As our parents and those slightly their senior begin to retire and leave the workforce, the dynamics at the workplace will start to change. This will give our generation options and opportunities that our parents didn’t have. The main factor in this will be the great change in total workforce size and also changing perceptions of society.

Payscale.com published an article discussing what the retirement of the baby boomers means for us.

There are about 78 million boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, and as they begin hitting retirement age-the first wave turns 65 in 2011-experts anticipate workforce shortages. Read More

There is a great article in this month’s Men’s Health on reaching our goals of success. Whether it’s “happiness, freedom, or a bank account full of f-you money,” success is something we are all striving for. They identified five virtues that they considered the pillars of success: ambition, intuition, focus, courage, and leadership.

These qualities can help you reach your goal, whether you’re trying to build a hundred-million-dollar software firm or open an old-school diner out on the four-lane.
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As we start settling into full time jobs, many of us start packing on the weight. Being that there is a health fair going on today here at work, I figure I’d write about weight. Many of my friends worry about being overweight, or upset that they can’t get rid of that pudge. However, most of them just go by weight and BMI. I think that they are missing out on an important measurement–body fat.
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After seeing all those Bentleys, Ferraris, and Aston Martins in Chicago, I had an urge to go car shopping. Of course, no bank in their right mind would lend me money for such craziness, but it led me to wonder, how do you put a ceiling on car spending? Obviously it is related to your income, but I didn’t know what other factors were involved. So…time for the search.

The good ol’ friendly and efficient (ahem) Department of Motor Vehicles has a nice how-to for creating a car budget. Read More

I’ve always hated how people would always say you should only work at a job you love, because the chances of me finding a job I love is about as high as winning the lottery. For those of you who love what you do, consider yourselves blessed. Unfortunately, the rest of us need to make sacrifices doing what we don’t necessarily enjoy in order to live our lifestyles, but sometimes we might be sacrificing just a bit too much. Knowing when to say enough is enough is just as important to your career as finding the right job and it can be useful to recognize the signs that your job just isn’t for you.
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Spring has finally arrived (and hopefully to stay), which means summer will soon be here. Looking around, people are starting to show more skin as the weather is warming up, but no one wants to see that pasty winter pudge. For many 20-somethings, metabolism has started to slow, and weight increasing as a result. In efforts to combat the usual excuses for not exercising and to help you get in shape for mating season, here’s some info that can kick you back into an exercise program. Read More

-I don’t have time.
-The weather is bad.
-Gyms are expensive.
-I’m so out of shape I’ll be embarrassed at the gym.
-I don’t know how to exercise.
-My gym is always crowded.
-There’s a hottie at my gym, and if I go she’ll see how pasty and scrawny I am.
-I could hurt myself.
-I’m too out of shape to get back in shape. Round’s a shape, too.
A lot of people I know, including myself, worry about not getting enough exercise or not exercising at all. This is especially a concern once we have responsibilities like work or a family. However, while not exercising is causing guilt, worry, and other anxieties, many aren’t pro-actively taking any steps to deal with the issue. Read More

I think personal satisfaction is very important. Most of us have been told since a young age the adage, “Money can’t buy happiness.” To me that didn’t make too much sense; I bet a starving man on the street living in a recycled box would love that $5 to buy some good eats (or booze). While I do see the point of the proverb, I did not think it was completely valid.

The Gallup Poll recently conducted a survey of over 1000 random Americans, over the age of 18. They concluded from the study that

“while money may not buy happiness, those with greater household incomes are more likely to report higher levels of personal satisfaction and happiness than those with less income.”

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