Need a Job?

Mint.com {my favorite site for personal finance}has compiled a list of top 10 cities expected to have the most promising job growth through the next two decades. I have to admit I'm disappointed that Virginia is not ranked in the top 10 growing job states, especially considering its repertoire for excellence in primary education and business development. Virginia is ranked the best state for business by Forbes and Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology was ranked the best High School in the US by U.S. News & World Report's rankings.

Budgeting – Mint.com

Ok so maybe the experts dont consider that to be relevant, but what about this cartoon from the BLS?

As chart shows, the Government ties with Trade & Transportation for the highest percentage of employment, which is positive because the government is the  least likely employer to hand out pink slips during economic recessions. 

The BLS website provides that Virginia is among the 12 states that had less than 2% change in unemployment over 2008{from 5%-6.9%) and is one of only 4 states in the East Coast with an employment-population ratio higher than 64%

Furthermore, according to yesvirginia.org ,Virginia enjoys these additional accolades:

• More than 15,700 high-tech establishments operate in Virginia.
  
  
• At least 60 firms with annual revenue over $500 million are headquartered in Virginia.
  
  
• Virginia is headquarters to 32 Fortune 1000 firms.
  
  
• More than 800 internationally-owned businesses from 45 countries are located in the Commonwealth.
  
  
• Virginia ranks third among the 50 states as a recipient of federal R&D funds.
  

• In terms of productivity, Virginia is number one amongst the states in the Southeastern Region.
  
  
• Virginia ranks among the top 10 states best positioned for robust growth and innovation over the next decade, in terms of being knowledge-based, globalized, entrepreneurial, IT-driven, and innovation-based, according to the "2008 State New Economy Index” published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.
  
  
• Virginia exported $18.93 billion of merchandise in 2008.

Okay, I think I'm done campaigning for VA. Get packing.

PS. The BLS has a great compilation of comparison maps showing the change in unemployment rates from 1976 -2008.

Case of the Februarys

Its Tax Time- everyone's least favorite time of the year for a reason:

- Robert Hershey at the NYT discusses what you should consider when determining your tax strategies

- Just to make sure the recession has hit your financial ego hard enough, David Wessel of WSJ dares to bring up the subject of the tax returns of the top 400 taxpayers and Bloomberg News' 

and Bloomberg News' Ryan J. Donmoyer follows suit, teasing you with their Cap Gains and income statistics

- Filing your taxes may actually take second place to a dentist appointment as you rleast favorite chore if you qualify for the Make Work Pay tax credit 

- The new year is a great time to make fresh starts, so if you resolved to make better financial decisions, consider NYT's David Cay Johnston's two cents on effecting  some changes in your Roth IRA contributions and personal finance topics

- If attached to your hip, you find an iPhone, then consider Mint's suggestions on useful iphone apps for personal finance, including the MileBug which tracks your mileage for expense deductions. Use your handy iphone to search for other useful apps such as  the Federal Tax Calculator app