The environment in Jamaica is ripe for investment, particularly in the real estate sector, says Earl Jarrett, General Manager of Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), as he spoke to more than 100 Florida residents who attended a mortgage forum, "Thinking of Buying a Home in Jamaica?", at the Kendall Hotel & Suites, in Miami, Florida, last Thursday (Oct. 6).

"Housing developments are being constructed across the island from Whitehall, Westmoreland; Reading, St. James; Richmond, St. Ann; Retreat, St. Mary, all across St. Catherine and Clarendon, to Stony Hill, St. Andrew; and these housing solutions are going—at reasonable rates," he stated.

He explained that the Government of Jamaica had already implemented initiatives, such as "a reduction in the transfer tax and cost of stamp duty, to ensure that the steps involved in purchasing property are less onerous than before."

Small businesses are considered the backbone of the American economy. With national leaders heralding small firms as key to the economic revival, a well-executed business strategy has never been more important, says Richard B. Sanford, an entrepreneur and business coach. Sanford has launched 11 successful smaller companies and organized the founding of the Small Business Association of Michigan.

In past recessions, independent smaller businesses helped fuel economic recoveries. But tightened credit, government regulatory impediments and a lack of federal support for community banks – the principal source of capital and financial support for small business – have many modern day entrepreneurs fearful of what the future may hold. Proper planning and a well-executed business strategy can clear the way for a smaller enterprise to expand and take reasonable risks that will lead to an improved bottom line, which usually requires an increase in its work force, Sanford says.

With no end in sight to America's economic woes, which are deepened by the setbacks and hold-ups in Washington, the incidence of poverty is increasing at an alarming rate.

New data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau shows the country's poverty rate in 2010 rose to 15.1 percent of the population, affecting more than 46 million Americans or one out of every six Americans.

The current definition of poverty in America refers to a family of four with an annual income of $22,314 ($5,578.50 per family member) or less.

According to The U.S. Census Bureau, Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2010 report, the number of Americans living in poverty in 2010 increased by 2.6 million from 43.9 million in 2009. This is the fourth consecutive annual increase in the nation's poverty rate and the largest in 52 years or since poverty estimates have been published. Since 2007, the poverty rate has increased by 2.6 percentage points, the report said.

The poverty rate among the Black population stood at 27.4 percent, an increase from 25.8 percent in 2009.

One important proposal contained in President Barack Obama's American Jobs Act that he recently submitted to the U.S. Congress for approval is for American homeowners to refinance their mortgages at today's near four percent interest rates. If approved, according to White House estimates, this would put an estimated $2,000 annually in homeowner's pockets from savings on their annual mortgage payment.

However, besides saving homeowners money, the measure could also significantly improve the economy. When the U.S. economy crumbled in 2008, the main cause was the saturated housing market, financed by overindulging investors and banks. The housing market, banks and investors that backed it are still severe casualties of the weak economy, and unless this market is remedied the economy is unlikely to improve.

Last month, the Mortgage Bankers' Association reported 8.44 percent of homeowners nationally missed at least one payment in the second quarter of 2011, placing 0.12 more homeowners at risk for foreclosure than were believed to be at risk in the first quarter. According to the MBA, in a "normal market," only about 1.1 percent of homeowners are delinquent at any given time, but last year delinquent mortgages accounted for more than 10 percent of all residential mortgages.

In addition to that alarming data, millions of homeowners in Florida and nationally owe much more on their mortgages than their homes currently value. Millions also have bad credit or are unemployed and do not qualify for assistance under the government-backed Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP).