Exxon Mobil Reporting Surge In Fourth Quarter Earnings

A return to profits in the companies refining sections and higher oil prices have definitely had an impact in the reported earnings. According to Credit Suisse, the extra cold European winter has increased demand for natural gas, boosting prices outside the U.S.

David Rosenthal, Exxon’s vice president of investor relations said “The global economy appears to be stabilizing, with signs of modest growth in the United States and Europe and continued strong growth in the developing world, mainly in the Asia Pacific and Latin American regions.”

Other oil giants have also been reporting rising profits over the last few days, such as Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips.

Exxon Mobil Corp. was among the first, acquiring XTO Energy last year in a deal valued at $29 billion.

Governor of New York State, Andrew Mark Cuomo

The New York State unemployment levels could be getting worse pretty soon. The Governor of New York State, Andrew Mark Cuomo, announced that there is a threat of thousands of state workers ending up on unemployment benefits, after layoffs..

There have been estimates made of approx. 190,000 layoffs expected, as massive budget cuts are expected in Cuomo’s budget, due out on Tuesday. The average worker costs the state just under $100,000 in pay and benefits. A sure target to help address the $10 billion budget deficiency.

Cuomo insists he’s got “a target,” and he can get to that target with or without the unions’ cooperation. Assembly Democrats close to the unions have suggested that the target can be hit without a single layoff.

Frank Mauro of the labor-backed Fiscal Policy Institute has said “It doesn’t really help the economy to reduce the size of government. Laying off government workers if there are other choices available is going to hurt the economy more.”

Mauro went on to say “The danger in government layoffs coming at the point in the recession, when the private sector is trying to make traction, trying to balance the budget through government layoffs is going to have effects I don’t think this or other governments want.”

Blog Cash

Today, I am covering an opportunity to bypass the BS and make some easy risk free cash online. These guys are real affiliate marketers. They target blogs and 100% free traffic to make some serious affiliate commissions. There reported income in the last 24 hours was $3,214.61. Last 60 days, they come in at $66,350.84. Past six months is reported at $240,399.79.

Check out the video here to find out how you can replicate their success for yourself. It exposes a solid new method which is responsible for generating $1042, $2610 & $3214 Paydays all from blogging & 100% free traffic.

The Investment Answer A How To from a Dying Man

“You go through an initial period of sadness, but then you realize, ‘Okay, I can’t do anything about it, so let’s just make the most of what we have,’” Murray said. “I could have a great, quality six months, or I could take the risk with the chemo, the radiation, and all these other drugs they throw in you, but it might actually make things worse.”

One of the main goals of the book is to demystify investing, to take it back from the whiz kids on Wall Street. The investment book is his offering of atonement, if not for his sins, then perhaps for the sins of the Street.

“I wanted to feel good about what I had done, because you go back to the mid-to-late 70′s, Wall Street performed a function that was actually good for Main Street… match investors who need to raise money with investors who have money,” Murray said.

Mr. Murray could have easily basked in self pity but instead decided to try to help people in his final months. Talk about earning your wings.

Where is my IRS Refund Check?

You can normally get information about your refund within 72 hours after the Internal Revenue Service acknowledges receipt of your e-filed return. If you have mailed in your return, then the waiting time is around three to four weeks.

To find out on your tax return status from the IRS website, you will require the following;

Your Social Security Number (or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number).

Your Filing Status.

The exact whole dollar amount of your refund.

There have been a few delays for some people due to mailing address errors. The U.S. Postal Service has already returned thousands of incorrectly addressed envelopes to the IRS. As a result the Internal Revenue Service is searching for around 5,000 Georgia taxpayers who are due refund checks really worth in excess of $7 million, according to reports.

America’s number one bestselling and most trusted tax guide offers the best balance of thoroughness, organization, and usability

For over half a century, more than 39 million Americans have turned to J.K. Lasser for easy-to-follow, expert advice and guidance on planning and filing their taxes. Written by a team of tax specialists, J.K. Lasser’s Your Income Tax 2011 includes all the outstanding features that have made this book the nation’s all-time top-selling tax guide.

As an added value, you can gain direct access to dozens of bonuses through jklasser.com, including links to the latest tax forms from the IRS, up-to-the-minute tax law changes, small business help, and much more. The book of choice for today’s serious taxpayer Your Income Tax 2011 contains

Over 2,500 easy-to-use tax planning tips and strategies

Easy-to-understand coverage of the year’s tax law changes

Filing tips and instructions to help you prepare your 2010 return

Quick reference section that highlights what’s new for 2010

Quick topic index to help pinpoint the biggest money-saving deductions

Advice for customers whose use software or CPAs to file their taxes

Filled with expert advice and guidance, J.K. Lasser’s Your Income Tax 2011 will help you plan and file your 2010 tax return in the most efficient way possible.

Tax Return Preparation Could be Free

In cities like Lubbock Texas “You qualify by meeting certain income requirements like $45,000 for a family of four or $27,000 for a single person,” said Lesley Washington, CCAV advisory board member.

For years the CCAV has been helping low income families through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program allowing them to file their taxes free of charge. Families that qualify just have to bring in their tax forms along with a few other items.

“Social security cards for anyone mentioned on the tax return, those having income as well as children being claimed. They need to bring a picture ID, and they also need to bring any sort of evidence of deductions they want to take,” said Washington. A voided check is also needed if you plan on getting a return back.

This year there are three extra days to file a tax return, and that’s not the only changes you can expect to see. “If you’re claiming a teacher education expense, or tuition and fees deduction you should not file until end of February. Congress passed a regulation late so the IRS is not prepared for those deductions,” said Washington.

The Sallie Mae Fund, a charitable organization sponsored by Sallie Mae, achieves its mission to increase access to higher education for America’s students by supporting programs and initiatives that help open doors to higher education, prepare families for their college investment, and bridge the gap when no one else can.

In addition, The Sallie Mae Fund encourages employee volunteerism and community service in the communities where Sallie Mae employees live and work.

Then there’s the popular Sallie Mae 529 College Savings Plans which is one of the most popular ways for American families to save for their kids college education. The Upromise College Fund 529 Plan is a national plan that’s designed to help you save today for college tomorrow. It’s easy to start and flexible to use. With the Sallie Mae 529 Plan you can choose from Age-Based and Custom Portfolios. This is managed by The Vanguard Group, Inc. You can also chose a Savings Portfolio option managed by Sallie Mae Bank. You can start this for as little as $50 per month with an Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) or you can make an initial contribution of $250

This is the most important first step in your life or your child’s life and it is important that you make the right decisions when comes times to invests in a college education or when you are ready to take a student loan. Due diligence is the way to go and I hope that this article is a push in the right direction.

The Temporary Tax Act

The most important thing to remember about this new tax law is that it is really temporary and is due to end shortly after the next presidential election in 2012.

For income tax rates, the range of 10% to 35% remains the same for 2011 and 2012

For taxes on investments, such as long term capital gains and qualified dividend income, the rate will not exceed 15% for 2011 and 2012.

The phase out of exemptions and itemized deductions continue to be eliminated for 2011 and 2012.

The sales tax deduction is allowed for 2010 and 2011 if greater than the state and local income tax deduction.

A special provision allows you to make a charitable contribution of your IRA before Jan. 31 and elect to have it count for 2010.

A reduction of $1000 on residential energy credits for 2011 and 2012, down to just $500 now.

$1000 child tax credit has been extended for 2011 and 2012.

From January the 1st there is a one year payroll tax holiday with employees only paying 4.2% in Social Security on wages up to $106,800 in 2011. Self employment tax rate for the same period drops to 13.3%.

Don’t forget the IRS is accepting returns from January the 14th. If you want to be prepared, then rely on the best solution for making your life easy – TurboTax.

Bank of America Online Banking Website Down

According to the bank, the issues started arising at around 4:00am PT. The are claiming that most customers who have been attempting to login to their account have managed to do so. However, there are still some people who are experiencing problems.

So far the bank has not been able to give any specifics about a possible time frame for the issues to be fully resolved.

On the Bank of America Help account on twitter, they tweeted 2 hours ago the following message;

“We are aware of a sporadic Online Banking issue affecting certain groups of customers and are working to restore capability quickly.”

Of course there are a few rumors starting to spread across the net now that the banks problems could be due to Wikileaks. Has Bank of America been subject to a DDOS attack, like some others have been over the last few weeks?

At the moment that back has said that the situation is not the result of malware and that customer information has not been compromised. Other than that of course, there is no real explanation as to what is really going on. Looks like we will all just have to wait around until the bank decides to issue some kind of statement.

Million Mega Millions Jackpot

Right now Holly Lahti and her two kids are doing there level best to keep a very low profile. She has already asked the lottery commission not to give out details of where she lives. So far, all they are revealing is that she resides somewhere in Northern Idaho.

Her next big decision of course will now be whether to cash in on the annuity or cash option of her winnings. A lottery representative announced at a press conference today “We expect that she will be coming forward shortly.”

Holly Lahti is a bank teller, or at least she was until she got the news of her good fortune. According to reports, she quickly quit her job. Quite frankly, who could blame her, with two young kids to look after, why work, when you don’t have to.