philip w.

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Here's Hoping The Olympics Don't Make It To Your Town

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 15, 2009, 9:45 am
This guest post comes from Michael, a contributing editor of the Dough Roller, a personal finance and investing blog, and Credit Card Offers IQ, a credit card review site. Every two years, the grea...
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Weakonomics Holiday Gift Guide

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 14, 2009, 9:16 am
Well it’s December and that means that you’re probably doing some kind of holiday thing.  I prefer to call it Christmahanakwanzika as it covers the majority of the population.  You can call it w...
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Weakend: New Photoblog: Epic Win FTW

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 12, 2009, 9:10 am
Man I love this trend of photoblogs.  I love everything from the icanhascheezburger group, Probably Bad News, Wedinator, Pale is the New Tan, Photobomb, and others.  Well, I’ve got another.  This...
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Where's The Beef? Food Is Disappearing From Packages In The Store

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 11, 2009, 9:14 am
Many years ago I wrote about how Edy’s ice cream was shrinking.  It’s a trick companies use to continue to charge the same amount of money for less goods.  I used it to illustrate how inflation ...
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Sorry, No Post Today

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 10, 2009, 10:00 am
Sorry guys, pressed for time and I couldn’t get a post out today. Please forgive me, I am the ultimate failure. As always, check me out on Twitter or read the blogs on my blogroll for good mone...
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TARP 2009: Where Are They Now? Part II

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 9, 2009, 9:30 am
Yesterday, I talked about the people that made TARP happen, now I want to talk about the companies that benefited from TARP. Citigroup: Citi got $50 billion from the government after a failed attempt...
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TARP 2009: Where Are They Now?

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 8, 2009, 9:12 am
Do you remember waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2008 all the banks were about to die?  They needed something under $1 trillion in loans and investment to get back on their feet.  Surprisingly, the governm...
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Weaky #19: What You Lose In Vegas, Stays In Vegas

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 7, 2009, 9:30 am
Go to Vegas and drop some money.  As soon as you’re losing money the casino will start treating you like a valued customer.  This is because, by losing money on gambling, you’re basicall...
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Weakend: Unemployment Gets A PR Makeover

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 5, 2009, 10:07 am
Earlier this week I suggested that Wall Street needed a PR makeover.  Well, thanks to The Onion, unemployment is getting a PR makeover.  Instead of worrying about the number of people that aren̵...
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Weakonomics Tour Of The Country: Virginia

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 4, 2009, 9:30 am
AKA The “Hidden Gem” State Welcome to the commonwealth of Virginia, it’s called a commonwealth instead of a state because Virginians think that makes them special. Don’t be fooled, Virginia ...
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Dove: The Clean Past And Dirty Present Of A Body Bar

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 3, 2009, 9:17 am
Let me start of by saying I love Dove.  My skin tends to be sensitive and their basic soap (which isn’t really soap) called a “beauty bar” works very well with my skin. Dove began to dominate ...
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The White Collar Shirt & Why Wall Street Needs A PR Makeover

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 2, 2009, 9:08 am
Do you know who Gordon Gekko is?  Aside from having an awesome name, he’s the antagonist in a fantastic movie from 1987 called “Wall Street.”  The story follows a young broker that gets caught...
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The Business That Is Tiger Woods

philip w. posted an article on - Dec 1, 2009, 9:11 am
No doubt by now you’ve heard something about Tiger Woods in the news.  His wife beat him up because he was cheating on her and he ran his car into a tree or something like that.  It doesn’t real...
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Money Magazine Doesn't Understand Banking

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 30, 2009, 9:24 am
Money Magazine is not the worst personal finance magazine (that goes to Kiplinger’s) but it’s not the best.  Even if it were, all personal finance magazines tend to be 90% crap. Case in point, M...
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Weakend: Top 8 Weakonomics Topics I'm Thankful For

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 28, 2009, 8:06 am
FDIC - They may be in financial trouble but we can be rest assured that so long as our government has money, our deposits are safe in the bank. The Bull Market of 2009 – The stock market has ha...
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How Black Friday Works

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 27, 2009, 9:12 am
Ugh, today is the worst day in shopping.  Having worked for a major retailer in college and dealing with the Black Friday fiasco firsthand, I know enough to stay away from the hoards of fools that wi...
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Top 8 Thanksgiving Dinner Topics To Avoid

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 26, 2009, 8:55 am
Thanksgiving is about bringing family and friends together to enjoy eachother’s company.  When you sit down to eat, make sure you keep the conversation away from topics that could annoy others ...
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Money Hackers Interviews The Weakonomist

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 25, 2009, 3:21 pm
Check out the MoneyHackers.net interview of me.  I always love doing interviews and grant them to just about anyone.  Please contact me if you are interested in interviewing me. Related posts:Money...
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The Business Of Turkey

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 25, 2009, 9:35 am
Here we are, one day before Thanksgiving, the most important holiday between Halloween and Christmahanakwanzika, and it’s time to thaw the turkey.  Go pick out your stuffing recipe, and meet me bac...
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Climategate: The Global Warming Debate Just Got Hotter

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 24, 2009, 9:39 am
Yes I know that title sounds like some kind of movie line but it works.  So we all know the global warming debate isn’t really about whether or not the planet is warming, this is an established fac...
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The Great Gilded Bubble Part II: Gold Investing Revisited

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 23, 2009, 9:23 am
This is part II because back in March I wrote about a gold bubble.  See, back then, gold was playing around the price of $1000 an ounce.  I likened that price to $100 a barrel oil back in 2008.  I ...
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Weakend: Personality Tests

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 21, 2009, 9:28 am
I’m sure you’ve had a personality test before.  Most of us are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator.  It’s a series of questions that seek to identify who you are.  There...
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Win An Amazon Gift Card From Bullishness.com!

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 20, 2009, 12:54 pm
Hello readers, my friend, Soo-Young, From Bullishness.com is giving away a $10.00 Amazon gift card every day on his website.  This special promotion will run until the end of November.  You can qual...
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The Business of Reality Shows

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 20, 2009, 9:11 am
Reality shows are an amazing phenomenon.  Who knew you could take a bunch of talentless idiots with a desire to be on TV, put them together with a camera, and make TV magic?  Oh yeah, I guess Aaron ...
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The Blue Collar Recession

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 19, 2009, 9:14 am
The economy is fueled by consumption.  We all know this.  But since you read my blog you’ve probably observed that despite a recession/slow recovery going on, every time you go out to eat or g...
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Build America Bonds: Hot Investment Or Patriotism Ploy?

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 18, 2009, 9:21 am
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was designed to be the ultimate stimulus.  Billions of dollars will be devoted to various projects designed to get people back to work, improve infr...
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Economic Headlines From A Year Ago

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 17, 2009, 9:23 am
What were you doing a year ago today?  I was at work, probably writing on sticky-notes some ideas for Weakonomics.  Check on November in the archives if you want to know what I was writing about. L...
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Money, Gold, the FED, and why you should be concerned about the US Dollar

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 16, 2009, 9:20 am
This is a guest post by Mr Credit Card from askmrcreditcard.com. Though Mr Credit Card reviews credit cards, today, he is going to bring us back in time and explore the history of money and the Federa...
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Weakend: This Puts Christmas Lights To Shame

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 14, 2009, 9:25 am
Retail hops on the Christmas bandwagon around about August of every year.  I start thinking about Christmas lists and stuff around Thanksgiving.  But I always get excited whenever the commercials an...
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Why Do Competing Stores Open Up Next To Each Other?

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 13, 2009, 9:30 am
Home Depot/Lowes, Bloomingdales/Neiman Marcus/Nordstrom, Honda/Toyota/Nissan, CVS/Rite Aid/Walgreens, Best Buy/Circuit City (awww).  You’ve seen this.  When one pops up, a competitor is just down ...
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National Debt: Accepting Donations

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 12, 2009, 9:39 am
The United States National Debt is getting close to $12 trillion.  Amazingly, this is over $100,000 per taxpayer, and close to $40,000 for every citizen.  The rate at which our national debt is grow...
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10 Things Zombieland Taught Me About Stock Market Investing

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 11, 2009, 9:04 am
Zombieland looks like an insane movie.  There aren’t many movies that are funny and based around Zombies taking over the world, but one other does come to mind. You may or may not like my list...
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The Economy and Your Fat @$$

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 10, 2009, 8:16 am
You’re reading a blog written by a former chunker.  In high school I almost touched 1/8 of a ton (that’s 250 lbs for the mathematically challenged).  I lost quite a bit of this weight du...
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Six Lessons James Bond's Casino Royale Can Teach Us About Money

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 9, 2009, 8:15 am
I always tell myself that if cable wasn’t free for me, I wouldn’t have it. But then I would miss out on the James Bond movie marathons that run 2-3 times a year. A month or so ago a network ran a...
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Weakend: The Five Whys

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 7, 2009, 8:35 am
Ever been around that kid (or annoying adult) that asks “why” to everything you say?  I was that kid, and still am today. There is a great technique used to diagnose problems or investigate issu...
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I'm Tired of Receipts

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 6, 2009, 8:12 am
Swipe, print; swipe, print; swipe print sign; swipe print sign… These are the sounds of money leaving my accounts and moving into the merchant accounts of dozens of businesses all over town.  Rest...
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Congress Is Surprised At Credit Card Companies' Behavior?

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 5, 2009, 8:31 am
Remember the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights?  Congress passed it earlier this year as a way to protect the consumer from those mean old credit card companies.  Part of the law gave credit card...
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Cap And Trade: Global Warming Solution Or Wall Street Profiteering?

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 4, 2009, 8:20 am
The world is getting warmer! Humans are polluting and their pollution is making the world warmer faster! Unfortunately even I agree with this claim. The debate is how much humans really impact the ...
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What is CIT And Why Am I Out $17 Because They Went Under?

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 3, 2009, 8:22 am
One of the biggest companies you’ve never heard of went bankrupt yesterday.  It was the 5th largest in US history.  CIT Group, which is not to be confused with Citi, was one of the largest pro...
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Weakon 127: The United States Postal Service

philip w. posted an article on - Nov 2, 2009, 8:32 am
656,000.  Would you believe that is how many pieces of mail are delivered every day?  I’d hope not because the actual number is 660 million.  656,000 are the number of employees at the United...
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Happy Halloween!

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 31, 2009, 9:06 am
I could say something about how capitalism has ruined this holiday, but it’s going to be one of the few times of the year that The Sheconomist will let me eat tons of candy without getting in tr...
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The Recession Is Over! And It Means Nothing!

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 30, 2009, 9:10 am
The biggest news of the week is no doubt the GDP numbers for the 3rd Quarter of 2009.  Gross domestic product grew at a 3.5% annual rate, which means over the quarter the economy grew 3.5/4 = 0.875% ...
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Tim Geithner's Secret Wall Street Bailout Through AIG

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 29, 2009, 9:29 am
Before Timothy Geithner was the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States, he was President of the New-York branch of the Federal Reserve.  It’s largely considered one of the top positions...
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The Story Behind Prescription Drug Advertisements

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 28, 2009, 9:20 am
Logically speaking, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to advertise prescription drugs to consumers. All the ad money should be going to pushing doctors, that way when we go in to see our docs th...
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Insurance Companies May Not Be The Healthcare Cost Enemy

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 27, 2009, 9:19 am
Farm and construction machinery, Hershey sweets, Yahoo!, railroads, and Tupperware.  What do these things all have in common?  They’re all more profitable than the health insurance industry. ...
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Reader Question: FAUX News & Advertising

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 26, 2009, 9:21 am
I don’t get many reader questions, and when I do most of them are asking for financial advice which I tend to shy away from.  But a great question found its way into my inbox last week. I have...
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Weakend: WEDINATOR

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 24, 2009, 8:57 am
As many of you know The Weakonomist and The Sheconomist are engaged to be wed. We’re scheduled to get married sometime this fall (and it may have already happened) and so wedding stuff is fresh...
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Stop Giving Away Your Information!

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 23, 2009, 9:12 am
This is a short post today because the point is easy to make: STOP GIVING AWAY YOUR INFORMATION!! Do you think you are one of the select few that does not give away your information?  What do you do...
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America's Credit Rating May Be In Jeopardy

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 22, 2009, 8:52 am
It’s no secret that the federal government is racking serious amounts of debt. It was bad before the recession started but the last couple of years have exacerbated the issue. The budget defic...
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Strong Dollar VS Weak Dollar, Which Do We Want?

philip w. posted an article on - Oct 21, 2009, 9:06 am
Lately, news coverage has been talking about how the dollar is tanking all over the world.  It’s tanking so hard that some are wondering if it will remain the currency of the world for much longer....
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