Salary

When I began my career in journalism, I secretly hoped to find a newsroom that resembled the one on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

The camaraderie with coworkers, the breaking-news excitement, and the pleasant communal atmosphere seemed so attractive. And though I knew nothing about the show was real, I still longed for a similar sense of fun and purpose.

Today I wonder how many budding police detectives feel the same about "The Closer" or magazine editors about "Ugly Betty."

Read More »

By Laura Sinberg

These gaffes can cause women to lose their reputations, promotions and, sometimes, their jobs.

When Marny Lifshen, a 40-year-old Texan and mother of two, began her career as a marketing and PR coordinator at a law firm some 20 years ago, she made a big mistake: not negotiating a fair salary. Her error set a precedent that followed her for nearly two decades.

"To some degree that has limited the amount of money I make today," Lifshen admits. "I didn't have the guts [to ask for more money]. I knew I was worth more."

Read More »

by Leslie Morgan Steiner (Mommy Track'd - Two Cents on Working Motherhood)

I never imagined cute, ditzy Paula Abdul as a feminist. Shame on me for assuming that a Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader and music video diva couldn’t also be strong, smart and gutsy. Because Abdul’s dispute over women’s pay equity – an issue that affects all women in the U.S. and around the world -- seems to be the back story behind last week’s departure from American Idol, eloquently justified by National Public Radio’s Michel Martin and other pundits. Give me an A, Paula!

Celebrity buzz brings another teachable moment for our kids, who can certainly learn an interesting lesson in fairness from the fact that Paula quit because the men on the show were paid far more than she was.

Read More »

According to FinAid.org, the average cost of earning a bachelor's degree is increasing at a rate of 5-8% per year, making a college education quite expensive.

The following tips are designed to dissuade you from skipping college because you think you can't afford it, and to show you some strategies for making higher education expenses fit into your budget .

In Pictures: World's Greatest Investors

Choose Your School

Go to an in-state public school or a public school in a surrounding state that has reciprocity for reduced tuition, which will be much lower than rates at a non-reciprocal out-of-state public school or a private school.

Read More »

When I wrote about searching for salary information online, I missed a new player in that market, Jobnob, which says it has collected and posted salary information on close to three million jobs.

But that’s not what caught my eye about Jobnob. For a site all about making salary information more transparent, the founders are doing something surprising -- encouraging people to work for free.  Just as I’ve been plugging adult internships as a way to build skills, connections and experience, Jobnob has organized happy hours in San Francisco to bring together jobseekers with cash-strapped startups looking for part-time help. Read More »

Problems can crop up when a wife makes more than her husband. Here's how to head off problems before they begin.

Debbie Whitlock says she's very lucky. She and her husband, Pat, own a financial-planning firm in Seattle. A few years ago, Whitlock's side of the business began pulling in more income than her spouse. She traveled a lot on business and found she had less time to contribute to household upkeep and chores. Like many men watching their female partner become more successful, her husband could have been resentful, even jealous. It was a classic setup for a relationship disaster.

Read More »