Personal Finance Daily: How to make sure donations are deductible

	Personal Finance Daily DECEMBER 19, 2012 Wednesday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Are these donations tax-deductible? Apple's top iPhone apps of 2012 How to spot a dodgy investment Avalanche of boomers may bury Social Security If you're making end-of-year donations and are planning on deducting them on your taxes, better make sure that the organizations you're cutting checks to are approved by the IRS. Read how to find out whether donations are tax-deductible in a Personal Finance story today. Plus, learn about the iPhone's top apps of the year, how to spot a dodgy investment and read the latest on housing starts in today's Personal Finance Daily. — Amy Hoak , assistant editor Are these donations tax-deductible? How to find out whether the obscure organization you want to support qualifies. Are these donations tax-deductible? Avalanche of boomers may bury Social Security There are those who like to say that demography is destiny. And if that's true, then our destiny is becoming increasingly clear. The unclear part may be what to do because of it, particularly as it affects Medicare and Social Security. Avalanche of boomers may bury Social Security. Apple's top iPhone apps of 2012 Apple has released its list of the top downloaded apps of 2012, along with its picks for the best apps of the year for the iPhone and iPad. Apple's top iPhone apps of 2012. How to spot a dodgy investment These not-so-obvious conditions may mean you're headed for danger. How to spot a dodgy investment. The stinker investment sniff test Commentary: Be satisfied with the answers to these six questions before buying. The stinker investment sniff test. Don't worry about the end of the world; just worry The Amazing Kreskin understands why so many people are predicting the end of the world, Al Lewis reports. "Unconsciously, they are pissed off." Don't worry about the end of the world; just worry. ECONOMY AND POLITICS U.S. housing starts fall 3% in November Construction on new homes fell 3% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 861,000, as building permits rose 3.6%, U.S. data show. An economist flags multifamily growth as a potential red flag for the housing recovery, however. U.S. housing starts fall 3% in November. Obama is Time's Person of the Year; a smart call President Barack Obama was the appropriate choice for Time's Person of the Year, writes media columnist Jon Friedman Obama is Time's Person of the Year; a smart call. School shootings a symptom of societal disorder There are no winners during this terrible time; there is only sadness, grieving, mourning and perhaps in time, perspective, writes Todd Harrison. School shootings a symptom of societal disorder. Glass half empty on progress in euro crisis A majority of experts examining how much progress euro-zone leaders have made conclude that they aren't even half way to a resolution, Darrell Delamaide writes. Glass half empty on progress in euro crisis. INVESTING GM on the road alone The federal government says it's time to turn General Motors back over to the market, writes Jim Jelter. GM on the road alone. A calm euro zone, but all is not well As we ease into year-end with an eerie calm hanging over the euro zone, investors should be wary of false hope, writes Michael Casey. A calm euro zone, but all is not well. Here comes good old Santa Claus Mark Hulbert's looking for a Santa Claus Rally that actually deserves the name. And though it's not a very long period of favorable seasonality, the historical odds are quite impressive. Here comes good old Santa Claus. Time to short Germany as 'miracle economy' ends Germany has been the best-performing economy in the developed world, but that's about to change, writes Matthew Lynn. For investors, it's time to think about shorting the German markets, he says. Time to short Germany as 'miracle economy' ends. 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