| Easing The Bite Of 401(K) Contributions
WE ALL KNOW we should be contributing as much as we possibly can to our 401(k)s. There's really no excuse not to. No matter how well you do with your other investments, you're unlikely to beat the 401(k)s advantages of tax-deferred growth and a company match. The bottom line: Max out. So why don't we do it? Well, we've got tuition bills, car-loan payments, credit-card debt, medical bills, mortgages, etc., etc., etc. Fact is, most of us really don't want to see our paychecks shrink any further even if it's going to give us a more comfy retirement. That's why we developed this 401(k) contribution calculator. If you really crunch the numbers, the results may pleasantly surprise you. What most people don't realize is that increased contributions usually mean lower federal and state income taxes.
2007 Dodge Charger SRT 8 Review
Of course, that stiffness makes it handle like a sports car on the twisties. In fact, our friends at Edmunds.com managed better slalom times with this SRT8 than with the Miata or Solstice. Impressive! The modern Charger is so much better than the original muscle cars that there ought to be another category. The huge 20-inch high-performance, Z-rated low-profile tires make a lot of noise on some surfaces echoing and howling as if amplified through the wide tires. And the exhaust note . . . let's just say it's thrilling. Cruising down the road we don't hear the exhaust at all but at idle (while getting our morning coffee at the drive-through) it grumbles deeply. At full throttle on the entrance ramp it roars like a movie monster. We'll call it acoustically gratifying. It is a true muscle car, after all.
Decoupling 1: Emerging Asia
This week's plunge in share prices, at one point taking the MSCI Emerging Asia Index down 25% from its October high, suggests they have changed their minds. But the fact that their stockmarkets are still coupled does not mean that their economies will follow America over a cliff. Decoupling was always a misnomer if it implied that an American recession would have no impact in the East. Exports and hence profits would certainly be squeezed; some fear Japan may even be tipping back into recession (see article). Instead, the real argument in the rest of Asia was that it would suffer less than in previous American downturns. .
The UNIDO Cluster/Network Development Programme: India
Initially the local support institutions displayed much less interest in the UNIDO activities than the entrepreneurs. The first cluster-wide meeting called in January 1998 had therefore limited results. In spite of the proposals coming from CALICO and COTEX and of the previous sensitization by UNIDO, the local institutions failed to pick up any of the projects identified, thus contributing to a further worsening of the relationships between the local producers and support institutions. UNIDO thus opted for a more time-consuming sensitization of the support institutions both at the local level and through their headquarters, whereby the main thrust of the cluster approach was repeatedly presented, the initiatives identified by the artisans were introduced and financial support was requested.
Commerce Bank Selects the DealerTrack Specialty Solutions Network to ...
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DealerTrack Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRAK) today announced that Commerce Bank, N.A., a subsidiary of Commerce Bancshares, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBSH) , has signed an agreement to participate on DealerTrack's online specialty financing platform. DealerTrack is a leading provider of on-demand software and data solutions for the automotive and specialty retail industries. Once implemented, recreational vehicle (RV) and marine dealers nationwide will use the DealerTrack Specialty Solutions platform to electronically submit consumer loan applications as well as complete the loan contracts with Commerce Bank. "Commerce Bank maintains a significant presence in the recreational lending industry, and we value the relationships we have with our dealers," said Leonard Metzger, Commerce Bank senior vice president of dealer financial services.
Schwarzenegger Visits Oakland, Brings Foreclosure Help
OAKLAND, Calif. -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Friday came to Oakland, which has the 10th-highest foreclosure rate in the nation, to announce a new fund aimed at helping local homeowners who are facing foreclosure to keep their homes. OneCalifornia Foundation founders Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer contributed the initial donation of $1 million to a bridge loan fund that will be administered by the foundation in Oakland. The bridge loan will assist homeowners who don't qualify for other assistance, such as Schwarzenegger's agreement with loan servicers announced last month, or President George W. Bush's nationwide agreement with subprime lenders announced Thursday. .
Plan's on borrowed time Home loan piece of stimulus may be shortlived
A provision in the new economic stimulus package that would make it cheaper and easier to buy or refinance a home a boon in the pricey Bay Area might be terminated almost as soon as it begins. President Bush and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi trumpeted a plan this week to raise loan limits for mortgages that FannieMae and FreddieMac can purchase, a move that would allow lenders to offer many more home loans of a greater amount and with the lowest mortgage rates available. The only problem is the loan limits would expire at year's end if the stimulus package follows the proposal as outlined in the current stimulus package. Some key U.S. senators want to extend the time period for the higher loan limits, perhaps indefinitely. The idea behind the higher limits is to stoke demand for homes in high-priced housing markets such as the East Bay and other parts of the Bay Area.
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