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.

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!

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*.

What do you do when you're pissed off? Do you let your anger become a debilitation, or do you find a way to redirect your energy into something constructive?

I work for a multinational financial institution, and earlier this year it posted a series of videos on its intranet describing how the company makes money. While I don't know that I learned any new facts from the video series, it was very interesting to see the company present a simple – and frank – communication showing at a high level why it operates the way it does.

My good friend Speedo sent me some thoughts about baby boomers, Social Security and the "gray ceiling." He requested my thoughts; I asked if I could respond by blog, and he agreed, so here it is.

For those who think that personal finance blogs should stick to personal finance and not politics: Sorry. Social Security is a Big Deal™ when it comes to personal finance, and the fact that it's mired in political debate doesn't change that.

The Issue: Baby Boomers "Retiring" while Working

On Monday, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell enacted a "furlough" – that is, an unpaid leave of absence – for more than 24,000 nonessential state employees as part of a budget dispute. Disregarding the politics of such a move, I wonder if any of these people were prepared financially for such an immediate loss of income.

FMF at Free Money Finance asks whether you should (and do) share salary info with the people you work with. It's an interesting question – and one that soon may be moot in New York.