WORK IN PROGRESS

Today's U.S. workforce is different from the work-force of the past:
It includes almost equal number of men and women 51% men and 49% women.
It has aged along with the Baby Boomers. There are fewer young employees (22% under age 30 compared to 37% in 1977) and more older employess. 56% are 40 or older today, compared to 38% in 1977.
It is more ethnically diverse 21% are people of color today versus 12% in 1977.
Fewer fathers are the sole bread winners --- one in three (33%) compared with 51% in 1977.

Source: Families and Work Institute

Information offered to you by Marie Hooker Windermere West Sound/Silverale

Homeowner risk

Homeowners should review their insurance policies regularly to ensure they have enough coverage, your insurance might be inadequate because building replacement costs go up each year with construction costs.

Here are a few strategies to help reduce your risk of fire to your home:
l. Fireproof roofing and siding, or treat roofs to be fire-retardant.
2.Add screen vents to prevent wind-borne embers from entering the home.
3.Install nonflammable shutters on large glass windows and sliding glass doors.
4. Use fireproof materials to construct overhangs, such as balconies or decks; treat them so they're fire-retardant, or eliminate them.

With these tips, you can help reduce the threat to your home in fire-prone areas.

5 Tips for fire-wise landscaping

Buyers loved a house but they were a little concerned about the risk of fire, since the house is located in an area where homes are clustered against a forested area. There are plendy of steps howeowners can take to control risk.
Here are five:
1. Maintain a minimum 30-foot clearing around the house.
2. Carefully Space Trees.
3. Remove "ladder" fuels, bushes and shrubs that help fire leap from grass to trees.
4. Create "fuelbreaks," such as walkways and driveways.
5. Maintain the irrigration system.