Business and Financial News

When it comes to reading the small print in financial contracts, very few people actually bother to read the document in whole. Whether the paperwork relates to business or personal finance, being able to have comprehensive understanding of the information included is inherent to making the best financial decisions possible. For those who cannot fully understand the language, and/or those who have difficulties with reading may suffer financial consequences if they sign a contract that is not in their best interests. For those who have competent literary skills, many tend to lose interest after a couple of pages and discontinue reading the contract.

According to the Canadian Council of Learning, almost half of Canadian adults have low literacy skills. Full Article…

View full sizeThe economy might be on the mend. The job market is not.
 
About 360,000 Oregonians received unemployment checks last year. That’s the population of Salem, Corvallis and Eugene combined. And while Oregon’s unemployment rate was 11 percent last month, its underemployment rate is much higher — 20.7 percent, federal officials say.
 
That rate includes workers taking part-time jobs because they can’t find the full-time position they want.
 
It also counts discouraged workers, or those who’ve given up looking entirely.
 
What’s more, the percentage of workers unemployed for 15 weeks or more nationwide was 5.9 percent last month. Tha Full Article…

Anyone making a claim for disability insurance benefits needs to be aware that they can, and likely will at some point be under the careful and close scrutiny of a private investigator armed with video cameras. They may be parked outside your home in the classic low-budget spy thriller van, or they may be watching from a control room in a non-descript office building thousands of miles away. But if you’ve filed a claim, chances are good they are watching.

Video surveillance is a relatively inexpensive way for insurance companies to gather additional information about the life and daily patterns of a claimant. It’s also a great tactic to intimidate policyholders.

Full Article…

Free tax help Free sessions begin next month and continue until April 15 throughout Oregon. To find a free event near you, or to volunteer or donate to the cause, contact:

CASH Oregon, 503-243-7765 or visit its site

AARP Tax-Aide, 1-888-227-766

AARP’s Web site

The IRS, 1-800-829-1040. You might be on hold for a while, though. Volunteers trained through the federal Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) and the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) Programs will provide free tax prep and filing help at 200 sites in Oregon this tax season.

These volunteers are IRS-certified and had to pass tests on their tax knowledge to help taxpayers at these events. Full Article…

When Bonnie Henderson decided to return to entrepreneurship after a corporate layoff in August 2008, she says the puzzle pieces seemed to fall into place like answers to her prayers. Her mother was in a position to lend her some startup funding, for instance, and friends found a terrific location for her restaurant.

But the most fortuitous accident came about when her partner, Betty Miller-Henderson, stumbled across a brand new commercial kitchen in May 2009. Not only was it convenient and affordable, but it was also more than just a kitchen facility. It was Mama’s Small Business Kitchen Incubator, a Pasadena (Calif.) facility that exists to educate, encourage, and nurture budding food businesses.

“We had worked out of some commercial kitchens further away, but that was a real trek.

Full Article…