The government has reached a tentative deal on pension reform with most public sector unions, treasury minister Danny Alexander said on Tuesday, easing fears of further strikes after a mass walkout last month.

Union executives and members will study the details of the proposals, part of the deficit-cutting coalition’s efforts to reduce the cost of state sector pensions, which it says are unaffordable.

The unions are expected to respond early next year to amended proposals that the government said were “cost neutral”.

“I am pleased to report to the House that heads of agreement have now been established with most unions in the local government, health, civil service and teachers’ schemes,” Alexander told parliament.

The power of Britain’s trade unions was curbed by Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government in the 1980s, but the public sector remains one of their strongholds.

Alexander said 26 of 28 unions had signed up to an agreement in principle.

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As we approach the end of the month some may be feeling the pinch and be running out of funds before the next payday. It is easy enough at times like that to think about quick cash loans such as Payday Loans and in some cases, loan sharks.

If you are worried about making ends meet then try following these simple steps to arrange your finances to try and avoid borrowing money.

What are your tips for avoiding Payday Loans?

Australian Home Loan arrears that are greater-than-30 days  remained stable at 1.69 per cent in July 2011.

According to a report published by Standard & Poors Ratings Services, non conforming home loan arrears including bad credit home loan arrears increased by 52 basis points to 12.18 per cent, with $1.63 billion in subprime RMBS outstanding, which is down by around $282 million in July compared to June 2011.

It seems that borrowers who are self employed are most significantly exposed to the risk or arrears on their loans.
Clearly the current economic conditions in Australia have a lot to do with cash flow problems experienced by the self employed borrowers.

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Today’s Wall Street Journal mentioned the huge financial toll associated with caring for an elderly family member. (Here is a link to the article. Thanks to Christopher W. Smith, an attorney in Royal Oak, Michigan, for bringing it to my attention via Twitter.) In Illinois, this toll can be minimized somewhat through the use of a statutory custodial claim.

I know I’ve written about statutory custodial claims before, but this post should serve as a quick refresher.

1. The requirements for the claim are as follows:

a. the claimant must be a close family member of the decedent (spouse, parent, brother, sister, or child);

b. the decedent must have been disabled (although you can prove disability even if there was no formal court proceeding for guardianship, or court finding of disability, during the decedent’s life);

c.

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The recent bankruptcy filing by AMR Corp. (NYSE: AMR), parent of American Airlines, has put a damper on any enthusiasm there might have been among investors for US airlines stocks. A report yesterday from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) added to the negativity, noting that total profits could be halved in 2012.

With American Airlines on the sidelines, we’ve looked at the stocks of several other US carriers in a search for some hidden value: Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL), United Continental Holdings Inc. (NYSE: UAL), Southwest Airlines Co. (NYSE: LUV), US Airways Group Inc. (NYSE: LCC), JetBlue Airways Corp. (NYSE: LCC), Alaska Air Group Inc. (NYSE: ALK), Hawaiian Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: HA), and Spirit Airlines Inc. (

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