Personal Finance Daily: Half of Americans die with nearly no savings

	Personal Finance Daily AUGUST 29, 2012 Wednesday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Half of Americans die with almost no money Google home page now a billboard Household debt, delinquency fell in second quarter Ryan to take the stage in Tampa To improve your financial position in retirement, get rich. Failing that, get married, Andrea Coombes writes in her latest column about a recent report on the financial preparedness of retirees. The report found that almost half of Americans die with savings of $10,000 or less. Chances of dying with that modest savings increases for those who remained single throughout the course of the survey. Read Andrea's story in today's Personal Finance pages, plus read an Al Lewis column on how the recession hasn't stopped the country's love affair with dogs and cats, and read the latest MarketWatch coverage from the National Republican Convention in Tampa, Fla. —Amy Hoak , Personal Finance writer Half of Americans die with almost no money Almost half of U.S. retirees die with savings of $10,000 or less, but that grim finding doesn't fully describe the variability and uncertainty that characterize retirement in America, according to a recent study. Half of Americans die with almost no money. Google home page now a billboard But Google has one marketing weapon its competitors can't match: A home page that gets a virtually guaranteed hundreds of millions of views a day. Google home page now a billboard. Even in a recession, some dogs do very well The recession hasn't stopped America's love affair with dogs and cats, Al Lewis reports. Even the CEO of PetSmart has a shaggy-dog story. Even in a recession, some dogs do very well. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Ryan to take the stage in Tampa Paul Ryan on Wednesday night is set to take center stage at the Republican Party's convention, with a prime-time speech that will drive home the GOP's tax-cutting, reduced-spending message before an audience of millions. Ryan to take the stage in Tampa. Household debt, delinquency fell in second quarter Household debt and delinquency dropped in the second quarter, as Americans continued their deleveraging since the bursting of the housing bubble. Household debt, delinquency fell in second quarter. At 3, is the tea party already coming of age? Though a toddler in human years, the tea party is trying to mature and take on political chores they think they can win. At 3, is the tea party already coming of age? U.S. grew at 1.7% pace in second quarter The U.S. economy expands somewhat faster in the second quarter than originally reported because of higher consumer spending and slower growth in imports. U.S. grew at 1.7% pace in second quarter. Bernanke might not take the plunge Fed Chief Ben Bernanke is likely to tell market that help is coming, but he is not expected to offer many specifics Bernanke might not take the plunge. Republican speakers toe economic hard line Republican Party A-listers toed an economic hard line on Thursday night as they introduced Mitt Romney to a national audience and sought to bolster his candidacy as he seeks to defeat Barack Obama in November. Republican speakers toe economic hard line. INVESTING 5 money moves a euro realist is making now Will the euro zone fix its myriad problems in the next several weeks? Hardly. But Kiron Sarkar says the euro zone faces red-letter days, and Europe's financial meisters won't be able to kick the debt can much further down the road. 5 money moves a euro realist is making now. Fertilizer firms hitch fortunes to the elements While severe weather changes affect crop production in large parts of the world, climate volatility is providing a platform for stable growth for the agrochemicals sector. Fertilizer firms hitch fortunes to the elements. GOP's gold standard idea isn't likely to shine With a return for the U.S. to the gold standard being discussed at the Republican National Convention, the time for gold would seem to be ticking. But geopolitical considerations and global competition make this unlikely, writes Satyajit Das. GOP's gold standard idea isn't likely to shine. QE3 and the looming currency war If Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke opens the door to more quantitative easing, an unstable situation will become even more unstable. QE3 and the looming currency war. Low volume? Forgetaboutit! Stock market trading volume tends to dry up every summer, like clockwork, and especially in August. So it is hardly a surprise, or particularly bearish, that it has done so this year as well, writes Mark Hulbert. Low volume? Forgetaboutit! Patent overreaction follows Apple-Samsung verdict After last week's verdict in the patent case against Samsung Electronics Co., it seems that Apple Inc. owns the whole concept of intuitive device design. Patent overreaction follows Apple-Samsung verdict. Even talk of a gold standard would boost the price Whether major economies return to the gold standard or not, the mere fact of the debate is sure to boost the price of gold, writes Matthew Lynn. Even talk of a gold standard would boost the price. Romney's Twitter cry: Tweet or risk defeat Mitt Romney's Twitter deficiency is profound and costly to his chances for a victory, writes media columnist Jon Friedman Romney's Twitter cry: Tweet or risk defeat. 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). MarketWatch - Attn: Customer Service, 201 California St., San Francisco, CA 94111