10 Worst States for Retirement. Beware of the beach! Watch out for historic neighborhoods, vineyards, sweeping verandas -- especially if you're about to retire. These places will steal your heart and get you thinking about a permanent move before you've considered all the angles. And there are many. Bankrate analyzed a variety of data, including state taxes, local crime rates, access to medical care and cost of living. We found that some of the prettiest, most touristy states in the nation are also some of the toughest on retirees. Here, in descending order, are 10 of the lowest-ranking states for retirement based on our criteria. No. 10: Delaware Songquan Deng/Shutterstock.com Delaware is home to excellent beaches, hiking trails and other natural beauties. Delaware's crime rate also is among the highest in the nation, with 3,970 property and violent crimes per 100,000 people, according to the FBI's 2011 Uniform Crime Report.
No. 9: Minnesota Igor Kovalenko/Shutterstock No. 7: Maryland and Vermont — Tie No. 6: Maine. The Best- and Worst-Run States in America. Yahoo! Editors have selected this article as a favorite of 2012. It first appeared on Yahoo! Finance in November and was one of the most popular stories of the month. Readers debated why California landed on the list as the worst-run state for the second year in a row, and what characteristics the best-run states shared. "Mostly [low-populace] states with no huge cities as well as good natural resources," user Caigonman pointed out about the top-performing states.How well run are America’s 50 states? Every year, 24/7 Wall St. conducts an extensive survey of all fifty states in America.
The successful management of a state is difficult to measure. [More from 24/7 Wall St.: America’s Poorest States] A state with abundant natural resources should have an easier time balancing its budget than one starved for resources. Despite this, it is the responsibility of each state to deal with the resources at its disposal.
[More from 24/7 Wall St.: The 12 Companies Paying Americans the Least] 1. 2. Crazy Laws Governing Pennsylvania Residents. Meet the Wealthiest Person in Each State. The research firm Wealth-X recently released a report listing the richest person in each U.S. state. This new rich list shows that 41 states are home to billionaires who obtained their wealth in diverse ways, ranging from the financial sector to energy to media, according to the Daily Mail. Unsurprisingly, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett and Larry Ellison nabbed the top spots for their states. The report also found that California and New York are the states with the highest number of mega-millionaires, while Alaska, Delaware and North Dakota have the lowest number of millionaires. 1.
Washington: Bill Gates is worth $64.5 billion Microsoft chairman and co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart 2. Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway 3. CEO of Oracle AP Photo/Eric Risberg 4. Chairman of Arvest Bank and the son of Walmart founder Sam Walton Jim Walton, left, and Alice Walton, children of the late Walmart Stores Inc. founder Sam Walton(AP Photo/April … 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Carmel, IN - Best Places to Live - Money Magazine. Top 10 States Most at Risk Of Disaster. Disasters can happen at any time and anywhere. But some places experience more than their fair share of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, winter storms and severe weather. [More from Kiplinger: TOOL: Is Your Home Fully Protected?] Where have these damaging events occurred most frequently and severely? Kiplinger.com worked with the Property Claim Services unit of Verisk Analytics, a leading source of insurance risk information, to identify the ten states that have suffered the biggest property losses from disasters over the past decade. If one of these disasters strikes where you live, make sure you have enough insurance coverage to protect your finances. 1.
Types of Disasters (2002-2011): 2 tropical storms, 7 hurricanes and 20 severe weather incidents Estimated Insured Property Loss: $32.2 billion The Pelican State has the unfortunate distinction of being the most disaster-prone state in the nation, largely because of Hurricane Katrina, which was the costliest disaster in U.S. history. 2. 3. Colorado still skinniest U.S. state. The title of skinniest state in America still goes to Colorado, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In 2011, Colorado's obesity rate was 20.7 percent — the lowest in the nation. Between 2005 and 2009, Colorado remained the sole state with an obesity rate below 20 percent. Now, no state falls into that category, the CDC says. In 2011, 39 states had obesity rates of over 25 percent, and 12 had obesity rates over 30 percent. The highest obesity rate was in Mississippi, in which 34.9 percent of the population is obese. [Related: Most Americans ignore the truth about obesity] Obesity rates were high in the South in general, with about 30 percent of people in that region qualifying as obese. After Colorado, the lowest obesity rates were found in Hawaii (21.8 percent), Massachusetts (22.7 percent), and New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Complications of obesity include heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer, the CDC says. Best and worst states for singles. La vocation de match.com est de permettre la rencontre de personnes partageant l'envie de vivre une histoire d'amour. match.com est à l'origine de nombreuses rencontres heureuses. Match.com met tout en œuvre pour que vous viviez la magie de la première rencontre : une grande diversité de profils clairs et complets où toutes les informations importantes sont accessibles en un clin d'œil grâce à des outils de recherche innovants. match.com est dédié aux célibataires qui souhaitent rencontrer le/la personne avec lequel/laquelle ils écriront les premiers moments de leur histoire d'amour.
Alors n'attendez plus.Que vous soyez un homme ou une femme, vivez l'expérience match.com. Accédez gratuitement aux 5,5 millions de profils en Europe, contrôlés avec soin, en vous inscrivant sur match.com. Visualisez vite tous les profils avec photos dans votre région. C'est simple, rapide et gratuit. Essayez tout de suite ! Comment contacter un membre match.com (email, chat) ? Trouver l'amour. Where Americans are moving this year. Moving is exhausting, time-consuming and tedious, and can be frustrating, especially if you’re moving to a new city or state. But once you’re moved in, living in the city you’ve always wanted to call home makes it worth the hassle. These 10 metros were the most popular moving destinations from January to March of 2012 based on inbound shipments, according to the American Moving and Storage Association. Their popularity is understandable: they offer plenty of job opportunities, a reasonable cost of living and have plenty to do for singles, couples, and families.
It’s probable we’ll see many of these cities on the list throughout the year, and perhaps into 2013. My number one suggestion to anyone moving to a brand new city is always the same: rent before you buy. And if you’re tired of where you’re living, and are looking for a new locale, you might find what you’re looking for in one of these top 10 moving destinations: 10. 9. 8.
Weekends can’t be beat. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. 10 fastest-growing states - North Dakota (1) The 5 Richest and 5 Poorest States in America. Median household income in the United States declined for the second straight year in 2011, the Census Bureau reports -- falling more than 8% below its 2007 pre-recession peak. While the trend is generally down, some states are faring far better than the average -- and, of course, some are faring far worse. Interestingly, while most of the states with at the low end of the median income spectrum are suffering from weak economies, unemployment in and of itself was not a key factor. Only two states of the lowest 10 were also among the worst 10 for unemployment in 2011, and five of the worst-off states had unemployment rates lower than the national rate. According to Brookings Institution fellow Elizabeth Kneebone, that disconnect isn't a surprise. "Earnings for middle and lower-wage workers have fallen or stagnated over time," Kneebone explained.
"So you can have a situation where jobs are being created ... but the types of jobs matter. These are America's richest states and poorest states.
Rich Cities. Richest counties in America. The Poorest Counties in America. Counties With the Highest Poverty Rates in the U.S. The number of Americans living in poverty has been on the rise since the Great Recession, as many households have seen their incomes drop and their debts mount in the past few years.
In total, more than 15% of the population lived in poverty in 2010, the highest percentage since 1993, according to the most recent data from the Census Bureau. To put that in perspective, that means more than 46 million people fell below the poverty line, defined as $22,314 for a family of four. If you factor in the income spent on expenses like medical costs, child care and mortgage payments, the number of Americans whose remaining income falls below the poverty line is closer to 50 million, or roughly 16% of the population. As severe as this sounds, some regions in the U.S. are much worse off. MainStreet combed through the data to find the 10 counties with the highest overall poverty rates in the country. Photo Credit: valeblos. Living near good schools will cost an extra $200K. Good schools don't come cheap. Want to live in a good school district?
It'll cost you an extra $200k. Home values are $205,000 higher, on average, in neighborhoods with high-scoring public schools versus schools with low scores, according to a new report issued by the Brookings Institution. Homes in high-scoring neighborhoods typically have 1.5 additional rooms, and 30% fewer are rented, the study found. Housing costs average $11,000 more per year in areas with better schools. Some of the areas with largest differences in housing costs also have the widest gaps in school test scores. The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk metro area in Connecticut, for instance, has both the widest gap in test scores between higher-income and lower-income neighborhood schools and the largest difference in housing costs, at $25,000.
Not surprisingly, income has an impact on test scores. Poor students have become more concentrated in schools with other poor students since 1998, Brookings found. The Best City for Women in America? Washington, D.C | Secrets to Your Success. Washington, D.C., may be the best city for women, a new report says.Women who live in Washington, D.C., Boston, and San Francisco have the highest levels of well-being in the United States, according to a new report.
Women there earn more money and have the highest levels of education compared to their peers in 25 other major metropolitan areas. Related: 7 surprising ways stress helps your health and well-being The report, Women's Well-Being: Ranking America's Top 25 Metro Areas, analyzed data from official government sources to determine how women in the 25 largest cities in the country fared. The cities were judged based on health indicators like life expectancy, knowledge indicators like school enrollment levels and degrees obtained, and the median earnings for their female residents. The study was done by Measure of America, a project of the Social Science Research Council. Related: Best places in the world to be a woman At the bottom of the list: Pittsburgh, Tampa-St. 1. The Tax Foundation - 2012 State Business Tax Climate Index. Download the PDF by clicking here. Errata: The original version of this report inadvertently left out Ohio's individual income tax reduction on page 39, and Wisconsin's 2013 tax reduction (enacted July 6, retroactive to January 1) was inadvertently left off of page 53 (enacted changes that will affect future editions of the Index).
Neither affects this year's state ranking. This version corrects these omissions. The Tax Foundation’s 2014 edition of the State Business Tax Climate Index enables business leaders, government policymakers, and taxpayers to gauge how their states’ tax systems compare. The 10 best states in this year’s Index are: Wyoming South Dakota Nevada Alaska Florida Washington Montana New Hampshire Utah Indiana The absence of a major tax is a dominant factor in vaulting many of these ten states to the top of the rankings. But this does not mean that a state cannot rank in the top ten while still levying all the major taxes. Source: Tax Foundation. Introduction 1. Eight States Get F for Corruption. 20 Best Restaurants in America | Shine's Spring Travel Guide. Great dining all over the nationWhat factors make any given restaurant that much better than another? In a country with so many great eating places to choose from, seeking out the best ones can be a daunting feat and could quite possibly inspire blood-boiling debate.
Just how good is that cozy neighborhood spot with the best spaghetti and meatballs you've ever had? What about that impossible-to-get-into sushi bar that serves 20 perfectly executed courses to a handful of lucky diners every night? And who's to say the best restaurant in America isn't a barbecue place so incredible that both visitors and locals are willing to wait in line for three hours for sliced brisket and ribs? Click here to see The Daily Meal's 101 Best Restaurants in America 2012 Click here to see 15 Food Jingles You'll Never Forget Click here to see the Best American Restaurants Across the Country You may question the final results ("Katz's Deli is better than Next?
") Cochon#20 Cochon, New Orleans. Five Worst Cities for Wage Growth - Monster.com. By Lydia Dishman, PayScale.com Even though the national unemployment rate is at its lowest level in three years, workers in many locations are still feeling the slump -- particularly when it comes to their paychecks. Online salary database PayScale.com recently released its year-end 2011 results for The PayScale Index, a study of changes in wages for full-time, private-sector employees. Besides providing a national trend line, the Index looks closely at differences in wage growth by city. PayScale analytics manager Katie Bardaro says that metro areas with decreased or flat incomes lack economic diversity and suffer from a high presence of weak industries, such as construction and hospitality.
“Until the economy is able to rise above the aftereffects of the Great Recession, there is little hope for these areas to experience strong wage growth,” Bardaro says. 1. Construction worker salary: $39,484 Search for jobs in Riverside, California. 2. Search for jobs in Baltimore. 3. 4. 5. Nine States with Sinking Pensions. Several years after from the financial crisis of 2008, state pension funds continue to languish. According to data released this week by Milliman, Inc. and by the Pew Center on the States, there was a $859 billion gap between the obligations of the country’s 100 largest public pension plans and the funding of these pensions.
Most of these are state funds, and state legislatures have attempted to respond to this growing crisis by making numerous reforms to try to combat this growing deficit. In 2010, only Wisconsin’s pension funds were fully funded. Nine states, meanwhile, were 60% funded or less — this would mean that at least 40% of the amount the state owes current and future retirees is not in the state’s coffers.
In Illinois, just 45% of the state’s pension liabilities were funded. [More from 24/7 Wall St.: The Worst Business Decisions of All Time] Each year, actuaries determine how much a state should contribute to its pensions to keep them funded. 1. 2. 3. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Virginia repeals one-a-month limit on handgun purchases.