Personal Finance Daily: A guide to the 2013 tax changes

	Personal Finance Daily JANUARY 03, 2013 Thursday's Personal Finance Stories By MarketWatch Don't miss these top stories: Cracking the 2013 tax code Roth conversions easier, but are they right? U.S. jobless claims rise 10,000 to 372,000 The business press's stock picks for 2013 Thanks to the demise of the so-called payroll tax holiday, all workers will pay higher taxes this year, writes Bill Bischoff, in his Tax Guy column. But the new law cancels federal income tax increases that would have resulted in added misery for just about everyone. Find his detailed summary of the most-important changes for individual taxpayers in today's Personal Finance pages. Plus, learn how the fiscal-cliff deal offers more investors a chance to convert their traditional IRAs or 401(k)s to Roths, find out why new applications for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped to a five-week high, and read about the underdog stocks that business journalists are rooting for this year. — Alice Hagge , staff editor Cracking the 2013 tax code A guide to the changes wrought by the fiscal-cliff deal. Cracking the 2013 tax code. How Avis deal may lower Zipcar prices The acquisition will give the car-sharing service a national reach. How Avis deal may lower Zipcar prices. What cliff deal means for your taxes The last-minute agreement affects every taxpayer's bottom line. What cliff deal means for your taxes. 10 cars so popular they're out of stock The best measure of the popularity of a car is the availability of a particular model. These are the 10 cars that are so hot, dealers can't keep them in stock. 10 cars so popular they're out of stock. Most popular neighborhoods in the U.S. The definition of a great neighborhood is different for everybody, but some neighborhoods are so popular that hundreds of thousands of people search for homes in them every month. Most popular neighborhoods in the U.S. RETIREMENT Roth conversions easier, but are they right? The fiscal-cliff deal offers more investors a chance to convert their traditional IRAs or 401(k)s to Roths, but the move might not make sense for everyone. Roth conversions easier, but are they right? Never abdicate your retirement duties It's one thing to delegate the responsibility for your financial health to a professional, but too many investors give up too much authority. Never abdicate your retirement duties. Read more in our new Retirement section. ECONOMY AND POLITICS Private-sector job gains speed up in December: ADP Private-sector job gains picked up speed in December, with the largest monthly gain since February, according to a Thursday morning report from Automatic Data Processing Inc. Private-sector job gains speed up in December: ADP. U.S. jobless claims rise 10,000 to 372,000 New applications for U.S. unemployment benefits jumped to a five-week high, partly reflecting the typical volatility seen during the holiday season because of temporary hiring and the closure of government offices. U.S. jobless claims rise 10,000 to 372,000. Tactical deal on 'cliff' risks permanent damage Explanations by two House Democrats who voted against the fiscal-cliff package underscore the difficulties that the White House will run up against sooner rather than later as the debt-ceiling debate draws nearer, writes MarketWatch columnist Darrell Delamaide. Tactical deal on 'cliff' risks permanent damage. INVESTING The business press's stock picks for 2013 While fund managers and investing pros may play it safe when rattling off their picks for the coming year, reporters and editors often go with some serious long shots. The business press's stock picks for 2013. Cliff averted, but potholes remain on 2013 road The U.S. economy may have avoided the fiscal cliff, but it is not out of the woods, writes Kathleen Madigan. Cliff averted, but potholes remain on 2013 road. Mideast change may start in Iran Two years after the Arab masses took to the streets, mayhem's end is nowhere in sight. Amotz Asa-El argues that true regional change might begin with the potential for change in Iran. And that change will take one of two forms: through a more pragmatic leadership after the election in June, or through the people taking to the streets as they have in other Mideast nations. Mideast change may start in Iran. How I went over the cliff and into the blue Al Lewis finds out what it feels like to go over a cliff and into a recession. How I went over the cliff and into the blue. U.S. stock indexes start 2013 with big rally Dow notches best opening-day-for-the-year-point jump in its history. U.S. stock indexes start 2013 with big rally. 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 2013 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