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While retirement may be the last thing on your mind at this stage in your career, others are planning right now for a major life change as this new and highly-anticipated phase of life is just around the corner. No matter where you are in the process, thinking about and planning for retirement is a smart move, as it is something that ought to be well-prepared for… and the earlier, the better.

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Money, safety, and overall happiness are all top of mind when it comes to being able to retire meaningfully and comfortably, and that is why the personal finance website, WalletHubhas recently released an in-depth study covering 2018's Best & Worst States to Retire.

All 50 states were compared in terms of "retirement-friendliness" by WalletHub's team of experts. Affordability, health care, and quality of life were evaluated and broken down further into 41 relevant metrics including topics such as cost of living, cost of in-home services, taxpayer ranking, percentage of workforce aged 65+, number of museums per capita, number of theaters per capita, percentage of population aged 65+, life expectancy, property crime rate, weather, quality of public hospitals, and so on and so forth.

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Before you make retirement plans, check out the 10 best states to retire:

1.Florida
2.Colorado
3.South Dakota
4.Iowa
5.Virginia
6.Wyoming
7.New Hampshire
8.Idaho
9.Utah
10.Arizona

And which states are not as rad for retirees? Here are the 10 worst:

1.Kentucky
2.New Jersey
3.Rhode Island
4.Mississippi
5.Arkansas
6.West Virginia
7.Louisiana
8.New Mexico
9.Hawaii
10.Alabama

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Head down south to the "Sunshine State" to spend your golden years among other satisfied retirees enjoying the good life. As per WalletHub, "Florida has the highest share of the population aged 65 and older, 19.1 percent, which is two times higher than in Alaska, where it is lowest at 9.4 percent." Great weather and a well-deserved relaxing and fulfilling quality of life brings folks to Florida to live out their retirement years among peers who have put in many years of hard work and now wish to bask in the rays of the warm Florida sun.

Is retirement something you would rather get moving on sooner than later? Perhaps you have the option and ability to retire early but you are not sure it is the right move at this stage in your life. Here arethree perks of retiring early to consider before you hand in that resignation slip and call it quits.

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For further in-depth information about this retirement-based WalletHub study and deeper insight into their unique methodology as well as the full 50-state ranking, see the entire 2018 report.

Happy retirement, when-and wherever it may be!

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It's a New Year and time to look forward to a fresh start. For some, this means seeking out a new job. With the unemployment rate falling and the hiring rate on the upswing, 2018 is set to be a year of prospects and potential.

As per the personal finance website WalletHub, "College graduates, especially, will see a strong boost in their job prospects. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, employers plan to hire 4 percent more members from the Class of 2018 than from the previous graduating cohort."

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But even those already in the workforce can look forward to new job possibilities in 2018. There is no time like the present to jump into a new career, seek out a better salary, or even move to a new city with more opportunity. That is where WalletHub's recent report comes in – 2018's best places to find a job in the U.S.

182 American cities were reviewed and ranked based on their "indicators of job-market strength" across two key dimensions – socio-economics and job market. 26 metrics were studied by WalletHubs's panel of experts throughout each city and weighed accordingly based on WalletHub's unique methodology. These factors included job opportunities, employment growth, average monthly starting salary, unemployment rate, median annual income, average work hours, average commute time, affordable housing, etc.

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After all key indicators were measured and scaled, the WalletHub team listed all 182 cities looked at from 1 to 182. Which cities came out on top for the best places to find a job in 2018? Here are the top 10 cities. If you are seeking a new job this year, you are in luck if you live in one of these places. Or perhaps you will consider relocating to find your dream job. (#1 is the overall best).

1.Chandler, AZ


2.Scottsdale, AZ


3.San Francisco, CA


4.Peoria, AZ


5.Gilbert, AZ


6.Plano, TX


7.Portland, ME


8.Irvine, CA


9.Madison, WI


10.Boston, MA

Arizona is looking great for job seekers in 2018, taking 4 of the 5 top slots. The weather may be dry, but in terms of career potential, the opportunity is overflowing!

As for the bottom 10, here are WalletHub's worst places to find a job this year. (#1 is the worst).

1.Shreveport, LA


2.Detroit, MI


3.Newark, NJ


4.Columbus, GA


5.Birmingham, AL


6.New Orleans, LA


7.Hialeah, FL


8.Fresno, CA


9.Montgomery, AL


10.Mobile, AL

Three of Alabama's major cities landed in the bottom 10. Would you move out of state for a better job or at least the chance for one?

Some noteworthy tidbits from the WalletHub report…

Looking for a nice starting salary? Then again, who isn't? The highest monthly average starting salary based on cost of living was found in San Jose, CA - $5,441. San Jose ranked at 32 on the WalletHub report.

The highest median annual household income (also adjusted by cost of living) is $89,013 found in Columbia, MD. Columbia came in at an impressive #15.

Where is unemployment at its worst? That would be Detroit, MI with a 10.9% unemployment rate. Detroit ranked at 181, just a point shy of coming in last.

For more information about this job-related WalletHub study, their methodology, and the full 182-city ranking, please see the entire report. To read some information about 2017's best and worst cities for jobs, see PayPath's review of last year's studywhere Scottsdale, AZ came in at the top of the list and Detroit clocked in as worst.

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If you are seeking a job this year, good luck! May where you live be an attribute when it comes to your future success.

Did you know that October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM)? As per the United States Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, "Observed each October, NDEAM celebrates the contributions of workers with disabilities and educates about the value of a workforce inclusive of their skills and talents." NDEAM was started in 1945, and this year's theme is "Inclusion Drives Innovation." The sentiment couldn't ring truer.

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As per the personal finance website, WalletHub, "According to the Social Security Administration, one in five Americans lives with a disability, and one in 10 has a severe disability." This portion of the population may need to pay a lot for healthcare and living expenses due to special needs. To embrace NDEAM and the U.S. cities which are friendliest to those with disabilities, WalletHub conducted an in-depth analysis to rank the 150 most populated American cities to deem which are the best and worst for people with living with disabilities in 2017.

WalletHub's team of experts compared 28 key indicators to make their determination as to which cities came out on top and which were at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to overall disability-friendliness. These include cost of living, employment rate for people with disabilities, percentage of persons with disabilities living in poverty, cost for doctors' visits, cost for in-home services, percentage of persons with disabilities living in the area, walkable park access, number of doctors/practitioners per capita, and more. By ranking these indicators across the 3 dimensions of economy, quality of life, and healthcare, each metric was, "graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for people with disabilities."

So, which cities came out on top? The top five (#1 being the best) are:

  • 1.Overland Park, KS
  • 2.Grand Rapids, MI
  • 3.Denver, CO
  • 4.Salt Lake City, UT
  • 5.Aurora, CO

And the worst? The bottom five (#1 being the worst) are:

  • 1.San Bernardino, CA
  • 2.Greensboro, NC
  • 3.Providence, RI
  • 4.Winston-Salem, NC
  • 5.Brownsville, TX

Did your city make WalletHub's 5 best or 5 worst?

Some interesting facts from the analysis…

Cleveland, OH and Columbus, GA have the highest number of people living with disabilities in the area – 20.5%.

Laredo, TX has the lowest cost of annual in-home services at $20,592 per year. San Francisco is the most expensive at $68,640 per year for in-home services.

In Cape Coral, FL, people with disabilities make only $9,704 (median annual earnings). The highest median annual earnings are found in Rancho Cucamonga, CA - $38,085.

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For more details about this WalletHub analysis and the full 150-city ranking, please see the full report.

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Teachers have one of the most important jobs in the world – educating our youth to become the future of our world. For those who choose the career path to become a teacher, they know it may not be easy, but they are dedicated to making a difference in the lives of their students, whether they teach Pre-K or graduate school classes.

Many teachers don't get the credit they deserve for doing such noble work. They may not be rightfully appreciated, paid very well, or work in an environment that provides the best atmosphere for them and their students. Others are luckier, with teaching/learning-conducive schools, fair pay, and are treated with the utmost respect, as they ought to be.

Depending on the U.S. state in which they teach, the opportunities and environments can be as different as night and day. That is why WalletHub's recent analysis of 2017's best and worst states for teachers is eye-opening. The personal finance website compared the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia to help educators find the best places in the country to teach based on 21 key metrics. These include annual salaries, teacher turnover rate, teacher-student ratio, school spending, the best and worst school systems, teacher safety, and more. WalletHub's panel of experts reviewed and assessed the findings to determine which states were the best in terms of teacher-friendliness and which fared worst.

The top 5 states for teachers (#1 being the overall best):

  • 1. New York
  • 2. New Jersey
  • 3. Illinois
  • 4. Connecticut
  • 5. Pennsylvania

The bottom 5 states for teachers (#1 being the overall worst):

  • 1. Arizona
  • 2. Hawaii
  • 3. South Carolina
  • 4. Mississippi
  • 5. Florida

Did your state rank in the top or bottom 5? If you're a teacher or aspire to get into the profession, will these findings make an impact on where you choose to teach?

While these states are not in the top 5, some notable standouts include:

Wyoming – ranked #8 overall. Here teachers earn the highest starting salary (cost of living adjustments considered). They make $47,185 at the start of their career on average.

Vermont – ranked #27 overall. The student-teacher ratio is lowest in Vermont – 10.55. Students will get greater personal attention when the teacher has fewer students in their class.

Massachusetts – ranked #7 overall. This state ranked #1 for the very best school systems in the nation.

For the full ranking and additional specifics on WalletHub's findings, see the entire report.

If you are not in the teaching profession but are curious about the best and worst cities for jobs on the whole, see our report on WalletHub's best and worst cities for jobs in 2017.

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