| Jobs strong in Bay Area, but it may take retraining
JESSICA MILLER jumped at the chance to dump her "draining" job as an airport screener for a promising entry-level position in the biotechnology industry. She entered a fast-track biomanufacturing training program in September at Skyline College in San Bruno and after 15 weeks of study landed a job as a lab technician at Bayer HealthCare/Pharmaceuticals in Berkeley. Now she makes more money and enjoys better benefits. "I was really nervous at first about changing jobs and getting into biotech," said Miller, 32, of Pittsburg, who started her new job in January. "But the program pulled out my transferable skills and gave me confidence. I'm going to make the most of it and try to move up in this field." Like Miller, many Bay Area residents may be eyeing a new career or seeking a better job.
What's happening TUESDAY in Southwest Michigan
The Kalamazoo Jaycees is sponsoring ``Munch & Mingle'' at 6:30 p.m. at Main St. Grill, 3013 Oakland Drive. The event is a way to meet new people and learn about the activities and projects of the organization. The Kalamazoo Jaycees offers men and women ages 21 to 40 the opportunity to participate in professional and social activities. The event is free. 381-5086, 343-2355, or visit www.kalamazoojaycees.org. Volunteer orientation Meals on Wheels is holding new a volunteer orientation at 9 a.m. in the Meals on Wheels Conference Room at Senior Services Inc., 918 Jasper St. 382-0515, ext. 300. Poetry Kalamazoo Poetry Slam's 10th annual Slam Tournament, round two, is set for 8:30 p.m. at Fire, 1249 Portage St. The cost is $5.
How much life cover do you need?
The primary purpose of life insurance is to provide risk cover that offers financial protection to a policyholders dependents in the event of the policyholders death. One needs to have enough life insurance so that his or her family can continue with their current lifestyle even if the breadwinner passes away. .
No passport? You can still visit Mexico by car
REAL DE CATORCE, Mexico (AP) -- So you want to go to Mexico, but you don't have a passport? There are still options, at least for one more year. Using just your driver's license or birth certificate, Americans can cross the border and spend a day buying trinkets and even a bottle of tequila to take home from one of Mexico's dozens of bordertowns, scattered between Tijuana and Matamoros. Or, if you have a long weekend and want to explore farther south, you can take a bus or drive to old mining towns that seem untouched by time, like the mountaintop Real de Catorce. As of January 23, all U.S. citizens must have a passport for airline travel to Mexico and the Caribbean. But, those traveling by land or boat need only a driver's license or birth certificate. (The U.S.
State got insurers to trim health rates
From the start, proponents of healthcare reform in Massachusetts stressed affordability. If insurance premiums were too high, they warned, many of the state's uninsured residents would resist buying health coverage, no matter what the law said. But when insurers submitted their initial bids to sell plans that cover about 200,000 residents who aren't offered insurance from an employer and who earn too much to qualify for subsidies, many critics deemed them unaffordable. So did Governor Deval Patrick and the Commonwealth Health Insurance Connector Authority, which is charged with implementing the law. "We told the plans, 'Do what you need to do to get some price relief,' " said Jon Kingsdale , executive director of the Connector. "They came way down." Or at least they made significant reductions.
Texas fights retiree accounting measure
NEW YORK - The implosion of Enron Corp. rocked the state of Texas more than anywhere else, but some lawmakers in its home state still don't seem to get the lessons learned from that mess: the crucial need for financial transparency. Proposed legislation there seeks to block new national accounting rules that require state and local governments to disclose for the first time the projected costs of future retiree health care and other benefits. It's a potentially super-sized obligation that the public deserves to know. But at least in Texas and potentially elsewhere, they might not get it if some politicians have their way. In addition to traditional monthly pension payments, governments across the nation have long promised their workers what are known as other post-employment benefits, covering at least part of the cost of retirees' medical, dental, disability and life insurance.
Avoiding the insurance trap could save you money
With temperatures on the up and the holiday season just round the corner, Halifax Travel Insurance is reminding holiday makers to think ahead when buying their travel insurance this year. According to the latest research, single trip policies still account for over 50% of all travel policy sales, leaving many people out of pocket or without the necessary cover if they take more than one holiday in the same year.
Alarmingly, 13% of travellers still venture abroad without taking out the necessary cover, with 16-24 years olds being the most likely to take their chances. Contrary to popular belief, the general price difference between a single trip policy and an annual trip policy can be very small. In fact, for some foreign holidays, it works out cheaper to get an annual trip policy than a single trip policy.
Florida Group Health Insurance At Lower Costs
Florida Group Health Insurance is very difficult to compare with individual health insurance. Recent polls taken by the Washington Post said that "33% of the consumer population didn't realize that group and individual health plans are different". How do I get a group health insurance policy? And what are my options to get lower cost health insurance? Group health insurance plans allow you to participate in a good policy, based on your inclusion in a specific workplace group of people. If you're a business owner, then offering a good group health insurance plan is the best idea for a many reasons. Do you qualify for one of these plans? Many employers think that, with just a few employees, their businesses are too small. To the contrary, even a two person company can qualify for a group health plan.
Federal oversight of insurance field could be beneficial
Have you ever wondered why banks, brokerages, mutual funds and most other financial firms are regulated at least partly at the national level - but not insurance companies?
Critics of the current system of state-by-state regulation say consumers could benefit from streamlined federal oversight, possibly to the tune of $50 or so in per-capita annual savings.
"The current system adds extra cost," said William McCartney, a senior vice president at insurer USAA. .
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