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Linus Pauling Categories
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Americans’ net worth up for 3rd straight quarter
Americans regained more of their shrunken wealth last quarter, mainly because the healing economy boosted stock portfolios. But the gain was less than in the previous two quarters.
The Federal Reserve reported Thursday that household net worth rose 1.3 percent in the fourth quarter to $54.2 trillion. It marked the third straight quarter of gains. Net worth had risen by a stronger 4.5 percent in the second quarter of 2009 and by an even faster 5.5 percent in the third quarter. . . . read more Read More
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Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Market rebounds, but workers have minimal savings
Tom Taormina is 65 and has no retirement savings.
The Virginia City, Nev., business consultant said it’s not for lack of trying. He and his wife, Midge, have tried to save and at one time invested in the stock market, but it’s all been depleted.
“We’re scrambling to make it through the next 20 years,” he said. “We’re doing everything we can to set money aside, but every time we do something unforeseen comes up.” . . . read more Read More
Summary Box: Retirement savings a challenge
RETIRE? ARE YOU KIDDING? A new survey released Tuesday, March 9, by the Employee Benefit Research Institute shows the percentage of workers who say they’ve saved for retirement slid to 69 percent in January, down from 75 percent in 2009.
THE PIGGY BANK’S EMPTY: More than a quarter of those surveyed have less than $1,000 . . . read more Read More
Editor’s Choice
Cartoon used under comics.com and/or dilbert.com terms of use, copyright United Feature Syndicate. The inclusion of this cartoon does not imply that United Media, comics.com, and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s), nor does it imply that the authors/illustrators of the comics/works appearing on comics.com and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s). Read More
Poll: Financially pinched, young adults lose faith
Young adults are financially anxious, worried that they can’t meet their educational, housing and health care needs, according to a new poll that exposes a growing pessimism about achieving the American Dream.
The poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics found that six out of 10 of those surveyed worry they may not meet their current bills and obligations. Nearly half of those attending college wonder whether they will be able to afford to stay in school. And more than eight out of 10 said they expect difficulty finding a job after graduation.
Fewer than half said they believe they will be better off than their parents when they reach their parents’ age.
With the country in the midst of a slow economic recovery with nearly 10 percent unemployment, the data finds a deep sense of gloom among 18-29 year olds. . . . read more Read More
From gossip to attitude, mistakes can hurt careers
Sometimes, it’s the little things that can trip up a career.
How well you work is always key to your success. But you can hurt yourself with an offhand comment to a colleague in a break room, a tendency to criticize new policies or relying too much on e-mail to communicate with co-workers and clients.
Here are some of the biggest mistakes you can make on the job, and tips about how to avoid them . . . read more Read More
Unemployment rises in 30 states in January
Unemployment rose in 30 states in January, the Labor Department said Wednesday, evidence that jobs remain scarce in most regions of the country.
The data is somewhat better than December, when 43 states reported higher unemployment rates, but worse than November, when rates fell in most states.
Still, five states reported record-high joblessness in January: California, at 12.5 percent; South Carolina, 12.6 percent; Florida, 11.9 percent; North Carolina, 11.1 percent; and Georgia, 10.4 percent.
Michigan’s unemployment rate is still the nation’s highest, at 14.3 percent, followed by Nevada, with 13 percent and Rhode Island at 12.7 percent. South Carolina and California round out the top five.
There were some signs of job creation . . . read more Read More
New $100: Ben’s facelift to be revealed
Aiming to stay a step ahead of counterfeiters, the government is planning a new design for the $100 bill that will be unveiled next month, the Treasury Department said Friday.
Wraps will come off the facelift for Ben Franklin at an April 21 ceremony in the ornate Cash Room at the department, the site of Ulysses Grant’s first inaugural ball in 1869. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke will do the honors.
The government says its decisions on redesigning currency are guided by assessments of counterfeiting threats, from digital technology or old-fashioned printing presses . . . read more Read More
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Images used under Creative Commons licenses 3.0 & 2.5 (Dylan Horrocks, Greg Williams, and Nina Paley) Read More
Diviners Divided: Economists clash, sow confusion
If you’re confused about the outlook for the economy and stocks one year after the market hit bottom, then you’ve got good company — the Wall Street economists and strategists who are supposed to have this all figured out.
Rarely have the experts seemed so divided about the future . . . read more Read More
The Rebound: Numbers tell story of market recovery
On March 9, 2009, it felt like the world was ending.
The Dow Jones industrial average had tumbled to a 12-year low of 6,547, and looked to keep plunging. A day later, Citigroup Inc. stopped the market’s drop with news that it was turning a profit. That began the stock market’s answer to the Great Recession: the Great Rebound . . . read more Read More
Editor’s Choice
Cartoon used under comics.com and/or dilbert.com terms of use, copyright United Feature Syndicate. The inclusion of this cartoon does not imply that United Media, comics.com, and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s), nor does it imply that the authors/illustrators of the comics/works appearing on comics.com and/or dilbert.com endorses or sponsors think.zionsdirect.com and/or affiliate organizations and product(s). Read More
Business owners can avoid common tax time pitfalls
Small business owners who compile their own income tax returns can find themselves falling into some common quicksand pits. The mistakes can be costly if they raise a company’s tax bill unnecessarily or subject it to penalties and interest in the future.
Some of the problems are mechanical in nature, such as not filling out the right forms. Others are more strategic, including not considering how the deductions you take on your 2009 return might affect your taxes in future years.
Other mistakes are the result of owners not being well informed about the tax laws and the requirements they can impose, for example, on an owner’s salary or the way employees are classified. . . . read more Read More
