Don't Make These Common Retirement Mistakes - Retirement Homes

Retirement is a time for new beginnings and a clean slate. Baby Boomers have the choice between traveling the world, spending their time volunteering, among countless other retirement ideas.

But some retirement ideas which sound great may cause more difficulty and frustration than they?re worth, and USNews.com recently compiled a list of retirement plans which recent retirees (or soon-to-be retirees) should think twice about before jumping in:

1/ Retiring in an exotic location- While sandy beaches and waterfront villas sound attractive, the biggest problem Boomers might face is a lack of familiarity with the area, and a lack of people they know. In the event there are challenges or problems, friends and family can be helpful, but it?s harder when they are hundreds or even thousands of miles away.

2/ Overestimating travel expenses- As the news source noted, some expenses tend to fall in retirement, such as those related to work and careers, but it?s easy for travel and vacation budgets to balloon out of control, putting a strain on the recently-retired Boomer.

3/ Taking social security early- As noted elsewhere, the earlier you take social security payments, the less money you will receive, so think about whether you really need the money now. If not, it may be a better idea to wait longer and take more money when you might need it more.

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Source: http://www.retirementhomes.com/library/dont-make-these-common-retirement-mistakes/

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Obama ahead of Romney in Iowa polls as vote starts

Presidential and vice presidential candidate names are seen on a ballot at the Polk County Election Office, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. Voting in Iowa, one of 32 states that allow early voting, begins Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Presidential and vice presidential candidate names are seen on a ballot at the Polk County Election Office, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. Voting in Iowa, one of 32 states that allow early voting, begins Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

Election clerk Karl Althaus sorts through boxes of absentee ballots at the Polk County Election Office, Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012, in Des Moines, Iowa. Voting in Iowa, one of 32 states that allow early voting, begins Thursday morning. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ? Republican Mitt Romney is struggling in swing-state Iowa at a perilous point: just as voters here start casting early ballots in the presidential race.

President Barack Obama has a clear lead in Iowa opinion polls, helped by the fact that the state's economy is far more robust than other battleground states. The president's polling edge is so wide it has prompted grumbling among Iowa Republicans who fault Romney for failing to take advantage of Obama's standing, which had been weakened in the four years since Iowa launched his bid for the White House in 2008.

"There still is time to win, but we are in the fourth quarter," said Nick Ryan, a veteran Iowa Republican strategist who was a top adviser to Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum's caucus campaign.

Iowa is hardly the largest prize in the race for 270 Electoral College votes. But the six it offers could be pivotal if the race is close.

Iowans on Thursday can begin voting in person at early voting sites and returning absentee ballots they've requested by mail or in person. Iowa Republicans are mindful that the perception of Romney in deep trouble could sway voters already casting ballots ? or dissuade volunteers from encouraging backers to turn out at the polls.

The state knows Romney and Obama well; both competed here in 2008. And Romney came close to winning its caucuses in January.

"A lot of people I know are excited about Romney," said Susan Geddes, a Republican from Indianola, just south of Des Moines. "And a lot of people I talk to are like me, and just want it over with."

Since locking up the GOP nomination in the spring, Romney has visited the state six times and has poured $8 million into television advertising here. GOP-leaning groups have tried to help, spending $20 million in TV ads criticizing Obama. But Romney hasn't been to the state since Sept. 7, when he made a trip to the Republican-heavy northwest. And he has paid scant attention to the blue-collar voters along Iowa's eastern edge, where unemployment is running higher than in the state overall and where he needs a big turnout to overtake Obama.

The Republican's team insists that he hasn't given up on the state and that he and his running mate, Paul Ryan, plan to spend more time in Iowa in the final weeks of the campaign.

"You're going to see the governor and Paul Ryan talking a lot directly to voters, having more opportunities to do that," campaign spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said.

Aides argue that Romney has built a more sophisticated voter-contact system than Republican John McCain did in 2008, when Obama carried Iowa by 9 percentage points. And although Romney has only 14 staffed state campaign offices, compared with Obama's 67, Republicans say they have made more than 1 million contacts with voters by telephone and in person.

If the polls are right, the GOP ticket has a lot of ground to make up.

A Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist Poll taken last week found Romney trailing Obama by 8 percentage points, a finding that mirrored recent internal polls from Democrats and Republicans alike. The poll also found that only 40 percent had positive feelings about Romney, down from 43 percent in May. Conversely, Obama saw his favorability rating improve to 53 percent from 48 percent over that same period.

Those figures illustrate why Obama's campaign is increasingly confident about its Iowa prospects even as aides say they expect the race to tighten somewhat as undecided voters focus on the election.

Democrats say Obama has benefited from his Iowa strategy of blanketing the state with eight presidential visits ahead of early voting. Obama hoped that his frequent visits, as well as constant appearances by Vice President Joe Biden and first lady Michelle Obama, would help him build a lead over Romney ahead of Election Day, when Republicans traditionally have had an edge.

Obama focused his attention on more populous and politically diverse eastern Iowa. The small and medium-sized cities, many with struggling manufacturing sectors, were friendly territory for Romney in the Iowa caucuses but now show him trailing Obama in internal polling. Obama's three-day, statewide trip in August touched down in less-traveled cities in north- and south-central Iowa. He also made a well-publicized visit to the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines.

The president also has run more than $20 million in ads, including many that characterize Romney and his positions as those of a wealthy, detached former business executive. Obama allies also have spent roughly $3 million in advertising.

Obama aides say Romney's criticism of Obama's handling of the economy has been less effective here than it has been in states such as harder-hit Florida and Nevada. In August, Iowa unemployment was 5.5 percent, up from July but far below the national average of 8.1 percent.

But Obama aides also say Romney hasn't made as much of an effort to build a personal connection with voters in a state where face-to-face campaigning is key, and they say his comment about 47 percent of Americans who don't pay federal income tax has been problematic.

"He doesn't think poor people are his problem," Oskaloosa Democrat Pam Douglas said. "They are his problem if he wants to be president."

___

Associated Press writer Julie Pace in Chicago contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-09-27-Battleground%20Iowa/id-6250f1edf54447babf25d2a6bcca5df6

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Source: http://www.simplebedzzz.com/2012/09/annoying-problems-at-home/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=annoying-problems-at-home

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Romney, the middle-class and taxes

Romney has promised a 20 percent across-the-board tax rate cut, and some say he'll pay for it with higher?taxes on low- and middle-income households. Gleckman's not convinced.

By Howard Gleckman,?Guest blogger / September 26, 2012

Republican presidential candidate former Massachusetts Gov, Mitt Romney speaks during a campaign rally with his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., left, Tuesday, at Wright Brothers Aviation in Vandalia, Ohio. Gleckman agrees with the forecast that if Congress does not trim tax preferences, Romney would scale back his promised rate reductions.

Al Behrman/AP/File

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Yesterday, Kevin Hassett, an American Enterprise Institute economist and informal adviser to Mitt Romney, insisted that Romney would not raise taxes on low- and middle-income households in order to finance his promised 20 percent across-the-board rate cut. Nor would those rate cuts increase the deficit. Instead, Kevin predicted that if Congress did not trim tax preferences, Romney would scale back those rate reductions.

Skip to next paragraph Howard Gleckman

Howard Gleckman is a resident fellow at The Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, the author of Caring for Our Parents, and former senior correspondent in the Washington bureau of Business Week. (http://taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org)

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I think he?s right.

Kevin made his remarks at a?National Assn. for Business Economics debate?with Jeff Liebman, an economic adviser to Barack Obama. And by doing so, Hassett tried to rebut the Democratic talking point that the Romney tax plan would inevitably result in higher taxes for the middle-class.

Kevin, however, recast that claim somewhat : ?The notion that Romney is going to raise taxes on low-income people is just a lie,? he insisted, ?There is no way in hell he?s going to raise taxes on people making $20,000 by $2,000 bucks.?

For the record, I do not know anyone who said he would.?

When asked to describe Romney?s definition of middle-class, Kevin demurred, though Romney himself has said it is ?$200,000 to $250,000 and less.?

Still, Kevin?added, ?If you think the base-broadeners don?t add up, if you think he can?t get to 28 percent, then the right thing that would happen, as you know, if you?re going to have a revenue-neutral reform, is that they would have a different change in rates.?

Romney has thus far refused to describe which tax credits, deductions, or exclusions he?d cut, insisting he?d leave that to Congress. ?

The Tax Policy Center has?found?that a 20 percent across-the-board rate cut along with repeal of the estate tax and the Alternative Minimum Tax would disproportionately benefit high-income households. As a result, it would be effectively impossible for Romney to cut rates as he has promised without raising taxes on middle-income households, increasing the deficit, or raising taxes on investment income (which he has vowed not to do).

Hassett called the TPC analysis ?the most partisan thing to come out of a think tank in my lifetime.?

Not surprisingly, I think that assessment is way over-the-top. However, I suspect Kevin is exactly right in his prediction of which of Romney?s incompatible promises would eventually be scrapped. While other Romney advisors hint at different changes, such taxing municipal bond interest or eliminating all tax preferences for those making $100,000 or more, these seem unrealistic at best.? More likely, as Kevin suggests, the rate cuts would be scaled back. ?????

The Hassett-Liebman event was something of a preview of the upcoming debate between Romney and Obama, though the two economists likely brought more candor, substance, and passion to the topic than their principals will. ?

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on taxvox.taxpolicycenter.org.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/rXIKMIgGwEc/Romney-the-middle-class-and-taxes

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RadioShack CEO Gooch steps down

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) ? RadioShack says CEO James Gooch has agreed to step down immediately and is leaving its board of directors.

The struggling consumer electronics company has begun a search for a replacement.

RadioShack says Chief Financial Officer Dorvin Lively will serve as interim CEO.

RadioShack Corp. says it is in the process of hiring an executive search firm to help find a new CEO and that it may consider both internal and external candidates. Gooch had become CEO on May 2011.

In July RadioShack posted an unexpected second-quarter loss and suspended its dividend.

RadioShack, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, has about 4,700 company-run stores in the U.S. and Mexico. It has approximately 1,500 U.S. wireless phone centers and about 1,100 dealer and other outlets worldwide.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/radioshack-ceo-gooch-steps-down-113027988--finance.html

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Texans take over top spot in AP's power rankings

NEW YORK (AP) ? The Houston Texans are the fourth team in as many weeks to sit at the top of the AP Pro32 power rankings.

The Texans, fresh off an impressive victory at Denver to go 3-0 for the first time, replace San Francisco as the No. 1 team in voting by 12 media members who regularly cover the NFL. Houston earns nine first-place votes and 380 points.

San Francisco drops to a tie for fourth with the New York Giants. Previously, Green Bay and New England also held the top spot, then lost.

The other unbeaten teams, Atlanta and Arizona, are second and sixth, respectively. The Falcons get two first-place votes and 371 points, while the Cardinals have one and 335 points.

Last for the second straight week is Cleveland, which lost at home to Buffalo and is 0-3. The league's other winless team, New Orleans, falls to 27th. The Saints were ranked ninth in the preseason.

___

Online: http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/texans-over-top-spot-aps-power-rankings-201522498--nfl.html

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