6 Smart "Bailout" Moves to Make Now

So, we have a bailout bill. Fat lot of good it's doing us, isn't it?

The good news, though, is that there's enough tax money to pay for AIG's massage bill at a posh resort!

The market is in a nosedive; the U.S. economy is still in trouble, as is Europe; investors feel out of control; constrained credit has choked consumer spending; and many Americans don't believe that the bailout bill (sorry, we mean "rescue" package) will indeed "rescue" us from a continued recession, even a depression. (The disgusting earmarks in the bill make it even more depressing.)

There's no doubt that many Americans are having trouble meeting even basic expenses, as witnessed by a recent AARP survey that found that one in five baby boomers are cutting or eliminating their retirement saving to pay day-to-day expenses.

Specifically, 83% of the survey respondents said they didn't have any income left at the end of the month after paying their bills.

While all of us are struggling to pay our bills on time and maintain a good credit rating, the government is going to come looking for our dollars to bailout the greed and bad decisions of both some Wall Street fat cats (who got their money) and self-serving lawmakers in Washington – instead of protecting American families like they should.

Socializing losses and privatizing profits for the financial elite absolutely disgusts us. The total amount pledged in this bailout could, ultimately, cost each and every American $15,000, so there is no doubt that this bailout is going to require a tax hike for all of us. Plus, dramatically increasing the money supply to help pay for this bill increases the chances of hyperinflation. It's entirely possible, and, in our opinion, likely, that we will see the costs of food, gas and heating oil soar even more than they already have.

Tempting as it may be to go buy a bunch of water and canned goods and head for the fall-out shelter, let's take a deep breath, step back and talk about what you can do to survive this crisis.

Next: 6 Moves to Make Now