It appears the economic woes of recent years haven’t led to a whole lot of belt-tightening at home. According to the Federal Reserve’s latest statistics, Americans carry $2.4 trillion in unsecured debt. That includes credit cards and personal loans. By itself, the average credit card debt per cardholder is hovering around $6,000. The numbers might not mean much, until you focus on a single, typical household that’s participating in the nation’s indebtedness. Mom and dad are unlikely to be … [Read more...] about Fighting the Current of Consumer Spending and Debt
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Of Course!
Whenever colleagues from abroad tell me they are planning a trip to the east coast, I urge them to add Arizona as a detour destination. “We have the Grand Canyon,” I tell them. “If this is your only trip, you can’t leave without taking one look.” Those who make the trek are eternally grateful. There’s just no describing the Grand Canyon and no photo or film can ever do it justice. A good strategy is sort of like the Grand Canyon. Expounding at length never really does the trick and that big … [Read more...] about Of Course!
Captain, May I ?
Remember the game we all played as kids, where to make a move, you had to wait for direction and then ask for permission? It seems like a lesson many of us learned well enough to carry into our adulthood and professions. But recently, a friend shared that she and her husband will be following their dream and passion to open a new restaurant in town. And since then, I have been mulling the question of courage. It takes a good deal of courage to go out on your own and leave the security of a … [Read more...] about Captain, May I ?
What if Kathleen Battle Were a Market Economy?
When it comes to the market (one is tempted to write The Market), we speak as if it is an entity with “a mind and a morality of its own,” writes Bernhard E. Harcourt in The Illusion of Free Markets. Philosophers call this a category mistake – that is talking about a thing in one category as if it belongs to another. Even if we know the market isn’t a person or a thing you could meet walking on the street, we have the unfortunate tendency to talk as if we might. The market has “needs” (don’t we … [Read more...] about What if Kathleen Battle Were a Market Economy?
Work–The Gift That Keeps Giving
If you missed Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin (Penguin Books), when it was first released last June, there’s still time to make it part of your January list of resolutions. In fact, as our economy hiccups back to life in the new year, and employers realize it is okay to start hiring again, Godin’s book offers hope that, with the right attitude, you’ll be hopping right on board that gravy train as soon as it whistles its way into Flagstaff. The message is simple enough. In today’s work world, … [Read more...] about Work–The Gift That Keeps Giving
