Google Offers Interactive Plots – Unemployment & Population

In the ongoing attempt by Google to provide access to all of the world’s information, Google has introduced a new search feature.  Google will now return interactive charts of unemployment rates and population using US government data.  You can access these charts entering ‘unemployment rate’ or ‘population’, followed by US, a state or a county.  The above image shows the unemployment rates for the US and two counties.  I lived in Duval county in the 1990s when unemployment was very low – I am surprised that the unemployment rate now exceeds the US average rate.  I also lived in Roanoke county in the early 2000s.  Roanoke county was known for it’s stable economy.  The graphic shows that the recession has likely spared very few communities in the US.

Although one has to be concerned about Google’s virtual monoply on search, tools such as providing access to government data can only be seen positively.  I have spent some time looking at government data and soon realized that I could spend hours trying to generate simple charts.   Google promises that this access to unemployment rates and population figuress is just the beginning to providing more access to government data.

Best posts on Wealth Itself from Mar 2009

• 15 Minutes to Riches Has A New Owner
  Posted on Saturday, March 7th, 2009 in Site Update – Comments: (0)
  March 7, 2009: I have purchased 15minutestoriches.com from Matt.  Over the next week or so I will be working through the usual issues with a transfer, introducing a new name for the website and will begin regular posting.
• 15 Minutes to Riches is Now Wealth Itself
  Posted on Sunday, March 15th, 2009 in Site Update – Comments: (0)
  March 15, 2009: The new name of the site is Wealth Itself (www.wealthitself.com).  Please see About Wealth Itself on why I picked the domain name. If you are looking for a post, please search the Archives or use the site’s Google custom search function.  I will be soon posting regularly, mostly about the creation and preservation of wealth, but not exclusively.

Most popular posts on Wealth Itself from Jan 2009

• 5 Reasons to Track Your Expenses
  Posted on Sunday, January 4th, 2009 in manage money – Comments: (3)
  One of the most important things you can do for your finances is to track your expenses.  For many people, this means using Quicken.  For me, it’s a simple Google Docs spreadsheet.  Whatever your method, there are countless reasons to perform the simple task of tracking your expenses.  5 of these reasons are listed below: It’s absolutely the simplest way to overcome your paycheck-to-paycheck lifestyle.
• A Penny Saved is a Penny… Saved
  Posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 in save money – Comments: (4)
  Want to know a quick and easy way to save money?Keep a piggy bank.That’s right… just like you did when you were a kid and had no financial worries in the world. Simply find a container that is lying around the house, unused, and put it to use. I use a sugar jar (which hasn’t actually contained any sugar for probably about 2 years) to collect my spare change.

An Open Invitation for Guest Authors

If you are hosting a blog on a finance-related topic, and would like some help in getting your name out there, then you are welcome to submit your guest posts to me for inclusion on this site.

All guest post submissions must follow these guidelines:

• Topic must be related in some way to personal finance (it helps to provide not only money-saving tips, but time-saving tips as well, in order to fit with the “15 minutes to riches” theme).
• Post must be a minimum of 500 words.
• Post must use proper spelling and grammar.
• Post must be original content.
• Post may contain one or more links to your own site for promotional purposes.

If you are interested in being a guest author for Wealth Itself, please let me know.  Thanks and happy reading!

Want a Quick and Easy $25?

Here’s a quick and easy way to get $25 for practically nothing…

Open an Orange Savings Account or Electric Orange Checking Account with ING Direct and get $25 deposited into your account FOR FREE, when you deposit at least $250.

Folks, if you save your money, ING Direct is an excellent bank to work with.  They generally offer higher rates than B&M banks and are very reputable… not to mention the fact that they are giving you money to sign up!  I’ve been with ING Direct for years and have had nothing but positive experiences with them.

If you are interested in this offer, contact me for an invitation.  I will then send you an invitation via email which you can use to get the free $25. This offer has expired.

I have a limited number of invitations to give out, so don’t waste time!

(Note that I do get a $10 bonus for each new account sign-up, but I would not recommend ING Direct if I did not believe in their service.  If you are going to have a savings account, ING Direct is the way to go.  Period.)

Most popular posts on Wealth Itself from Dec 2008

• 3 Simple Money-Making Ideas
  Posted on Friday, December 12th, 2008 in make money – Comments: (2)
  In this information age, it seems everyone is looking for simple money-making ideas that he or she can implement from home. While there is certainly no shortage of opportunities out there, there are just as many scams.Not only that, but many of the legitimate opportunities require more work than the average person is willing to put forth.In a world literally FILLED with money-making opportunities, it can sometimes seem that there are no legitimate, simple money-making opportunities out there.
• Blog Carnivals!
  Posted on Saturday, December 6th, 2008 in updates – Comments: (0)
  3 Reasons to Clean Out Your Closet Immediately has been featured on some recent blog carnivals.  Please take some time to review these carnivals, as they have aggregated some great info all in one place.  I’d like to say thanks to: 154th Festival of Frugality The Money Hacks Carnival: The Best Crazy-Simple Money Hacks EditionThanks for featuring my article!

Merry Christmas!

To all my readers: THANK YOU for visiting and reading 15minutestoriches.com (now wealthitself.com) in 2008!

I’ll be out of town and busy celebrating for a few days. In 2009, we’ll get back to a regular posting schedule! See ya soon!

Have a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Best posts on Wealth Itself from Nov 2008

• 3 Reasons to Clean Out Your Closet Immediately
  Posted on Tuesday, November 25th, 2008 in make money – Comments: (0)
  Let’s get straight to the point. If you’re like me, your closet probably needs an overhaul. Well, mine DID need an overhaul, but I took care of that earlier today. I couldn’t believe some of the things I found in there! There were clothes that I literally hadn’t seen in years, because I had decided, long ago (in a galaxy far, far away), that I simply didn’t like to wear them!
• How PB&J Saved Me $1,296 This Year
  Posted on Monday, November 10th, 2008 in save money – Comments: (4)
  How I Saved Over a Thousand Dollars This Year By Changing My Eating HabitsEating out is one of the worst things we can do for our finances.  While I think everyone should eat out occasionally (it can be very relaxing and socially rewarding), I don’t think eating out for lunch every day is acceptable; although it’s something that many of us do.