A quarter of U.S. employers have eliminated matching contributions to employee 401(k) retirement plans since September to save money amid the economy’s downturn
Read more via Employers cutting back 401(k) plans: study | Reuters.
States racing to cobble together new budgets for their July 1 deadline could find themselves sinking back into red ink sooner than they think, as Americans’ income and the taxes they pay on it shrink, new data show.
Read more via Reports: State income levels plunge.
Households are paying down debt and rebuilding their nest eggs, so they’re not spending. Still, that’s unlikely to thwart a modest economic upturn
Read more via Business Outlook: Why Consumer Spending Won’t Drive a Recovery – BusinessWeek.
Fewer than half of centers had safeguards to detect mistakes
Lawmakers sharply criticized the Department of Veterans Affairs on Tuesday about why a national scare over botched colonoscopies earlier this year didn’t prompt stronger safeguards at the agency’s medical centers.
Read more via VA officials grilled over botched colonoscopies – Health care- msnbc.com.
There’s a Way to End The Constant Phone Calls About Your Unpaid Bills
Read more via Stop Those Harassing Debt Collectors – ABC News.
U.S. homebuilder sentiment slipped in June, a private survey showed on Monday, as higher mortgage rates and an ongoing credit crunch damped expectations for the sector.
Read more via U.S. homebuilder sentiment lower in June | Reuters.
U.S. credit card defaults rose to record highs in May, with a steep deterioration of Bank of America Corp’s lending portfolio, in another sign that consumers remain under severe stress.
Read more via U.S. credit card defaults rise to record in May | Reuters.
Congress, states consider new proposals to declare an ‘official language
The movement to make English the official language of U.S. government seems to run in cycles, and for now it’s back. Since the beginning of the year, four bills to that effect have been introduced in Congress, with versions of the idea included as part of at least three other bills. Meanwhile, similar measures have been introduced in at least 10 of the 22 states that don’t already have such provisions.
“A nation of immigrants needs one national language,” Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., said.
Read more via Pro-English measures revived across U.S. – Life- msnbc.com.
WHEN it comes to selling your house or planning your next home equity line of credit, being a nosey neighbor could very well pay off.
Read more via Mortgages – Beware of Neighbor’s Home Foreclosure – NYTimes.com.
Ten Autos That Will Sap Your Wallet — and 10 That Won’t
Read more via Most and Least Expensive Cars to Insure – ABC News.
