• The anti-Kodak: Eastman Chemical
  It is every parents’ dream that their children enjoy a better life than they have. I am not sure if that’s also true for parent companies and their offspring.
• Managing the family finances: ‘Spying was easier’
  We spoke to five families who face challenges that could keep them from meeting their financial goals. With a few tweaks to their game plan, they can get back on course. Here, the DiSilverios’ story — and the recommended financial fixes.
• SEC to step up scrutiny of private equity firms
  The private equity world is struggling to stay in the shadows.
• Stocks slump after unimpressive U.S. growth
  U.S. stocks retreated Friday as jittery investors digested a weaker-than-expected economic growth report and as Europe’s debt crisis still loomed in the background.
• Ford: Biggest profit since ’98
  Ford reported its best annual earnings since 1998 on Friday, making 2011 the second most profitable year in the company’s 109-year history.
• Millions in SOPA lobbying bucks gone to waste
  The controversial anti-piracy bills that attracted tens of millions of dollars of lobbying for and against the proposed laws ironically were killed by free publicity.
• Romney’s elusive net worth calculation
  Exactly how much is Mitt Romney worth? Hard to say.
• Starbucks CEO Schultz made $65 million
  Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz was paid more than $65 million in fiscal year 2011, including salary, bonuses and stock options.
• U.S. economy growing faster, but still struggling
  The United States economy picked up speed at the end of 2011 as businesses substantially built up their inventories and consumers increased their spending.

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• New-home sales hit a record low
  Just 302,000 new homes were sold in 2011, 6.2% below 2010 and the lowest number of annual sales since the government started tracking home sales in 1963.
• Obama’s Chrysler 300 on sale for $1 million
  A Chrysler 300C once leased by President Barack Obama is for sale on eBay with the eye-popping “opening bid” of $1 million.
• Stocks mixed in earnings tug-of-war
  U.S. stocks straddled the breakeven line Thursday as investors digested a mixed batch of corporate earnings results and kept an eye on ongoing debt talks in Greece.
• Cisco’s Chambers: Business is easier in Russia
  Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers said Thursday that doing business in other countries, including Russia, is easier than in the United States.
• AT&T outduels Verizon in iPhone
  AT&T handily beat Verizon in the battle for iPhone customers last quarter, but the company lost $6.7 billion in large part due to its failed merger with T-Mobile.
• Nonprofit founders put passions ahead of planning
  Scott Pankratz and Julie Osborn are phenomenal planners and money managers — except when it comes to their own investments.
• Managing the family finances: ‘Spying was easier’
  Laura DiSilverio knows how to get to the bottom of things. She spent 20 years as an Air Force intelligence officer before retiring in 2004 to write mystery novels.
• $34,000 in debt, wants to start a business
  Michele Heyward has a big heart. When friends or family struggle financially, she is always there to help with a mortgage or car payment or clothes for the kids. Recently she has been spending more than $1,800 a month on others.
• Recovering from a too risky portfolio
  The past few years have been rocky for the Mitchells. In 2008, Brian was diagnosed with leukemia, and the following year Linda was laid off from her job as an administrative assistant at a middle school.

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• Fed to keep rates low until 2014
  The economy is improving, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday, but not enough to warrant higher interest rates for at least two-and-a-half more years. The central bank indicated that it expects to keep the federal funds rate near historic lows until late 2014 — an extension from the Fed’s original pledge to keep rates low through mid 2013.
• Stocks trim losses after Fed says rates staying low through 2014
  U.S. stocks shaved early losses Wednesday after the Federal Reserve said it planned to keep interest rates near historic lows through late 2014.
• With $97.6 billion, Apple has more cash than …
  Apple has nearly $100 billion in cash. $97.6 billion to be precise. That is a lot of iDough. Even for Warren Buffett. Perhaps it’s time for Apple to, I don’t know, use some of it?
• Read the Fed statement
  This is the statement of the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee meeting released January 25, 2012. Information received since the Federal Open Market Committee met in December suggests that the economy has been expanding moderately, notwithstanding some slowing in global growth. While indicators point to some further improvement in overall labor market conditions, the unemployment rate remains elevated. Household spending has continued to advance, but growth in business fixed investment has slowed, and the housing sector remains depressed. Inflation has been subdued in recent months, and longer-term inflation expectations have remained stable.
• Apple tops Exxon as most valuable U.S. company
  Apple nudged out oil giant Exxon Mobil early Wednesday to become the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world.
• Can I give my 401(k) advisory firm the boot?
  My 401(k) is managed by a brokerage firm that was busted by the SEC for fraudulent practices (although those practices weren’t related to my 401(k) plan). Still, I don’t want to invest my money with, or pay fees to, to a firm I consider unethical. For now, I’ve switched all of my money into the bond account figuring it’s the safest place to invest until I can figure out what to do. But I’d really like to get into another 401(k) plan. Can I do that? — Michael S.
• Stocks set for quiet open
  U.S. stocks were poised for a quiet open Wednesday, as investors await the latest interest rate decision from the Federal Reserve and keep an eye on Greece’s debt talks.
• One-of-a-kind experiences, starting at $15
  On a quiet afternoon in Manhattan’s East Village, I’m having lunch inside a monastery while Rasanath Dasa, a banker-turned-monk, tells us about the moment he decided to leave Wall Street.
• Did Obama really make government bigger?
  President Obama = big government.

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• Iran sanctions will hit its economy, but not kill it
  Over the last few months Western governments have been tightening the economic noose around Iran.
• Buffett’s secretary to attend State of the Union
  President Obama will renew his call for higher taxes on the rich on Tuesday, and he has invited Warren Buffett’s secretary to Washington to make his point.
• Romney made $42.7 million in 2 years
  Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made $42.7 million over the past two years and paid $6.2 million in taxes, according to documents released Tuesday by his campaign.
• Stocks stumble on Greek debt fears, earnings
  U.S. stocks were in the red Tuesday as investors awaited progress on Greek debt talks and waded through another batch of corporate results.
• Greek default is essentially a given: S&P
  Greece is facing an increasing likelihood of default, even if creditors reach an agreement on a deal aimed at reducing the nation’s massive debt load.
• IMF cuts growth forecast for all but U.S.
  The International Monetary Fund lowered its outlook for the world economy on Tuesday, and warned that the global financial system faces growing risks from the debt crisis in Europe.
• Verizon’s 4.2 million new iPhones came at a steep cost
  Verizon’s record iPhone sales last quarter came at a steep cost.
• Greek debt deal hinges on interest rate impasse
  Greece and its creditors in the private sector are grappling over a key detail of a deal aimed at reducing the nation’s overwhelming debt load, according to a top eurozone official.
• Stocks: Eyes on Greek debt and earnings
  U.S. stocks are set to open in the red Tuesday, as investors await progress on Greek debt talks and wade through another batch of corporate results.

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• IMF calls for larger ‘firewall’ in Europe
  The director of the International Monetary Fund said Monday that Europe needs a stronger financial firewall to stop the spread of debt contagion in the eurozone.
• Stocks flat amid investor jitters
  U.S. stocks traded flat Monday, as investors continued to wait for the latest news about Greece’s debt talks.
• VW the favorite in Super Bowl car ads
  January, the longest month of the year, is winding to a close and that means it is time for MotorWorld to start handicapping the Super Bowl. No, not the Patriots vs. the Giants — the Super Bowl of auto advertising. It’s Volkswagen vs. the rest of the auto industry.
• Iran oil sanctioned by Europe
  The European Union announced tough new sanctions on Iran Monday, banning the import of Iranian crude and other items, in a move designed to increase pressure against Tehran’s nuclear program.
• JFK hearse sells for $160,000
  A Cadillac hearse that carried the body of President John F. Kennedy to Air Force One following his assassination in Dallas was sold at a Scottsdale, Ariz., auction for $160,000.
• BlackBerry CEO shakeup isn’t a smoothie
  BlackBerry smartphone maker Research in Motion, which has fallen far from its once-dominant position in the industry, is shaking up its executive ranks.
• Stocks: Greece’s debt talks in focus
  As investors return from the weekend, Monday is already starting off a lot like Friday did: Greece’s debt talks are still in limbo, and U.S. companies continue to report earnings.
• Foreclosures: America’s hardest hit neighborhoods
  The housing collapse has dramatically changed the nation’s foreclosure landscape.
• The Keystone – China connection is overblown
  When President Obama rejected the Keystone oil sands pipeline expansion last week, critics immediately sounded the China alarm.

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• Stocks: It’s all about Europe and earnings
  After three weeks of gains, investors could be in for a choppy week ahead, as earnings kick into high gear and Europe’s debt crisis heats up.
• JFK hearse sells for $160,000
  A Cadillac hearse that carried the body of President John F. Kennedy to Air Force One following his assassination in Dallas was sold at a Scottsdale, Ariz., auction for $160,000.

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• SOPA and PIPA postponed indefinitely after protests
  When the entire Internet gets angry, Congress takes notice. Both the House and the Senate on Friday backed away from a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills, tossing them into limbo and throwing doubt on their future viability.
• The Pirate Bay is enemy #1 for digital piracy foes
  One day after a massive online protest against proposed new anti-piracy laws, federal agents shut down Megaupload, a popular hub for illegal file sharing.
• William Shatner’s ‘Priceline Negotiator’ to die
  It’s game over for William Shatner’s “Priceline Negotiator.” He will be killed in a fiery bus crash in a commercial set to air on Monday.
• U.S. closes investigation into Volt fires
  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed its investigation into a possible fire risk in Chevrolet Volt cars after finding little risk of fires in real-world scenarios, the agency said Friday.
• Stocks gain 2% for the week, despite slow Friday
  U.S. investors were unwilling to place any big bets Friday, as key Greek debt talks remain unresolved.
• Gold: No guaranteed returns
  I invested in a gold ETF over the past three months and have suffered losses. Should I hold my positions and hope for better days ahead? Or should I cut my losses now? — S.B.
• Hacker group Anonymous is a nuisance, not a threat
  Anonymous has struck again.
• Kia recalling 146,000 cars for faulty airbags
  Kia has announced the recall of nearly 146,000 vehicles with faulty airbag systems. The models affected are the 2006-2008 Kia Optima and the 2007-2008 Kia Rondo. Due to a flawed spring system that may become damaged over time, the driver’s side airbag in these cars may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recall alert.
• Mangia! Investors eat up food stocks
  They say that food, water, clothing and shelter are the most basic of human needs.

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• Kia recalling 146,000 cars for faulty airbags
  Kia has announced the recall of nearly 146,000 vehicles with faulty airbag systems. The models affected are the 2006-2008 Kia Optima and the 2007-2008 Kia Rondo. Due to a flawed spring system that may become damaged over time, the driver’s side airbag in these cars may not deploy properly in the event of a crash, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a recall alert.
• Doctors living on loans
  Government-backed loans to doctors have surged more than 10-fold in the past decade, a trend industry insiders say is a red flag that doctors in America are in financial distress.
• Hacker group Anonymous is a nuisance, not a threat
  Anonymous has struck again.
• Mangia! Investors eat up food stocks
  They say that food, water, clothing and shelter are the most basic of human needs.
• Iran oil to be sanctioned by Europe Monday
  The European Union will announce tough new sanction on Iran’s oil industry Monday.
• Inside Newt Gingrich’s tax return
  Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich was the first over the line in the Great Tax Return Race of 2012.
• Inside the mind of Sergio Marchionne
  In 2008, Mitt Romney wrote a New York Times op-ed titled “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” He argued then that if the auto companies got a bailout, “you can kiss the American automotive industry goodbye.” Lately, however, the Republican frontrunner has begun to favorably compare the government-imposed structured bankruptcies to his work at Bain Capital. “What the president has done overseeing GM and Chrysler has been reminiscent of what people in the private equity industry do,” he said a few days ago in South Carolina. “To try and save the business, you have to cut back to a core that matches the revenue of the business.”
• SOPA and PIPA postponed indefinitely after protests
  When the entire Internet gets angry, Congress takes notice. Both the House and the Senate on Friday backed away from a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills, tossing them into limbo and throwing doubt on their future viability.
• Stocks: Investors on the sidelines
  U.S. investors were unwilling to place any big bets early Friday, as key Greek debt talks remain unresolved.

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• Stocks edge higher on bank earnings, economic news
  U.S. stocks advanced for a third straight session Thursday, as investors welcomed a slew of positive news on both the earnings and economic fronts.
• Obama’s Keystone pipeline nix worries small business
  The hopes of some small business owners in the Nebraskan towns of Fairbury and Steele City were crushed when the Obama administration rejected a proposed expansion of the Keystone oil sands pipeline.
• Kodak files for bankruptcy
  Eastman Kodak, the once mighty icon of the photography industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday.
• AT&T hikes rates on smartphone plans
  The mobile data our smartphones love to suck up is once again going up in price.
• Is Romney’s effective tax rate lower than yours?
  So Mitt Romney thinks his effective tax rate is about 15%.
• Ireland passes latest austerity test
  A year after agreeing to a massive bailout, Ireland said Thursday that it has passed the fourth quarterly test set by the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank.
• Jobless claims: Lowest level in nearly 4 years
  Initial jobless claims fell to their lowest level in nearly four years, another sign of improvement in the long-suffering labor market.
• CPI: Inflation remains in check
  Inflation overall held steady last month, as declining gas prices balanced out higher prices for other items.
• New home construction gathers momentum
  New home construction slowed slightly in December after a strong November showing, but was still much more active than a year earlier.

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• Stocks gain on IMF, Greece and Goldman
  U.S. stocks edged higher Wednesday, as investors welcomed the International Monetary Fund plan to boost its bailout fund to contain Europe’s debt crisis.
• Local currencies: ‘In the U.S. we don’t trust’
  It may seem like Monopoly money to outsiders, but a growing number of communities across the U.S. are using homegrown local currencies to stimulate their economies and protect themselves from the nation’s broader economic woes.
• Romney’s tax return – George Romney’s
  Joseph J. Thorndike is a contributing editor at Tax Analysts and a columnist for Tax Notes magazine, where a longer version of this article first appeared. He is also director of the Tax History Project at Tax Analysts, which includes an archive of presidential tax returns. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely his own.
• Has Obama’s housing policy failed?
  The president’s efforts to revive the housing market have largely failed. But is that entirely Obama’s fault?
• IMF to raise $500 billion
  The International Monetary Fund said Wednesday that it plans to raise up to $500 billion in order to meet an estimated $1 trillion worth of financing needs over the coming years.
• U.S. auto safety agency NHTSA needs improvement – study says
  Government safety regulators and NASA researchers were right to dismiss electronics problems as a likely cause for unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles, according to a new report from the National Academy of Sciences.
• O.J. Simpson faces foreclosure on Florida home
  As if being in prison wasn’t bad enough. O.J. Simpson’s life has taken another sour turn: He’s now facing foreclosure on his Kendall, Fla. home.
• My brilliant sell-everything trade
  Some people are born to be traders. Others have to be taught how do it. And then some of us wake up one day and find we are too white-knuckles, sweaty-palms scared to resist screaming, “Sell!”
• SOPA explained: What it is and why it matters
  The tech industry is abuzz about SOPA and PIPA, a pair of anti-piracy bills. Here’s why they’re controversial, and how they would change the digital landscape if they became law.

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