Thrill Builder! Slowly the car inches up the improbable incline, defying gravity, and propelled by unseen forces. As the roller coaster car gets to the crest of the hill and peers over the top at the twisted tracks and loop-the-loops that lie just ahead, you try to convince yourself that the person who designed this cruel contraption knows what he is doing. Relax. He does. Kent Seko originally wanted to be an architect. He rode roller coasters as a kid, but never thought about designing them until years later, when a friend who worked at Arrow Dynamics, Inc., a roller coaster design firm, talk... view article details

There is always a temptation to over spend during the holidays. In light of the current economic situation it is more important than ever to avoid getting deeper in to debt in order to satisfy gift-giving obligations. Don't despair. Salary.com has put together a few ideas to help you shift your focus and have a happy holiday season.Develop a plan Decide ahead of time how much you can afford to spend and on whom you plan to spend it. By looking at your entire planned gift giving at once, you'll make better decisions once you get into the thick of holiday shopping. Once y... view article details

Most self-help books tell you all the things you need to start doing if you want to be successful. Which is why James Waldroop's 'The 12 Bad Habits That Hold Good People Back: Overcoming the Behavior Patterns That Keep You From Getting Ahead' is not your run-of-the-mill self-help book.Waldroop is this week's Salary Talk guest and he sits down with Aaron & Wendy for a rather unusual conversation. Instead of doling out tips on what people should begin doing if they want to succeed, Waldroop's book is a list of bad habits people need to STOP doing if they want to get ahead. And some of those bad ... view article details

'Bonds come in many shapes and sizes. Those issued by the government include T-bills, Treasury notes and Treasury bonds. Municipal bonds are issued by a city, county, state, school, or park district for constructing roads, bridges, schools, libraries, airports, and so on.'    Now that the roaring bull that was the stock market has been put out to pasture, let us turn our attention to bonds and bond mutual funds. With investors accepting the sad reality that stock values can drop as fast as they may rise, bonds beckon as a lower-risk alternative - albeit one with a less exciting growth potentia... view article details

Do you care about making a difference as much as you care about your career? "Green" jobs -- defined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as jobs that produce goods or services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources, or jobs that use more environmentally friendly processes or fewer natural resources -- have outpaced jobs in other categories by almost 250 percent over the last decade, and growth doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon. The 12 in-demand jobs profiled in this article show how you can make some green -- while going green. Organic farmer As consumers bec... view article details

With economic uncertainty around us, now more than ever, we need to find little ways to escape from the stress and reward ourselves for hanging in there. We all need balance in our lives and deserve to treat ourselves every once in a while. Here we suggest some affordable ways to pamper ourselves at a time when many of us do not have extra cash to spend.A little chocolate never hurt anyone Who doesn’t love chocolate? And there is no harm in treating yourself to a little chocolate every once in a while. Better yet, treat yourself to a box of your favorite higher end cho... view article details

Employers Should Embrace the Allure of Summer, Not Fight It While possibly more noticeable in four season cities, summer longings can defy geographical zones to the same extent that Congress generally seems to flout basic math. Although the era of school holidays ended long before the student loan payments ever did, nostalgia reigns when the weather warms in early June. There’s a mental countdown to the long-gone summer breaks of our youth. And come August, the realization that Fall is but a few weekends away can heighten awareness of missed and fleeting opportunities to enjoy valuable outdo... view article details

Patagonia, the popular outdoor retailer, is providing its employees paid time off on November 6th so they are able to vote in the 2018 U.S. midterm elections. Following the same initiative for the 2016 presidential election, the company will close all its stores nationwide, its support center in Nevada, and its headquarters in California to give personnel uninterrupted time to travel to the polls. According to a 2014 Pew Research Center study, 35% of eligible voters said they were not able to vote in that year’s elections due to scheduling conflicts with work or school. In her own, candid word... view article details

The young people of America are taking jobs they don't want, moving back in with their parents, and delaying marriage and children as they struggle with a still-uncertain economy, according to survey results released recently by the Pew Research Center. And yet, despite the economy's ill effects, young adults remain optimistic about their financial future, the report concluded. In 2011, young people had a harder time finding work than any other age group. While the overall unemployment rate last year was 8.8 percent, young adults from age 18 to 24 had a jobless rate of 16.3 percent, according ... view article details

Summer Presents Unique Opportunities for You to Advance Your Career Summer is No Time to Slack Off at Work And suddenly, Summer. Coats go into storage, you’re buying sunscreen by the gallon, and your mind instantly shifts from spreadsheets and status meetings to suntans and sandy beaches. However, while kids might be screaming "school's out for summer" and racing for the playground, things don't quite work that way as an adult in the business world. But don't worry, the tips below won't be as painful as summer school. So here are 5 ways you can use summer to your advantage professionally. ... view article details