automata, Author at Tame the Machine

Most workers, retirees have retirement income confidence

Despite a sharp decline in 2023, confidence among US workers and retirees regarding their retirement finances is showing signs of recovery, according to the latest findings from the 34th annual Retirement Confidence Survey.

The new survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research polled 2,521 Americans, including 1,255 workers and 1,266 retirees.

“Overall, two-thirds of the workers and three-fourths of the retirees are very or somewhat confident about having enough money to live comfortably in retirement, which is unchanged from 2023,” Craig Copeland, director of Wealth Benefits Research at EBRI, said in a statement .According to EBRI’s research, the […]

Full Post at www.investmentnews.com

Employment Rates Nearly Doubled After Seattle Gave Low-Income Residents $500 A Month, No Strings Attached

A pioneering basic income pilot program in Seattle has yielded remarkable results, with low-income residents receiving $500 a month and experiencing a significant boost in employment rates. The program, aimed at reducing poverty, has not only doubled employment rates but also helped participants secure housing and improve their financial stability.

The Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County launched the 10-month guaranteed basic income pilot program in the fall of 2022, enlisting 102 participants. The program, supported by public and private partners such as King County, the Employment Security Department, and Chase Bank, provided direct cash payments to selected participants, with […]

Full Post at seattlemedium.com

South Africa: Can South Africa Afford a Basic Income Grant? or Can We Afford Not To?

GroundUp and Black Sash hosted a debate on the feasibility of the Basic Income Grant (BIG) on Thursday GroundUp and Black Sash hosted a debate on the feasibility of the Basic Income Grant (BIG) in Cape Town on Thursday.

Business Unity South Africa CEO Cas Coovadia, who argued against, says there is not enough money in South Africa’s ‘bank account’ to fund a BIG.

Wits University researcher Thokozile Madonko arguing for the Basic Income Grant said that BIG was ultimately about political will. Something must be done to solve South Africa’s social ills but the country cannot afford nor […]

Full Post at allafrica.com

Advocates call for tax breaks for single seniors as cost of living rises

Advocacy group recommended 5 tax breaks to finance committee members

Image | Malcolm Roberts

Caption: Malcolm Roberts looks over documents at his home in Kelowna, B.C., on Wednesday. His wife, Eleanor, died in 2021, changing his income and tax situation. (Brady Strachan/CBC)Some B.C. seniors who used to rely on a spouse or partner to afford the basics and now live alone say they cannot keep up with the rising cost of living."I don’t regard myself as poor," said Malcolm Roberts. "When you become a single senior and you lose all of those couples benefits, that does impact you a lot."Roberts, 76, […]

Full Post at www.cbc.ca

Is National Guaranteed Income on the Horizon?

Business man hands handing money over a business dealing This story originally appeared in The Progressive on April 25th, 2024 .

There’s now strong evidence that giving direct cash support to low-income families greatly reduces poverty.

Here are some anecdotes from participants in a Georgia program designed to support Black women with low incomes: “I was able to pursue my passion for animals by enrolling in school to become a veterinarian. Without the extra funds from this program, I wouldn’t have been able to take this step.” “The month that we received our first payment, my daughter became ill, […]

Full Post at www.dailykos.com

Worldcoin eyes collaboration with PayPal, OpenAI

Tools for Humanity, the company behind Worldcoin, is exploring potential partnerships with digital payment giant PayPal and Artificial Intelligence (AI) research company OpenAI, said Alex Blania, Chief Executive Officer at Tools for Humanity, in a recent interview with Bloomberg News.

Details about these potential partnerships, however, remain tentative and non-specific. Blania did not provide concrete examples of what the collaboration with OpenAI might entail.

“There’s some natural things in how we might and will work together,” he said. “But it’s nothing that we’re ready to announce yet.”Regarding PayPal, a potential collaboration might still be in the preliminary stages. According to Blania, […]

Full Post at www.tradingview.com

A Builder Of Dreams

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer

Two Sacramento State students were sharing their stories about being foster youth when the marching band began playing and United Way surprised them and eight other students with a $60,000 check at the United Way’s “United in Purpose Gala” at Memorial Auditorium on April 20.

Ten Sac State students, all in attendance and participants in Sacramento State’s Guardian Scholars Program for former foster youth, will receive $500 a month of guaranteed income for 12 months beginning in May through the United Way California Capital Region’s new collegiate guaranteed income program.Jaliyah Dramera, […]

Full Post at sacobserver.com

The BIG Forum is happening in Ottawa!

The BIG Forum in Ottawa, May 23 to 26, 2024 Photo Credit: BIG Forum

Welcome to another addition of Small Change where we discuss issues not covered, or at least not in-depth, in mainstream media.

Today I’m speaking with Sheila Regehr about a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) and the upcoming BIG Forum in Ottawa, Ontario.Regehr is a retired federal public servant who worked on income security as well as taxation, child benefits, and non-market work. She is the former Executive Director of the National Council of Welfare as well as a Founding member of the Basic Income Canada Network and chair […]

Full Post at doreenn.substack.com

Is a National Guaranteed Income on the Horizon?

There’s now strong evidence that giving direct cash support to low-income families greatly reduces poverty.

by Glenn Daigon

April 25, 20242:23 PMHere are some anecdotes from participants in a Georgia program designed to support Black women with low incomes: “I was able to pursue my passion for animals by enrolling in school to become a veterinarian. Without the extra funds from this program, I wouldn’t have been able to take this step.” “The month that we received our first payment, my daughter became ill, and I missed LOTS of work to care for her and take her to appointments and […]

Full Post at progressive.org

Lehigh Valley companies turn to automation to address labor shortage

Participants explore the various vendor booths at the Manufacturers Resource…

Kris Jackson, a representative with Cross Trainer Learning, uses the…

Kris Jackson, a representative with Cross Trainer Learning, talks with… Kris Jackson, a representative with Cross Trainer Learning, talks with… Participants explore the various vendor booths at the Manufacturers Resource… Derek Light, a representative with Keyence, talks with Arthur Deets… Participants explore the various vendor booths at the Manufacturers Resource… Devin Gundrum,of Phillips Robotics, talks with Robert Wolff during the… Gene Kaschak,of MCR, talks with Matt Kimchak during the Manufacturers… […]

Full Post at www.mcall.com