Archive for June, 2012

Idaho gets the highest rating of A+ along with Texas, Oklahoma, Nevada, according to a survey sponsored by the Kaufman Foundation.

To see the full article, click here: http://www.thumbtack.com/survey

Opening up a small business in a tough economy is a risky gamble. But these 10 states saw more startup activity than anywhere else nationwide, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurial Activity. Here’s why.

2011 startup rate: 380 per 100,000 adults

Technology companies have long had a love affair with Idaho. Nestled between a mountain and a desert, Boise’s geographic isolation appeals to a certain breed of innovators who prefer not to be distracted by urban sprawl.

Its capital city Boise has grown into a technology hub, hosting Micron Technology’s headquarters as well as a large Hewlett-Packard campus focused on R&D.

The recession led to layoffs at tech companies around the state, and those who lost their jobs often were inspired to start their own businesses. The fastest growing startups are in nanotechnology, renewable energy and IT.

For cost-conscious startups, high personal income and business taxes can be a turnoff. But entrepreneurs do enjoy lower electricity costs — Idaho is a strong hydro power state — and low overall living costs. Growing businesses also are offered tax credits for adding new jobs and expanding facilities.

Idaho also backs innovative businesses through programs such as the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM), which gives away $5 million annually in startup grants and funding for technology research in universities.

To read the full article, click here: http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2012/smallbusiness/1206/gallery.best-places-entrepreneurs/index.html

It’s time for the annual list of the Best Places to Retire.

Reflecting what retirees say they want, there’s a slightly bigger bias toward warmer climates in states like Florida, New Mexico and Arizona. Only about a half-dozen Best Places are located in what could be called chilly parts of the country.This group includes Bloomington, Ind., Fargo, N.D. and Pittsburgh.

But the bigger bias is the importance we place on day-to-day economic issues: the average price of a home, the cost of living and the tax burden on retirees. So there are no entries here from states where it costs a lot to get by, such as California, Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

We reviewed data for hundreds of cities in all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia. Besides the usual financial factors, we looked at weather, availability of doctors, serious crime rates and encouragement for an active retirement. To do this, we considered evaluations by Bicycling Magazine and volunteeringinamerica.org.

More and more retirees are working, at least initially. So we also took into account both unemployment rates and rankings of job and economic growth compiled by the Milken Institute.

Nationwide, the average price of an existing single-family house is $163,500, according to the National Association of Realtors. Only four cities on our list have median prices above that, and none really by all that much. The priciest, at $198,000, is Asheville, N.C. At the other end, the average price of a home in Atlanta is only $91,000, followed by Cape Coral, Fla. at $116,000 and Boise, Idaho, at $118,000.

Boise, Idaho
Fast Fact: Home of Boise State University’s famous blue football field
Pros: Low crime, low cost of living, average home price $118,000, above-average air quality, attractive semi-arid climate
Cons: Poor economy

To view the entire article, click here: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-best-places-to-retire-in-2012.html