Blog Posts by CNBC

By Liza Jansen, special contributor for CNBC.com

. Does being a mother of nine, overseeing investments of over 47 billion pounds, and advocating to get more women in boardrooms at the same time sound implausible?

Not for Helena Morrissey, who's daily routine consists of overseeing the logistics of a large family, being the chief executive of asset management firm BNY Mellon-owned Newton Investment Management, and managing the 30 Percent Club, which aims to have women sitting on the boards of 30 percent of all FTSE-listed companies by 2015.

Morrissey says the push for greater female representation on boards is having some success.
"Almost half of all new appointments are going to women, which, in the current economic context, is about as much as we can head for at this stage," Morrissey told CNBC. "We've almost had no change in four years up to the end of 2010, with women holding 12 percent of FTSE 100 board positions. This number now stands at nearly 17 percent."

Morrissey says the

By Valerie Patriarca, CNBC.com

There are over 2 million weddings a year with 93 percent beginning with a diamond engagement ring, but picking the perfect ring is no easy task.

The average cost of a diamond engagement ring is $5,200, and most of the money spent on the ring goes toward the center stone.

TheKnot.com tells CNBC that there are four important qualities an individual should be looking for when shopping for a diamond engagement ring: cut, color, clarity and carat.

There are several different diamond cuts that vary in shape and size. The most popular cut is the round diamond, with just over half choosing it for their fiancé.

The second most popular is the princess cut, which looks like a square.

While most chose a crystal clear diamond, there are many who chose a non-traditional yellow or blue diamond. However, in either case, the clarity and quality of the diamond is extremely important. In fact, according to an annual survey conducted by the

By Stephanie Dhue, CNBC.com

As the kids head back to school, the stress of the college application process isn't far behind. The costs and complexities of college today have some parents turning to educational consultants for help.

For a fee, these counselors help students select schools that fit their talents and navigate the admissions system. This typically involves face-to-face meetings to set goals and deadlines, understand the testing system and reviewing college essays. (Related: Why College May Not Be Worth It.)

Margy Caccia started using College Coach, a division of Bright Horizons, when her daughter, Elizabeth, was a high school sophomore and their son, Joe, was a junior. Elizabeth is now a graduate of the University of Virginia and Joe is in his second year at James Madison University.

Margy, a Virginia teacher and her husband, a lawyer, found it helpful to have an independent third party in the mix. "Having another adult talk to them about their future just seemed to

By Javier E. David, CNBC.com

German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops Forbes' list of the world's 100 most powerful women for the second-consecutive year, and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is No. 2.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel In a world where politics and economics have become increasingly intertwined, it may come as no surprise that seven of the top 10 slots on Forbes' ninth-annual list are occupied by government officials.

Still, the roster of marquee names released Wednesday runs across a range of industries including business, media, non-profits and finance. According to Forbes, the 25 chief executives on the list oversee companies with nearly $1 trillion in revenues.

Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff, leader of Latin America's largest economy, comes in at No. 3. Rounding out the top five are philanthropist Melinda Gates, wife of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and Jill Abramson, executive editor of The New York Times.

Merkel, charged with the Sisyphean task of preventing Europe from fracturing

By Colleen Kane, CNBC.com

Projects geared toward the homeowner's particular tastes, like the addition of a home music studio, have the least positive effect on asking price. Some home renovations pay off at a much better rate than others, according to a report from ISoldMyHouse.com, a for-sale-by-owner website.

"Projects geared toward the homeowner's particular tastes, like the addition of a home music studio, have the least positive effect on asking price," says Owen Gilman, President of ISoldMyHouse.com. "Projects that most anyone can appreciate, such as a revamped bathroom, tend to boost sales price the most."

Bryan Laing, director of brand strategy at the marketing firm Crack, invested $100,000 revamping his 1928 bungalow in Portland, Ore. last year. "The sexy stuff," says Laing, was the new kitchen, bathroom, refinished hardwood floors, repainted interior, new patio and landscaping.

The upgrades also covered some "not as sexy, functional stuff," like new siding and exterior paint, a new roof, and updated windows, insulation, plumbing and furnace.

Laing purchased the house for $270,000 in 2009, and he reports it was

By Amanda Orley, CNBC.com

Have you ever eyed a movie star on the cover of a magazine and thought, "I wish I could afford that outfit."

Rent the Runway, a website started by two Harvard Business School classmates, makes that possible.

Jennifer Fleiss, 28, and Jennifer Hyman, 31, created Rent the Runway in 2009. Their goal was to provide women with "aspirational products from top designers that a woman otherwise wouldn't be able to afford" says Fleiss. Today, Rent the Runway has over 2.5 million members and has raised over $30 million in funding.

The concept is simple. Create an account for free on Rent the Runway's website for access to over 25,000 dresses and 4,000 accessories. Shoppers can rent a dress (and a second size for free) for four or eight days at a time at prices ranging from $30-$250. Additional fees apply for the eight-day rental period. To return the dress, you simply package it into the enclosed pre-paid envelope and drop it in any USPS blue mailbox-no dry cleaning

By Cindy Perman, CNBC.com

Stressed out at work? Take a number.

Nearly three-fourths (73 percent) of American workers are stressed out by at least one thing at work, according to Everest College's 2012 Work Stress Survey conducted by Harris Interactive.
You know what gets on people's last nerve the most?

Gahhhhhh! That just makes my blood boil. Yup - not getting paid enough. Some 11 percent of those surveyed cited pay as their biggest source of stress, followed by annoying co-workers (10 percent), commuting (9 percent), unreasonable workload (9 percent), and working in a job that isn't their chosen career (8 percent).

"[A] moderately improving economic landscape and lower unemployment numbers have not yet eased anxiety in the workplace and Americans are still, more than ever, concerned about their job situation," said John Swartz, the regional director of career services at Everest College.

Other sources of stress included poor work-life balance (5 percent), lack of opportunity for advancement (5 percent), and the boss

By Robert Frank, CNBC.com

First came Paris Hilton. Then the documentary about heirs of the One Percent, "Born Rich," and MTV's series "My Super Sweet 16." Now comes the dot-com version of silver-spoon voyeurism: "The Rich Kids of Instagram."

The blog on Tumblr features photos set in gilded frames of rich kids and wanna-bes in various states of excess, undress and indulgence, and ever since its launch last month, "The Rich Kids of Instagram" has touched off a firestorm of debate over rich kids and social media.

One shot shows three teens swimming at a lake - and pouring Dom Perignon into one other's mouths. Another shows a guy sticking a giant foam finger out of his Ferrari, while in another kids slide down a giant inflatable slide attached to the side of their mega-yacht.

The site also marks the debut of a whole new genre: "receipt porn." Some posts consist of a photograph of a 100,000-euro meal receipt from St. Tropez or a $42,000 bar bill.

Dom Perignon also features prominently