By Katherine Hobson – Wall Street Journal A survey of big employers finds they expect their health-care costs to rise nearly 9% next year and plan to share some of that burden with employees via higher premiums and higher out-of-pocket limits. The survey included responses from 72 members of the nonprofit National Business Group on [...]

By MARK WHITEHOUSE – WALL STREET JOURNAL America’s baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—face a problem that could weigh on the economy for years to come: The longer it takes for the economy to recover, the less money they’ll have to spend in retirement. Policy makers have long worried that Americans aren’t saving enough [...]

A ruling by a judge, who in one case said Edison International did ‘substantial’ harm to employees by not negotiating lower fees from the firm running the 401(k) plan, may bolster other lawsuits. By Walter Hamilton, Los Angeles Times – July 29, 2010 For decades, high fees have quietly but steadily eaten away at the [...]

Survivors given checkbook accounts, while carriers retain the assets in their corporate accounts; ‘turning death claims into a profit center’ By Bloomberg News July 28, 2010 The package arrived at Cindy Lohman’s home in Great Mills, Maryland, just two weeks after she learned that her son, Ryan, a 24-year-old Army sergeant, had been killed by [...]

Average Joe smacked by contango, pre-rolling, and Wall Street sharpies; profiting off ‘the dumb money’ The following article from Investor’s News is an eye opener. It is so easy to think investing is easy – think again. And, enjoy reading this article and take heed. Like so many investors in the spring of 2009, Gordon [...]

By Brett Ferguson and Jonathan Nicholson Publication date: 04/29/2010 – from the Bureau of National Affairs, Inc. The Senate Budget Committee-approved budget resolution does not make room for dividends tax rates to continue to be tied to capital gains rates after 2010, raising questions among some lawmakers about whether Democrats intend to allow the top [...]

Christianity and Capitalism by Richard Doster It’s been a rough couple of years for free-market capitalism. In Business as a Calling: Work and the Examined Life, theologian Michael Novak wonders if capitalism is “spiritually empty and corrosive of virtue.” The evidence, perhaps now more than at any time in the past 70 years, may tilt [...]

Now that we have passed the Health Care Reform Bill that was scored by the CBO to say it is not going to increase the deficit and over the long  term actually reduce the deficit, Congress is now floating the idea of a VAT, a Value Added Tax, like Europe. To me this is an [...]

April 1, 2010 by Bob Veres Economic forecasters sometimes describe the investment markets as a leading indicator, which means that they believe returns can anticipate good or bad economic news.  Share prices fall when investors expect a recession, and rise when a recovery is expected–and last year’s stock market growth seems to fit that pattern.  [...]

Recent Market Volatility in Perspective The US stock market has taken investors on a bumpy ride in recent years. This volatility has tested investor discipline and prompted some people to question their commitment to equities. While no one knows the future, looking at the past may help you gain a better view of long-term market [...]