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Career and Work

Degrees With Low Salaries: How to Beat the Odds

by Flexo

Eleven years ago or so I began my career with my bachelor’s degree in hand. Once I stabilized a little, I had a job with one of the top organizations in the world. It was a non-profit organization, and despite its prestige, it was a non-profit organization with staffing nightmares and horrific cash flow. My ... Continue reading this article…

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Could You Be an Entrepreneur?

by Flexo

Somehow over the past several years, I’ve been increasingly finding myself in the position of an entrepreneur. Throughout my life, I have been a bit of a self-starter with the ability to inspire others to join my causes, whatever they may be. I’ve never considered myself an entrepreneur, however. I never thought I’d be using ... Continue reading this article…

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How To Do What You Love And Get Paid – $1,000 or More a Month

by Ramit Sethi

This is a guest article by Ramit Sethi, author of the best-selling personal finance book, I Will Teach You to Be Rich. He recently launched a new program, Earn1k, to help people earn more money on the side. To get a free mini-course on earning more, sign up here. Ramit will also be our guest ... Continue reading this article…

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Sometimes the Customer Isn’t Right

by Smithee

You’ve probably seen this sign hanging up in a shop or office: Rule 1: The customer is always right. Rule 2: If the customer is wrong, see Rule 1. This is not always right. I’ve had a lot of jobs I’ve been out of school and in the working world for thirteen years. That’s not ... Continue reading this article…

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Unemployment Benefits Extended

by Flexo

After some false starts, Congress has passed a bill to renew the extension to federal unemployment benefits. Federal benefits begin when state benefits end. With the extension in effect, jobless individuals qualify for benefits for a total of 99 weeks. The most recent extension expired on June 2, and this new bill extends the deadline ... Continue reading this article…

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Unemployed Job Applicants Are Turned Away Automatically

by Flexo

If you are currently looking for a job, you’re probably aware that it’s an employer’s market right now. There are many potential employees for each open position right now. This is making it difficult for recent college graduates, many of whom are likely to move home with their parents as they continue their job search. ... Continue reading this article…

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The Quest For a Balanced Life

by Flexo

A person feels most at peace with his or herself when the major aspects of life are balanced. We look at workaholics and overachievers and wonder about all the interesting or wonderful parts of life they may be missing. My first boss was a workaholic and overachiever, and he had trouble understanding that not everyone ... Continue reading this article…

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Women Earning More Than Men in These Jobs

by Flexo

Last week, in an article helping women ask for a raise, I mentioned that a pay gap still exists between men and women, even after adjusting for certain variables. Women leave the workforce more often than men to take care of children, for example. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, nine cents of ... Continue reading this article…

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New Small Business Health Care Tax Credit

by Smithee

Yesterday the IRS issued the first set of rules for small businesses to benefit from a tax credit signed into law as part of the Affordable Care Act. Detailed guidelines with examples are available (PDF), but to summarize: the credit is available to small employers that pay at least half the cost of single coverage ... Continue reading this article…

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Suggestions For Women Seeking a Raise

by Flexo

The New York Times is running a feature designed to help women negotiate for and receive a raise from their employer. Even in today’s progressive society in the workplace, women earn less than men for the same job, even after controlling for factors like time away from the workforce for childcare. According to the article, ... Continue reading this article…

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How I Earn Side Income From (Mostly) Blogging

by Flexo

Subscribe to Consumerism Commentary by adding our RSS feed to your favorite reading software. As you know I’ve been writing for Consumerism Commentary since 2003. I’ve been blogging, or chronologically updating websites, since 1994 or 1995, at that time running a web server called “Winhttpd” from the computer in my dorm room. My university did ... Continue reading this article…

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Your Status Update Could Get You Rejected From Harvard

by Flexo

If you’re on Facebook, you might have seen the latest hoax. Hoaxes like these allow me to feel confident about my decision not to install any applications on Facebook or participate in any shady-looking groups. I ignore the endless petitions and attempts to find 1,000,000 fans for the latest trend. The latest hoax invites people ... Continue reading this article…

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Changing Your Life: From Contractor to the Farm

by SimplyForties

This is a guest article by SimplyForties, a 48-year-old single mother of a college-aged son, who is navigating her way through midlife and documenting it. Like a lot of people, I lost my job in the summer of 2009. I had a very lucrative position as an off-site paralegal for a retired Coast Guard commander ... Continue reading this article…

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Finding a Good Job in a Bad Economy: A Job Hunt Post-Mortem

by Revanche

This is a guest article by Revanche, a twenty-something west coast girl who writes about money at A Gai Shan Life. You’ve all heard that line about not burning professional bridges, right? That goes double or even triple for job interviews. I started my job hunt 20 months ago — as soon as there were ... Continue reading this article…

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10 Ways to Boost Your Human Capital

by Flexo

There’s something satisfying when looking at a bank statement. I know firsthand that this is more true when your balance is positive. The bottom line is a hard number; if it says $100, you know exactly how much money you have. The net worth, at least the way I count mine, is just as hard ... Continue reading this article…

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Your Human Capital

by Flexo

When I post my financial reports each month, they reflect only a small piece of who I am as a person. My bank account balances are only a small part of my life although they are center stage on Consumerism Commentary. I try to avoid labels for this reason; when I reach a net worth ... Continue reading this article…

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Raise, Bonus, and Weekend Reading

by Flexo

Along with tracking my finances on Consumerism Commentary, I also mention when the situation at my day job changes. For example, two years ago I successfully posted for a higher-level vacancy in my department (as expected). Last year I mentioned when I received a lower annual bonus and raise than I would have liked. I’ve ... Continue reading this article…

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Reader Poll: Proposal to Lower Retirement Age

by Flexo

Dennis Kucinich is floating a proposal around the Senate which would create a six-month period in which anyone age 60 can retire voluntarily and receive partial Social Security benefits. This is a $15 billion bill funded by the bailout and stimulus. Kucinich estimates that by offering retirement two years early, a million workers will leave ... Continue reading this article…

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Am I a Jerk at Work?

by Smithee

Last Thursday, Dallas/Fort Worth got more snow in one day than had ever been recorded before. People who had never seen a snowman before were suddenly able to roll their own, traffic was terrible, and offices were closed. The next morning, when nobody was going anywhere, my employer (who is the second-best employer I’ve ever ... Continue reading this article…

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Realistic Expectations For Making Money Through Blogging

by Flexo

When I started Consumerism Commentary in 2003, after about eight years of writing on the internet in a smaller, more personal capacity, I only had two goals: to track my finances while working to improve my money situation and to learn more about personal finance by finding articles, sharing links, and adding occasional thoughts of ... Continue reading this article…

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