NATION

NATION
Affordability is key to listof top sites to do business
NEW YORK -- The top spots to do business aren't places such as Boston, New York or Silicon Valley, according to a recent review of federal job-growth data in 277 American cities. The top-ranked places, according to Inc. magazine, are Atlanta, Las Vegas, San Antonio, and the eastern Los Angeles metro basin.
"A region's overall affordability was the theme that united the cities atop this year's list," said Joel Kotkin, a senior fellow at Pepperdine University and the author of the story in the March issue of Inc.
Florida, with young retirees returning to work and highly educated workers fleeing more expensive coastal regions, had six cities in the top 25.
Among the 10 worst places to do business were hard-hit manufacturing cities: Grand Rapids, Mich.; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.; Dayton, Ohio; and Rochester, N.Y.
Stock emergency cofferswith refund, article says
NEW YORK -- Tax season is under way, and the IRS will soon flood the land with refund checks for many. Financial planners often suggest using the money to pay off high-interest debt -- usually credit cards -- and to bolster retirement savings.
Yet the March issue of Consumer Reports magazine says the so-called personal "emergency fund" we're all advised to have might be the best place for refund money. Why? Because if you lose your job, chances are good it will take longer to find a new one than it once did, given the persistent weakness of the U.S. labor market.
Consider saving at least six months of your salary, twice the amount many planners once counseled, the magazine said.
Associated Press