Personal Finance Daily: Your money: First the good news, then the bad

Personal Finance Daily JANUARY 13, 2012 Your money: First the good news, then the bad By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Paychecks will grow in 2012 — but not much Your bank wants to be your new best friend Suze Orman prepaid card raises many doubts How to get a home-builder rebate Why gold may be losing its glitter The overarching theme of our personal-finance features today seems to be: there's a little bit of good news amidst all the bad. As Ruth Mantell notes in her On the Job column today, the bad news is that none of us should expect a big wage hike in 2012. The good news? At least earnings in 2012 will be better than in 2011, when average inflation-adjusted wages declined. Then, there's your bank fees. As Jennifer Waters writes in Consumer Confidential today, the bad news is that people who mix-and-match their bank accounts — a savings account here, a checking account there — can expect to get nickel-and-dimed with fees. But those who go all-in at one bank might find some sweet deals await them. And, then, Suze Orman's new prepaid card. As Chuck Jaffe writes today, the bad news is that there are, in his opinion, too many ways for consumers to trigger one of the card's myriad fees. Plus, the credit-monitoring service isn't something people really need. (You can get your credit reports free once a year, from each of the three main bureaus, at AnnualCreditReport.com.) The good news is that there's plenty to like about Orman's new product, including the fact that it might help some consumers manage their finances better. — Andrea Coombes , Personal Finance editor Paychecks will grow in 2012 — but not much Pay growth is likely to be modest in 2012, as unemployment remains high and the economy slowly adds jobs, experts say. Read more: Paychecks will grow in 2012 — but not much. Your bank wants to be your new best friend Banks are stepping up the relationship business and if you spurn the advance you'll probably be slapped with more fees. Read more: Your bank wants to be your new best friend. Suze Orman prepaid card raises many doubts When the biggest name in personal finance announced "The Approved Card from Suze Orman," you can bet that her legion of adoring fans, primed by her massive media reach, were thinking "If Suze approved it, that's good enough for me." It isn't. Read more: Suze Orman prepaid card raises many doubts. REAL ESTATE How to get a home-builder rebate New home buyers who register with this company and purchase a house from a participating builder will receive a refund equal to 80% of the company's 3% broker commission. Read more: How to get a home-builder rebate. ECONOMY & POLITICS Consumer sentiment highest since May Consumer sentiment is at the highest level since May, with both current and future economic conditions seen as improving, according to data released Friday by the University of Michigan and Thomson Reuters. Read more: Consumer sentiment highest since May. Obama to propose merging agencies The White House will put forth a proposal Friday that would merge six agencies focused on international trade and commerce into a single federal department. Read more: Obama to propose merging agencies. U.S. trade deficit widens sharply in November After declining for four straight months, the U.S. trade deficit widened sharply to $47.8 billion in November. The gain may cause a reduction in estimates of fourth quarter economic growth Read more: U.S. trade deficit widens sharply in November. U.S. has growth without prosperity, economist says The United States has "growth without prosperity," Read more: U.S. has growth without prosperity. INVESTING Why gold may be losing its glitter Investors who have recently jumped on the gold bandwagon will need plenty of patience in 2012, as an anemic global economy and better prospects for the U.S. dollar could dim gold's allure. Read more: Why gold may be losing its glitter. 4 out of 5 fund managers can be wrong It's tempting to dump a poor-performing mutual fund, but one year really isn't long enough to judge. If all that's disappointed you about the fund is short-term performance, and fees, research, investment style and other fundamentals haven't changed, then don't convict the manager — instead, stick with your convictions. Read more: 4 out of 5 fund managers can be wrong. A stock market versus a market of stocks Nevertheless, no fewer than 38% of the advisor portfolios monitored by the Hulbert Financial Digest are today ahead of where they stood at the October 2007 bull market high. This is noteworthy, since the normal pattern is for a far smaller proportion of advisers to beat the market over a period as long as 4+ years. Read more: A stock market versus a market of stocks. U.S. stocks are investors' best bet Investors may have a decent opportunity to make money right under their noses and they don't want to hear about it. Read more: U.S. stocks are investors' best bet. Get the latest news on our mobile site: http://www.marketwatch.com/m MarketWatch has sent you this newsletter because you signed up to receive it. To ensure you receive this newsletter in the future, please add marketwatchmail.com to your list of approved senders. Sent to: kumaresan.selva.blogger@gmail.com Unsubscribe | Subscribe Copyright 2012 MarketWatch, Inc. All rights reserved. MarketWatch, the MarketWatch logo, and BigCharts are registered trademarks of MarketWatch, Inc. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy (updated 6/26/07). 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