If marriage is in your future, you’re probably inundated with thoughts about how you’re going to pay for that big party. But the more important money issue is what’s going to happen with your finances after the big day. “When you marry someone…
How My Husband and I Raise Money-Smart Kids
This article was written by Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach My husband, Earl, and I have a true partnership in every since of the word. Not only do we work together day-to-day in business – as co-owners of our financial education company,…
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Can Being a Female Breadwinner Lead to Divorce?
According to the most recent data compiled by the Labor of Bureau Statistics, full-time women workers earned a median weekly wage of $691, which is 81 percent less than the average man. Despite the fact that women typically earn less than males, 24…
Continue reading “Can Being a Female Breadwinner Lead to Divorce?”
Do You Value The Women In Your Life?
By Felix a. Montelara
Author: Potencial Millonario (Spanish Edition)
www.potentialmillionaire.net
Today I want to talk to you about work. What is work? Why do we work? What kind of work do we value? What work are we willing to pay for? Why is work so important to us? When you think about yourself, do you define yourself by your work? Do you work for a living, do you live to work, do you have a career, or do you work just to pay the bills? Is there a difference between your job and your work? These are questions worth pondering. Believe it or not, your job probably is a big part of how you define yourself. Your job, and how you feel about your job, probably define much of your self-worth and your self-esteem. The ins and outs of your day at work probably determine whether you have a good day or a bad day. The million dollar question is: should we define ourselves in this way?
Let’s think about how work has been defined in the past. Actually, long ago work was thought of as something that really important people didn’t do. In ancient cultures such as Greece and Rome, the truly important people didn’t labor or do work. That would be beneath them. Important people had servants to do their work, from running their land to running their household. These people definitely did not define themselves by their work, so why do we?
The role of work in people’s lives has changed. After the period in history known as the Renaissance came the Reformation in the 1500s. It was then that work began to be acceptable both socially and morally. This was a turbulent time in all aspects of art, science, religion and culture. From this time period comes our modern view of work which is to say that people began to “do” things and then defined themselves by what they did.
Later on, with the advent of mechanization and industrialization, the major means of employment became paid labor. The definition of work became associated with being paid. It was then that tasks for which payment did not occur became devalued by society. For example, no one was paid to clean their own house, so cleaning the house was not considered work.
No one was paid to take care of their children, or to care for the sick or elderly of the family. So caring for family members was no longer considered work. Everyday tasks and chores, primarily the responsibility of the female caregivers of the household, became things that women were expected to do – while men went outside the home to work and get paid.
Now we need to ask ourselves a few more introspective questions about how we define work today. Let’s not just think about ourselves. No, I want you to think about how you define the work of women and mothers in particular. Soon it will be Mother’s Day. Women and their role in our homes, workplace, and society should be on our minds. Do the mothers in your life a real service on Mother’s Day this year. Not just flowers or a card, or a quick sentiment that lasts a day only. Instead, do some real soul-searching about the real, honest work that the women in your life do. How many responsibilities does she have that go unpaid and unacknowledged? How many roles does she fulfil, and do you expect her to fulfil them just because she is a woman? How many sacrifices does she make on a daily basis that go unnoticed? Let’s take some time to think about the history of work and our attitudes toward it, as I have reflected on here. Let’s take some time to think about how the roles of men and women in the home have developed and the historical background for why we view these roles the way we do today. Then, let’s take the time to examine whether we are really fair to the women in our lives, especially the mothers. Give this some real thought, and then approach the mothers that you know with some real respect. And rather than a box of chocolates, take responsibility yourself for one of those things you ‘expect’ her to do. Not for a day, but from now on. If you truly want to honor the mother’s that you know, then honor them making a lasting change to how you value the unpaid work they do every day and night. Then prove yourself worthy by doing some of this work yourself.
Minimum Wage Debate. What Do You Think?
Do You Have What it Takes To Become a Financial Literacy Award Winner? Here Are The 2014 Education In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Awards Winners
The Institute for Financial Literacy® 2014 Excellence In Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Awards winners are honored for their distinguished accomplishments in developing, implementing and promoting successful financial literacy education worldwide.
The EIFLE Awards were established in 2007 and have since become one of the most prestigious and sought after awards in the industry. Each year, the Institute for Financial Literacy presents EIFLE Awards to individuals and organizations that have shown exceptional innovation, dedication and commitment to the field of financial literacy education.
The work of these authors, educators, organizations and researchers inspires others to strive toward excellence as well, increasing the availability and effectiveness of financial literacy education in communities across the country.
I had the pleasure attending the Annual Conference on Financial Education. I met and interviewed some of the award winning individuals (see below) and I will make the interviews available in future blog posts and podcasts of The Potential Millionaire / Potencial Millonario – www.potentialmillionaire.net. In my conversations with the award winners it was made very clear that helping the underprivileged was a staple of their commitment to producing, teaching, and funding financial literacy programs. I learned that it was the core of their individual beliefs and corporate visions. On behalf of The Potential Millionaire, I congratulate and commend all of the EIFLE winners.
The Institute for Financial Literacy website can be reached at www.Financiallit.org for detailed information on the EIFLE awards. If you know any of the award winners or just wan to say congrats, please leave a comment below.
Here are the 2014 EIFLE award winners:
For Profit Organization of the Year: | Organization of the Year, Corporate Leadership: |
Instructional Game of the Year:Tabletop
MoneyWorks |
Nonprofit Organization of the Year: |
Education Program of the Year:Children, General
Hartford Stage Financial Literacy Program |
Education Program of the Year:
Children, Financial Responsibility & Decision Making TrueWealth-KIDS |
Education Program of the Year:Children, Income & Careers
CU 4 Reality™ Financial Education Program |
Education Program of the Year:
Children, Saving & Investing Delaware BANK AT SCHOOL |
Education Program of the Year:Adult, General
Adelante con tu future, Educacion Financiera |
Education Program of the Year:
Children, Planning & Money Management Youth Financial Camp |
Book of the Year:Adult, General
Pocket Change: Using the Science of Personal Change to Improve Financial Habits by Heidi T. Beckman, PH.D. |
Book of the Year:
Children, General by LaDonna Smith |
Legacy: Hon. John C. Nifo II |
Book of the Year:
Adult, Money Management by Brian O’Connor |
Educator(s) of the Year:
William Daniel |
Educator(s) of the Year:
Ingrid Adade |
IRS Simplifies Home Office Deduction
Change Should Cut Paperwork for Small Businesses.
Source: http://on.wsj.com/1f29FQp
Under the optional new method, you can claim “$5 per square foot of space that meets the definition of a qualified home office up to a maximum of 300 square feet,” says Mark Luscombe, principal tax analyst at CCH, a Wolters Kluwer WTKWY -0.63% unit that sells tax and other business information and software.
Thus, the maximum amount that can be deducted using this method is $1,500. CCH offers this example: Suppose your home office measures 18 feet by 15 feet, for a total of 270 square feet. Multiply that by $5. Your total home-office deduction would be $1,350.
This new option “saves time compared with the other home-office tax deduction calculation of figuring related expenses and how they may apply over the course of the year to a home office,” CCH says.
The simplified deduction “would replace items that you had to allocate between personal use and business use, such as utilities and property insurance,” Mr. Luscombe says, “but it would not replace deductions totally related to the business, such as supplies.”
You can also continue to take allowable home-related itemized deductions—such as mortgage interest or real-estate taxes—on Schedule A, the Internal Revenue Service says. The change, a rare move toward simplification by the IRS, could help many people who work at home.
An estimated 3.3 million filers claimed deductions for business use of a home for the 2011 tax year, according to an IRS spokesman.
But the new method isn’t a smart idea for everyone. Taxpayers “might be better off using the old-fashioned way” if their home-office deductions exceed the $1,500 limit, Mr. Luscombe says.
This new option does not change the eligibility criteria for taking the deduction.
As a general rule, you must use the home office exclusively and regularly for work. For qualifications and other fine print, see IRS Publication 587.
Top 10 Solar Areas in the US
You might expect the no.1 solar area in America to be a city like San Franciso or maybe San Diego. According to One Block Off the Grid, it isn’t one of the largest metro areas though, it’s Fresno, CA with a strong lead at 182 watts per capita, or…
The Passive House Revolution
Originally published on Ecopreneurist. Imagine a building that uses 80 to 90% less energy for heating and cooling, simply because of its design features, and along with offering considerable cost savings, can greatly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions…
New Terrestrial Radio Show “Potencial Millonario”
Potencial Millonario has grown into a radio broadcast at WIQR 1410 am Radio Bama every Saturday @ 0800 hours. Episode 01 will be available ASAP. More information to follow.
Best regards,
Felix A. Montelara
Author: Potencial Millonario