Insurance claims from Sandy will reach an estimated $15 billion. But many people will have to cover damage to their household possessions because they don’t have renter’s insurance. Well we are just about five days away from election day which means one way or another the economy is going to get a little certainty. So what does that mean for  ordinary investors and people with retirement accounts?

The Walt Disney Company has struck a deal to purchase Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion and announced that they will release a new Star Wars movie in 2015. As stricken homeowners dig out from Hurricane Sandy, home-improvement sales should see a boost. On the streets of New York City, things are getting back to normal after the storm though much of the city’s downtown neighborhoods are still without power and subway service remains suspended. And, Sandy aside, we take a Halloween trip to a fang-maker in lower Manhattan.

The reported U.S. death toll from Sandy stands at 13, and a million people are under orders to evacuate, across a dozen states. What is the likely economic damage of the storm to individuals and businesses? As the 2012 presidential election enters its final days, we examine one of the stars of the campaign. Not binders or Big Bird, this one begins with the letter ‘F’ — food stamps.

This morning, millions of Americans along the east coast are bracing for Hurricane Sandy. New York City has closed the Stock Exchange and public transportation in preparation for the storm. If millions more Americans are relying on food stamps, does that mean the program is working or failing? This week, Chrysler will hire more than a 1,000 new employees to work at an assembly plant in Detroit as the automaker faces growing demand for its sports utility vehicles.

China is blocking access to the New York Times website because the Times is featuring an expose on Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his family’s accumulation of $2.7 billion in wealth. The election is just 11 days away and out on the stump, the candidate are talking jobs, taxes, and entitlements. One thing we haven’t heard much about this election season is climate change. Voters in Chicago will decide on election day whether the city can negotiate for cheaper electricity rates. Merger talks between Random House and Penguin could be the first sign of a big shake-up for the publishing industry.

Federal prosecutors in New York are accusing Bank of America of defrauding the government by rushing home loans through the approval process, then selling them to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that multi-generational living is on the rise. In 2010, 4.4 percent of U.S. households had three or more generations living under one roof.

Just in time for Halloween, something has Wall Street spooked. Yesterday, the Dow fell by more than 200 points for the second time in three trading days. Apple has unveiled its new iPad Mini, which goes on sale Friday — the same day as Microsoft releases its new Windows 8 operating system. If you cut taxes, does the economy get enough of a boost to offset the lost revenue? Los Angeles is one of many cities giving this a try to attract new businesses. The prospect of the fiscal cliff creates uncertainty, which has got some companies preparing to make their case to Congress for avoiding the fiscal cliff entirely.  

Among the topics discussed in last night’s debate, one word has caught the attention of global markets this morning: Sequestration. Today Facebook is set to release its second quarterly earnings report since going public back in May. Alan Wurtzel, former CEO of Circuit City, shares his views about the downfall of the company and his new book. Yesterday, several Texas school districts began their court case against the way the state funds public schools.

Under the new Affordable Care Act, hospitals can be rewarded for improving patient care. The new Windows 8 operating system promises some big changes, including a radically different look. It could also mean having to relearn Windows. Prudential Financial is under federal scrutiny, along with several other companies, for being a “systemic risk.”