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Tax Day freebies: Free Boston Market, Cinnabon, and massagesTax Day freebies have become somewhat of a tradition in recent years, with a slew of restaurants and retailers offering a break from Uncle Sam. Read on for tax day freebies in the form of free Cinnabons, lunches, massages, and more.聽
Retail sales impress. Economy's 'winter' problem appears over.Retail sales rose a surprising 1.1 percent in March, posting their biggest gain in 18 months. The strong retail sales report is another sign that terrible winter weather was largely to blame for a lackluster economic start to 2014.聽
Pet insurance: When do you need it?Pet insurance is growing in popularity, but it's no less confusing than insurance for humans. However, the right pet insurance policy can take a big bite out of your best friend's veterinary expenses.聽
GM executives for communications and HR step down amid recall crisisGeneral聽Motors聽is replacing the executives in charge of communications and human resources as it struggles with recalls that have led to congressional hearings and federal investigations.聽GM is in the midst of a crisis over safety of some of its older-model vehicles.
Taco Bell breakfast? McDonald's brings McGriddles to the breakfast war.McDonald's is launching a new marketing push for its pancake/muffin hybrid, the McGriddle, on the heels of its free coffee giveaway.聽This, much more than free coffee, is McDonald鈥檚 response to the Taco Bell breakfast entries and all the other competitive activity in the mornings.
Mortgage rates: Possibility of hikes stokes housing demandMortgage rates are expected to rise quickly in the near term, which could be urging potential homebuyers to act quickly. However, mortgage rates aren't the only factor spurring housing market demand.
Pensions and public schools struggle for tax fundingFor states including Delaware and Wisconsin, proposed property tax hikes would help cover pension and public school costs. But are property taxes the fairest way to fund such programs?聽
Ready for retirement? How to calculate your income needs.When preparing for retirement, estimating your annual income need can be a daunting task.聽Using this method, you should be able to calculate an estimate of your anticipated expenses in retirement that you can be confident in.- A self-driving car for $4,000? College student says it can be doneMost self-driving cars are either the stuff of dreams or the stuff of dream budgets (often costing nearly a hundred thousand dollars for conversion kits). This college student says he has created a kit that can transform ordinary cars to self-driving vehicles for under $4,000.
The six best non-Apple laptop dealsConvertible laptop? Touch-style keyboard? Gaming system? If you want a laptop that offers a bit more customization, check out the deals on these unique machines.- Wall Street tools can help the world鈥檚 poorBy hedging against currency swings, microfinance companies can lend to the poor in developing nations without exposing themselves to the risks of loans that are suddenly more expensive to pay back. But many microfinance loans still put their poor borrowers at risk of currency fluctuations.聽
2015 Corvette Z06 Convertible gives car lovers a spring peek2015 Corvette comes with a supercharged 6.2 liter LT4 V-8 engine, a seven-speed manual or eight-speed automatic transmission, and a ragtop. The 2015 Corvette Z06 Convertible will debut next week at the 聽New York Auto Show.- Next Mazda MX-5 to sport new lookMazda is reportedly planning a redesign of its MX-5, a model that the automaker has sold since 1989, and could begin selling it later this year.
- Electric vehicle maker suspends operations, but won't closeAfter failing to earn a profit from sales, Smith Electric Vehicles said it will stop production so the company can retool its manufacturing process. The company said it has sold vehicles to Staples, Frito-Lay and Coca-Cola, among other customers.
- Final Corvette pulled from Kentucky sinkholeOfficials at the National Corvette Museum say they'll try to repair the eight Chevrolet Corvettes that fell into a sinkhole under the institution in February, but some of the cars 鈥 valued as a group at about $1 million 鈥 may be beyond repair.
- FBI reportedly probing HerbalifeThe FBI is said to be looking into the marketing practices of Herbalife, a nutrition and weight-loss company that hedge fund manager Ackman has called a pyramid scheme. Herbalife stock fell 14 percent Friday. 聽
- How America's tax system could be revised to help small businessesThe nation's tax codes can be hard on small businesses, and Donald Marron writes that tax reform could help shift the tax burden from smaller organizations over to larger ones.
- Do Walmart customers prefer Amazon for shopping online?Walmart believes its future growth will come from sales made online, and the retailer may have its work cut out for it: A recent study found more of its brick-and-mortar customers use Amazon.com for their web purchases instead of Walmart's own site.
- Ford names new design chief for LincolnFord named the head of its advanced design studio as the lead designer for its Lincoln brand just as the automaker gears up to begin selling vehicles in China.
- Study finds concern over security breach potential in self-driving car technologyNew technologies designed to take the driving of automobiles out of human hands and in the care of computers could make the roads safer - but some fear that such a system would be vulnerable to security breaches, as well.
