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How to behave during an earthquake

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In a building : • Remain calm. Do not panic. Do not jump out of the window or from the balcony. • Seek shelter under a heavy sturdy piece of furniture (e.g. a table or bed) and hold on to it for the duration of the quake. If this is not possible shelter under a fixed door frame or lie on the floor close to a carrying inside wall and away from windows. Protect your head and face with folded arms.

U.S. Census Bureau Offers Language Assistance Services to Help Russian Americans Complete the 2010 Census Form

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The Census Bureau has launched the 2010 Census Language Assistance Program to help residents in the Russian American community who don’t speak English complete their census form. Building on the success of the Census 2000 Language Assistance Program, the Census Bureau offers resources to help each community achieve an accurate 2010 Census count. The Language Assistance Program also helps reduce...

What Is a Stock Index?

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In 1884, Charles Henry Dow averaged the closing prices of 11 stocks he considered representative of the strength of the U.S. economy in a paper that preceded The Wall Street Journal. By 1896, The Wall Street Journal was publishing this average on a regular basis, and the most famous indicator of stock market performance was born: the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA or Dow)."

To Roll or Not to Roll: It’s Your Choice

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It used to be common for employers to encourage (or require) departing employees to withdraw their money from the company’s retirement plan.1 Like most employee benefits, an employer-sponsored retirement plan is typically an expense for the employer.

How Interest Rates Can Influence Financial Decisions

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Few Aspects of Economy Have as Much Effect on Spending, Saving Throughout much of the past decade, the Federal Reserve has relied on its control of short-term interest rates to influence economic activity. Some would even say that it has made some fairly unconventional moves: Like cutting the federal funds rate 11 times in 2001.

Deciding When to Begin

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A presidential commission has recommended increasing the early retirement age for Social Security to 64 and the full retirement age to 69. Fortunately, the plan, if adopted, would be phased in slowly and wouldn’t be fully implemented until 2075.

Debating the Debt Ceiling

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Over the past few months, there has been substantial debate in Congress over raising the ceiling on the national debt. This is an important discussion, but it is hardly new — Congress has raised the debt ceiling 74 times since 1962.

European News Causes Market Mood Swings

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The U.S. economy started to gain some momentum in the second half of 2011. 1 Nevertheless, investor confidence may depend in large part on how events unfold in Europe, as any deterioration in the two-year-old debt crisis could present a significant obstacle for an economic recovery here.

A message to the Budget Super Committee

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On November 23, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction – also known as the “Super Committee” -- will issue its recommendations on how to deal with our nation’s economic problems. As the Committee members work on a plan, I have two recommendations for its members: focus on job creation and develop a balanced approach that will result in real deficit reduction. President Obama has proposed...