Nine times when it makes sense not to pay off debt

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You really shouldn’t rush out and take on debt, but there are times when it actually makes sense not to pay it off.  All debt is not alike. Some of the worst kinds, such as unsecured credit card debt, can wreck your budget, but even there, you have cases where it won’t, and it could even work to your advantage. Other kinds of debt might seem imposing with those big red “Past Due” stamps but pose less of a threat to your financial future.

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Millennials are cheap – a graph that explains the teenage budget

Piper Jaffray got this when he last surveyed teenagers to learn how they spend money.

Nobody ever said it was easy being a teenager but, this make it look fun. Clothes (including shoes), electronics, movies, music, video games, concerts, accessories, food: That is the life. And together, it makes up about 70 percent of the teen budget.

 

 

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Falling bridges and the decline of U.S. infrastructure spending

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When a bridge falls in America, like this one near Seattle last week, infrastructure spending has a way of transforming into a national obsession. Fortunately, falling bridges in America are still a rarity. But, infrastructure spending is being squeezed at the very moment that infrastructure spending is a historic bargain for the federal government.

 

 

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The 100+ State Parks facing closure – Is your favorite park on the list?

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The United States is home to 6,624 state parks and has an annual attendance of over 700 million. Yet state parks are being threatened by budget cuts and economic downturn. Here’s a list of all state parks set to get the axe. Does your favorite make the cut?

It is worth noting that designating a single piece of land–especially one rich with resources–was quite radical for the early 1900s. Before the United States introduced its federal- and state-level park system, the concept was far from common. Thanks to Republican Teddy Roosevelt, the U.S. now has 41,725 miles of trail, 207,063 campsites, and 7,161 cabins and lodges across the state park system.

In fact, President Roosevelt couldn’t have said it better when he said “I recognize the right and duty of this generation to develop and use the nature resources of our land; but I do not recognize the right to waste them, or to rob, by wasteful use, the generations that come after us.”

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Why North Dakota May Be the Best State to Live In

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North Dakota has a budget surplus.

While many states are confronting severe budget shortfalls and dragging economies, North Dakota has a different sort of problem. It’s stuck deciding how best to deal with a budget surplus. Yes, a surplus. North Dakota’s balance sheet is so strong it recently reduced individual income taxes and property taxes by a combined $400 million, and is debating further cuts.

 

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Business Travel is Up But Companies Are Being More Frugal

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A recent survey found 70% of corporate travel managers expect to spend more on travel in 2011.

Mitchell Goozé usually spends much of the year traveling, giving advice to companies on how to grow. But the phone wasn’t ringing much during the depths of the recession. Now, many of his clients are feeling more confident, and Goozé is back on the road. “I went through a period where I wouldn’t travel for two or three weeks, and now, I’m starting to be gone almost every week again,” says Goozé, whose company is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. “The trend is definitely moving.”

 

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As Free Online Courses are Made Available by Colleges, Others are Cashing In

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Many  colleges offering Open Course Ware free online

There is a  computer in Logan, Utah, holds syllabus details, lecture notes, problem sets and exams from more than 80 Utah State University courses: but this is no secret cheat-sheet site put together by rogue hackers and pirates. Anyone, anywhere, with an Internet connection — from Bill Gates down — can log on and download these materials without cost. The site, Utah State OpenCourseWare, http://ocw.usu.edu, is part of the OpenCourseWare network, itself part of an educational resources movement dedicated to opening and reshaping global access to higher education.

 

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You Don’t Have to Track Every Penny to Maintain Good Financial Habits

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Hey look. My money is gone!

It’s important to track your spending habits for financial health, but what happens when you’ve achieved it? Personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly’s J.D. Roth explores why he no longer needs to keep track of every penny he spends.

Roth explains that while he used to log and track his spending fastidiously, and that while it was an effective tool in helping him change his spending habits, he found himself spending less and less time doing it as time went on. He found that instead of losing control over his finances like he feared, his spending habits remained in check. In a way, he had outgrown this technique…

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.