Over the past few decades the number of Americans who are obese or overweight has skyrocketed. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, almost two-thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, and close to one-third are obese. Individuals carrying extra weight increase their risk for a number of health conditions and diseases, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some types of cancers.
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Increased use of just five preventive care services could save more than 100,000 lives annually in the United States, according to a report from the Partnership for Prevention. Underuse of these and other high-value types of preventive care lead to lost lives, unnecessary poor health, and inefficient use of health care dollars.
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The Roth 401(k)—which combines features of the traditional 401(k) plan and the Roth IRA—offers employees another way to save for retirement on a tax-favored basis.
The Roth 401(k) shares many characteristics of the traditional 401(k) plan, but with some key differences. One important difference involves the tax treatment of employee contributions to the plan. While employees contribute to a traditional 401(k) plan with pretax dollars, contributions to a Roth 401(k)—like those to a Roth IRA—are made after tax. Like a traditional 401(k), earnings grow tax-free, but unlike a traditional 401(k), Roth 401(k)s offer the advantage of continued freedom from taxation for earnings when withdrawn, so long as the distribution is "qualified."
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Employees often leave one company for another because of a slightly higher salary. What most employees fail to realize is that even with extra dollars in the paycheck, they may actually be receiving less compensation than they were at their former job.
Most employees do not fully understand their total compensation package, nor do they appreciate what it means to their current and future lifestyle. During a November 2006 survey by Charlton Consulting Group, Inc., a Rockville, Maryland-based communications consultancy, only 5 percent of 128 HR and benefits executives polled felt that their employees fully comprehend and appreciate the value of their total compensation packages.
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