Can you provide links to most popular personal finance and investment columnists ? Are all the articles which appear in newspapers like NY Times etc accessible through paid membership – are there any which are free on the net

What programs or websites do your people used for any personal finance activities. I mean do you people used Quickbooks to track down your expenses? How do you budget. Any programs you think is great? I want to start tracking my expenses and budget better. Any other programs suggestions relating with personal finance is greatly appreciate.

Personal finance, money, business, investment books? What titles do you recommend ?

The economy goes through different cycles. One of them is recession. It is observed when the prices start to increase and the living standard starts to fall. Another indicator of recession is a decreasing gross national product of a nation, which is observed over two quarters.

http://hikrish.blogspot.com/2008/02/what-is-recession.html

A recession may involve simultaneous declines in coincident measures of overall economic activity such as employment, investment, and corporate profits. Recessions may be associated with falling prices (deflation), or, alternatively, sharply rising prices (inflation) in a process known as stagflation. A severe or long recession is referred to as an economic depression. A devastating breakdown of an economy (essentially, a severe depression, or a hyperinflation, depending on the circumstances) is called economic collapse.

http://soilride.wordpress.com/2008/12/10/what-is-recession/

We fear recession since it could result in more than normal job cuts, financial tension and the burden of managing the needs of the family increases. With less or no employment growth the scenario looks bleak.

http://digg.com/political_opinion/What_Is_Recession_Recession_Facts_Recession_News?t=20972297

2008 will likely be known as the global economy’s worst year in decades. What began as a modest U.S. economic downturn accelerated into a full-blown credit and financial crisis that spread around the world. Aggressive intervention by governments and central banks failed to reassure reeling financial markets, ease tight credit, or stave off what is expected to be a protracted global recession.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=662100

Most experts agree that it is only an “official economic recession” when GDP growth is negative for two consecutive quarters or more. However, for all practical purposes a recession starts when there are several quarters of slowing but still positive growth. Often the first quarter of negative growth in a recession cycle is followed by positive growth for several quarters, and then another quarter of negative growth.This definition is unpopular with many economists as it does not take into consideration changes in other variables such as unemployment rates or consumer confidence and spending.The official agency in charge of declaring that the economy is in a state of recession is the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER’s definition of recession is a bit more vague, they define recession as a “significant decline in economic activity lasting more than a few months”. For this reason, the official designation of recession may not come until after we have been in one for a substantial amount of time.In some ways it is quite natural for countries to experience mild recessions. This is a built-in or endogenous factor of a society as spending and consumption are going to increase and decrease along with prices.Rarely, experiencing many of these factors simultaneously can evoke deep economic recession or depression.

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread328527/pg1

In economics, the term recession is generally used to describe a situation in which a country’s GDP, or gross domestic product, sustains a negative growth factor for at least 2 consecutive quarters. I say generally because recession can be defined differently by different economists. Just as there is an agency to define the measure of inflation; the official agency in charge of declaring that the economy is in a state of recession is the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). NBER’s definition of recession is a bit more vague than the standard one that was described above; they define recession as a “significant decline in economic activity lasting more than a few months”. For this reason, the official designation of recession may not come until after we are in a recession for six months or even longer.

http://brainless.instablogs.com/entry/what-is-recession/

We all use the word ‘recession’ and we heard of it a lot these days as credit crunch and financial woes sets in. Stock markets are always in red rather than in the green. Ever-declining charts for shares are setting the investors around the world into a state of panic. Many people have been using this word, but only some actually knows what it actually means.

http://www.investorglossary.com/recession.htm

As a rule of thumb, a recession is the fall of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) over two or more consecutive quarters. A recession is also referred to as a period of economic decline and reduced economic activity. Factors that may cause a recession include overproduction, decreased demand, falling consumer and business confidence and major economic imbalances, among others. During a recession, the level of unemployment rises, investments decline, and prosperity lags. Real personal income and spending growth also have a tendency to slow if not decline during a recession. A recession can involve rapidly falling (deflation) or sharply rising prices (inflation). The average recession from 1945 to 2005 lasted about ten months but two went on for a record 16 months. The National Bureau of Economic Research is the official arbiter of what is and what is not a recession. A recession in one country can cause a recession to occur in others, specifically trading nations. A recession can be widespread and affect the entire economy or a recession can be industry-specific.

http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/563321

Does the economy scare you?

If you answered YES to any of these questions then you
need to learn about an exciting FREE Opportunity that
could let you retire this year. 

It is a scientific approaching to marketing that can put
big money in your pockets literally over night.

Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. Sure
others have tried but they were missing KEY elements
that would stop success.

You can join this free opportunity and you could make
big money without doing anything.  

You have a chance to change your life forever. You have
a chance to make all the money you ever wanted and
to watch it grow and grow while you play.

 This is time sensitive and the early bird will catch the
worm. Visit and join FREE today and start your automatic
process to creating True W.E.A.L.T.H.