When we’re talking wages, for many Americans, it's been bad news. Since as far back as the 1970s, they've seen their average salaries stagnate, even slump, while at the same time, the price of everyday goods keeps rising.That’s why recent signs that workers are seeing slight increases in their paychecks are getting some economists (not to mention those workers) excited. Is this the tipping point when wages will start steadily rising? And then the word of the week – watching the Federal Reserve’s every utterance to see when it stops using it, thereby sending a signal about the strength of the economy and that interest rates will soon start to rise.