“Obama said his administration is addressing the issue of college affordability by increasing federal student aid. He called for Congress to stop the interest rates on student loans from rising, extend the tuition tax cut and double work-study jobs in the next five years. ”

And according to the Michigan Daily, there’s a chance that Michigan’s state funding for higher education in the coming year might be tied to performance metrics like graduation and retention rates.

But critics of Race To The Top say it would hurt higher education the same way it’s hurt elementary education. Nina Chacker, a teacher in Detroit Public Schools and member of Occupy Detroit’s Direct Action committee, said policies that tie school funding to performance only “widen the achievement gap.”

Read the entire story here.

Video: Obama Decries Rising Cost of College Education: MyFoxCHICAGO.com

• Save more for retirement – By increasing retirement plan contributions, you can reduce your income for tax purposes. Taxpayers can contribute up to $16,500 to a 401(k), 403(b) or Federal Government Thrift Savings Plan; those over age 50 can contribute an additional $5,500.

• Prepay January payments in December – Taking care of your January mortgage payment, 4th quarter state tax estimate, or winter semester tuition now lets you claim these payments on your 2011 tax return.

• Get to the doctor – If you are holding off on a major medical procedure until after the holidays, stop procrastinating and make an appointment now to increase your 2011 medical expense deductions.

• Give to charity – Giving cash and non-cash donations to charity can give back on your taxes. And volunteering time counts too, which means volunteers throughout the country may be able to deduct their out-of-pocket expenses on a tax return.

• Save energy, save $500 on your taxes – If you are planning to buy an energy saving hot water heater or install energy efficient windows or insulation to your home, do it now.  Up to $500 in credit may be available for making energy-related home improvements.

As a leading consumer advocate (www.stopthesecriminals.com), well-respected debt collector and bestselling author (Out of Control: Cases of Debt-Collection Abuse in America & What We Can Do About It), Bill Bartmann is available to help you avoid holiday spending mishaps.

Beware of the phony debt collector…
These days, falling behind on some bills is the new normal since so many people are juggling unemployment checks or part time salaries. But that opens the door for fake collectors to scam people out of credit card numbers and bank account information. According to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a debt collector cannot threaten arrest, call you after 9 p.m., at your place of work or contact others regarding your debt. If so, that person may very well be a scam artist.

Don’t be ‘naughty’ with your credit cards…
Credit cards can be useful tools for consumers, but you have to be careful not to abuse them during the holiday season. They can spell a quick slide into unmanageable debt if misused. Creditcards.com reported that the average credit card debt per household was $15,799 and the average annual percentage rate on credit card with a balance on it was 13.10 percent, as of May 2011.

Have no fear; help is on the way…
Not paying off debt can have other consequences besides having to dole out extra cash due to a high interest rate. A lowered credit score can affect your ability to snag a great deal on your next car, appliance, home or other purchases – or may prevent you from obtaining future credit altogether. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, 70% of consumers surveyed say they have noticed new credit card disclosures on their bills. But fewer than one-third say this caused them to make bigger payments or stop charging up their cards.

The yields that are currently being generated by other market opportunities are driving investors to seek out these financial instruments, according to Risk Magazine. Pershing Securities, a New Jersey-based firm that offers structured financial instruments and and ETFs as well as acting as a clearing house, has observed the number of ETF positions taken by clients of its firm spike 56 percent in the last year.

“With current yields in the U.S., investors are looking outside of just money markets and bond funds… and a lot of the answers are coming in the form of equity dividends,” Sandra Motusesky, director of investment solutions for product management and development at the company, told the media outlet.

Dow Jones has responded to the surging demand for these dividend paying funds by offering more dividend indices, according to the media outlet. Of the ETFs that have seen the largest of influx of funds this year, several of the top five are appealing because of their dividends, ETF Database reports.

The poll asked people the following question: “just thinking about your own situation, how much money per year would you need to make in order to consider yourself rich?”

The participants provided responses ranging from as little as less than $60,000 in annual income to more than $1 million, according to the survey.

The New York Times reports that having a household income of $150,000 would place that household ahead of either 89 percent or 90 percent of households.

The current debate surrounding “tax credits for the rich” involves additional tax benefits provided to individuals earning more than $250,000 per year and families generating more than $200,000 per year. Households earning this amount are somewhere between the 96th and 97th percentiles.

The results varied significantly depending on demographic differences. Young people without families generally do not have to worry about coping with high expenses, though loans have proven an increasingly heavy burden for many young Americans.

The new treaty requires countries in the European Union to limit their deficits to no more than 0.5 percent of their gross domestic product, though that rule can be bent under certain circumstances. It will also impose penalties for those who break that rule and require a greater degree of information sharing.

The treaty did not garner full support of all member nations, with the U.K. and Hungary refusing to support the treaty, though all members of the euro zone voted in favor and it also received a welcome boost from Mario Draghi, the head of the European Central Bank.

‘It is a very good outcome for euro area members and it’s going to be the basis for a good fiscal compact and more disciplined economic policy in euro area countries,” Draghi said, according to The Times.

That same morning, however, The New York Times notes that Moody’s Investors Service also downgraded the credit ratings of three of the largest banks in France – Société Générale, BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole – illustrating the still growing impact of the debt crisis.

USA Today reports that the Standard & Poor's 500 index yielded a meager 1.4 percent between January 1, 2011 and November 30, 2011, according to data provided by money management firm IFA.com. In contrast, an investor who created a portfolio including other assets, such as a 40 percent allocation to bonds, yielded 5.7 percent during the same time frame.

Equities have been particularly hard-hit since the Dow peaked in July of 2007. The media outlet reports that an investor who bought the best stocks of 2007 and held onto them during the ensuing recession would have a portfolio down 60 percent.

Although asset classes have a higher correlation in a bear market than in a bull market, diversification can provide benefits regardless of economic conditions. Young investors might benefit from researching this investment technique when participating in long-term planning.  

The Associated Press reports that Verizon, one of Google’s key allies in the mobile sphere, has decided not to include the company’s new Google Wallet function in its latest smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Verizon was integral in the promotion of Android-based phones as an alternative to iPhones, but the company has been slow to warm up to the Wallet app, which is designed to allow users to attach virtual “credit cards” to the phone and pay by simply tapping the phone on a type of reader.

Verizon noted potential security concerns with the new system, but the company’s reticence to adopt the technology likely stems at least in part with its place in ISIS, a group of telecommunications companies that are hoping to create their own mobile payments system.

The only phone currently allowing the use of Google Wallet is run through Sprint, which is not a part of ISIS. The Los Angeles Times notes that the move to block Google Wallet is particularly surprising given that the Galaxy Nexus was designed specifically to have such capabilities.

Wide selloffs have left the stocks of many companies that are in a strong financial positions with low price-to-earnings ratios, according to the media outlet. Companies headquartered in the United States are currently sitting on $2 trillion in cash, which could set the stage for moves aimed at rewarding shareholders such as raising dividends, acquiring other companies and engaging in share buybacks.

Various market experts shared their input and predictions at the event. Shawn Kravetz, who works as the chief investment officer of Esplanade Capital, said that investors might have to lose their thirst for companies with fast profits and instead put their money in organizations that will generate slow, steady growth, the media outlet reports.

“Things aren’t generally getting worse and in many cases we’re getting a little bit better,” he told the media outlet. “If you stick to your game plan and let the markets come to you,” challenges in the past nine months will prove a “gift in disguise.”

Investors who purchased stock right after the financial crisis had the opportunity for very strong returns simply by holding their equities for a few years.