Business Up Front

Federal Incomes Taxes Need Overhaul A new national survey commissioned by the Tax Foundation and conducted by Harris Interactive shows a majority of U.S. adults think that federal income taxes are “too high” (56%), while four in every five adults say the federal tax code is complex (85%) and say that the tax system needs to be completely overhauled (82%). Healthcare Costs … [Read more...] about May 2009: Business Up Front

Corporate Travel Cuts May Hurt Business Recovery A new survey, by the U.S. Travel Association, of business leaders finds that while corporate travel budgets are often the first target of cost-cutting measures, a majority believe that companies who increase travel during an economic downturn will be better positioned to build competitive advantage. Nearly three-quarters (72%) … [Read more...] about April 2009: Business Up Front

Commercial Real Estate Down in 90 Percent of Markets Hundreds of SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) market experts across the country weighed in on local industrial and office market conditions for the Fourth Quarter 2008 SIOR Commercial Real Es­tate Index. The members’ account of their local markets reflected the lackluster of the general U.S. economy. In fact, … [Read more...] about March 2009: Business Up Front

Government Services Increase In Approval Harris Interactive reports that recent survey results reflect a more positive attitude to government in general compared to three years ago. A major reason for this change is surely a decline in the belief that “government is the problem” and a stronger belief that “government is part of the solution” – as a result of the economic and … [Read more...] about February 2009: Business Up Front

Original Bailout Loses Its Luster A recent poll released by the Gallup Organization says that for the first time since its passage by Congress in October, Americans have flipped from being more positive than negative on the Wall Street bailout. The first poll conducted just after the bill’s passage had it favored by Americans 50 percent to 41 percent; the same question in … [Read more...] about January 2009: Business Up Front

Human Resource Professionals Expect Cutbacks A nationwide poll was released recently stating that 70 percent of HR professionals feel budget cuts across the entire organization are likely if current challenges to the U.S. economy continue. Some 55 percent of the respondents said hiring freezes are also likely. The poll was conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management … [Read more...] about December 2008: Business Up Front

Unemployment Continues To Rise Latest available employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the nation’s nonfarm payroll employment declined by 159,000 in September and the unemployment rate held at 6.1 percent (9.5 million persons). Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 2.2 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.4 … [Read more...] about November 2008: Business Up Front

Real Estate no Longer “Best” Long-Term Investment 50% of Americans thought real estate was the best long-term investment they could make. Five years later, that same percentage has fallen to 37%. Given this year's housing bust, just 27% of Americans maintain that real estate is the best long-term investment. As of April 2008 Gallup Poll Results: • Savings accounts/CDs - … [Read more...] about October 2008: Business Up Front

Employers Enhance 401(k)s To Match Employee Demands In a survey released by the Charles Schwab Corporation, companies are spending more to strengthen their 401(k) plans. The survey results show a trend in corporate America of adding features that increase savings such as automatic enrollment, increasing matching contributions, investment advice and additional investment … [Read more...] about September 2008: Business Up Front

Top Executives Deal with Tough Economy Given the volatile economy of late, a new trend in CEO behavior has emerged. According to the 2008 Management Action Programs Inc. (MAP) quarterly survey, many CEOs are refraining from making bold, sudden business moves right now. Instead, many are opting to shift management gears into a “hunkering down and building up the business” … [Read more...] about August 2008: Business Up Front

401(k) Participants Invest in Equities The average U.S. household invests about 55 percent of its 401(k) or other defined contribution plan assets in common stocks. Many Americans are investing all or nothing in equities, due to a host of factors, including education level and marital status, according to a new analysis of government data by Watson Wyatt Worldwide, a … [Read more...] about July 2008: Business Up Front

Fewer Small Business Owners Can Afford to Offer Healthcare A recent study from SurePayroll’s mid-month survey of small business owners shows that high costs are barring more small business owners from providing health insurance than ever. Here are some key findings from the survey: • More than half of small businesses surveyed are not offering health insurance … [Read more...] about June 2008: Business Up Front

Possible Handout For Corporate Homebuilders Corporate homebuilders could receive billions of dollars in tax breaks under a provision of the Foreclosure Prevention Act currently pending in Congress, according to the recently released report by the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA). The Foreclosure Prevention Act is being held up as a way to help struggling … [Read more...] about May 2008: Business Up Front

Enrollment Systems Benefit Employers Employers are using their benefits enrollment systems to encourage employees to adopt healthier behaviors. A survey of 117 U.S. companies by Watson Wyatt Worldwide found that 53 percent of employers have incorporated health risk assessments into enrollment systems or will incorporate these programs by 2009. More than one-third use … [Read more...] about April 2008: Business Up Front

Parental Perks at Work Raising a family while working can be a challenge for most parents, but it seems many businesses are lending a helping hand. According to a recent survey, which asked executives if their organization has made changes in workplace policy to accommodate working parents in the past five years, more than 62 percent of executives answered yes. This means that … [Read more...] about March 2008: Business Up Front