Only for you, dear members of our Dolans.com family, would I spend last night listening to such a boring speech as The State of The Union!

Please don't take this as an anti-Obama statement.

They usually are boring no matter the President, no matter the political party.

The State of The Union has become nothing more than a laundry wish list that includes not only the President's hopes and dreams but also those hopes and dreams from every head of his cabinet posts.

Throw in a list of the President's legislative achievements and there you have it--one impossibly long exercise in verbal diarrhea made worse by constant interruptions from the peanut gallery. (Oops, I mean Congress.)

Last night's speech was chock-a-block full of hopes and dreams but lacking in presidential achievements.

It's a little tough to extol the virtues of Obamacare, the killing of the Keystone XL pipeline and a slew of new regulations like Dodd-Frank when there is so much opposition to those achievements.

For more than 20 years on radio and television, we have been warning our viewers and listeners that, before buying any mutual fund, be sure to track a mutual fund's performance for AT LEAST the past five years (see, How to Pick the Best Mutual Fund).

We are not accusing the mutual fund business of deceptive sales practices, but we do want to alert you to a recent development. 

The average stock mutual fund lost 0.5% over the past five years so don't expect full page ads touting their five year records!

Now that a new year has begun, they WILL tout their performance for the past THREE YEARS (2009, 2010 and 2011) when the average mutual fund gained 51%.

All well and good... BUT don't be swayed by less than a FIVE year record.

The funds are VERY pleased to now NOT have to include a bad year for funds (2008) in their "last THREE years" reports.

Verizon Wireless announced a new $2 charge for bill payers making payment on line or by phone on Thursday and cancelled the fee the very next day when 100,000 customers complained.

Bank of America's idea of charging a $5 a month fee on debit card users went "bye-bye" after 300,000 customers cried "foul."

Likewise JP Morgan, Chase and Wells Fargo dropped their intention to charge similar fees regionally after their customers made it known what they could do with the fee!

Netflix killed its plan to split their DVD-by-mail service from the rest of their business when customers howled, although they hung in with higher fees.

Hewlett Packard retreated like a scalded cat after announcing its plan to exit the PC business because, You guessed it, the public was furious. 

A number of cancelled television shows somehow remain on the networks' schedules after a hue and cry by viewers.

Or, as with the case of

This year is expected to be the best for domestic new car sales since 2006, the year before the recession began.  U.S. vehicle sales are expected to top $13 million, up from just $9 million in 2009.

Sales are so brisk, in fact, that dealers are having a hard time keeping some models on the floor.  And it’s not just high end cars that are seeing an increase in sales.  Demand seems to concentrated at both ends of the price spectrum.

So which are the best selling cars selling out just days after hitting the lot?

24/7 Wall St compiled the following list of cars so hot they are out of stock:

10. Hyundai Elantra (Price: $16,445)

9. Audi Q5 (Price: $35,600)

8. Kia Soul (Price: $13,900)

7. Toyota Highlander Hybrid (Price: $38,140)

6. Hyundai Accent (Price: $14,195)

5. Mercedes M-Class (Price: $48,990)

4. Subaru Outback (Price: $23,295)

3. BMW X3 (Price: $36,850)

While there are many reason to get excited about the holidays, Daria's baking makes this my absolute FAVORITE time of year!

Last year Daria shared my favorite Christmas Cookie recipe, and this year I've convinced her to share her famous Christmas Cranberry Cheesecake Recipe. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2lbs. cream cheese, at room temp.
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest 
• 2 tablespoons of Cointreau or Triple Sec
• 5 eggs

Directions:

• In a small saucepan, cover cranberries with water...simmer until soft and plump - about 4 minutes.
• Let it cool.
• In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter. 
• Press mixture over bottom and 2 inches up sides of a 10 inch diameter springform pan.
• Bake in a 350 degree oven until crust is golden...about 12 minutes

There's a new holiday tradition underway that can save you money if you shop online.

December 16th is the fourth annual Free Shipping Day. If you still have a few last minute gifts to shop for, it's a great way to finish up your holiday shopping online and save money doing it.

Free Shipping Day has been a huge success and this year Free Shipping Day is back and bigger than ever. There are more than 1,500 retailers participating so far this year! You'll find tons of the popular stores in the mix, such as Macy's, Toys R Us, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Discovery Channel Store, Nike and more! You can find the full list at www.FreeShippingDay.com.

One note...be sure to read the details of the offer. Not everything is free to ship. Most sites exclude furniture shipping in the Free

Dear Santa,

Since my letter to you last year went unanswered (it must have gotten lost in the Christmas rush) I'm writing you a little earlier this year.

Considering what a good girl I've been, I'm hoping that this year you will grant me just a few of my Christmas wishes. (Not to belabor the point but I had so hoped for at least ONE or two of my requests be answered the last time around).

Still, I continue to believe in you and your magical powers.

So here is my list for this year.

• I do hope that you can bring me a little tax reform that would cut back on the bookkeeping and hours and weeks spent calculating to pay my fair share.

I'm afraid that the tax code complexity has made me pay more than my fair share while others with high-priced accountants have paid less.

We live in a condo that has a mailroom.  In that mailroom there is a counter that is situated beneath the mailboxes.
 
And in that counter is a cutout, which allows you to throw out unwanted pieces into a trashcan for recycling.
 
Thank heavens!  Because I spend more time throwing out catalogs and other solicitations that I don’t want, don’t need and haven’t asked for.
 
My daily time spent “chucking” reaches the max during the holidays, thanks to a raft of catalogs that bloom with the poinsettias.
 
Even so, we are told, each and every year, that the U.S. Postal Service is losing the GDP equivalent of a small country—$7 BILLION this year alone!
 
So...how is the USPS proposing to stem this tide of red ink?
 
It has announced a $3 BILLION plan to rid itself of one-day service for first-class mail, eliminate at least 100,000 jobs, possibly stop Saturday deliveries and eventually closing nearly 3,500 branches leaving customers in the lurch and closing processing centers.

We've talked a lot about the rising cost of just about everything this year: food, energy, gasoline and health insurance to name a few.

Inflation rose a hefty 3.8% this year. That's almost triple last year's 1.4% inflation rate, and TWENTY times greater than the 0.18% inflation used to set the 2010 tax rates for everything from deductions and exemptions to tax credits.

Fortunately for us, the IRS has noticed, too and taken that into account.

So let's look at 9 key 2012 tax changes you need to know now…

What happened to 2011?!

This is the time of year when many of us wish we had a little extra cash in our budgets. So it caught my eye yesterday when I read that Uncle Sam is sitting on money for 100,000 taxpayers.

Could you be one of them?

We're not talking about chump change here...the average refund yet to be paid is more than $1,500! All told, the IRS is holding $150 million in undelivered refunds because they have been unable to deliver them.

So, whether you've forgotten that your tax refund hasn't yet arrived or you don't know how to check the status of your refund to insure that you get it...we're here to help.

Oh, by the way, don't depend on the IRS contacting you by email or by phone about your refund...NOT going to happen. (And if you DO get such an email or phone call about your IRS refund, RUN--it's a scam!)

Forget iPads and game systems and jewelry. The #1 gift under the Christmas tree this year will be…

…gift cards.

80% of shoppers say they plan to purchase at least one gift card this holiday season, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation found.

We’re not at all surprised. Gift cards are practical, convenient and an easy option for the person who's difficult to buy for.

But before you buy a single gift cards this season, read on to learn some gift card secrets that can help you save money, avoid fees and make sure your gift is a hit.

Here are six do’s and don’ts that will make you gift card smart…

Rising inflation is to blame for the rise in price of another American icon...

For the first time, the many gifts in the famous song, 12 Days of Christmas will top $100,000, an increase of 4.4% over last year.

The annual Christmas Price Index compiled by PNC Wealth Management, attributes the jump to the rising price of partridges (who knew?!), pear trees and turtle doves. 

The price of maids-a-milking, ladies dancing, lords-a-leaping and gold rings have remained steady.

So, IF you're in the market for 12 drummers drumming, 22 pipers piping, 30 lords-a-leaping, 36 ladies dancing, 40 maids-a-milking, 42 swans-a-swimming, 42 geese-a-laying, 40 gold rings, 36 calling birds, 30 French hens, 22 turtle doves, and 12 partridges in pear trees, brace yourself... 

The final tally to own all 364 items repeated across all the song's verses is a whopping $101,119 this year!

If that's a little rich for you, check out our tips for holiday savings instead!

Hello Friend,

This has been a trying year. We know there are concerns that may be weighing on you this holiday, with shrinking nest eggs, a dizzying stock market, rising unemployment and a financial crisis more serious than anything we’ve seen in the last 80 years.

In many ways, however, these troubled times make it even more important to take a moment to reflect on the blessings in your life. Most of us really are quite fortunate and have many things for which we should be truly thankful.

Here are just a few of the things we can all give thanks for this holiday:

• For our ability to see the humor in life and share that perspective and our experiences with others.
• For true friends who provide love and support in good times and bad.
• For our veterans, living and gone, who have, and continue, to sacrifice so much for our freedom

Back in the dark ages when I was in high school the nuns gave us a summer reading list that included John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage."

Yesterday around 3 PM I expect that President Kennedy was rolling in his grave as the U.S. Government hits a milestone that should NEVER have been achieved -- $15 TRILLION of U.S. debt.

We are achieving this dubious milestone thanks to the Executive Branch's and the Legislative Branch's inability to STOP SPENDING money that we don't have!

(By the way, for those of you who have been taught American history in the past 25 years or so, you probably don't know that the "Executive" and "Legislative" Branches are the President and Congress.)

There will be no "profiles in courage" book or essay written when this bunch is through -- only the textbook example of complete and utter cowardice.

The so-called "Super Committee," or as I like to think of it, "Stupor Committee," can't even manage to come up with a $400 billion cut which is merely the amount that has been tacked on to the National Debt just since this committee was formed!

Today is not a day to debate which war or conflict in which our country was involved, or is currently involved, is/was necessary, justified, or otherwise.

It is the day to honor those Americans who have honorably served their country in our armed forces.

Sorrowfully, parades and special ceremonies honoring veterans -- once a much-awaited November tradition -- have all but disappeared from the American landscape.

We're just too busy and, in many cases, detached from the unpleasantries of war.

Too bad.

As a Vietnam veteran this has always been a special day to me as I remember and honor all who fought with me, especially those heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

Stop for a second today and silently thank all of our veterans for their service.

From Daria and me:

To veterans living and those no longer with us...THANK YOU.

We will NEVER forget you!

Many of you have probably recieved a forwarded email from a friend of a friend telling of the exemplary way Sears treats its employees who are called to duty. 

Here is an excerpt from one we received:

"How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up for active duty.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up  reservist employees for up to two years."

Emails like this have often been treated as Urban Legend, but we wanted to dig a little further.

You'll be happy to know that this example is 100% true!  And we found other examples of companies going above and beyond what the governments requires.

I talked to my 85-year-old mother every morning.

Usually we chat about little things, the weather, local news, retail sales in the stores and what we're doing for the day.

This morning, however, Mom asked me why the headlines in the papers were all focused on Greece and the EU.

She couldn't understand why THAT was the lead story here in the US.

That got me thinking that if she doesn't understand the significance, then maybe some of you don't, as well.

So...thank (or blame) my mother for the following!

Although the possibility of a Greek default is first and foremost a problem for the European Union, it IS a US banking problem, too.

Banks in Europe support the EU member governments by buying members' government bonds.

But, Europe also needs US dollars for purposes of trade, so our Federal Reserve engages in currency swaps with the EU Central Bank to facilitate trade, sending dollars to Europe and accepting euros in return.