There have been twelve new publications added to the Forum and the first one falls into the UAW national, regional and local specific topics section. The article comes from the Detroit News stating that the real estate firm handling the sale of the Walter and May Reuther Family Education Center says that it has been taken off the market at the request of UAW President Bob King and the union’s new executive board.

Six new posts can be found in the GM, Ford and Chrysler tab. The first article comes from the Detroit News reporting that Ford Motor Co. has been issuing $50 gift cards as a thank you to buyers who had to wait more than a month for their new Fiesta because of shipping problems. The second article, also from the Detroit News, gives more information on GM recalling 243K 2009-10 crossover vehicles for possible second row safety belt defects. The third article tells that General Motors Co. plans to offer shares of preferred stock when it launches an IPO later this year and have its stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange. The fourth article is a release from the Associated Press. It reports that General Motors Co. and Chinese partner SAIC announced on Wednesday plans for joint development of fuel-efficient small engines and transmissions, focusing on the fastest-growing part of China’s huge auto market. The fifth article comes from a Detroit News Staff Writer telling that General Motors announced another $20M investment in its Bay City Powertrain operations to produce camshafts for the next generation Ecotec engine, bringing new investment at the plant to $62.5M this year. The sixth article states that General Motors Co. on Wednesday filed long-awaited paperwork that is the first step toward selling its stock, and ending government ownership.

One new post has been added to Hodgepodge. The article comes from WANE TV-15’s news of the strange. It reports that a little flirting on Interstate 84 in Boise, Idaho, on Sunday afternoon, ended with four lanes of traffic being shut down after two motorcycles collided.

One new post has been entered into the Open Discussion section and comes from the DRIVEON section of USA TODAY. It tells that by now you have seen the avalanche of news about GM’s initial public offering filing. This article answers a lot of questions you might have before you decide whether or not to jump in.

One new post can be found in the Opinion category. The article comes from the Detroit News Washington Bureau reporting that the Korean ambassador to the United States urged Michigan business leaders to back approval of a long-stalled free trade agreement between the two countries, saying U.S. imports “can and should be increased a lot more.” Listen up South Korea; a free trade agreement is a two way street. Just by you saying that U.S. imports should be increased a lot doesn’t cut it because your definition of that statement and ours, are most likely completely different.

In an effort to try and give you information on financial matters that hopefully will benefit you, we are going to start having weekly additions to the Forum, much like Friday’s bcb monitor meds, that can help you manage your money after retirement. Our philosophy on money management at Blue Collar Benefit Monitor is that all the decisions should be made by you and if you need help, go with a proven reputable firm that has low maintenance fees, while offering a vast amount of options for you to make decisions on. With this being said, there have been two new posts added to the Social Security and Medicare section of the Forum. The first article comes from AARP and tells that Social Security provides benefits to 52.5 million Americans. The important role played by Social Security is simple to understand, but the program itself can be complicated. If you are approaching retirement or are already there, this article gives you 10 things you need to know about Social Security. The second article, also from AARP, states that since every dollar counts in retirement, it makes sense to squeeze all the money out of Social Security to which you are entitled, right? Fortunately, there are legitimate ways to maximize your benefits and listed are 4 tips that do just that. We at bcb monitor feel that knowing your options with Social Security should be part of a money management plan that can help enhance your income in retirement.