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Learn to balance your budget with DebtSki

If you are a college student, you should know you now have a much higher chance of ending up with student loans, than if you graduated 15 years ago. And even if you are one of the lucky few who don't, every American is carrying a burden of about $184,000 in government debt and unfunded obligations.

In short, it's important to learn how to be financially responsible. This is the message that mtvU, MTV's 24-hour college network, wants you get via an online flash game called "DebtSki". The game is is part of mtvU's and the Peter G. Peterson Foundation's Indebted campaign, an ongoing effort to encourage students to help stop the fiscal crisis in the United States.

It's a very simple Mario-like kind of game, where you maneuver the game character Piggy Banks through a series of obstacles, while trying to collect coins and then making decisions to spend those coins on items.

There are things you need to collect to win the game; other items are discretionary, which could bring you happiness but could potentially put you in debt. You are challenged to create a balance among happiness, debt, and responsibilities. … Read more

Is Cisco fattening its wallet for acquisitions?

Technology giant Cisco Systems said Monday it plans to sell $4 billion in bonds to pad its corporate wallet with cash, spurring speculation that the company is on the hunt for companies to buy. But exactly which companies it might target and how much it is willing to pay are still unknown.

Cisco has shared some general thoughts on how it plans to spend the extra cash. For one, it will use a portion of the funds to pay down its $500 million of floating rate debt that comes due this month, according to Terry Alberstein, a spokesman for Cisco.… Read more

Microsoft goes a-begging to fund Yahoo deal

Microsoft has more money in the bank than most software companies will make in their entire corporate existences.

Microsoft has more money than many countries.

Microsoft has enough money to buy every open-source software company with cash...several times over. (OK, that last one might not have been saying much.)

And yet Microsoft expects to borrow money for the first time in its history to fund its deal for Yahoo.

This is a testament to just how big this deal is for Microsoft, which has roughly $19 billion on the bank and no debt--both of which are hugely impressive numbers.… Read more

AMD to help pay for ATI with $1.8B in new debt

Advanced Micro Devices plans to raise up to $1.8 billion through a debt offering, in part to pay for its acquisition of ATI and to keep its business operating during a rough stretch.

At least $500 million from the sale of the new senior notes, announced after the close of the stock market Monday, will be used to pay off a term loan with Morgan Stanley connected to the purchase of ATI, AMD said in a press release. The rest will be used to finance AMD's day-to-day operations and to hedge against the dilution of its stock.

Following … Read more

Keep credit cards up your sleeve

So we've offered some advice on how to keep from losing your luggage and your loved ones. But now we have a technology that can protect your most prized possession of all this holiday shopping season: your credit card.

You might find this silly, but we're willing to bet that some people would find some much-needed peace of mind in this "Credit Card Alarm," a wallet-sized electronic sleeve that beeps if it's empty for too long. And depending on your self-discipline, you could quickly recoup the $55 cost of this device by keeping your credit … Read more

Balance your bucks with Buxfer

Don't expect to get an online version of Microsoft Excel when you join Buxfer, a site to track shared bills and expenses. In fact, don't expect much beyond basic features when managing a shared bill, a personal expense, or an incoming or outgoing money transfer. Competing with other finance-sharing sites such as BillMonk and iOweyou, Buxfer is best suited for roommates and groups of friends who share expenses and want to sort out the bills later.

Buxfer's math genius automatically splits the cost of your rent and groceries among participants into either equal or weighted shares. A … Read more