Today, four days earlier than announced previously, the United States Treasury Department will start depositing stimulus payments into Americans' bank accounts--roughly 8 million by the end of the week, they estimate. Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson says that these stimulus checks and investment incentives will create more than half a million jobs by the end of the year. President Bush also hopes these checks will provide a much-needed boost to our economy.

"Al's Morning Meeting" of Poynter Online briefly encapsulates how retailers and stimulus check receivers' are responding--and it's across the board. Retailers, of course, hope the checks will boost customer spending. But, that may not be the case. A Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll stated that only 18 percent planned to actually spend the money while a combined 65 percent will either save it or use it to pay bills.

To learn more about how average Americans plan to use their stimulus checks, look at this CNN slideshow.--Whitney Chen