California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute.

MainStreet.com the personal finance site from the TheStreet.com, Inc. has unveiled
its first "Happiness Index," a new national survey of economic well-being, ranking
all 50 states and the District of Columbia in order from fiscally happy to fiscally
sad.*

America's heartland - the Midwest - proved to be one of the most financially content
parts of the country. Nebraska grabbed the number one spot, followed
by Iowa (#2) and Kansas (#3).

The "Happiness Index" top 10 is rounded out by Hawaii (#4), Louisiana (#5),
Oklahoma (#6), Wyoming (#7), South Dakota (#8), West Virginia (#9) and
Wisconsin (#10). Several states that boast major cosmopolitan and cultural
centers surprisingly ranked poorly in terms of financial happiness, landing
at the bottom of the barrel. Oregon has the dubious distinction of being declared
the saddest state at number 51, with Florida (#50), California (#49), Nevada (#48)
and Rhode Island (#47) trailing not far behind.

The ratings were based on a cross-section of key financial factors:
-- Average non-mortgage debt relative to average annual income
-- Foreclosure numbers
-- Unemployment rate

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.

For a complete list of the "Happiness Index" rankings and in-depth analysis,
go to: http://www.mainstreet.com/happiness.