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Rachel M. Cohen
Tag Archives: evictions
Startup Alternative to Rental Security Deposits Gets Legal Backing in Baltimore
Originally published in The Intercept on May 5, 2021.
A NEW BILL in Baltimore passed the City Council last month, promising to address the problem of high security deposits for renters while being met with objections from local housing and tenant groups. Mirroring similar statutes that have passed recently in two other cities, the bill requires Baltimore landlords to offer alternatives to the traditional security deposit. If tenants can't or don't want to pay a lump sum up front, landlords must offer one of two alternatives: either pay the regular deposit in three monthly installments or purchase so-called rental security insurance.
The bill doesn't specifically name Rhino, a real estate startup that launched in 2017, but it's widely understood that "security insurance" refers to a financial product that Rhino promotes. The product allows tenants to pay a small monthly nonrefundable fee in lieu of a large refundable security deposit. The average Baltimore deposit is $1,000, and a typical Rhino policy for that would be about $5 per month.
Local housing groups in Baltimore say they support the idea of offering three monthly installments as an alternative, but virtually all housing activists in the city have concerns about the Rhino insurance model. Lawmakers rejected an amendment introduced by Ryan Dorsey, one of just two council members to vote against the legislation, to take the Rhino option out of the bill.
The local outlet the Baltimore Brew reported that Rhino lobbied for the legislation and arranged for two council members, including the bill's primary sponsor, Council Vice-President Sharon Green Middleton, to speak on Rhino-hosted housing roundtables. (Middleton did not return The Intercept's requests for comment.) Jordan Stein, Rhino's head of public policy and a onetime assistant in former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, registered as a city lobbyist on March 29, two days after the Baltimore Brew article was published.
The bill is heralded as "giving renters choice," but the legislative text gives the ability to pick between monthly installments or Rhino to the landlord, not the tenant. Landlords nationwide dislike monthly installment options, typically viewing them as too risky.
The bill is now on the mayor's desk. In a letter sent to Mayor Brandon Scott and the City Council, the Baltimore Renters United coalition urged a veto, calling the bill predatory and warning of unanticipated costs for tenants down the line. Under the Rhino model, the company promises to cover the landlord's risk up to the value of the deposit, and if a landlord files claims for excessive damage on top of that or for unpaid rent that Rhino deems legitimate, then the company will pay the landlord and seek reimbursement from the renter. Rhino co-founder Ankur Jain told The Intercept that it would never sue a renter for those costs and that if a renter defaults on their bill, the company will simply take a loss, but Rhino's tenant agreement form warns that failure to repay could hurt the tenant's credit score and their ability to find housing or obtain any kind of insurance in the future. (Scott's office did not return multiple requests for comment.)
The Baltimore Sun editorial board has urged the mayor to sign the legislation, arguing that renters may even be more protected from false landlord claims with Rhino and that "the important thing is, they will have choices."
Less than two weeks after the council passed the law, Middleton co-authored an op-ed in the Washington Post with a city council member from Atlanta and the mayor of Cincinnati, the two other cities that have adopted the legislation, in which they "strongly encourage cities across the country" to follow suit.
"If local leaders have any doubts, look to our results," they write. "Renter's Choice legislation is one of the best examples today of private-sector innovations leading to public-sector solutions."
In December, CNN Business published a piece with a similar stance, in which Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, and Jain argued together that pushing more "renter's choice" bills would unlock funds from security deposits and provide immediate relief to tenants. "While the federal government continues to delay, we're bringing about the single largest rent relief initiative in the country," they claimed. Tenant advocates in Miami immediately blasted the op-ed.
Lawmakers in at least 10 other states have announced their intent to pursue similar bills, despite little evaluation of how the nascent laws have worked. (Rhino says 1 million renters use their insurance nationwide.) In an open letter, a coalition of supportive politicians linked to a petition hosted by Kairos, a venture capital firm that backs Rhino and which Jain also co-founded. Both supporters and detractors say they're looking to prioritize the needs of low-income, vulnerable renters.
"Many of the people who will benefit from this legislation are seniors and Black and Latina women raising children," Middleton wrote on Facebook. "[The bill] is about equity and confronting homelessness in a city where 70% of our neighbors without housing are Black."
Zeke Cohen, the other Baltimore council member to vote against the bill, noted that his city was ground zero for the subprime mortgage crisis. The Rhino bonds "have a similar logic," he told The Intercept. "They get tenants into housing quickly without the need for a security deposit. But just like subprime loans, they may result in financial ruin. … As always, the people who will be most hurt by this are financially vulnerable Baltimoreans, who are mostly Black and brown."
JAIN, THE RHINO CO-FOUNDER, is a well-connected young entrepreneur who formerly worked as a vice president for Tinder. In an interview, Jain insisted that his goal was to ease the burden on renters.
"We look at the opportunity cost and the loss of flexibility from locking away that hard-earned money in an escrow account," he said. "Someone might decide it's better for them to have super low monthly premiums [instead of a security deposit] and use that money to pay off debt or interest payments or put it in the stock market where it can have a higher return." Rhino and its supporters have been calling this idea a "stimulus" since it would free up funds an individual could theoretically spend.
In 2019, Rhino released a "Renter Choice and Flexibility Plan" on Medium, calling to "unleash" $45 billion in security deposit funds sitting in escrow accounts by 2021. Since it is not mandatory in most cities for landlords to offer security deposit alternatives like Rhino, many don't. Rhino's political strategy, then, has been to persuade elected officials to require it.
Jain said that by requiring landlords to make it an option, the company is helping ensure that lower-income tenants can take advantage. "If you go to most major cities, most high-rises already offer products like Rhino because it's become a market standard," he said. "But landlords operating smaller buildings don't always offer alternatives, so these types of policies are designed to create more equitable access." (Other competitors offering Rhino-like products include LeaseLock and TheGuarantors, which both launched in 2014, and Jetty, which launched in 2015.)
Rhino has also been courting landlords. In a leaked webinar the company held on April 28, which has since been taken down, head of sales Eric Krauss encouraged landlords to embrace its product to increase vacancies more quickly. Krauss also made clear that Rhino policies will be customized for each renter and that "riskier" tenants will have higher monthly premiums.
Critics say calling these products "insurance" is a deceptive marketing ploy that provides tenants with a false sense of security. Some housing experts describe them as more akin to a surety bond, a type of three-way agreement in which a company promises one party that the other will meet its obligations. Housing authorities have taken different sides on the question, and supporters note that Rhino and its peers are licensed insurance agencies.
"If tenants think of the product as insurance, as it's described in Rhino's marketing materials, and either don't realize they're purchasing a bond or don't know how a bond works, they may unwittingly sign up for a liability that far exceeds what they would ever willingly fork over to their landlord for a cash deposit," warned housing reporter Alex Williamson in a Shelterforce article last December.
Williamson interviewed two tenants who confronted large unexpected charges from Rhino at the end of their leases, after their landlords claimed that they had to make repairs and handle damages due to their behavior.
One tenant was Peter Steininger, a college student in Brooklyn whose landlord suggested that he get Rhino for a $45 monthly fee. (Rhino is available but not legally required in New York City.) When Steininger signed the contract, he didn't realize that he was agreeing to pay the company for claims up to $7,200, more than double his security deposit.
When Steininger moved out, he learned that his landlord had filed $6,000 in claims. Steininger disputed the charges and provided evidence that the landlord had made false allegations. Rhino sent Steininger an automated message saying the company had ruled in the landlord's favor, and Steininger said he struggled to connect with anyone in customer service thereafter.
Steininger told The Intercept that Rhino reached out to him shortly after the Shelterforce article was published and agreed to cancel the charges. "I think I probably would've been screwed if it wasn't for Alex and Shelterforce," he said."
Rhino maintains that the experiences outlined in the Shelterforce article are not representative, that they've since stopped partnering with Steininger's landlord, and that they cut off landlords generally who make fraudulent claims. "We learned a landlord abused the policy and claimed things that were not necessarily accurate," Jain said. "We are no longer working with them, and the renter was fully protected."
Housing advocates warn another major risk of Rhino is requiring that renters sign arbitration agreements, thereby giving up their right to take a landlord to court.
"These Rhino products are basically a scam, and that's why they're going around trying to get laws passed to specifically authorize these things," said Eric Dunn, director of litigation at the National Housing Law Center. "Because they know if they just market them without some kind of legislation saying it's okay, then they could probably be sued under state consumer protection laws."
Rhino supporters say complaints that tenants will lose their right to take landlords to court ignore that most tenants never do so even when they have good reason to. "If a landlord just keeps your security deposit, chances are you won't spend $5,000 in court to get it back — and they know that," Jain said.
Dunn thinks there is a version of Rhino that could be beneficial to landlords and tenants, but he's pessimistic that it will work out in practice because a less scrupulous product "could be more profitable."
WHILE RHINO AND its legislative partners are urging passage in more cities as soon as possible, citing the pandemic and the nationwide affordable housing crisis, there is not clear evidence of how the laws have worked in cities where it's already passed.
In Cincinnati, the first city to authorize such a law, the legislation took effect in April 2020.
Zach Frye, a housing attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati, told The Intercept that so far they haven't seen much adoption of any of the security deposit alternatives by local landlords. Some of that, Frye suggested, could be driven by ambiguities in how the law was written. "The text of the law seems to have led to some confusion as to whether it's mandatory for the landlord to offer, [and] I think that a lot of landlords have decided not to deal with this and keep on doing business as usual," he said.
While a Curbed article from 2019 suggested that the Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati had backed the entire bill, Frye said his organization had supported alternatives like monthly installments, but not the provision authorizing Rhino. "Overall, we don't see many tenants as being aware of this law," Frye said. "And at least as to the 'insurance' option, that may be a good thing."
"Ideally, I'd like to see exorbitant security deposits done away with completely, especially since they are so often used as a way to simply extract more money from renters," said Seth Weber, a volunteer with the Cincinnati Tenants' Union, who also doesn't think most renters know the law exists yet. "But this is a half-measure in a city with a massive housing crisis, and to me that is unacceptable."
In Atlanta, the legislation passed in October under the radar of local housing advocates, who said they were too consumed by the Covid-19 crisis to pay it much notice. Bambie Hayes-Brown, president of Georgia Advancing Communities Together and an appointee to the City of Atlanta Housing Commission, told The Intercept that she plans to bring up the legislation at their next policy meeting "to see if we can find out some information about how this is going."
Back in Baltimore, Marceline White, executive director of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, co-authored a Baltimore Sun op-ed in April outlining her concerns with the proposed legislation and its lack of protective guardrails. White told The Intercept that it's been "radio silence" from lawmakers since her op-ed came out.
"When you hear warnings and pleas from housing advocates and consumer protection experts that this might not be implemented in a way that it was intended, then perhaps you want to take a pause," she said. "It feels far too casual to say, 'Oh, we'll fix it later if we have to.'"
Tagged evictions, rental security deposit, rhino, security deposit insurance
Welcome to the Courtroom That Is Every Renter's Nightmare
Originally published in Next City (with illustrations by Sky Kalfus!) on September 14th, 2015.
Deborah Jennings lives in a house in East Baltimore with her daughter and granddaughter. When she first moved in nearly five years ago, she was working as a nursing support technician, helping to draw blood. Hours were long, but she was able to pay her bills. That changed two years ago, when she became disabled and had to stop working. Without a steady paycheck, 57-year-old Jennings has struggled to pay her rent, and each month, that means a trip to rent court.
Each courtroom visit, the same complaints are made, the same issues described, and the same ultimatum given: Jennings must pay her rent or risk eviction. Although the conditions of her house are poor — the basement sink had water running for two months straight, paint hangs from her roof and water has settled in the ceilings — Jennings is in no position to negotiate. "You can start talking, but then the judges say, 'I understand, but we're here in reference to this rent, do you owe this rent?' They don't want to hear whether or not you have any issues," Jennings says. "They don't want none of that."
"I'm not expecting to live here free," she adds. "I said bear with me, you're going to get your rent."
Each year, Baltimore landlords file roughly 150,000 cases in rent court, which is housed in the District Court of Maryland. The city has 125,000 occupied rental units. Many tenants, like Jennings, are taken multiple times per year.
Despite its undeniable public impact, rent court remains one of city's least transparent institutions. Any public records are hard to come by and in an era of metrics and open data, analysis of courtroom verdicts appears to be nonexistent.
"People know about it, but there's no interest to understand why this keeps happening year after year," says Zafar Shah, an attorney with the Baltimore-based Public Justice Center. "The whole system just does not function as it should."
In the neighborhood of Oliver, where Jennings lives, nearly a third of families live below the poverty line, many of them on blighted blocks checkered with vacancy. Yet Oliver, along with other sections of Baltimore, is slowly beginning to see population trends reverse and new investment trickle in. With new residents and development come higher rents and more pressure for tenants like Jennings to pay up or get out.
"There is a lot of development in Oliver, a lot of new homeowners, but there are still a lot of people without a lot of money here," says Darryl Dunaway, office manager and community organizer with the Oliver Community Association. "We hear about rent court all day. From 9 a.m. to 12, I am sending people down to 501 East Fayette Street for eviction prevention. I sent someone there this morning."
Dunaway says that the community association and others like it around the city help as many people as they can each month, but there is only so much that can be done. "If you can't pay one month, there is help. You come back next month and you are on your own," he says.
Originally created to provide a nationwide model of justice for landlords and tenants, Baltimore's housing court today serves as little more than a state-run rent collection agency, financed by taxpayers and the beleaguered renters themselves who pay court fees for each judgment ruled against them.
"The court system is not for the tenant," says Jennings wearily. "It just becomes a money thing. It's no longer about human beings."
A Court Designed for Tenants
In 1936, the Baltimore Sun published a series of articles that illustrated some of the horrific conditions of Baltimore slums — where 40 percent of the city then lived. With the highest proportion of substandard housing among America's big cities, local Baltimore officials moved to take action. But by 1941, unsatisfied with the city's slow progress, some individuals formed the Citizens Planning and Housing Association to apply more pressure. What emerged in Baltimore — a campaign for new building and sanitation codes, and stronger mechanisms for enforcement — would eventually influence the wave of urban renewal across the country, as well as Dwight D. Eisenhower's Federal Housing Act of 1954.
The Baltimore Plan, as it came to be known, was based on a model of setting — and vigorously enforcing — minimum housing standards. The hope was to one day clean up all of Baltimore's slums; if some delinquent properties had to be removed, so be it. Besides beefing up the number of housing inspections, reformers also wanted to create a special housing court designed to enforce the new standards. Even in the 1950s, regular courts were fairly overwhelmed, and disputes like rental issues were simply low-priority cases. The idea was to create a new space where both landlords and tenants could come in and expect a fair and thorough hearing. The courts would hold landlords accountable to health and sanitation standards, while landlords could expect the backing of the court if tenants were damaging their property or failing to pay rent. Baltimore's rental housing court would become the first of its kind in the country. Today, most cities have similar systems in place.
"It was supposed to be about fundamentally changing the way property relations work," says Daniel Pasciuti, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University who studies Baltimore's rent court.
By the late 1960s and '70s, widespread tenants' rights changes were taking place all over the United States. In 1968, the Fair Housing Act became law, barring housing discrimination. Six years later, the federal government launched the Section 8 program, offering rental vouchers so eligible low-income tenants could live in private buildings, and in turn, requiring landlords to afford federally subsidized tenants a new set of rights. Perhaps the most notable reform, however, came from a federal ruling in 1970, Javins v. First National Realty Corp., where the D.C. Circuit ruled that if a living situation is deemed uninhabitable, the tenant is freed from his obligation to pay rent. This establishment of "the implied warrant of habitability" was widely seen as a revolution in landlord-tenant relations; it set the precedent for treating leases as contracts between landlords and tenants, a change considered to be more modern and fair. Tenants would now have the right to introduce evidence of housing code violations if they were sued for late rent, and if the living situation were found unacceptable, the tenant would not have to pay.
But in recent years, housing courts look less like the guardian against slum conditions imagined by New Deal-era advocates and far more like other municipal courts that target low-level offenders and focus disproportionately on the poor.
After visiting rent court in the 1990s, University of Maryland law professor Barbara Bezdek concluded that, beneath "the veneer of due process," litigants "who are members of socially subordinated groups" are systematically excluded. Though rent court was originally meant to be an accessible space where tenants and landlords could speak directly to a judge without a lawyer, the reality is that the arrangement favors the landlords. Bezdek found that differences in speech, the effects of poverty and the unduly high hurdles tenants were asked to overcome to even raise a defense prevented them from being truly heard. All in all, Bezdek described the legal dynamics as "a charade." In the two decades since, not much has changed.
A Judicial "Charade"
On a typical day in rent court, the average number of scheduled cases ranges from 800 to 1,000. Shah says the court's "dirty little secret" is that it depends on the overwhelming majority of summoned tenants to not show up — meaning default wins for the landlord — because there's no way judges could ever hear as many cases as they schedule. Mark Scurti, associate judge at Baltimore City's District Court, agrees they would not be able to handle as many cases as they schedule if all tenants were to appear. "It would put a tremendous strain on our current staffing and judges," he says.
For tenants who do show up to court, it's not much better. "The court really operates like a giant black box. I have a friggin' Ph.D. and I'm sitting there like, if this were me and I was actually there [for a case], I would have no idea what's going on," says Pasciuti. "There's no direction, there's nobody there to explain anything to you." While some legal aid groups try to offer assistance, their availability is minimal, and most tenants go in without professional help. On days with full dockets, a case can easily receive less than 30 seconds of judicial review.
Rent court is one of the few courts in Maryland's judiciary system for which no digitized records are available. Whereas all other court cases are filed online, no similar computer system has ever existed for these housing disputes; everything must be manually processed and gets filed away into a vault. Relatedly, no court records are available to determine things like the number of judgments ruled in the landlords' favor, or how many times an individual tenant is brought to court annually. "I think those are critical numbers to know, and I'm all about watching statistics and watching trends," says Scurti, who hopes the court will be included in a statewide electronic court filing initiative that is being rolled out over the next couple years. "Why we've never been electronic before, I don't know," he says. "I suspect it has to do with funding."
Obtaining data on the number of evictions is similarly difficult. While the sheriff's office tallies monthly eviction stats for rent court stakeholders to review, it does not make the data easily accessible to the public. It took several weeks for the city to agree to share with me that they had a total of 6,309 evictions in 2014. Housing advocates say the number has hovered around 7,000 evictions annually for the last 10 years. An Abell Foundation report published in 2003 found that the chances of eviction are greater if one rents in Baltimore than in comparable cities like Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Cleveland.
Rent court is easily one of the state's speediest judicial proceedings. Landlords can file for trial a mere one day after rent is late, no matter what the reason. In other states, like New York, landlords must serve tenants with a "rent demand" that gives them three or five days to pay overdue rent before an eviction case is started. New York tenants who do not receive these notices can raise that as a defense in court, says Jenny Laurie, executive director of Housing Court Answers. There is no similar pre-filing period required in Baltimore, leading to, what Shah describes as, "an enormous amount of unnecessary litigation."
Such a rapid system also gives tenants little time to prepare their defenses, but from the landlord's perspective, the process has to be quick. "On a large commercial scale [court speed] is not such an importance because they have an ability to withstand not getting rent, but when you're not a commercial landlord and you have maybe just three, four units, or just one unit, plus a mortgage on the property, [not getting] your rent is a big deal," says Dennis Hodge, a lawyer who has been representing landlords in the Baltimore area since the mid 1980s. "Most landlords do not want to do evictions, they prefer just to get their money," he adds.
But when tenants are unable or unwilling to pass over that money, the courtroom's speed comes into play again. With hundreds of cases to hear in a day, the judges have little time to hear the details of a tenant's situation. And without professional legal assistance, tenants are generally unable to defend themselves against common chicanery like landlords tacking on additional charges veiled as rent.
Judges often ask tenants why they don't just move if a rental is uninhabitable or too expensive. "People can't afford to just pick up and move!" exclaims Detrese Dowridge, a 30-year-old single mother who has gone to rent court three time since May 2013. Dowridge's Northwest Baltimore home had cracked walls and windows, scurrying mice and roaches, and a leaky ceiling. "And even if they can move," she says, "then the person who comes in after them will still be stuck with the [same] landlord getting away with whatever."
"There's a lot of blaming and shaming the poor in the courtroom," explains Shah. "I think the spirit with which the court operates is that you have to deserve your housing."
Reforming Rent Court
Without a jury or many headline-making cases, civil courtroom proceedings have typically flown under the public's radar. That is beginning to change. A Department of Justice report issued in the wake of police officer Darren Wilson's deadly shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson singled out the Missouri municipal court for "constitutionally deficient" procedures that "undermine the court's role as a fair and impartial judicial body."
Now attorneys at the Public Justice Center have teamed up with the Right to Housing Alliance (RTHA), a Baltimore-based human rights organization, and Jews United for Justice (JUFJ), a local activist group, to try and change the frustrating realities of rent court. With $280,000 in grant funding from the Abell Foundation, they hope to lead a court reform initiative and promote greater awareness about housing evictions around the city.
"The bare minimum allowable for any human dignity in the rental housing system is for this court to be fixed," says Jessica Lewis, an organizer with RTHA.
"Our members that go through rent court are just defeated," she adds. "They feel there is no dignity. It's just really, really dehumanizing for them."
Pasciuti, with a team of Johns Hopkins students, has been helping the three organizations conduct surveys and analyze their quantitative data. The goal is to collect meaningful information about what actually happens in rent court. "Our theory is if the public narrative about low-income renters was articulated, presented with numbers, substantiated in a really sound way, and we got it out to the right people, then we can get to a point where there is the political will, and even maybe the business interest to fix this system," says Shah. The groups hope to go public with a completed dataset of over 300 tenant surveys, augmented by information from the court proceedings and regulatory agencies, later this fall.
In addition to bringing tenant voices into the public discussion, the Public Justice Center also aims to launch a legal strategy, in order to get sufficient clarity about what "rent" means in a residential lease context. Shah says they are considering either a class-action lawsuit or litigating through the appeals process to investigate tricky lease clauses that landlords often use to get more money or to evict tenants.
The activists' timing might be just right. Scurti, the Baltimore judge frustrated by the lack of good data collection in his court, says he also wants to move toward a formal evaluation of docket patterns to see how the court can operate better. "I want to understand the process and to reevaluate it," he says. He is particularly interested in figuring out how technology might help the court function more smoothly.
Ultimately, all sides agree that the court today is a flawed and inefficient operation. "You're not going to encounter a judge, or a landlord, or an advocate for tenants who will tell you things are going well," says Shah. The problem, however, is that improvement means different things for everyone involved. Despite the relative speed at which these cases move, Baltimore landlords, for instance, still feel the whole legal process should be adjudicated much more quickly and with less bureaucracy. Tenant advocates, on the other hand, want increased procedural accessibility and due process.
A promising place to look may be Massachusetts, which has one of the best housing court models in the country. First established in the 1970s, housing court officials in Massachusetts have prioritized creating a system that is accessible to both landlords and tenants.
In addition to a robust legal services community, Massachusetts employs court staff to serve as mediators between landlords and tenants and help them solve disputes without going directly before a judge. According to Paul J. Burke, deputy court administrator, the majority of rental disputes are settled this way. The typical length of a mediation session is around 30 minutes, which can provide a greater sense of dignity than Baltimore's hasty proceedings. In some cases, mediations can even last for several hours.
Ultimately it comes down to fairness. "From day one back in the early '70s, it was anticipated that many people would be self-represented, would perhaps be lower-income, and perhaps not have the highest level of educational training," says Burke. "The policies, the processes and the forms in our courts have always been set up with that in mind."
Tagged affordable housing, Baltimore, Baltimore Plan, courts, Darren Wilson, dockets, Dwight D. Eisenhower, evictions, Federal Housing Act of 1954, ferguson, Homelessness, homeowners, housing, housing eviction, implied warrant of habitability, Javins v. First National Realty Corp, Johns Hopkins, judges, judicial, judicial review, landlords, legal aid, Massachusetts, michael brown, poverty, renters, renting, section 8, slums, social justice, sociology, tenants
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Alice Tulloch takes responsability for organising the elders who form the ruling body of the congregation. She will be happy to provide information about the activities of the church.
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Lancaster city is in the midst of an epidemic. Rates of Lancastrians living below the poverty line have risen 50 percent in the last decade. Our poverty rates are higher than those of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, a recent decision by Lancaster County's commissioners, to outsource cleaning services to a company that pays less and does not offer benefits, exemplifies and exacerbates the problem.
The cost-cutting move seems benign at first glance — budgets are tight so government officials find a cheaper way to get their offices cleaned. Businesses and families make similar decisions on where to spend money and how to save it; the government simply did the same thing.
Before digging into the rationale for making this decision, let's look at the jobs that are being outsourced. According to information provided by the county, the five full-time custodial positions — prior to being outsourced effective Dec. 28 — had salaries ranging from $18,429 to $39,821, with three of them paying less than $21,000 per year. Federal guidelines consider a family of four with household income of less than $24,250 to be living in poverty.
The county commissioners' decision will save money in the short-term, but what are the long-term effects on the citizens and budget of Lancaster County? Most of the full-time and 19 part-time employees — if they are the sole breadwinners for their families — likely already qualified for some level of public assistance. This means, given their new reduced salaries and benefits, that the government will need to provide even more assistance. By making these short-sighted decisions, the county has not only outsourced the contract, it has outsourced the responsibility to care for its own employees to a company paying lower salaries and benefits. This effectively forces local nonprofits and the public safety net to ensure that the children of these workers have enough food on the table and can access medical care when they need it.
This also highlights the implicit disconnect, often seen in the political and business arena, in opposing government-subsidized health care and other public services, while simultaneously making decisions that force more people to use those services in order to survive.
To add even more fuel to this fire, the decision was made to outsource the cleaning work to a non-local firm, meaning any profits to the company, which would result in increased tax income and spending at local businesses, immediately leave the area.
In the same way that government officials should consider all costs to their community when making budgetary decisions, business owners must do the same. If business owners committed to paying wages which, at the very least, allowed employees to move off of public assistance, our community could be transformed. For example, a recent study found that wages at Wal-Mart are subsidized to the tune of $6.2 billion by public assistance, or about $1 million per Supercenter. Wal-Mart disputes the accuracy of these numbers, but the reality remains that companies are passing the responsibility of caring for their employees to the government, costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
Lancaster recently raised more than $6.1 million in the Extraordinary Give. This is an amazing show of generosity, but that is money spent to fill in the gaps where the private sector has failed. Free market capitalists argue that the only social responsibility of business is to increase profits so long as they stay "within the rules of the game" (avoiding fraud or deception). I would argue that this doesn't take into consideration the full scope of the game — and the very real costs that each individual and corporate tax-paying entity bears as a member of society. Looking at the true costs of the game and considering how they can be reduced through business is just good business, and ultimately improves our collective and individual bottom lines.
Businesses, governments, and non-profits alike should have a moral responsibility to consider a more complex bottom line. At ASSETS, we work with entrepreneurs every day and fully understand that making a business profitable is hard work. Ensuring that a business stays in the black requires tough decisions and often some belt-tightening. However, in advising our clients, we continually encourage them to count all costs — to people, to the planet, and to profit — when making decisions. A thriving community produces thriving businesses. Leaders of all types must consider this reality and make decisions accordingly.
Jonathan Coleman is director of programs for ASSETS, a Lancaster-based nonprofit that works to create economic opportunity and cultivate entrepreneurial leadership in order to alleviate poverty and build vibrant, sustainable communities. Jessica King, ASSETS' executive director, contributed to this column.


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text:
CLOUGH CALLS FOR PLAYERS TO DIG DEEP FOR LAST THREE GAMES
Nigel Powlson
NIGEL Clough has called upon his payers to repeat the performance against Wigan over the last three games.
The Brewers boss says his players gave everything against the league leaders and hopes that despite a long, hard season they can dig deep three more times as Albion chase promotion.
He said: "It's difficult playing like we did against Wigan every game, especially at his stage of the season when several players have played over 40 games and you are asking them to play at their maximum every week.
"It has to come from within. They have to find that drive and that something inside of them. We can help to a certain degree but if the players don't have that inside them, no-one will get it out.
"We don't get the GPS stats but against Wigan the players probably worked as hard as at any point this season."
Clough expects Colchester to be desperate for a win to keep their slim survival hopes alive.
He said: "Colchester might just go for it on Saturday. They need a win to stand any chance at all. Going forward they are very good.
"They have had some close games and narrow defeats but it looks like they are going down. But they will keep fighting all the way."
Clough also believes that Albion's recent struggle to record a win should be seen in context.
He said:"The season is evening out. You have runs within the season. If we had these last six games at the start of the season everyone would have been saying, 'oh brilliant we are now in second place'. It just evens out over 40 odd games.
"Wigan went 19 games unbeaten then lost one and drew with us. It doesn't matter when you pick up the results, you still have the same amount of points. To have the number of points we have got at this stage of the season is incredible."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Exclude application layout in Rails 3 div I'm loading a template profile_messages as part of jQuery UI Tabs with Ajax. However when it loads, profile_messages inherits my site's application layout (header, footer, everything). I tried doing it as a partial but then things didn't work. So I'm wondering if there was a way to do it.
The jQuery in my application.js:
$(function() {
    $( "#tabs" ).tabs({
        ajaxOptions: {
            error: function( xhr, status, index, anchor ) {
                $( anchor.hash ).html(
                    "There was an error loading this tab. Please try again." );
            }
        }
    });
});

Routes.rb:
resources :profiles do
  get :profile_messages, :on => :collection
end
match "/profiles/profile_messages" => "profiles#profile_messages"

My profiles#show.html.erb:

About

<%= link_to "Messages", '/profiles/profile_messages/', :id => 'qs', :remote => true %>

My profile_messages template:

<% for message in @user.messages %>
<% end %>

My profile_messages.js.erb:
$( "#tabs" ).html( "<%= escape_javascript( render(@profile.messages) ) %>" );

My profile_messages method in profiles_controller.rb:
def profile_messages
  @profile = User.find(user.id).profile #need to fix so @profile is defined for each profile, not just the current_user profile
  @messages = User.find(@profile.user_id).messages
  respond_to do |format|
    format.html # index.html.erb
    format.xml  { render :xml => @messages }
  end
end

So is there any way to work around the application layout?
UPDATE: I got the layout to disappear by inserting the following into my profile_messages
def profile_messages
  @profile = User.find(user.id).profile
  @messages = User.find(@profile.user_id).messages
  respond_to do |format|
    format.html { render :layout => nil }
    format.xml  { render :xml => @messages }
  end
end

UPDATE 2: I tried to render a partial but it didn't work. Here's what I changed in my profiles#show.html.erb:

About

<%= link_to render(:partial => 'profiles/profile_messages'), :id => 'qs', :remote => true do %>Messages <% end %>

This however loads the partial in

A: In the controller, add at the end of the "show" action:
render :layout => nil

Or if you render from somewhere else just add the :layout => nil option to render.
The better solution would be to make it a partial and call render :partial => "profile_messages/profile_message" (if you have the template in app/views/profile_messages/_profile_message.html.erb - note the _ in the filename!)
Also instead of using escape_javascript it's actually simpler to ditch the " quotes and use (render ...).to_json.

A: Do you have a response format of JS defined in your controller?  It shouldn't render the layout if it renders a JS response properly.  Do your logs show "responding with JS format"?
respond_to do |format|
  format.js
end

As mrbrdo mentioned, you can also do render :layout => false but it shouldn't be necessary if the JS response is being run properly.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Club dues are payable by April of each year.
and current address to our Treasurer, Pam Richichi.
Use the links below to call up the full text of the latest Newsletter in your favorite format of Word or PDF (Acrobat).


Goodness me the weeks have slid away into a whirlwind of to do lists. Life has been hectic (as you may have noticed from the quiet over here) and a break has been well needed. Sunshine, good food and good company is the best medicine. We found a small villa in the quieter, pine filled hills of Ibiza, with terraces and a private pool and spent as much time as possible just soaking it all up. Sunsets over the sea, seeing the lights of San Antoni lit up across the bay, the smell of pine in the hot sun, running across sun baked terracotta tiles, salty skin from swimming in crystal blue sea. Why is it that those little sensations are so exquisite? It was pretty much a Mediterranean dream.


MAP Communications appreciates the unique challenges those in the hospitality industry face, which is why we're always excited to partner with people and organizations who require the top tier level of live support we provide.
Work in the hospitality industry is never-ending. Just as you finish up one dinner shift, live show or check-in period, it's time to begin prepping for the next one with dozens of things to accomplish in-between. It's easy to become overwhelmed by the sheer amount of tasks to be taken care of each shift, workday, or weekend. Adding on the administrative duties necessary to run a successful hospitality business can feel impossible. Top it all off with a ringing phone to disrupt your work flow and you it's easy to get overwhelmed.
If you're looking to provide high-quality customer service around the clock, consider partnering with us to take full advantage of our hospitality answering service. Whether you oversee a hotel, manage a bed and breakfast, own a music venue or run a restaurant, we can help. By providing cost-effective phone answering, receptionist, and customer service solutions for the hospitality industry, MAP employees bridge the gap between the stellar service you offer in person and the kind of care you'd like to provide over the phone.
Learn more about our live answering services within the hospitality industry.
From custom remote receptionist services for bed & breakfasts to call center solutions for large hotels, we work closely with our clients in the lodging sector to create unbeatable guest experiences. Learn more here!
The food service business is incredibly demanding and a great customer experience is paramount to success. We'll help you take care of the people who call your restaurant or catering business so that you can focus on what you do best. Learn more here!
From venues looking to pack the house to entertainers that want to capitalize on every great opportunity, we can provide the call coverage necessary to truly take things to the next level. Learn more here!
Running a business in the hospitality industry is not always as easy or as glamorous as it might seem. In order to secure and maintain your place in the market, you've got to deliver excellent service on top of the quality offerings for which you're known. Allow MAP Communications to help deliver a superior customer experience. Our phone answering services for the hospitality industry ensure your customers always reach a real, live person every time they call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We can help during busy periods with call overflow, help callers after hours, or even take calls around the clock. The customization and affordability of our hospitality answering services is what makes MAP so useful!
Because we know the value of great customer service, we're dedicated to providing the prompt and polite phone experience you'd like to provide if you could handle each and every call yourself. We're eager to assist with reservations, transfer calls to the appropriate department and ensure client needs are always met. Greeting each caller with professionalism, we're passionate about providing a customer service experience that is second to none.
Our virtual receptionists can help with a variety of questions, concerns and comments that your guests may want addressed. Hospitality call center services help to supplement, compliment, or even become the frontline solution to your call handling. Our employees are bilingual, too, ensuring there is always someone to help callers of different backgrounds. Whether folks are calling with complaints, need assistance with a reservation, or simply have questions about your accommodations, we're ready to help. No matter the challenge, MAP employees rise to the occasion.
Handing over the phones doesn't mean handing over control. Our suite of services can help busy hospitality professionals process reservations, maintain schedules and log calls as they come in. The MAP hospitality team can guide you through our services, allowing you to get the best possible answering service experience anywhere.
Our online account management portal is highly confidential and accessible anytime. If a question about a particular call arises, simply log in and view the call details and activity at your fingertips. By keeping record of every call that comes in, MAP can provide you with important data that you can use to find unique insights that will help you better manage and even grow your business. Now, managing your hospitality business's communications has never been easier.
View a call recording of how a MAP receptionist assists this caller in a real life scenario for a hospitality business.
With your phone calls answered quickly and effectively, you and your staff will have more time to focus on the needs of your in-person guests. While your customers may be having a great time relaxing, celebrating, or being entertained MAP is on the job. We're always standing by, waiting to provide a stellar customer experience for the next caller.
Want to see what the MAP difference is all about? Try our hospitality call center services for free with week-long trial that requires no obligations on your part at any point. Learn what we can do for your hospitality business today!


text:
May the Star Wars Exhibition be with you
PUBLISHED: 09:43 31 March 2017 | UPDATED: 09:47 04 April 2017
Emily King
The exhbition at the O2 is open now
Star Wars Identities: The Exhibition is now open and live at London's O2.
Produced by X3 Productions, the exhibition is an event that explores the magic of the Star Wars universe and its characters.
According to George Lucas, creator of Star Wars: "Since Star Wars takes place in a fantasy world, the characters need to be identifiable so that the audience can connect to them. These larger-than-life characters come complete with friends, enemies, values, and beliefs. This exhibition examines how the Star Wars characters are like us, what we may have in common, and what makes up our individual identities."
In addition to offering an impressive collection of some 200 original objects from the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, STAR WARS Identities is interactive, and character-driven.
As they travel through the Star Wars universe, visitors will rediscover their favorite characters in a whole new light.
Visitors can also develop a better understanding of their own complex identity. And through the magic of multimedia, create their own Star Wars character by combining elements of their identity with those of their favourite fictional characters.
They can later share these unique identities with friends and family via social media.
The exhibition's scientific content was developed with an advisory committee composed of experts from a variety of scientific fields including psychology, neuropsychology and genetics.
For more information and tickets visit theo2.co.uk/starwars


text:
Q: The multi-part identifier i am getting the error The multi-part identifier "S.IsIN" could not be bound please help
UPDATE T
SET
T.DATEFILTERED = GETDATE()
,S.IsIN = T.IsIN
From cop.tmpDimSHOP as S
INNER JOIN cop.DimSHOP as T ON S.ID = T.ID
i am getting the error The multi-part identifier "S.IsIN" could not be bound please help
UPDATE T
SET
T.DATEFILTERED = GETDATE()
,S.IsIN = T.IsIN
From cop.tmpDimSHOP as S
INNER JOIN cop.DimSHOP as T ON S.ID = T.ID


Indoor yard sale & bake sale, 9 a.m., American Legion Post 35, 413 Broadway, South Portland, 799-3997.
Entreverge Award nominations with PROPEL, 5:30 p.m., Hannaford Lecture Hall, 88 Bedford St., Portland, 772-2811.
Connected Catholics of Maine general meeting, 3:45 p.m., Holy Martyrs Parish Hall, 266 Foreside Avenue, Falmouth, ggfrozen@aol.com.
Opportunity Alliance is looking for foster grandparent and senior companion volunteers, 15 hours a week, 55 or older, for more information call 773-0202.
Our Lady of Hope Parish Dinner, 5 p.m., St. Pius X Hall, 492 Ocean Avenue, Portland, 774-2635 ext. 8108.
Public Baked Bean Supper, 5 p.m., First Parish Congregational Church, 116 Main St., Yarmouth, 846-3773.
Public Supper, 4:30 p.m., Cape Elizabeth Methodist Church, 280 Ocean House Road, Cape ELizabeth, 774-7241.
Baked Bean Supper, 5 p.m., Triangle Club of Casco Lodge, 20 Mill St., Yarmouth, 846-4724.
The Editorial Board: Church and State, 5:30 p.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 797-7891.
Basic computer Skills II, 10 a.m., Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, 871-1700 ext. 708, registration required.
Essentials of College Planning for adults 19 & over, 10 a.m., Portland Adult Education, 57 Douglass St., Portland, limited availability, to register visit http://meoc.maine.edu.
Worm Maineia, 9 a.m., Prince Memorial Library, 266 Main St., Cumberland, 829-2215.
Addiction Recovery, 7 p.m., LDS Chapel, 29 Ocean House Road, Cape Elizabeth, 801-953-4797, Thursdays through May 23.
Alzheimer's Let's Talk Series, 7 p.m., St. Bartholomew's Church, 396 Gilman Road, Yarmouth Road, Yarmouth, 632-2605.
Chronic Pain Workshop. 9 a.m. every Friday, beginning 3/1, MaineHealth Learning Resource Center, 5 Bucknam Road, Falmouth. 396-6583. Registration required.
Yoga Multiple Sclerosis. 4 p.m. every Wednesday beginning Feb. 20, at the Medically Oriented Gym, 29 Fodden Road, South Portland. 347-3030.
FAFSA assistance available through May at the Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, one week's notice and appointment required, 871-1700 ext. 772.
Resume building assistance available through May at the Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, one week's notice and appointment required, 871-1700 ext. 772.
Osewantha Garden Club meeting, 1 p.m., followed by presentation on bees and beekeeping, South Portland Community Center, 21 Nelson Road, South Portland, 749-5343.
Full moon snowshoe, 6 p.m., Fels-Groves Farm Preserve, Yarmouth.
Ice Bar with DJ Larry Moore, 5 p.m., through Sunday, Feb. 23, Inn at Brunswick Station, 4 Noble St., Brunswick, innatbrunswickstation.com.
Japanese Festival at the Library, 12 p.m., Patten Free Library, 33 Summer St., Bath, 443-4112.
AARP Tax Help, Every Tuesday and Thursday until April, People Plus, 35 Union St., Brunswick, 729-0757.
Empty Bowl Supper, 5 p.m., Sacred Heart Church, 65 Mellen St., Cumberland, 773-6562, proceeds benefit Morne Rouge school in Haiti.
Lenten Haddock Supper, 5 p.m., St. Charles Church, 132 McKeen St., Brunswick, 729-3509.
Community breakfast, 7:30 a.m., free, Bath United Methodist Church, 30 Oak Grove Avenue, Bath, 443-4707.
Bean Supper, 4:30 p.m., Bath Area Senior Activity Center, 45 Floral St., Bath, 443-4937.
100th Anniversary Luncheon, 12 p.m., Merriconeag Grange, 529 Harpswell Road, Harpswell, 729-8842.
Pancake Breakfast, 8 a.m., Merriconeag Grange, 529 Harpswell Road, Harpswell, Trothwell62@comcast.net.
Japanese Dinner, 6 p.m., Bath Middle School, 6 Old Brunswick Road, Bath, tickets available at Now You're Cooking, 49 Front St., Bath.
Civil War and the Movies, 7 p.m., Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick, 729-6606.
Family Day at the Arctic Museum, 10 a.m – 12:30 p.m., Hubbard Hall, Bowdoin College, 5000 South St., Brunswick, 725-3964.
Grassland Birds with ornithologist Noah Perlut, 7 p.m., Curtis Memorial Library, 23 Pleasant St., Brunswick, 781-2330.
Ikebana workshop, Japanese art of flower arrangement, 12 p.m., Hampton Inn, 140 Commercial St., Bath, 844-0510.
Family Japanese Arts Festival, 1 p.m., Bath Middle School, 6 Old Brunswick Road, Bath.
Blood Pressure Clinic, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., free, People Plus, 35 Union St., Brunswick, 729-6782.
Blood Pressure Clinic, 9:30-10 a.m., free, Pejepscot Terrace, 36 Pejepscot Terrace Drive, Brunswick, 729-6782.
Lap Swimming, 7 a.m.-12 p.m., Bath Area YMCA, 303 Centre St., Bath, 443-4112.
Caregiver Support Group, third Thursday of each month. 4:30 p.m, Mid Coast Senior Health Center, 58 Baribeau Drive, Brunswick, (207)373-4656.
A Matter of Balance, Jan. 15-Feb. 7, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Senior Health Center, 58 Baribeau Drive, Brunswick, 373-4656.
Children's Hour, 10:15 a.m., Patten Free Library, 33 Summer St., Bath, 443-5141.
Submit your listing to The Forecaster by using our online form at theforecaster.net/eventscalendar. We need your information at least 10 days in advance of the event date for publication in our print editions. If you need assistance, send an e-mail to Calendar@theforecaster.net or call 207-781-3661 ext. 115.


text:
NPC Partners
In Memory of Jean Heuschen
GULF SHORE BLVD PUBLIC SAFETY
Ride of Silence - Wednesday, May 15 at 6pm
13 May 2019 10:47 AM | Catherine Faerber (Administrator)
Naples Pathways Coalition will be participating in the National Ride of Silence to honor cyclists who have been injured or killed while cycling, to raise awareness of the importance of bicycle safety, and to ask that everyone share the road.
Everyone will meet at Cambier Park (755 8th Avenue S) at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15th. Helmets are required, and we will take a slow, hour-long ride in silence downtown as we remember friends, family and members of the community whose lives were lost or whose lives changed as a result of a crash while riding a bike.
The community is encouraged to join us in this meaningful ride. Many participants will be wearing their neon yellow NPC shirts for visibility and unity. Shirts will be available for a donation before and after the ride.
There is no fee to participate in the Ride of Silence, but donations will be accepted to help advocate for the families of individuals killed while biking or those still struggling after a serious crash.
Please contact Michelle@NaplesPathways.org for more information.
NAPLES PATHWAYS COALITION
539 Fifth Avenue South, # 464
 Michelle@NaplesPathways.org
NPC NEWSLETTER
Receive the latest information about what NPC is doing in the community on your behalf.
© Naples Pathways Coalition. All Rights Reserved


text:
Grants.
Support for a local industry
of creativity and service.
To enrich our community
and daily lives.
Arts and cultural
people and happenings
and where to go!
matter!
Welcome to United Arts of Central Florida
Your Home for Arts and Culture in Central Florida
United Arts has invested more than $170 million in local organizations and education since its founding in 1989. We serve
as the one-stop-shop for support and funding of the arts community. United Arts invests more than $8 million annually
into more than 75 arts, science and history cultural providers throughout Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties through
grants, collaborative fundraising and contract service opportunities.
United Arts has moved to downtown Orlando! Our new business location and mailing address is 216 Pasadena Place, Orlando, FL 32803. Please update your records with the new address and discard any prior year pledge forms and return envelopes with the Maitland address. Our phone numbers and email addresses will remain the same, as will our website address and social media accounts.
The Safer Stronger Together Promise
As businesses re-open throughout the Orlando region, nothing is more important than the safety of our donors, patrons, friends, and family. United Arts is committed to putting health and safety first. As a leader in this community, we have a responsibility to provide a safe environment for everyone who comes to our business. Moreover, we have the opportunity to help achieve the shared goal of health and happiness in the Orlando region.
Through the COVID-19 pandemic, our region has evolved in ways that have made us safer and stronger – in how we do business, how we have fun, and how we show we care for others. Let's do our part to protect the safety and health of everyone in our community!
Learn how you can do your part today!
United Arts' bi-monthly full color magazine the official source for local event planning.
buy-one-ticket-get-one-FREE and discount card to local arts and cultural organizations
Highlighting the best of what Central Florida has to offer for artists and residents.


text:
You are here: Home / News / Blog / WATCH: Merry Christmas from Derry and Strabane
WATCH: Merry Christmas from Derry and Strabane
Blog, diaspora, Events
The festive season is in full swing in Derry City and Strabane, with a series of magical events getting people in the mood for Christmas.
The Uncover the Magic of Christmas programme included a magical procession through the streets of Derry and Strabane for the Christmas lights switch-ons (with Santa as the guest of honour), and the Mayor's Magical Christmas Experience.
The Walled City Christmas Markets also made a welcome return to Guildhall Square on the first two weekends of December, offering unique, locally produced artisan food and crafts.
Christmas shopping left to do? You can support Council's support local campaign using the hashtags #ChristmasDS and #GiftLocal on social media.
December 13, 2021 /0 Comments/by Adam Goodall
https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg 0 0 Adam Goodall https://investderrystrabane.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/InvestDerry_Strabane_logo_small-003.jpg Adam Goodall2021-12-13 19:58:162021-12-13 19:58:18WATCH: Merry Christmas from Derry and Strabane
Learning Pool Furthers Expansion into US Market.January 6, 2022 - 12:10 pm
Ryan Williams, founder of The AMP business incubatorDecember 16, 2021 - 9:46 am
City of Derry Airport Buzzing for Ryanair's Take Off to Manchester!December 15, 2021 - 1:42 pm
Dreaming of a move back? There's no better time to come home!December 15, 2021 - 1:36 pm
AquaQ announces 40 roles for new Derry baseDecember 15, 2021 - 1:34 pm
Our Place in Space prepares for take-offDecember 13, 2021 - 8:10 pm
Environment and Regeneration
Finance & Funding
Halloween homecoming for North West expats Enterprise Week 2022: Boosting adaptability and recovery


Stirling Station has a new "cycling hub" – but there seem to be no plans for anything similar in the multi-million pound reconstruction of Dundee Station, and walkers and cyclists get very little attention in the plans for the Waterfront. Meanwhile Edinburgh Council commits to introducing 20 mph speed limits to make city streets safer, whilst Dundee City Council is going slow on the issue (see this related post).
Friends of the Earth Tayside raised these issues in September, but received only bland general reassurances from Dundee City Council. See this report from the Courier.


text:
see more from Retirement
4 Ways to Save for Retirement Without a 401(k)
by Rachel Christian, CEPF®
Reviewed by Molly Moorhead, CFP®
Millions of people use 401(k) accounts to save for retirement each year.
These tax-advantaged savings accounts invest your money in long-term mutual funds, stocks, bonds and other securities to grow your nest egg over time.
But there's a catch: You can only open a 401(k) at work — and not all employers offer them.
In 2020, about 33% of private industry workers didn't have access to any employer-sponsored retirement plan, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Part-time workers and those who earn the lowest wages are even less likely to work a job with access to a retirement plan.
The truth is, you don't need an employer to save for retirement. (Although 401(k)s are still great to have, especially if you get an employer match.)
You can take control of your future and save for retirement on your own. And we promise — it's not as difficult or scary as it sounds.
1. Individual Retirement Account
Anyone who earns income can open an individual retirement account, or IRA.
Unlike a 401(k), these retirement accounts aren't tied to your employment. They give you more hands-on control and usually offer more investment options than 401(k)s.
Opening an IRA is easier than ever before, thanks to low-cost robo-advisors and convenient micro-investing apps. We'll dive into those shortly.
But first, let's discuss the two types of IRAs: Traditional and Roth. Both offer a sweet tax break but in different ways.
Use this side-by-side traditional vs. Roth IRA chart to compare features of both accounts.
Generally, contributing to a Roth IRA makes sense if you plan to be in a higher tax bracket when you retire, while a traditional IRA can be a better choice if you expect to be in a lower tax bracket when you retire.
Another way to think about it: A traditional IRA can help you save money on your yearly tax bill while a Roth IRA helps you save money on taxes in retirement.
You can always open and contribute to a traditional and a Roth IRA at the same time. This can help you take advantage of tax savings in different ways.
A traditional IRA lets you worry about taxes later. You put money in your account today and enjoy tax-free growth until you make a withdrawal.
You'll pay income taxes when you pull money out. How much you owe is based on your tax bracket for the year in which you make the withdrawal.
If you withdraw money before the age of 59-½ the Internal Revenue Service will slap on a 10% penalty (unless you qualify for an exception). Money in your account is earmarked for retirement, so the government doesn't take kindly to early withdrawals.
Traditional IRA Facts
In 2022, you can contribute up to $6,000, or $7,000 if you're 50 or older. The limits increase to $6,500, or $7,500 if you're 50 or older, in 2023.
You have to take required minimum distributions (mandatory withdrawals) from your account starting at age 72.
Withdrawals are taxed as ordinary income.
Early withdrawals before age 59-½ come with a 10% tax penalty.
Contributions are generally tax deductible.
That last item is key. When tax time rolls around, any money you added to your account throughout the year reduces your taxable income, which can lower your tax bill or even boost your refund.
However, not everyone can claim this deduction.
If your employer offers a retirement account (even if you don't participate in it): Your adjusted gross income must be less than $73,000 for single filers (or $116,000 for married couples filing jointly) in the 2023 tax year to claim the full tax deduction on your traditional IRA contributions. In 2022, these limits are $68,000 for single filers or $109,000 for married couples filing jointly.
If your employer doesn't offer a retirement account: You can claim a tax deduction on your contributions regardless of your income.
Roth IRAs come with a tax bite today but allow you to make withdrawals tax-free down the road.
You fund your account with after-tax money. It grows tax-free and you won't owe any income tax when you make withdrawals.
However, you won't get a break at tax time: Contributions to a Roth IRA aren't deductible.
Roth IRA Facts
You can contribute up to $6,000 a year, or $7,000 if you're 50 or older, in 2022. The limits increase to $6,500, or $7,500 if you're 50 or older, in 2023.
You can withdraw contributions anytime, tax- and penalty-free.
Money grows tax-deferred.
Contributions aren't tax deductible.
No required minimum distributions.
High-income earners can't contribute to a Roth IRA. In 2022, single filers can open a Roth account if their modified adjusted gross income falls below $144,000, or $214,000 for married couples filing jointly. These income limits increase to $153,000 for single filers and $228,000 for married couples filing jointly in 2023.
A great perk of Roth retirement plans is you can withdraw contributions anytime, tax- and penalty-free. Any of your own original money that you put in, you can take out without owing income taxes.
However, you can only pull the earnings (new money generated by your investments) out of a Roth IRA after age 59-½ and after you've owned the account for at least five years.
Otherwise, withdrawing investment earnings can trigger taxes and a 10% early withdrawal penalty.
How Do You Open an IRA?
You can open an IRA online without ever speaking with a human. Isn't technology great?
Robo-advisors and micro-investing apps make it super easy to get started. You can also open an IRA at most financial institutions and brokerage companies, like Charles Schwab, Fidelity or TD Ameritrade.
IRAs give you way more investment choices than 401(k)s. That's great if you have investing experience, not so great if you're just starting out.
But robo-advisors can diversify your IRA portfolio for you, with exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and index funds based on your age, risk tolerance and goals. Most offer useful retirement planning and personal finance tools to visualize and easily manage your investments.
Many robos charge an affordable 0.25% annual account fee with low or no account minimums.
With most investment platforms, you'll get your choice between a traditional or Roth IRA — or both. Some offer a SEP IRA for self-employed workers, too.
Interested in learning more? Here's our roundup of the best robo-advisors on the market.
Micro-Investing Apps
Micro-investing apps like Stash and Acorns make it easy to set up small, recurring contributions to an IRA. Plus, you can start investing with as little as $5.
Like robo-advisors, they're easy to use, convenient and automated.
However, you might end up paying higher fees over time due to an app's monthly subscription model. Stash and Acorns, for example, charge $3 to access a Roth or traditional IRA.
Paying $36 a year for a retirement account is steep compared to discount brokers and robo-advisors, especially for users with small account balances.
We've reviewed and compared the Linkbest micro-investing apps. Check out our top 5 picks for 2022.
2. Health Savings Accounts
Using a health savings account (HSA) to save for retirement might seem like a strange idea.
But HSAs aren't just a way to pay for expenses your high-deductible health insurance doesn't won't cover. They offer great tax advantages, making them a smart way to save for the future, too.
Think of it like a 401(k) for your health.
HSAs are said to hold a triple tax benefit because:
Contributions are tax-deductible.
Money within the account grows tax-free.
Distributions are always tax-free when used for qualified medical expenses.
An HSA lets you save on taxes when you contribute. Funds in your account roll over year after year, and you'll get a tax break for any contributions you make.
You'll never pay taxes or penalties if you withdraw money from your HSA to pay for qualified health care costs. And when you turn 65, you can use money in your HSA however you want.
Best of all: You can invest money inside your account, just like you would a 401(k) or IRA. This lets your money grow over time, instead of sitting idle like it would in a traditional savings account.
It's important to keep in mind that some HSA providers offer more — and better — investment options than others.
Some impose minimum balance requirements, transaction fees or investment fees. Nearly all providers charge annual account fees.
Technically, you can open an HSA even if your employer doesn't offer one. But you can't make contributions to the account unless you're covered by a high-deductible health plan.
You can't add money if you're enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid either. (However, you can take HSA money out of your account in retirement to pay for things Medicare doesn't cover, like eyeglasses or hearing aids.)
With eligible high-deductible health plans, you can contribute up to $3,650 a year to an HSA in 2022, or up to $7,300 for families. The limits increase to $3,850 for self-only coverage or $7,750 for families in 2023.
3. Traditional Brokerage Accounts
Traditional brokerage accounts give you the benefit of investing for your retirement goals, but lack the special tax breaks IRAs, 401(k) and similar plans offer.
Traditional brokerage accounts are also called taxable investment accounts. You generally owe taxes when you sell securities for a profit, even if you don't withdraw the money from your account. You'll also pay tax on any dividend income.
Realized gains are taxed at your normal income tax rate or a lower long-term capital gains tax rate, depending on how long you've owned the security.
But that's not always a bad thing. Using a taxable investment account can actually make sense in some situations.
First, you can make withdrawals from a taxable account at any time, regardless of age. You won't get pinged by a 10% penalty from the IRS. (Although you may face stiff capital gains tax on earnings.)
This can make a taxable investment account beneficial if you're saving for other mid- to long-term goals, like buying a house.
Another benefit is you can add as much money as you want: There's no contribution limits. So taxable accounts can be attractive if you're already maxing out your IRA or HSA.
As a quick reminder: Traditional brokerage accounts let you buy and sell investments like stocks, bonds, ETFs and mutual funds. You can open an account at financial institutions, online brokers, robo-advisors and investment apps like Robinhood and E*TRADE.
4. Retirement Accounts for Self-Employed People
Small business owners and self-employed people get a few other retirement savings options.
Most major brokerage firms offer Simplified Employee Pension IRAs (SEP IRAs) and they're easy to set up.
A formal written agreement is required, but the brokerage usually takes care of that for you.
Any business with one or more employees can open a SEP IRA, including independent contractors, self-employed people, sole proprietorships, LLPs, C corporations and S corporations.
That makes these accounts ideal for freelancers, solo entrepreneurs and gig workers.
A SEP IRA offers much higher contribution limits than a traditional or Roth IRA.
In 2023, you can contribute up to 25% of adjusted net earnings or $66,000 ($61,000 in 2022) — whichever is less.
Because you can add employees to a SEP IRA, these accounts are also attractive for solo business owners who plan to add workers to their payroll in the future.
Solo 401(k)
If you're self-employed or own a business with no employees, you can open a self-employed 401(k), also known as a solo 401(k).
You get two opportunities to save — as an employee, and again as the employer.
As the employee, you can make tax-deductible or Roth retirement contributions up to 100% of your compensation, with a maximum of $20,500 in 2022 ($27,000 if you're 50 or older). The limit will increase to $22,500 in 2023 ($30,000 if you're 50 or older).
On top of that, as the employer you can put in up to 25% of your earned income. However, total contributions (not including additional contributions for those 50 and over) can't exceed $61,000 in 2022.
You're eligible to open a solo 401(k) if you generate profit from a sole proprietorship, LLC or any other business organization so long as you don't have any employees besides you and your spouse.
Unique Features of Self-Employed 401(k)s
People 50 and older can make annual catch-up contributions.
You can make Roth contributions.
You can't add employees to the plan (besides your spouse).
Opening an account can be a little trickier and more time-consuming than opening a SEP IRA.
Might offer higher annual contribution limits and bigger tax deductions than a SEP IRA.
Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer for The Penny Hoarder.
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So as I go to Survey Monkey today to find the results from last weeks final four I find I never activated the survey!!! This means that we're going to rewind and start last week over! Too high of hope huh? So here we go Boy Band Madness Week 3 take 2!
After a surprising upset by the underdog LFO against heavy hitters N'Sync. This week the bad boy brothers of Hanson hope to knock LFO off their winning streak.
Boys versus boys this week ... I don't know about anyone else but this is one of the most difficult match ups to date here in the Boy Band Madness.


Assistant coach: Dawn Hough, Erica Masella.
Graduation losses: Michelle Borsavage, Laura Hermann, Cynthia Kidd, Rebecca Martin, Casey McKenna.
2007-08 captains: Alexa Carlson, Abigail Schrang, Mikaela Malumphy.
Coach's outlook: "I am very excited about the upcoming season. We have many returning from last year who have a strong foundation and are ready to build upon it... we also have many newcomers with raw talent. At our first developmental [meet], we already had two girls qualify for the South-West Conference meet and many others come close. We have a lot to look forward to with this team."
Seniors: Rebecca Berger, Alexa Carlson, Mikaela Malumphy, Abigail Schrang.
Juniors: Alyssa Campbell, Grace Curry, Jessica McSaveny, Dee Nappi, Danni Bresson, Kelsey Pietropaolo.
Sophomores: Alden Ackerman, Meghan Bresson, Kaitlyn Corsak, Michelle Courtney, Eileen Curry, Jessica Forbes, Amanda Halim, Amanda Hawkins, Melanie Kinman, Ellie Lamb, Katie Neils, Maeghan Robidoux, Ximena Salcedo, Michele Stopera, Rachel Waldman, Hayleigh Wilson.
Freshmen: Hannah Bacon, Chantal Barksdale, Stephanie Belcher, Jennifer Borsavage, Devon Cawley, Chelsea Federle, Shyena Joseph, Anastasia Kouluganes, Meghan Lull, Isabel Mader, Heather Mehne, Sarah Moore, Kathleen Norell, Nina Oria, Creea Proctor-Floyd, Ashley Scott, Noel Schneeman, Alexandra Sherman, Mariah Smith, Sophia Sochor, Molly Tulinski, Haley Woodard.


0%81°76°Night - Clear. Winds variable at 7 to 13 mph (11.3 to 20.9 kph). The overnight low will be 76 °F (24.4 °C).Sunny with a high of 82 °F (27.8 °C). Winds variable at 7 to 14 mph (11.3 to 22.5 kph).
0%81°78°Sunny today with a high of 81 °F (27.2 °C) and a low of 78 °F (25.6 °C).
70%82°78°Thunderstorms today with a high of 82 °F (27.8 °C) and a low of 78 °F (25.6 °C). There is a 70% chance of precipitation.
5%82°79°Thunderstorms today with a high of 82 °F (27.8 °C) and a low of 79 °F (26.1 °C).
Tonight - Clear. Winds variable at 7 to 13 mph (11.3 to 20.9 kph). The overnight low will be 76 °F (24.4 °C).
Today - Sunny with a high of 82 °F (27.8 °C). Winds variable at 7 to 14 mph (11.3 to 22.5 kph).


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«PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal» (18+)
"PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal" is published since 01/02/2014. Until the middle of 2015 the journal was published in printed form with ISSN: 1339-4002.
Since April 1st, 2015 the journal is published only as an online publication. Online journal has ISSN: 2453-613X.
№ 4 (July, 2018)
Published since
Once every two months
Requirements for publication
Council of Editors
Open access publishing costs
Article Identification Policy
Plagiarism check policy
Online First Pre-Publication
Column of main editor
Philosophy of Music
Music Aesthetics
Hermeneutics, Semantics and Musical Meaning
Problems of Music Theory
Contemporary Composition
Music Theatre
History and Theory of Musical Performance
Musical Teaching and Psychology
Traditional Music of the East
Variety Show Music
Music in Film
Music and Digital Technologies
Musical Management
Reviews and Opinions
Monograph peer reviews
IT-technology and music
Ballet and music
Voice and choral ensembles
A history of musical culture
Classical and modern harmony
General music theory
Forms and genres
"PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal" is published since 01/02/2014. Until the middle of 2015 the journal was published in printed form with ISSN: 1339-4002. Since April 1st, 2015 the journal is published only as an online publication. Online journal has ISSN: 2453-613X.
Output information "PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal"
Issue was released at: 25-02-2019
Founder: Danilenko Vasiliy Ivanovich, w.danilenko@nbpublish.com
Publisher: <AURORA GROUP s.r.o.>
Main editor: Petrov Vladislav Olegovich, Doctor of Art History, petrovagk@yandex.ru
Managing Editor - Zubkova Svetlana Vadimovna
E-mail: info@nbpublish.com
Address of the editorial board : 115114, Moscow, Paveletskaya nab., 6A, office 211 .
Markina Y.V. — G. Crumb's "Makrokkosmos III": contemplating the nature of space
P. 1 - 7
Zvezdakova N.N. — The beginnings of lyrics in the works of I.Ya. Panitsky
P. 8 - 17
Petrov V.O. — On the notion of a musical form in terms of social communication
P. 18 - 23
Lavrova S.V. — Fausto Romitelli's multimedia opera. An index of Metals - a requiem for a matter
Denisov A.V. — Over-citation in the musical art of the 20th century: forms and functions
Skudina Y.S. — On Alexander Ryndin's choir cycle "The three sacred chants"
Ivanova O.A. — On the definition of "genre" in ethnomusicology
// PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal. – 2018. – № 4. – P. 1 - 7. DOI: 10.7256/2453-613X.2018.4.28927 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=28927
About authors
Review: The article considers the peculiarities of the content of the Makrokosmos III series by American avant-garde composer George Crumb. The author reveals its semantic properties, the peculiarities of correlation between the image and the form; substantiates flagship epigraphs and draws parallels with other opuses of the composer. The author emphasizes that the image of Space, used by Crumps as a background, is revealed logically enough both of the level of content and of the musical language. The main object of the study - Makrokosmos III - is devoted to contemplating the outer nature of Space, thence comes the title - Music for a summer evening. Space for Crumb is a ubiquitous phenomenon existing at all levels of entity. It is considered as the world as a whole - everything around us. Space is understood not only as outer space with different objects which can be thought of as an unseen reality (owing to scientific discoveries, now we can judge about its structure and spheres), and as a perceptible reality (Space which is perceptible to the human's eye), but also as a particular human's life.
Keywords: Macrocosm, George Crumb, dramaturgy, space in music, art synthesis, philosophy of music, modern composition, art history, interpretation, Music and Time
Zvezdakova N.N. — The beginnings of lyrics in the works of I.Ya. Panitsky // PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal. – 2018. – № 4. – P. 8 - 17. DOI: 10.7256/2453-613X.2018.4.28776 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=28776
Review: The essay is devoted to the Merited Artist of the RSFSR Ivan Yakovlevich Panitsky (1906-1990), an outstanding virtuoso of bayan, teacher and composer. Panitsky, a vision impaired original musician from the Volgian village Balakovo, was destined to pave the way for Russian bayan to the academic scene, significantly enrich the concert repertoire of professional bayanists. The author of the article traces back the beginnings of professional and spiritual and creative formation of I. Panitsky and reveals the spirituality and poetry of his character which defined the main direction of the musician's work - the field of instrumental lyrics. The author gives special attention to music events devoted to the famous countryman initiated by the department of folk instruments of Saratov State Conservatory named after L.V. Sobinov. The author uses the historical method to study the musician's biography and the method of musical analysis of the piece. The author studies Panitsky's waltzes "Remembrance" and "Dead roses" as the examples of bayan lyrics. The paper describes the typical ways of work with music material revealing the main lyric idea of the piece: its improvisatory character, polyphony of the manner, variations, and the diversity of timbre colours of a bayan. The novelty of the study consists in the combination of the narration of historical and biographical material with the unprecedented analysis of Panitsky's works in the waltz genre. The author concludes that Panitsky's background is inseparable from the region of his birth. The strong spiritual bond with his small motherland, its history and traditions, defined the bright individuality and recognizability of the works of the famous bayanist, one of the remarkable representatives of bayan lyrics in the Russian instrumental music of the 20th century.
Keywords: bayannya lyrics, cradle, teaching staff, Saratov State Conservatory, childhood years, Volga river, Russian festival, folk instrumental art, waltzes of Panitsky, Panitsky
Petrov V.O. — On the notion of a musical form in terms of social communication // PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal. – 2018. – № 4. – P. 18 - 23. DOI: 10.7256/2453-613X.2018.4.28525 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=28525
Review: The article unfolds the phenomenon of a musical form in terms of its definition in social communication. In spite of the fact that particular studies within musicology discuss this issue (A.Sokhor, V. Zukerman, V. Kholopova, E. Nazaikinsky, M. Aranovsky), a precise definition of musical form does not exist. Its social and communicative significance is interpreted especially unclearly. The author uses the analytical research method based on the principle of selection of significant definitions of a musical form. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the approach to a musical form as a subject of social communication. Through the prism of the analytical approach, the author detects the degree of dependence of a form on focusing on a particular listener, on their perception in terms of concert platform or another performance principle.
Keywords: social communication, the content of art, musical art, theory of music, genre in music, genre and society, theoretical musicology, genre, art history, musicology
// PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal. – 2018. – № 4. – P. 24 - 41. DOI: 10.7256/2453-613X.2018.4.28551 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=28551
Review: The paper studies the multimedia opera genre represented in the works of an Italian composer Fausto Romitelli. The composer passed away at the age of 41, and his last work of art is also a projection of a requiem for the New media age. The author analyzes the plot of An Index of Metals, the process of forming and interrelation between abstract video and music in terms of the peculiarities of the New Media. The article considers the plethora of associations and allusions, manifesting themselves in the multimedia opera, in terms of creative guidelines of the composer. The peculiarity of the genre performance is the transformation of total perception of a spectator diving into the white-hot matter of floating sounds, forms and shapes, with heavy hypnotic influence. The author concludes about the process of genre transformation in which the spectator's perception goes beyond the limits of a physical body through an alien sound material and the confluence of visual, sound and associative and verbal means of interpretation of the content of An Index of Metals.
Keywords: abstract video, requiem in matter, total perception, spectralism, Kenka Lekovich, multimedia opera, Paccini, Metal Index, Romitelli, sound matte
Review: The research subject is over-citation - the situation when composers use too much citation in one composition. In such cases there can be dozens of citations, and the composition itself (or some its part/completed fragment) is not very long. The share of the author's material in this case is often minimal or even equal to zero. It's obvious that this phenomenon raises some serious questions, including: 1) particular forms of organizing the borrowed content within the composition and its interpreting; 2) prerequisites leading to over-citation. To solve these problems one should use the following methods of analysis: intertextual, compositional, style, structure, semantic, hermeneutic and esthetic analysis. It is obvious that using over-citation aggravates the problem of building a composition as a whole. Therefore, in the compositions with over-citation, composers have to search for the approaches which help to organize it by means of 1) selecting the very material of primary sources of citations and their logic of sequence; 2) varying the share of citations. The reasons determining the use of over-citation form two groups: the specific idea of the piece (e.g., its story); the common prerequisites consisting in the chosen genre, the manner of the author's thinking and finally - the particular type of the composer's technique. Particularly, over-citation can be one of the manifestations of absurdism. In this case, the fragments of primary sources and their order are selected randomly and can be replaced with some others, and their characteristics (genre background, intonational specificity) are irrelevant (J. Cage's "Europeras", M. Kagel's "Ludwig van").
Keywords: composition, semantics, structure, text, polistilistics, collage, hyperquotation, quotation, absurd, dramaturgy
Skudina Y.S. — On Alexander Ryndin's choir cycle "The three sacred chants" // PHILHARMONICA. International Music Journal. – 2018. – № 4. – P. 51 - 59. DOI: 10.7256/2453-613X.2018.4.28926 URL: https://en.nbpublish.com/library_read_article.php?id=28926
Review: Sacred musical compositions play an important role in the intellectual development of a person. At the current stage of evolution of the Russian musical art, there are numbers of compositions of this type. The article considers the rise the orthodox sacred music at the late 20th century. The author considers the attitude of A. Ryndin, a composer from Astrakhan, towards this type of music. The author analyzes the cycle "The three sacred chants" for the mixed choir a capella and soloists, and considers each item revealing some peculiarities of the correlation between the text and the specificities of the musical dramatic composition. The author notes that the "The three sacred chants" cycle is remarkable for the originality of the composer's idea combining the traits of various musical styles and techniques, the interaction of various choir patterns (from the classical to the free). At the same time, each particular item (despite the fact that they are united in one cycle) is an integral and independent piece of art.
Keywords: spiritual music, spirituality, Alexander Ryndin, theory of music, philosophy of music, musicology, art history, choir cycle, Three spiritual chants, choir texture
Review: The article considers the notion of "genre". The author uses the set of vocal items to demonstrate the principles of folkloric material classification. The author enumerates the factors influencing on confinedness and non-confinedness of the material and the dependence of defining the elements composing the genre traits in the field of study. The author also considers the research of other scholars in the field and cites the key findings of such scholars as I.I. Zemtsovsky, Yu.N. Tynjanov, A.N. Veselovsky, G.N. Pospelov, Yu. G. Kruglov, F.A. Rubtsov, V.L. Goshovsky, E.V. Gippius, V.A. Lapin, E.A. Dorokhova, O.A. Pashina. The author notes the most popular interpretation of the criteria of evaluating folkloric vocal items proposed by E.V. Gippius. The scientific novelty of the study consists in the fact that the author corroborates theoretical materials in the field of genre studies with the musical materials of the local tradition of Astrakhan region. The problem is that at the current stage of scientific development, there is a plethora of opinions of scientists basing on the data typical for a particular territory and a particular tradition. Thus, the set of elements under consideration is often varying and incomparable. Therefore, using local materials, scholars can work on their own arguments proving their hypotheses.
Keywords: transformation of genres, genre-style dominant, song type, syntactics, folklore, art history, theory of genres, ethnomusicology, system of folklore, typology of genre