Everyone knows of the businesses that are on the streets or in the malls in Lansing, but there are quite a few hidden businesses in town as well. Some corporations outside of town allow Lansing residents to telecommute, working from home by telephone and modem. This takes a special kind of self-motivated person who can work in solitude, regulate his or her life and get the job done.

Jim Sullivan is just such a person. He writes and supports communications protocol software for Unisys, a large company specializing in computer consulting, systems integration, outsourcing, infrastructure and server technology. Jim had been working from home in Buffalo, then moved here about three and a half years ago when his daughter Janine fixed him up with the Lansing woman who would become his wife. They claim that she married him for his chocolate chip cookies, and he married her for her tool collection.

The first thing you notice when you walk into Lansing's newest furniture store is the sense of spaciousness. The large space, formerly Klein's All-Sports, is warm and inviting. And open. In many furniture stores it is easy to get lost in the maze of display rooms, panicking that you will never find your way out. This store has few dividers, and you always know exactly where you are.

Owner Bill Tucker is proud of the new store, which opened in May of this year in the Triphammer Mall. "Nice selection, good service, best price and middle range is where the majority of consumers are today," he says.

Your 401(k) plan is unquestionably a great vehicle for building retirement savings. You typically fund your plan with pre-tax dollars, so your contributions can lower your annual taxable income. Plus, your earnings grow on a tax-deferred basis. So, you should always put in as much as you can afford to your 401(k), right? Not necessarily.

Why? Because you may be able to get more "mileage" out of your retirement plan dollars by putting some of them into a Roth IRA. As you may know, Roth IRA earnings have the potential to grow tax-free, provided you've held your account at least five years and you don't start taking withdrawals until your reach age 59 1/2. Furthermore, when you invest in a 401(k) or a similar plan (such as a 403(b) or 457 plan), you may be required to take minimum distributions when you reach 70 1/2, but you can let your Roth IRA keep growing until you decide when to take withdrawals.