Work + Money

By Katy Barnato, CNBC.com

Declining marriage rates may be harming the U.S. economy, according to a report by brokerage firm ConvergEx, which draws a correlation between fewer couples tying the knot and falling personal income growth.

In a report on Monday, ConvergEx said personal income growth in the U.S. stood at 2.9 percent per year in 2010, under half the 50-year average of 5.9 percent.

The report's authors Nicholas Colas, Beth Reed and Sarah Millar noted marriage rates among the general population have fallen sharply during the same time period, with only 56 percent of American adults currently married, versus 72 percent in 1970.

As a result, fewer men are benefiting from the "marriage wage premium" - the term coined by labor economists to describe the phenomenon whereby married men earn between 10 and 50 percent more than those who are single (the same does not apply for women). Economists disagree as to the reasons why, but some suggest marriage results in lifestyle chan

...Read More »

Today, many of us are thinking, I'll never be able to stop working, and for good reason: In the 1970s, most Americans working full-time had access to pensions, which promised payments (after a certain number of working years) of up to 100% of your salary for nearly the rest of your life. That was on top of Social Security benefits. Today, only around 20% of Americans have access to a pension plan, and that percentage continues to decrease. But don't panic: What's required is a retirement rethink. By changing your expectations somewhat - and altering your saving and spending habits - you can have a secure and comfortable life after age 65.

Old Think: Retirement means I'll never have to work again

While for the lucky few with a large pension, this may hold true, those older than 65 are the fastest-growing group of workers - more than 7 million Americans over 65 are employed. This may be due to financial necessity in some cases, but also as we live longer, age 65 seems less lik

...Read More »

Halloween costumes, candy, decorations -- the cost is frightening. People even buy specialized trick-or-treat bags, for heaven's sake!

Back in my day, I roamed neighborhoods more than a mile away from home with a handful of friends. As long as I was back before 9 p.m., I was free to gather as much candy as I could shoulder.

Purchasing a costume was not an option that my mother entertained. Her thinking went like this: Halloween is a holiday where people you don't know give you for free what kids desire most -- candy. So don't tell me you can't find one hour to put together a costume to entertain them. I believed that if I dared to ask her to buy me a costume, she would reply, "You want free candy and for me to buy you a costume?"

My mother believes in earning rewards.So our Halloween costumes were homemade, except for the one year I persuaded my grandmother to buy me a jailbird costume. It was shiny and perfect in the package, but when I opened it I discovered flimsy polyester ma

...Read More »

By Duncan Niederauer, CEO, NYSE Euronext

You're more a communicator than a strategist a lot of times.

In a funny way, getting people to galvanize around a strategy is the easier part. The pressure comes when you realize that if you get it wrong or don't deliver, you're impacting the lives of a lot of individuals. I see it at our town-hall meetings - people translating what's going on to how's it going to impact them. And that's human nature, by the way. That's okay. They have a wife or a husband and kids to take care of.

When I say that I want a diverse management team, everybody assumes it's the classic metrics, gender and race. That's absolutely critical, but it's not enough of the answer. You don't want it to be the Friends of the CEO Club. We set out to build a team of people who had different experiences, had been to different places - they have scar tissue. It makes it more interesting, and it shows that you don't have to be tight with the CEO to get ahead.

Are

...Read More »

Working from home has its benefits and drawbacks. It allows for a great amount of flexibility, a personalized work environment, and there's no need to adhere to a business-y dress code. But the flexibility that comes from working at home can also mean more distractions, less productivity...and oftentimes less showers. Here's a list of 7 things to avoid when working from home. - By Carolyn Castiglia

MORE ON BABBLE

10 ways to save money when you're working from home

The 5 wackiest, weirdest offices in the world

8 vintage job-training tips that scream sexism

...Read More »