Charity Case: William J. Lashua

This photo was taken at a 7-Eleven. It basically says it all. He's a World War II veteran, turning 90 years old, and lonely. If you can't make it to his birthday, please at least send him a card to show your thanks. If it weren't for veterans like him, you would have no internet, and for all you know, that flag we pledge to could have a Swastika on it.





Here's his info:

William J Lashua
c/o Ashburnham American Legion
132 Williams, RD
Ashburnham, MA 01430

I'm not one who really thinks about things like this, but when I saw this photo, I became really, really sad. We need to treat our veterans better. Let this be the first step. Nearly a thousand others are already jumping in to help.

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All About Investing

Ever thought about getting into investing? I have, but it seems too confusing for me! But here's an article of the greatest and how they did it. Read on!

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The World's Greatest Investors by Dyan Machan and Reshma Kapadia

If the stock markets were a public beach, the red "high hazard" flags might still be flying over the lifeguard's chair. Or at the very least, a strong yellow. The summer has been calmer than the spring, but not by much, not with the foundering euro and stubborn unemployment at home offering daily reminders that global economic waters are still choppy. And the stock market remains as riptide-prone as ever. According to Schaeffer's Investment Research, the Dow is on pace to register 90 days this year with swings of 100 points or more—more than twice as many as in any of the three years before the crash. As fund managers keep warning, many of last year's top-performing stocks were risky or near-death companies that now are struggling once again. Small wonder that many mainstream investors remain anxiously on shore—collectively, Americans hold $9.4 trillion in cash, 27 percent more than in 2007.



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Credit Card Rates Are Increasing

I have a credit card, and like most of you, probably don't pay it off completely every month. I'm one of those guys who justs pays off the interest, and while that's always been a bad idea, it might just get worse. Read on!

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Credit-Card Rates Climb by Ruth Simon

Levels Hit Nine-Year High as New Rules Limiting Penalty Fees Help Fuel Rise

Interest rates continue to tumble for the U.S. Treasury, companies and home buyers alike. But for a large portion of 381 million U.S. credit-card accounts, borrowing rates have been moving only one way: up.

And average rates are likely to climb further in the near future.

New credit-card rules that took effect Sunday limit banks' ability to charge penalty fees. They come on top of rule changes earlier this year restricting issuers' ability to adjust rates on the fly. Issuers responded by pushing card rates to their highest level in nine years.

In the second quarter, the average interest rate on existing cards reached 14.7%, up from 13.1% a year earlier, according to research firm Synovate, a unit of Aegis Group PLC. That was the highest level since 2001.

Those figures look especially stark when measuring the gap between the prime rate—the benchmark against which card rates are set—and average credit-card rates. The current difference of 11.45 percentage points is the largest in at least 22 years, Synovate estimates.

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