Why Do the Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Poorer?

By Sarah Booth in money.co.uk

The report found that at the most basic level, the wealthiest segment of the population have, on average, an ‘original income’ that’s 15 times greater than the £4,900 income representative of poorest members of society.

Once taxation and benefits are taken into consideration, this figure is deflated to a less shocking four fold difference with the wealthiest sector of society paying out 25% of their income in direct tax and the poorest receiving 57% of their income from benefits (compared to 11% and 2% respectively). However, despite this partial redistribution, the wealth gap is undeniably growing.

Unfortunately, these findings are very much a sign of things to come and the income gap is only set to widen further over the next few years.

According to the ONS’s report, this is largely due to the wage gap between skilled and unskilled workers increasing dramatically and the benefits and subsidies available for lower income households failing to keep up.

Furthermore, recent changes in both direct and indirect taxation are also likely to exacerbate this difference, with many updates hitting those who can least afford it the hardest. Read more here

What's Behind the Trend of Women Dating Younger Men?

Exploring the modern coupling phenomenon

The media focuses on the age difference, but what really makes or breaks the relationship is how well the couple can form a partnership that works

There appears to be a trend of older women dating younger men, notably illustrated by celebrity couples including Demi Moore and Aston Kutcher, Halle Berry and Gabriel Aubry, and the most recent fling between 48-year-old Linda Hogan and 19-year-old Charlie Hill. According to a study of 50,000 women daters over 30, conducted by an online dating site in 2007, more than one-third of the subjects showed interest in men at least 5 years younger. And in 2003, an AARP survey revealed 34 percent of 3,500 women (between ages 40 and 69) dated men who are 10 or more years younger than themselves. This trend appears to be shocking to some people, but I don't find it so unusual.

Socially, there's a role reversal of sorts going on, women are more powerful now than ever before and may want men who are younger, and perhaps, more flexible; men who can handle it if the woman's career and lifestyle takes priority over their own. Media portrayals in "Sex and the City" (like movie characters Smith Jerrod and Samantha Jones) and "Desperate Housewives" are also showing women that dates don't have to be older. Women who have high-powered careers -- or a well-developed self-image -- are exercising more choice. Women who have been divorced and are established single moms may enjoy having a playmate, someone to have fun with; who doesn't try to control her.

Can these older woman/younger man relationships last? well better read the article here

By Tina B. Tessina, Ph.D. Special to Special to Yahoo! Personals

10 Hot Jobs That Start at $50K+

You may be the new kid on the job block, but that doesn't mean your salary has to start low on the totem pole. The PayScale.com Salary Survey identified an array of exciting jobs that pay a total compensation close to or above an impressive $50,000 per year right from the start.

Here is a list of 10 hot professions that show you the money.

1. Investment Banking Analyst. If you are good with numbers and solving real-world problems, this job pays handsomely in the early years and has strong long-term earning potential.
Typical Starting Salary: $59,084

2. Business Analyst, Computer Software. Data mining is a new and hot field with strong career potential. Normally used by financial institutions such as banks, data miners sort through vast amounts of information that help companies make the best use of the information in their data warehouses. Master's degrees in computer science, physics, or statistics are usually required.
Typical Starting Salary: $50,727

3. Forensic Computer Analyst. Computer forensics is the analysis of information contained within and created with computer systems and computing devices. These analysts investigate causes of computer meltdowns, who has misused a computer system, or how someone committed a crime. These professionals are quite popular in white-collar criminal investigations.
Typical Starting Salary: $51,852

4. Junior Associate Attorney. The financial scales of justice certainly tip toward the side of the average attorney. And just after five years experience the average salary jumps to $89,210. Depending on the field of specialty, the long-term earning potential is almost limitless. Big-shot lawyers like former Sen. John Edwards (malpractice) and celebrity criminal defense attorney Mark Gerago have cleaned up millions in their careers.
Typical Starting Salary: $52,678

5. Physical Therapist. If anatomy is your thing, physical therapy may be your path to greener pastures. PTs can even specialize in areas such as hand or back therapy to boost their marketability -- and salary potential.
Typical Starting Salary: $52,573

6. Nurse Practitioner (ARNP). Nursing opportunities never seem to go out of style, and neither does demand in this area. If a doctor cannot squeeze you in for an appointment, chances are there is a nurse practitioner standing by in his place. While nurse practitioners don't command the big bucks that physicians do, their services certainly don't come cheap.
Typical Starting Salary: $67,166

7. Electrical Engineer. It is easy to do the math on how marketable engineers are. Companies dig deep to lure young electrical engineers and other subspecialties across the board. Electrical engineers focus on using electricity to transmit energy. Payscale.com shows that experienced electrical engineers earn an average of $81,078.
Typical Starting Salary: $54,401

8. Software Engineer. Software engineers design, write, and test computer programs. Computer networking and information technology are hot fields that are here to stay.
Typical Starting Salary: $56,795

9. Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. You don't have to be a physician or even science major to make big bucks in medicine. Just about anyone with a college degree and a killer personality can be trained in pharmaceutical sales. These professionals make sales calls to doctors' offices hoping to convince the doctors to prescribe the latest drugs made by the pharmaceutical company they represent. Seasoned pros can make six-figure salaries in this field.
Typical Starting Salary: $51,104

10. Veterinarian. Do you love animals? Veterinarians can combine a passion for their warm, furry friends with great earning power. With growing animal research and interest in pet care, veterinarian medicine is bound to be a popular profession for years to come.
Typical Starting Salary: $59,084

No matter what your skill, passion, or personality, the job market offers numerous professions that also have above-average starting salaries. Just keep your eyes open and reach for the green.

by Cherie Berkley, PayScale.com