How To Stay Out Of Debt This Christmas

via forbes.com

The average American will spend nearly $800 on Christmas gifts this year, and 30% will spend more than $1,000, according to recent Gallup research. And that’s just on presents. When you consider the extra food, decoration and shipping costs, you could easily spend an entire paycheck–or more–on Yuletide trimmings.

“The holiday spirit can act like Novocaine, desensitizing us to the costs,” says Mary Hunt, personal finance expert and author of Debt-Proof Your Christmas. “We all want to give our family a nice Christmas, but it’s dangerous to go into debt. People are waking up to the fact that it isn’t just spending money that makes us happy at the holidays.”

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U.S. Blows $400 Million an Hour

via businessweek.com

If you harbor any doubts about how dysfunctional Washington has become, add two books to your reading list: “Bailout” by Neil Barofsky and “Red Ink” by David Wessel.

Each describes a federal government incapable of taking steps vital to America’s future. And each leaves you wondering if the system is too broken to mend.

Start with “Bailout,” Barofsky’s angry memoir of his stint as the special inspector general policing the $700 billion bank bailout Congress passed after the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

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How to Be Active on Facebook Without Spending Too Much Time

via openforum.com

You’ve heard repeatedly how you need to be active on every established social network, as well as all the new ones coming out, but who has time?

To get the best bang for your time investment, establish a presence only on the most important social networks to your business. Stay focused on the types of participation that will help you achieve your objectives in the shortest amount of time.

The following best practices will help you get the biggest bang out of Facebook without spending a lot of time doing so.

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US Online Ad Spending Statistics- Infographic

via invesp.com

Detailed Infographic covering the latest US Online Ad Spending Statistics for Search Engines, Online Display Advertising, Online Video Ads and Social Media Ad Spending

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Here's How Much Every Continent In The World Spends On Mobile Advertising

via businessinsider.com

The Interactive Advertising Bureau joined forces with ad spend trackers around the world to measure how much money is spent on mobile advertising globally and regionally.

It turns out that the world spent $5.3 billion on mobile ads (from display to search to messaging) overall in 2011, and it turns out that Asia is laying out the most capital. The breakdown is:

Asia-Pacific: 35.9 percent

North America: 31.4 percent

Europe: 25.9 percent

Latin America: 3.5 percent

Africa: 3.2 percent

In dollars that's...

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10 Ways to Save Money by Spending More

via mint.com

There is a fine line between miser and smart spender. As your accounts grow in size and decimal places, there are several key purchases that may increase your quality of life — and even save you some cash in the process!

Here are 10 thrifty ideas for smart ways to spend more without feeling guilty: A range of experts shared advice for items that savvy investors should buy in order to climb the ladder and accumulate wealth, while also increasing day-to-day enjoyment.

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Secret side of military spending [infographic]

via holykaw.alltop.com

The United States military budget rose for 11 consecutive years, going from $354 billion in 2001 to $721 billion in 2011. That's an increase of 104%. While 2012's proposed budget signals the first decline in military spending in over a decade, it is a drop in the bucket and if the past is any indication, actual spending will surpass the budget and once again take us into record territory.

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Global online advertising spending [infographic]

via holykaw.alltop.com

The online advertising market continues to grow as businesses focus a large chunk of their marketing budgets to internet ad buys. This infographic from Go Gulf reveals the top online advertising trends.

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IT Spending This Year? Almost Four Trillion Dollars

via allthingsd.com

The growth rate in global spending on information technology is slowing down a bit, but, well, it’s still growing, and will total $3.7 trillion, according to the latest forecast on the topic by the tech research house Gartner.

It’s not so much about any shifts in sentiment or intention for spending among large companies, it’s just that the dollar is currently strong against other currencies, so U.S.-domiciled companies are in a weaker position when selling to customers in other countries. When accounting for that discrepancy, Gartner says it expects overall growth in spending of 2.5 percent, but on a constant currency basis, the digits would be transposed for a healthier 5.2 percent.

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Here's How YouTube Is Spending $500 Million On Its New Channels

via businessinsider.com

YouTube made waves in the entertainment industry last year when it announced plans to help fund and create 100 official channels from various different partners.

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U.S. online spending hit $50 billion last quarter

The holiday season triggered a healthy surge in online spending, according to stats released yesterday by ComScore.

For 2011's final quarter, online spending in the United States hit $49.7 billion, a 14 percent jump from a year ago. That marked the ninth quarter in a row of positive year-over-year growth and the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit gains.

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