I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the U.S. has not quite stepped out of the black hole of a recession that it has been in for several years now. The unemployment rate in America is still just over 8% (and hasn’t dipped below 7% since 2008), and even those who have jobs have taken pay cuts and are dealing with inflated prices around the country.

Here comes the good news! First and foremost the economy seems to be on the road to recovery, which is not good but great news. Secondly, summer is right around the corner and I can’t imagine a season filled with more possibility, fun, and opportunity.

The thing about summer is I find that it always has a way of sucking finances dry before you know what hit you. Saying yes to a weekend getaway with family here, one too many brunches or cocktails with friends there, and your summer tab is already climbing. This summer, why not focus on making more money than you spend? [Read more…]

The Boy Scouts have always emphasized preparedness as the first and most important survival skill. Doing your homework before a situation arises is the best way to keep out of trouble and increase your chances of survival. This is the first survival tip: be prepared.

Here are five must-know Boy Scout survival tips:

1 – Know the terrain.

Before you start out on any adventure, study a map and read some literature about it. Be aware of where help is available and what sort of help it is.

Whether you are hiking on a wilderness trail or through an urban wilderness, knowing where you are and how to get to where you are going is vital information. It is also very important to have an idea about the length of time you are going to need in getting from point A to point B. [Read more…]

Living (and loving) Life

The new job jitters can make us do some silly things, like spill coffee all over ourselves or accidentally step on the boss’s foot. No first day is going to be perfect, and accidents happen. But there are some things you should keep in mind never to do, ever.

Here are six things you should always avoid doing on the first day at a new job:

1 – Show Up Late… or On Time

Does it really need to be said that you should never show up late to your first day of work? Unfortunately, it does, because some people still do it.

But beyond that, you shouldn’t be arriving on time, either. I heard this saying once: “To be on time is to be late; to be early is to be on time.” On your first day of work, you shouldn’t show up any later than fifteen minutes early. [Read more…]

In this world of ours there is much suffering. People go hungry, the environment is under threat, terrible wars leave children orphaned.

If you were a person with great wealth and influence in a world like this, it’s understandable that you would be compelled to use what power you had to try and make the world better. Not just by making yourself a robot suit or dressing up as a bat to fight crime (although naturally you would do that too) but by investing your money where it can do real good, and raising awareness of important issues.

There are plenty of people in the world who have done just this. The thing is – we really can’t stand them. [Read more…]

People often wonder if there really such a thing as real benefits from being a freelancer. For those who are used to having an employer, this line of work can feel like walking on a highwire with no security net below.

The truth of the matter is, there are plenty of benefits to being self-employed. But if you want to make a comfortable living, you must be the type of person who can work from home, juggle multiple tasks and be able to keep focused and motivated to get busy without the encouragement of a normal work environment. [Read more…]