The bond-rating agency Moody's made itself famous for giving subprime mortgage backed securities triple-A ratings at the peak of the housing bubble. Well, Moody's is back. They announced plans to change the way they treat pension obligations in assessing state and local government debt.

Apparently, the nation's most prestigious newspaper feels Rattner's financial acumen and half-vast experience in manufacturing -- manufacturing kickback schemes, that is -- qualifies him to hold forth on what ails the economy.

If public pensions are run professionally why did the SEC vote in 2009 to curb "pay to play" practices among public sector pension managers?

We need people in "human resources" to realize that you're still "human" when you're over 50, and to be trained in how to recruit and train employees who are older than them.

Getting your finances into shape can appear daunting. Breaking it down into categories can help simplify the process. There are five main categories that everyone should tackle.

There is little sex appeal in thinking of getting older, death and the finality of the whole form of existence. But pensions are important and like car insurance they are a necessary evil.

In the name of "fiscal responsibility," the self-interested CEOs animating Fix the Debt are pushing a deficit reduction plan that would lower taxes for corporations and the super-rich while slashing programs central to the middle class and those working their way into it.

As the world economy continues to struggle, people are taking to the streets by the thousands to protest painful cuts in public spending designed to reduce government debt and deficits. This fiscal fury is understandable.