President Obama is expected to nominate Jack Lew to replace Timothy Geithner as Secretary of the Treasury today. Lew is currently the White House chief of staff and has a reputation as a tough negotiator. Supermarkets and pharmacies in Australia are reporting a shortage of baby formula — it turns out Chinese customers are stockpiling the formula. And, how confident are you about our economic future? Your answer may have more to do with politics and economics.

The board of the bailed out insurance giant AIG will meet today to consider whether the company should join a $25 billion shareholder lawsuit against the U.S. government — against the very same government that saved AIG during the financial crisis. The latest airline fare hike seems to have fizzled. United raised prices last week, and Delta followed suit. But both airlines rescinded the increase after a competitor refused to play along. And are we transitioning from a homeowner’s economy to a home-renter’s economy?

Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner caught on fire yesterday after landing in Boston. No passengers were injured, but the verdict is still out on the injuries Boeing might suffer. How big is the ‘marriage penalty’ in the new fiscal cliff deal? And Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway shares her annual list of businesses behaving badly.

Tech entrepreneurs, analysts and journalists are gathering in Las Vegas for the annual Consumer Electronics Show. We take you through a preview of this year’s offerings. New mobile apps are transforming cellphone users into citizen scientists. College football’s BCS Championship game kicks off tonight in Miami, and some of the people who will be in attendance got there because of options — as in futures options.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its December jobs report today, and economists are modestly optimistic. The world’s biggest Consumer Electronics Show kicks off this weekend in Las Vegas, and it’ll be the first one in 15-years where Microsoft has no presence whatsoever. And the Vatican goes cash-only.  

Along with death and taxes, finding ways to avoid taxes is a fact of life. Can wealthy taxpayers blunt the impact of the first rate increase in years? People from all backgrounds weigh in on what makes a person wealthy. And what’s ahead for the housing market in 2013?

There’s finally a fiscal cliff deal in Washington. As you’ve probably heard, income taxes will go up on individuals making over $400,000 a year, but chances are taxes will go up even for those who aren’t rich. A proposed beer merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev and Grupo Modelo could hurt competition in the United States. And, the soap opera “All My Children” might find a second life — online.

The Senate rang in the New Year around 2 a.m. by pushing through a fiscal cliff compromise. The IRS is one of the agencies most affected by the uncertainty. Until a final deal is closed, it looks like the 2013 tax season could be a tumultuous one. There are rumors the chip-maker Intel could roll out a TV set-top box next week, at the Consumer Electronics Show. This would be Intel’s second run at this kind of thing — so why is it so intent on getting its hardware into your living room?

Lawmakers have a few more hours to cut a deal to avoid the sharp tax increases and spending cuts of the fiscal cliff. Many issues remained unresolved and another looming tax adjustment, the Alternative Minimum Tax, could hit millions of Americans with a whopping tax hike next year. Makers of hybrid and electric cars are increasing their offerings despite a somewhat disappointing roll-out of vehicles like the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. And, as the year comes to a close, we’re looking at what’s ahead in heath care for 2013.