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In response to allegations from Google, Microsoft has definitively denied that its Bing search engine takes its cues from its rival. Nonetheless, the whole controversy highlights the challenges Microsoft (MSFT) faces in addressing the “long tail” market in search, or the rare — or ultra-specific — searches that individually make up a small market, but collectively account for a huge amount of search traffic.

Google (GOOG) excels at these long-tail searches, and has managed to ride them to dominance in search. Meanwhile, Microsoft focused — early on — on delivering results for more common search queries, like “real estate broker.” By its own admission, the Redmond giant initially failed to realize the importance of delivering relevant search results for the plethra of obscure or rare search requests, which together yield far more traffic than the fewer hot search terms, also bringing in more advertising dollars. Read full post…

American Express has claimed an impressive five out of 11 prizes in this year’s uSwitch Credit Card Customer Satisfaction Awards.

The firm, which slipped from top spot last year, has reclaimed its crown with 92 per cent of its customers happy with its overall service.

Jose Vazquez-Mendez, VP Customer Service UK, American Express, remarked: “Customer satisfaction has always been a top priority for American Express and it’s good to see that our Cardmembers are happy with the service we deliver them.”

He added: “However, it’s important that we do not rest on our laurels and that we build on this success so that our customers continue to receive the level of customer service expected of us as one of the largest card providers in the world.”

Founded in 1850, American Express is a global financial services company headquartered in New York City.

It is best known for its credit card, charge card, and traveller’s cheque businesses . Read full post…

Early birds take note: If you expect to report a lot of your income on 1099 forms, you might want to wait until April to file your return. That’s because some of those 1099s might be corrected and re issued well into the tax-filing season.

Investors get 1099s each year from mutual-fund companies and other businesses that provide financial services. There are many variations, but the most likely ones you’ll receive include Form 1099-DIV, which is used to show dividends received in the previous calendar year; 1099-INT, which reports investment interest income; and 1099-B, which reports the sale of stocks or mutual funds. Copies are sent to the Internal Revenue Service, which matches the reported income with your tax return.

Updating more forms

The 1099 forms are supposed to be sent to investors by Jan. 31. But about one of eight has to be corrected, according to some reports. That’s double the number of revisions from 10 years ago. The c

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If you’re looking to fight your way out of debt, you’re going to find that the best way to do so is by reading magazines, as well as publications / blogs online such as this one!  While there are only so many options online that you can read for free online, you’re going to find that you may want to turn to signing up for a magazine subscription.  If this is the route that you want to take, I wanted to recommend five magazines that you may enjoy, if you want to read more into debt, as well as how to manage your finances.

• Smart Money – Smart Money is a highly rated magazine that talks about your retirement, your personal finances as of today, as well as many other related articles such as lifestyle, technology and more.  You can pick up a subscription for around $10 a year through Amazon.
• Forbes - Forbes is a fantastic magazine for those that not only want to get out of debt, but learn more about the stock market, success stories, as well as other related material in regards to topics such as taxes, computers and more.  A basic subscription will run you around $30 a year.
• Money – Money is an excellent publication that gives it to you straight forward.  Some readers find that some magazines are just too sophisticated.  If you want something that dabbles with a little bit of everything finance, this is the one to consider.  An annual subscription runs around $15 a year.
• INC. - While

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The trading of LinkedIn shares on private exchanges puts its value at about $3 billion, well short of Groupon at $6 billion or Facebook at $50 billion. The reason is simple. The professional social network is a tiny company.

The S1 that LinkedIn filed with the SEC on Thursday as one of the steps to an initial public offering describes a company that is growing but only has modest revenue. For the first three quarters of 2010, sales were $161 million. LinkedIn made only $1.8 million, as most of its costs soared.

The company also listed a number of business risks, the most important of which is that it may not be able to “successfully compete with other companies that are currently in, or may in the future enter, the online professional network space.” The largest competitor could eventually be Facebook, which can mimic most LinkedIn features and has a much larger member base.

A number of experts have said the LinkedIn IPO will test the waters for public offerings by other social networks. Read full post…

President Obama needs to nominate someone for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau soon in order for the new agency to be up and fully functional by its planned July 21 launch six months from now, consumer advocates said today.

“This agency needs to be firing on all pistons by the time it opens its doors,” said Travis Plunkett, legislative director of the Consumer Federation of America. But he and other advocates, gathered at a press conference to unveil areport on the fledgling agencys progress, noted that given the well-publicized opposition from Republican detractors in Congress, the process of confirming a nominee could take a very long time. Given that likelihood, Plunkett said, “We would need to see a nominee soon.”

Without a new, permanent head, the CFPB might not be able to perform certain functions, in particular regulating non-bank financial instutions such as payday lenders, acknowledged Pamela Banks, a senior attorney with Consumers Union, parent of Consumer Reports.

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More and more Boston auto insurance companies are offering their customers pet insurance to ensure their furry friends are taken care of in case of an accident. The article “Auto Insurers Take on Pets” by Donna Goodison on the BostonHerald.com, at least five auto insurance companies in Massachusetts are now offering pet insurance.
As Massachusetts has deregulated the auto insurance industry, companies are getting more competitive. This move back in 2008 has changes the way people shop for auto insurance in Massachusetts and this is a good thing for consumers. This particular benefit, pet insurance, is a huge advantage to those in love with their pets. Although not for all pet owners, it’s worth getting more information on and can be relatively inexpensive. With many households looking at their pets as family members, it’s nice to know companies are recognizing this relationship and helping their customers protect them.

Most people’s worries about retirement are, first and foremost, about money: Will I have enough? How much can I spend? How can I make what I have last as long as I do?

But there are other questions to retirement — the ones about all the nonfinancial stuff — that can be just as complicated. What will I do with my time? What matters most? How will I transition into this new phase of my life? What can I expect?

These are big life questions, and increasingly, folks are turning to retirement coaches for help finding answers.

But what can a retirement coach do for you that you can’t do for yourself? And at $100-plus an hour, are their services worth it?

The Game Has Changed

Truth is, when you’re working the 9-to-5 grind, you know the deal. When suddenly there’s no boss, when your days are your own — well, that can be either a cause for celebration or a bit overwhelming. Read full post…