clipped from: www.agorafinancial.com   
  • Over 6 million people have lost their job since the recession officially began in December 2007
  • 9.1 million people are working part time because they can’t find a full-time gig -- also not counted as officially unemployed.
  • The “long-term unemployed” -- those out of work for six months or more -- now exceed a record 4 million. Many of these “discouraged” people are not counted toward the official unemployment rate
    • Northwestern Mutual, the third largest life insurer in the U.S., is using gold to secure its long-term fiscal position. According to Bloomberg, the company has already bought about $400 million worth of the shiny stuff.
    At least 31 states have overestimated 2009 personal income tax revenue