Money Oklahoma

Indian rupee hits all-time low against the dollar
MUMBAI, India (AP) — The Indian rupee hit a fresh all-time low against the dollar Wednesday, as risk averse global investors wary of India's twin deficits drowned out central bank efforts to stem the currency's slide. The rupee hit 54.44 against the dollar, breaching its prior low of 54.39 set Dec. 15, according... Read More

Is attorney sloppy, unethical, both, or neither?
DEAR BRUCE: My daughter has been in the process of getting a divorce for two years. It's not because of her soon-to-be ex-husband, but her attorney. His office has been ill-prepared and asks for continuances. Because this has been strung along and she was spending more and more money, she fired the attorney. Now he... Read More

Ways to thicken chili
Dear Sara: I want to make chili for hot dogs, but it needs to be thicker. Would adding flour or cornstarch change the taste? -- Donna M., email Dear Donna: You can thicken chili by cooking it longer, uncovered. Or you can add more of one of the ingredients, like diced tomatoes or mashed chili beans. Instead of... Read More

Criminally good home-cooked Chinese dishes
"Chinese Food Craving Lands Burglar in Jail," read the headline in The (Cedar Rapids, Iowa) Gazette. According to the newspaper, a man caught shoplifting $8 worth of Chinese food from a local supermarket was, upon further investigation, found to be a suspect in a home burglary. The credit cards and... Read More

Slacker's guide to a great lawn
Americans love their lawns, but not the work needed to keep them lush. In fact, just 7 percent of adults prefer working on their lawn to other chores and activities, according to a Consumer Reports survey. Sixty-two percent said they'd rather cook, one third said they'd rather visit their in-laws, and nearly... Read More

Dividends offer attractive returns, but tax question remains
Q. I was thinking about buying some dividend paying stocks, or a mutual fund that invests in them, so I could earn more than I'm getting in interest on my savings. But now I hear that the tax rate on dividends will go up. Should I buy those stocks? A. That's a good question. A lot of investors have been buying... Read More

Compulsive shopping, disorders and tractors, oh, my!
If you're anything like me, which is to say compulsive and good at denial, then you had to be happy with the news awhile back from a study done by doctors in the health sciences field. The findings? It is not our fault. We can't help ourselves from binge shopping and overspending because our brain chemicals are... Read More

Court says farmers must pay bankruptcy tax
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says a farming family has to pay tax on the bankruptcy sale of their farm. The high court on Monday voted 5-4 for the IRS in its fight with Lynwood and Brenda Hall over their bankruptcy sale of their 320-acre farm in Willcox, Ariz. The Halls were forced to sell their family... Read More

US phone subscribers hang up on contracts
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. consumers have had their fill of expensive, contract-based phone plans. Figures from T-Mobile USA on Thursday, added to earlier reports from other companies, indicate that the U.S. wireless industry lost subscribers from contract-based plans for the first time in the first quarter.... Read More

Suspicious Medicare billings at 2,600 pharmacies
Medicare's inspector general found questionable billings by 2,637 pharmacies participating in the program's prescription drug benefit. That represents 4 percent of more than 59,000 retail drugstores nationwide. Some metro areas had much higher rates of questionable billings. Read More

Okla. energy industry report shows economic boost
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A report commissioned by Oklahoma's energy industry shows one out of six jobs in the state is generated by oil and gas production. The report released Wednesday by economists at Oklahoma City University shows the state's economy continues to be driven by oil and gas production. The report's... Read More

Credit reports can be source of business leads
DEAR BRUCE: I recently received a phone solicitation that has left me a little disturbed. The call supposedly came from a well-known financial institution wanting to consolidate and refinance my debt. What disturbed me was that she said, "I ran your credit report and saw that you had outstanding balances on a couple... Read More

A paean to parsley
Some people think of parsley as a necessary evil, the touch of green on a bad cafeteria meal or in a 1950s-era cookbook photograph, garnishing some mystery meat or a slab of ham. Poet Ogden Nash was one of those people. He is perhaps best remembered for his terse "Reflections on Ice-Breaking": "Candy is... Read More

Many medical implants never tested for safety
A new investigation by Consumer Reports revealed that while tens of millions of American consumers live with medical devices implanted in their bodies, many of these implants have never been tested for safety. Manufacturers are often required to do nothing more than file paperwork and pay a user fee before... Read More

Economy teeter-totters through uncertainty
Which way will the economy, and the stock market, go? Both have been see-sawing back and forth, temporarily in a balancing act that has bulls and bears — and economists — holding their breath. The stock market registers this standoff not only in the daily ups and downs but in dwindling volume, as each side... Read More