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Clear from American Express

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Automatic Rewards
When you spend $2,500, you get an American Express® branded shopping card worth $25.I Complimentary credit report (with credit score) every 12 months

Clear from American Express®

• Pay over time or pay in full.
  
• Grace Period for purchases is 28-31 days, if the previous balance shown on each billing statement is paid in full by each respective due date.
  

• Emergency Card ReplacementVII: Receive a new Card if yours has been lost or stolen in as little as 24 hours.
  
• Global Assist® HotlineVIII: Whenever you travel more than 100 miles from home, we'll provide you with emergency assistance 24/7, including medical and legal referrals, visa/passport help, cash access, lost luggage and more.
  

• Access your account online 24/7: Pay your bill or view up-to-date billing information, including transactions, charges, and payments.
  
• Online Year-End Summary: Organize your expenses in a snap - download and print the Summary; sort charges by date, merchant name, amount or category, such as Travel and Restaurant.IX
  

DID YOU KNOW?

	Many of the jobs in President Bush's "recovery" are low-wage, low-benefit service and retail jobs. The overall growth in jobs masks a harsher reality for families trying to maintain or build a middle class standard of living. Key among them: debt coupled with paycheck paralysis. Most people coming out of college with or without a degree are starting life off with about $20,000 in debt trying to get a degree. Then they try to support themselves on low wages after getting out of school. A generation ago finishing high school was what was needed to get a job and to have a reasonable amount of security. Now what is needed is a university degree and not just any degree, look at all people working in low class jobs with an arts degree. In the last 30 years compensation for somebody with a university degree has actually decreased when adjusted for inflation. Personal bankruptcy filings nationwide last year exceeded 2 million, the highest annual level on record. There were significant increases in consumer bankruptcy filings in every region. The total of 2,043,535 was up 32 percent over the 1,552,967 filed in 2004. That translates to one in every 53 households filing bankruptcy petitions. So are these 2 million people Scofflaws? Credit counselors say the debtors coming to their offices can’t afford to pay basic living expenses or make even minimal payments toward their debts. Corporate profits have reached record highs. People are working longer for the same or a lesser amount of money. During the period from November 2003 to March 2004 - when job growth was increasing - average hourly real wages actually fell by 1 percent. Companies are reducing health care benefits and are declaring bankruptcy to get rid of pension liabilities to their employees. Yes, but there are Tax Cuts. Tax Cuts have to be paid for by somebody at some point in time. If the tax cuts were financed largely or entirely through spending cuts or: if the tax cuts were financed through a combination of spending cuts and progressive tax increases this is what is projected by experts: The net result seems to be net tax cuts for about 20-25 percent of households, financed by net tax increases or benefit reductions for the remaining 75-80 percent of the population. So 75% to 80 % of Taxpayers are going to be worse off with tax cuts. The "losers" are going to be low- and middle-income wage earners. The trade deficit for last year is estimated to have swollen to another record high, above $700 billion, increasing America's indebtedness to foreigners. At some point in time these foreigners are going to want their money back. Then what?

Retirement is supposed to be a golden time in your life… a time when you can stop working and do the things that you've always wanted to do but have never had the time. Unfortunately, doing the things that you've always wanted to do takes money.

In many cases, individuals who haven't made plans for their retirement end up having to live off of government funds that are very limited; instead of simply accepting this as inevitable, though, you can take the initiative now and begin saving for your golden years so that you'll be able to do as you wish.

Below are several ideas to get you started on the road to retirement savings, so that the best years of your life can really be the best years of your life.

Common Savings

One of the easiest ways to start saving money for your retirement is to make use of common savings accounts. The accounts pay interest on the balance contained within, and as you add money to the account over the years the amount of interest paid will continue to increase. Some banks even offer specialized savings accounts to assist with retirement planning, which pay higher interest rates so long as certain deposit conditions are met.

Certificates of Deposit

Another way to put aside money for your retirement is to purchase certificates of deposit. These certificates pay interest over time until the certificate matures, at which time the entire amount built up within the certificate can be collected. Some certificates of deposit have a very short term, but others can last for years… these should be utilized as part of your retirement plans because relatively small investments can yield large returns when left to collect interest for several years.

Investment Plans

A variety of investment plans, both private and employer-sponsored, can be a great way to help put money aside for your retirement. Common investment plans such as 401(k) plans and IRA's can be used to invest money in the stock market for collection upon retirement… though the stocks chosen for investment should be carefully considered so as to avoid losing money in the process. Some companies offer investment plans and stock options where the investments are chosen by the employee themself, though others require that the money for the plan is invested in stocks chosen by the company.

Pension Plans

Though they are becoming less common in favor of investment plans, pension plans are another way that money can be set aside for retirement. With a pension plan the employee pays into the plan over the course of their employment, during which time the employer pays an additional amount (usually matching) into the plan. The money may be placed in a savings-type account, or held in escrow or as part of a money market account. Upon retirement, the employee is paid their pension either as a lump sum or as regular payments for years after they have retired from the company.

Other Options

A variety of other savings and investment options exist, all of which should be explored and considered in order to help you to find the best option that meets your retirement funding needs. By taking the time to explore your retirement savings options, you can stay a step ahead and make sure that when the time comes for you to retire you're not empty handed and relying on loved ones or the government just to get by.

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