By NEIL DOWNING, The Providence Journal

Changes lie ahead in taxes and benefits for workers, savers, retirees and others. Here's a summary:

-- Tax Hike: About 11 million workers nationwide will pay more in Social Security taxes next year. This little-noticed tax hike will affect you if you earn $102,000 or more. Here's why:

Every time the stock market plunges, you hear about a "flight to quality" -- about big institutional investors seeking refuge in U.S. Treasury securities. So you might think that investing in Treasury securities is only for the big guy.

Imagine wearing a shirt with fibers containing a special material that, when set into motion, generates electricity.

Thus, a simple stroll down the street might generate enough power to run, say, a portable music player.

This is one of many possible results from the study of tiny particles -- "nano" particles.