I am tired of reading articles denigrating public worker pensions. Let’s get one thing straight; teachers, policemen, firefighters and municipal workers did not crash the economy. It was crashed by unregulated banks and financial institutions with the blessings of Congress, who were later rewarded with bailouts while middle-class Americans bore the brunt.

If you own a business, you may well follow a “do it now” philosophy — which is, of course, necessary to keep things running smoothly. Still, you also need to think about tomorrow — which means you’ll want to take action on your own retirement and business succession plans.

Calling it "an important part of improving education,'' Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Thursday to eliminate the AIMS test -- including the graduation requirement -- paving the way for something else to measure the new Common Core standards already being implemented in Arizona schools.

Wells Fargo, the third largest corporate employer in Arizona, announced it will be participating in a job fair hosted by Arizona Department of Economic Security and Arizona Workforce Connections Expo at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on March 20.

Health care is a business and economic driver in the East Valley, similar to the aerospace or defense industries. The health care sector makes effective use of private and public funds to create jobs, support ancillary services and support the purchase of local materials. Statewide, the hospital industry is 63 percent larger than the hospitality industry and 37 percent larger than the electronics and aerospace industries combined.

Arizona is on the verge of shutting the door on the ability of players for Arizona's professional sports teams to file workers' compensation claims elsewhere, even if that's where they were injured.

Saying it will help prevent fraud, state lawmakers voted Wednesday to impose new burdens on some people seeking unemployment insurance.

Given the economic climate we’re in, you may one day be faced with a downsizing or otherwise forced to retire earlier than you had planned. But even if that happens, you can still maintain control of your financial future — if you make the right moves.

Arizona is an “at will” state, which means that if you do not have a written employment agreement your employer can terminate you for almost any reason. However, you cannot be terminated based on your race, sex, national origin or in retaliation for making complaints for, among other things, sexual harassment.

A House panel voted Wednesday to require those seeking unemployment benefits to prove that they were fired and did not just quit.

A playful, elegantly made little horror film, “Mama” teasingly sustains a game of hide-and-seek as it tantalizes the audience with fleeting apparitions of the title character while maintaining interest in two deeply disturbed little orphan girls. Being sold primarily on the name of its godfather, Guillermo del Toro, this Canadian-Spanish co-production from Universal is refreshingly mindful of the less-is-more horror guidelines employed by 1940s master Val Lewton, not to mention Japanese ghost stories, but the PG-13 rating might prove too restrictive for the gory tastes of male core genre fans. Still, less bloodthirsty female teens could make up the difference at the box office, as the film provokes enough tension and gasps to keep susceptible viewers grabbing their armrests or the arms of those next to them.

If you’re a woman who owns a small business, you’ve got plenty of company. In fact, women own more than 10 million U.S. companies, and women-owned businesses account for about 40 percent of all privately held firms in the U.S., according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. Clearly, the good news is that women like you are entering the small-business arena at a rapid pace. The not-so-good news is that you may be facing a retirement savings gap in comparison to male business owners.

More than a third of Arizonans collecting jobless benefits could be getting their final checks this week.

The holidays are upon us and it’s that time of year to think about unique ideas and special gifts for the special people in our lives.

If you work for a medium-size or large organization, you may well be entering that time of year known as “open enrollment.” While it may not be as dramatic as last week’s election, open enrollment will provide you with some choices that can have a big impact on your life.

If you’re a small-business owner, with no full-time employees (except possibly your spouse or business partner), you’re probably used to taking care of just about everything on your own. So, if you’re thinking of establishing a retirement plan — and you should — you might also be attracted to “going solo” with an “Owner-only” 401(k).

Phoenix marginally improved its pension system recently. However, it failed to take reasonable and necessary steps toward protecting taxpayers and creating a stable retirement system for employees, the city and taxpayers. Instead, Phoenix modeled its plan similarly to the state and every other government plan in the country — the same plans that have failed and created fiscal problems everywhere they’ve been used.

No business owner wants to hear that a government agency is coming to inspect their workplace — whether it’s the USDA, the EPA or the IRS. But if there was a government agency that could help save money, improve productivity and increase employee morale — free of charge — businesses just might be interested.

Two organizations that promote "family values'' and nearly a dozen other states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to let Arizona deny health care and other benefits to the domestic partners of its gay employees.

A report last week showing the state’s jobless rate unchanged for May is concealing some good news in private employment.

In the past few years, we have been told that the city of Phoenix had no money. Phoenix made significant cuts to libraries, after-school programs and senior services, while raising taxes (2 percent food tax) and fees (water/sewer fees). Hidden from the public, the city of Phoenix has now agreed to more than $100 million in increased compensation for city employees over the next two years.

The Veterans’ Administration offers a “pension” for certain service men and women who pass a means test and medical qualification. The pension benefit is a reimbursement for long-term care expenses and is, therefore, not taxable income to the veteran. David J. Harowitz, P.C. Estate Planning Counselors and Attorneys, are accredited with the VA and allowed to give advice on this benefit. Find out if your situation could qualify at a free workshop from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on April 12 at 7517 S. McClintock Drive, Suite 107, in Tempe. Register at www.harowitz.net under the “Events” page. Space is limited.

Before negotiations have even been completed City Councilman Sal DiCiccio is warning of employee pay raises on the horizon.

Imagine if your company wasn’t able to reward its best employees with raises, wasn’t able to hire new employees when they were needed, and was forced to tolerate poor performers and malcontents because of a bureaucratic maze that made firing almost impossible.

Imagine if your company wasn’t able to reward its best employees with raises, wasn’t able to hire new employees when they were needed, and was forced to tolerate poor performers and malcontents because of a bureaucratic maze that made firing almost impossible.