states will all play parts in this year's forum. wednesday liz will speak with mark wine merger of ernst & young and the head of btb bank management. >> that is it for us. coming up next "the willis report." gerri: hello everybody, i'm gerri willis and this is the "willis report," the show where consumers are our business. president obama's robin hood tax plan, take from the well-off and give to the everybody else. we'll break down the proposal. >> raising taxes on people that are successful is not going to make people struggling more successful. gerri: new report on the sorry state of higher education. nearly half of all students graduate without basic skills to hold down a job. food prices are going through the roof. they just went up by the biggest amount in three years. are we about to get some relief at the supermarket? also, it's the movie that is breaking box office records and has everybody talking. "american sniper," conservatives

love it and liberals can't decide what to make of it. >> i just want to get the bad guys, but if i can't see them i can't shoot them. gerri: a special series this week, our user's guide to retirement. the best way to stretch that retirement dollar. all that and more coming up on "the willis report" where consumers are our business. gerri: we begin tonight with president obama playing the role of robin hood. he is pushing for $320 billion in tax increases on the wealthy to pay for middle class tax cuts. but as critics say, it is another bald attempt for votes. we have pete hegseth, guy benson political editor for townhall.com. ed butowsky manager at chatwood investment management. welcome to all. pete start with you. one of the real centerpieces of this so-called plan would be a second increase on capital

gains. president obama already raised capital gains once. it went under his watch from 15% to 23-point%. now he wants to make it 28%. that is near doubling. what do you make of this? is that any way to really give the middle class prosperity? what do you say? >> absolutely not. this is really the third bite at the apple. obamacare raised it by 3.8, so-called taxpayer relief act of 2012 raised it by five points. so, now we might take it to 28. the president claim, well this is just what the rate was under ronald reagan who cares? gerri: right. >> well under the 1986 tax reform when the capital gains rate went to 28%, realizations of capital gains plunged by half and so did revenues. that's the point. you raised the rate, you get less revenue, not more. in fact, steve moore, who was just in this chair before me, did a study when bill clinton signed a bill from the

republican congress cutting the capital gains rate back from 28 to 20%. and, realizations went up and revenues went up. gerri: lots of details there. ed, i want to turn to you. wow, so, a lot of people out there say, oh, yeah, bleed the 1% that's a great idea. we're talking about couples that earn $500,000. can i tell you, long island, new jersey, probably where you live in texas all kind of places all over the country, there are people who earn that kind of money, will have to pay more and more. how do they feel about it? >> first of all, nobody feels good about this even more importantly, gerri, what is interesting, it will never get passed. >> leave that for a political commentator, analysis whether it can go but what i want to know from you, will people accept this, and is this really anyway to spread the wealth in this country because that is what the president wants to do? >> this is classic wealth distribution take more money from people. almost like shoplifting. it's a little bit here, a little

bit there. they might not feel it. here's reality it will not help anything either. means basically they will take money, a proposal from people who have earned it who really grown this economy helped the economy grow pay most of federal taxes, not just federal income taxes but all the other taxes let get them again to give money to people who is there is absolutely no i have had any of this wealth distribution has helped anything. gerri: preaching to the choir. guy, to you, answer that question for us, about whether congress will even go for this? >> of course they won't, and i think it is so important, gerri, the most useful way i think to analyze these proposals from the president is not to treat them or confront them as a serious policy matter. gerri: right. >> or as an economic proposition but rather as a political posturing opportunitying for the president and his party. they know, they have conceded privately to members of the media that this has zero chance of passing a republican-held

congress. but what does this present though what it does present the opportunity for democrats and the president to cast themselves as defenders of the working class and cast republican as nasty, cold-hearted rich folks. gerri: get to pete with that for a second. because what the president wants to do is take $320 billion he squeezes out of so-called 1%, which is more like the top 25% and give it out as a tax credit to working families of 500 bucks. want to expand the child tax care tax credit to 3,000. pete, back me up, that is part of the tax cold is full of fraud. people steal money out of it. so you don't even pay taxes. the government sends you a check. is that right? >> nearly one in four of the earned income tax credit dollars are lost to improper payments. it will go up under this plan. we have to remember that unlike leaving money in people's pockets, these refundable credits are actually giving money back that they never paid

in taxes in the first place. we're talking about more than $100 billion over the 10-year life of this plan in new spending associated with the tax credits, not lost revenues. gerri: so, ed, let me ask you this question, in your view and you're managing peoples money every single day what is the best way to incent people to invest, the best way to incent people to grow businesses, hire people, what do you do? >> create an environment to do that. almost looking outside of your house, if it is raining and storms you're not going out. if it is sunny, let me go out there to see what is going on, there is a friendly environment you're going to do that. when it comes to investing that is exactly what people look like or look at. if you go outside and see the storm clouds, regulations, higher tax, antis about environment, you see that you're not going out there. that is what the economy needs is a positive environment to do business. gerri: guy i think republicans will balk at this. what they really want is real

tax reform. tell us what that would mean, a and b what is the possibility of that happening? >> that's a very good question. first of all when it comes to this specific issue i think republicans would be well-served served by and large ignore these proposals. you can't completely ignore it arguing on merits falls into this trap because the president really isn't interested in the merits quite frankly for reasons i discussed earlier. when it comes to broader tax reform, that is at least a stated goal of both parties. one of those opportunities may be for folks to come together and that is where some of these loopholes and deductions and changes, perhaps republicans ought to be open and allow them to be on the table, but only in the context of a broader flattening and lowering of rates across the board. gerri: make a good point. i wanted to for the fun of it, actually walk through the dog's breakfast of programs the president has suggested since the beginning of this year, each of them has a price tag. pete, you can weigh in first.

paid sick leave everybody will get paid six leave out there, free college two years free college. the government's going to pay your insurance premium on your mortgage. pete, when you stand back and look at this this isn't even possible, is fit. >> no. tens of billions of dollars added to the deficit. our research arm will cost outline by line every item in his speech and i can tell you it will be a lot more money than what is already opinion put on the -- speech and it will be much more money than put on table. gerri: ed. >> if someone thinks $500 more in somebody's pocket will help the middle class, they are a fool. gerri: idea of giving people free money -- >> it is not american. >> pete ed guy we'll be listening. can't wait to hear what you guys say on the other side. to hear the president's plan on taxes but free giveaways on your dollar, watch the state of

the union right here on fox business. of coverage starts tomorrow at 8:00 p.m. you want to see this. our very own neil cavuto will host it. tune in for that. president obama loaded his sixth state of the union address as we were saying tax benefits for middle class. what kind of support can he expect from congress? with more, republican congressman andy harris welcome to the show. i just don't see how congress is going to give any of this support. are you supportive of what the president has talked about over the weekend? >> no, absolutely not. you know, he has tried increasing taxes on wealthy two years ago. income inequality is greater than ever. because he doesn't realize that you don't tax capital and capital formation and capital expenditures. that is exactly what he is doing here exactly the wrong way to go. >> you know, it is interesting because i think the republicans are constantly talking about broad tax reform. a look at the code. especially when it comes to corporate taxes of the president seems more interested in

redistribution. what do you make of that plan? >> that is all this plan is. it is some income redistribution and in the end it is actually a net increase in revenues. look, he is increasing taxes. increasing spending. just didn't get a message from last november's election. gerri: there seems to be a lot of ignoring of the election which i'm kind of astonished at. i think back to bill clinton when he was president. if things went against him in election boy, he turned 180 degrees and did it overnight but this president doesn't do that. why? >> i think this president doesn't understand the american economy. he doesn't understand what makes america successful and what really will allow middle class families to earn more. it is actually improving our business environment. it is improving our capitol flow i am proving capitalization of businesses. what the president will go against what we hear he will dot in state of the union tomorrow.

gerri: one final question. state of the union seems to be losing viewers all the time. in 2010, it attacked 48 million. down 31% in 2014 as you can see here. has this speech just become too long, too boring, too much of a list of things that nobody expects to become law? >> i think you hit the nail on the head. they have heard this president before make promises to american people and promise to revive the economy. it hasn't been revived. they have just, they have grown tired of the same old, same old. >> congressman, thanks for coming on. >> thank you. >> now we want to know what you think, here is our question tonight. will you watch the state of the union? and if you do, you should be watching it right here on fbn by the way. log on to gerriwillis.com. vote on the right-hand side of the screen. i will share the results at the end of tonight's show. we've got more to come this hour, including a warning to parents of college students. what you don't know about the

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>> got again unaids that she handed to the kid -- grenades. >> hand i had it to the kid? >> got ice on this, can you confirm? >> negative. your call. >> they fry you if you're wrong. >> i got chills watching that did you. that is "american sniper" and, this weekend smashed box office records, pulling in

$105 million over its opening holiday weekend. clint eastwood's war drama scored six oscar nominations but also snagged some backlash. we'll bring you latest with the vice president of marketing right here at fox news and fox business. he is also the host of "in the fox light" and had the opportunity to interview several of the stars of the film. >> i did, yes. gerri: you loved this film. >> i did. one of the best moves very is i have seen in a very long time and i see a lot of movies. one of those movies, i sat there for about ten minutes. >> i heard about this from you for days. you wouldn't shut up. >> you still haven't seen it gerri, come on! gerri: you got my excited to see it. that little snippet was amazing. >> yeah. gerri: clint eastwood is doing this which i find interesting. he does a real good job with these kind of things. >> he really does. there is emotional sensitivity in this movie i didn't think he had. gerri: really? >> 84 years old i wonder if he could have done this movie earlier in his career. i didn't get a chance to ask him

that yet but i will. also the biggest box office opening in his career to date. gerri: really? that is interesting. i want to talk to you about some of the loopy criticism of this film. >> yes. gerri: including michael moore. let's put that up. he wrote, my uncle was killed by a sniper in world war ii. this was a twitter comment. we were taught snipers were cowards. will shoot you in the back. snipers are not heroes and invaders are worse. your reaction. >> michael moore is an ass is not a fox news alert. >> we've seen it before. >> you've seen it before. you get the space in life that you deserve are and look at his face. big grumpy cat. angry, bitter. probably suffering box office envy. he has not had anything of that opening. gerri: seth rogan, also not nice. "american sniper" reminds me of the movie showing of third act of inglorious bastards. why seth rogan? this is weird. >> i am disappointed seth rogan.

kind of smart man at fox told me you can never believe in coincidence. middle of oscar season. everyone is voting. i can't help this is orchestrated by some in hollywood to make sure this movie does not get best picture it was nominated. >> i was shocked that bradley cooper did these -- >> hangover,. gerri: all the ridiculous nonsense. i wanted to play sound of widow he was portraying, chris kyle. this is what taia kyle had to say. >> i think it probably was healing in some ways and i can tell you that i feel honored to have this movie about him. i know that is something, not very many people get when their loved ones are gone is the opportunity to share them. gerri: that was it. aia kyle. impressive reaction to the movie. what did you make of it? >> you can't not spend time with her not feel you're better off for it. she is amazing strong woman. for michael moore to hide behind

a tweet say what he said, say it to her face. gerri: best picture nominees. talk about that obviously an interesting list. what do you think leads the way here? >> i really hope "american sniper" gets it. it should get it. cinema score of a-plus which measures audience experiences with it. biggest box office movie of the group at 105 million to date. i think, the academy and people seem to be leaning towards "boyhood." "selma" is another great picture, two great american movies that should be acknowledged. gerri: there is a lot to see. >> there is. gerri: sometimes i like to make fun of the movie industry and nonsense they talk about and how silly they are. but there are a couple of good things to see. >> great variety for various people and different tastes from into the woods, to "selma," to "american sniper" and "big eyes" we were making fun of. gerri: what did we make fun of?

>> "big eyes." there you go. going after the show to see "american sniper." let's do it. >> all right. michael, thanks for coming in. >> great to have you. >> when we come back, it is day one of our user's guide to stretching retirement dollars. new study shows just how unprepared our college grads are for the real world. what do they get for that pricey degree? stay with us.

gerri: college gradses just aren't cutting it. the result of a new study when

32,000 students were put to the test to see if they had what it takes to function in a white-collar job, 40% flunked. what is going on here? we're asking george washington university professor. professor, come on, what are we paying $50,000 for? if they can't get a job, you mean this is ridiculous. are you surprised by this? >> well, i'm not. i mean colleges are charging more. they're offering more courses. they're offering more degrees but they're really not working closely with the business sector to determine what do those graduates needs when they're finished. gerri: look, if you get a four-year degree i mean complex reasoning skills is apparently what these students lack. >> right. gerri: you need that in job in life. that is not necessarily something your employer will require although they adopt that is something you need to have for sure. are these schools just coming up short despite the fact that what we pay is going up by 3% over inflation each and every year? >> well, there are some commentators who believe that colleges and universities both private and public are spending

more resources on the social aspects of college. gerri: oh, my goodness. >> yeah. but i think they need to have the tough love speech. it is difficult out there. the economy is not really growing. it will be tough for you to compete. you've got to write well. you have to present well. you have to solve problems well. and you will be lucky to get a job. gerri: that is well-put. look what this college learning assessment plus exam actually tested for. so it was critical thinking as i said analytic reasoning. document literacy, can you read and understand what you're reading, writing communication. there seems to be basic skills. if you don't have them, you can't get out of college. you can't get a degree. >> that's right. you would think so but, you know there are some different professors so many different universities. so many different academic curriculum. it is hard to say, everyone of them should have the same thing. >> seems to me these are basic skills though. >> right. >> you're a professor. you teach these students every

single day. what is the missing sauce here? why aren't they getting, critical, necessary, kind of element tall skills? >> well i teach a graduate course in leadership and in, what we call fundamentals of global advocacy, inflation decision-making by decisionmakers around the world. gerri: that is over my head. >> yeah we teach, like international lobbying. but we teach presentation skills communication skills. you know, you find a lost students who say well you know, i tweeted out this comment and i'm waiting for the 42,000 followers to respond. and i'm thinking, that just doesn't cut it, working for a fortune 500 company. gerri: right. exactly right. you know the president will solve this by offering two years of free college to students which seems to be be throwing baby out with the bath water. one of the professors we had on to talk about who actually analyzed the impacts in the marketplace said it would really hurt institutions like the one you work for because it would steal students away from

four-year colleges. colleges that really rely on the tuition dollars from those students to make their entire programs work. so sort of fundamentally destablizes higher education while purporting to help people out there. >> right. you know the president has lots of ideas like this for four years. he has floated these ideas on community colleges. i think community colleges are great. but if you give something to someone for nothing they don't value it. and i think what the president would be best to do is, you know, at the state of the union tomorrow night, which i will be watching on fox, you know what? it's a tough world. you have to differentiate yourself. tough work hard. you have to do what is asked of you. you have to be pleasant. you have to communicate. if you want to be successful. gerri: love it dade. thanks. watch it on fox business, 8:00. >> i will. thank you. >> coming up a reality check on the government numbers on inflation. what is the truth behind these

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gerri: welcome back to the willis report. in a moment, we kick off our users guide to stretching your retirement dollars. it's time for a look at other stories in the news. members of congress jumping at the chance to visit cuba today. a delegation led by patrick leahy sitting down with cuban officials in havana. the nfl investigating the patriots this time to see if it deflated -- the champion win over the colts. the inquiry was reported

by an indiana radio station. and amazon is taking its success from television series and branching out into movies. amazon will produce movies for theatrical release and streaming. it will begin productions this year. aims to produce a dozen movies annually. crowds gathering to celebrate the legacy of martin luther king for the 47th time. his daughter called on people to remember her father's message of nonviolence. the actor who plays king in "selma" chokes up on playing the civil rights leader. those are some of the stories in the news in case you missed it. retirement doesn't just happen. it takes planning and, of course, cash. to help you achieve your goals, we're having top experts fill you in on

their formulas. we'll start off with saving for retirement. did you know that fewer than half of americans have calculated how much they'll in need retirement. those who have admitted to guessing. how much should we save? ed, great to have you here. i think the big question for so many folks who are thinking about retirement, maybe preparing to retire in the next decade or whatever is, how much money do i need to quit my job? and your answer is? >> it depends. everybody wants that number, but it depends. tell me what you spend and then i'll tell you what you need. also, tell me what you want to do in retirement. some people will still have income in retirement. not everybody just stops working. maybe they stop that job and they have other income coming in. or maybe they stop altogether and want to travel and really start spending money. obviously, then you'll need more. gerri: everyone hasn't answered this question right. a million dollars. >> not if you spend

2 million. gerri: or just 8%. take your current salary times 8%. that is the magic number. what are the kinds of things i should consider? >> taxes. how much do you rely on iras 401(k)s tax deferred as opposed to tax-free. big difference. if a lot of your retirement income will be taxed, that could be half the amount. depend on your tax bracket at that time. also, social security. gerri: of course. >> that's something to look at. there are strategies. a lot of people say it's 62. can't wait to get my hands -- that may not be a good move. you might be better to take down those taxable iras and hold off your social security until you're 70, if you can, because then you'll get more for life. >> you want to milk that cow because you paid into it, which is something our viewers tell us over and over again. as i sit down to make

this calculation about how much money i need what are the facts i need to put into the equation? i think people think not that i'm going to retire at a certain age but i'll retire when i hit a certain goal. >> going into retirement hopefully you're a few years out. get rid of certain things like debt. and your family sucking you dry. you have to come first at some point. you can't keep paying for your kid's home and school and stuff like that. they can get loans for that. but you can't have loans for retirement. you have to come first and put that baggage behind you. then you'll have more. look at your taxes, as i said. if you pay less in taxes, you'll have more later. >> ed, thank you for coming on the show. very good to see you. coming up on our users guide to stretching your retirement dollars tomorrow we have answers to protecting your money after interest rates rise. could happen, my friends. and when we come back this year is off to a

rocky start. how to place the right bets in stocks this year. what's the lowest price for gas in america? you're tweeting us. 1.70? 1.50? here's the consumer gauge with the numbers that mean the most to you. we'll be right back. thanks a lot, ed. ♪

gerri: welcome back to the willis report. some news for you here now. icy roads have caused major travel problems last week. maybe saw some of this. incredible video. a tractor-trailer causing a backup at the new jersey turnpike when this truck hit black

ice. the track narrowly missed the truck jumping the guardrail. nobody was hurt as the occupants of the truck were reported to be seen exiting the vehicle at the end of the vehicle. holy cow. look at those pictures. hard to believe that. scary stuff. be careful out there. watch out for the black ice. can't see it. well as many of you know another consumer story, food prices soaring, beef, butter, eggs up double digits in the past year. the government says there's no inflation. they take into account energy prices and energy prices dropping like a stone. it's another example of the great disconnect between the world inhabited by bureaucrats in washington and the rest of us. rich edson has most more for us. >> it describes us as a substantial acceleration in groceries. 3.5% overall in

increases across all categories. ground beef was up 19%. beef and veal almost as much. chicken increased 9%. no relief in having breakfast for dinner. butter 22.5%. sausage jumped more than 7%. economists blame the continued effects of the california drought and the global demand increases. other price increases. housing up nearly 3% in 2014. that's the largest jump since 2007. also medical costs rose 3% gerri. gerri: just think about it. i was thinking about these numbers this afternoon. you're supposed to be good and save your money and buy your groceries you know, in the grocery store. cook at home, but, in fact the prices of grocery stores are rising faster than the cost in restaurants. i want to know if there are any bargains out there besides gas. >> overall, prices are still down.

that's thanks to energy. consumers paid less for items like clothing, airline tickets and some cars and trucks. there were deals out there in 2014. much of that still the case rolling into this year. we can see where that trend is from here. gerri: anybody talking gas tax? state of the union right in front of us, tell me they won't do that. >> a number of different proposals out there. the problem with the gas tax, we're becoming more efficient in our driving. fewer gallons of gasoline. we're not really driving that much less. not enough money to fund infrastructure. congress has to figure out how to pay for this. some republicans are describing the gas tax more as a gas user fee. a little bit of traction. the president has his proposal. in the past it's been to pay for any type of infrastructure with really a 1-time shot from corporate tax reform. that's not a long-term solution. congress will have to

figure this out this year. the gas tax is not buried and dead yet. very difficult. they have to pay for roads. the easy answer in washington is to put it on the deficit. gerri: 18 trillion, my friend. very long way to go on that. good to see you rich. one of the good news stories we've been happy to bring you is the drop in gas prices. such good news for people. gas prices are falling by a penny a day. prices are falling so is fast, one viewer pulled into a gas station and the price on the pump was more than what he was charged. can you imagine that? the average gas price nationwide 2.06. that's nearly a dollar and a quarter than over a year ago. we've been asking you to send in pictures and tell us what you're paying for gas. and thanks to everybody for your tweets. keep them coming. we'll show as many of

them now. toand tweeted this from a gas station in diamond head. 1.77 for regular. nearly 30 cents below the national average. this guy sent me this from a raceway gas station on route one in south edison, new jersey. 1.75. pretty darn good. one of the best we've seen and just a few miles east of there on long island in new york in farmingdale. jack: 2.27. nice selfie there too. rick just sent me this from casey's general store. just filled up in blue springs, missouri, 1.60. imagine that. for regular. way to go, rick. that is the absolute lowest price we saw. even that doesn't beat the lowest price in america.

that distinction goes to the murphy gas station in to to me bell texas. it's a rock bottom 1.35. let's all head to texas. some experts saying that could be the week gas prices head back up. let's enjoy it while we can. still to come, after a great 2014, 2015 off to a rough start. what should you be doing with your investments now? we're looking out for you next. watch "strange inheritance." something the family can watch together. next monday at 9:00. set your dvr. tell your friends. we'll be right back.

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gerri: the bull market in stocks is almost six years old with the s&p 500 having more than tripled since march 2009. with stocks having a troubling start to the new year, some people with worried that the bull market can be on the last leg. welcome back to the show david. very good to see you. >> same here. >> do you think this bull market is getting old? that it will stumble and fall? >> it's a general rule whenever something triples in value in the course of six years that you at bare minimum have to be extremely cautious. gerri: 65% increase in the s&p 500 during these six years. really been a remarkable run. unfortunately, here's the bad side to me: a

lot of individual investors have not played. is because they got so burned in 2008, they haven't believe come back. it would be a shame if they never got back in and enjoyed some of these returns. >> uh-huh. actually it's about a 200% increase since march of 2009. the market has literally tripled. gerri: we're measuring it from december 2010 to december 2014. >> okay. all right. the reality of it is that it's been so extreme. a lot of times the average investor doesn't want to get into the market when they got hit hard. tech bubble burst. hit hard again. now, they want to build up a lot of confidence. only something that is completely ramped up do they feel the confidence to jump in. that's the wrong time to get in though. gerri: a lot of people looked at the gains of the s&p and the gains of the dow from this past

couple of years they look at their own portfolios, even if they're in stocks, their returns don't match the market. it's possibly because they have bonds and there are other things in that portfolio. when the returns are so high as they are right now, people feel like they're underperforming. they're concerned. they're worried here in january. what should they be doing? >> well, it depends on where they are in their stage of life is part of it. so if somebody is in a situation where they're going to need their money at least in the next seven years, they need to be cautious. the reason i say seven years is because when the market dropped in 2000 it took seven years. when it dropped again it took six more years in 2013 to get back. if they need to tap into their money for anything in six years, they need to reduce their market exposure. especially if the market is as high as it is again. gerri: you don't want to go through that situation where people woke up in 2008 and half

your portfolio is gone. making that up is very difficult. >> sure. gerri: i want to talk about something else that will really impact concerns and really impact savers in this country and that is interest rate. the federal reserve says we'll raise interest rates sometime soon. maybe they will, maybe they won't. what will that do to the average american's wallet. >> first of all, when they do raise interest rates, hopefully it's because they're confident in what the economy is doing that things are chugging along well. savers can still put money in the bank. so forth. i don't think that will happen for a long time. some things that happened recently. last week, swiss' equivalent to our federal reserve bank lowered their interest rates to minus three quarter percent. gerri: they went negative. let's be clear. the swiss national bank will pay investors to invest in their -- >> when banks want to hold money, they have to pay the federal reserve

to keep their money. i was looking at the ten-year rates. our ten-year rates is 1.48%. in switzerland minus .11%. gerri: wow, deflation is here. >> they're buying ten-year bonds in switzerland. they're guaranteed to lose money in those ten years. gerri: why are they doing it? >> so much money sitting on the sidelines. you see three to 400-point swings because of the nervousness. a lot of people are looking for safety. if we think switzerland is safer than most parts of europe, that's where i'll put my money. gerri: even if there's a money to putting my money there. here in the states, do we risk deflation. the report we talked about had pretty eye-opening numbers.

deflation would be something that i don't think any american has experienced in their lifetime. do you think it's possible it could come here? >> i think it's quite possible. in 2008 when everyone was worried about inflation and everything, i wrote that maybe there's a 50% chance we experience deflation. our country economically speaking is the brightest bulb -- one of the brightest bulbs in the world. our economy is the cleanest dirty shirt in the hamper. we cannot create enough demand by ourselves to create worldwide demand. eventually the other countries will drag us down. gerri: are we headed into recession? >> eventually. if the dollar keeps strengthening eventually us companies won't be able to export. that may be the straw that turns our economy back down again. i hope i'm wrong. gerri: i like you. you're a great expert. i hope you're wrong. >> we both agree.

gerri: here are your emails. burger king is avoiding the us tax man. i'm shifting all my business to burger king. i'm 83 and know what they're doing to us. if i could afford it, i would move to canada. joe from florida says: i don't think america lost to north korea. i do think sony caved and it only encourages more attacks on american companies and definitely shows weakness to our enemies. jean from new york agrees. north korea did not win. sony backed out because they were more afraid of the army of lawyers would descend on them if someone was attacked in a theater. those lawyers. go to gerriwillis.com. send me an email. we'll be right back with our question of the day. will you watch the state of the union? stay with us.

gerri: well, president obama tomorrow night will try to sell tax increases during his state

of the union. he wants to raise taxes on the wealthiest americans. will you watch the speech? we asked the question on gerriwillis.com. only 12% said yes. 88% said no. be sure to log on to gerriwillis.com for our online question. the democrats have one answer to every question: raise taxes. that's a message we'll hear from president obama when he makes his state of the union speech tomorrow. he wants to raise it $300 billion. the unintended consequences of his more of this, raising the capital gains tax, could hurt the very economic hurt he wants to have. i say skip the tax increases and focus on tax cuts. that's my "2 cents more." and coming up tomorrow our users guide to stretching your retirement dollar continues. tomorrow, we have answers when it comes to protecting your money after interest rates start rising. that's it for tonight's willis report. don't forget to dvr our

show if you can't catch us live. have a great night. ♪ charles: i'mi'm dierdre bolton in for charles payne. you're watching "making money." if you thought 2014 was volatile, hold on to your hats. the price of oil could fall to as low as $30 a barrel. plus, a new report shows the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. the inequality gap is widening fast. in fact, within two years, the top 1% will have more wealthy than the remaining 99% of people on the planet. (?)