BIG FROG 104 » Finance

Wedding Dress Try On Fees

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:17:04 +0000

If you have ever seen "Say Yes To the Dress" on TLC you know how time consuming it can be picking out the right wedding dress. Since we all know that time is money it means that the shop employee may be tied up for a lengthy period of time. This is why some wedding shops have begun charging "try-on fees". How much, you ask?

Number of Female Farmers On the Rise

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 08:50:12 +0000

The role of women on the farm has traditionally been that of helpmate to their husbands or other male family members. That role has been steadily changing over the past three decades with the USDA now reporting that the number of farms run by women has nearly tripled. The report states that if secondary operators are included women account for 30% of American farmers. There are some differences between farms run by men and those run by women.

Wealthy Moms Hire Disabled Tour Guides To Get On Disney World Rides Fast

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:15:00 +0000

They say that "where there's a will, there's a way" and apparently some wealthy New York City area moms are pretty strong willed. They have found a way around the long lines at Florida's Disney World by hiring disabled tour guides to accompany them and their kids to special entrances to some of the most popular rides and attractions.

America's Most Visited Stores

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 06 May 2013 09:25:52 +0000

There are a few stores we all seem to frequent fairly regularly. We have our favorite retail outlets and fast food restaurants that we find ourselves drawn to on a weekly--if not daily--basis. A new survey tells us which ones receive the most customer traffic.

The Newest Sign of A Tough Economy-Pet Food Stamps

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:11:16 +0000

There are signs that the economy is picking up after a few tough years. However the improvement is far from universal. There are still people who are having a rough go of it and if they have a pet it is even more difficult. You can buy Coke with food stamps but not pet food, a questionable call. Now a former Wall Street stockbroker has started a service called "Pet Food Stamps" to help ease the burden.

How Rich Are You?

Matt Herkimer — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:13:50 +0000

Most of us spend a fair amount of time complaining about how much--or how little--money we earn. If this includes you be prepared to be surprised at just how well off you are as compared to people in other parts of the world. GlobalRichList.com did the computing for us with these results.

Everyday Things That Are Crazy Expensive in Other Countries

Matt Herkimer — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:00:33 +0000

If you are going car buying in Singapore make sure you're ready for some serious sticker shock. A VW Golf that would cost an American buyer about $23,000 goes for $110,000 in that Southeast Asian country. That's just one example of everyday purchases that are outrageously expensive in other countries. A cup of Starbucks coffe in Norway? Brace yourself.

Drop in Gold Prices May Mean Good Jewelry Buys in Future

Matt Herkimer — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:00:47 +0000

The price of gold has been dropping recently, not good news for speculators but great news for gold jewelry buyers. Gold hit a record price of $1930.20 per ounce in September, 2011 and has trended down ever since. The current price,according to Reuters, is $1351.35 per ounce. How and when will this effect gold jewelry?

"Beard Tax" Just One Of the All Time Weirdest Taxes

Matt Herkimer — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:19:29 +0000

We certainly pay our share of taxes here in New York State but most of them are fairly standard, There are income taxes, sales taxes and taxes that are often disguised as "fees". Believe it or not it could be worse. Just think how much the boys in ZZ Top would have to pay if the old "beard tax" were still in play. Check out these bizarre taxes that were at one time levied on citizens in other parts of the world.

IRS Last Minute Tax Filing Tips

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:16:29 +0000

April 15 is fast approaching and if you are still working on your tax forms the IRS has a number of helpful lat minute filing tips. Most of them involve double checking facts and figures but all are useful especially if you are racing the clock to make sure you submit your returns on time.

Housing Sales And Prices Up In Oneida, Herkimer Counties

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 12:57:15 +0000

The housing bubble of a few years ago mostly bypassed Central New York where in the midst of a stagnant economy homes had only modestly increased in value, thus, prices only decreased slightly when the downturn hit. Now the New York State Association reports that January home prices and sales in Oneida and Herkimer Counties have seen significant increases. The figures may surprise you.

A Riverboat Casino in Utica? Utica's Mayor Thinks So

Matt Herkimer — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:02:30 +0000

The New York State legislature may authorize up to seven new casino’s in the state and Governor Cuomo is firm on insisting that the first three be upstate. But where upstate? Utica? What are the “odds”? Utica’s mayor, Robert Palmieri told YNN that he thinks the Harbor Point area would be a great spot for [...]

Tooth Fairy Payoffs Rebound in 2012

Matt Herkimer — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:12:05 +0000

One sure sign that the economy is enjoying a slow but steady recovery is the news that the beloved "Tooth Fairy" (As pictured here with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson from the movie) has been increasing her payoffs for those lost baby teeth. The Business Wire reports that the average reward for a lost tooth rose 15% between 2011 and 2012. The average amount varies depending on the order of tooth loss.

Jobs That Pay Less Than You Think

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 10:16:19 +0000

I can't tell you how many times that when I told somebody that I worked on the air at a radio station they responded, "Making the big bucks, right?" Not quite. Forbes lists radio or TV personality as one of the occupations people think make more money than they do. There are a few surprises on the list.

Lawsuit Claims Budweiser Waters Down Beer

Ty Webb — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:29:43 +0000

Class-action law suits filed against Anheuser-Busch claim the company is watering down its beer in an effort to save money. Consumers have filed suits from Pennsylvania to California claiming to have been cheated out of the alcohol content the labels provide. The suits accuse the company of watering down major brands including Budweiser and Michelob, [...]

What Does "Sequester" Mean?

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 12:18:46 +0000

We’ve been hearing a lot on the news about the upcoming budget “sequester” in Washington. But aside from being a terrible word to try and spell in a spelling bee what, exactlly, does “sequester” or “sequestration” mean? A simple definition is provided by Slate magazine. Sequestration is broad, automatic, across-the-board cuts to most categories of [...]

Facebook Owes No Taxes For 2012, Getting Huge Refund Instead

Matt Herkimer — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:04:00 +0000

We've all heard the argument about who is and who isn't paying their fair share of taxes. The news report from UPI that Facebook does not owe anything in taxes and is getting a $429 million refund is bound to stoke the fires of those saying that tax loopholes for the very wealthy need to be re-examined. How could a company with pre-tax earnings of over $1 billion not owe any taxes? All legal it seems.

Local Gas Prices Above National Average

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:03:13 +0000

If you have done any traveling recently this comes as no surprise. Gas prices in New York State are far above the national average. As reported by WIBX radio's Kristine Bellino the state average is nearly 30 cents higher than the national with the Central New York area among the highest. State Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi is asking questions.

Town of Ohio House Real Estate "Steal of the Week"

Matt Herkimer — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 11:16:41 +0000

While leafing through my copy of The Week I came across its "Best Properties On the Market" section and , lo and behold, the "Steal Of the Week" was a house in the Town of Ohio. It is a truly unique property at--what the editors believe--is a very reasonable cost.

The Best (and Worst) Superbowl Commercials [VIDEOS]

Matt Herkimer — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:55:36 +0000

Super Bowl 47 has come and gone and so have the ballyhooed commercials that companies paid millions of dollars to produce and air during the game. So which ones were the best and which ones were--relatively--a waste to dough?