Chile

Everyone's predicting the worst for Social Security. But should the chance of cuts in a quarter-century really have us in a panic today? Retirement expert Dan Caplinger explains why there's really no need for major changes.

With all the talk about taxes and whether we should lower them, you'd think that the citizens and corporations of the United States face steep tax rates. You'd be wrong, though. When it comes to taxes, things are not as they appear.

They're gearing up for a potentially damaging round of currency interventions to help keep their economies competitive, especially against China. Says Brazilian Finance Minister Guido Mantega: "This is a currency war that is turning into a trade war."

The big winners of 2010 scored returns far above those of U.S. markets by piggybacking on China's ferocious growth. But rebounding American equities look mighty impressive next to the year's real losers: the victims of the eurozone debt crisis.

Family, rest, hot food -- and a really cool pair of shades. That's what a miner needs after being trapped underground for more than two months. Eyewear maker Oakley is handling that last part: It has provided free high-performance sunglasses to the 33 Chilean mine workers being rescued Wednesday.

This week, David Cay Johnston published a thought experiment titled How Would You Invest $1 Billion Under the Current Tax System? Its premise is that if we use tax policy to boost demand, we can find more profitable ways to invest. It's a premise DailyFinance columnist and venture capitalist Peter Cohen rejects.

Some of the best reads for investors from around the Web, including five cheap stocks that have climbed smoothly upward in a volatile market, a comparison of four iPhone generations and what technology has in common with crack.

Chile's 8.8-scale earthquake on Saturday came at the end of the summer harvest for Latin America's largest economy and a major supplier of fruit, wine and fish to the U.S. Some analysts say higher prices for Chilean food exports are likely, although the full extent of the damage has yet to be determined.

Projected insured losses from the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 range from $2 billion to more than $8 billion. When the total economic damage is tallied, losses from one of the worst quakes ever recorded may exceed $15 billion.

Shares in Asia closed higher Monday, with copper mining companies skyrocketing in China in the wake of Saturday's massive earthquake in Chile.