| How the Pension Protection Act helps you (Part II)
The Pension Protection Act of 2006 took important steps to help you plan your retirement. Last month (March 2007 Retirement Benefit Counselor) we discussed how it enhanced your ability to contribute earned income to a company-sponsored retirement plan or an individual retirement account. In addition, the PPA made permanent the tax credits for IRAs and tax-free withdrawals from Section 529 plans for qualified education expenses. First made possible in 2001 by the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act, these had been set to expire in 2010, along with the larger contribution limits. Now they have been set in stone. Given the federal governments alarm over shortfalls in funding traditional pension plans, as well as the state of retirement saving by working Americans, the goal of these efforts was to strengthen workers ability to save for their later years.
Timely act saves Clardy
Horry County's director of environmental services submitted his plan to retire the day after a county investigation found reason to pursue allegations against him of sexual harassment, making racist remarks and misusing county equipment, according to county human resources records. Joe Clardy oversaw the county animal shelter and litter control during his career with the county and turned in his letter of retirement June 1, according to County Administrator Danny Knight. Eighteen employees said sexual jokes and propositions were a regular part of the atmosphere in the environmental services department under Clardy, the report said. Clardy did not return calls for comment to several local telephone numbers and to a second home in Tennessee. Knight, who has ultimate authority to fire county employees, said there had been no prior sexual harassment allegations against Clardy during his 13- to 14-year career with Horry County.
Multi-Olympic champion Janica Kostelic has announced her ...
"The moment has come to end my career, although I still want to ski. The main reason for this decision are injuries. I have suffered so many injuries and pain and don't want to go through this again," Kostelic said. The 25-year-old quadruple Olympic champion put her career on hold last year and missed the last season, training only sporadically. She has meanwhile focused on her recently opened beauty parlour and tried to keep her private life and her budding love affair with a little-known Croatian away from the limelight. "I'm not the type who seeks media attention and my life should be much more comfortable now," she said. Kostelic has won nine gold medals from world championships and Olympic Games since 2002, despite undergoing knee surgery 10 times.
Man Facing Trial Wins $2100 on Lotto TV
A man awaiting trial on charges accusing him of bilking $135,000 from three people in a home-repair scam won $2,100 on the Ohio Lottery's television game show. Timothy Snyder, 44, of St. Louisville, had a winning scratch-off ticket that earned him an appearance "Make Me Famous, Make Me Rich," which aired Saturday night. There are no laws or rules that prevented Snyder from appearing on the show, lottery officials said. Snyder is scheduled for trial May 29 in Licking County Common Pleas Court on two counts of theft from an elderly person, theft and misuse of a credit card. Snyder, arrested and indicted last year, is free on $5,000 bond. Authorities accuse Snyder of encouraging three area residents to open joint bank accounts with him and cash in insurance annuities to buy supplies for home repairs that were never completed.
Somebody’s Gotta Say It (Book Review)
As a regular listener of The Neal Boortz Show, I find this book every bit as hard-hitting, insensitive, informative, and entertaining as his show. The High Priest of the Painful Truth pulls no punches in his assault on ignorance whether from the Right, the Left, or Center. The Libertarian Party (the party that most closely reflects his views) is even skewered on a number of fronts. It's difficult to know how people who do not listen to his show will respond. You will likely find this book near books with a conservative political bent but conservatives who expect to find yet another book which relentlessly attacks the Left while keeping their sacred cows protected will be sorely disappointed. While Boortz dedicates a significant portion of the book to the lunacy of the Left, the Right is criticized for pushing their religious anti-science agenda on the American public (especially in government schools), their homophobia, and their continuous chipping away at the limited government platform they claim to embrace.
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