REGION

REGION
UPS workers featuredin company's calendar
NORTH JACKSON -- UPS employees who work at the Things Remembered warehouse on Bailey Road are featured in UPS' 2007 calendar.
Different UPS success stories are featured on each month of the calendar, with the local workers being highlighted for April.
The month has a photo of Corinne Nickells, the customer service representative dedicated to Things Remembered, standing in front of five UPS drivers and their tractor-trailer rigs.
The drivers are Greg Fusselman, Tom Sarago, Keith Whitehead, Don Whitehead and Gary Buckley.
Things Remembered has given UPS Freight its Partnership Award in 2004 and 2005.
UPS delivers items to 600 Things Remembered gift stores.
NATION
Companies help workersof various ages get along
NEW YORK -- As employers try to keep baby boomers working longer, office cultures are morphing into a more age-diverse mix than before.
Companies want their older and younger workers to mix well, and have found some new ways to help them do that.
The ClearRock executive coaching and outplacement company said six of 10 companies are using older employees as mentors to younger workers.
One-third of companies are sponsoring after-work social functions to help employees of differing ages to get along better.
The survey from ClearRock shows 44 percent of companies saying relations between generations are excellent, while 46 percent rated them as good. Just 10 percent said they were fair.
Accountants groupurges more diversifying
NEW YORK -- Diversifying your assets among the three major classes -- stocks, bonds and cash equivalents -- is not enough. Investors should also diversify within the classes themselves, according to the Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
PICPA prompts investors, in a recent newsletter, to use the new year as a time to review how their investments are allocated, especially as the three asset classes react differently to economic events and market conditions.
The accountants group reminds investors to rebalance their assets and always take into account their personal capacity for risk.
Credit counseling serviceprovides advice on debt
NEW YORK -- The flurry of gift shopping near the end of the year leads some down the path of least resistance and into the land of credit card debt.
The average household has 10,000 in debt, and the holidays no doubt put pressure on consumers to buy more and boost their personal deficits ever higher.
The Consumer Credit Counseling Service offers five tips to consumers who find themselves having bought more than they had planned.
Know how much you owe: Add up all your credit card and other bills to get a realistic picture of what is owed.
Create a spending plan: Decide beforehand what needs to be paid, then put in place a plan for your income.
Pay off credit card debt: Stop making new charges and pay down what you already owe.
Build a savings cushion: The goal is to have enough to cover your expenses for three to six months.
Develop a strategy for a financial future: Monitor your finances on a regular basis. Open a retirement fund and contribute to it regularly.
From Vindicator staff and wire reports