The world economy has evolved to a point where the current GDP calculations do not accurately represent all of the factors that go into economic health, argues France. French president Nicolas Sarkozy posits that the current way of measuring GDP doesn’t take sustainability of an economy, or the economic well-being of individuals into account, and that this makes the current system flawed when it comes to measuring overall economic health. While a good measure of market activity, current GDP measurement fails to measure the overall economic health of individuals — even though that is exactly what it is being used …read more

Here are some of the things in the economic stimulus bill that are most likely to affect you personally.

Last night, the House passed its economic stimulus bill, sans Republican support. Quite honestly, I am disappointed. Mainly because the few really good ideas in the stimulus bill have been completely watered down by a bunch spending that does little more than perpetuate that status quo of throwing money at the problem.

Some of us have need of a gatekeeper for our personal finances.

At any rate, this is just more proof, I hope, that Americans are starting to look at their spending and saving habits and make some changes for the better.

Right now, it is of vital importance to prepare your personal finances for this economy. Preparation is key if you want to get through this relatively unscathed. Two of the main points of concern for many people right now are:

Employment
Debt

Is your job safe?
Today’s announcement that Citi is planning to cut more than 50,000 jobs in addition to the already-cut 22,000 jobs is not exactly instilling confidence in the economy — especially since unemployment is approaching recent highs. (Citi, though, plans to try and save executive bonuses, unlike Goldman Sachs, which has announced that execs will be foregoing bonuses this year.) …read more

Today, of course, since the economy has been such a big deal, and since yesterday’s election can be seen as a mandate for Barack Obama and the Democrats, it’ all about how an Obama presidency is likely to affect the economy and your personal finances. Indeed, there are already calls for another stimulus package of some sort, meant to stimulate both the economy and individual financial situations. If you are interested in figuring out what might be coming, Cash Money Life has an interesting look at what some of Obama’s policies may mean, and Consumerism Commentary offers a helpful and …read more

Today is Election Day, and I encourage you to get out and vote. It is important to think about who you are voting for, both in the national offices and in the local offices. Actually, who you put into your local offices may affect you more overall than who wins the presidency.
But this election is one of the most important we’ve had (and the most important in my lifetime), since it really could affect us on a personal level. Indeed, worries about how policies of John McCain or Barack Obama could affect the economy and our personal finances is why …read more

Yesterday, Barack Obama unveiled six proposals that he claims will help the economy (especially ordinary Americans affected by the current situation. This morning, John McCain revealed a couple of his ideas regarding the economy at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania. While plans offered this morning from the current administration focused on helping banks get through the credit crisis intact, Obama and McCain are bent on wooing voters with promises of policies that will help the struggling middle class with their personal finances.
Tax proposals
For the most part, both of the plans hinge on taxes:

John McCain wants to reduce the tax rate …read more

With all the craziness in the stock market (bailouts and rate cuts just aren’t doing the job), I thought I’d toss up this poll:
{democracy:11}
Let me know what you think — whether it’s for your passive income or your retirement account, what, if anything, are you doing about your investment portfolio?