Career and Relationships

Saving for the Future: College Tuition vs. Retirement

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Despite the skyrocketing costs of a college education, a bachelor’s degree, at the very minimum, is an essential requirement to get ahead in this world. With few, notable exceptions, gone are the days when you could make a healthy, livable income right out of high school. But for parents, the increasingly unaffordable cost of a [...]

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2011-2012 Best Open Enrollment Choices as Health Care Insurance Continues to Rise

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According to preliminary results from their annual survey of 1,600 employers, Mercer expects employee health care benefit costs to increase by 5.4% next year. You will likely see these costs via higher monthly premiums during your organization’s open enrollment period. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to to mitigate the impact of rising [...]

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How Much Do Americans Make? Breakdown by State Household Median Income

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Is $50,000 considered a good income that you and your family can comfortably live on? Probably not in most places, but this is roughly the median income of the average American household. Or stated another way – 50% of households make less than this amount, while 50% make more. But income levels do vary by state, [...]

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2012 Military Pay Charts with 1.6% Raise Over 2011 Rates

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[Updated with approved 2012 rates] In 2011, US armed forces members received a 1.4% pay raise after a drawn out budgetary process. However in 2012, Congress has approved a  slightly larger 1.6% increase in military pay. The 1.6% raise was part of the $662 billion National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 bill (H.R. [...]

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American Opportunity Education Tax Credit (AOTC) Extension for 2011 and 2012 – Eligibility, Income and Phase-out Limits

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Congress extended the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC), which was initially created under the Recovery Act, for an additional two years as part of President Obama’s compromise tax cut package. The AOTC allows parents and students to receive a tax credit of up to $2,500 for college expenses, based on certain income limits. The AOTC [...]

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2011 & 2012 Paycheck Changes: Payroll Tax Credit Extension

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[Updated Dec 2011] There is a fierce political debate going on in Congress to extend the payroll tax credit and unemployment benefits into 2012. The payroll tax credit which cuts 2% of an employees social security taxes for a saving of up to $1000, affects about 160 million Americans and is the biggest bone of [...]

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Is it Okay For an Employer to Google or Facebook You?

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Most people have an online presence in today’s day and age. Whether it is passive (Google searches) or active (Facebook, Twitter) our online history is not that hard to get to for companies that have the right tools, resources and connections. But is this ethical or legal and should your employer or potential employer be [...]

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2012 and 2011 Locality Pay Rates – General Schedule (GS) Pay Table Adjustments

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[2012 Locality Pay Rates to Stay the Same as 2011] With no rise in the Federal General Schedule (GS) pay rates, may federal and state workers on the GS salary scale were hoping for some relief through locality pay changes. Unfortunately, the President declared that 2012 locality pay adjustments would remain at 2011 levels due [...]

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Job Outlook and Prospects For 2011: The Usual Suspects and Some Surprises

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There is little more on the minds of college students or those considering getting a higher education degree than what occupation will offer decent career opportunities after graduation. Some look at income, and others look toward landing that first job and paycheck. Others look longer term to find a job with a defined career path [...]

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Overtime Pay and How Much Overtime Employees Can Work

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Whether it’s due to a tough economy and a scarcity of jobs, the need for extra money or just the company culture, millions of Americans work overtime.  In fact, Americans work on average more official overtime hours than workers in any other industrialized country. In just twenty years Americans have added an hour and a [...]

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Being Laid Off? Negotiate That Severance Package

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Just about anything involving money is a source for negotiation, but many people don’t think about the fact that their severance package is as well. Although we don’t want to think about that day when we may be laid off, it’s important to be prepared to negotiate our compensation package. Especially if you’re in a [...]

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Tax Tips If You Are Looking for a Job – Deducting Moving, Education and Job Search Expenses

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With almost 10 percent of the United States workforce currently unemployed, the idea of owing money at tax time is downright scary. If you are actively looking for a job, there are a number of tax benefits – including some sizable tax deductions available to you – that should help minimize your tax implications during [...]

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