Monthly Archives: February 2012

GM likely to spend $500M on worker bonuses

By doris | Published: February 29, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com DETROIT — General Motors is likely to spend more than $500 million on employee bonuses and profit-sharing based on the company’s performance last year. GM, which made a record profit in 2011, will pay bonuses of at least $182 million to white-collar workers such as engineers, car designers and managers on [...]

Posted in Auto, Bonuses, Business, GMC | Leave a comment

Why the Keystone pipeline would boost pump prices

By doris | Published: February 28, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com Rising gasoline prices have helped proponents of a controversial pipeline proposal press their case that the project would help ease supply bottlenecks and lower prices for consumers. They’re half right. The proposed pipeline would relieve a glut of crude oil backing up in the Midwest and redirect those barrels to Gulf [...]

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BP oil spill trial delayed

By doris | Published: February 27, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — As settlement talks continue, the high-profile legal battle over the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that was scheduled to begin Monday has been delayed a week. The trial, which is scheduled to take place in Louisiana federal court, is to determine civil liability for [...]

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McDonald’s goes Gallic with McBaguette burger

By doris | Published: February 25, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com Mon Dieu! American fast-food giant McDonald’s has co-opted France’s signature carbohydrate, rolling out a new burger on a baguette rather than a bun. Starting April 18, McDonald’s France will begin serving the McBaguette, a burger with lettuce, local Swiss cheese and mustard sauce, at 1,228 restaurants across the country. The company [...]

Posted in Ford, France, McDonald's, New | Leave a comment

Pepsi hopes half-measure is full-blown success

By doris | Published: February 24, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com NEW YORK — Pepsi is hoping to win back soda drinkers with a compromise. Some people don’t like the calories in regular soda, but loathe the taste of zero-calorie diet drinks. So America’s No. 2 cola company is rolling out “Pepsi Next,” a cola that has about half the calories of [...]

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Social Security is set for a new $300 billion hit

By doris | Published: February 23, 2012

Full Story at finance.fortune.cnn.com FORTUNE — Washington was consumed for months by the debate of how to “pay” for this year’s Social Security tax holiday, which cut the tax employees pay to 4.2% of their covered wages from the normal 6.2%. But unnoticed amid the debate, Social Security’s finances have deteriorated badly over the past [...]

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Whole Foods up, Wal-Mart down in customer satisfaction survey

By doris | Published: February 22, 2012

Full Story at LifeInc.today.msnbc.msn.com We’ve been hearing a lot of potentially positive news about the economy lately, and that may be trickling down to the grocery store level. A new survey finds that even though food prices are going up, Americans are more satisfied than they were a year ago with upscale grocer Whole Foods [...]

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Deal done: Europe seals new $170B Greece bailout to avoid chaotic default

By doris | Published: February 21, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msn.com Updated at 5 a.m. ET: BRUSSELS — After months of tough negotiating, Europe and the International Monetary Fund sealed a deal early Tuesday to hand Greece €130 billion ($170 billion) in additional bailout loans to save it from a default that threatened the viability of the euro, undermining global economic confidence. [...]

Posted in Bailout, Economy, Europe, Financial, Government | Leave a comment

Your cash is costing you

By doris | Published: February 20, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com FORTUNE — I thought I was clever. Earlier this year I had over half of my 401k assets in cash. I know that investors are terrible at timing the market and I’m way too young not to be fully invested, but I can’t get over the fact that stocks look expensive [...]

Posted in 401(k), Investors, Money | Leave a comment

Postal Service seeks 50-cent stamps

By doris | Published: February 19, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) — A nickel boost in the first-class stamp price to 50 cents is part of the U.S. Postal Service’s latest plan to stop bleeding red ink. The Postal Service released the 5-year business plan to Congress late Thursday in part to push Congress to pass legislation to help them [...]

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Congress restructures unemployment benefits

By doris | Published: February 17, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com Beginning later this year, the maximum number of weeks the jobless can collect unemployment benefits would be reduced to 73 weeks, under a new deal being hammered out in Congress. Under the agreement, which also extends the payroll tax cut, unemployment insurance would be reduced in two stages. States with lower [...]

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Big Snickers, Twix bars are going to disappear

By doris | Published: February 16, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com Mars Inc, the maker of Snickers and Twix candy bars, will stop selling chocolate products with more than 250 calories in them by the end of next year, a spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The company, which also makes M&Ms and Skittles candies and Juicy Fruit chewing gum, said the goal is [...]

Posted in Business, Change, Food., Health | Leave a comment

Retirees tighten the belt, but still struggle

By doris | Published: February 15, 2012

Full Story at BottomLine.msnbc.msn.com As the rebound in the U.S. economy helps boost income and spending among working-aged households, older Americans relying on retirement income are having a hard time paying the billsDespite steady belt-tightening as they age, retirees’ incomes just aren’t keeping up, according to a review of the latest data by the Employee Benefits [...]

Posted in Benefits, Economy, Jobs, Limits, Powerless, Retire, Spending | Leave a comment

Post Office closings isolate small towns and poor

By doris | Published: February 14, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com Postal officials were blunt in December when they stood before 120 residents in Dedham, Iowa, to tell them why their town’s post office has to close. The Internet, officials said, was killing the U.S. Postal Service. “Well, I have no Internet,” resident Judy Ankenbauer said at the meeting. Like many of [...]

Posted in America, Closing, Economy, Family, Financial, Internet, Layoffs, Lose, Post Office | Leave a comment