Study shows most business owners failing to “divorce-proof” their companies
A bad marriage isn’t the only thing that ends with a divorce. Sometimes, a good business can go bust, too. While 580,000 new firms opened in 2004, about 10 percent of existing firms closed. And with the national divorce rate at about 3.5 for every 1,000 [...]
Expert Offers Tips for Getting the Most out of Your Benefits in Tough Economy
As the open enrollment season comes into full swing, experts encourage workers to pay particularly close attention to benefit elections this year to help offset financial challenges brought on by the recession. One-in-four workers (25 percent) reported that they don’t pay attention [...]
Expert Offers Tips for Making Ends Meet in Tough Times
Counting down the hours until payday? You’re not alone. As the economic downturn trudges on, many workers are struggling with household budgets. Six-in-ten (61 percent) workers report they always or usually live paycheck to paycheck just to make ends meet, up from 49 percent last year [...]
In a post-recession America, even though as a nation income levels may rise, middle class families still won’t be shielded from the crushing burden of health care costs and will watch their standards of living continue to erode, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by Daniel [...]
Employees With Defined Benefit Plans Feel More Confident Than Those With 401(k) Plans Only
Older workers are much less confident about their retirement security than they were two years ago as a result of the financial crisis, according to a new survey by Watson Wyatt, a leading global consulting firm. The survey also found that [...]
Urban Institute report recommends better disclosures and increased competition to protect consumers
A new report by the Urban Institute finds that if payday advances are eliminated they “could be replaced by alternatives that make families even worse off.”
In “Enabling Families to Weather Emergencies and Develop the Role of Assets,” by Signe-Mary McKernan and Caroline Ratcliffe, [...]
Company Efforts Geared Toward Stabilizing Key Market Segments and Increasing Rental Housing Opportunities
Amid stress in the capital markets and a downturn in the Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities market, Fannie Mae (NYSE:FNM) today announced that it will expand liquidity, stability and affordability by increasing its participation in key segments of the multifamily market. The [...]
America’s Second Harvest – The Nation’s Food Bank Network reported the results of a new survey that found 100 percent of food bank respondents have seen an increase in the number of clients served within the past year. The increase is estimated at 15 – 20 percent.
Of those surveyed, 84 percent indicated they are currently [...]
Analysis shows a negative impact on the health, education, and well-being of children
A new report released today reveals that an estimated 2 million children will be directly impacted by the subprime mortgage crisis as their families lose their homes due to foreclosures. As the first comprehensive analysis of how the crisis will impact kids, the [...]