Business Briefs
Star-Bulletin staff
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FAST FACTS HAWAII
NATION
Most people confident retirement will be OK
How much saving does a happy retirement require? That's one of the fundamental questions underlying all the "golden year" planning for millions of Americans, and a magazine's survey suggests the answer is elusive for many of us.
About a third, 37 percent, said they think they'll need only $500,000 saved, while about a quarter, 24 percent, said $1 million. About the same number, 23 percent, said they don't know.
But they are, apparently, confident they will be OK when we stop working. Sixty-three percent said they feel "on track" for their retirement finances and 62 percent said they're pretty certain they won't need to work then.
The survey for Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine involved telephone surveys of 1,017 people.
"Most Americans feel like they are headed in the right direction, but they aren't certain where the finish line lies," said Fred W. Frailey, the magazine's editor. "Successful retirement preparation requires a well-defined goal and a disciplined plan for reaching it. We estimate that a retiree would need to have $1 million saved to achieve $50,000 of annual income, at a 5 percent withdrawal rate."
Don't push steak to a vegetarian
In most cases, a job search begins with the resume, and practically every company is eager to see how a candidate fits with the specific skills and experience that company needs. In other words, customizing your resume is key.
A resume specialty firm, Vermont-based ResumeDoctor.com, offers some tips:
» Research the target. Forget about "team players" and "problem solvers." If you know how to do what the employer needs for the new hire, tell them all about that skill set or experience.
» Create a powerful statement. Go with a headline summary that conveys your title, expertise, background. What kind of concise, professional statement would make a recruiter read further?
» Summarize your skills. Get it down succinctly. No need for full or flowery sentences.
» Parse the job description. To their discredit, many companies write woefully vague or incomplete job descriptions when advertising a position. Often, you'll need to call or do some other research to learn about the company, industry, basic skills or responsibilities for the post that piqued your interest.
"Sending out a generic resume is like a steak house that advertises its vegetarian menu. If you know your customers are asking for steak, then don't waste your time pushing the big salad," said Brad Fredericks, a co-founder of the company.
Men spend more on Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day is not an occasion of equality between the sexes, based on a survey of spending habits and perceptions around the observance.
Men said they plan to spend an average of $127 for their partner, while the average for women was $74, according to a telephone survey of 1,016 adults last month. More than a third of women, 39 percent, said they didn't plan to spend anything this Feb. 14 for their significant other.
Most men, 71 percent, said they plan a night out on the town, while 66 percent predicted they'll go with flowers on Valentine's Day. The dinner-dance-movie date night was also cited by both men and women, 62 percent, as their preferred gift.
The survey was conducted for Illinois-based Discover Financial Services LLC, which has about 50 million card members.