As America’s wobbly economy begins to stabilize, many people with money saved up and good credit should consider buying a home now. Home prices have come down a lot, and interest rates are at historic lows.

Not that the danger signs aren’t still out there: job losses, distressed home sales and foreclosure filings are likely to continue. In fact, a new forecast of real estate prices predicts home values could go down further in 342 out of 381 markets by next summer.

Overall, the national median home price could drop another 11percent by June of 2010, says Fiserv, a financial information and analysis firm. Nevertheless, both home prices and mortgage rates have dropped more than any other time in history.

While you can safely bet that prices still have more room to come down, that bet may not be such a sure thing when it comes to interest rates. Right now a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is hovering around 5 percent, the lowest in half a century. They are low in part due to a flush of cash from the Federal Reserve since last year’s financial meltdown that has kept interest rates low. The problem is the longer we have low rates, the more we risk fueling inflation.

Although we don’t have any hard evidence that consumer prices are going up right now, you can bet the policy makers at the Fed are closely monitoring the situation. Just the fear of inflation may prompt the Fed to start pushing rates up again - and sooner than you think.

What that means for procrastinating home buyers is this: putting off a purchase now could cost you more in the long run. For the sake of illustration, let’s say you close on a single-family home next month at the latest national median home price of $177,500, and you’re able to secure a mortgage rate of 5 percent. Over the lifetime of the loan, you could pay out a total of $378,500 for your home.

Let’s say you put off your purchase to September of next year, but you’re able to get the same home at a lower price of $160,000. That’s a savings of $17,500, right? But, what if the loans on offer have inched up two percentage points higher than what you can get right now? Your total home purchase over the lifetime of the loan could cost you as high as $414,600. That lower priced home at the higher rate of 7 percent will end up costing you some $36,000 more in the long run.

That’s why if you have credit and cash right now, it could be an excellent opportunity to buy a house. Tell us what you think. Call in with your thoughts to the Ali Velshi Show on CNN Radio at 1-877-266-4189, Wednesday starting 11 a.m. EDT.

Join Ali Velshi on CNN Radio, back from traveling the country where he talked to Americans on the ground about their concerns on the economy and health care reform.

One year ago this week, America's sub-prime crisis became a global financial crisis. What had been a downturn fueled by falling home prices and mortgage defaults became, in a matter of days, something much bigger.

Now the credit freeze has eased up, the stock market has recovered 40 percent from its low, and the housing market is beginning to stabilize. But, during the same time some 5.5 million workers have lost their jobs.

Despite that, many economists now think the recession is over. Call in to CNN Radio’s Ali Velshi Show and let us what you think.

The labor market is actually shrinking before our eyes. Of the American population aged 16 and older, 59.2 percent has a job, according to the Labor Department, down 3.5 percentage points since the recession began in December 2007.

Face it: It's a job market unlike any you've probably seen in your lifetime - especially if you are generation X or later. The jobless rate has not been this high since 1983. (The Police had the top single, "Every Breath You Take") It's taking longer to get a new job, you're taking a pay cut to keep the old one or you're doing the work of two others who have been laid off.

Where there is good news in the labor market, it is that mass layoffs are slowing. But many think the jobless rate will certainly touch 10 percent.

There are millions of people not even counted in the 9.7 percent jobless figures who are having a very difficult time trying to re-enter, competing with the throngs of newly laid-off. Not even counted in the official jobless statistics are stay-at-home moms who need to go back to work to feed their families. And there are discouraged workers who have struggled to find employment since the last recession ended in 2003.

There are hundreds of thousands of uncounted older workers, people who have already retired and have not worked in several years but now must go back to work because their home values have dropped and their savings plans have taken a hit.

You are not going to "hope" yourself to a new job. Advice to "stay positive" is pretty much meaningless when there are almost six qualified applicants for every job opening in this country. So we're going beyond the cliches and the official statistics and help you survive this grueling jobs market.

Which areas offer the best chance for getting a job? How to get a job in health care that is not low-paid but offers opportunity for growth? How to position within your shrinking company for a better job once the economy turns around? CNN's Christine Romans is in for Ali Velshi to answer all these questions and take your calls about the job market on CNN Radio Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET. E-mail us all your questions and concerns about the jobs market. It is, after all, the backbone of your economy.

Call us at 877-266-4189 or email at Ali@CNN.com on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET.

Are the best days of this country behind it? By the looks of the projected budget deficit numbers, your government is spending like crazy to make sure that is not the case. The White House projects a budget deficit totaling more than $9 trillion dollars (that's 12 zeros) over the next ten years.

The math is pretty simple. Government spending is skyrocketing and government tax revenue is plummeting. That equals red ink. The calculus here is that investments and spending in the economy today will nurture an economic recovery that will grow tax receipts in the future.

Fiscal conservatives fear mountains of debt on our children, an unhealthy reliance of foreign governments to buy our debt and finance our spending, a growing portion of the nation's wealth going toward interest payments rather than investment, a weak dollar and hyperinflation down the road.

The president's supporters say a whole series of crises was foisted on him, and he has no choice but to spend big to make sure American living standards grow in the future. (Think energy, health care, banking regulation, consumer protection...) In his announcement of his re-appointment of Fed Chief Ben Bernanke, he hailed a strategy of "bold, persistent, experimentation." It's a phrase first used by FDR in 1932, when he promised to try, and abandon, and try again, whatever it took to rescue the American economy. It shows how high the stakes remain today.

At what price? You can see for yourself on a telling chart provided on homepage of the Congressional Budget Office. A chart there shows the size of the budget deficit in relation to the overall economy. (It's approaching 12 percent of GDP, the largest since World War II.)

The CBO says the deficits reflect all the measures to rescue the economy, including bailouts of banks and lenders and automakers. So where's YOUR bailout? Cash For Clunkers is over, so no more free money for you there. (And, might I add, you had to take on a new car payment and probably extra insurance, so it's not so free after all.)

Plans are under way for a sort of Cash for Appliances stimulus program. You might not have noticed, but there is a tax break in your paycheck, if you don't already make too much money. And if you didn't have a clunker to junk, you can still write off the state, local and excise taxes for a new car (up to $49,500) on your 2009 tax return. and don't forget the piece de la resistance - the $8,000 credit for first-time homebuyers (under a certain income limit, of course) is good until the end of the year.

Which brings me back to the original question: Are the best days of this country behind it? I want to hear your thoughts, and answer your questions about America's great financial experiment. Do you think American living standards will continue to rise? Why or why not? In what ways are you benefiting from all the bailouts and stimulus?

Tell us what you think. Email me at CNNRadio@CNN.com. Then call in on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET at 877-266-4189. I'll answer your questions on health care when I fill in for Ali Velshi this week and next week on the Ali Velshi show on CNN Radio and CNN.com.

Forget the town hall shouting and screaming, how about some answers to clear up the confusion over the direction of your health care in America?

For almost two weeks now, the noise around health care reform has been dominated by, well, noise. And Americans are more confused than ever about what all this means for them. We need clear language and no flip-flopping from Washington about what's in the legislation and what will it mean for Americans.

The challenge is for the president and his team to clear up some significant questions and take back the debate. Somehow health care town halls became a place to show support for gun-ownership rights.

Here's what Americans want to know: Where does the president stand on the public option for health insurance? Does he support the government-run plan, or a non-profit cooperative and what would that look like? What are the differences between what President Obama actually wants, and what he thinks he can get through Congress?

Some days, it looks like the debate been dominated by the "no" crowd, who are opposed to any change whatsoever. Democrats and the president seem to be losing the public relations battle on health care. There's not much time for them to take it back, if reform is what they really want. For those opposed, let’s have a full discussion of their proposed alternatives. What are they? How will they help? And how will it affect you?

It all sounds like a lot of politics, but it matters to you: whether you have company-sponsored insurance, no insurance at all, or you fall under one of the current government health care plans. For more almost two weeks, information about health care reform has been replaced by opinion, rumor and fear. We need to get back to information. Solutions. Strategies. Now.

I want to hear your questions. Have you read the bill HR 3200? Tell us what you think. Email me at CNNRadio@CNN.com. Then call in on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET at 877-266-4189. I’ll answer your questions on health care when I fill-in for Ali Velshi this week and next week on the Ali Velshi show on CNN Radio and CNN.com.

Amidst the controversy of health care reform that is sweeping across the nation, we decided to hit the road and take this story to where it matters most — Main St. USA.

Riding on the CNN Express, we are driving from Atlanta, Georgia, all the way to Des Moines, Iowa. Along the way we are going to stop in the heartland of America and simply let the people tell their own story. What currently works for Americans’ heath care coverage? What is in drastic need of change? How will the proposed government plan actually affect people’s lives?

But, in order to truly have an open and honest discussion, I need your help! Instead of answering the questions and discussing the topics I choose, this conversation must begin and end with you. After all, it’s your coverage and it’s your health.

Send in any questions you have about health care reform and help us tell the world what actually needs to be done by answering one question: What do you want in your health care coverage?

Email me at ali@cnn.com, tweet me @alivelshi, or post your comments to Facebook.com/AliVelshicnn. Then call in on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET at 877-266-4189. I’ll take your calls on health care and the economy live from the road.

There are signs that the economy may be starting to recover.

Last fall, Congress passed TARP —- the massive bailout of the nation’s big banks—- while the Fed lowered interest rates to practically zero and flooded money into the system. Those actions restored the business cycle and pulled the economy back from the brink. By the spring, all those extraordinary efforts were starting to show dividends in the economy.

While all that government intervention could be paying off, how will we pay for it all? The government needs to pay down that debt by raising revenue—- and that means raising taxes.

President Obama painted himself into a pickle when promised not to raise taxes on the “middle class”—- households making less than $250,000. But, economists warn that he can’t keep his promise. Now certain Administration officials refuse to rule that option out.

But, could all this talk about taxes right now dampen the chances of recovery right just when things appear to be getting better?

Call 1-877-266-4189 during CNN Radio's Ali Velshi show from 11 a.m.to noon each Wednesday with your questions and comments on taxes and the ballooning debt.

The economy is expected to come out of recession later this year, according to many forecasters. And as the economy starts to pick up, companies will slowly start thinking about hiring again. So now may be the time to start planning for that eventuality, and take a look at where these new jobs will be found.

Finance, information technology and manufacturing industries still continue to see a steady decline in jobs, while sales, customer service and business development seem to be at a standstill. But CareerBuilder.com - an online service for job seekers - does see jobs growth in three major sectors. Here is what they say:

1) Healthcare: This is the fastest growing industry in terms of jobs, averaging at 93,000 new jobs per month. Jobs in demand include both medical and administrative positions, because of a growing elderly population.

2) Insurance: Partly as a result of growth in healthcare, the insurance industry is growing at a rate of 54,000 jobs per month, in spite of the economic downturn.

3) Government and Education: The growing population in the U.S. is increasing demand for government programs and school administration, creating a need for an additional 20,000 employees per month.

Continued growth in these sectors is consistent with what the Labor Department has been reporting in its monthly employment reports. But CareerBuilder.com says it sees a 10 percent increase in the number of construction jobs available since the beginning of 2009, noting that recent projects launched by the government are opening up job opportunities in the industry.

To be sure, housing construction is still way down from its highs during the housing bubble - so I'm still cautious about growth prospects in construction in the near future.

Still, wherever you look for a job, try not to limit yourself - take advantage of your transferable skill sets. People tend to think of their job titles and industries as defining them, but in today’s economy you need to broaden your appeal to succeed.

For example, if you're an accountant or a financial analyst looking for work, you shouldn't just send your resumes out to banks. Your skills and experience and experience could be transferable to a growth industry like healthcare or education. That's something to think about.

Ali Velsh is CNN's Chief Business Correspondent

President Barack Obama announced new rules on Tuesday to get the auto industry to make more fuel efficient cars and light trucks. Under current rules, automakers are supposed to manufacture car fleets that average 25 miles per gallon.

That means that some cars in an automaker's "fleet" can have better fuel mileage, while other vehicles - SUVs, mini-vans and the like - come in well below the government mandated average.

Obama's new proposal would toughen fuel efficiency standards to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016. The automakers seem to be on board, because Obama's new rules propose a federal standard for fuel efficiency standards, taking the bite out of states like California that impose tougher rules than the rest of the country.

Still, the new rules as proposed will push automakers to make and sell more fuel-efficient cars - meaning more compacts, hybrids and the like. The question is will Americans want to buy smaller cars? Here are some things they will have to consider:

1) Cost vs. savings. The White House says all the new rules - including some recently enacted - will increase the price of a car by a total of $1,300 per vehicle; but, that does not factor in the long term savings consumers could see at the gas pump. If more Americans start driving fuel-efficient cars over the long haul, that could ease demand on gasoline and keep prices down.

2) The environment. According to some, the United States consumes up to 10 percent of world oil output just driving their cars and trucks (including big-rigs transporting goods across the country). Obama argues that more fuel efficient cars on the road will make a dent in carbon emission in this country.

3) Energy security. Obama has even couched his tougher rules in national security terms, because America's growing dependence on imported oil has become such a burning issue in Washington.

Obviously, Americans will decide what vehicles suit their needs, and if all the tougher standards do get enacted, they will have to pay more to buy their SUVs.

Still, the U.S. is just playing catch up with the rest of the world. Japan plans to move to the 35.5 miles per gallon car fleet average next year, six years ahead of President Obama's proposal. And, the European Union is pushing for a more ambitious 47 miles per gallon car fleet average by 2012. We're not there yet!

Ali Velshi is CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent

After weeks of steady gains, the stock market has regained all of its losses sustained since the beginning of this year. If you were to chart the year-to-date performance for the S&P 500 index, it would look like a big letter 'V'.

Imagine a line starting on January 1, sliding down to this year's low point on March 9, and then shooting back up to this week, back at the same level from the start of the year. Since the S&P is tied to so many of our 401(k) retirement plans and mutual funds, now may be the time to take a look at stocks again.

The stock market is what we call a "leading indicator" on the economy, meaning stocks can be one of the first signs that a recovery is around the corner. And, there are other signs out there showing we may have bottomed out in this recession: Pending home sales jumped 3.2 percent in March, and construction spending inched up 0.3 percent in the same month.

Last week, the Economic Cycle Research Institute - a leading research group that has a near perfect record in forecasting this stuff - predicted the recession could end as soon as this summer. And now, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says recovery will begin later this year.

So, what can you do now to plan for a recovery later this year? If you still have a job, and you're in good health, you can start by prioritizing your finances:

1) Take a fresh look at your high-interest debt. Make a serious attempt to pay off your credit card balances as the economy starts to improve.

2) Save for a rainy day. Set aside at least six months worth of cash to get you by, just in case.

3) Revisit your investment portfolio. Review your retirement accounts and mutual funds, and re-balance your investments to meet your long-term goals.

Stocks may have recovered this year's losses, but they're still down over 40 percent from their highs in October 2007. But, as prospects grow for an end to this recession, the stock market could be poised for more gains going forward. So, now is the time to start planning ahead.

Visit my online tool at at cnnmoney.com/ali to help you measure your investment goals. There you will be prompted with seven simple questions that will help you balance your portfolio to fit with your goals and your appetite for risk.

Ali Velshi is CNN’s Chief Business Correspondent