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Good hiring sign: Jobless claims slip to 339,000

10 Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Good hiring sign: Jobless claims slip to 339,000New numbers are evidence that layoffs are low and hiring will likely remain steady. Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address.Sign in now to share your story.Sign in with FacebookSign in with Google+Be first to contributeAdd Videos or PhotosBe first to contribute Verifying your credentials... Please wait. Uh oh! We're experiencing a few technical issues. Try again Christopher S. Rugaber, AP 9:44 a.m. EST January 2, 2014 A job fair for veterans hosted by the Chicago Sky WNBA basketball team on Sept. 6 in Rosemont, Ill.(Photo: Scott Olson, Getty Images)Story HighlightsBut less volatile four-week average rose 8,500 to 357,250But . . . that average was driven up by seasonal volatilityJobless rate fell to a five-year low of 7% in NovemberWASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped 2,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 339,000, evidence that layoffs are low and hiring will likely remain steady.The Labor Department says the less volatile four-week average rose 8,500 to 357,250. The average was driven up in recent weeks by spikes that reflected seasonal volatility around the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. The government struggles to account for seasonal hiring by retailers and other businesses and for temporary layoffs of school employees during the holidays.STOCKS THURSDAY: How markets are doing[1]Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They appear to have stabilized near the pre-recession levels reached in the late summer and are at a level consistent with solid hiring.The unemployment rate fell to a five-year low of 7% in November.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Looking…
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3 things to know when hiring home health aide

Carol Blackwell prepares to fill a bird feeder with her husband, Bob, during her daily visit to see him at the Great Falls Assisted Living facility in Herndon, Va., on Sept. 25, 2012.(Photo: Doug Kapustin for USA TODAY)Story HighlightsFigure out if you need an assistant or a home health aideHome health will cost a great deal of moneyAlways have a backup plan if your provider can't make itIn 2012, some 58,500 paid, regulated long-term care companies served about 8 million people in the U.S., some 4.7 million of whom received that care in their home. And more often than not, experts say those receiving that care – be it one, two or all of the basic activities of daily living – didn't know the first thing about hiring a home health care provider.So what do you need to know should you ever need the services of a home health care provider?Get smartFirst, knowing whether you need home health care is a good start. Licensed home health aides provide hands-on personal care, but not medical care, in the home – activities such as bathing and dressing. If all you need is help with cooking and running errands, you might be better off hiring homemaker services, also referred to as personal care assistants or companions.If you do need a home health care provider, consider this hurdle. Thousands upon thousands of firms provide licensed services, not to mention many firms providing unlicensed services. There are at least 12,206 home health agencies in the U.S., about 76.1% of these agencies were Medicare- and Medicaid-certified, 22.5% were Medicare-certified only, and 1.4% were Medicaid-certified only, according to the National Center for Health Statistics' report, Long-Term Care Services in the United States: 2013 Overview.When searching for in-home care for yourself or an aging family member, Linda Fodrini-Johnson,…
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Tips on having a pain-free gift return experience

1 Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Tips on having a pain-free gift return experienceIt's inevitable, not everyone is going to like that perfect holiday gift you picked out for them, and vice versa. An estimated 15% of all holiday sales come back as returns or exchanges. In this week's Money Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address.Sign in now to share your story.Sign in with FacebookSign in with Google+Be first to contributeAdd Videos or PhotosBe first to contribute Verifying your credentials... Please wait. Uh oh! We're experiencing a few technical issues. Try againUSA TODAY contributor Regina Lewis explains five key moves to help ensure a smooth transaction at the return desk. USA TODAY Regina Lewis, Special for USA TODAY 9:24 a.m. EST December 28, 2013 An estimated 15% of all holiday sales come back as returns or exchanges(Photo: Steve Kohls, AP)It's inevitable, not everyone is going to like that perfect holiday gift you picked out for them, and vice versa. But when it comes to accepting returns, some stores are feeling a little less generous these days and are identifying chronic or "serial returners."Retailers say stingier polices are intended to combat return fraud, which according to the National Retail Federation will cost retailers $8.8 billion in 2013.In this week's Money Quick Tips video, USA TODAY contributor Regina Lewis looks at some key moves to help ensure a smooth transaction at the returns desk.MONEY QUICK TIPS: Get some of your holiday shopping money back[1]Regina Lewis is a national television contributor and host of USA TODAY's "Money Quick Tips" videos. Follow her on Twitter: @ReginaLewis.Looking for a Job?Looking for a job? Start here USA NOW Tips to make your…
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99% of long-term investing is doing nothing

Morgan Housel, The Motley Fool 10:03 a.m. EST December 25, 2013 LEIPZIG, GERMANY - OCTOBER 20: Historical society enthusiasts in the role of Bavarian troops loyal to Napoleon advance during the re-enactment of The Battle of Nations on its 200th anniverary on October 20, 2013 near Leipzig, Germany.(Photo: Sean Gallup Getty Images)Story HighlightsThe other 1% will change your lifeEvery one of the market's top days took place during periods of sheer terrorOf the 1,353 months since 1900, only 321 have been in recessionNapoleon's definition of a military genius was, "The man who can do the average thing when all those around him are going crazy." It's the same in investing.Building wealth over a lifetime doesn't require a lifetime of superior skill. It requires pretty mediocre skills -- basic arithmetic and a grasp of investing fundamentals -- practiced consistently throughout your entire lifetime, especially during times of mania and panic.Most financial advice is about today -- what should I do now, what stocks look good now. But the vast majority of the time, I've come to realize, today isn't that important. It's just buying and waiting. Most of what matters as a long-term investor is how you behave during the 1% of the time everyone else is losing their cool.To demonstrate my meaning, I used Yale economist Robert Shiller's market data going back to 1900 and created three hypothetical investors. Each has saved $1 a month, every month, since 1900.The first is Betty. She doesn't know anything about investing, so she dollar-cost averages, investing $1 in the S&P 500 every month, rain or shine.Sue, a CNBC addict, invests $1 a month into the S&P, but tries to protect her wealth by saving cash when the economy is in recession, deploying her built-up hoard back into the market only after the economy…
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Joseph A. Bank rejects Men's Warehouse bid

1 Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about Joseph A. Bank rejects Men's Warehouse bidClothier Joseph A. Bank has rejected the Nov. 26 acquisition bid by rival Men's Warehouse. Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address.Sign in now to share your story.Sign in with FacebookSign in with Google+Be first to contributeAdd Videos or PhotosBe first to contribute Verifying your credentials... Please wait. Uh oh! We're experiencing a few technical issues. Try again Men's Wearhouse had offered to acquire Joseph A. Bank for the equivalent of roughly $1.2 billion.(Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images)Story HighlightsRejection marks new chapter in suit warsJoseph A. Bank previously tried to acquire Men's WearhouseCompany says it continues to review acquisition opportunitiesClothing firm Joseph A. Bank has rejected a $1.54 billion acquisition bid by rival Men's Warehouse, marking a new chapter in the Wall Street suit wars.The Hampstead, Md.-based firm announced Monday that its board of directors had unanimously turned down the Nov. 26 takeover bid after concluding that the offer "significantly undervalued the company."Men's Wearhouse had offered to acquire Joseph A. Bank for $55 per share in cash, a bid that represented an implied value of roughly $1.2 billion for the takeover target. Men's Wearhouse said at the time its bid was 32% over the closing share price of Joseph A. Bank on Oct. 8 — the day before the firm proposed its own takeover of Men's Wearhouse."Our board undertook a thorough review and determined that the per share consideration in the proposal made to us by Men's Warehouse was simply not in the best interest of our shareholders," Robert Wildrick, chairman of Joseph A. Bank, said in a statement[1] announcing the decision. He added that…
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News Corp gets Storyful for $25 million

5 Share This Story!Let friends in your social network know what you are reading about News Corp gets Storyful for $25 millionMedia giant plans to "enhance and expand Storyful's video products and services for newsrooms, advertising agencies and brands." Post to FacebookPosted!A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Sent!A link has been sent to your friend's email address.Sign in now to share your story.Sign in with FacebookSign in with Google+Be first to contributeAdd Videos or PhotosBe first to contribute Verifying your credentials... Please wait. Uh oh! We're experiencing a few technical issues. Try again Staff reports, USA TODAY 9:49 a.m. EST December 20, 2013 Media giant plans to "enhance and expand Storyful's video products and services for newsrooms, advertising agencies and brands."(Photo: Mark Lennihan, AP file)News Corporation says it is acquiring Storyful for $25 million.The company -- popularly known by the shortened moniker "News Corp" -- says in a Friday news release: "Building on Storyful's skill in finding verified news amidst the noise of social media, News Corp will use its own global scale, robust digital presence and advertising expertise to enhance and expand Storyful's video products and services for newsrooms, advertising agencies and brands."News Corp will also employ Storyful's tools to help boost "engagement and revenue across News Corp's businesses," the release says.Company properties include Dow Jones, the financial news and services umbrella over The Wall Street Journal, MarketWatch website and Barron's magazine."Storyful has become the village square for valuable video, using journalistic sensibility, integrity and creativity to find, authenticate and commercialise user-generated content," News Corp CEO Robert Thomson says in the release.Looking for a Job?Looking for a job? Start here USA NOW NYC bans e-cigs. Will cities follow? | USA NOWDec 20, 2013...
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