What Do I Wear To Work?

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This is a very interesting topic in today’s workplace.  What is the dress code these days for the office?  Most don’t really know.  Many companies still have a strict dress code and have only one “casual” day like on Friday.  But there are also a lot of companies who allow casual dress all the time.  Many would agree it has gotten a little out of hand.  It can be even worse in the summer when it gets so hot.

The bottom line from this USAToday article is if you wear it on the weekends or out to a club or at the beach, then you probably shouldn’t wear it to work.  That is a good thing for everyone to remember…

Casual dress days have spread in recent years, as the boom of technology and Internet companies led to a more relaxed atmosphere for corporate America. Even major companies without connections to technology found themselves offering casual days once a week or all summer to compete with the lure of hip Internet firms.

According to human resources consulting firm William M. Mercer, 90% of firms interviewed in a 2000 survey offer casual dress, up from 84% in 1998. Nearly two-thirds have casual dress year-round, with the rest limiting it to certain days of the week, typically Fridays, or the summer.

“A huge number of employers have casual dress, and based on surveys we’ve done, we haven’t seen a reduction,” said Anne Reustle, a senior consultant at Mercer in Philadelphia.

But as the push toward casual wear has grown, so has criticism that employees cross the line.

“It’s a lot worse in the summer. As the seasons change, so does the amount of fabric. As it gets warmer, clothes shrink,” said Barbara Seymour, a Los Angeles fashion expert and columnist for CareerBuilder.com.

Read more on this subject at USAToday.com:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/jobcenter/workplace/rules/2002-11-08-corporate-dress_x.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

Keeping Your New Years Resolutions: How To

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About New Year and Resolutions

With the ushering in of a New Year, many of us decide there are a few things this year we want to do different from last.  But it seems that more people break their New Year’s resolutions than keep them. 

What makes the difference for those who keep them than those who break their resolutions? Click the below link to get some quick advice on how to keep your resolutions this year so you can stick to your diet, decrease your debt or stop smoking!

More about secrets of keeping New Years and Resolutions throughout the year. 

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Anger and Temper Management for Business Mangers

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Temper Temper. Ten Tips for Managing your Anger

We all know the feeling of being down to our last nerve. Where do you find yourself losing your cool and your emotional balance? Is it in traffic, on the job or on the home front?  Mobile anger management is a growing challenge. Angry drivers are endangering themselves and others during the daily commute.  Temper outbursts can damage the relationships you value most. Relationships with your children and spouse.

“Keep your cool and your relationships by following this ACE approach to anger management,” says Margaret S Ross, Founder Kamaron Institute.

stress and anger management how to regain control

Ten Tips for Temper and Stress Control

Everyone knows the feeling of being down to your last frayed nerve. Whether it happens to you most frequently in traffic, on the job, the playing court or on the home front, one thing is certain – you will not be making friends or influencing others when your emotions explode all over them.  Avoid running your relationships by apply the A.C.E. approach to temper behavior management. ACE stands for Aware, Clear and Enlightened. Clear Thinking,

   Anger Management: Ten Tips To Defuse

1. Exercise: take a walk or a run, swim, lift weights, some other constructive physical activity.

2. Find ways to calm and soothe yourself:

Practice deep-breathing exercises, visualize a relaxing scene, or repeat a calming word or phrase to yourself. You can also pray, listen to music, journal or do yoga.

3. Think carefully before you speak so that you don’t end up saying something you’ll regret:

Count to 20. Sing the A, B,C song to yourself.

4. Work with the person who angered you to identify solutions to the situation.

5. Use “I” statements when describing the problem to avoid criticizing or placing blame. For instance, say “I’m upset you didn’t help with the housework this evening,” instead of, “You should have helped with the housework.” To do otherwise will likely upset the other person and escalate tensions.

6. Don’t hold a grudge. Forgive the other person and ask to be forgiven. It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to behave exactly as you want.

7. Keep an anger log or journal to identify the kinds of situations that set you off and to monitor your reactions.

8. Step back from situation or and put yourself in that scene:

In the scene – What if you had done the same thing?  Stepping back: Carry something that serves as a reminder to step back from the situation and get your anger under control. For instance, you may want to keep a small marble, a rubber band on wrist, or a scrap of paper with your tips written down.

9. Change the dynamic: Identify two positive qualities about the person

10. Have a plan and practice, practice, practice and persist.

 

Persist: It may take some time and intense effort to put these tips into practice when you’re facing situations that typically send you into a rage. In the heat of the moment, it can be hard to remember your coping strategies.

Starting A Small Business: How To Tips

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starting small business

Small Business Tip

There is a lot to know when you start a small business.  There is much you can learn before you start and a whole lot more you learn along the way.  Most small business owners would probably agree that it is certainly a learning process.  Starting a business isn’t something you can completely figure out before you start.  But it is important to do your homework and learn as much as you can.Continue Reading Starting A Small Business: How To Tips

Personal Finance Tips: Retirement

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Financial Matters

What is long-term care? Is it part of Retirement Planning?

life style business finances for retirementLong-term care refers to the ongoing
services and support needed by people who have chronic health conditions or
disabilities. There are three levels of long-term care:

Skilled care: Generally round-the-clock care
that’s given by professional health care providers such as nurses, therapists,
or aides under a doctor’s supervision.

Intermediate care: Also provided by
professional health care providers but on a less frequent basis than skilled care.
Continue Reading Personal Finance Tips: Retirement

Boomers Big In Online Banking

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canada banking Canada has over 61 percent of its citizens using some form of online banking. According to a recent comScore survey, out of 37 global markets Canada had the highest adoption rate of online banking than any other market including the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.  More Canadians are banking online and they are doing it more frequently than the other contenders for the online banking crown.

The internet has changed the way everyone does business, especially the banking industry.  With the introduction of online banking, many consumers are managing their accounts barefoot and in bed instead of messing with their brick and mortar counterparts. 

HOW OFTEN: Canada also reigned supreme in online banking frequency.  On average, they spent 46 minutes over 10.5 online banking visits per visitor in April. That averages over a week in usage days.

WHAT BANKS ARE CASHING IN: Of the almost 24 million Canadian internet users, 15.5 million visited a banking site.  The Bank of Montreal site saw the greatest gain in visits last year with a growth of 22 percent. Other big winners were the RBC Financial Group and TD Bank Financial Group.

WHO: It’s a split in demographics.  More 20-something to 40-somethings do online banking but boomers bank online most often.  Those who are embracing online banking the most are those between the ages of 25 and 44 where 74 percent of them use online banking. Although the use of online banking is typically higher among the younger age groups, the older age groups win on the frequency of usage.

Brent Bernie, president of comScore Media Metrix Canada, explains this phenomenon by stating, “Canadians are typically very savvy Internet users, a fact that is underscored by their heavy usage of online banking. But because the Canadian online banking sector is so developed and competition already so fierce, banks need to closely examine how they are meeting the needs of their consumers online.”

With in increase in usage and services available, it seems that an increase in online banking is becoming an integral part the public’s banking activities. It appears online banking is here to stay.

If Your Mortgage Lender Is In Trouble, Are You?

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Many may have thought this or even asked this question.  If you have a mortgage with a lender that is not doing so hot and their stock price has tanked, does that hurt you?  The answer is no.  You are not really at risk although it could be an inconvenience but not really a risk.

The number 1 lender out there getting lots of attention is Countrwide.  There was an article on USAToday.com talking about Countrywide and this question of whether any one with a Countrywide mortgage would be in trouble…

The other thing to keep in mind is your mortgage is considered an asset on Countrywide's books. If the company were to run into severe financial difficulty, which, again, there are no indications of currently, your mortgage could be sold. It's not something to be afraid of. Mortgages are routinely bought and sold. You'll want to keep your paperwork to make sure all your information was transferred correctly and there could be some inconveniences, but other than that, it's really not a big deal.

But I want to stress, again, there are no signs that Countrywide is in danger of vanishing. In fact, there's been evidence to the contrary as the company has been able to raise money from outside investors to weather the turbulence in the housing industry.

Read the complete USAToday article at:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/columnist/krantz/2007-09-27-countrywide-mortgage_N.htm

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

The Outsourcing of Outsourcing in India

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India has become the place for companies to outsource their work over the last several years.  Now Indian companies like Infosys Technologies are beginning to outsource some of their outsourcing work to other counties…

Some analysts compare the strategy to Japanese penetration of auto manufacturing in the United States in the 1970s. Just as the Japanese learned to make cars in America without Japanese workers, Indian vendors are learning to outsource without Indians, said Dennis McGuire, chairman of TPI, a Texas-based outsourcing consultancy.

In May, Tata Consultancy Service, Infosys’s Indian rival, announced a new back office in Guadalajara, Mexico; Tata already has 5,000 workers in Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. Cognizant Technology Solutions, with most of its operations in India, has now opened back offices in Phoenix and Shanghai.

Wipro, another Indian technology services company, has outsourcing offices in Canada, China, Portugal, Romania and Saudi Arabia, among other locations.

And last month, Wipro said it was opening a software development center in Atlanta that would hire 500 programmers in three years.

In a poetic reflection of outsourcing’s new face, Wipro’s chairman, Azim Premji, told Wall Street analysts this year that he was considering hubs in Idaho and Virginia, in addition to Georgia, to take advantage of American “states which are less developed.” (India’s per capita income is less than $1,000 a year.)

For its part, Infosys is building a whole archipelago of back offices — in Mexico, the Czech Republic, Thailand and China, as well as low-cost regions of the United States.

The company seeks to become a global matchmaker for outsourcing: any time a company wants work done somewhere else, even just down the street, Infosys wants to get the call.

Read more from this recent The New York Time article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/25/business/worldbusiness/25outsource.html?em&ex=1190865600&en=03ef2d6ec22ea827&ei=5087%0A

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources. 

More Subprime News (Not Surprised)

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Well, it is no surprise that another financial institution is getting out of the subprime home lending business.  The latest news comes from Lehman Brothers, a leader in packaging subprime mortgages into securities.

Of course, by shutting down this arm of their business, they are also laying off employees.  The subprime shake up isn't done yet…

“Lehman Brothers announced today that market conditions have necessitated a substantial reduction in its resources and capacity in the subprime space,” the firm said in a news release.

Lehman’s decision to shutter the lending unit, BNC Mortgage, makes it the latest casualty in the subprime mortgage meltdown that started earlier this year and rippled into the broader credit markets starting in late July.

In recent weeks, several mortgage companies that specialized in risky home loans have stopped making loans, shut down or encountered other distress. Also today, Accredited Home Lenders, a subprime lender based in San Diego, stopped making loans through brokers and laid off 1,600 people, more than half of its staff. Earlier this month, Lone Star Funds, a private equity firm, pulled out of a deal to buy the company for $400 million.

On Monday, Capital One Financial shut down its GreenPoint mortgage business, which specialized in making loans to people who did not fully document their income and assets. And Aegis Mortgage, which is controlled by Cerberus, the private equity giant, filed for bankruptcy protection, last week.

If you would like to learn more, visit The New York Times article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/23/business/23lend-web.html?em&ex=1188014400&en=cf9aad34bb6a59a5&ei=5087%0A

Kamaron Institute personal finance business references, tips and resources.