Money and Computing
Three-Fourths of Female Veterans Served During Wartime; Younger Veterans Are More Educated, More Diverse
Over 500,000 women served our country in the military during the Vietnam era, Korean War and World War II. The wartime female veterans of the pre-AVF era have a median age of 69 and the majority (73.9 percent) served in the Vietnam era. About 30 percent have completed a bachelor's degree or higher. more »
My New Roommates, Alexa and Google Home
Rose Madeline Mula writes: After living alone for over thirty years, I recently acquired two new roommates. The adjustment is proving to be very interesting — not only regarding my relationships with them, but also theirs with each other. Their names are Alexa and Google Home, and they reside in opposite ends of my condo — Alexa lives in my den, and Google in my bedroom. I myself am an insomniac, and they are awake and available around the clock to tell me the time, the temperature, the weather, and the news of the world, or any celebrity gossip. (I was shocked when Google identified the latest person to be accused of sexual harassment!) more »
GAO: Better Guidance and Information Could Help Plan Participants at Home and Abroad Manage Their Retirement Savings
GAO reported that from 2004 through 2013, over 25 million participants in workplace plans separated from an employer and left at least one retirement account behind, despite efforts of sponsors and regulators to help participants manage their accounts. GAO found that although an employer may incur costs searching for separated participants, there are no standard practices for the frequency or method of conducting searches.
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Free Speech v. Free Riding, Janus v. AFSCME before the Supreme Court
Jo Freeman writes: A thousand people rallied outside the Supreme Court the morning of January 26 while the Justices heard oral argument on Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 inside. The decision in this case will have profound effects on public service unions. Currently 22 states require employees who do not choose to join a union representing their workforce to still pay agency fees to that union. These are supposed to cover the costs of representation since unions must represent all workers in a bargaining unit and not just their members. Agency fees are less than full union dues, but they aren't negligible. more »