NEW YORK, Aug. 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Only 18% of working Americans are saving more for retirement now than they were one year ago, according to a new Bankrate.com (NYSE: RATE) report. Seventeen percent are saving less and 54% are saving about the same amount. Bankrate commissioned similar surveys in August 2011 and August 2012. This year’s results are virtually identical [...]

MORRISTOWN, N.J. and NEW YORK, Aug. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Top financial decision makers in the U.S. share an optimistic outlook towards the sustained economic recovery and opportunities for their businesses, according to findings from the most recent survey of Chief Financial Officers conducted by Financial Executives International (FEI) and Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business. Despite concerns about the risks and [...]

NEW YORK, Aug. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Global investor confidence increased in the United Statesthe past year but declined in China, Brazil, India and other emerging markets, according to the 2013 Global Venture Capital Confidence Survey from Deloitte and the National Venture Capital Association. Moreover, investor confidence in domestic capital markets declined despite substantial gains in stock indexes, and investors also lack [...]

FRESNO —Starting in September, SCORE and SBA will launch the five class “Simple Steps” program in Spanish to teach aspiring Hispanic entrepreneurs how to start a business.  Bilingual SCORE counselors will train the Valley’s Spanish speaking future business owners how to write business plans, develop a cash flow strategy, market and finance their ventures. “After [...]

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ – The National Small Business Association (NSBA) today released the 2013 Mid-Year Economic Report which shows an improved overall economic outlook for America’s small-business owners.  When compared with five years ago, 40 percent of small-business owners said today’s economy is better off—the highest it’s been in five years. “Unfortunately, small-business owners didn’t express that same positive [...]

NEW YORK, Aug. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The funded status of the typical U.S. corporate pension plan in July increased 1.6 percentage points to 88.2 percent, according to the BNY Mellon Investment Strategy & Solutions Group (ISSG). Year to date, the funded ratio is up 11.1 percentage points, ISSG said. The funded status for June 2013 and all [...]

NEW YORK, August 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – When it comes to the economy, the American public is given a lot of different ways to “read” the tea leaves with indicators of how things are going. They can try and track the ups and downs and ups of the stock market. They can look at the housing stats or [...]

NEW YORK, July 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Mortgage rates posted only slight movement over the past week, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate slipping to 4.54 percent, according to Bankrate.com’s weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.33 discount and origination points. The average 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 3.61 percent, [...]

CHICAGO , July 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Are the social dynamics in a typical U.S. workplace all that different from a U.S. high school? A new CareerBuilder survey found that 43 percent of workers say their office or workplace is populated by cliques. The nationwide survey—conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder from May 14 to June 5, 2013, [...]

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The ongoing housing recovery coupled with improvement in both consumer confidence and the labor market are expected to boost economic growth in the second half of the year, according to Fannie Mae’s (OTC Bulletin Board: FNMA) Economic & Strategic Research Group. The latest jobs report showed steady year-to-date job creation and measures [...]

FRESNO – The Principal Financial Group will make a stop at Fresno’s Chukchansi Park during its 2013 Principal Financial Dreams Tour, celebrating the company’s decade of support for minor league baseball. Over the past 10 years, The Principal has brought more than 400 events to minor league ballparks, attracting nearly two million fans. Past tours [...]

CHICAGO, July 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – More than a third (35 percent) of hiring managers currently have positions that have remained open for 12 weeks or longer, according to new research by CareerBuilder.  Which jobs are the hardest to fill and in need of workers now?  Which professions are experiencing strong job growth and present good opportunities for [...]

FRESNO – The nomination process is almost ended, and the final nominations are being cast for the “40 Under 40″ Class of 2013, presented by Business Street Online. The deadline is next Friday, July 26.  Throughout the years, the “40 Under 40″ classes have consisted of business owners, chief executives of companies, politicians and other [...]

ST. PAUL, Minn., July 18, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Most Americans have to sit all day at work and they despise it.  A new survey commissioned by Ergotron, a global manufacturer of digital display mounting, furniture, and mobility products including sit-stand desks, found that nearly 70 percent of full time American workers hate sitting, yet 86 percent do it all [...]

ARLINGTON, Va., July 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Workers in the private sector should expect wages to increase in the coming months at about the same rate as they have in recent years, according to the final second quarter Wage Trend Indicator™ (WTI) released today by Bloomberg BNA, a leading publisher of specialized news and information. The index for the second [...]

FRESNO – The deadline for nominations for the “40 Under 40″ Class of 2013 is coming up on Friday, July 26. The class, made up of some of the best and brightest individuals in the public and private sectors of central California, will be honored at “40 Under 40″ The Ultimate Networking Event, presented by [...]

CHICAGO, July 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — U.S. workers can expect a stable employment environment over the next six months along with an upswing in temporary jobs. In CareerBuilder’s latest national survey, employers indicated that full-time, permanent hiring in the second half of 2013 will mirror that of 2012 while temporary and contract hiring is expected to increase [...]

NEW YORK, July 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Forty percent of business executives, whose organizations are contemplating merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions in 2013, expect the deals will occur in North America. According to a recent Deloitte online poll, more than one quarter of these deals (28 percent) will be under $1 billion. “It may seem to go against conventional [...]

NEW YORK , July 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – Commodities were lower in June as uncertainty surrounding the future of the global economic recovery remained high. Nelson Louie, Global Head of Commodities in Credit Suisse’s Asset Management business, said, “Macroeconomic news out of China weighed on commodities in June.  With China now shifting to a more moderate [...]

NEW YORK, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ – The latest edition of Bankrate.com’s (NYSE: RATE) annual cash-back credit card rewards survey found that more than half of the cards (55%) offer introductory bonuses. But some cards are offering fewer points or require more spending in order to get the same bonus as last year. Fifty-three percent of the cards [...]