At the Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, researchers are tackling one of the Beatles' crucial questions: "Will you still feed me, when I'm 64?"

See http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/virtual-reality-study-encourages-subjec...

It was called the "Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001". Today, it's known as the Bush Tax Cuts and it's high noon on Capital Hill as discussions about extending those tax cuts continue.

According to Wikipedia, these tax cuts essentially it lowered the tax rates as follows:

I know...you don't like the title of this article. It's unpleasant. It sounds depressing. And it feels like a "wake-up" call.

But here it is anyway: Why We Are in Such A Mess video

So why mention Peter Schiff's book, "How an Economy Grows and Why it Crashes"?

Imagine it's payday.

Now, tell me about it. And we'll keep score along the way to see how well you can manage money.

1. Do you get a "live" check or have you setup a direct deposit into a bank account?

If you have direct deposit, add a point.

If you get a live check, subtract a point...unless you pay everything with cash in which case you can also add a point.

We'll come to that later.

2. What does your first payment go towards?

Saving money is so hard.

Or is it?

I Googled "How to save money on your..."

And then I stopped.

And a bunch of options came up ready for me to select:

How to save money on your electric bill...
How to save money on your wedding...
How to save money on your heating bill...
How to save money on your gas bill...
How to save money on your water bill...
How to save money on your grocery bill...
How to save money on your cable bill...
How to save money on your taxes...
How to save money on your phone bill...
How to save money on your energy bill...

Are you kidding me!

White House Advisor, Larry Summers, recently said that  the American economy is experiencing "a statistical recovery and human recession".

In other words, the data may point to a rebounding economy - even if it is ever so slightly.

But the fact remains that the turning of the dial is not translating into jobs.

Nearly 15 million Americans are out of work.

Earlier today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down in part to a report showing that 500,0000 of us filed first time unemployment benefits last month.

What do these things have in common? Your daughter’s wedding, turning 40 and retirement.

You thought that day would never come.

But it did - or it will.

If you are in a funk thinking about job losses, mounting federal deficits or prospects of inflation, then start focusing on things you probably have more control over.
 
Like ways to save a buck.
 
People usually find it easier to save a buck than to earn it. Fortunately, there are great money saving Web sites and tips to help you do just that-
 
BillShrink helps you save money on your everyday bills.
 

Sound financial planning is more than paying bills on time, saving for retirement , or paying off debts.
 
It’s understanding your financial risks and mitigating those risks, or in other words, “insuring” against unexpected death, damage to or loss of home, auto, etc.
 
And don’t forget disability insurance – since we are prone to do that.
 

If you believe Ben Franklin that a “penny saved is a penny earned”, then you must believe the corollary that a “penny not saved is a penny burned”. 
 
And historically we’ve been pretty good at burning money.
 
We bought Christmas bargains with high interest credit cards, got charged overdraft fees at the bank, and have paid late fees for past due bills.