If you're single, you're 50% more likely to lose your job, according to a study published Friday by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. This is no different from most recessions, but neither the stat nor the trend loses its shock value with each downturn. Now that the unemployment rate has edged higher, to 9.8% last month, the plight of singles is worsening.

Single employment fell 4.8% from December 2007 through June, with the married folks losing their jobs at a rate of only 3.1%. In August, the single jobless rate reached 13.5%, while those encumbered with spouses fared much better at 6.3%.

Warren Buffett got married yesterday, and if you're a follower of the Warren Buffett saga (and aren't we all, here in investing land?), you know that Buffett lived separately from his first wife, Susan Thompson Buffett, for decades. She died two years ago. This news prompted the BloggingStocks team to ask: Is Warren Buffett more billionaire, or more regular ol' guy from Omaha? Let's look at the evidence:

1. Diet. Warren Buffett feasts on hamburgers, Omaha steaks, and Cherry Coke. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
2. Homes. Warren still lives in a home in Omaha he bought for $31,500, although he does have a vacation home in Laguna Beach. Still ... Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
3. Jet set or no jet set? Warren was famous for his modest string of Lincoln Town Cars, but he bought a corporate jet in 1989 ... and then bought a whole jet company. Advantage: billionaire.
4. Friends. Sure, Warren counts Bill Gates, fellow richest man in the world, as a friend. But they're both gigantic nerds and play golf and -- I am not making this up -- bridge rather than high-stakes poker. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
5. Media saturation. What's this? Warren is working on his very own TV series. I know you're saying, like, ohmigod Sarah! That's so totally billionaire behavior. Ahem. But it's an animated series about investing. Haha! Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
6. Parties. Oh you're very funny. Warren Buffett at a party? As if. Advantage: regular Omaha guy.
7. Women. Warren Buffett just got married, and it's only his second wife, after all. But Astrid Menks used to be a cocktail waitress. What's more, at 60 to Buffett's 76, she's a much younger woman. Advantage: billionaire!