I came across a Reuter's article today that explains what deflation is and why people fear it. Like most popular journalism, it's a little scant on some of the details (there's no single agreed-upon definition or indicator of deflation), and it beefs up the FUD.

Jonathon over at My Money Blog has given a straightforward example of how 401(k) loans are not double-taxed. It's an interesting and informative post, especially because it goes against the "conventional wisdom" that people often give with borrowing money from your retirement account.

Did you get a 12% pay increase this year? I got a raise, but it nowhere near 12% (though I did get a substantial bonus in March). Given the current economy, though, I'm okay with what I got, knowing that a lot of people I work with did not get even that much.

But if you work for minimum wage, you should be happy on Friday when the federal minimum wage rate increases from $5.85 per hour to $6.55 per hour. That's a whopping 12% pay raise!

Stories like this one are written in an attempt to make me feel some kind of empathy for the people described. But while I might be sobbing after reading this sob story, it's not because I feel sorry for the people involved – it's because I feel sorry that such people even exist in this world.

That might sound a little harsh, but let me do some proof-texting for you to make a point:

Jim over at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity asks whether his readers give to panhandlers (he doesn't). I don't give to panhandlers, but then there aren't very many in the small upstate town where I live. I doubt I would give to them in a larger area either.

Back at the beginning of February, I set a goal for myself to earn $2,000 this year in deal and "found" money – through promotional offers, incentive checks (such as signing up for Chase Payment Protector or various Trilegiant programs), and general arbitrage plays. Basically, to reach my goal that means "finding" about $167 per month.

How am I doing so far? Here's the run down:

I found out last week that I am getting a 10% bonus this year, which is really, really cool. I should see it in my next check, and so over the past week I've been thinking about what to do with it.

It really isn't that hard of a decision for me. I could go get a new LCD TV and a wii, or maybe schedule a vacation (what's that again?). But of course, that wouldn't be the responsible thing to do *sigh*.

So, I was doing some number crunching and discovered that last year I completed $1,428.95 in sundry deals over the course of the year. Most of that was from sign-up bonuses and in the form of cash (or cash equivalent, such as a statement credit). I also got at least $50 in gas cards, and a free iPod shuffle (Gen 2), which I gave to my daughter.

FMF over at Free Money Finance recently posted his thoughts about the importance of religion in personal finance.

JLP of All Financial Matters notes that Engadget and Gizmodo were valued at $30 million and $50 million, respectively, according to a recent article in Fortune. JLP then figures his blog is worth a cool quarter mil based the number of visitors he gets in proportion to these uber-popular.