AARP to brand lifetime-income annuity

AARP to brand lifetime-income annuity

AARP, the lobbying group representing retired people, is placing its brand on a lifetime-income annuity designed by New York Life Insurance Co. The annuity includes a "cash back" feature, which returns to the heirs premiums paid minus any money already paid out.

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High Court may decide if muni bond system is unconstitutional

High Court may decide if muni bond system is unconstitutional

The U.S. Supreme Court may hear arguments in a case with the potential to alter the entire market for municipal bonds. At issue is a lawsuit filed by a couple from Kentucky who say that state's policy of taxing income from out-of-state muni bonds, but not from Kentucky muni bonds, violates the Commerce Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

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Investments: Let the 401(k) do the thinking

Sit back. Relax. Let the 401(k) do the thinking

Companies increasingly are setting the retirement plans of their workers on autopilot. New styles of 401(k) plans use automatic enrollment, automatic contribution increases and automatic investing.

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Average investors take on the tools of the hedge fund

Average investors take on the tools of the hedge fund

Once the domain of only the most sophisticated investors, investment vehicles such as derivatives, private equity, commodities and currencies are making their way into the portfolios of even your average investor. The arcane has become the ordinary for the new style of do-it-yourself investor.

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Rocks and hard places: Reasons boomers are postponing retirement

Rocks and hard places: Reasons boomers are postponing retirement

Roughly 20% of baby boomers provide financial support for one or more aging parents. And nearly half of middle-aged Americans are supporting at least one grown child. Something has to give -- and it has. Increasing numbers of boomers say they will work past retirement age.
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Index vs. managed funds -- one size doesn't fit all

Index vs. managed funds -- one size doesn't fit all

In the battle between index funds and managed funds, it was the passive investing style of the index funds that triumphed in 2006. But that doesn't mean index funds are for everyone. "Indexing is a long-term strategy, and it may on occasion test the patience of investors," according to Sonya Morris, an analyst with Morningstar.

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Investors told to take their time filing taxes

Investors told to take their time filing taxes, due to 1099 changes

Investors would be wise not to file their taxes early, according to many financial advisers. Any filing that's done now will likely have to be amended as revised 1099 forms arrive in the mail in the next few months restating dividends and other information.

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Management: Planning a Breakout Year

Planning a Breakout

Tuck management prof Sydney Finkelstein talks about his new book on howto leave your competitors in the dust.

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Americans save more for retirement

Americans save more for retirement

Americans are saving $696 a month on average for retirement -- twice as much as people in Italy, France and Germany and 10 times as much as workers in China. But U.S. workers have less confidence in their retirement system than do workers in Spain, Hong Kong and China.

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Tax law changes may delay some 1099s this tax season

Tax law changes may delay some 1099s this tax season

A tax law enacted last year changed how certain income is reported to customers, which could cause some banks, brokers and mutual funds to deliver tax reporting information to investors later than normal. In previous years, banks, brokers and mutual funds sent the tax forms known as 1099s in late January, but had to deliver millions of new, corrected forms in February, March and even April. With the new tax law change this year, even more corrections were expected. Instead of increasing the number of mailed corrections, some banks, brokers and mutual funds have asked the IRS for an extension, and will instead deliver their 1099s to customers in February.

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The Women's Leadership Forum: Innovation Strategies for a Changing World

The Women's Leadership Forum: Innovation Strategies for a Changing World
Harvard Business School Executive Education April 29 - May 3, 2007

Remaining competitive in today’s fast-moving, global environment is a constant challenge for any business leader. The Women's Leadership Forum, a new program from Harvard Business School Executive Education, is devoted to empowering women executives to think innovatively, act successfully, and lead with lasting impact for their organizations and for their own personal satisfaction. Join us for an intensive program that delivers thought-provoking analyses of critical management issues with HBS faculty and highly influential peers.

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The Art of Influencing Up

The Art of Influencing Up

The best ideas don't matter if no one pays attention. Here's how you can improve the odds of your boss taking your suggestions.

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What If All Your Senior Execs Left?

There's a talent drain coming, but companies willing to look at nontraditional candidates will find all the qualified folks they need.

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Lure of Entrepreneurship Beckons Boomers

Lure of Entrepreneurship Beckons Boomers

Instead of retiring, boomers are starting second-act businesses; some are motivated by an independent lifestyle, others by economic necessity.
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Are You Ready for Your Second Act?
Take this simple quiz to find out if you're ready to fly solo and run your own business. Take the survey.
Here are some highly recommended business ideas for your new veture. Email Careers@BizAnalyst.net for more information. Click here to begin.

Teambuilding for Small Business Owners/Managers

What is Teambuilding?

Here's a PM training video game with some interesting features, and our readers are invited to review it and receive a free download. Make the "quiz show host" your CEO, or Elvis, or your dog; make the "contestants" your actual team members. Looks like fun; let the game designer know if you find it effective.

Just e-mail gary@training-games.com for delivery via download link or attached zip file. A list of features can be viewed online. Click here.

AMA Handbook of Project Management & Creative Product Design

Creative Product Design: A Practical Guide to Requirements Capture Management

Small Business: Warming Up to Climate Change

Warming Up to Climate Change

The Rocky Mountain Institute urges entrepreneurs and corporations to face up to the reality of climate change--and make some money! “The most effective climate-protection measures actually help the economy and offer profitable business opportunities to the companies that implement them,” to quote their webpage.

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Specialized Services, Targeted Products Even Playing Field for SMBs

Specialized Services, Targeted Products Even Playing Field for SMBs

Small businesses need no longer think they're automatically a step behind by virtue of their size, according to this week's research. Microsoft and other big vendors are specifically targeting smaller companies by tweaking their own products to meet SMB needs or acquiring firms whose products are geared to them. Dell, for instance, has launched an online service called Small Business 360, that is aimed at companies will little to no IT support of their own. It includes resources such as Webcasts, as well as forums where users can ask questions of Dell experts or each other. Similarly, companies like Silk Road Asian Sourcing work to connect SMBs to the right outsourcing partners.

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CalPERS offering investment products to public

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U.S. pensions in good shape for first time in years

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IRS examines donor-advised funds, non-profits, charities

IRS examines donor-advised funds; charities fear loss of contributions

The Internal Revenue Service has begun looking hard at donor-advised funds, which allow an individual to make a donation, receive an immediate tax deduction and then later "advise" which charities receive distributions. While the IRS is worried that the investors are using the system to create tax-free slush funds, charities are worried that the IRS will hurt donations.

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China Stocks: A Pause in the Party?

China Stocks: A Pause in the Party?

If the gravity-defying Chinese stock markets are truly ripe for a correction, will it be a long and nasty one? Probably not, analysts contend.

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Nearly half of Americans have an IRA, survey shows

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Government workers crave more options from Thrift Savings Plan

Government workers crave more options from Thrift Savings Plan

U.S. government workers would like to have more investment options for their Thrift Savings Plan, the 401(k)-style plan that holds about $206.6 billion in assets. A survey of government workers shows they are happier than their private-sector counterparts with their retirement plans, but would like to see wider investment options.

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How to gain from 2008 capital-gains tax change

How to gain from 2008 capital-gains tax change

Starting next year, the tax rate on long-term capital gains from sales of stocks, mutual funds and other securities is scheduled to drop to zero for taxpayers in the two lowest ordinary-income brackets. Financial planners say that additional taxpayers can gain from the change by reducing their taxable income through deductions, such as charitable donations or mortgage interest, or by investing more money in 401(k) plans and other tax-advantaged accounts.

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Setting financial priorities in the new year

Setting financial priorities in the new year

People who are trying to get their finances in order often make mistakes when it comes to setting the right priorities. Experts advise paying off credit card debt first, then building up some cash reserves before contributing to a retirement account.

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Savings & Retirement Symposium, March 1 and 2

Savings & Retirement Symposium, March 1 and 2

The 2007 Symposium offers opportunities for interactive discussion and the best networking for retirement-products professionals in the securities industry. Sessions will include: investment advice opportunities post-PPA; regulatory developments in 401(k) fee disclosure and IRAs; tools for managing retirement income; boomer retirement challenges; and an overview of the HSA marketplace.

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The one thing that's inevitable about retirement is old age

The one thing that's inevitable about retirement is old age

The problem with planning for your retirement, according to a columnist for Bloomberg News, is that you can't really know what the future will hold. "By the time you find out for sure whether your preparation has been adequate to the task, it's usually too late to do much to fix it," Chet Currier warns.

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Wachovia targets the less-than-fabulously wealthy

Wachovia targets the less-than-fabulously wealthy

Wachovia has its eye on a smaller prize. The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank has hired 100 bankers in recent months to target "thousandaires," -- investors with between $250,000 and $2 million in assets.

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Congress sets stage for showdown over 401(k) fees, practices

Congress sets stage for showdown over 401(k) fees, practices

The 401(k) industry appears headed for the sort of intense scrutiny that led to earlier overhauls of mutual funds sales and other Wall Street activities. Congressional Democrats -- bolstered by numerous lawsuits and a finding by the Government Accountability Office that some 401(k) practices "may not be in the best interest" of investors -- are calling for public hearings.

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HR Specialists and Diveristy Directors

HR Specialists and Diveristy Directors

www.DiversityInc.com
The monthly journal covers top priority HR and Diversity issues, laws and best practices. They also provide some great statistics and benchmark studies.

www.DiversityInc.com