| 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.
Administering Pain
One thing that is almost always overlooked in assessing the value and the rewards of a 401(k) plan are the plan administrative fees that are charged to the participants. The largest enemies to your long-term savings through a 401(k) plan are excessive fees by the selected mutual funds. Another set of fees also is circling around your retirement funds, nibbling away at your savings and nearly invisible to the naked eye. These are the fees associated with running the 401(k) plan itself. Participants in 401(k) plans are currently not adequately informed about the fees associated with the day-to-day operational costs of running increasingly more complex plans. These fees include the costs of mailings and other record-keeping, telephone voice response systems, daily valuation services, educational seminars, retirement planning software -- and all the rest of the clutter.
The times they are a changin
Before this summer of political change, few voters could name most of the opposition parties now vying for their votes, let alone name their chiefs. Come September 7, voters will not only need to know their names, but will have probably had to have looked into their electoral platforms to see whether they offer more than reviving the tradition of the tarboush or the building of an Arab Nuclear City. More importantly, theyll have to decide which candidates seem capable of turning their promises into realities. .
Designer baby despair
Latest Infertility Treatment Authority records show 17 children were born in Victoria in 2006 after having the screening. Hundreds more children have been born around the world using the technique. Monash IVF medical director Prof Gab Kovacs said yesterday he was unable to comment on the case because it was before the courts. The case is listed for a directions hearing at the County Court on March 31. Monash IVF was recently sold to the private equity arm of ABN Amro bank in a $200 million deal. Share this article What is this? .
Breast Cancer On the Rise Among Young Women
And, she says, it was risky, because she had to undergo a mastectomy and chemotherapy during her pregnancy.
"I really didn't want to. I was begging my doctor to wait until the baby was born, but it was aggressive enough that we needed to get started," she says. "Then in the day after my last treatment, my son was born. He was healthy."
Johnson is a breast cancer survivor, and so is her friend, Kim Carlos. She was diagnosed with the disease at age 30 while she was planning her son's second birthday party. "When I was diagnosed, the first thing I obviously thought of was my son," she says. "He was just turning 2 and I wanted to be here to see him grow up."
During their treatment journey, Carlos and Johnson formed a support group with two other friends.
Prediction roundup: Book Arizona
I think Rivers will play. The key will be how well the Chargers' two lines can handle the Patriots. I think they can have success on both sides. Look for LaDainian Tomlinson to run for 100 yards and keep the sticks moving. The San Diego defense will tackle well and keep Randy Moss in front of them. In the end, though, the Patriots are just too good. Tom Brady throws for three more scores and the Patriots will get to 18-0. Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today: Patriots 35, Chargers 20. With a backup quarterback, a backup running back and a star tight end playing on basically one leg, San Diego beat the Colts in Indianapolis. Impressive indeed, especially San Diego's defense, which is why the Chargers are in this game. But where does that leave the Chargers against the Patriots? In a tough spot, even if Philip Rivers and LaDainian Tomlinson play.
Businessman Behind Bid For SPL Club Exposed As Pimp
A TYCOON trying to buy an SPL football club can today be exposed as a sleazy pimp luring women into prostitution. Neil MacGregor, 35, claims to be a wealthy ex-SAS officer with a bodyguard firm protecting Hollywood stars. Last week he launched a multi-million pound bid for Inverness Caledonian Thistle after a similar approach to Third Division Elgin City flopped. But we can reveal that MacGregor operates an internet escort agency hiring Scots girls to sell sex in the US porn industry. He was snared after trying to groom a Sunday Mail reporter, posing as a recruit, for a life of vice. Our investigator, who provided a fake CV and photo, agreed to meet MacGregor at Crieff Hydro Hotel in Perthshire but he fled after being confronted.
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.
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