So you are through with debt and financial bondage, but what is next? Here are two books that will surely get you motivated on the 2 most important parts of personal finance: getting your money right and spending within your means.

I was appalled to read in the UK Daily Express recently that we have been giving £280 million a year to India for “aid”.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no objection at all to us helping out other countries, even though we’re in pretty dire straits ourselves here in the UK. The thing that gets my goat is the fact that India have said they don’t want the money but the UK have insisted they take it!

The government shutdown expected on August 3, 2011, will be a combination of business-as-usual for "essential" government functions, total or partial shutdowns for other functions, certain furloughs of federal employees, and regular payments on all government debt. Details of what agencies will be unaffected, partly affected, and shut-down are set forth in this article.