My Economic Stimulus

MES News: 2nd stimulus package?

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:42:00 +0000

Months after saying no to a second economic stimulus package, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke is now saying yes. With a twist, according to this Wall Street Journal article. Not as intoxicating as vodka with a twist, but this is still interesting news.

Is it wrong that I'm salivating about a second $600 check? Does it show desperation? Never fear, I will keep paying Powerball. But facts are facts: Powerball gave me $8 this year, mostly thanks to two times I got the Powerball number and nothing else. The government gave me $600! (Should I be given another $600 check since I saved it and turned it into $400, according to this morning's trading?)

Of course, the story doesn't say $600 yet or any other figure for that matter. Just stuff about encouraging spending among the masses while helping the credit and housing markets. Hope I don't have to wait until next year's tax rebate check to find out more.

MES To Do List: Take the emotion out of this painful game

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:27:00 +0000

Between playing Word Twist on Facebook and checking the status of My Economic Stimulus Portfolio on Yahoo!, my right wrist is really starting to throb. The pain starts in the knuckle of my middle finger and darts back to my wrist.

A self-imposed break from Word Twist has helped. But I can't stop checking for numbers in the green on my personalized My Yahoo! page. Not even on weekends when -- duh! -- the markets are closed. Sad to admit, but last Sunday I was actually looking forward to the workweek because the markets reopen Monday morning.

Just checked my stocks again. (There were 2 "in the green" when I began this post and now there is only 1). Slowly, the pain trickles up my forearm. By the end of the day, my shoulders will hurt too. Not sure if that's due to the obsessive clicking or daily stress and my office chair that is set too high for my desk.

Thankfully I also clicked on this Kiplinger.com article about how to keep your sanity and emotions in check as the greens fade to red. Its message is in the same vein as advice I've received lately. If I take the emotion out of investing, that will alleviate the pain.

The article offers a good exercise to chart your stocks. If I simply write down my high and low thresholds for each stock, that will help me determine when to sell and when to stock up. Whether it's a diet or a to do list, putting "something" in writing has helped me stay on track toward my goals. To accomplish two goals with one cliche, writing things down has helped me put my money where my mouth is.

My Economic Stimulus Portfolio Update: Fully INvested

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:19:00 +0000

The $600 that prompted My Economic Stimulus is finally fully invested.

Here's My Economic Stimulus Portfolio Update: I spent the last $30 earlier this week on a low-priced stock. Can't beat $1.75 a pop. Hope it was worth it. Of course in this market, what was low-priced on Monday is even lower on Wednesday. Such is life right now.

I'm not going to worry about it for 2 reasons:

The market swings in cycles. What goes up, must come down. What goes down, must go up. Unless, of course, you're stepping off a building. No worries for me -- I live in a raised ranch and have no access to the roof.
The experts say there's no tried and true method for timing the market. Sure, everybody gets lucky sometimes. And even though my Dad reminds me, "It's better to be lucky than good," he and I both know the lucky gene belongs to my brother, John, not me. Good thing too since John, not me, fell off a second-story porch once. (My falls are usually from 5 feet, 5 inches or less.)

I plan to post My Economic Stimulus Update weekly. Here's what I picked for my portfolio, why and the "what now":

EFJI - This is my most recent buy. The company develops secure communications for first responders and just got a $48 million contract from the Navy.
GLW - I blogged about Corning recently after receiving a tender offer from a company wanting to unburden my portfolio. But at the price I bought, selling wasn't worth it. Since then, the price dipped. I bought a second batch. It dipped again. Yikes. But the big reasons I got into it (twice) are its corner on the LCD market the fact that its software was being used to help build greener cars, not because I have a stockpile of Corning glassware in my cabinets. People aren't buying flat panel TVs as much right now. Hopefully that will change around Super Bowl time ... maybe even if our house too.
DLIA - Delia's was my pride and joy, mostly because it made me look like I could time the market. I researched it, followed the charts, and then bought it at 1.82. It shot up a few days later and hovered around $3 for a while. It was tempting to sell and make about $30. I held onto it. Now, like other retailers, the price has dipped. I'm hopeful it will rise again soon.
MAR - Bought this because Smart Money Magazine rated it as a long-term gem. Still remains to be seen, thus the long-term tag. In this market, less people are traveling and staying in nice hotels. I'm considering a Super 8 for this weekend.
ANSS - This was my first buy. It's a software company in Pittsburgh that helps a lot of big name companies get better products to market faster. Though it's slipped a bit since June, this stock is on a lot of Strong Buy lists.

All told, my $600 is worth about $387. It's less than a $171 loss (or dip) if you consider the $7 per trade I have paid to Scottrade to get this thing stimulated.

Warren's Words of Wisdom

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:08:00 +0000

I've been googling my face off the last few days for investing advice in times like these. There are so many opinions out there, mostly telling people not to sell because getting out is not the answer. I wonder if that's what AIG shareholders thought two weeks ago.

I get it! Sheesh. I'm in and I'm staying in.

Anyway, I found an article today on Yahoo with some more advice that that alerted me to a gem of a quote from Warren Buffett. The article is part of a Yahoo series called Beginning Investing. The next quote for the quote book I've kept since college is:
"Only when the tide goes out do you discover who's been swimming naked."

I wonder if that's what AIG shareholders thought two weeks ago.

Anyway, articles about the federal bailout plan's pros and cons are pretty dry and confusing. I think I'll go read more Warren Buffettisms instead.

Buying Stocks on Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 20:02:00 +0000

The market is down. Again. The fever I felt the last few weeks when watching my cheap-o stock climb almost a full dollar a share to $2.75 is gone. (That diamond in the rough is hovering around $2.20 today so it's not that bad.)

I keep hearing on the morning TV news shows that financial analysts now play the role of shrinks. Their best advice for their clients is to do the opposite of "Don't just stand there -- do something!" I've been interpreting this as don't sell, sell, sell and do buy, buy, buy.

That's because the talking heads are encouraging us to think of the this down market as a special sale. And who doesn't love a bargain?

Since I do love a bargain, I bought more Corning (GLW) stock today. I bought 10 shares last month when the share price was close to $20. Then it fell a bit. Then the tender offer came, then it fell some more. Then it dipped below $15!!! Despite another $7 trade fee to Scottrade, I bought more of the same because I believe in the company, I believe it's on sale and I believe the shrinks when they say what goes down, must come up.

Could it be happening already? Here's today's news of a stock surge. It would be nice but I keep reminding myself, I'm in it for the long haul.

Could

Tender (Offer) Moments

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 17:24:00 +0000

I got an email from Scottrade this morning about a tender offer from TRC Capital Corporation. TRC wants to take my 10 shares of Corning stock (GLW) off my hands for $20.50 a pop. While the offer per share is higher than today's opening price of 17.75, I wasn't sure what to do. What the heck is a tender offer anyway?

So I phoned Scottrade. I explained to "Scotty" why I was calling and immediately launched into my trademark list of questions. Most important of which was ... is this a wise move for me?

I'm not sure how much he could tell me or wanted to tell me since I'm a teeny-weenie fish among Corning's owners. But he provided me with a sounding board for my ideas and helped me determine my answer.

There are few key ideas at play here. Firstly a tender offer sounds sweet, but in my case, is not sweet enough. A tender offer is a third party's solicitation to purchase a substantial percentage of a company's shares, according to the SEC. The biggest issue for me? I only bought the stock last week at 20.19. So the 20.50 offer would give me 31 cents a share. That's 3.10 minus the $7 commission I paid to buy the stock in the first place and a $25 reorganization fee I would owe Scottrade to transfer it to TRC Capital. My goal is to make money, not give it back.

I decided to leave a tender moment alone and said no. The basic math is enough to see why. I also googled TRC and found a few interesting articles, mostly from the companies imploring stockholders to resist TRC's "tender" moments. I read this one: Corning Recommends Rejection of below-Market Mini-Tender Offer by TRC Capital Corporation. Gannett said something similar in May. (Gannett's stock is 18.04 today compared toTRC's offer of 29.45. Yikes!)

The bottom line is this: I bought GLW last week because of what I read in the June issue of Money Magazine. Corning is big into LCDs, which are used in everything from electronics to cars (trying to overlook the news today that this sector is bloated and will stall in Q3) and makes emission-control systems for trucks -- an issue that gets air time daily as we try to walk the talk of our environmental consciousness. I'm into Corning (and My Economic Stimulus) for the long haul. I'm not sure how long that is ... but I'm certain it's longer than one week.

Join the Savings Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Here's a tidbit in the September issue of my Smart Money Magazine listed under the title, Juicing the Economy:

"Americans are so often chastised for not saving enough, but the rebate checks recently pushed the national savings rate to 5 percent. If it stayed this high, it would be the highest percentage of saved income since the late 1990s."

That's kinda cool. I've never been part of a revolution before.

If you recall earlier this year when the big wigs announced the stimulus package, they implored us to spend, spend, spend. Instead, I banked my $600 and started My Economic Stimulus.

Have you started saving more this year than ever before? If so, post a comment to this blog entry so we all can benefit from your experience!

Everyone Needs a Vacation

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 00:47:00 +0000

Everyone needs a vacation. And while I didn't take a 2-month vacation, I took that long of a hiatus from blogging. Can't believe I haven't checked in since June 30! Anyway, I'm back.

The good news is My Economic Stimulus did not take a vacation. Thanks to the TD Ameritrade Save Yourself Plan I set up in March, I am socking away cash monthly, earning interest and working may way toward my $100 bonus. My account will top $350 this month thanks to $50 automatically monthly deposits I set up. The interest is low -- 2% I think -- so the bonus is the gravy on the french fries. And all I have to do to get that bonus is keep up the monthly contribution.

What about the $600 that started this experiment? After sitting safely in the Scottrade account while I procrastinated, I bought my first two shares in June. My first purchase? A software company. I've made a few more moves since then. (Details in a future post.) Let me just say that watching the stocks go up (and down) is fun, especially when the 20 shares of a cheap-o stock I bought went up 30-something percent today! How could I have not played this game for so long?

Who foots this bill?

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:48:00 +0000

As I've noted a few times in My Economic Stimulus, the IRS is quite busy fixing mistakes that sprung from the Economic Stimulus Plan of 2008.

Hard to believe there have been so many issues. Here's the latest about taxpayers who received their stimulus money, but not their kids' $300. An additional 230,000 checks will be mailed in July. So let me do some quick figuring: 230,000 multiplied by the now 42 cents for a first-class stamp. Wait, the IRS probably qualifies for bulk-rate postage. Well, to quote Mike Rowe on the episode of Dirty Jobs I watched last night, "that's a lot."

Of course, I really shouldn't give the IRS a hard time. First of all, I already got my $600. Second, I too manage projects and know that even the easy ones (wait, especially the easy ones!) have screw ups.

Hoping to put together a pie chart showing the balance of $600 after I've invested some of it. More info to come ...

Stimulus checks diverted -- on purpose!

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:18:00 +0000

Nearly $2 million worth of economic stimulus checks have been diverted, and this time, it's no mistake.

According to this USA Today story, the U.S. Treasury Department intercepted a whole lot of checks from folks who haven't paid child support, student loans and overdue taxes. The money is going to agencies (and eventually individuals) who have no doubt gone too long without the money they are due.

Taxpayers who didn't get a their checks are being notified in letters, the article states. Of course, they still get to keep livin' the life of a deadbeat parent or overdue-bill havin' U.S. citizen.

Yet another reminder to keep my economic stimulus going and get my finances in order. I don't want someone else to get to do it for me.

Blogging as therapy

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 02:53:00 +0000

Found a little tidbit about blogging itself in this week's Newsweek. So this financial experiment is actually therapy? Perhaps.

Here's a few blogs I started tracking recently:

49ccscooterdude.com - a commuting adventure
This might hurt

Verified (and funded)

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:07:00 +0000

No clown blowing up balloons behind me. No BlackBerry blowing up. No talking baby. God, I love those eTrade commercials!

But after a series of steps, Scottrade greenlighted the investing part of my economic stimulus. The verification process, done through Scottrade's tool called MoneyDirect, deposited two odd amounts into my bank account.
I confirmed the amounts.
Scottrade validated me. (Scottrade is taking back the amounts now as its last step of the verification process. Not that I could have done much with the pennies since both amounts totaled less than a buck.)

After that, funding the account took what seemed like maybe 2 minutes. Three tops. Lesson here: Scottrade don't mess around when it's time for me to give them my money. My $600 is in Scottrade's hands now.

All I have to do is a pick some stocks and I'll officially be IN. Maybe then I'll get my own clown.

P.S. Speaking of babies, my friend Delphine welcomed a baby boy named Rocco on Saturday. She and her husband Norm are already grooming him to be the Mets' first Belgian-Italian shortstop.

Verificiation before validation

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:04:00 +0000

Scottrade needs to verify my regular bank account that I plan to use to fund my Scottrade account. Upon verification, the investing part of my economic stimulus will finally be realized. And then I will feel validated!

No biggie. TD Ameritrade did the same thing when I opened my Save Yourself account.

But Scottrade gives you the option to let Scottrade go into my bank account with my password and verify the routing #/me immediately. This stopped me in my tracks.

WHAT?

With all the warnings to NEVER give out passwords, I did not feel comfortable with this. TD Ameritrade didn't need a password. Why does Scottrade? So I called Scottrade for the umpteenth time. Mike from the McMurray, Pa., office told me about the alternate verification method which only needs the routing and account numbers. This could take 2-3 days. My security is worth that much.

See, it pays to ask a few (thousand) follow-up questions.

Over-stimulated

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 15:13:00 +0000

Twice is nice, but hardly worth the price.

Some folks have received more than one stimulus check! Not me. Maybe the government REALLY, REALLY thinks those people are such good shoppers and rewarded them with another $600 to further stimulate the economy.

Whatever the case, experts also say not to cash both since the IRS will discover its mistake sooner or later. This, and the issue of people receiving other peoples' checks, is sure to keep the IRS troubleshooters in business.

P.S. Still working on the kinks with Scottrade. My account is up and running. Just working on funding it. A good tip for folks doing the same? Sign up for paperless balance alerts and trade confirmations. Otherwise, this broker will charge you $1 and $2 a pop!

It's in the mail

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 03:40:00 +0000

I finally mailed my application to Scottrade for an online account.

That's right -- mailed. As in USPS. Snail mail. The Slowskys.

In this day and age when applying online, emailing info and faxing documentation are the status quo, none of these options worked. Is this a sign? Seriously! There was a security issue online. I answered an open-ended question incorrectly about my monthly mortgage payment. Scottrade sent me the application in the mail instead.

I procrastinated a bit. Scottrade obviously was in no rush to get my account up and running. So I wasn't either. But you better believe I've already receive 2 more marketing pieces in the mail. I'm on the company's list already and I'm not even a satisfied client!

Filled out the application Friday night while waiting for Outback's Carside To Go service. The application was super easy and fast. Plus, it did not require the details that hosed me on the online application.

I went to fax it on Monday. The fax would not go through. The previous fax NOT having a thing to do with my economic stimulus? No problem. The Scottrade stuff? No can do. Not after 3 tries. Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks fax machines suck.

So I dipped into my savings to pay for stamps and mailed the mother. Now I sit and wait to see if I'm accepted much like a college ap. If they take too long, I'll be hooking up with eTrade or TD Ameritrade toute de suite.

It's Showtime, Baby!

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 24 May 2008 03:16:00 +0000

Nothing says wild and crazy fun on a Friday night like downing another IC Light while watching a documentary on Showtime. But that's me tonight. At least, I'm still awake. Everyone else has been snoring since 10:30 p.m!

Anyway, I'm watching Maxed Out: Hard Times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders. The film was made by James Scurlock in 2006, not to be confused with Morgan Spurlock. Spurlock made the thought-provoking flick, Super Size Me in 2004. Back to Maxed Out. It has its fair share of politicians squirming, regular people suffering from regular problems and basically everyone you're supposed to trust -- looking distrustful. Seriously, no one is safe. Suze Orman just got ripped for being in bed with FICO! Not that I've bought her FICO Kit. Yet. Or registered for it. Yet. Frankly, I'm not even sure after reading most of her book, Women and Money, if I already own rights to the kit just by buying her book. She promotes the hell out of FICO so much, I have started to tune out. And if you've read any of Suze's books, you know a bad FICO score will have you spewing F-words all the livelong day.

Maxed Out reminds me how great marketing makes you spend and spend even if it means spending money on things that are supposed to show you how to stop spending. Kind of defeats the purpose of a mission like my economic stimulus. A great reminder, too, to stop and smell the roses every once in a while, consider the source like my Mom always told me to do and then consider other sources to help round out your full story.

Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:10:00 +0000

After the story about the IRS mailing stimulus checks to incorrect recipients, I've been on the lookout for one of those recipients. No one I know. At least, no one is fessin' up. And as much as I've sung the praises of direct deposit, apparently mistakes have cropped up there too.

Anyway, if you receive someone else's $600, please report it to the IRS (paper check) or your bank (if it was already directly deposited). Do it.

If you're still waiting for your dough, you're probably going to be told one of the following:
1. The checks are on their way and will continue to be disbursed until at least July, depending on when you filed.
2. Go here.
3. Call the Refund Hotline at 800-829-1954

IRS screws up

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:51:00 +0000

I screwed up this morning and forgot my yogurt and banana on the kitchen counter when I left the house. Fortunately, I remembered while pulling out of the drive. Quick fix: Ran back into the house (in heels) to get my snacks and sped off to work.

At least my screwup didn't tick off 15,000 people. That's how many "poor" folks' $600 checks were mailed to the wrong address. Yet another reason to do direct deposit!

My economic stimulus is still ongoing thanks to the TD Ameritrade savings account I set up earlier this year. Stalled a little on the investment front with Scottrade, though. Something in my online application hit a snag. Kind of ticked me off. To boot, after I input my personal data online, there was no email from Scottrade telling me not to fret and that they would be in touch.

I did get a call on Monday from Scottrade inviting me into its nearest office. So much for quick, online service. The broker also sent me a package in the mail, including the application. So much going on these days I haven't had time to fill out and submit it. Hopefully this weekend.

While Scottrade gave me the cold shoulder, at least Suze Orman checked in on me. Yes, it was an auto-generated email. She congratulated me on setting my savings on autopilot and reminded me: "You're on the path to saving yourself!"

Pulling the trigger

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Procrastination strikes again ... but this time it works in favor of my economic stimulus. I'm not procrastinating investing. Just cleaning the house. Not one of my favorite activities! Friends and family can attest.

I figure that if I pull the trigger on an online brokerage FIRST, I can gain work-free interest WHILE I dust, sweep and scrub next. I went back to my previous posts about the brokers I researched and also to the recesses of my memory.

TD Ameritrade stuck out. Probably because it was so easy to sign up for the Suze Orman Save Yourself Account. An blurb in Newsweek listed this helpful link for finding the best online broker for me. Just answer 3 questions:

1. What's your total portfolio value? My $600 puts me well under $25K.
2. How many trades will you make per quarter (I answered this a few different ways to see how it would affect the monthly costs ... the default 5, 10, 200.)
3. How many average shares will you buy per trade? (This depends on stock price of course, but I figured 5-10.)

The numbers are in: Scottrade is for me. $7 per trade can't be beat.

TIP: Double check the costs per trade and the costs per quarter.

Now is the time for REAL action ... I hope to pull the trigger on a stock purchase by the next posting.

The Biscuit is in the Basket

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:59:00 +0000

My stimulus check is here!! My stimulus check is here!

Just surfed to my online bank account for the 800th time this week. And there it was, much to my delight! The check is processing itself as I type.

So exciting! So thankful for direct deposit! So hard to believe some people STILL don't trust direct deposit (former employer of mine actually... ).

Got a busy weekend ahead. Between cleaning the house, attending a breakfast for my non-profit group, the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council, and hopefully attending a friend's Cinqo de Mayo party, I need time transfer the my economic stimulus $ to my online broker and get this show on the road. Fortunately thanks to online banking, this is totally doable!

Go check your account ... NOW!!

Shut up, Be Charitable!

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Still wondering what to do with your $600 while you're waiting for your $600?

This San Francisco Chronicle article illustrates the dilemma that Americans face this year: Spend the windfall on a frivolous item (treadmill anyone?) or put it toward survival (gas ... don't get me started!). Where does mattress fall in this spectrum?

Hmm ... never thought of donating it to charity. Other than my own investment project "charity" -- my economic stimulus.

Whatever you decide to do with your dough, keep this in mind: Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says don't bet it on a second stimulus package. Don't blow it.

Bank of Wal-Mart

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 03:24:00 +0000

Still no stimulus check yet.

I'm checking my online bank account every few hours. Two straight days of this behavior. Oh Economic Stimulus Package ... come out, come out wherever you are!

I filed my taxes early and opted for direct deposit of my tax rebate. So all systems are a go for the IRS to drop that bonus $600 rebate on me any second now. Seriously, paper checks go out May 9. Am I really going to have to wait until May 8? Have I mentioned I'm impatient?

And while I wait and wait, more retailers are coming out of the woodwork with tempting offers. Wal-Mart will cash my stimulus check for me free of charge. That's right, the $3 check-cashing fee will be waived even if I opt for cash and not the $600 on a Wal-Mart MoneyCard.

Too bad I nearly lost my mind on my last visit to Wal-Mart. Damn those Rollback prices! They are what's truly tempting! I saved some cash, true. But it wasn't worth the brain cells I lost after having to donate them to the cashier to get her to re-scan my coupon.

Now if Target offered to cash my check ...

Shopping Spree at the Gas Pump

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:28:00 +0000

When I first learned about the Economic Stimulus Package and the government's desire for me revive the economy with my $600 cut, I thought that meant spend it on a luxury item I wouldn't ordinarily buy. At least, not without feeling guilty.

a big screen TV for Adam
a Louis Vuitton bag (or 2)
a long weekend at the spa with a girlfriend

I guess filling the old gas tank in the Pilot is my new luxury item. Not really the shopping spree every girl dreams of.

And not like I have a choice either. Girl's gotta get to work. Fortunately my new commute isn't bad but I do travel nearly 50 miles each day. With all this "Going Green" business, driving that much in my SUV gives me guilt of a different kind.

So basically my economic stimulus package is an excuse for me to earmark some money for my investing plan. Honestly, I don't need another purse. But I would like to think that I'm the one who benefits financially since I'm the doing all the work -- saving (not frivolously spending) the $.

Stimulus Checks May Arrive April 28

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:17:00 +0000

Stimulus checks could be arriving almost a week earlier than originally planned. Maybe even Monday!

Originally, the U.S. Treasury stated in March that checks would first be mailed May 2. That March news alert lit a fire under my economic stimulus. Still not sure what I'm doing with my whopping $600 but this process has certainly made me craft investment plans. I hope to execute them soon. I've already started saving by opening my TD Ameritrade account. That's something I wouldn't have done had I not taken time to think about how to use the cash.

Checks will go out Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week, apparently because the IRS processed so many tax returns before the 4/15 deadline. You couldn't get your stimulus check unless you filed your taxes. I know we did ours early this year. If you did too, pat yourself on the back!

Even better news, if you elected direct deposit for your regular tax rebate, your stimulus check should arrive the same way -- quickly! Paper checks will be mailed May 9 per CNN.com. Mind you, it could still take up until June for everyone to get theirs.

What are you doing with yours?

More ways to blow your check!

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:38:00 +0000

Sears will help grow your $600 ... and then bank it for you.

Who are ad wizards that came up with this one? The Sears "Stretch Your Stimulus Check" promo won't help my economic stimulus. But don' t let that stop you.

It takes more than a $60 incentive (10% of $600, right?) to get me to blow my check at Sears. Now Target ... that's another story!