For the first time since 2000, Medicare health coverage for 2009 will not increase. Seniors breathed a collective sigh of relief as it was announced on Friday that monthly premiums for 2008 would hold fast through next year at the current rate of $96.40. Overall, this represents only the fifth time since 1976 that insurance premiums failed to increase. Let us hear your thoughts below:
President George Bush, joined by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury secretary Henry Paulson, issued a statement on Friday regarding the government's intent to resolve the current economic catastrophe. The plan involves the use of hundreds of billions of tax dollars to purchase defaulted mortgages, and other problematic sources of debt. While the trio acknowledged the strain that the bailout would put on U.S. taxpayers, it was pointed out that the ramifications of inaction would be far worse. As a result of the announcement, Wall Street was flying high on Friday; with the Dow up as much as 450 points…
Apollo Gold is a mining company with active interests in all three facets of gold mining; exploration, site development, and actual gold production. The company's exploration efforts are centered around the Huizopa Project, a 170-square-mile area of the Sierra Madre mountain range in the Chihuahua region of Mexico. In February of this year, Apollo commenced drilling on at least 30 test scores, of which a dozen have already been completed. These core drillings will allow the company to assess the potential value of the claim, which lies within one of the most prolific gold-producing areas in the world. Apollo's advanced…
The world of new-product technology development is a slow one that often needs a little bit of luck and patience to get over that last little hurdle. There are many ways to help make that luck, but none are more important than patience and diligence. The important aspect to consider is not moving too quickly with a product that is close but not quite there. In many instances, companies focus on the version #1 introduction followed closely by a version #2, #3, and #4 to iron out the bugs in version #1. A solid new-product introduction, past the obvious and…
The stock market had its best day in six years on Thursday and has followed through with another huge rally on Friday. Market participants are relieved that the US government is now attempting to enact an overall solution to the credit problems, instead of just putting out fires (Fannie, Freddie, AIG, etc.). The main ingredient to the US government solution will be a "bad bank" which will take much of the toxic bad debts off the books of the major US financial institutions. Final details have yet to be worked out for this "bad bank". However, it is thought that…
Finally, someone has provided healthcare solutions that will allow hospitals to perform more efficiently and provide relief to patients and peace of mind to families. That someone is a Georgia-based company, Simtrol. Simtrol is an innovative provider of device control and monitoring software. The company’s premier product is the OnGoer. The OnGoer is a Windows-based product that enables users of devices to dramatically improve efficiencies and benefit from total cost of ownership. The OnGoer includes a device control engine that performs the “heavy lifting” of command/response processing and queuing. OnGoer contains an array of tools for remote diagnostics and monitoring,…
The young company QuoteMedia has become the renowned leader in providing market coverage of all North American Exchanges and ECN’s, including common stock, preferred stock, options, warrants, futures, commodities, currencies, mutual funds, rates and indices. One of the most unique aspects of QuoteMedia is that the company provides historical and future-reaching research that will allow the consumer to analyze and study the market from the comfort of their home while making critical financial decisions that will affect their (and their family's) financial future. With media offices in Arizona, British Columbia and Toronto, QuoteMedia provides quality service throughout North America and…
Seeing a technological change coming has always been the most profitable aspect of investing. Invest before the change happens and a ground floor to immense profits awaits. Some say that longer- charge batteries are the next wave of technological change. Others see opportunities for paradigm shift elsewhere. It may be suggested, however, that these possible opportunities are dwarfed by the change and shift coming from a technology that is closer to reality then one might think. This technological change is the change from electricity to light. Some might say these two processes are one in the same, and they might…
Recent elections have revolved around issues of great importance to investors and consumers that are still, well, at issue. Although tax rates, health insurance, and the future of Social Security and Medicare dominated campaign rhetoric in 2004 and 2006, voters are still waiting for a clear direction on these matters. But in this year’s election, there are yet more issues playing a role that could have a significant effect on investors and consumers over the next four years. Here’s a look. Energy The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 raised fleet fuel-economy standards for auto makers, mandated increased use…
Despite some well-publicized problems in the mortgage market, Americans over the age of 61 are flush with home equity — more than $4 trillion worth. In this new age of retirement, when most ordinary individuals must become financially independent in order to retire, it can be tempting – comforting, even – to view your home as part of your retirement portfolio. Although downsizing or using a reverse mortgage to free up home equity can be appropriate for some older retirees, planning to rely on your home to fund your retirement is a corner you may not want to paint yourself…
