People throughout their lives have always tried to establish good contact with anyone they can easily communicate with. And mass media has made this desire of every individual possible.

The newspaper is one of the oldest forms of mass media and it has several advantages over the other forms of media. For one, it can be read in almost every condition. It can give you detailed information of a story much more than the others and you can keep it for now and read it later on. Some news do not easily lose their importance for a week or month, thus, it is possible to re-read the paper anytime.

After the newspaper companies gathers the news they present it to readers as soon as possible. Doing this, the educating and giving information role of newspapers are very important. With this in mind, the function of newspapers includes educating the readers, providing information, amusement and promotion and advertisement. Because of this, newspapers help develop the way of thinking of humans and motivate them to deal with what is going on around them. Likewise, newspapers give people a chance to forget their problems and rest their minds from worrying even for a few hours everyday.

Since the day the very first newspaper made its appearance there have been many changes to it – from the way it looks to the manner it presents the news. One of the most essential tasks of newspapers is its contribution to the economic and industrial development of a country through its integration of the people’s voice. There are so many ways newspapers can help people today. People who know more about current events often find it easier to talk to other people because they have more subjects to talk about.

The world of technology that is blossoming in our very eyes has made global interaction possible. Perhaps newspapers that are on actual papers are becoming objects of our past. Newspapers in the Internet are common nowadays. This makes accessing newspapers faster and easier. Nevertheless, responses to this advancement in the newspaper industry have been met differently by publishers. For instance, some have required their reporters to write stories for both print and online. They have tried to integrate the Internet in every aspect of their operation.

Although the future of the newspaper industry is cloudy because readership is slowly decreasing as a result of competition from the Internet and the television, publishers, writers and reporters for newspapers continue to gather and develop stories that people love to read. With their continued dedication to responsible journalism, newspapers will continue to be delivered to our doorstep every morning.

Saving for retirement is even more important for solo-entrepreneurs because you don’t have a company sponsored pension plan or matching 401K contributions to rely on.

There are many retirement plans available to self employed individuals and small businesses.  Which one is right for you?

Here is just a sample of the retirement plans available to solo-preneurs and small businesses:

Roth IRA – although this is not just for solo-preneurs, this is the first place you should look to save if you are just starting to save for retirement (or resuming to save after starting a business).  Roth IRAs are low-cost, very flexible, and allow you to grow money tax-free as long as you follow the distribution rules.  Contributions can be made up to $4,000, and can be withdrawn at any time without tax or penalty (earnings withdrawn may be subject to penalty and tax if withdrawn before age 59 ½ and certain other conditions are not met).

SEP IRA – if you’re maxing out your Roth IRA, and are ready to save more, a SEP IRA allows you to save up to 25% of your compensation (20% of your self-employment income) for a maximum of $44,000 per year.  Contributions are tax-deductible, and SEP IRAs have low maintenance fees.  Contributions can be made for employees also, but employees cannot contribute to their own SEP IRA.  This is a good choice if you just have a handful of employees and are looking for a low-cost way to save for your own and your employees’ retirement.

Simple IRA – a Simple plan offers many of the benefits of a 401K, but with less IRS reporting requirements.  You can contribute up to $10,000 to a Simple IRA, with an employer match of up to 3%.  Contributions are tax-deductible, and Simple IRAs also enjoy low annual fees.  Employees are allowed to contribute to Simple plans, and a company match is mandatory.  If you have a lower salary (or self-employment income) in your small business, a Simple IRA allows you to put more away towards your retirement than other plans.

Solo 401K – for small businesses with no employees, the solo-401K allows you to put the maximum amount away, with less cost and less reporting requirements than a traditional 401K.  Similar to a SEP IRA, contributions max out at $44,000.  However, unlike a SEP IRA, participants in a Solo-401K can contribute up to 100% of the first $15,000 of compensation or self-employment income, and an additional amount up to 25% of your compensation.  This is important because it allows you to save substantially more than a SEP IRA, if your compensation is less than $220,000 per year.  A solo-401K is not appropriate for small business with employees or expecting to add employees.

There’s no one best plan for all small businesses.  The best plan for you will depend on many factors, such as whether you have employees or not, how much you want to contribute each year, how much time you want to spend administering the plan, etc.  To get more information about small business retirement plans, contact a no-load mutual fund company, a discount brokerage company or a fee-only financial planner.

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