By The Wall Street Journal | foxnews.com | January 29, 2016
WASHINGTON – The Obama administration plans to require large employers to peel back the curtain on how much they pay men and women in a push to narrow long-standing earning gaps between the genders.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will roll out details of the plan Friday to begin gathering a summary of pay data from employers with 100 or more workers.
The data will be used to identify employers that may be engaging in pay discrimination so that the agency can target its enforcement resources where problems may be likeliest to exist. The proposal would cover more than 63 million U.S. workers, according to the White House.
The plan, which will be open to public comment but won’t require legislative approval, is part of a broad effort undertaken by President Obama and federal agencies to close a persistent wage gap between men and women.
Soon after taking office, Obama convened a national task force to address the issue, requesting greater coordination among agencies and more aggressive enforcement efforts.
Despite those efforts, across all professions, women earn about 79 cents for every dollar earned by men—only 2 cents greater than when Mr. Obama took office.
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Frank Luntz: Young voters spell doom for GOP
By Frank I. Luntz | usatoday.com | March 13, 2016
Snapchat generation's chasm of disconnection with Republicans is a long-term electoral crisis.
If you want to understand today’s young Americans, consider this: 58% of them think “socialism” is the most compassionate political system, compared with just 33% who pick “capitalism.” Heck, 9% even voted for “communism.”
That’s right: Two-thirds in a poll I did last month say socialism or communism is more compassionate than capitalism.
While Republicans fight a war over how high to build a mythical wall on our Southern border, they ignore the war for the hearts and minds of America’s largest generation in history — even bigger than the Baby Boomers.
The Republican Party doesn’t have a problem with younger voters. Younger voters have a problem with the Republican Party, and it is rapidly becoming a long-term electoral crisis.
In our recent national survey of 1,000 first- and second-time voters ages 18 to 26, Republicans weren’t just off on the wrong track. They were barely on the radar with this Snapchat generation, as it is sometimes called.
Let’s start with the simplest question we asked: “Out of today's major political figures, who do you like and respect the most?”
Nearly one in three (31%) chose Bernie Sanders, followed by 18% for Barack Obama and 11% for Hillary Clinton. The highest ranking Republican was … Donald Trump, at a mere 9%. In fact, Sanders — who won more than 80% of young Democrats in Tuesday’s Michigan primary — scored higher than all the Republicans combined. This isn’t just a slant toward the Democrats; it’s a chasm of disconnection that renders every prominent national Republican irrelevant with the voting bloc that could control campaigns for the next 30 years.
Snapchat generation's chasm of disconnection with Republicans is a long-term electoral crisis.
If you want to understand today’s young Americans, consider this: 58% of them think “socialism” is the most compassionate political system, compared with just 33% who pick “capitalism.” Heck, 9% even voted for “communism.”
That’s right: Two-thirds in a poll I did last month say socialism or communism is more compassionate than capitalism.
While Republicans fight a war over how high to build a mythical wall on our Southern border, they ignore the war for the hearts and minds of America’s largest generation in history — even bigger than the Baby Boomers.
The Republican Party doesn’t have a problem with younger voters. Younger voters have a problem with the Republican Party, and it is rapidly becoming a long-term electoral crisis.
In our recent national survey of 1,000 first- and second-time voters ages 18 to 26, Republicans weren’t just off on the wrong track. They were barely on the radar with this Snapchat generation, as it is sometimes called.
Let’s start with the simplest question we asked: “Out of today's major political figures, who do you like and respect the most?”
Nearly one in three (31%) chose Bernie Sanders, followed by 18% for Barack Obama and 11% for Hillary Clinton. The highest ranking Republican was … Donald Trump, at a mere 9%. In fact, Sanders — who won more than 80% of young Democrats in Tuesday’s Michigan primary — scored higher than all the Republicans combined. This isn’t just a slant toward the Democrats; it’s a chasm of disconnection that renders every prominent national Republican irrelevant with the voting bloc that could control campaigns for the next 30 years.
School flunks privacy test by firing teacher: Mitch Albom
By Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press | usatoday.com | March 9, 2016
A student breaks into his teacher's phone and distributes nude photo of her, and she's forced out.
When we were kids, the teacher’s desk was a fearsome island, a place you didn’t approach unless you absolutely had to.
Clearly, things have changed.
Take what happened when a South Carolina high school teacher left her cell phone on her desk last week to, she says, do her hall monitoring duties for a few minutes.
That phone was swiped by a 16-year-old male student, who then opened her photo library, went through the teacher’s photos, found a picture of her nude that she had taken for her husband (as she would later freely admit) for Valentine’s Day. The student took a snapshot of that photo with his phone, then sent it around to anyone and everyone he chose.
According to the teacher in an interview with a South Carolina CBS affiliate, that student later told her, “Your day of reckoning is coming.”
Now, I would like to state, proudly, how old I am. I am old enough that 1) If I took something from my teacher’s desk 2) If I dared to leaf through it 3) If I ever uttered the words, “Your day of reckoning is coming” to ANY ADULT IN THE WORLD — my day of reckoning would have already arrived.
I would have been thrown out of school, no questions asked, which would not have mattered, since my parents would have grounded me for life.
Instead, last week, the only day of reckoning was for the teacher, a 13-year veteran named Leigh Anne Arthur. Thanks to this kid’s antics, she was pressured to resign, she said.
And, until Friday, after the public outcry had grown loud, the student had not been punished or charged.
Like I said, things have changed.
A student breaks into his teacher's phone and distributes nude photo of her, and she's forced out.
When we were kids, the teacher’s desk was a fearsome island, a place you didn’t approach unless you absolutely had to.
Clearly, things have changed.
Take what happened when a South Carolina high school teacher left her cell phone on her desk last week to, she says, do her hall monitoring duties for a few minutes.
That phone was swiped by a 16-year-old male student, who then opened her photo library, went through the teacher’s photos, found a picture of her nude that she had taken for her husband (as she would later freely admit) for Valentine’s Day. The student took a snapshot of that photo with his phone, then sent it around to anyone and everyone he chose.
According to the teacher in an interview with a South Carolina CBS affiliate, that student later told her, “Your day of reckoning is coming.”
Now, I would like to state, proudly, how old I am. I am old enough that 1) If I took something from my teacher’s desk 2) If I dared to leaf through it 3) If I ever uttered the words, “Your day of reckoning is coming” to ANY ADULT IN THE WORLD — my day of reckoning would have already arrived.
I would have been thrown out of school, no questions asked, which would not have mattered, since my parents would have grounded me for life.
Instead, last week, the only day of reckoning was for the teacher, a 13-year veteran named Leigh Anne Arthur. Thanks to this kid’s antics, she was pressured to resign, she said.
And, until Friday, after the public outcry had grown loud, the student had not been punished or charged.
Like I said, things have changed.
Monday, March 14, 2016
Critical Skills You Should Learn That Pay Dividends Forever
By Dr. Travis Bradberry | linkedin.com | March 2, 2016
The further along you are in your career, the easier it is to fall back on the mistaken assumption that you’ve made it and have all the skills you need to succeed. The tendency is to focus all your energy on getting the job done, assuming that the rest will take care of itself. Big mistake.
New research from Stanford tells the story. Carol Dweck and her colleagues conducted a study with people who were struggling with their performance. One group was taught to perform better on a task that they performed poorly in. The other group received a completely different intervention: for the task that they performed badly in, they were taught that they weren’t stuck and that improving their performance was a choice. They discovered that learning produces physiological changes in the brain, just like exercise changes muscles. All they had to do was believe in themselves and make it happen.
When the groups’ performance was reassessed a few months later, the group that was taught to perform the task better did even worse. The group that was taught that they had the power to change their brains and improve their performance themselves improved dramatically.
The primary takeaway from Dweck’s research is that we should never stop learning. The moment we think that we are who we are is the moment we give away our unrealized potential.
The act of learning is every bit as important as what you learn. Believing that you can improve yourself and do things in the future that are beyond your current possibilities is exciting and fulfilling.
Still, your time is finite, and you should dedicate yourself to learning skills that will yield the greatest benefit. There are nine skills that I believe fit the bill because they never stop paying dividends. These are the skills that deliver the biggest payoff, both in terms of what they teach you and their tendency to keep the learning alive.
The further along you are in your career, the easier it is to fall back on the mistaken assumption that you’ve made it and have all the skills you need to succeed. The tendency is to focus all your energy on getting the job done, assuming that the rest will take care of itself. Big mistake.
New research from Stanford tells the story. Carol Dweck and her colleagues conducted a study with people who were struggling with their performance. One group was taught to perform better on a task that they performed poorly in. The other group received a completely different intervention: for the task that they performed badly in, they were taught that they weren’t stuck and that improving their performance was a choice. They discovered that learning produces physiological changes in the brain, just like exercise changes muscles. All they had to do was believe in themselves and make it happen.
When the groups’ performance was reassessed a few months later, the group that was taught to perform the task better did even worse. The group that was taught that they had the power to change their brains and improve their performance themselves improved dramatically.
The primary takeaway from Dweck’s research is that we should never stop learning. The moment we think that we are who we are is the moment we give away our unrealized potential.
“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi
The act of learning is every bit as important as what you learn. Believing that you can improve yourself and do things in the future that are beyond your current possibilities is exciting and fulfilling.
Still, your time is finite, and you should dedicate yourself to learning skills that will yield the greatest benefit. There are nine skills that I believe fit the bill because they never stop paying dividends. These are the skills that deliver the biggest payoff, both in terms of what they teach you and their tendency to keep the learning alive.
Clinton calls for 'true progressive' on Supreme Court
By Bill Barrow and Catherine Lucey, Associated Press | msn.com | February 25, 2016
KINGSTREE, S.C. — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has South Carolina mostly to herself two days before the first-in-the-South primary, and she's using it to capitalize on her advantage over Bernie Sanders with black voters.
The Vermont senator, meanwhile, is spending Thursday traversing the Great Lakes region in states that hold early March primaries with much whiter electorates than South Carolina and the Deep South, where Clinton maintains a strong enough lead that could help her establish a clear earned-delegate boost in the coming weeks.
Given those dynamics, Clinton played up her allegiance to President Barack Obama as she addressed a friendly crowd Thursday in tiny Kingstree, South Carolina.
"I'm really proud to stand with President Obama, and I'm really proud to stand with the progress he's made," she said of the nation's first black president who defeated her 74 percent to 17 percent in surrounding Williamsburg County in their primary fight eight years ago. "I need your help, starting with this primary on Saturday."
Clinton also said she wants a genuine liberal to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the Feb. 13 death of conservative icon Antonin Scalia.
"I sure hope the president chooses a true progressive who will stand up for the values and the interests of the people," Clinton said of a seat that will determine the ideological tilt of a court left with a 4-4 split between liberals and conservatives.
Those comments came after White House officials told the Associated Press that the president's list of potential nominees includes Nevada's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval. The president is locked in high-stakes gamesmanship with Senate Republicans, who insist they will not give any Obama nominee a hearing.
Also in Kingstree, Clinton repeated her pledge to fight for stricter gun regulations, an issue that resonates among black voters nationally and in South Carolina, which was shaken in June when a white gunman killed the pastor and nine others at a historically black church in Charleston.
KINGSTREE, S.C. — Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has South Carolina mostly to herself two days before the first-in-the-South primary, and she's using it to capitalize on her advantage over Bernie Sanders with black voters.
The Vermont senator, meanwhile, is spending Thursday traversing the Great Lakes region in states that hold early March primaries with much whiter electorates than South Carolina and the Deep South, where Clinton maintains a strong enough lead that could help her establish a clear earned-delegate boost in the coming weeks.
Given those dynamics, Clinton played up her allegiance to President Barack Obama as she addressed a friendly crowd Thursday in tiny Kingstree, South Carolina.
"I'm really proud to stand with President Obama, and I'm really proud to stand with the progress he's made," she said of the nation's first black president who defeated her 74 percent to 17 percent in surrounding Williamsburg County in their primary fight eight years ago. "I need your help, starting with this primary on Saturday."
Clinton also said she wants a genuine liberal to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by the Feb. 13 death of conservative icon Antonin Scalia.
"I sure hope the president chooses a true progressive who will stand up for the values and the interests of the people," Clinton said of a seat that will determine the ideological tilt of a court left with a 4-4 split between liberals and conservatives.
Those comments came after White House officials told the Associated Press that the president's list of potential nominees includes Nevada's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval. The president is locked in high-stakes gamesmanship with Senate Republicans, who insist they will not give any Obama nominee a hearing.
Also in Kingstree, Clinton repeated her pledge to fight for stricter gun regulations, an issue that resonates among black voters nationally and in South Carolina, which was shaken in June when a white gunman killed the pastor and nine others at a historically black church in Charleston.
Seattle pushes sweeping new rules for worker schedules, employers cry foul
By Dan Springer | foxnew.com | February 25, 2016
You’ve heard the battle cries over paying workers a “living wage.” Now, get ready for the next phase: “Livable schedules.”
On the heels of Seattle passing a controversial $15 minimum wage law, the City Council there is now drafting an ordinance that aims to shift power away from employers when it comes to how workers are scheduled and paid.
“I think there is a sense among some workers that they are being abused,” Seattle City Council member Lorena Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez is leading the effort to impose new rules on how employers schedule their workers. The ordinance is still being written, but it is expected to include:
Already, though, members of the business community are firing back against what they call the “restrictive scheduling” measures.
“It’s unfortunate that the city of Seattle seems hell-bent on these one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approaches to wages and hour issues,” said Patrick Connor of the National Federation of Independent Business. “I think this is going to be one more straw that may soon break the camel’s back.”
You’ve heard the battle cries over paying workers a “living wage.” Now, get ready for the next phase: “Livable schedules.”
On the heels of Seattle passing a controversial $15 minimum wage law, the City Council there is now drafting an ordinance that aims to shift power away from employers when it comes to how workers are scheduled and paid.
“I think there is a sense among some workers that they are being abused,” Seattle City Council member Lorena Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez is leading the effort to impose new rules on how employers schedule their workers. The ordinance is still being written, but it is expected to include:
- A guarantee that workers get at least 11 hours of down time between shifts
- A requirement that workers get schedules a week in advance, or else be paid time-and-a-half if shifts are added inside that time frame
- A requirement that employers pay employees for a few hours of work not performed if shifts are taken away
Already, though, members of the business community are firing back against what they call the “restrictive scheduling” measures.
“It’s unfortunate that the city of Seattle seems hell-bent on these one-size-fits-all, cookie-cutter approaches to wages and hour issues,” said Patrick Connor of the National Federation of Independent Business. “I think this is going to be one more straw that may soon break the camel’s back.”
Saturday, March 12, 2016
10 Tips for the Successful Long-Term Investor
By Investopedia Staff | investopedia.com | Updated March 03, 2016
While it may be true that in the stock market there is no rule without an exception, there are some principles that are tough to dispute. Let's review 10 general principles to help investors get a better grasp of how to approach the market from a long-term view. Every point embodies some fundamental concept every investor should know.
In both cases, the point is to judge companies on their merits according to your research. In each situation, you still have to decide whether a price justifies future potential. Just remember not to let your fears limit your returns or inflate your losses. (For related reading, check out To Sell Or Not To Sell.)
While it may be true that in the stock market there is no rule without an exception, there are some principles that are tough to dispute. Let's review 10 general principles to help investors get a better grasp of how to approach the market from a long-term view. Every point embodies some fundamental concept every investor should know.
1. Sell the Losers and Let the Winners Ride!
Time and time again, investors take profits by selling their appreciated investments, but they hold onto stocks that have declined in the hope of a rebound. If an investor doesn't know when it's time to let go of hopeless stocks, he or she can, in the worst-case scenario, see the stock sink to the point where it is almost worthless. Of course, the idea of holding onto high-quality investments while selling the poor ones is great in theory, but hard to put into practice. The following information might help:
Time and time again, investors take profits by selling their appreciated investments, but they hold onto stocks that have declined in the hope of a rebound. If an investor doesn't know when it's time to let go of hopeless stocks, he or she can, in the worst-case scenario, see the stock sink to the point where it is almost worthless. Of course, the idea of holding onto high-quality investments while selling the poor ones is great in theory, but hard to put into practice. The following information might help:
- Riding a Winner - Peter Lynch was famous for talking about "tenbaggers", or investments that increased tenfold in value. The theory is that much of his overall success was due to a small number of stocks in his portfolio that returned big. If you have a personal policy to sell after a stock has increased by a certain multiple - say three, for instance - you may never fully ride out a winner. No one in the history of investing with a "sell-after-I-have-tripled-my-money" mentality has ever had a tenbagger. Don't underestimate a stock that is performing well by sticking to some rigid personal rule - if you don't have a good understanding of the potential of your investments, your personal rules may end up being arbitrary and too limiting. (For more insight, see Pick Stocks Like Peter Lynch.)
- Selling a Loser - There is no guarantee that a stock will bounce back after a protracted decline. While it's important not to underestimate good stocks, it's equally important to be realistic about investments that are performing badly. Recognizing your losers is hard because it's also an acknowledgment of your mistake. But it's important to be honest when you realize that a stock is not performing as well as you expected it to. Don't be afraid to swallow your pride and move on before your losses become even greater.
In both cases, the point is to judge companies on their merits according to your research. In each situation, you still have to decide whether a price justifies future potential. Just remember not to let your fears limit your returns or inflate your losses. (For related reading, check out To Sell Or Not To Sell.)
2. Don't Chase a "Hot Tip."
Whether the tip comes from your brother, your cousin, your neighbor or even your broker, you shouldn't accept it as law. When you make an investment, it's important you know the reasons for doing so; do your own research and analysis of any company before you even consider investing your hard-earned money. Relying on a tidbit of information from someone else is not only an attempt at taking the easy way out, it's also a type of gambling. Sure, with some luck, tips sometimes pan out. But they will never make you an informed investor, which is what you need to be to be successful in the long run. (Find what you should pay attention to - and what you should ignore in Listen To The Markets, Not Its Pundits.)
Whether the tip comes from your brother, your cousin, your neighbor or even your broker, you shouldn't accept it as law. When you make an investment, it's important you know the reasons for doing so; do your own research and analysis of any company before you even consider investing your hard-earned money. Relying on a tidbit of information from someone else is not only an attempt at taking the easy way out, it's also a type of gambling. Sure, with some luck, tips sometimes pan out. But they will never make you an informed investor, which is what you need to be to be successful in the long run. (Find what you should pay attention to - and what you should ignore in Listen To The Markets, Not Its Pundits.)
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
The problem isn’t that life is unfair – it’s your broken idea of fairness
By Oliver Emberton | oliverembertom.com | November 24, 2014
The truth is, life is just playing by different rules.
The real rules are there. They actually make sense. But they’re a bit more complicated, and a lot less comfortable, which is why most people never manage to learn them.
Let’s try.
We’re all in competition, although we prefer not to realise it. Most achievements are only notable relative to others. You swam more miles, or can dance better, or got more Facebook Likes than the average. Well done.
It’s a painful thing to believe, of course, which is why we’re constantly assuring each other the opposite. “Just do your best”, we hear. “You’re only in competition with yourself”. The funny thing about platitudes like that is they’re designed to make you try harder anyway. If competition really didn’t matter, we’d tell struggling children to just give up.
Fortunately, we don’t live in a world where everyone has to kill each other to prosper. The blessing of modern civilisation is there’s abundant opportunities, and enough for us all to get by, even if we don’t compete directly.
But never fall for the collective delusion that there’s not a competition going on. People dress up to win partners. They interview to win jobs. If you deny that competition exists, you’re just losing.
Everything in demand is on a competitive scale. And the best is only available to those who are willing to truly fight for it.
Unless you’re winning, most of life will seem hideously unfair to you.
The truth is, life is just playing by different rules.
The real rules are there. They actually make sense. But they’re a bit more complicated, and a lot less comfortable, which is why most people never manage to learn them.
Let’s try.
Rule #1: Life is a competition
That business you work for? Someone’s trying to kill it. That job you like? Someone would love to replace you with a computer program. That girlfriend / boyfriend / high-paying job / Nobel Prize that you want? So does somebody else.We’re all in competition, although we prefer not to realise it. Most achievements are only notable relative to others. You swam more miles, or can dance better, or got more Facebook Likes than the average. Well done.
It’s a painful thing to believe, of course, which is why we’re constantly assuring each other the opposite. “Just do your best”, we hear. “You’re only in competition with yourself”. The funny thing about platitudes like that is they’re designed to make you try harder anyway. If competition really didn’t matter, we’d tell struggling children to just give up.
Fortunately, we don’t live in a world where everyone has to kill each other to prosper. The blessing of modern civilisation is there’s abundant opportunities, and enough for us all to get by, even if we don’t compete directly.
But never fall for the collective delusion that there’s not a competition going on. People dress up to win partners. They interview to win jobs. If you deny that competition exists, you’re just losing.
Everything in demand is on a competitive scale. And the best is only available to those who are willing to truly fight for it.
In search of low-risk investments – 11 things to know about bonds
By William Cowie | Get Rich Slowly | March 2, 2016
Chances are you have never purchased a bond … and probably never will. Same with me. I simply don’t have the capital to commit over $100,000 to purchase the typical bond. But I do believe there are reasons to learn about bonds nonetheless, even if it’s an investment you don’t think you’ll ever make. Never say “never,” right? Well, the fact is…
Moreover, most paid investment professionals regard the bond market as the foundation of all securities investments, not the stock market. When the bond market sneezes, the world’s economy catches a cold. From my perspective, not understanding the most significant investment market is tantamount to flying blind.
Chances are you have never purchased a bond … and probably never will. Same with me. I simply don’t have the capital to commit over $100,000 to purchase the typical bond. But I do believe there are reasons to learn about bonds nonetheless, even if it’s an investment you don’t think you’ll ever make. Never say “never,” right? Well, the fact is…
You may already be invested in bonds.Whether directly or indirectly, you may already be invested in bonds through your retirement plan, mutual fund or even an annuity. In that case, knowing how the bond market works can help you make better, more informed decisions about your financial future instead of blindly trusting that someone else will put your interests ahead of their own.
You need to diversify.The need to diversify is a basic concept that virtually everyone learns as they start investing. Certainly, any experienced investor will confirm that diversification is one of the main considerations for long-term investing success. But if you’re already invested in stocks or stock index funds and want to diversify, what do you diversify into? Generally speaking, the number one investment alternative is bonds.
You need to manage risk and preserve your capital.Everyone knows the stock market can be risky. If you understand the bond market, it can give you close to a risk-free investment. Of course, the return from low-risk investments is lower; but if low risk is what you are looking for, the bond market is pretty close to the only place you can get it.
It’s a mistake to think the bond market is insignificant.If you watch the evening news, it’s easy to conclude that the stock market is the most important investment market out there. Wrong. Globally, the bond market is more than twice the size of the stock market.
Moreover, most paid investment professionals regard the bond market as the foundation of all securities investments, not the stock market. When the bond market sneezes, the world’s economy catches a cold. From my perspective, not understanding the most significant investment market is tantamount to flying blind.
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