“Take a survey of employees about what they think of things”
The arrival of a new year gives small-business owners a great opportunity to look at a variety of human resources issues and decide what changes they should make. via Chicago Tribune
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“I imagine the total records compromised will steadily climb.”
The loss or theft of personal data such as credit card and Social Security numbers soared to unprecedented levels in 2007, and the trend isn’t expected to turn around anytime soon as hackers stay a step ahead … via The Age
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You don’t need tarot cards to predict the big stories the fund industry will see in the coming 12 months, just good contacts in the mutual fund world. via MarketWatch
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“Otherwise families will continue to flee this state.”
As Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine sees it, New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation property taxes took a hard punch this year but weren’t knocked out. via Courier News Online
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“Once they adjourn for the Fourth of July, it’s hard to imagine they’ll do much beyond appropriations bills. That’s a realistic assessment, and the State of the Union will likely reflect that.”
President Bush’s final-year agenda is a stripped down list of what he can realistically hope to get done, since the clout he once touted is fading away.
Bush will venture to four other continents, get more involved than ever in trying to forge Middle East peace, and continue to command two wars that assure his relevancy to the end. As Iraq improves, he must now deal with renewed violence in Afghanistan and upheaval in Pakistan.
At home, Bush will try to extend two domestic achievements that are dear to his legacy _ the No Child Left Behind education law, and tax cuts that otherwise expire in 2010. Read more
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“If the market’s going to retreat at all, it’s going to do it at the beginning of the year.”
As 2007 comes to a close, Wall Street is almost as jittery as it was over the summer, when worries about the housing slump and banks’ losing bets on mortgages first came to a head.
Investors know more now about how much exposure financial institutions have to bad loans - quite a lot - but they remain uncertain about how the credit crisis of 2007 will hurt the economy in 2008. Market participants will be paying close attention to this week’s economic data, particularly the monthly report on employment, seen as the most important factor in preventing housing woes from crippling consumers. Read more
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A boil advisory has been issued for Vermilion and Vermilion Township, according to the Vermilion mayor’s office. via WEWS
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“I’m just not as patient and detailed as I should be. In my mind, that’s not managing my money — and I think I need to fix that.”
We all make mistakes with our money, but that’s how we grow. For the new year, The Associated Press asked a number of experts to ‘fess up about their own financial failings — and talk about the lessons learned … via News Observer
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Thieves stole laptop computers containing the names and Social Security numbers of every registered voter in the city from election commission offices over the Christmas holiday, authorities said Friday.
The computers also contain voters’ addresses and phone numbers, Election Commissioner Ray Barrett said.
The commission intends to send notices to the more than 337,000 registered voters in the city informing them of the theft.
Voters are warned to monitor their bank accounts for suspicious activity. Read more
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“Among the earmarks Congress approved was one for a prison museum and another for a sailing school”
President Bush tried Saturday to assure many families that he knows they are struggling to pay bills, even as he again defended the economy’s strength.
‘Some of you worry about your ability to afford health care coverage for your families,’ Bush said in his weekly radio address, recorded at his Texas ranch.
‘Some of you are concerned about meeting your monthly mortgage payments,’ Bush said. ‘Some of you worry about the impact of rising energy costs on fueling your cars and heating your homes. You expect your elected leaders in Washington to address these pressures.’ Read more
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“Sales and home prices are in a free fall. The downturn is intensifying.”
The housing market plunged deeper into despair last month, with sales of new homes plummeting to their lowest level in more than 12 years.
The slump worsened even more than most analysts expected, heightening fears that the country might be thrust into a recession.
New-home sales tumbled 9 percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual sales pace of 647,000, the Commerce Department reported Friday. That was the worst sales pace since April 1995.
‘It was ugly,’ declared Richard Yamarone, economist at Argus Research. ‘It is the one sector of the economy that doesn’t show any signs of life. It doesn’t look like there is any resuscitation in store for housing over the next year,’ he said. Read more
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“Criminals should stop their despicable activities, otherwise they will have to face serious consequences”
Pakistan rejected foreign help in investigating the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Saturday, despite controversy over the circumstances of her death and three days of paralyzing turmoil. via International Business Times
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“What you’re getting now is a rotation of the players with new chief executives, and their main priority is to not let this happen again and to fix things as soon as possible”
The credit crisis that walloped Wall Street this year shows no signs of abating in early 2008, but investors can take some comfort in the fact that the new year brings with it a battle plan. via Bradenton.com
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“I don’t think people care less. It’s that they’ve been hearing less. There is a sense that things are going a little bit better in Iraq.”
Wide public discontent over the war in Iraq helped sweep Democrats to the control of Congress last year. But Iraq is becoming less of an issue for both parties, either on the campaign trail or in the nation’s capital, ahead of the fast-approaching presidential primaries.
For the White House and for presidential contenders, signs of progress in Iraq and growing economic tensions at home are changing the political dynamics. 	Contributing to the politics of the day: rising mortgage delinquencies and slump in homebuilding, continued turmoil in credit markets and rising energy and health care costs. Many economists see a recession looming; others suggest the U.S. economy may already be in one. Read more
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Confused? So are the best and brightest on Wall Street as they try to make sense of a housing recession and credit crunch that many experts failed to anticipate. via The Morning Call
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“If I was thinking of investing in financial guarantors, this would give me comfort”
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway will receive a license in New York to open a new bond insurance business, a state regulator said Friday.
The license for Berkshire Hathaway Assurance Corp. will officially be approved no later than Monday.
Also on Friday, Berkshire Hathaway agreed to buy NRG N.V., the reinsurance unit of ING Group said for about $435.7 million in cash.
Buffett’s new insurance unit could take some business away from other insurers, said Donald Light, a senior analyst with Celent. Light owns Berkshire Hathaway shares. Read more
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When it comes to marketing your website you need to determine if you are willing to learn all the ins and outs of Internet marketing or whether you would prefer to pay someone to do this for you. If you are willing to study up on original content, article directories, SERPs, and link bait then you may be fine going at it on your own. However, if this is not the case you may want to hire an Arizona internet marketing firm to help you. The great thing about a Scottsdale Internet marketing company is they know what they are doing and can start on day one. If you go at it on your own then your day one will be filled with trial and error. Everyone has to begin learning at some point if they ever want to be proficient at anything so if you are really committed, then start studying now in order to market your Phoenix e-commerce site effectively. Do remember, however, that when it comes to marketing a website it does take quite a bit of time to see results so be patient. As long as you are marketing your site as best you can you will see results within a few weeks or months.
Those interested in Crystal Reports 2008 training should consider online training. It is actually quite easy to use a Crystal Reports 2008 training CD on your own and basically teaches yourself the program. There are many reasons why you might prefer to take advantage of an online program or Crystal Reports 2008 help CD, with the main one being time savings. Everyone is busy this day and age and taking the time out of your busy schedule to take a class in person is really difficult. Not to mention the class times may not be compatible with your schedule, so you may not have another option. If this sounds like you, then consider training yourself on Crystal Reports. It might sound daunting, but it really is not and in no time you will get the hang of this program. If you need this training for your current job or a job you are applying for then it is important to get started right away. Do not let any more time pass before you begin training for Crystal Reports so you can improve your job performance and income.
Recently, Xylitol has been receiving a great deal of good press. Known as the “toothfriendly” sugar substitute, it has been known to aid in repairing minor cavities. WorldHealthDepot.com offers some great deals on the hottest health aids and nutrition supplements. With more than 30 categories you’re sure to find the products you need. Men’s health supplements can be a great addition to your workout routine. WorldHealthDepot has some of the lowest prices on popular products like Prostex, and PcCare.
Check out their offers on diabetic support products. You’ll get some of the lowest prices on Glycemic cream and Cinnamon. One of their featured diet weight loss products is Nature’s Way Glucomannan. A 100% dietary fiber source from the root of the konjac plant, it contains no calories and simulates the feeling of a full stomach. It makes for an excellent addition to a sensible weight loss program. Their Glucomannan is specially grown and prepared in Japan according to their exacting specifications. Herbs can be a gentle, yet powerful way to nourish and strengthen the body and assist it in its own healing processes.
You’ll receive free autoshipping on any product and secure shopping is guaranteed. For the best discount vitamins, Xylitol gum, and so much more, visit WorldHealthDepot today.
“We are in uncharted territory”
The decline in home prices accelerated and spread to more regions of the country in October, according to a series of private indexes released Wednesday. via San Francisco Chronicle
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Purchase and refinance applications dropped precipitously during the week ended Dec. via Housing Wire
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Shares of MBIA Inc. rose sharply on Wednesday after private equity firm Davis Selected Advisers acquired a 5.1% stake in the bond insurer, according to a regulatory filing. via Crain’s NY Business
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“Over the next 24 months, the growth is going to be huge”
While mutual funds are a staple of many 401 and other retirement plans, ETFs are likely to become serious competitors in the coming years. via Chicago Tribune
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“People are saying, ‘Let me just cut down on expenses, let me take it easy for a little bit, and when things get better, I know I’ll be able to go back and get another vehicle,’”
Mortgage-loan officer Alon Natanel recently got rid of his convertible BMW for a more affordable SUV. via Inside Bay Area
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“This agency has been (shortchanged) for years”
Since a workplace injury, Wisconsin Rapids resident Jennifer Allen has seen three surgeons and a pain specialist. via Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune
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“The fact that we are significantly ahead of national averages for both corporate and public plans clearly illustrates our commitment to managing this plan for the long-term benefit of our members”
Indianapolis - Indiana’s account that pays state employees’ pensions was 99 percent funded at the start of the 2008 fiscal year - better than similar funds in other states, according to an annual report. via WTHR-TV Indianapolis
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“All across New Hampshire newspapers agree. The choice is clear.”
Mitt Romney takes GOP presidential rival John McCain to task on taxes and immigration in a new advertising push in New Hampshire as he seeks to fend off the Arizona senator’s challenge.
‘John McCain, an honorable man. But is he the right Republican for the future?’ an announcer asks in the ad that starts airing Friday in New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first presidential primary on Jan. 8. ‘McCain opposes repeal of the death tax. And voted against the Bush tax cuts _ twice. McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant stay here permanently. Even voted to allow illegals to collect Social Security.’ Read more
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“I will undertake an objective and dispassionate review of all the businesses, individually and in aggregate, to make sure we are properly positioned for the future”
When Citigroup warned in early November that it was likely to write down its portfolio by $8 billion to $11 billion in the fourth quarter because of exposure to bad loans, investors recoiled at the size of the losses. Some now say those early estimates appear drastically understated.
Citigroup Inc. could write off as much as $18.7 billion in the fourth quarter, wrote Goldman analysts William F. Tanona, Betsy Miller and Neil C. Sanyal in a note to investors late Wednesday. If it does, they say, the bank may be forced to lower its dividend by 40 percent. Read more
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Rates on 30-year and one-year mortgages climbed this week, while rates on some other home loans didn’t budge.
Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.17 percent this week. That was up from 6.14 percent last week and was the highest since the week of Nov. 21, when 30-year rates stood at 6.20 percent.
Just three weeks ago, 30-year rates had dipped below 6 percent, edging down to 5.96 percent, the lowest level in more than two years. Read more
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In today’s business environment, the word ‘communications’ has been expanded to include email, chat, wireless phones, instant messaging and more. Because of this surge in digital communication, the United States, and other countries around the world have begun to support capabilities for digital lawful intercept known as CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act). These regulations define how communications providers should supply the proper law enforcement agencies with the ability to tap or monitor specific communication sessions as well as gather detailed session information and network forensics, all without the possibility of detection by those who are being monitored.
SoleraNetworks.com is a website that provides a powerful, yet easy to use CALEA compliance solution with unabbreviated Network monitoring and detailed logging. Their line of deep packet capture and stream-to-storage devices are designed from the ground up and offer the best performance and versatility in the industry.
Traditional polling and sampling techniques are no longer adequate now that 10Gb networks have become more common. Solera Networks’ devices are known to have the highest line capture rates, up to 8.1 Gbps with the ability to capture the full 10Gbps. For a line of network capture devices that can provide everything necessary to monitor and preserve all digital communications, visit SoleraNetworks.com.
In many industries such as financial services and pharmaceuticals, compliance training is an essential part of employee’s jobs. A learning management system, or LMS, can be a life saver for companies that need to deliver up-to-date training. Essentially an LMS is a high-level, strategic solution for planning, delivering, and managing most learning events within an organization. These events can include online, virtual classroom, and instructor-led courses.
The primary way this is achieved is by replacing any isolated or fragmented learning programs with a clear, systematic way to both assess, and raise competency and performance levels companywide. The focus of the content learning management system should be on managing the learners and tracking their progress through a variety of training activities. It can often perform administrative tasks such as reporting to instructors and other systems.
CBTPlanet.com offers unbeatable LMS software that is user-friendly yet packed with powerful features. A teacher can be assigned who has full control over all of the course settings including the color scheme and layout. They can choose from a variety of course activities such as forums, quizzes, glossaries, chats, workshops and more. To ensure accessibility from a wide range of machines, most of the text areas can be edited through an embedded WYSIWYG html editor. For a quality content enterprise learning management system, visit CBTPlanet.com.
Loan Site Plus is the easiest way for mortgage brokers and loan officers to achieve an online presence that can greatly improve revenue for their business. The fully comprehensive feature set will automate your business at a price that cannot be beaten. You will be able to easily construct and maintain your own mortgage website and send online newsletters on a regular basis that will allow you customers to stay up to date with your latest offering. With this mortgage marketing technique, you can take online applications and have the data imported directly into your approval software like Encompass or Calyx Point.
With Loan Site Plus you have the power of CRM Content Streams which is a powerful automated email system that makes it easy to stay in touch with all of your contacts. Using the CRM Tools you are provided with a number of email articles that both your current customers and future prospects will receive. They can be used to keep in touch with clients on a monthly or quarterly basis, or for after loan multi-step referral emails. Loan Site Plus is the premier mortgage loan marketing software used by professionals across the world. To grow your business, visit LoanSitePlus.com today.
“Whether he opposed it or embraced it at the outset, it became law”
Mayor John F. Street is getting more than $111,000 as he leaves office, money that a city official said comes from pay raises that he was entitled to but did not take.
Street had vetoed a pay-raise bill in the midst of an election in 2003, and the City Council overrode it. The mayor, however, chose not to take an increase, which at the time would have raised his salary from $146,000 to $165,000.
Now he has decided to collect it retroactively.
Street referred questions to City Finance Director Vincent Jannetti, who said the mayor is entitled to the money. ‘He deferred it and held back on it,’ Jannetti said. Read more
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Families who lost their homes to the foreclosure crisis this year will have at least one reason for cheer this holiday season: They won’t have to worry about a big tax bill. via The Tennessean
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“If this structure of income distribution is put in place, it will have a far-reaching impact on economic, social and political development in China”
China hopes to grow its middle class to more than half of its population by the end of the next decade, a Communist Party planner said Wednesday.
The goal is part of quadrupling China’s per capita gross domestic product by 2020, said Zheng Xinli, vice minister of the Communist Party’s Central Policy Research Office.
A bigger middle class will also challenge the government to provide greater social security and services and better education systems, Zheng said at a news conference.
‘A growing middle-income population will ensure that more people will benefit from reform so that our reform will be endorsed and supported by more people,’ Zheng said. Read more
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“Taxes aren’t that high out here, so even at $7 an hour people can burn off their county taxes pretty quickly”
Audrey Davison lives alone, gets a $620 Social Security check each month and worries about the sharply rising taxes on her four-bedroom house. via The York Daily Record
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More than 13,600 New Yorkers will receive about $18 million in restitution following a $325 million settlement of the predatory lending case against Ameriquest Mortgage Co. via The Business Review (Albany)
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“When the music stops, in terms of liquidity, things will be complicated. But as long as the music is playing, you’ve got to get up and dance. We’re still dancing”
Just last summer, analysts were predicting the subprime mortgage mess had been ‘contained,’ big bank CEOs were ‘dancing’ over the liquidity flowing in credit markets and private-equity titans yearned in Soprano-like fashion to ‘kill off’ the competition.
Times have changed. The housing and mortgage crisis has escalated into a full-fledged credit crunch, which now threatens to throw the economy into a recession. People and places far removed from this mess are finding themselves caught in the fallout. Read more
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“How rapidly do we fill these positions?”
State agencies are under orders to return $100 million in unspent funds at the end June, as part of the budget Gov. via La Crosse Tribune
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Q: I am about to apply for Social Security disability benefits. I have two children, ages 13 and 15. via The South Mississippi Sun Herald
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Small-business owners who expect to hit the ground running when 2008 arrives might want to think about sitting back for a just a bit and doing some strategic and financial planning for the new year. via The Morning Call
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“One of my first priorities at Merrill Lynch was to strengthen the firm’s balance sheet, and we have made great progress toward that by bolstering our capital position through these investments and our announced sale of Merrill Lynch Capital”
Merrill Lynch & Co., facing steep losses from mortgage-related investments, said Monday it will receive a cash infusion of up to $6.2 billion from Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and U.S. money manager Davis Selected Advisors.
The investment will help shore up Merrill’s balance sheet, as the world’s largest brokerage faces steep losses amid the global credit turmoil. Deteriorating mortgage-related investments and corporate loans caused the biggest loss in Merrill’s 93-year history during the third quarter, as it suffered $8.4 billion of writedowns. Read more
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“The desires of consumers to want, want, want, spend, spend, spend _ it’s the fabric of our nation”
Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate, sending delinquencies and defaults surging by double-digit percentages in the last year and prompting warnings of worse to come.
An Associated Press analysis of financial data from the country’s largest card issuers also found that the greatest rise was among accounts more than 90 days in arrears.
Experts say these signs of the deterioration of finances of many households are partly a byproduct of the subprime mortgage crisis and could spell more trouble ahead for an already sputtering economy. Read more
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The Japanese Cabinet approved a budget for fiscal 2008 on Monday that is slightly larger than the current year, thanks largely to rising social security costs as Japan’s population ages. via MSN Money
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After a slow and stumbling start, official Washington is scrambling to try to prevent the unfolding mortgage crisis from pushing the country into recession during an election year. There is a strong feeling, though, that the government will need to do more to avert a financial disaster.
One former Treasury secretary advocates temporary tax cuts and emergency spending on the order of $50 billion to $75 billion. Such action could help the U.S. from slipping into what Lawrence Summers, who served under President Clinton, fears could become the worst downturn since the steep 1981-82 recession. Read more
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“That’s an incredible marker when you’re giving up a member of your family”
The mortgage crisis unfolding around the country, particularly in hard-hit states like Ohio, often has an unpublicized victim: the family dog. via WCPO-TV9 Cincinnati
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“I just feel like it’d be better for everyone”
After 17 years of fixing cars, Greg Rothchild found the money from carving coal out of the earth’s innards simply too hard to pass up.
The married 43-year-old father of two breezed through the 40 hours of training the federal government requires of new below-ground miners, then quickly landed a $1,000-a-week gig at a mine earlier this year in this southern Illinois outpost. He was content the schooling was enough to get him safely started.
Others aren’t so sure.
The deaths of 12 men at West Virginia’s Sago mine last year and the recent cave-in that swallowed up six more in Utah have the notoriously perilous line of work under fresh scrutiny. And the adequacy of training for new recruits at the nation’s 600-plus underground coal mines is just one of the topics. Read more
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Several people who took on home loans from Countrywide Financial Corp. are suing the company, claiming they and other borrowers were steered unnecessarily into taking on risky loans with built-in payment hikes, … via North County Times
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“He voted against the Bush tax cuts _ twice”
Taking aim at a rallying John McCain, New Hampshire front-runner Mitt Romney said Saturday that his GOP presidential rival had failed ‘Reagan 101′ by twice opposing President Bush’s tax cuts.
Romney also sought to turn McCain’s well-known maverick streak _ a central theme in his campaign ads _ against the Arizona senator. McCain’s go-it-alone attitude, Romney suggested, will breed more divisiveness in Washington if he wins.
‘Anyone who’s run something, whether it’s a small business or a big business, knows that the No. 1 ingredient for success is building a remarkable team of people around you, motivating them, guiding them, insisting on them drawing out their best capacities,’ Romney told a crowd of more than 100 people at an elementary school. Read more
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E-mail questions, holiday edition.
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“Given his income, as much as 85 percent of her Social Security benefits might be taxable”
Q My wife and I are both 61. She is retired, and I plan to work until I am 65. We have 401 savings of $900,000 and owe approximately $160,000 on our home. via Chicago Tribune
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Anyone who properly filled out a voter registration form will be able to vote even if the Social Security or driver license number on the application can’t be matched with government databases, the state’s top elections official said Friday.
A federal judge earlier this week ordered Florida to take that step, throwing out a law that went into effect last Jan. 1 that prevented registration when matches can’t be made. The law was supposed to prevent voter fraud.
But the state said it would appeal the judge’s decision and Secretary of State Kurt Browning’s office earlier this week said local officials couldn’t immediately comply for technical reasons. Read more
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“We suspect (Merrill’s) current capital position is adequate from a regulatory standpoint but, similar to (Bear) and (Morgan Stanley), its position is likely not sufficient from an industry competitive standpoint without a deal”
Singapore’s state-owned investment fund is mulling a $5 billion investment in Merrill Lynch & Co., according to a report Friday, potentially providing the nation’s biggest brokerage with badly needed cash amid billions of dollars in credit losses.
The investment bank is said to be in advanced talks with Temasek Holdings about a capital injection, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. It would become the latest major financial services firm to turn overseas for cash to bail it out of huge losses related to the subprime mortgage crisis. Read more
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“I don’t think anybody ever thought food banks would be going out and buying food”
A Salvation Army shelter in a well-to-do Kansas county has an unprecedented waiting list that includes families who’ve lost their homes to foreclosure. via International Business Times
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Deterioration in the credit cycle has taken a new twist, as Fitch Ratings warned Friday a number of bonds might be downgraded - because the bonds’ insurer is facing a downgrade from Fitch. via Penticton Herald
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“No such conversation ever occurred. This administration does not do business that way”
A federal corruption probe moved closer to Gov. Rod Blagojevich Friday as prosecutors issued a document in which the governor allegedly boasted to a key witness that he “could award contracts, legal work and … via Hawk Eye
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“There’s a lot of good things here.”
There’s a good reason schools across the country are scrambling to find people who can teach Chinese: It’s quickly becoming business’ second language as Wall Street seeks to tap China’s $1.3 trillion in foreign … via The Gazette
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“It’s akin to not having to use your insurance policy — the reasons for the fund to be there have gone away, which is good news for the money markets”
The three top U.S. banks said they have abandoned a government-supported plan for a fund to bail out structured investment vehicles after Citigroup and others launched independent rescues, making the fund … via WNED.org
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The deadline for getting your packages mailed out is fast approaching. Here’s your survival guide to holiday shipping so you can get that last-minute present to your in-laws.
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“The issue related to cocaine use is not something that the campaign was in any way raising.”
Advance for Thursday, Dec. 20 By GEORGE F. WILL Washington Post WASHINGTON — In a political season that has become a ’70s Show, a Richard Nixon revival infects both parties’ primaries. via The Courier-Journal
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