Benefits Manager

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday acknowledged that the pace of economic growth is likely to be "frustratingly slow," after the Fed downgraded its forecast for the next two years.

Health care costs have been on the rise for years. Greedy insurance companies, more expensive medical technology, government involvement or lack thereof the reasons cited by the talking heads seem almost endless.

Rhode Island is ground zero for pension reform right now. The state, which has found itself with an unfunded pension liability of between $7 billion and $9 billion, has proposed a hybrid defined benefit/defined contribution plan to reform its retirement system.

The Federal Reserve is holding off on any new actions to help the economy because stronger growth is giving it time to gauge the impact of steps it's already taken.

One by one, five Republican candidates for president took the stage Tuesday in the state that holds the first presidential contest to pitch themselves as the strongest to challenge Democratic President Barack Obama on voters' top issue: jobs.

Unemployment rates fell in about three-quarters of large U.S. cities in September, a sign that the nation's modest job gains that month occurred across most of the country.

Stock indexes rose Wednesday after a steep two-day drop as international leaders scrambled to save a week-old plan to prevent a financial crisis in Europe. Strong corporate earnings and a bump up in hiring by private companies also helped turn markets around.

Most of the companies that either suspended or reduced their 401(k) matches during the economic downturn have reinstated them, business consultant Towers Watson said in a study released Wednesday.