As the recession continues to eat into people's retirement, the Obama Administration announced new measures that would make it easier to save.

 

The government would enact rules making it easier for small businesses to let workers automatically enroll in Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and 401(k) retirement plans.

 

Payments for unused vacation time and sick leave could be converted into retirement savings under the new measures and Americans would be able to have tax refunds directly deposited into their retirement accounts or used to buy savings bonds.

 

The U.S. personal savings rate came in at 5 percent in the same time period after falling as low as 0.8 percent in April of last year so this is a much needed start to get small businesses going in the right direction.

 

A string of exploding investment bubbles that started with the dot-coms and ended with mortgages and oil dominated the years from 2000 to 2009. And some say the next decade may be no different.

 

Some analysts have already been asking if the stock market formed a bubble with its huge rebound this year.

 

The S&P 500 is up 68.9% from the 12-year trading low of 666.79, its best performance since the 1930s.

 

Gold is also suspect. It's at $1,097 an ounce and up 24% in 2009. Other possible sources of bubbles include stocks in emerging markets such as China, where the Shanghai index is up 76% this year.

 

Analysts say it's in the DNA of markets to let ambition cloud good judgment and that even when investors learn or relearn a lesson about excess, many still forget it.

 

 

The current financial climate has returned Americans back to the basics. Simple is stylish again and a lavish lifestyle is frowned upon.

 

As the search for the best schools, affordable housing and safe neighborhoods picks up. Here is a quick look at the top places to live in 2009 as featured in CNN Money.com.

 

Here are the top 5

1. Louisville, CO 

Population: 18,800

 

2. Chanhassen, MN

Population: 23,700

 

3. Papillion, NE

Population: 22,200

 

4. Middleton, WI

Population: 16,900

 

5. Milton, MA

Population: 25,400

 

 

 

 

1. Steve Jobs

CEO, Apple

Mr. Jobs has driven Apple miles in front of the competition and was recently named Fortune's CEO of the Decade

 

2. Howard Schultz

CEO, Starbucks

Mr. Schultz has positioned the coffee giant to continue it's dominance in the Java Empire as the company reported improved profits for the most recent fiscal quarter.

 

3. Eric Schmidt

CEO, Google

Google continues to be one of the most influential companies as they continue to expand their tech footprint. Google bought mobile advertising start-up AdMob in November for $750 million and has made serious bids for other acquisitions.

 

4. Lloyd Blankfein

CEO, Goldman Sachs

Many may not agree that Mr. Blankfein is worthy of this recognition because bankers are not the most popular people right now.

 

The fact still remains that Goldman can afford to still offer these high payouts and bonuses to their employees because of his leadership in this financial crisis.