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title: 'More Money Monday roundup: Bag taxes & cheap cures for the cold'
description: 'Personal finance from around the Web: Economists at the American Economic Association''s annual meeting agree that a bleak job market and a disappointing real estate…'
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> **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/).

![More Money Monday roundup: Bag taxes & cheap cures for the cold](https://money.com/img/logo-social.png)

Personal finance from around the Web:

-   Economists at the [American Economic Association](http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AEA/)'s annual meeting agree that a bleak job market and a disappointing real estate sector will [prevent US growth](http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6021LK20100103) in the coming decade. \[Reuters\]

-   Bad news for the waiters and taxi drivers expecting big tips at that above-mentioned economists' convention: Economists are some of the world's biggest [cheapskates](http://money.blogs.time.com/2010/01/04/guess-whos-cheap-people-who-know-lots-about-money/). \[It's Your Money via [WSJ](http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126238854939012923.html)\]

-   Let's be honest here: The District of Columbia's new [five-cent "fee"](http://www.taxfoundation.org/blog/show/25673.html) on shoppers' paper and plastic bags isn't a fee. It's a tax. \[Tax Foundation\]

-   iPhone accessory company Mophie plans to launch a [credit card reader](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/ces/6931255/iPhone-credit-card-reader-to-launch-at-CES.html) at the annual Consumer Electronics Show this week. The device would allow users to swipe their cards, enabling an internal iPhone app to process the transaction. \[Telegraph\]

-   If you have a cold, don't waste money on ineffective vitamins or medications; instead, try these [practical tips](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/health/02patient.html) for battling the sniffles without the hurting your wallet. \[The New York Times\]

-   Fed Chairman Ben [Bernanke still doesn't understand](http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2010/01/bernanke-cause-of-credit-crisis/) what caused the housing bubble. \[The Big Picture\]

*Follow More Money on Twitter at [http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog](http://twitter.com/moremoneyblog)*.

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