Benefits Manager

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, a sign the job market isn't getting much better.

The House has passed legislation to extend provisions of a half-century-old program that helps workers hurt by foreign trade with retraining and financial aid.

President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in the Senate promise additional votes on pieces of the president's $447 billion jobs bill, but how those pieces might be arranged and when the votes might be taken is up in the air.

Americans do not know what it takes to be financially secure in retirement, according to the results of a survey by the MetLife Mature Market Institute.

Employers advertised fewer jobs in August than the previous month, a sign some may have pulled back on hiring plans in the face of wild stock market swings and renewed recession fears.

It used to be that small businesses couldnt afford to offer retirement plans for their employees. It cost too much and the offerings for small businesses were few and far between. That has changed in the past few years, with more companies offering micro retirement plans.

The effort may be futile, but Senate Republicans decided Tuesday to make one more attempt at settling their differences with House members on a business-incentive bill that has been the focal point of a six-week long special session.

A recent survey by the Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America found that 51 percent of non-retirees question whether their 401(k), 403(b) and 457 plans are adequate ways to save for retirement. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they believe the safest place for their money, after paying their expenses,...