Dory Devlin, Shine staff’s Blog

Banks and financial institutions are in a funny position. Not a funny ha ha position, but a funny how-do-we-handle this kind of position. They know women hold the keys to a lot of their business, yet they have trouble reaching us with the right message. Read More »

Yes, it's a slow housing market. We know that, and if you've been trying to sell a home in this down market, you definitely know it. Housing prices were down 7.7 percent nationwide in the first quarter of 2008 over a year ago, and foreclosures could hit 2.5 million this year. It's a buyer's market, but that doesn't mean it's an easy market.

With foreclosures rife, it may seem like a no-brainer way to score a good price on an available house. But buying a foreclosure requires lots of homework, patience and good timing. Read More »

As women, we give every day to everyone around us, but if we don't start giving to ourselves more we won't have enough money to take care of ourselves (let alone loved ones) into retirement.

Now that's not groundbreaking news, but it's still worth writing about every time a new study emerges to show that women earn less, save less yet live longer than men. Read More »

It was only a matter of time. Someone was bound to match social networking with the ever-expanding need for affordable college loans as college tuition continues to rise faster than inflation and salaries.

GreenNote launched in June to do just that. You've probably heard of micro-lending sites such as Kiva, which pairs small loans ($25 and up) from individuals with entrepreneurs in developing countries. GreenNote applies that approach to college students, allowing them to reach out to friends and family who may want to lend $100 and up at rates comparable to federal Stafford loans. Read More »

Admit it. Some days you really, really want to know what your co-workers are getting paid, even if you think you are being paid a fair salary that matches your experience and hews closely to the industry norm. Yep, we all want to know we're valued as much as the next gal, and that our fair salary is truly fair.

Web sites like Salary.com, Vault.com and SalaryExpert.com are helping take the guesswork out of salary ranges. Use them to get a good gauge of where your salary fits within your industry. And if you happen to find out what a co-worker at your level makes, too, use that in the mix of information to help you decide what you think your fair pay should be. But don't take those numbers and run into your boss' office demanding more money because a colleague gets more. Read More »

Good Housekeeping Features Editor Sarah Felix offers some tips on saving for college because it's never too early to start.




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Oh, it was a good weekend, wasn't it? An extra day to not work, relax, maybe read a book that you didn't want to put down. If only you could read a chapter at work...

Lots of workers have become adept at minimizing screens when sneaking in a few rounds of Scrabulous, and many employers have become adept at blocking out web sites that employees wing their way to during surfing breaks. But new ways to goof off on the office PC keep turning up, and Read at Work is one of them. Read More »