North Carolina’s jobless rate climbed to 9.2 percent in December, according to data released by the Division of Employment Security Friday, Jan. 18, driven in large part by lack of available job openings.

Although the long-term trend of the state’s unemployment picture is moving in the right direction — the state’s unemployment rate dropped from 10.4 percent in December 2011 — the rate of job growth in the state still remains sluggish.

In fact, the state’s jobs deficit — the number of jobs that need to be created in order to replace the employment lost in the Great Recession — continues to remain high, now in excess of 520,000 jobs.

The new year is a great time to get yourself pointed in the right direction financially.

“Making small improvements at the beginning of the year is a lot easier than trying to play catch-up,” says financial planner Rick Rodgers, author of “The New Three-Legged Stool: A Tax Efficient Approach To Retirement Planning” (www.TheNewThreeLeggedStool.com).

“Just as you would embark on an exercise program to lose weight and get physically fit, there are simple steps you can take that will lead to being financially healthy and fit.”

Macon Bank will hold a grand opening celebration on Thursday, Jan. 17, to officially celebrate the completion of their new retail mortgage office named Macon Bank Mortgage, in Blue Ridge, Ga. The public is invited to the grand opening celebration from 4 to 6 p.m., with food, drinks and door prizes. The bank recently opened the office to handle mortgages in the northeast Georgia, and Western North Carolina markets. The office is located at 3595 East First Street, in the heart of Blue Ridge.

Macon Bank has served the communities of Western North Carolina for 90 years, and is now expanding to serve the areas of Ellijay, Blairsville and Blue Ridge, Georgia and southwest North Carolina, handling mortgages only.

Now that the housing market has finally begun to stabilize and interest rates remain at historically low levels, more and more homebuyers and sellers are dipping their toes back in the water.

If you're planning to sell your home, you need to understand the tax implications of selling a home as well as be aware of structural and cosmetic flaws in your home and neighborhood that could undermine your asking price or keep the property languishing on the market for months.