Over summer vacation many students work hard at jobs they may or may not like, earning money to help them get through the school year. This is perhaps especially true for college students who, away from home for the first time, are just getting their feet wet with managing their expenses (of which there are many) on a shoe-string budget.

As college students are settling into the fall semester, many are probably realizing how quickly the money they earned over the summer can go. When you’re a full-time student it can be difficult to find ways to earn enough money to cover your expenses during the school year. As a result, it’s vital that college students are smart about how they spend their money and maintain a strict budget.

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Back in July we talked about an opportunity in Eastman Kodak (NYSE:EK) and today we are still bullish on the stock. Since our previous post, the stock continues to trade sideways but not with out direction. Some of you may have noticed the resistance around $28.50 - $29.00 but also take the series of higher lows over the past couple weeks. Despite the technical setup here and bullish nature of the stock over the last year, we see reason for concern fundamentally.

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Credit rating agencies assign grades to bonds that signify a mark of financial soundness and regularity in interest and principal payments. The ratings range from AAA for the highest quality bond instruments to BBB for medium quality bond instruments to CCC for low quality bond instruments, and D for instruments in default. They also have various sub ratings within them. These ratings are regularly updated and published in various investment sites and blogs.

An interesting article by Tara Perkins & Boyd Erman titled "Misguided or Misunderstood?" mentions the history of credit rating agencies. They originated in the 1860's when Henry Varnum Poor and his son Henry William Poor published the Manual of Railroads of the United States. Followed by John Moody in 1910, who began analyzing railroads and assigning ratings to them. Soon after, in the 1930's, it was established that ratings must be assigned to bonds and commercial papers.

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The summer has gone WAY too quickly, and while that means we need to begin bracing ourselves for cooler weather and shorter days, it also means that it is officially the back to school season. Students, teachers and parents are enjoying their last few weeks of summer vacation and making plans to get back into the scholastic routine.

But whether you’re heading back to school, supporting someone that’s going back to school, or think the first day of school has no bearing on you, this year, instead of just thinking about school supplies, lunch boxes and cool new clothes, we at 22Dollars.com encourage you to also use this as a chance to reflect on your finances.

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