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Fed chief Bernanke urges spending to help recovery
By Paul Davidson, USA TODAYFederal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, wading into a bitterly partisan debate, said Wednesday that Congress should increase spending now to jump-start a sputtering economy and take steps to reduce the ballooning federal deficit in a couple of years.
“At the current moment, some fiscal support for the economy is an appropriate and constructive thing,” Bernanke told the Senate Banking Committee in his semiannual report › Continue reading
iPhone, iPad, Macs help Apple to highest quarterly revenue
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAYAntennagate? What antennagate?
Apple may eventually run into issues with consumers over reception problems with the new iPhone 4. But its fiscal third quarter, which ended June 27, turned out to be Apple’s best ever.
Thanks to the launch of the iPad tablet computer and the iPhone 4, Apple earned $3.25 billion on revenue of $15.7 billion. That’s up from earnings of $1.8 billion on revenue of $9.7 billion › Continue reading
Stimulus, short hours help German economy bounce back
By Geir Moulson, Associated Press WriterBERLIN — Germany, Europe’s economic engine, is back in gear after a painful recession, as foreign customers snap up cars and industrial machinery and the country reaps the benefits of stimulus spending that helped keep the motor running at home during the downturn.
In particular, economists point to government support for keeping workers on the job with shorter hours instead of laying them off — › Continue reading
Tax preparers can help get every deduction, avoid errors
By Sandra Block, USA TODAY For tax preparers, “March Madness” doesn’t have anything to do with the NCAA basketball tournaments. March is typically a hectic time for the tax business, as preparers scramble to finish clients’ returns before the April 15 deadline.
But this year, some preparers may have more time to watch college hoops. Tax preparation giants H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt have reported steep declines in business, in part because › Continue reading
Tax preparers can help get every deduction, avoid errors
By Sandra Block, USA TODAY For tax preparers, “March Madness” doesn’t have anything to do with the NCAA basketball tournaments. March is typically a hectic time for the tax business, as preparers scramble to finish clients’ returns before the April 15 deadline.
But this year, some preparers may have more time to watch college hoops. Tax preparation giants H&R Block and Jackson Hewitt have reported steep declines in business, in part because › Continue reading
Tax breaks can help when you lose your job
By Sandra Block, USA TODAYIf your finances are in shambles, take heart: Your reduced circumstances could entitle you to tax credits and deductions that were previously off-limits. Here are some tax tips for folks who are navigating tough times:
Deduct your moving expenses.
If a job loss forced you to move last year, you may be eligible to deduct some of the costs of relocating.
To claim this deduction, your new job must › Continue reading
4 questions that will help you reinvent your business
By Steve Strauss for USA TODAYQ: Steve – I saw you on TV discussing how a woman who owned a cookie business reinvented it by tapping the wholesale market. In this economy, I bet there are a lot of people who would like to reinvent their business, but going wholesale is not a viable option. I am a lawyer for instance. So how do the rest of us reinvent our business? – William
A: I bet that if you think about it, the business you have › Continue reading
Exports help U.S. companies climb out of recession
By Paul Wiseman, USA TODAYWASHINGTON — From California sheet music to North Carolina construction equipment, U.S. exports are roaring back as the global economy recovers from recession.
Exports shot up 18.1% the last three months of 2009, helping the U.S. economy expand at a 5.7% annual rate. U.S. factories were behind the surge: Exports of goods soared 28.1%.
RECOVERY WATCH: Tracking the economy; see VIDEO
Companies › Continue reading
Companies efficiently pour out $16 million to help Haiti
By Christine Dugas, USA TODAYCorporations have donated $16 million so far to earthquake-ravaged Haiti, using experience from other recent natural disasters to make this a more-coordinated and streamlined effort.
Lessons learned from disasters such as Hurricane Katrina and the Thailand tsunami mean the dollars and services donated this time around will go to far better uses, says The Conference Board, a global organization that works for the public › Continue reading