Today's number: 40%

Percentage of 820 wealthy people (those with personal annual income of $150,000 or more, or investable assets of $500,000 or more) who say they will invest less money in the stock market over the next three months, according to April's McDonald Financial Group Affluent Consumer Confidence Index.

Dow Jones News Service

Today's career talk

One way to overcome the disadvantages of one's background is by having a role model in an adult or parent figure who will not settle for less than the best, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Barbara Schneider say in their book Becoming Adult. "Upward mobility, especially through academic means, is usually the result of high norms and expectations in the family," the authors contend.

John Eckberg

Today's mover

Kurt Thaxton has been named senior research associate within the analytical sciences group at International Paper's Cincinnati technology center. Thaxton specializes in odor and volatile analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. He holds a master's degree in chemistry from Ohio State University.

Shirley Dees

Today's Company: A1 Systems

One-of-a-Kind: Originally named Adaptive InfoSystems LLC, this company was founded in 1998 by computer programmers Terry Lowe and Jason Paul. A1 Systems provides consulting and custom computer programming to allow its customers to automate critical business functions. The company's two largest customers, who specialize in automated information and decision processing, base their operations on software written by A1 Systems.

Artful Accounting: The company is the first in the Tristate to be named to the Intuit Professional Development Network, which means that A1 is certified to help businesses using Intuit's QuickBooks, the widely-used small business accounting software. Company staffers can QuickBooks can be integrated with a customer's other software or create custom programs using QuickBooks as the foundation.

Computer Crew: A1 Systems employs six at its Withamsville headquarters.

Jenny Callison