Tue, Feb 24, 2009
Governor Jay Nixon is offering Missourians the opportunity to submit their proposals for how the economic stimulus package money should be used in Missouri. As of the time this blog was published there were 557 proposals submitted. To submit your proposal go to www.transform.mo.gov, or click on the picture below.
The St. Louis Beacon posted a new segment in their Job Talk series earlier this week. This report describes GO! Network and its work to help unemployed professionals in St. Louis. The economic downturn has led to unemployment among groups who have never before had to worry about paying their bills on time. Among them [...]
Reverse mortgages are a complicated product and aren’t appropriate for everyone. In our final video of the series, Buz describes the basic considerations that seniors must make when determining if a reverse mortgage is right for them. We hope you’ve enjoyed these videos. A huge thanks to Buz Zeman for talking with us. Additional information on reverse [...]
The explosive popularity of reverse mortgages and the flood of advertisements that followed have spread a number of misconceptions about reverse mortgages. Buz addresses a number of them in this video, explaining what reverse mortgages are and aren’t. He also talks about popular scams and how to avoid them. Look for the final video of [...]
Several weeks ago, Lauren had a conversation with Buz Zeman of Housing Options Provided for the Elderly (HOPE), an organization that counsels seniors on mortgages and other housing issues. Buz said that he has had to devote much of his time lately to explaining reverse mortgages. Though this sort of loan is not new, it’s [...]
In this video, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay suggests that anyone facing foreclosure or in trouble with their mortgage seek assistance and determine if they are eligible for the Refinance and Loan Modification program. More information can be found at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.
In this video, St. Louis County Executive Charlie Dooley encourages those facing financial hardship or anyone who fears losing their home to seek assistance. Tax-payer funded, HUD-certified housing counselors offer services at no charge, and can assist someone facing foreclosure with discussing options with their lender. For information or to connect to resources, call the [...]
From the Beacon’s Job Talk: GO! Network
February 17th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
Please allow me to define a “good paying job” as $50,000 annual salary. If we divide the next stimulus tranche of $180 billion (assume the money is allocated to jobs rather than projects) by $50,000, the result is 3.6 million jobs for one year. If government continues to invest $180 billion per year on jobs for a 10 year period, solely to pay for W-2 income, the average unemployment rate is cut in half for a decade. (Please don’t hesitate to check my math here). If the aforementioned plan is enacted tomorrow on an annual reimbursement basis (job creation and W2 income must be proved before government reimbursement), the government would immediate stimulate healthy businesses to fill job shortages that they wouldn’t otherwise initiate by themselves, with no year 1 cash outlay to the government (reimbursement begins in year 2). Does this plan make sense to anybody? Does it also make sense to prioritize jobs over projects and reinvest the corresponding year 1 payroll tax revenue?