After somewhat admitting that the pace of job creation is slowing, President Bush made his first point in last night's State of the Union address about taxes by calling for making his tax cuts, which are due to expire in 2011, permanent. (Click here for 10 tax changes you need to know about in 2008.) Although he spoke first of all the "money concerns"  of the electorate ("We must trust the people with their own money and empower them to grow our economy"), we noticed that much more time was spent on energy, foreign affairs, free trade and spending more money (more on that in just a moment). We've always thought the weakest link in this administration's chain has been the Treasury Department, and with three heads in seven years is it any wonder our economy is contracting? Call us crazy, but when a speech is called "The State of the Union," shouldn't it address how we're doing now and where we came from? We'd like to hear about that, rather than simply a platform for platitudes of what a president would like to see in the coming year. So let us fill in the blanks for you: We've been saying for awhile now that our country is in a recession (read the top four signs that tipped us off), and that's still the case. Yes, the president is proposing an economic stimulus package, and we're all for more money in our pockets. But that doesn't mean running out and spending your rebate check is the best decision for your money. In the very near future, we'll give you our specific advice for what to do with your rebate check, but there are important ways to protect you and your family right now instead of waiting for things to get better down the road. We want to be sure you're making the smartest moves with your money right now, so click here for our three-step action plan to help guide you through this unpredictable time.