I don’t work in an office. I work from home and have been able to avoid office politics for a long time. There are many reasons that I’m glad for that but I’m particularly glad about it now because the recession has changed the mood in most offices. At least that’s what it sounds like from what my friends and acquaintances have been reporting from their own experiences in the 9-5 world.

What I keep hearing is that there is a climate of fear in most offices today. Employees are worried about layoffs and cutbacks in hours. There are a lot of closed-door meetings. Employers are scared of what’s going to happen and how to navigate their businesses through these tough times without adding to the climate of fear.

This has changed the way that people are acting in the office. Productivity levels have changed. Work habits have changed. Relationships in the office have change. And people feel really unsettled and unstable and unsure of what’s going on at work which makes everyone a little bit uncomfortable there.

It’s not all bad. There are some companies, particularly small ones, that have been able to create a climate of comradeship in the office and to foster the notion that working together to get through this can be a way to strengthen the core of the business. However, there are also a lot of businesses that either can’t or won’t approach the problem in this way. It’s a scary time and I have to confess that I’m a little bit glad not to be enmeshed in it on a daily basis.

Tags: business, economy, kathryn vercillo, office, people, productivity, recession, work

Everyone is talking about trying to save money these days. People are cutting back in all areas of their lives in order to adapt to the recession that we’re in. But the thing about money is that some people are just naturally better at earning it than others. There are some people out there who are leveraging the recession to their advantage and actually making money off of the fact that the economy is in a bad position.

For example, there are coupon queens out there who are earning an income for their ability to tell others how to save money. Through their blogs and lectures, they are getting people to pay them for advice on the things that they do every day to reduce their own spending. It’s a smart way to approach the recession and also an ironic one; they have people spend money on learning how to save money.

Other businesses are doing well because of the recession even they aren’t actually marketing themselves as being able to help people in this time. Businesses that supply churches with products (such as communion wafers) are seeing profits climb because more people are going to church in these tough times. It’s an interesting phenomenon; some businesses always have to thrive in any situation.

People who are having a tough time right now may want to ask themselves where they can make changes that can take advantage of the position that we’re in. If you can identify a way that the recession can be a money-earning asset in your line of work then you can ride the wave of these economic troubles and perhaps even make a profit doing it.

Tags: business, earn money, economy, income, kathryn vercillo, money, recession, save money

The recession is doing strange things to people. It’s causing many different types of changes – some positive and some negative. One of the things that seems to be affected greatly is relationships. People are handling dating, marriage and discussions about money differently than they did in the past.

For some people, this has been a good thing. Couples that are facing the recession head-on together may be strengthening their relationship as a result of undergoing these tough times as a team. Unfortunately, that’s not how everyone is handling this situation.

There are quite a few couples out there that find their relationship impacted by the recession in a negative way. They are fighting about money. They are fighting about things unrelated to money because they’re stressed out by their finances. They are letting the recession tear them apart instead of allowing it to bring them together.

At the end of this difficult economic time, we are going to see that the way we dealt with the recession says a lot about who we are and the lives that we lead. Those couples who opt to make use of this time to bring themselves closer could be the ones that end up having positive life-long relationships.

Tags: dating, economy, marriage, money, Personal Finance, recession, Relationships

A look through recent real estate news and headlines suggests that now may be the ideal time to purchase a home. However, there are some pros and cons to take into consideration before making this purchase right now.

Positive reasons to purchase a home right now include:

• Mortgage rates are lower than ever before. This is particularly true in certain states. For example, CT mortgage rates are really good so it may make sense to buy a home in CT.
• Home prices are low but may be going up soon. This could be the peak time to buy in terms of the cost of the house.
• Real estate, although shaky right now, remains one of the best types of investment you can make.

Negative things to consider before purchasing a home right now:

• Most people are still dealing with unstable income. It doesn’t matter how good a deal is if you can’t afford it which is something to think about before strapping yourself to a mortgage.
• The predicted trends in the market could be incorrect; mortgage rates and home values may still go lower than now although that’s unlikely.
• It is difficult to say which areas are best to buy in since we don’t know where home values are most likely to rise in the years to come.

There are some strong reasons for buying a home right now but it’s still a serious thing to think carefully about before investing.

Tags: buy a home, ct mortgage rates, economy, housing, housing market, market, mortgage, real estate

Now is a really great time to invest in real estate if you can find a way to do so. That is because housing values around the nation have begun to stabilize and are likely to start climbing again soon. At the same time, mortgage rates have probably reached their best offers yet and are not likely to get significantly better in the months to come. This means that right now is ideal since housing costs are at their lowest and mortgage rates are at their best.

A look at Connecticut mortgage rates reflects this general trend nationwide. Mortgage rates in CT are at an all-time best. This is particularly true for 30-year-mortgage rates. All predictions indicate that rates in the state will not improve (or if they do, it will be an insignifcant improvement) in the months to come. This means that if you can manage to qualify for a mortgage then it’s the best time ever to do so.

At the same time, home values in Connecticut are at an all-time low. This means that you can get a great deal on a mortgage for a home that is a really great price. However, this convergence of two ideal trends isn’t likely to last for long. What will happen is that people will jump on the trend and begin purchasing housing. This will create new competition in the CT real estate market and therefore housing costs in the area will rise. Even if CT mortgage rates stay low, the corresponding increase in housing will diminish the true value of the good deal.

Connecticut isn’t the only state that is seeing this situation. It just happens to be a state that serves as a good example of what’s going on around the nation. That’s because the real estate market there has been less impacted by bank-owned housing sales than other states so its housing economy is more accurate in terms of what’s to come than would be seen in states where bank sales are currently high.

Tags: - ct mortgage, connecticut mortgage, connecticut mortgage rates, economy, finance, home sales, housing, mortgage, mortgage rates, mortgage rates in ct, Personal Finance, real estate

Most of the time I’m not someone who is a fan of newly coined phrases. The reason for this is that I think they’re a trendy way to describe something that already has a name which is totally adequate. However, there are exceptions to this. One exception is the term innerpreneur.

The word innerpreneur is, in some ways, a new word for entrepreneur. However, it describes something that is distinctly different from entrepreneurship and something that doesn’t have another name that I know of. For that reason, I think it’s a word that has value.

An innerpreneur is defined as someone who decides to launch their own business but who is motivated by very specific reasons for doing so. Those reasons have to do with a true desire to start a business that is going to be constantly challenge and to allow for the individual’s own personal growth. The innerpreneur is also interested in creating social change with his or her work. And he or she is uniquely capable of identifying opportunities in society that allow for this to happen.

I think that innerpreneur is a great word to describe a segment of entrepreneurs in today’s society. I also think that the current economy is great for innerpreneurs. We’re in a time when we really need people to be creative and forward thinking in a way that is good for the whole instead of just the individual. Hopefully there are some people out there who will rise to the challenge!

Tags: business, creative, economy, entrepreneur, innerpreneur, innerpreneurship, people, small business, start a business

I have been reading a bunch of interesting news articles online lately about divorce rates and the current economy. It’s interesting stuff because it seems to be this nasty cycle.

On the one hand, the poor economy is causing a lot of stress in marriages which means that there are a lot of couples interested in getting divorced right now. On the other hand, divorce is expensive. It’s complicated by the fact that couples usually own houses together and this is definitely not a good time to sell a house which is what usually happens in a divorce. So even though more people may want to get divorced, it’s actually a really bad time to do that.

Fascinating stuff. In my opinion, it’s a bad idea to make a decision about something as huge as divorce when you’re going through tough times because of other things. A marriage will go through rough times and getting through them together can really serve to strengthen your relationships.

Take a look at my two newest articles on this topic: How to Avoid Divorcing Because of the Economy and How to Delay Divorce Until the Economy Improves. Then come back and let me know what you think about those tips and whether you have any additional advice for people who are thinking about the pros and cons of divorcing in these rough economic times.

Tags: divorce, divorce rates, economy, finance, marriage, news, problems, Relationships

The changes in the economy are affecting every single industry out there. However, different industries (and different segments within industries) are being impacted in very different ways. Whereas some types of businesses are really going under, others are hanging in there and a few (like businesses supplying churches with products and services) are actually doing well in the new economy.

As someone who researches and writes regularly about the mobile phone market, it has been really interesting to see how this industry has been affected by the change in the economy. People still need mobile phones but they’re making different (smarter) choices about which handsets to buy and how to take care of them so that they last longer.

Certain segments of the mobile phone industry are thriving (application downloads, mobile VoIP services) whereas others are having trouble (handset sales in general are down, for example). Learn more about the many changes from my recent article entitled 10 Changes the Economy is Causing for Mobile Phones.

Tags: business, economy, finance, mobile phones, wireless industry