WPO Co-Hosts Thrive Time

Together with the Boys & Girls Club and Sam's Club, the Women Presidents' Organization is hosting Thrive Time. Described by the WPO as a "financial literacy event," Thrive Time teaches girls about the importance of financial freedom and helps them develop the skills necessary to achieve it.

Thrive Time is named after the game that's used to educate these young women. The game was developed by Sharon Lechter and her company, Pay Your Family First. Letcher is member of the WPO's national board.

The third annual Thrive Time will place on Thursday, September 17th at Sam's Clubs in the following cities:

~ Chicago
~ Dallas
~ Denver
~ Orange County, CA
~ Philadelphia
~ Phoenix
~ Renton, WA
~ Secaucus, NJ
~ St. Louis
~ Ypsilanti, MI

Source: Women Business Leaders to Teach Financial Literacy to Youth by Kirsten Wynn (WPO), courtesy of Reuters

Image: Green Abstract, Financial [credit: Simon Howden] from freedigitalphotos.net

NYT Virus: Beware!

If you read articles from online news publications while at work (or at home), be more cautious as you navigate around those sites.

Why?

The New York Times' website has recently been the victim of a viral attack. Some readers have experienced a pop-up window (though I hesitate to call it that since it really looks more like the My Computer window in Windows) that states their computer is at risk and offers a protection program. However, it turns out this so-called anti-virus program is actually a virus itself and may take control of your browser. Apparently the virus poses less of a risk to Mac users, since it's easily recognizable as a Windows box, rather than one from OS X.

Yesterday, the Times issued a letter to readers regarding the issue - though to be on the safe side, it might be best to avoid the NYT site for a little while and learn about the situation from these articles (to prevent accidental clicking, letter to readers is the only NYT link in this entry):

Rogue ad hits New York Times site by Steven Musil(CNET)

New York Times Web Site Hit With Malicious 'Advertisement' by Caleb Johnson (Switched)

Malware Appears On New York Times Hompage by Peter Kafka (All Things Digital)

Ads Used to Spread Malware on Reputable Sites by Terrence O'Brien (Switched)

A screen shot of the window is included in Kafka and Johnson's articles.

Image: laptop [credit: Gregory Szarkiewicz] from freedigitalphotos.net

Service Day Concert Benefits Women & Children's Charity

Last Thursday, the President officially declared September 11th Patriot Day, as well as a National Day of Service and Remembrance.

The next day, a tremendous act of service occurred: a concert, entitled "Answer the Call," was held at Madison Square Garden. All proceeds went to the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund (tickets were at least $50) and was headlined by Jay-Z, a Brooklyn native.

In regards to those who acted so selflessly 8 years ago, Jay-Z stated: "You're humbled by those types of acts of heroism. You only hope to live up to that type of courage and strength. I'm doing a concert. I'm entertaining. At the end of the day I'm doing a great thing, but it's not what [these people did]."

The New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund was founded by Daniel Staub in 1985. For more information on the Fund and its work, visit answerthecall.org

Photo: "Micro" [credit: dan] from freedigitalphotos.net

Previous photo: "the rose" [credit phil 1950] from freedigitalphotos.net

In memory of the victims of September 11th and their families

Advice from Judge Judy

At the end of August, Judge Judith Scheindlin (aka Judge Judy) had beat Oprah for #1 rated syndicated TV show.... for nine weeks in a row. Slightly shocked? So was I.

Kiri Blakely recently interviewed Judge Judy for ForbesWoman.

Here are some key pieces of wisdom from television's most famous judge:

"If you're a positive person, there are no mistakes, only learning experiences. Even robbing a bank is a learning experience if you get caught."

"You also need to know your business, make yourself an expert in it and then you can negotiate within that business. Most importantly, become indispensable in whatever job you do. [...] if you run a doctor's office and the doctor can't function without you, because you know the office and are great with the patients, then you've become indispensable and you can set your own terms."

"The important thing people have to do is live within their means. They can have big dreams, there's nothing wrong with dreaming, but it became the American Dream to live the dream without the resources to do it."

"I'd be lying to you if I said that I don't use [my fame]. Everybody uses what they have."

eRb

Image: http://www.artworldsalon.com/blog/2008/02/online-art-auctions/">artworldsalon.com

Labor Day

According to the Department of Labor, "Labor Day [...] is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contribution workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

Labor Day Facts

Originally celebrated with festivals and parades, the first Labor Day occurred on September 5, 1882 in NYC and was planned by the Central Labor Union. Since 1884, Labor Day has been celebrated on the first Monday in September. On February 21, 1887, Oregon became the first state to recognize Labor Day by law. The name of the person who first came up with the idea for Labor Day is unknown - historically, credit's given to either Matthew McGuire, secretary of the Central Labor Union (NY) or Peter J. McGuire, co-founder of the American Federation of Labor (According to the DOL, "recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew McGuire [...] proposed the holiday in 1882").

For more information on Labor Day: U.S. DOL - The History of Labor Day

eRb

Image: "Helmet" [credit: Suat Eman] from freedigitalphotos.net

New Sections of ForbesWoman

ForbesWoman has long been a great news resource for business women. Recently, it seems to be undergoing a makeover - topics, such as Net Worth and Time have been added, and all articles are neatly grouped by tabs.

Articles this week include:

Easy Organizing: Planning Your Estate by Heidi Brown

Women And The Confidence Game by Jenna Goudreau

A Job Suffused With Meaning? Bring It On! By Sylvia Ann Hewlett

eRb

Image: "Rainbow Wave" [credit: EA] from freedigitalphotos.net

Labor Day: "Put the BlackBerry down."

In the past, choosing to relax on Labor Day probably seemed like a given - but now, as the unemployment rate draws closer to double-digits, it reasons that many professionals may be considering working instead.

So should you take Monday off?

According to Meghan Casserly (Forbes), the answer is yes. Taking some time out for yourself will boost your overall mood, which, in turn, can either improve your performance come Tuesday or rejuvenate you in your job search.

I think the opening paragraph of Casserly's article says it all:

"Whether you're mourning the end of summer or celebrating with friends this Labor Day weekend, do yourself a favor: Put the BlackBerry down."

eRb

Image: View from Horseneck Beach, Westport, MA [credit: eRb]

The September Issue

For much - if not all - of her tenure as editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour has been depicted as a cold and unfeeling individual who has no qualms about exploiting her power. However, with the release of The September Issue, a documentary that focuses on the construction of Vogue's September 2007 issue, it seems that the tide of opinion may be about to change (though, notably, the documentary has Vogue's full approval).

According to Leah Bourne (Forbes), "Those expecting to see Wintour in her devil personal will be disappointed [...] Wintour is mostly portrayed as professional and a perfectionist with a well-defined vision and an inferiority complex that becomes apparent when she admiringly talks about her three siblings who consider her profession 'amusing' [...]." At the same time, Bourne is quick to note that the glamorous aspects of Wintour's position are not mentioned in the film (i.e. "six-figure clothing budget and a daily hair blowout by a stylist who comes to her home every morning").

Around the time The Devil Wears Prada was released, it was said that Wintour would not receive such harsh criticism if she were a man. As I read Bourne's article, I wondered if this were true - or if even (gasp), the two Wintours - the cold, crazed perfectionist and the dedicated workaholic - are actually the same person, and perhaps, she is seen primarily as the former because of an antiquated double standard in regards to men and women in power.

eRb

Image: "Autumn Tree Colors" [credit: Ron Bird] from freedigitalphotos.net

Nokia Booklet 3G – is it worth it?

At a starting price of $800, the Booklet’s considerably more expensive than some of its competitors - like the Dell Mini 10v, which starts at $304.

What is it that makes the Booklet cost so much? (Or, alternately, what is it that makes the Booklet worth so much?)

For starters, the Booklet packs 12 hours – that’s right, 12 – of battery life. It also doesn’t require a cooling fan (read: energy efficient and relatively silent) and has Windows 7 Home Premium as its standard operating system (no other netbook can say the same).

On another note, Apple’s also slated to release a netbook in the near future.

For more information, see Jack Ewing’s Next Up for Nokia: Netbooks, Banking (BusinessWeek)

eRb

Image: “Motherboard” [credit: Darren Robertson] from freedigitalphotos.net

Financial Tips from Suze Orman

The September issue of O features "What Money Has Taught Me About Personal Power" from financial genius Suze Orman :

"Power comes from who you are, not what you are."

"I can't tell you how many times my grandfather would say, 'Suze, they can take your house, they can take your job, they can take your money, they can take your mind, but you can't take your heart. So you have to grow up valuing your own heart, who you are.' My grandfather understood the difference between external and internal power.

"Money has no power of its own."

"You alone are the power source. You are the one who makes the choices to spend money, to save money, to borrow money."

"Self-worth builds net worth."

"I realized we spend more than when we feel less than. [...] If you have credit card debt and no savings, and you feel miserable, don't attribute your woes to not having enough money; instead see the lessons your money is trying to teach you."

"Do what's right, not what's easy."

"To know whether something is right or just easy I turn to my gatekeeper test questions: Is it kind? Is it necessary? Is it true? And I make sure I can answer yes to all three. Is it kind - to me? Is it necessary - to me? Is it true - to me?"

"Ignorance is not bliss where money is concerned."

"Gathering information is important, but at the end of the day you must depend on yourself to synthesize it and make your own informed decisions. Seeking out opinions is smart; blindly following those opinions without thinking through whether they make sense to you - and for you - will leave you drowning in a pool of powerfulness."

"How you respect your possessions says a lot about how you respect yourself."

"If you don't respect what money can buy, you don't respect money. If you don't respect your financial obligations - paying your bills on time, buying only what you actually have the money for, saving for your future - then you don't respect money."

eRb

Image: "Broken Piggy Bank" [credit: Daniel St. Pierre] from freedigitalphotos.net