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Another Reason to Revise Your W-4: CA Withholding Returns
Taxes may be one of life's sure things, but tax returns are another story. California's in big budget trouble (read: the state is teetering on tapped-out), and the controller's office is making the only choice it sees feasible for the current situation. In order to meet debt obligations and school spending requirements, CA has decided to withhold state tax refunds for individuals and businesses that overpaid in 2008.
Schwarzenegger Terminates Full Salaries of State Employees
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a man of his word this week. His threat to significantly cut the salaries of 200,000 state employees if lawmakers failed to produce a budget turned into reality when he signed an executive order reducing their pay to $6.55 an hour.
Schwarzenegger's Wage Threat: A State Employee's Reaction
As California Democrats and Republicans struggle to find a satisfactory compromise and seal the deal on a new and overdue state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's frustration has risen to the point of making threats. He's considering an executive order that would reduce 200,000 state employees' salaries to the $6.55 per hour federal minimum wage, which CitizenSugar points out is $1.45 less than the state's minimum wage.
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Cool Job: Nina LaCour, Author
Whether you love heading into work every day or dread the alarm each morning, hearing about people who love what they do is always inspiring. In our new Savvy series, Cool Jobs, we’ll talk to real women who have turned their passion into a very cool career.
Oakland native Nina LaCour always knew she wanted to be a writer, but over the past two years, she’s made that dream a reality.
Who Has the Longest and Shortest Commutes in the US
Southern California is notorious for its insane traffic; drivers there might be pulling out their hair, but the average commuting time is surprisingly not the worst in the nation. The US Census Bureau declared that commuters from East Stroudsburg, PA spend the longest time getting to work, averaging 40.6 minutes each way, typically driving to their jobs in the NYC area.
Other commuters who work in NYC can empathize; residents in White Plains, NY and Wayne, NJ have the second-longest commute, averaging 36.9 minutes.
Credit Limit Cut? Your State of Residence Could Be the Reason
When it comes in the form of credit cards, plastic is dramatic. There are always consumers in the news discussing how they've been mistreated by a credit card carrier, and there seems to be an endless stream of hidden policies that rear their harmful heads when customers least expect it.
Take the case of Paul Smith (not of kitschy designing fame), a San Diego resident who was alarmed when his credit card limit was recently reduced from $7,000 to $1,400.
Believe It or Not, It's Another CA Gold Rush
While there's nobody living that can deliver first hand accounts of the California gold rush that happened 160 years ago, we're quite familiar with the history of settlers moving West in search of golden fortune. The population surge had such an impact on CA that it was prompted into early Union admittance as the 31st state, transformed cities like San Francisco and Sacramento into centers of commercial activity, and gave the state a reason to advance its agriculture practices.
If the original gold rush completely transformed California, then what would happen if there was a sequel?
Gay Marriage Ban Hurts California Businesses
After a busy Summer of fulfilling orders for flowers and cakes to be showcased at same-sex weddings all over California, vendors are now seeing their business cut at the worst possible time. Voters passed Prop. 8, which effectively bans same-sex marriage in the state, and the demise of gay marriage is unfortunately hurting the businesses that supported same-sex couples.
News Flash: California Foreclosures Jump 261 Percent
Last quarter's real estate reports are in and the results aren't pretty. They revealed the number of foreclosures in California compared to the same time period last year rose 261 percent (no, that's not a typo). Such a dramatic situation comes with a scarily simple story: Buyers got into the housing market during the boom, usually financing their purchases with more than one loan, and have rather swiftly been crushed by the bust.
The 10 Best Paid Cities in the World
There's more to purchasing power than the gross number on your paycheck. Nobody knows that better than residents of Copenhagen, who earn more before taxes on average than any other city in the world. However, after accounting for taxes, hours worked, social security contributions, transportation, and the cost of groceries and household items, workers in Copenhagen have weaker purchasing power compared to cities where the average gross pay is less.
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