Dods and dens
The U.S. Treasury and Labor Departments will ask for public comment as soon as next week on ways to promote the conversion of 401(k) savings and Individual Retirement Accounts into annuities or other steady payment streams, according to Assistant Labor Secretary Phyllis C. Borzi and Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Mark Iwry, who are spearheading the effort.
Since then I've spotted this opinion piece and also this from Bloomberg. There are a lot of "ifs" about this, but the consensus seems to be the feds would like owners of IRAs and 401Ks to consider "exchanging" these balances for a lifetime annuity, which would, some say, turn this into just another version of Social Secuity. I don't expect it to this year, but if this picks up steam in Congress - which becomes more likely the longer tax receipts stay low - this will turn very ugly.
I'm pretty sure that everyone is now aware our president's teleprompter has its own website, and I've now learned that there at least one imitator. But did you know that Bo, the White House dog, also has a site? Unlike other White House residents, Bo seems to have a well developed sense of humor.
Finally, just this past week I ran across an article written last summer by a young lady now living in Texas, who is learning to enjoy life in the not-so-fast lane, even though she's "working" in an auto repair shop. Well written and engaging, I suspect it also offers a touch of the future we're all facing, but it was my "feel good" piece of the week.
NOTE: Thumbnail is from a real shop, I think, on Queen Street West in Toronto. Shamelessly stolen.