'To be fair, folks who have so much money in the market that they simply don't have enough time to stay on top of investment trends would probably be good candidates for the use of a full-service broker.'  'Full-service' brokers get their name and reputation from the dogged and devoted work they're expected to do to keep clients happy. They carry business cards from distinguished brokerage firms like Salomon Smith Barney and Merrill Lynch. In an ideal world, a broker provides sound, profitable investment ideas, and furnishes up-to-the-minute research to keep you current with market trends, sto... view article details

Which Terms & Tactics Work? Within the language of every culture exists a sub-language – a collection of words, phrases, acronyms, slang, and jargon unique to that area of life, which must be deciphered in order to truly gain an understanding. The language of negotiation is no different.Wikipedia has a great list of negotiation terms and tactics, so let’s highlight some of them and frame them in terms of salary negotiation.8. Auction Anyone that has used EBay or watched the reality show Storage Wars is familiar with an auction, a bidding process designed to create competition... view article details

Reason No. 1: Your Leadership Doesn’t Care Whenever people attend a cocktail party, invariably someone in the room will have an occupation that others will solicit for some (free) advice. Medical doctors are asked “Does this mole look cancerous to you?” Car mechanics are queried whether the “chunka-chunka” sound the engine makes means a new transmission is needed. And as an industrial/organizational psychologist, I get interrogated about “Why is my company such a lousy place to work? Why do I hate working there?” There can be any number of specific reasons why one’s work experience is l... view article details

Do you have high aspirations to teach as a professor at college? Professors perform a number of duties including producing scholarly articles, conducting research, and teaching courses to college or university-level students. Moreover, a good professor also loves interacting with people, has excellent verbal and communication skills, and is organized enough to create an engaging course curriculum and syllabus. Even though many professorial roles have the same underlying requirements, not all of these positions are paid the same. Many professorial salaries vary by subject matter (department) a... view article details

Q. I was just looking at the Salary Wizard and decided to play. I am a librarian in Atlanta, Georgia, and I don't make anywhere near what the Salary Wizard said I should make!The job description for librarians says it may 'require a bachelor's degree and two to four years of experience in the field or related area.' In my experience, a librarian must have a master's degree from an ALA-accredited institution.I'm forwarding Salary.com's salary information to my director immediately - he has some catching up to do!A. The intent of the job descriptor for librarians is to give a general view of the... view article details

Sometimes It's Not Them -- It's You We all have friends (or maybe YOU are the friend and just don’t realize it) who have been job-hunting for what seems like an eternity. They look through the help wanted ads, scour job boards and go on their fair share of interviews, each time thinking they 'nailed it.' But their optimism is soon broken by the hammer blow of rejection, and they’re still unemployed.Which begs the question, why?There are a thousand different potential reasons. Some are valid, others arbitrary. But even though employers will likely never reveal the true reasons behind t... view article details

Employee Reward Ideas: Small Acts of Recognition and Appreciation Can Go a Long Way Incentivize Employees with Appreciation Gifts Do you ever wonder how to reward employees? Some bosses feel a paycheck is the only reward an employee needs. But employees want to feel that their hard work is appreciated, whether they are paid minimum wage or a six-figure salary. Wondering about employee reward ideas? Get creative and experiment with a few new employee recognition ideas - you’ll be amazed by how productive your staff suddenly becomes. 10. Gift CardsGift cards are a classic. Nobody ever tur... view article details

Everyone has worked a summer job at some point. For some those jobs may be their true calling, but for many they are a place to gain some valuable skills and foster passion for their future careers.Read on to see the most popular summer jobs our readers held, and how the skills learned there can help in preparing for a future career. Babysitter Respondents who had this summer job 35.9% A babysitter must learn the fundamentals of relating to young children. Valuable skill for careers in: Child Care Young children get in a lot of scrapes. Successful babysitters learn to use basic fir... view article details

Q. I've accidentally come into possession of a confidential printout of my fellow employees' pay rates. After reviewing it, I've come to the opinion I am being well underpaid. In the near future I am up for review, which always is nothing more than a formality for a decision already made. What are the possible legal ramifications of possessing this information? How, if at all, may I ethically use this information to my advantage?A. Above all, be very careful.Since you found the information, I would not use it when discussing your salary with your manager nor your HR department. Unless your cow... view article details

The holidays bring with it extra expenditures that can be difficult to manage especially in light of the current economic situation. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, over the past 24 months, consumer prices have risen 7.8%, making it increasingly difficult for consumers to keep up with the essentials. Information Resources, Inc., an independent market-data firm, recently conducted a survey of how consumers’ shopping and spending habits have changed in recent months. The results, while not surprising, are quite interesting. They report that the majority of consumers earning less t... view article details