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Economic Sexism Lives On… and On

Thumbnail image for Economic Sexism Lives On… and On by Janice Conard May 7, 2012

When I entered the workforce full time in the early 1980s, I was shocked to learn that I could expect to earn only a little over 60 cents for every dollar brought in by men with my qualifications. It’s called the gender pay gap, and anyone who says it no longer exists has his head [...]

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Ever Try a Loss Leader? Maybe Now’s the Time!

Thumbnail image for Ever Try a Loss Leader? Maybe Now’s the Time! by Janice Conard April 20, 2012

Have you ever used a loss leader to get customers in your door or to your website? If you haven’t, it might be a good time to try. A loss leader, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is “something (as merchandise) sold at a loss in order to draw customers.” I started thinking about loss leader strategies [...]

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Don’t Blame Victims for Student Debt Run Amok!

Thumbnail image for Don’t Blame Victims for Student Debt Run Amok! by Janice Conard April 13, 2012

Yesterday’s Time Moneyland article, College Students Are Credit Card Dunces, by Martha C. White, ticked me off.  Talk about blaming the victim! Her angle:  “So, just how dumb are kids these days?” White cites Financial Literacy and Credit Cards: A Multi Campus Survey, which found that only 14.6 percent of students knew their credit card [...]

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Will Mobile Payments Kill The Credit Card?

Thumbnail image for Will Mobile Payments Kill The Credit Card? by Guest Post March 23, 2012

Modern technology has changed the way we pay. We are no longer bound to use cash or personal checks for all our purchases. Credit cards, debit cards and online payment capabilities have made it more convenient than ever to pay for goods and services. It’s a pretty safe bet that checks will disappear over time. [...]

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Are the Economics of Daylight Saving Time True?

Thumbnail image for Are the Economics of Daylight Saving Time True? by Janice Conard March 12, 2012

This year Daylight Saving Time (DST) started so early that yesterday morning when I noticed my alarm clock was an hour behind our atomic clock, we assumed a dying battery was the culprit! It was only when we saw another clock that was also lagging that we consulted a 2012 calendar and realized that  yesterday [...]

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Two Ideas to Relieve Unemployment Pressure

Thumbnail image for Two Ideas to Relieve Unemployment Pressure by Janice Conard March 5, 2012

Ever since I read “An Idea for Changing Unemployment Benefits” by my colleague, Kasey Steinbrinck, I’ve been trying to think more creatively about what can be done to help the unemployed. Having only recently returned to work myself after being unemployed for two and a half years, I think I’m as qualified as anyone to [...]

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Why You MUST Get Professional Help When Choosing Your Corporate Form

Thumbnail image for Why You MUST Get Professional Help When Choosing Your Corporate Form by Karen Stewart February 23, 2012

During my legal adventures since 1982, I have sometimes been asked basic questions by those new to the world of capitalism. “What should I call my business?” they ask.  “What type of entity should my new business be?” they chirp. These questions sound straightforward enough, so the answers should be straightforward, too…right?  Well, in a [...]

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Postscript: Nightmare on Main Street, Part 3

Thumbnail image for Postscript: Nightmare on Main Street, Part 3 by Karen Stewart February 17, 2012

“All the Federales say, could have had him any day. . .” TownesVan Zandt, Pancho and Lefty (1972) Since posting Nightmare on Main Street, Part 2, readers with inquiring minds have wanted to know what the heck happened to Anita and Jay and Vinnie the Genius.  It was even suggested that I write a happy [...]

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Nightmare on Main Street, Part 2: How to Avoid a Home Remodeling Disaster

Thumbnail image for Nightmare on Main Street, Part 2: How to Avoid a Home Remodeling Disaster by Karen Stewart February 15, 2012

When last we visited our hapless home addition victims, Anita and Jay, they were living hard.  After allowing Vinnie the Genius to walk away with $30,000 to build an addition to their sweet little bungalow, they were left with a big hole in the back of their house, liens up to their eyeballs and raccoons [...]

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Know Your Rights Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Thumbnail image for Know Your Rights Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act by Karen Stewart February 2, 2012

The cash-strapped consumer is one of the most notable products of high unemployment, low wages and grocery prices approaching the stratosphere. With little or nothing remaining from the shrinking weekly paychecks of more and more Americans, some debts slip into default. Sometimes the cause is simple oversight, but usually it’s because funds are scarce. And [...]

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