Archive for the ‘TILE Translations’ Category

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Don’t Give Up!

Wednesday, June 15th, 2011

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(photo credit: Caro Wallis)

Good news, Unemployed College Grads of America. Go get your mom. We’ll wait.

You know how hard it is to find a job these days, even with that fancy (and expensive) college degree? If you read the news, which is what you must be doing with all the free time you have, you might think that your career and your entire future are slowly crumbling with every rejection letter.

But it turns out that this isn’t the first time grads have been stuck in a recession hiring slump. And you know what? The grads who were facing the same problems you’re facing today – in 1982 – mostly turned out okay. They started slow, but eventually opportunities opened up that allowed them to get into their career groove.

So stay smart, friends, and don’t lose faith.

Need another shot in the arm? Let Kathryn and Amanda take you through the virtues of accepting an imperfect first job.

Progress in Genetic Testing Leads to a New Cancer Treatment

Friday, June 10th, 2011

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(photo credit: micahb37)

When you or someone you love develops a terminal illness, you’re often motivated to do everything you can to fight for a cure. But progress can be frustratingly slow, and it can be hard to know which projects and organizations to donate to.

But there’s a new frontier on the fight against cancer, and it’s all due to advances in DNA sequencing. Now cancer researchers are using genetic information about individual patients to engineer targeted treatments – treatments that appear to be more effective than current methods.

The treatment still has to gain FDA approval, but it’s being prioritized because of its potentially revolutionary results.

The fight goes on, of course, but this is a nice reminder that funding research and development really does get results.

If you’re interested in helping out, check out TILE’s partner nonprofits that focus on health. If there’s an organization close to your heart that isn’t listed, just send us a message to let us know.

Tornadoes Make $7 Billion Disappear from Insurance Industry

Thursday, June 9th, 2011


(photo credit: Mike_tn)

Here’s how insurance works for you: Instead of paying $200,000 to rebuild your house after it’s been destroyed in a natural disaster, you pay $200 a year (called a premium) to an insurance company that will cover the whole bill in the event that such an unfortunate thing occurs.

Here’s how insurance works for insurance companies: A lot of people pay you $200 a year for protection against the very unlikely possibility that their house will be destroyed in a natural disaster. You profit.

(Of course, you have a team of people with calculators and maps who spend every single day figuring out the likelihood that your customer’s house will, in fact, be destroyed in a natural disaster. If the odds look good, you’ll either charge them a higher premium or refuse coverage altogether.)

Here’s what happened between May 20th and 27th: Hundreds of tornadoes destroyed $7 billion in property, which the insurance companies now have to pay for. That makes 2011 the most expensive year EVER for these companies.

But… better them than you, right?

Here’s why you need insurance.

Addicted to Risk

Thursday, June 9th, 2011

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(photo credit: jeroen_bennink)

When you have a lot to lose, how likely are you to engage in risky behavior?

Apparently people with a lot of money to lose – people known as “the wealthy” – are pretty likely to take those risks. But not simply because they can afford to lose here and there. Many of them are just hard-wired that way.

At least, according to this study by Barclays Wealth. We definitely don’t endorse trying to make money by taking excessive risk or doing things like trying to time the markets. But, interestingly, neither do the millionaire risk-takers themselves. Most of those who reported trading more often than they should also reported feeling guilty about it – and slightly out of control.

Surprising, right?

What’s your risk tolerance? Find out by taking our Risk Assessment Quiz!

The Way to an Investor’s Heart is Through His Wife’s Closet?

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011


(photo credit: fimoculous)

If you were a major luxury fashion house going public in an attempt to raise $3 billion from Asian investors, would you spend hours working on your investor PowerPoint presentation, or would you wrap a bunch of models in snakeskin and have them walk around at the Plaza Hotel?

Guess which way Prada went?

The Italian company is pursuing an IPO, which means it’s going to sell off pieces of itself to public investors, in Hong Kong this month. In order to woo potential investors, it held a relatively small fashion show for tycoons and their wives and daughters. Female tycoons either didn’t exist or were mysteriously lost in the editing of this WSJ piece about the event.

Prada is valued at $15.7 billion, so with this initial public offering, they’re giving up ownership of almost 20% of the company. But they’ve got to raise that cash somehow if their plans for world fashion domination are going to work out.

In other news, here’s a handy list of some of the biggest IPOs in U.S. history.

Hey, investor. Would YOU be wooed by a runway show?

Being a Billionaire’s Daughter

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011


(© Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images)

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a kid with a horse and a dream and a billion dollar inheritance, now’s your chance to find out. Georgina Bloomberg, the 28-year-old daughter of the mayor of New York City, has just published a young adult book that is technically a work of fiction, but clearly based on her life in the inner circle of Manhattan heiresses.

While it’s not fair to read too far into Georgina’s life based on her book, there are some interesting themes – mostly around the unwanted fame that comes with wealth and good old arguments with dad. What do you do when your father’s fortune allows you to excel at an expensive sport – horse riding – but his business sensibility dismisses it as a career because it doesn’t pay?

It’s kind of nice to see that the tension between parents who want the best for their children and the children who want to follow their bliss is pretty much universal. No matter what your net worth.

Still trying to find your bliss? Watch our interviews with Pretty Young Professional or Ron from CareerCore to get started!

Hot? Take Off Your Suit!

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
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(photo: Lazurite on flickr)

Remember those frigid winter mornings when Dad would tell you to quit whining already and put on a sweater if you were so cold? Well if you haven’t figured it out by now (which, duh), he was trying to save energy (i.e. money) by keeping the thermostat low.

Today, the Japanese government is doing essentially the same thing. But… kookier.

They’re pushing a new program called “Super Cool Biz.” Participating companies are encouraged to save energy by keeping their thermostats set to 82 degrees Fahrenheit this summer. After all, the nation is still trying to manage with reduced energy availability after some of its nuclear power plants were destroyed in the tsunami. But a nice side effect will be lower electricity bills for participating companies and a smaller carbon footprint for the entire nation.

The super cool part? Shorts, sandals, and Hawaiian t-shirts are all suddenly upgraded to “business casual.” We want pictures of super cool board meetings.

How are you staying cool this summer without contributing to a scorched earth?

One More Thing, Before You Go…

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011


(photo credit: bredgur)

It’s not often that the Wall Street Journal writes for readers under 40, but they just published a really good article with financial advice for the pre-college population. Now, we’re not trying to get all parenty on you, but as pseudo-grownups we can assure you that a little planning goes a long way.* (And it really doesn’t take that much time out of your schedule.) Here are some of the points writer Zac Bissonnette makes:

  • > Debt becomes part of your life once you take it on. If you’re planning to use student loans to pay for school, remember that paying back those loans after graduation means part of every paycheck will belong to the bank.
  • > Speaking of paying for college, do you really need to pay for an ivy league degree? Success doesn’t depend on which school you go to – it depends on the effort you put in.
  • > Don’t get sucked in by materialism. The vast majority of people are not rich but still perfectly happy. But there are a lot of forces around you conspiring to make you feel poor and deprived. Tell them to go away.

(TILE Fun Fact: A small amount of debt can actually help you, by rounding out your credit history and boosting your credit score. But ONLY if you use it responsibly – that means pay it off, and never miss a due date.)

The most important question you need to ask yourself is this: What is this college degree really going to cost me, in terms of my dreams? Maybe you’d like to travel the world after graduation, or take an entry-level job in the nonprofit sector, or buy your first house before you’re thirty. Massive debt can really screw up your plans, so plan accordingly.

* For example, if you chose to invest $1,000 at age 18 and earned a paltry 3% return, you could have $3,500 waiting for you when you’re 60. (And by the time you’re 60, 60 will be the new 30.) All that with absolutely no effort. Well, you do have to take an hour to invest that $1,000 when you’re 18. See what we mean about planning?

Play with your own numbers to see what a little investment today can earn you: Compound Interest Calculator

Would you like a tax write-off with that sandwich?

Friday, May 20th, 2011

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© 1999-2011 Panera, LLC. All rights reserved

“The lesson here is most people are fundamentally good,” [Panera founder and Chairman Ronald] Shaich said. “People step up and they do the right thing.”

The “right thing,” in this case, is choosing to pay the full retail price (or more) for a bagel at one of Panera Bread’s pay-what-you-want restaurants. These locations are nonprofit, and “prices” are actually just suggested donations. Any money left over after paying the utility bills and workers’ salaries (i.e. overhead) goes to Panera’s charitable foundation.

This is genius for two reasons:

1. Amazing PR for Panera

2. Combining hunger and peer pressure to make people donate to your charity

Seems like it’s getting easier every day to spend money. Is this the new philanthropy? Are $10 text donations just the start? Anything that gets people to donate more money to good organizations is progress in our book.

You have to wonder, though. Is this kind of giving the way you really want to spend your donation dollars? Impulse giving is kind of like impulse shopping – it will probably make you feel good about yourself at the moment (especially if you just ate a delicious sandwich), but it doesn’t usually reflect who you are or where your values lie.

And it definitely goes against the sage advice to do your homework before you give someone your money.

How Not to Make Major Financial Decisions

Thursday, May 19th, 2011


(photo credit: BaronBrian)

Looks like wealthy Russians (and, yes, wealthy lunatics everywhere) are spending their nest eggs on underground apocalypse-proof nests. After all, the world is scheduled to be laid to waste on December 12, 2012. Or May 21, 2011. Depending on which irrefutable evidence you’re looking at.

But this seems like as good a time as ever to point out that basing your financial strategy on the ancient Mayan calendar is probably about as smart as trying to time the market. Base human emotions – fear, anxiety, and greed, for example – don’t mix well with financial transactions. (See Frank Murtha talk about it if you don’t believe us.)

Wait. Can you time the market?

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