January 1 is thought certain to have a dampening effect on the economy. GDP revision shows new momentum Late last week, the Bureau of Economic Analysis issued a revised estimate of economic growth in the third quarter. The new [...]

If you’ve chosen to live in a small, Midwestern town or rural area, you probably already know the benefits of endless sky and fresh air. But did you know you could be gaining wealth faster than the 261 million residents of cities and suburbs? An analysis by USA Today shows that people living in cities and suburbs haven’t recovered earning power lost in the recession and economic slump. It cites a Bureau of Economic Analysis report that states average income per person in these areas fell 3.5% between 2007 and 2011, after adjusting for inflation. But residents of 51 small [...]

When the Duchess of Cambridge checked into the King Edward VII Hospital in London with a nasty bout of morning sickness, she didn’t have to worry about such common matters as health insurance deductibles, emergency room copayments or whether a claims examiner might balk at the three-night stay. When one is carrying a British heir to the throne, after all, one is entitled to health care fit for a king. For you though, royal treatment isn’t likely, even if you have good health insurance. Here are some of the things Her Royal Highness, the former Kate Middleton, doesn’t have to [...]

Anyone who’s had an accident or gotten a speeding ticket knows the feeling. If only you could do things over again, you’d obey the speed limit. Or yield. Or just stay home. Safeco Insurance is capitalizing on that desire with its new Rewind program, which combines driver monitoring technology with accident forgiveness. Although the program can’t turn back time or pay your traffic ticket, it can prevent a mishap from increasing your car insurance premium. It’s a free pass with conditions — a sort of car insurance parole. How Rewind works After a speeding ticket, minor violation or at-fault accident, [...]

No matter where you shop for presents this holiday season, one question will remain after the holidays: When was the last time you spent some quality time with your credit card statement? With paperless billing and automatic payments, many people don’t bother to review their monthly charges and overlook any hidden messages on a statement. If you’re among the guilty of blindly paying your monthly credit card bills, here are some things you could be missing: The “reality check” box. Somewhere on a statement is a section that discloses how long it will take you to pay off your debt [...]

For some it’s an annual phenomenon: the New Year’s hangover. But there’s reason to believe next month’s could be worse than usual. No, not the headache that comes from a late night and too much champagne on New Year’s Eve. That might hurt for a while, but you’ll be fine in a day or so. The hangover with more lasting effects comes from the harsh reality of the holiday credit card bills that come due in January. Some people dig themselves a hole in December that they spend the following year trying to escape. And again, 2013 is shaping up [...]