| TheStar.com | Business | What you need to know about your pension
Suppose you have job offers from two employers that are very similar in terms of salary, working conditions and other priority items. Comparing the retirement plans might tilt the balance for you, especially if you don't plan to stay with either employer until retirement. Here are some questions to ask about a pension plan so you can make an informed decision. They're from a publication, "Your Pension Rights," by the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (www.fsco.ca), which regulates registered pension plans. Am I eligible to join the pension plan? When? Can I join if I work part-time? Do I have to join the plan? What type of plan do I belong to? Do I have to contribute to the plan? Can I contribute more if I want to? How much does my employer contribute? What happens if I leave my job before I retire? What is the normal retirement date under the plan? At what age can I retire early? Will my pension be reduced if I retire early? How is my pension calculated? Is it indexed to the cost of living? Will my benefits be reduced when I receive Canada Pension Plan benefits? What happens if my employer sells the business or goes out of business? Do I have a say in how the plan is administered? What is the financial position of the plan? Don't worry if you don't get answers right away.
K-State women roll on
MANHATTAN — They downplayed the significance of possibly cracking The Associated Press Top 25 poll all week long, maintaining that the focus should be on the next opponent — Colorado — rather than a ranking. But after defeating the No. 25-ranked Buffaloes 67-60 Saturday night at Bramlage Coliseum, the Kansas State women's basketball team will have to accept what's coming their way. .
Grant writers working to fund various CCSP projects
The Clark County Strategic Plan includes hundreds of projects to improve the economy of the county, as well as many programs to help improve the lives of citizens.But how will those projects be funded?The answer is simple, Phil Baldwin says: One at a time. .
EDITOR’S MAILBAG
I do not receive housing assistance or welfare.Everything I have, I worked for. Without my van, I can't take my daughter to school and I can't drive to work. If there was a medical emergency with my children, how would I get them to a doctor?I work as a certified nurse's aide for a staffing agency. I am required to travel to various towns to earn a living. If I can't drive to work, how will I pay my rent and utility bills? I can't even purchase a new vehicle until I receive my tax refund. I won't even be getting paid for working this week because my timecard is in my van. My daughter's car seats were in my van. Some of their favorite travel toys are in my van. I am living an absolute nightmare.Do car thieves even realize the hardship they cause people when they steal? Do they realize that stealing is illegal? Why would any sane person risk jail time over a 1994 Plymouth Voyager with a broken radio and bad transmission? I just can't grasp what would make a person do something so stupid.
Copying goes hi-tech
The age-old parchi system which used to do the trick during the examination season is now a thing of the past. Enter the low cost hi-tech Chinese pens which students are using to take them through the examinations. Though education minister Upinder Jit Kaur has said no instance of copying will be tolerated during the board exams and the erring officials will be dealt with strictly, a Chinese pen, costing around Rs 20 has come in handy for the inventive students who have added this invisible-writing pen to their cheating devices. Sources in the education department said after it decided to go strict with instances of cheating and the staff on examination duty become vigilant no paper slips or chits were being allowed in the examination centre. The sources said during one such frisking exercise during the exam of the plus-two science stream a few days ago, a teacher found that some of the students had pasted white-blank papers on their clip boards.
Eddie Bauer Reports Third Quarter and Year-To-Date 2007 Results
BELLEVUE, Wash., Nov. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: EBHI) today reported financial results for the third quarter and the first nine months of fiscal year 2007. For the third quarter ended September 29, 2007, total revenues were $211.0 million compared to $211.3 million in the third quarter of 2006. Comparable stores sales rose 3.4 percent, while revenues from the Company's direct channel, which includes sales from its catalog and websites, declined by 0.7%. Comparable store sales include net sales from retail and outlet stores that have been open for one complete fiscal year. Operating loss improved from a $134.1 million loss during the year-ago third quarter to a $26.5 million loss for the third quarter of this year. The third quarter operating loss of the prior year quarter included a $117.6 million asset impairment charge related to the writedown of the Company's goodwill.
Fort Lauderdale man faces uphill battle with a mountain of debt
Big student loans and a heap of credit-card debt, but a low-paying job. It's a mismatch so many people face when they're trying to live on starting salaries. For Jamell Vanterpool, the mismatch is hurting him and limiting his future prospects.
"I can't keep up with the bills," he wrote, seeking a South Florida Sun-Sentinel Money Makeover.
There are two big questions he faces: Can he live on his salary? The answer to that one is no. And what can he do about it? That answer depends on what Vanterpool does next.
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Security Benefit Completes Acquisition of Rydex Investments
TOPEKA, Kan., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Security Benefit today announced that it has closed its acquisition of Rydex Investments, a Maryland-based investment management company that is a leader in bringing institutional-style investment products to the retail market. "Today's action is a significant milestone for both Security Benefit and Rydex Investments and provides important benefits for all of our key stakeholders," said Kris Robbins, Security Benefit chairman of the board and chief executive officer. "In addition to diversifying our business -- a critical element of success in today's often volatile financial marketplace -- it enables Security Benefit to continue its history of providing broader solutions through sophisticated asset and risk management skills; comprehensive products, options and choices; and a growing array of traditional and non-traditional capabilities." The combined organization has approximately $35 billion in assets under management resulting in approximately $52 billion of assets under administration.
2 who sued shut preschool warn others not to count on getting back ...
Brooklyn Children's Academy Preschool director Andy Lewis pledged to pay up, but teacher Shanell Turner, 22 - who won $3,020 in Small Claims Court in November - hasn't collected a dime. "Honestly ... I don't think they're going to get their money, and I don't think I'm going to get mine," Turner said. When the school opened in a new location on Dean St. in early November, the city Health Department shuttered the site for dangerous conditions, including peeling paint, exposed wires and lack of heat. Parents were left without child care - and owed their deposits. Teachers also were owed back wages - at least $50,000 by their count. Turner, who quit the school before the move, sued after not receiving payment for a raise she was promised.
Losing Sleep-Literally-Over the Future
No surprise, concerns about their financial well-being in retirement mean too many Americans are watching infomercials for colon cleaners and home gyms at 2 a.m. rather then getting their REM sleep. "When you're struggling to put food on the table and feed a couple of kids, you're not in a position to plan for your future," says Joycelyn Ward, 65, of Juneau, Alaska, who plans to keep working for at least an additional 10 years out of financial necessity. "I wasn't able to start setting aside anything for retirement until I was in my 50s." .
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