Drop Your Credit Debt
Americans’ debt levels have been growing and interest rates are rising — a combination that could put consumers in a bind if they carry a balance on their cards. “Everyone has this sense that there is a storm brewing,” said Bruce McClary, spokesman for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. “All indications that we’ve seen are that people are carrying higher balances from month-to-month and more are behind on their monthly...
Workplace Navigator: You Made a Mistake. Should You Explain?
Question: I teach at a university. I recently missed the deadline for ordering textbooks and materials for a new class I was asked to teach on short notice. In doing so, I created extra work for a lot of colleagues, and news of my infraction was pushed up the managerial ladder as approval was sought for my requests from my department head, dean and others. I am deservedly in the doghouse. I apologized and promised never to do this...
The Boss’s Bookshelf
The top five business books the CEO can’t put down, as compiled by 800CEOread.com. 1. Tell Me More: Stories about the 12 Hardest Things I’m Learning to Say By Kelly Corrigan It’s a crazy idea: trying to name the phrases that make love and connection possible. But that’s just what Kelly Corrigan has set out to do here. In her New York Times best-selling memoirs, Corrigan distilled our core relationships to their...
Hang in There, Retirees: Things to Keep in Mind About the Stock Market
When stock market volatility spikes, financial advisers typically remind investors they have time to keep the money invested and let it ride out the cycle, but what about people already in retirement? As a whole, people in their 70s and beyond used to have very little invested in stocks, but that has changed in recent years due to low savings rates and longer life expectancy, said Kathryn Bruzas Hauer, a financial adviser in Aiken,...
How to Stop the Flow of Junk Mail and Save Trees — and Your Sanity
Many people love to hate junk mail — and they have lots of different ways of quantifying their disgust: New York University says 5.6 million tons of junk mail end up in American landfills every year. Ecocycle.org says we may spend as much as eight months of our life sorting junk mail. TreeHugger.com claims junk mail’s annual carbon contribution is equal to that of seven U.S. states combined. Of course, these stats all come from people...
Considering Tapping Your 401(k) For a Home Down Payment? Check Yourself
If you’re planning to take a loan out on your 401(k) to purchase a home, you better check with your employer first. Your employer’s rules on borrowing from your retirement funds might be tougher than those of the Internal Revenue Service. According to the IRS, retirement plans may offer loans to participants but are not required to do so. The good news is that, according to the Plan Sponsor Council of America, or PSCA, most employers...
Paying for College: How to Get Your Credit Ready to Secure Student Loans
We all know college is expensive, but most families don’t understand true costs until senior year. This is when parents realize their college savings plan, if they have one, won’t be enough. Assessing your financial house before senior year helps you create a plan and may uncover cash to put aside. According to finance experts, many families don’t look hard enough at ways to free up current cash flow for college. But if you anticipate...
Boss’s Bookshelf: The Top Five Business Books the CEO Can’t Put Down
1. Abundance Unleashed: Open Yourself to More Money, Love, Health, and Happiness Now By Christian Mickelsen, Hay House Mickelsen, a self-made multimillionaire, CEO of Future Force Inc., and personal coach, is on a mission to awaken humanity to the oceans of abundance within each of us. By recognizing the infinite abundance we all possess, we will be able to achieve our highest levels of personal and professional success. Mickelsen has...
Workplace Navigator: Should an Employee Have to Host a Boss Overnight?
Q: My friend has a high-stress public-sector job. He says his office is backstabby, but his boss is great. Likes him, likes his work, knows about the backstabby culture and does not play into it. So, my friend wants to keep his boss on his side. But, and this is a big but, my friend lives close to the airport and the boss lives far away from it. So once or twice a month, when the boss needs to make an early flight for a business trip,...
