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Clueless?

This morning on the radio I heard someone talking about the fifteen lessons to teach your childern about money. The premise was that at no point during the American education process is there any discussion of personal finance, bank reconciliation, gross pay v. net pay, taxes, investments or anything like that. A survey was quoted that said seventy five percent of current high school seniors thought their best long term investment...

Why are the experts shocked but I am not?

Do you believe the experts quoted in every newspaper article or business journal? When I hear in every media report the experts are shocked I throw away all of the information that the experts want to give me.  If the experts were really experts they wouldn’t be shocked by what is taking place with the economy; they should have been expecting this turn of events. If being an expert...

Is February a time for New Year’s Resolutions and Reflection?

For many people this is a good time of year for reflection. Whether it is the religious holidays, the long awaiting of spring and warm weather or simply with the relief from the bustle of the holiday season people seem to spend this time of year reflecting and rebalancing themselves. Many people wait until February to set their personal goals so that they are passed the giddy rush of...

Are you a Mac or a PC?

Do you just love that commercial? The one where the super hip Mac watches while the dorky suit and tie PC tries to explain all of the little issues with Microsoft? I do. But here is the thing. I am a PC. Gasps! I know! I know! I am a PC because I have to be. The software that we use in payroll simply does not run in a Mac...

Confessions of a Control Freak

I have a confession to make. I am a control freak. I keep lists. I have five calendars each year to keep track of my work and home life. I love Moleskine and in addition to my calendar I have a Moleskine notebook that I write down my to dos and activities for each day. And yes, this overlaps with my calendars. So what is a girl to do?...

What am I forgetting?

Have you been out enjoying the rush of the holidays? Have you been shopping for family and loved ones with great care? Have you snuck in a gift or two for yourself since the sales are so tempting? And have you had that experience yet of feeling like you forgot something when you left the house or a store? A coupon you just knew you had? Something you meant...

What is new in 2010?

I bet at this time of year most people are going to bed with thoughts of sugar plums, holiday sales, and holiday parties on their minds. Not me! This time of year ramps up the busy season for payroll professionals. It is not as glamorous or as fun as planning for holiday parties. Sometimes it feels more like hunkering down for the long haul. Don’t worry for my family...

It is the most “wonderful” time of the year!

That is right! It is the most wonderful time of year for businesses! It is budget reviews for 2010. It is vendor review time. It is time to get focused and make a plan for the coming year. What are you going to do differently in 2010 that you did not do in 2009? I personally have lots of plans. I wrote out my goals for my business life,...

Do you get what you pay for?

I have been asking myself lately, “Do you get what you pay for?”. So let me ask you, when is something a good deal and when is it just too good to be true? I recently needed to have a tree stump removed from my front lawn. So, I opened Superpages and looked for landscaping companies that would do the task. I called several with varying results. The first...

Where did customer care go?

Does it feel to you sometimes that as a customer you are always wrong?  That you call somewhere to get help with a question or problem and that you are wrong from the word go? In today’s economic clime, it seems that more and more companies are missing the point of customer care. I cannot tell you how many times I have gone to a retail store or market...