• Battle Over USPS Future Enters Critical Period

    Updated: 2011-10-31 14:01:07
    Union Launches Petition Drive to Protect Post Offices, Mail Processing Centers, Service Standards The battle over the future of the Postal Service — and our jobs — has reached a critical stage: Key senators are meeting behind closed doors in an effort to produce a compromise bill to address the USPS financial crisis. It is [...]

  • Fast cars and loose fiscal morals: there are more Porsches in Greece than taxpayers declaring 50,000 euro incomes

    Updated: 2011-10-31 08:28:02
    Jubilation about the German deal to save the euro could prove short-lived if fresh news of Greek tax evasion gains wider currency. There are more Porsche Cayennes registered in Greece than taxpayers declaring an income of 50,000 euros (£43,800) or more, according to research by Professor Herakles Polemarchakis, former head of the Greek prime minister’s economic [...]

  • Things worth reading: 31st October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-31 08:05:48

  • Italy, Europe, and Red Brigade terror

    Updated: 2011-10-31 00:18:18
    Matters are turning serious. Italy’s labour minister Maurizio Sacconi has just warned that a rushed shake-up of the labour market – as demanded by the EU – risks setting off a fresh cycle of terrorism in the country. Here is the story from Il Sole. “We must stop creating tension over labour reform which could [...]

  • Burrus: Questions and Answers Defining the 2011 USPS-APWU National Agreement

    Updated: 2011-10-30 01:59:43
    Questions and Answers defining the 2011 national agreement will be invaluable in the enforcement of the newly negotiated provisions; however they omit a number of important subjects such as those referenced below. Perhaps the language is sufficiently clear that clarification is not required to explain the agreement that: * Reduces wages up to 60% for [...]

  • California Postal Worker Convicted Of Paying For Money Orders With Counterfeit Bills

    Updated: 2011-10-30 01:59:42
    OAKLAND, Calif. – Emmanuel Odion Esezobor was convicted by a federal jury yesterday of one count of theft of public money and seven counts of passing counterfeit U.S. obligations, United States Attorney Melinda Haag, Special Agent in Charge Nichole Cooper of the Postal Service Office of Inspector General’s Pacific Area Field Office, and Special Agent [...]

  • Medicare Premium Increases Announced and Medicaid Glitch Fix Passes House

    Updated: 2011-10-28 20:36:55
    CRFB.org Stimulus.org US Budget Watch Peterson-Pew Commission E-mail list sign up : Subscribe Unsubscribe Search : Home Documents Blog News Events About Contact Recent Posts Business Support for Go Big Grows The Results Are In Another Bipartisan Letter Calls for Go Big” Approach Medicare Premium Increases Announced and Medicaid Glitch Fix Passes House Competing Outlines Emerge from the Super Committee Business Roundtable and Partnership for New York City Urge Super Committee to Go Big Super Committee Democrats Offer Possible Go Big Plan Elmendorf Joins the Announcement Effect Club By month October 2011 50 September 2011 47 August 2011 52 July 2011 61 June 2011 54 May 2011 48 April 2011 55 March 2011 68 February 2011 55 January 2011 59 December 2010 46 November 2010 60 All Archives By

  • Europe kowtows to the Chinese dragon

    Updated: 2011-10-28 12:07:31
    Few things could be more bizarre, or humiliating, than the sight of eurozone political leaders kowtowing to the Chinese in the hope that a few crumbs might fall from the dragon's table to help prop up the newly enhanced European Financial Stability Facility. The Chinese threaten to extract a high price; security for their money, [...]

  • The best mobile financial videos on the Web

    Updated: 2011-10-28 08:50:10

  • Things worth reading: 28th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-28 07:01:20

  • USPS to Sell 2011 White House Ornament

    Updated: 2011-10-27 22:29:45
    The White House Ornament has been on sale at select post offices since October 13, 2011. Press Release from USPS WASHINGTON — The Postal Service has teamed with one of the nation’s leading companies producing decorative and commercial products to sell the 2011 White House Holiday Ornament at approximately 7,000 Post Offices across the country. [...]

  • Avoiding triggering Greek sovereign CDS is a mistake

    Updated: 2011-10-27 12:07:33
    Credit default swaps (CDS) are supposed to serve as a form of insurance against default.  A sovereign CDS provides insurance against a country defaulting.  If such insurance is not available, then companies and investors, wishing to insure themselves against the possibility of a country defaulting, will either have to reduce their exposure to such an [...]

  • Lessons to be learned from Vince Cable’s VAT shock

    Updated: 2011-10-27 07:41:21
    Vince Cable, the Business Secretary and outspoken scourge of tax avoidance, admits it is a "bit embarassing" he has become Britain’s first Cabinet Minister to be fined for failing to pay tax. You would need a heart of stone not to laugh. But leading accountants took a kinder view and said it is easy to be  [...]

  • Things worth reading: 27th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-27 05:25:02

  • 95pc of private sector pensions have no inflation protection at all

    Updated: 2011-10-26 07:31:52
    Fewer than 5pc of savers who buy an annuity can afford any inflation protection for their pensions, experts point out, compared to 100pc indexation in the public sector. Attempts to cut the cost of public sector index-linked pensions by switching them from the Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which usually [...]

  • Things worth reading: 26th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-26 05:46:30

  • Rick Perry's Plan for Taxes and Economic Growth

    Updated: 2011-10-25 21:24:29
    CRFB.org Stimulus.org US Budget Watch Peterson-Pew Commission E-mail list sign up : Subscribe Unsubscribe Search : Home Documents Blog News Events About Contact Recent Posts Rick Perry's Plan for Taxes and Economic Growth Let Us Not Fail in the 21st Line Items : Fall Classic Edition Two More Calls for the U.S . to Tackle Its Debt MY VIEW : Perspectives on the Tax Reform Act of 1986 The Importance of Shared Sacrifice Appropriations Update : A Return to Normalcy CRFB Analysis Shows Why Going Big Could Improve Chances of Success By month October 2011 40 September 2011 47 August 2011 52 July 2011 61 June 2011 54 May 2011 48 April 2011 55 March 2011 68 February 2011 55 January 2011 59 December 2010 46 November 2010 60 All Archives By Keyword Budget Process and Rules 183 Budget Projections 123

  • Things worth reading: 25th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-25 05:21:12

  • The Financial Services Club London Agenda, Winter 2011/12

    Updated: 2011-10-24 13:26:10

  • Things worth reading: 24th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-24 04:14:49

  • Plan Sponsors Should Prepare Now for 2012 Pension Interest Rates

    Updated: 2011-10-21 14:16:22
    The IRS recently released the October interest rates for pension plans. What do they hold in store for plan sponsors? This post summarizes some of the important rates along with our observations. Funding Segment Rates The interest rates used to determine pension plan liabilities for IRS funding purposes are composed of three segment rates (unless [...]

  • Things worth reading: 21st October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-21 01:15:01

  • Saving the U.S. Postal Service

    Updated: 2011-10-20 22:51:01
    . CRFB.org Stimulus.org US Budget Watch Peterson-Pew Commission E-mail list sign up : Subscribe Unsubscribe Search : Home Documents Blog News Events About Contact Recent Posts Saving the U.S . Postal Service Path to Debt Stabilization : A Comparison of Debt Triggers Tracker Updated With Two Plans From Last Week Social Security COLA Increase Democrats Target Oil and Other Fossil Fuel Subsidies Growing Support for Go Big Presidential Candidate Ron Paul Releases Budget Proposal Last Minute Recommendations to the Super Committee By month October 2011 32 September 2011 47 August 2011 52 July 2011 61 June 2011 54 May 2011 48 April 2011 55 March 2011 68 February 2011 55 January 2011 59 December 2010 46 November 2010 60 All Archives By Keyword Budget Process and Rules 183 Budget Projections 123

  • Path to Debt Stabilization: A Comparison of Debt Triggers

    Updated: 2011-10-20 20:25:16
    : CRFB.org Stimulus.org US Budget Watch Peterson-Pew Commission E-mail list sign up : Subscribe Unsubscribe Search : Home Documents Blog News Events About Contact Recent Posts Saving the U.S . Postal Service Path to Debt Stabilization : A Comparison of Debt Triggers Tracker Updated With Two Plans From Last Week Social Security COLA Increase Democrats Target Oil and Other Fossil Fuel Subsidies Growing Support for Go Big Presidential Candidate Ron Paul Releases Budget Proposal Last Minute Recommendations to the Super Committee By month October 2011 32 September 2011 47 August 2011 52 July 2011 61 June 2011 54 May 2011 48 April 2011 55 March 2011 68 February 2011 55 January 2011 59 December 2010 46 November 2010 60 All Archives By Keyword Budget Process and Rules 183 Budget Projections 123

  • What’s the Impact of 2012 IRS Retirement Plan Limits?

    Updated: 2011-10-20 17:53:53
    The IRS just announced the 2012 retirement plan benefit limits and we’re finally going to see some (very) modest increases after 3 years of flat rates. What does it all mean for employer-sponsored retirement plans? This post analyzes the practical effects for both defined contribution (DC) and defined benefit (DB) plans, followed by a table [...]

  • Things worth reading: 20th October 2011

    Updated: 2011-10-20 06:40:43

  • The Value of Tax Deferral

    Updated: 2011-10-19 17:10:36
    We often hear the question “why should I contribute to a qualified retirement plan if tax rates might go up”?  Good question; here’s why:  you’ll probably end up with more money after tax.  That’s true even if tax rates go up in the future. How much more you’ll end up with depends on your investment [...]

  • What’s Important for Plan Sponsors in IRS Hybrid Plan Notice 2011-85

    Updated: 2011-10-13 15:29:39
    IRS Notice 2011-85 announces the relief and postponed effective date for several items related to hybrid pension plans (e.g., cash balance and PEP plans). The notice is pretty technical (of course), but the IRS also published a nice summary of what’s affected by the relief. Here’s what it means for plan sponsors: The scope of [...]

  • Deferred comp plans: when they’re a great choice, and when they’re not

    Updated: 2011-10-12 22:06:07
    Nonqualified deferred compensation plans are a common feature of executive pay packages.  They’re a great choice in the right conditions, i.e. when: The executive’s share of company profits is very small, and The executive is willing to shoulder the employer’s credit risk, and Providing the benefits through a qualified plan would be too expensive. But [...]

  • Now is the Time for Retirement Plan Decisions

    Updated: 2011-10-07 01:45:02
    Many successful companies (especially professional firms like medical groups and law firms) are considering whether to increase retirement plan deductions for 2011. This post highlights the action steps to take while there’s still time. Note: We’ll be focusing on cross-tested profit sharing plans and cash balance plans. These plans allow owners to make large tax-deferred [...]

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