In French, laissez-faire means “leave alone.” In finance, laissez-faire refers to an economy or industry that is left to work on its own without the government making rules about what people can and can’t do.
Laissez-faire is…
May 16th, 2011Here’s Why You Need Insurance
May 16th, 2011Insurance is one of the least interesting things we can think of. We don’t even like typing the word. But you know what? There are some really good reasons why it’s really important.
Allow Jessica Serbin, Senior Vice President at Willis, to school you in less than two minutes:
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It’s the Enthusiastic Youngsters Who Will Be Fired First
May 13th, 2011
(credit: kevindooley)
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg just announced a budget that will require 4,100 public school teachers to be laid off. That’s pretty tough news for a city with a challenging (to say the least) public school system. But what’s even tougher is the way those unlucky teachers will be chosen.
We’ve written before about the last-in-first-out rule (LIFO). In New York, the law says that teachers must be fired in reverse order of when they were hired. That means that an idealistic 24-year old with enough energy to start her career in an overcrowded, underfunded public school in the Bronx is more likely to be fired than an underperforming veteran.
What’s interesting is that many of the young teachers who are set to be laid off are actually participants in programs (like Teach for America and NYC Teaching Fellows) designed to bring new energy and drive INTO the public schools.
Well, there goes that idea. How do you think the public education system can be improved?
It’s the Enthusiastic Youngsters Who Will Be Fired First
May 13th, 2011
(credit: kevindooley)
New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg just announced a budget that will require 4,100 public school teachers to be laid off. That’s pretty tough news for a city with a challenging (to say the least) public school system. But what’s even tougher is the way those unlucky teachers will be chosen.
We’ve written about the last-in-first-out rule before (LIFO). In New York, the law says that teachers must be fired in reverse order of when they were hired. That means that an idealistic 24-year old with enough energy to start her career in an overcrowded, underfunded public school in the Bronx is more likely to be fired than an underperforming veteran.
What’s interesting is that many of the young teachers who are set to be laid off are actually participants in programs (like Teach for America and NYC Teaching Fellows) designed to bring new energy and drive INTO the public schools.
Well, there goes that idea. How do you think the public education system can be improved?
Is education a favorite cause of yours? Do you know what is? Visit Your Causes to start figuring it out!
Does traveling (or living) well have to mean spending a lot of money?
May 12th, 2011
(credit: notsogoodphotography)
We read the Frugal Traveler section of the New York Times from time to time, though frugality is not something all our members are familiar with. But today’s article about spending a weekend in Rio de Janeiro for less than $100 sounded like a lot of fun. The kind of fun you might miss if you spent, say, $2,000 instead.
In this case, the writer has an amazing experience for less than a Benjamin because he’s open to new (and potentially uncomfortable) experiences. So why not make it a point to travel the road less recently paved now and then?
Think about what you really want. Is spending the only way to get it? Is brand-name really worth more to you than generic? Can you see as much of a new city from a high-rise as you can from the street?
Now take a look at your spending habits – what do you spend most of your money on? Is that what makes you happy?
Does traveling (or living) well have to mean spending a lot of money?
May 12th, 2011
(credit: notsogoodphotography)
We read the Frugal Traveler section of the New York Times from time to time, though frugality is not something all our members are familiar with. But today’s article about spending a weekend in Rio de Janeiro for less than $100 sounded like a lot of fun. The kind of fun you might miss if you spent $2,000 instead.
In this case, the writer has an amazing experience for less than a Benjamin because he’s open to new (and potentially uncomfortable) experiences. So why not make it a point to travel the road less recently paved now and then?
Think about what you really want. Is spending the only way to get it? Is brand-name really worth more to you than generic? Can you see as much of a new city from a high-rise as you can from the street?
Now take a look at your Spend page – what do you spend most of your money on? Is that what makes you happy?
Announcment: Finovate – Check!
May 12th, 2011TILE’s CEO has revealed our new Financial Identity Profile at FinovateSpring. Check out the video here, and the press release here.
Google Diversifies Its Empire…
May 11th, 2011
(credit: Sougent Harrop)
…with robot cars!
We’re always prattling on about the importance of diversification around here. You know, the “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” philosophy, applied to your investment portfolio. (If you don’t believe us that a diverse portfolio is the way to go, take the Timing the Markets Challenge!)
Well the same principle can apply to all areas of life – baskets of eggs, for example, or Internet empires like Google’s. They’ve been branching out from their humble search engine roots for years (email, document sharing, voicemail), but now they’re taking it to the streets. With robot cars.
Robot cars, as you might imagine, are currently illegal on U.S. roads. But if Google does a good job lobbying the Nevada legislature, then Sin City may become the first market for automated overlords vehicles.
Hey, if the Internet implodes some day, at least they’ll have something to fall back on.
Announcement: iPhone App
May 11th, 2011Announcing the first SPEND.GROW.GIVE. app for iPhone and iTouch. Now members can bring their SPEND.GROW.GIVE. accounts with them wherever they go!
Announcement: FinovateSpring
May 10th, 2011TILE is proud to be debuting our next big thing at FinovateSpring this Wednesday, May 11th!