| Failed Company Pension Plans Hurt Baby Boomers and Elderly Say Recent ...
The company pension plan is dead and the retirement plans that were to replace them, namely IRAs and 401(k) plans, are ailing. Paul Mauro CLU, ChFc says Federal pension reform and Government insurance do little to protect older workers. Babyboomers face uncertainty and must take charge to secure their own income income, urges Mauro. Boston, MA (PRWEB) November 24, 2005 -- The company pension plan that gave our parents and grandparents steady income during their sunset years is nearly dead. That's according to recent press attention by The New York Times Sunday Magazine (10/30 and TIME (10/24). Journalists reporting in these media blame weak public policy, bankruptcies by major corporations and accounting tricks that allow employers to underfund retiree obligations.
Ponderings from PapaBear
I see that there are already many great blogs posted on last nights BCS Title Game and another recap is not needed. However, I have a few final thoughts on this game and the Buckeye season. First, congratulations to Les Miles and his LSU Tigers. They were the dominate team on both sides of the ball for the final three quarters of this game and are deserving Champions. For the past month I was slowly able to convince myself that the Buckeyes had a shot at a victory in this game. In order for them to pull off the upset they would of had to play the perfect game. Their overall team effort was certainly better than the one the they put forth in last years game against Flordia, but perfect they were not. Turnovers and really stupid penalties kept this game from being close and the final result was much the same as last year...A sizeable loss.
Beautiful Miss Idaho in LCHS Parade
With warnings to looters still on his business, Bob Rue folds a wet oriental rug outside his shop in New Orleans Thursday. Rue said he had already received about 30 flood-damaged rugs from customers wanting him to salvage them. You write the cutline. Top Cutlines: 1. Bob Rue displays the actual rug that was pulled out from under the people of New Orleans by FEMA -- Family Phil. 2. We needs it. Must have the precious Rug. They stole it from us. Sneaky little looters, wicked, tricksy, false. No, not master . . . Masters my friend. You dont have any friends. Nobody likes you. Not listening. Im not listening. Youre a liar. And a thief. Murderer. Go away. . . . I hate you. . . . Leave now and never come back -- Bre. 3. "Let's cut a rug, baby!" -- Stebbijo.
TheStar.com | Business | What you need to know about your pension
Suppose you have job offers from two employers that are very similar in terms of salary, working conditions and other priority items. Comparing the retirement plans might tilt the balance for you, especially if you don't plan to stay with either employer until retirement. Here are some questions to ask about a pension plan so you can make an informed decision. They're from a publication, "Your Pension Rights," by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (www.fsco.ca), which regulates registered pension plans. Am I eligible to join the pension plan? When? Can I join if I work part-time? Do I have to join the plan? What type of plan do I belong to? Do I have to contribute to the plan? Can I contribute more if I want to? How much does my employer contribute? What happens if I leave my job before I retire? What is the normal retirement date under the plan? At what age can I retire early? Will my pension be reduced if I retire early? How is my pension calculated? Is it indexed to the cost of living? Will my benefits be reduced when I receive Canada Pension Plan benefits? What happens if my employer sells the business or goes out of business? Do I have a say in how the plan is administered? What is the financial position of the plan? Don't worry if you don't get answers right away.
Indefinite leave of absence a tricky situation
Q. We have a long-term employee who is suffering from chronic diabetes. He went out on disability in July 2006 to begin treatments. We expected him to be away for about two months.
More than a year later, he hasn't come back. Several months after he left, we received a disability claim from him. No money has been paid yet, nor has a hearing been scheduled.
In the meantime, the head of human resources has met with the employee to see what was going on and to determine if the guy could come back to work. Unfortunately, we've had no luck in persuading him to come back. So my first question is: Can we terminate him, or would the repercussions be too great?
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ORU's leader speaks on suit
He says three former professors suing him and the school are attempting blackmail.
Oral Roberts University President Richard Roberts spoke out Wednesday against three former professors who filed a lawsuit against him and the school, saying the trio was after money but he was "not intimidated by blackmail and extortion."
John Swails, Tim Brooker and Paulita Brooker filed a lawsuit against ORU on Tuesday, saying they had been wrongfully terminated or wrongfully caused to resign, and claiming the Roberts family had spent university money for personal uses.
Roberts spoke to students at a regular chapel service on campus, .
Running on autopilot
The hottest new products in the 401(k) universe are known as a "targeted maturity funds," which essentially allow investors to put their portfolio management on autopilot for years to come. Also known as "target date funds," these accounts are essentially funds of funds -- managed funds that hold an entire portfolio of mutual funds allocated based on the investor's age. As the investor gets closer to retirement, the portfolio is adjusted and rebalanced automatically to a more age-appropriate asset allocation. But managing the account is not the only effortless part of the process for some 401(k) target maturity fund investors. Thanks to some new rules from Congress, even the enrollment process for targeted maturity funds can be handled without any involvement by the investor.
Candidates Don't Fit Carolinians' Conservative Mold
Here is a guide to what's at stake for the candidates in South Carolina's GOP primary on Jan. 19, and the issues that will be on voters' minds. Candidates: Former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee; California Rep. Duncan Hunter; Arizona Sen. John McCain; Texas Rep. Ron Paul; former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney; former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson What's at Stake: The GOP field is wide open now that the party's three significant contests have been won by three different candidates. Huckabee has been courting the state's large number of religious conservatives. (Roughly 40 percent of South Carolinians consider themselves evangelicals). McCain, the New Hampshire primary winner, is popular with the state's military veterans.
Warner’s plan thwarted by Caribbean protests
HAVING GOT his own way for so long in the Caribbean, it appears the little guys have come out fighting against Fifa vice-president Jack Warner. The Sunday Herald reported last week how Warner had instructed the tiny Antigua and Barbuda football association to hand over nearly £100,000 to meet undocumented expenses to discredited former official Chet Greene. They were given until last Thursday to pay or they would be expelled from Fifa. However, Merv Richards - the president of the local association and brother of cricketer Viv - has called on Fifa to intervene and investigate and Antigua and Barbuda have been given a stay of execution. .
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