High cellphone taxes
U.S. wireless consumers pay more than 17 percent on average in taxes and fees on their monthly cellphone bills. The highest tax rates are in Nebraska, Washington, and New York, while the least-taxed cellphone users are in Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon.
Chicago TribunePension funds drag down corporate earnings
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Companies shore up pension funds
Companies are having to spend boatloads to shore up their pension funds, dragging down corporate earnings. The total estimated pension deficit at 400 large companies with defined-benefit plans now stands at $418 billion, 23 percent more than in 2011. Companies are bound by law to fund those obligations over time.
The Wall Street Journal
The bite of high gas prices
Even though Americans drove more fuel-efficient cars and consumed less fuel than ever in 2012, an Energy Department report says households spent almost 4 percent of their pretax income on gas—the highest percentage in 30 years.
Los Angeles Times
More dads stay home
The number of stay-at-home dads rose from 81,000 in 2001 to 176,000 in 2011. Among men aged 25 to 54, 83 percent were in the workforce last year; five years earlier, 88 percent were.
Fortune.com
Americans' scarce savings
Nearly 44 percent of Americans don’t have enough savings to cover basic expenses for more than three months in the event of a financial emergency like losing their job or paying for unexpected medical care. Almost a third have no savings accounts at all.
NPR.org
Clorox sales hit a peak
Clorox sales hit an all-time high of $1.33 billion last quarter, thanks to a nasty flu season that saw demand for the company’s disinfecting wipes leap.
MSN.com
