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Alexandra Levit: How to Succeed at Work
Tweet Share on Facebook July 20, 2009 Comment (7)When workplace expert Alexandra Levit first started working in corporate America, she thought that if she worked really hard and turned in great work, then she would excel. But instead, she discovered that success had as much to do with networking and visibility as it did with output. She wrote a book to help other young professionals in her situation, They Don't Teach Corporate in College, and slowly transitioned into a career of working for herself. I recently spoke with Levit, a speaker and writer, about how 20-somethings can better navigate their career paths. Excerpts:
[For more, read: "Tim Ferriss: How to Work the Four-Hour Week."]
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Friends Start a Nonprofit to Fight Leukemia
Tweet Share on Facebook July 17, 2009 Comment (7)Childhood friends Judd Schneider, Tony MacDonald and Mike Richton, now in their early 30s, are the founders of StopLeukemia.org, a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial assistance to families affected by the disease as well as to raising awareness about the bone marrow donor registry. They also want to connect people who have been affected by leukemia, as each of them have been: Schneider's father and MacDonald's friend died from the disease and Richton's mother is a survivor.
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Is Twitter the Future of Retail?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 16, 2009 Comment (7)As I was interviewing companies for my story on how they are using social networking sites to reach out to customers, I learned that some of them, such as the online investment firm Scottrade, dedicate an entire person to Web outreach. Amber Talbot, Scottrade's online public relations specialist, manages the companies' two Twitter accounts, two Facebook accounts, and a YouTube account. She responds to customers' questions and sometimes connects them to the customer service department. She also lets other parts of the company know what people are saying about them.
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Recent College Grad Boosts Detroit Community
Tweet Share on Facebook July 15, 2009 CommentYesterday, I profiled Lindsay Hyde, founder of the nonprofit Strong Women, Strong Girls, as part of an ongoing look at why so many young people are starting their own nonprofits. For today's post, I interviewed Ian Perrotta, 24, who started the group Habitat for Hamtramck to help the ailing Detroit neighborhood after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh earlier this year. Like Hyde, Perrotta is driven by the desire to fill a niche that he doesn't see anybody else addressing. He bought five dilapidated houses for a total of around $1,400, and he plans to renovate them and then invite professionals, including a nurse, financial planner and social worker, to live in them and offer their services to the community for one day a week. "I'm trying to create more a communal society, where people help each other out," he says.
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Audio: Outsourcing Domestic Chores Now
Tweet Share on Facebook July 15, 2009 CommentOver the weekend, I spoke with WTOP about why it makes sense to hire outside help for anything from cleaning to cooking to personal assistant work, even in a recession. Of course, there has to be room in your budget, but if there is, it can save you valuable time and energy.
Audio: Outsourcing Domestic Chores Now
Subscribe to Personal Finance With Kimberly Palmer
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Why Young People are Starting Nonprofits
Tweet Share on Facebook July 14, 2009 Comment (11)When Lindsay Hyde was a freshman at Harvard, she wanted to become a mentor to younger girls in the area, but when she looked into potential opportunities, she couldn't find any groups willing to work with undergraduates. So she organized her own team of volunteers and found two elementary schools interested in working with them. Once she graduated from college, she officially launched her nonprofit, Strong Women, Strong Girls, which now works with over 400 girls a year in Boston, Pittsburgh, and Miami.
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7 Reasons to Donate Through a Giving Circle
Tweet Share on Facebook July 13, 2009 CommentIf you want to leverage your charity dollars while simultaneously spending time with friends, then giving circles might be the answer for you. These social groups, where people jointly give money to organizations, have become increasingly popular over the last several years. According to www.givingcircles.org, there could be as many as 800 giving circles throughout the United States, compared to just half that number in 2006. They have been especially popular among women, perhaps because of the book club-like vibe.
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Are Eco-Resorts Really Green?
Tweet Share on Facebook July 10, 2009 Comment (3)As I was reading the latest issue of one of my favorite magazines, Food & Wine, one article, called "Green Escapes," struck me as a bit odd. The magazine highlighted five luxury hotels that claim to be "green," including an eco-resort in Thailand that leads guests on rainforest treks and a lodge in Montana that serves local, organic produce and free-range meats. The specifics of what makes these resorts green wasn't detailed, but I had to wonder, how green can a vacation be if you have to fly in a jumbo jet to get there? Wouldn't it be better for the Earth just to stay home, or at least to limit your vacations to local spots?
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Credit Card Debt Declines as Some Rates Rise
Tweet Share on Facebook July 9, 2009 Comment (9)The Federal Reserve announced further declines in consumer credit card debt yesterday -- another sign that people are clamping down on their budgets and paying off debt. It also reflects the fact that credit card companies have tightened their lending standards, making it more difficult for consumers to take on additional debt. Credit card debt decreased at an annual rate of 3.75 percent in May. Meanwhile, the personal savings rate, which measures how much of their disposable income Americans save, rose to 6.9 percent, up from 5.6 percent in April.
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The Benefit of Socially-Responsible Investing
Tweet Share on Facebook July 8, 2009 Comment (1)I recently spoke with Cliff Feigenbaum, founder and publisher of the Santa Fe-based GreenMoney Journal, a newsletter on socially-responsible investing. That catch-all term generally refers to investing in companies that are environmentally-friendly or abide by other values. Tobacco, alcohol, military, and gambling companies are generally excluded. Feigenbaum explained the definition of socially-responsible investing, which he says means different things to different people, and whether it comes with a price. Excerpts:
