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Hong Kong – While China has become the worlds second largest economy, doing business in China is now perceived to be more corrupt, according to Transparency International.China dropped five spots to 80th place out of 176 countries surveyed in the 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index. The worlds leading economies should lead by example, making sure that their institutions are fully transparent and their leaders are held accountable. This is crucial since their institutions play a significant role in preventing corruption from flourishing globally, said Cobus de Swardt, managing director of the Berlin-based corruption watchdog.Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden and Singapore topped [...]

North Korean soldiers carry a portrait of late leader Kim Jong-Il during a military parade to mark 100 years since the birth of the country’s founder Kim Il-Sung in Pyongyang on April 15, 2012. T Monks receive treatment after a clash with police in northern Myanmar on November 29. Afghan children play in the outskirts of Kabul on November 11, 2012. Yurts at the Ayaz-Qala camp in ancient Khorezm, about 100 kilometers from Khiva, Uzbekistan.

How do you define the best and worst funds from the past year? Many use the simple yardstick of which funds posted the best returns over the last 12 months. But we take a different approach: We define “best” as a composite of many things — 50 performance attributes, to be precise — covering risk, return and other metrics. These 50 attributes aren’t uniformly applied to all types of investors, either. Each attribute is weighted for the unique goals and risk attitudes of each investor. With this in mind, let’s take a look at this month’s fictitious investor. Case Study: [...]

It’s no secret that retirees generally don’t like the cold, so it should come as no surprise that there is an abundance of northern states on this year’s list of 10 Worst States to Retire from However, the weather is far from the only problem these states have. If you love one of these states, don’t take it personally. This list only reports what an objective look at retirement-related factors dictates. Naturally, individual preferences can greatly affect your choice of retirement destinations. However, as a guide to some possible warning signs for retirees, MoneyRates.com has sought to identify the states [...]

In the long history of poor management decisions made at major American companies, only a few proved to be fatal. It is hard to ruin a company with a single decision. That is especially true when the company has the advantages of huge market share, large and rising revenue, and a history of success. But not all bad decisions are created equal. 24/7 Wall St. set out to identify the worst business decisions of all time. These decisions cost these companies billions of dollars and, eventually, their independence. Bad business decisions result in financial loss. The worst business decisions lose [...]

The number of Americans with college degrees has increased steadily in the last decade. According to the latest government data, 28.5% of U.S. residents 25 or older had at least a bachelor’s degree in 2011, up only slightly from 27.2% in 2005. While the number is relatively unchanged, there are substantial differences across the country. In West Virginia, the state with the lowest graduation rate, 18.5% of adults have at least a bachelor’s degree. In Massachusetts, the state with the highest graduation rate, the figure is 39.1%. This article was originally published by 24/7 Wall St.  Based on education data [...]

“So, do you have any questions for me?” This common refrain toward the close of a job interview can make even the best of us stammer when the tables are turned. But with the national unemployment rate around 8%, sharp interview skills are more important than ever. Whether or not you’re currently looking for a job, try your knowledge: Do you have the right questions to ask your interviewer? The goal, of course, is to ask a few smart questions – thoughtful ones that show you’ve been paying attention and have done your homework when it comes to researching the company, [...]

The travel tax rate is not likely at the forefront of a business traveler’s mind when attending events or meetings in another city, but it’s worth paying attention to – the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) found that travelers pay on average 57% more in discriminatory taxes on travel-related services, such as car rental, hotel rooms and meals, over general sales tax. The GBTA’s recently released list of the best and worst travel taxes in the top 50 U.S. travel destinations shows huge differences in per-day rates between different cities. If not on the road warrior’s mind, it’s certainly on [...]

For most of the 20th century, the United States has been considered the world’s economic superpower. And up until four years ago, the World Economic Forum would agree. In 2008, it ranked the U.S. as the most globally competitive economy in the world. This year, when the group published its annual Global Competitiveness Report, the U.S. ranked seventh. This story was originally published by 24/7 Wall St.  Like other competitive economies, the U.S. performs well in almost all the economic measures that the report considers. However, in recent years the country’s political conflicts and growing debt have become a problem. [...]

The nation’s capital finished last in this year’s “Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report,” with the average motorist there having a collision every 4.7 years, compared with the national average of 10 years.In compiling the list, Allstate used its claims data to compute the likelihood that drivers in the country’s 195 largest cities would get in a car collision, as compared with the national average.After Washington, D.C, here’s how the rest of the bottom five rank:Rank and cityCollision likelihood compared to national averageAverage years between collisions194. Baltimore, Md.87.9 percent more likely5.3193. Providence, R.I.80.9 percent more likely5.5192. Hialeah, Fla.77.6 percent more likely5.6191. [...]