DuPont

It's widely known that millionaires and billionaires pay taxes at a lower rate than those of us who make much less. But did you know that Americans collectively pay far higher income tax rates than many U.S. companies with billions of dollars in profits?

From PepsiCo to Avon to Xerox, these women are responsible for some of the biggest companies and brands that consumers touch and feel everyday. And this year, there's a new No. 1 on Fortune's list of the most powerful women.

DailyFinance collects all the new recalls here each week to help you keep track of the food and products to avoid. This week's recalls include vehicles, an herbicide from DuPont, a pin from the Build-A-Bear Workshop, step stools and of course, a ground turkey from Cargill.

Once unknown to most U.S. investors, Syngenta has blossomed as one of the world's leading agribusiness companies, with a hefty 19% global share in the multibillion-dollar crop-protection market and 11% in seed production. Its stock is near a record high.

Companies such as Duke Energy and DuPont are off and running with megamergers early this year. Even Playboy is among the dealers. And market pros say the trend is far from over. Why are so many U.S. companies tying the knot? Fast growth is hard to come by in any other strategy.

Wall Street's consensus sees the S&P 500 tacking on an 11% gain over the next 12 months -- with lots of ups and downs along the way. That has us inclined to play defense, with an eye toward bargain stocks paying generous, sustainable dividends. Here are our top 11 picks for 2011.

DuPont (DD) reported third-quarter earnings of 40 cents per share, down from 45 cents per share a year earlier. Sales grew 17% from a year earlier to $7 billion, the company said in a statement. Sales grew 22% in emerging markets. Sponsored Links The company saw a decline of 13 cents per share...

Since the recession began, more than 8 million Americans have lost their jobs. But perhaps even more surprising is the small number of companies that are responsible for laying off such a large percentage of today's unemployed workers.

The first peak week of reports was just what the market ordered, thanks to some beat-and-raise results from Dow blue chips. This week has more big names on tap. And again, jittery investors will be looking closely, especially for revenue growth. [With video]

DailyFinance profiled the 33-year-old widowed mother last month as part of a series of stories on "The New Homeless." Now, thanks to some generous readers, Paul and her nine-year-old daughter Alyssa are preparing to move into their own apartment.