More employers hiring college-educated workers

College-educated workers are clearly reaping the benefits of a strengthening job market, but economists worry that Americans with lesser skills could be left behind.

Employers added 216,000 jobs last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, the most since the U.S. Census-inflated growth last May. Yet the gains aren’t spread evenly. Professional and business services grew by 78,000 jobs, the most since 2005, and many require college degrees.

Jobs are also sprouting for the less-educated. McDonald’s plans to announce today that it’s hiring 50,000 mostly part-timers in the U.S. on April 19 to prepare for the summer sales spike.

Read more at http://usat.ly/hBUJGU

Health care's hidden costs: $363 billion

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- A year after the passing of health reform, a new industry report revealed that consumers may be paying billions of dollars more in out-of-pocket health care expenses than was previously thought.

These "hidden" costs of health care -- like taking time off to care for elderly parents -- add up to $363 billion, according to a report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, a research group. 

Read more http://bit.ly/gKxI7D

Health care coverage: Big changes in 2012

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Come 2012, millions of Americans who get health care coverage through their employer should brace for some big changes.

 Charging higher contributions for dependent coverage and dropping retiree accounts, are among the steps companies are considering as they fight rising medical costs and new expenses tied to health reform, according to a new report Thursday from human resources consulting firm Towers Watson.

Read more http://bit.ly/flXpDI

College Students to Invest in Financial Markets

Students at two area business schools won't have to wait until graduation to start investing real money.

Cal State San Bernardino and Cal Poly Pomona are starting courses that allow students to invest in financial markets.

Students at CSUSB's College of Business and Public Administration will take a $100,000 investment from Citizens Business Bank and invest the money starting this spring. Cal Poly Pomona's College of Business Administration plans to start a student-managed investment fund as early as the fall of 2012. A portion of a recent $1 million donation from a Cal Poly Pomona alumnus is planned to jumpstart the fund.

Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/business/ci_17694264

House Renovation Tips From Insurers

The housing market remains sluggish but the demand for renovations is expected to rise as many homeowners decide to fix up where they are now instead of moving elsewhere. And as new owners take over foreclosed properties that were long neglected, they, too, are expected to make repairs.

For more details http://nyti.ms/gFj7kN

Online Resources that Answer Your Money Questions

A recent New York Times story, “The Answers Are Out There, and New Q. and A. Sites Dig Them Up,” described how entrepreneurs were betting that there was an opportunity for a new generation of sites where users asked and answered questions. It also discussed how venture capitalists were showing their support for new question-and-answer models.

For more details http://bucks.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/09/sites-that-answer-your-money-questions/