http://www.marketwatch.com/story/post-obamacare-uninsured-higher-in-red-states-2014-07-09?dist=beforebell

Obamacare is more popular in some states than others, and the rates of those who were uninsured after the Affordable Care Act varies dramatically from state to state, new research finds.

Some 57% of people with Health Insurance Exchange coverage were uninsured prior to purchasing their current plan, according to a recent survey by the non-profit Kaiser Family Foundation. Most of this previously uninsured group went without coverage for two years or more, the report found, and 70% who were uninsured before Obamacare say they decided to buy insurance because of the law. (Estimates vary, however. Management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. estimated that only 36% of those with Obamacare were previously uninsured, while the Rand Corp. think-tank put it at 28%.)

Combining these estimates with new data on Medicaid recipients and private plan enrollees under Obamacare, financial website WalletHub estimated the uninsured rates post-Obamacare for 43 states and the District of Columbia. (Other states were excluded due to data limitations.) “Blue” Democratic states have fewer uninsured residents (with an average ranking of 15.9 on the list) than red Republican states (28.5): Massachusetts, Rhode Island, D.C., Hawaii and Oregon had the lowest uninsured rates post-Obamacare; New Mexico, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas had the highest.

People are signing up for health insurance, particularly in states that are expanding Medicaid and where the health exchange is working well, says Doug Whiteman, insurance analyst with Bankrate.com, a personal-finance research and publishing company. “Most states are reliant on the federal HealthCare.gov exchange, which has had its challenges,” he says. “But a few states, including Massachusetts, Kentucky and New York, have launched successful state-operated exchanges.” Some 12% of Americans have no health insurance, versus 15% last fall, according to a recent Bankrate survey.

How many Americans are retiring each month (or year or whatever)?

http://money.cnn.com/gallery/news/2014/07/08/china-high-speed-rail/index.html

In the six years since China opened its first high-speed rail line, the country's network has grown to 6,800 miles of dedicated track -- making it by far the world's largest system.

The scale of the project is simply massive, but it has also produced hundreds of billions of dollars in debt, a deadly accident and allegations of corruption.

The extensive network connects just about every major city in eastern China -- from Harbin in the north to Shenzhen, near the border with Hong Kong.

Trains cover the 820 miles between China's two largest cities -- Shanghai to Beijing -- in just five hours. Since the line opened in 2011, more than 220 million passengers have traveled the route.

If 6,800 miles of high speed track isn't impressive, just wait for China's next trick.

Beijing plans to double the network's size in a few years, including a line connecting central China with the restive Xinjiang region in the far west.

While the economic benefits of the link are questionable, the new line will cut travel time between Lanzhou and Urumqi to eight hours from 21 hours.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/7-market-myths-that-make-investors-poorer-2014-07-08

Financial markets are complex dynamic systems, populated by irrational and biased participants. Because of this we have a tendency not only to misunderstand how the financial markets function, but we tend to buy into myths that often harm our financial well-being.

But by better understanding the financial markets, ourselves and the behavioral flaws that drive these persistent myths we can increase our odds of achieving our financial goals. Here’s what investors need to watch out for:

1. You too can be Warren Buffett

Over the last 30 years the world’s greatest investor has come to be idolized. But the way Warren Buffett has amassed enormous wealth is often misunderstood. The myth of the simpleton from Omaha who just picks “value” stocks has driven an entire generation to fall for the myth that they can easily replicate what Buffett does.

Make no mistake — Buffett is not a simple value-stock picker. What he has built is far more complex and resembles something that few retail investors can even come close to replicating.

Berkshire Hathaway BRK.A-0.11% BRK.B-0.21% , Buffett’s firm, essentially acts as a multi-strategy hedge fund. Berkshire engages in sophisticated insurance underwriting, complex fixed-income strategies, multi-strategy equity approaches and tactics that more resemble a private equity firm than a value-based brokerage account. Replicating this isn’t just difficult — it might well be impossible.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/07/03/news/economy/minimum-wage-germany/index.html?iid=A_E_News

Good news for nearly four million German workers: Lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to introduce the country's first national minimum wage.

Starting January 1, 2015, employers across all sectors of Europe's biggest economy will have to pay at least 8.50 euros per hour.

That's worth $11.50 at current exchange rates. But Germany is a relatively expensive place to live, so that wage doesn't go as far as it would in the U.S.

The federal minimum wage in the U.S. stands at $7.25, but President Obama supports an increase to $10.10.

Some U.S. states and cities have already gone further.

Seattle is phasing in a rate of $15, and Massachusetts has passed legislation to gradually raise its minimum to $11 by 2017.

Most wages in Germany are set in negotiations between companies and unions.

http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-fox-news-covered-todays-awesome-jobs-report-2014-7



While Thursday's jobs report demolished expectations and sent the country's unemployment rate plummeting to 6.1%, the Fox News Channel noted the "real" unemployment rate was twice that number.

Citing the figure the Bureau of Labor Statistics calls "U-6," defined as the "total unemployed, plus all marginally attached workers plus total employed part time for economic reasons, as a percent of all civilian labor force plus all marginally attached workers," the conservative-leaning news channel emphasized the higher number.

"Brand new monthly jobs numbers to tell you about," a show anchor said Thursday morning, according to video provided by the left-leaning group Media Matters. "The unemployment rate [is] falling 0.2% to 6.1%. But with many out of the labor market, we need to point out the real unemployment rate stands at 12.1%."

The segment quickly pivoted to discuss Wednesday's Quinnipiac poll showing a plurality of American voters rank President Barack Obama the worst modern-day president.

For what it's worth, some economists have criticized the notion that the "U-6" number represents the "real" unemployment figure.

As a financial adviser, I have occasionally found myself feeling envious of certain clients. Not because of their wealth — but because they were disciplined and determined enough to do all the right things that enabled them to accumulate their wealth and, in many cases, retire early. Despite my expertise, I, like a lot of people, sometimes struggle not to do the wrong things that make being rich, let alone retiring at all, a pipe dream.

Financially responsible and successful people don’t build their wealth by accident — or overnight. Becoming rich takes serious willpower and long-term vision. You have to be able to keep your eye on the prize of financial freedom, be willing to sacrifice your present wants for the sake of your future and develop good habits to win. Here are 10 habits you can start putting into practice now.

Start early

As the old saying goes: The early bird catches the worm…or, in this case, gets to retire in style. The sooner you put your money to work, the more time it has to grow. Earning a paycheck, whether you are self-employed or work for a company, means the opportunity to contribute to an IRA, which you should seize ASAP. If you’re fortunate enough to get a job with a company that offers a matching contribution to their retirement plan, you need to make it a priority to enroll in the plan as soon as you are eligible. It can be the difference between retiring early and never retiring.

Think about this: If you invested $10,000 and left it to grow for 40 years, assuming an average return per year of 8%, you would end up with over $217,000. But if you waited 10 years and invested $20,000 — twice as much — you would only end up with just over $200,000.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/10-habits-of-high-net-worth-women-2014-07-02?dist=beforebell