March Edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival- Part 2

Welcome to the March edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival- Part 2 (you can find Part 1 here). As stated in Part 1, there are well over 100 again, so we decided to publish the March edition in installments. Because the majority of the submissions were about Finance & Money, we've decided to put those at the end of this post. Most of the articles mentioned in our blog carnivals provide useful and/or entertaining information but occasionally there might be an article where a certain degree of risk or controversy exists and our readers will need to ultimately to decide if they agree or wish to follow the advice held within the articles. The goal of The Family Life Blog Carnival is to provide articles that can help you improve and enjoy the various facets of your family life, as we try to provide a wide variety of articles to do just that but it isn't always possible for Systems-Overload to test or verify every bit of all the articles, so please give proper consideration before buying anything or doing anything that might seem risky. Thank you to everyone that submitted articles. If you have any comments about this edition or have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see in future editions, why not leave a comment? If you find any of the submissions interesting or useful, why not share them with family and friends, and we wouldn't mind if you spread the word about Systems-Overload either).

Health

Concerning Kids presents Helping Your Healthy Child Stay Fit For Life posted at Concerning Kids.


Dan Levin presents Tips For Hypochondriacs posted at Battle Anxiety, saying "Six self-help tips for people who worry too much about their help."


Sarah McCurdy presents Causes Of Childhood Obesity posted at Health Log, saying "In the United States, more than one child in five is overweight and this number continues to grow every year. Just in the last two decades this number has grown by more than 50 percent and the number of “obese” children has doubled!"

Dennis Dalton presents Children and Eating Disorders posted at Simple Personal Development and Growth.

Kiddie & Family Activities

Carole DeJarnatt presents Why, Oh Why, Do I Raise Chickens? posted at Fowl Visions.


Kathryn presents Top 10 Dog Breeds for Families posted at Kathryn Vercillo on HubPages, saying "How to choose the right kind of for a home that has kids."


Condo Blues presents How to Make a T Shirt Quilt posted at Condo Blues, sayings "When life gives you too many t-shirts - make a quilt!"


Shortcut Sleuth presents Snowy or Rainy Day Activities for Tweens and Teens posted at Shortcut Sleuth, saying "This article contains some great ways to keep your older kids entertained on rainy or snowy days and provides some great family activities, too!"


Rose presents Making Fabulous Paper Flowers with Tissue Paper posted at Fine Craft Guild .com, saying "For kids 5 and up and up.... Take only minutes to create and they look real pro. Can be made of paper napkins or other tissue paper. Excellent illustrated tutorial that will make you want to make some of your own!"

Woman Tribune presents Bella Sara Expands Line with Treasures Series & Mini Horses Collection posted at Woman Tribune.

Chris presents The Great Sunflower Project - free seeds! posted at Smith Family Garden, saying "Free Sunflower seeds for your garden! The Great Sunflower Project wants to determine areas where bee numbers are critically low. You can help and get free seeds in the process."

Parenting

Kevin presents Teaching Children Consideration posted at More4kids.


Pregnancy Advisor presents Essential Newborn Baby Supplies to Have On-hand posted at Pregnancy Hut - Week By Week Pregnancy Calendar, saying "Expecting a new addition to your family can be both an exciting and stressful time in your life. There are many things you'll need to do to prepare for."


Vince Scordo presents Calling All Parents: Establish A Financial Foundation For Your Children posted at Vince Scordo.


Becca presents What to tell your kids about suffering and injustice in the world posted at Inspiration for Mothers . Com.


Tracey presents 5 Ways to Create Happy Risers posted at GIRLS TO GROW.


Concerning Kids presents Raising A Street Smart Kid posted at Concerning Kids.


Fred Lee presents Helicopter Parenting Earns Its Wings posted at Parenting Squad.

Homework Helpers

Meaghan Montrose presents Effective Learning Strategies and Study Skills- Part 1 | posted at TutorFi.com.

Cooking & Recipes

jim presents Homemade Pizza Rules! posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.

Wedding Planning

Victoria Jennings presents Typical Marriage Timeline posted at Get Married, saying "A description of how a typical relationship progresses to marriage."


Vicky presents Getting Deals on Wedding Rings posted at Wedding Ideas, saying "While many people think of huge dollar amounts when it comes to rings, there are ways to make the shopping process more pleasant and affordable"

Relationships

Nancy Miller presents Sorry Dear, Not Tonight! I have a Headache! posted at Pharmacy Technician Certification.

Jim DeSantis presents 5 Ways To Keep Your Marriage Healthy posted at On Line Tribune | Marriage Matters, saying "When you are married or even in a long term live-in relationship, sometimes it's hard to understand what is going wrong, and it takes only the most basic advice to clear the fog of confusion. Try these 5 ways to keep your marriage or relationship healthy."


Jim DeSantis presents I Want To Be Wanted posted at On Line Tribune | Family Life, saying "Our self-esteem is always being tested. Along with our self-esteem, we also have a desire that someone should need us. That someone should want us. What are we to do?"

Tisha Tolar presents Getting Bored With Yourself? posted at Empowering Mom Blog.

Dating321 presents Breaking Up Tips posted at Free Dating Advice, saying "Breaking up is difficult to do, but it is important you go about in a mature and respectful way."

CS presents Is your Spouse's Friend just a "Friend"? posted at Catch Spouse Cheating, saying "Tips on how to answer those nagging thoughts if the friend of your significant other is really just a friend."

Sunny presents Why Do Men Lie About Cheating - Is My Man Cheating - Signs Of Cheating Men posted at Cheating Men Information, saying "Why can men not just fess up after cheating?"


Jeonard Cook presents Reverse Cell Phone Lookup - A Great Way to Catch Your Cheating Spouse Or Find a Prank Callers Name posted at How to Find Phone Number.

Travel

Smart Camper presents RV versus Tent Camping posted at Go Camping - Life's An Adventure, saying "Drive through any campground and you'll quickly see that camping equipment runs the gamut from $20 pup tents to $400,000 motor homes, complete with satellite TVs and Astroturf."

Jessica presents Jamaica Travel Tips posted at Jamaica Travel Tips, saying "Information for your next Jamaica vacation."


Ben presents Best Travel Rewards Credit Cards on Spring Break posted at Money Smart Life.


Ben presents Spring Break Vacation Money Savers posted at Money Smart Life.

Other

Joe Hayes presents ROUSH Mustang posted at Ford Mustang, saying "A brief overview of the history of Roush Mustangs, along with some of the performance specs and features of the race ready Ford tuner car."


Joe Hayes presents Fireplace Screens and Accessories posted at Fireplace Screens; Saying "Discusses the purpose for fireplace screens and some of the common types. It's not too late for next winter you know!"

Erika Collin presents The 50 Best Safety and Security Blogs posted at Forensic Science Technician.


Matthew Paulson presents What to Do With Your Worn Out Jeans posted at American Consumer News.


Raising Whiskers presents Cats Toilet Training - Litter Box - Toilet Training posted at Cat Care Tips, saying "Yes, you can train your cat to use the toilet."


Nancy Miller presents Reproduction and Responsibility, Growing Further Apart posted at Radiography Schools.


Lindsay presents How to Vegetable Garden... When You Live in an Apartment posted at Off the Urban Grid.


GrrlScientist presents OpenLab2008: It's Now Available! posted at Living the Scientific Life, saying "OpenLabs are anthologies of the finest and most educational science, nature and medical writing published on the blogosphere in the previous year. This year's edition, OpenLab2008, is now available for you to enjoy. These books make a fine and affordable gift for kids and adults who are fascinated by science (and I recommend them to libraries too)."


Cyndi Krupp presents Hypnotic Language Patterns | Evolution Ezine posted at Evolution Ezine, saying "In just one five minute video post you will learn how to use the word try in a way that will benefit you and those you are working with. You will learn how to use a specific language pattern, "The More the More", to greatly increase the effective of your communications.And you will learn how the tonality of your voice affects the message that you deliver."

Cyndi Krupp presents A boat called freedom part 1 | Evolution Ezine posted at Evolution Ezine, saying "A beautifully written, inspirational fiction highlighting humankind's current state of consciousness. A piece that makes you think."


Catherine VanWetter presents "Inspired Choices For Staying Emotionally Balanced posted at Online Wellness: A Safe Haven, saying "During this time of tremendous emotional, mental, physical, spiritual and economic upheaval, it is imperative that we set a conscious intention to stay rooted within ourselves. Catherine offers choices for Staying Emotionally Balanced. Online Wellness Association provides a safe platform for online practitioners and clients."


oshkhar tiglao presents Pool Enclosures: What Is It? posted at Pool Enclosures.


oshkhar tiglao presents Pool Enclosure Buying Tips posted at Pool Enclosures.


Raily Arena presents Reverse Cell Phone Lookup: Benefits posted at How to Find Phone Number.


Katie Bricks presents Reverse Cell Phone Lookup: What It Can Do For You? posted at How to Find Phone Number.


Mark Smith presents The Amazing Things Reverse Phone Number Search Service Can Do posted at How to Find Phone Number.

Money & Finance

Tracey presents Saving Money on Books posted at GIRLS TO GROW.

Buck Weber presents Do It Yourself Clubs posted at THE BUCK LIST, saying "Do-it-yourself clubs are collectives of neighbors, friends and family members that help each other with redecorating and home improvement projects."


Monitor Bank Rates presents CD Rates posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying "Finding a decent rate on a certificate of deposit account these days isn’t an easy thing to do. CD rates have been coming down so fast recently the average 12 month is nearing just 2.00%."


Tom Tessin presents Getting Cash Back with Coupons posted at FCB Blog, saying "Great tips you can use to learn how you can get cash back with simple coupons."

CreditCardAssist.com presents Cards for the Traveling Consumer posted at CreditCardAssist.com.


apply4-credit presents Trendy Black Credit Card - Worth It? posted at Apply4-Credit.com.


Debbie Dragon presents Five More Tips for Eating in Restaurants and Sticking to a Budget posted at Wisebread.com/debbie-dragon.


Len Penzo presents Using a Ledger to Teach Kids Money Management posted at Len Penzo . Com, saying "Kids as young as six can be taught money management techniques using this simple and fun bookkeeping method.".


Matthew Paulson presents The Cost of Clutter posted at American Consumer News.


Savings Toolbox presents Finding Yourself unable to Make Your Mortgage Payments? posted at Savings Toolbox.


Debt Free Destiny presents Make Your Job Resistant to the Recession posted at Debt Free Destiny.


Destroy Debt presents More Grocery Shopping Saving Tips posted at Destroy Debt.


Deposit Accounts presents Get the Most Out of Your Tax Refund posted at Deposit Accounts.


jim presents Homemade Provençal Rack of Lamb posted at Blueprint for Financial Prosperity.


Barry presents Tug Of War Between Retailers And Frugal Consumers posted at Associate Money.

BankMan presents Limit Six Savings Account Withdrawals Per Month posted at High Yield Savings Accounts, saying "Be careful when making withdrawals from online bank accounts - too many can cause extra fees!"

Patrick @ Military Money presents Looking for a Job? Consider the Military posted at Military Finance Network, saying "A list of some of the benefits offered by military employment, including steady pay, full medical benefits, educational benefits, and more."

Patrick @ Money Saving Deals presents CoolSavings.com - Free Coupons and Money Saving Deals posted at Money Saving Deals, saying "Sign up with CoolSavings.com to get free money saving coupons and offers"

Junior presents What To Do If You Can?t Make Your Car Payments posted at Car Commentary, saying "Tips if you are in the unfortunate situation of being unable to make your car payments."

Finance Tips 101 presents Why Take The Risk Of Day Trading posted at Finance Tips 101.


Raily Arena presents Cash Those Words: Making Money Online with Your Blog posted at Make Money Easy Online.


Finance Tips 101 presents Cash Back, Award Points, and Gas Cards posted at Finance Tips 101.


KCLau presents How to Refinance your Home Loans Smartly posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying "Lists several reasons why home owners would benefit from switching their loans to a new loan with lower interest rates"

Mark Smith presents Close Your Home Sale Without Trouble - Vox posted at how to sell your own home’s blog.


Madeleine Begun Kane presents Yet Another Tax Humor Piece: Interactive Taxes posted at Mad Kane's Humor Blog.


Jeonard Cook presents how to sell your own home - Be A Master Negotiator When Selling Your Home posted at how to sell your own home.


Savings Toolbox presents Tips to Save On your Summer Getaway posted at Savings Toolbox.


apply4-credit presents Credit Cards and Their Dirty Little Secrets posted at Apply4-Credit.com.


Savings Toolbox presents Cut Costs in Your Personal Care Budget posted at Savings Toolbox.


Destroy Debt presents Laid off? Make Lemonade posted at Destroy Debt.


Deposit Accounts presents What's Your Long Term Savings Plan? posted at Deposit Accounts.


Lauren Rose presents Debt Relief Grants from the Government posted at No Debt Anymore .org, saying "A close look at debt relief grants from the government, including loans, bursaries, benefits and assistance."


Sigrid Landau presents A Trio Of Quick And Easy Money Saving Tips To Help You In Survive The Difficult Times posted at A1 How To, saying "If you are looking for some ways to save some decent amount of cash over this year, then here are a few tips of simple money saving pointers that you might like to consider for your own finances"


Raily Arena presents It Pays to Inspire: How to Be Everyone’s Favorite Legitimate Online Coach « Make Money Easy Online posted at Make Money Easy Online.


Ben presents Financial Confession: I'm a Bad Tipper posted at Money Smart Life.


Patrick @ Military Money presents Extra College Money for Military Members and Veterans posted at Military Finance Network, saying "Tips on how military members and veterans can save money on with scholarships and tuition assistance"

Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents Free Stock Trading and Investing Tools posted at Cash Money Life, saying "Free stock trading and investing tools to help learn how to make better trades and investments."

Patrick @ Money Saving Deals presents Free Coupons and Money Saving Deals posted at Cash Money Life Deals, saying "Sign up for free coupons, free offers, discounts, and more"

Peak Personal Finance presents Rent to Own Advice posted at Peak Personal Finance.

Mike presents Dangers Of Leveraged ETFs posted at Bear Market Profits, saying "The ultra ETFs have more danger than merely the leverage they entail."

Jared Maloney presents Fad: Apple posted at Fade That Fad, saying "Apple products may be a huge fad and there may be money to be made shorting Apple stock"


Jeonard Cook presents Learn How to Sell Your Own Home: Advertise like a Pro posted at How to Sell Your Own Home.


Katie Bricks presents How to Get Money-Making Clicks through Online Marketing posted at Make Money Easy Online.


KCLau presents Learn Money Tips playing iMafia posted at KCLau's Money Tips, saying "About iMafia, an application for iPhone. How it is connected to real life in terms of personal finance and how to play the game"


Alex presents Unemployment Facts: - Associated Content posted at Alex Van Meyer, saying "Unemployment, now at at 26-year high, is a harsh reality for hundreds of thousands of Americans. In order to get and stay financially fit, unemployment requires a plan. And the first step of that plan is to apply for unemployment compensation benefits."


Tiffany Colter presents » Save money on food posted at Save Money on Food, saying "Common Sense,Money Management in Tough Economic Times. Articles include tips on saving money, budgeting, finding hidden leaks in your budget, and facing job loss."


CreditCardAssist.com presents Credit Card Terms You Should Know posted at CreditCardAssist.com.

Leave Debt Behind presents How to Pay Down Your Debts Quickly posted at LeaveDebtBehind.com.


debt kid presents Debt Paid Down Last Month posted at DebtKid.com.


Debt Free Destiny presents Do You Know How Your Credit Score Is Determined? posted at Debt Free Destiny.


Ben presents Credit Card Identity Theft in Action Maybe posted at Money Smart Life.

The Investor presents Vertical diversification posted at Monevator, saying "Don't put all your eggs in one basket! Here's why you should split your family's finances across several different types of investment."


Sigrid Landau presents Find Printable Food Coupons posted at A1 How To, saying "Do you know how you can beat this economic downturn? How can you save money on the things that you buy every week?"

The Smarter Wallet presents Blu-Ray DVD Player Review: Pros and Cons posted at The Smarter Wallet.


Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents How to Avoid Identity Theft posted at Cash Money Life, saying "Tips on how to prevent and avoid identity theft."


NH presents Should You Use a Private Car Loan or Dealer Financing? posted at Car Loan Tips, saying "When it comes to financing your new car purchase, you have a couple of options."


keevisr presents Home Equity Loans - A Jackpot or Pending Disaster? posted at Loan Info Central, saying "Equity loans were developed to assist homeowners to increase the equity on their home in order to make cash, or else create another loan on the house. Home prices escalate each year, making the house increase worth each day that it still stands. A House's equity then is the entire value of the property, minus the mortgage the homeowner is paying on the house."


Len Penzo presents How to Claim a Piece of $33 Billion In Unclaimed Funds posted at Len Penzo . Com, saying "Approximately 1 in 8 people in the United States have some missing money waiting to be claimed. Are you one of them? Here's how to find out..."


Beef Up Your Piggy presents Make Your Food Dollar Stretch posted at Beef Up Your Piggy.


Sam Carterson presents The Safety of Your Accounts posted at Personal Finance, saying "With the uncertainty in the banking industry, learn where the safest places for your money are!"

Tracey presents Signing Up for Coupons and Special Offers posted at GIRLS TO GROW.


Destroy Debt presents Debt Snowball, Highest Interest Debt First, or Avalanche posted at Destroy Debt.


CreditCardAssist.com presents Protecting Seniors Against Credit Card Fraud posted at CreditCardAssist.com.


apply4-credit presents How to Keep Credit Card Charges Low posted at Apply For Credit.



That concludes this installment. Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival using our Submit an entry to “The Family Life carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our Blog Carnival index for “The Family Life” Be sure to stay tuned for the second installment of the March edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival.



Photo credits:
Play Time 1 courtesy of bjearwicke, domino tiles courtesy of robbino_uk, and dollar army 4 courtesy of svilen001.


Technorati tags:

the family life, blog carnival.

Time to Rethink Compensation

You might have seen or heard some of the headlines about outrageous bonuses being paid to executives of companies that the taxpayers have bailed out and all the outrage this has caused. I'd be surprised if you have managed to avoid this with all that is going on at AIG and FannyMae and FreddyMac on the way, but they certainly don't have a corner on the market for outrageous bonuses.

In the last couple of decades the CEO and other top level executives have become the star athletes of the business world. Do you remember some years back how professional athletes salaries skyrocketed. I don't know that I can pin it all on one athlete but Dave Winfield sticks in my mind, putting some context behind the contract he had with the New York Yankees, he made on average of $600 everytime he went to the plate, regardless of if he hit a homerun, got on base, or just plain struck out. While many of the professional athletes contracts did have various incentives for the players to perform well, many didn't, and some would argue that the contracts have helped put many professional clubs on the verge of bankruptcy (especially in the smaller markets). It could be argued that the star players put the fans in the stands (of course this really needs to be seen) and that they bring championships and better play by their teams (all with no guarantee, there are tons of stories out there about the prima dona athletes that are more trouble than their worth and the ones that have been injured or just don't pan out). Getting back to executive pay, many are paid high salaries (especially compared to the money that a average employee takes home) and given bonuses that aren't really based on performance or at least seem to be encouraging performance that hurts the company and the economy in general.

With the AIG bonuses, the argument has been made that the company was legally bound to pay the bonuses, but companies are always changing the rules and making it harder for their rank and file employees to see any more real compensation, so why does AIG have to pay those bonuses? I can see paying some of the bonuses where "real" targets where made and met, but you have to wonder how many of those bonuses would actually fit into this category? As far as being legally bound to pay the bonuses, many companies don't seem to have any problem using creative accounting or other games to tell their average employees that their is no profit (or their isn't enough) , so they're be no profit sharing (or canceling incentive programs altogether), so why would AIG have a problem in not paying the bonuses or scaling them back. Why not have those executives put a little more skin in the game. One member of congress suggested that the bonuses could be made double of nothing, so when AIG is profitable and has paid back the government, it could double the bonuses that are currently scheduled, certainly it would help to scale back some of the public outrage.

A point that seems to be lost on a lot of executives is that they live in a world far removed from their employees and the average taxpayer (and maybe even many of their clients and customers) and many don't seem care about anyone but themselves any longer. I'm reminded of how Marie Antonette was told that the French people were starving and didn't have any bread and she said "well, let them eat cake". The story goes that she was far removed from the public and didn't realize that the public didn't have the option of eating cake instead, that they really didn't have enough money to buy bread. Many people have lost their jobs in the last few months or are in fear of losing their jobs and many people have lost their homes or are on the verge of losing them, you can see why people with multiple homes might think well, they can just buy a new one now can't they. It kind of makes you wish that some of those executives would do a "Trading Places" ala Dan Akroid and Eddy Murphy, to appreciate what everyone else is going through.

The CEO of a well known IT company decided that they needed to respond to the weakening economy and a drop in profits in the last quarter, he said that he would take a 20% pay cut and was going to "request" that employees took paycuts ranging from 2.5% to 5%. When you look closer at the cut the CEO is going to take, he'll reduce his base salary by 20%, but he'll still get all his other bonuses and perks, resulting in less than 1% drop in pay and if enough of the regular employees accept this "voluntary" pay cut, he would likely seen some bonus for this. For the average employee, there are no other bonuses to be added to their compensation, so a 5% or 2.5% drop in pay is just that. Also to be noted is that this CEO saw his pay rise 68% from 2007 to 2008, you know that most of the regular employees didn't see anything near that. This CEO saw $42,514,524 in total compensation in 2008 (yes that is 42 million). He exercised $10 million worth of stock options and $15.7 million worth of company stock vested during 2008. He received $256,000 for personal and home security, use of the company jet was valued at $135,734, and there was $71,000 in mortgage subsidy he is guaranteed for relocation expenses. This company also bought another company last year, so as part of the integration going on now, there are and will be a lot of job loses at the company they bought (many of the jobs being moved to India, China, and other lower labor cost countries), which was healthy at the time of purchase and made a profit in the last quarter (this company that they bought actually improved the company's overall figure in that quarter). 6 people at the top of this company's executive leadership received $142,774,325 in compensation in 2008. Doesn't that seem a tad bit out of whack?

From the same company, I've heard that they're planning to cut pension contributions. If companies are cutting (or eliminating) pension contributions, employees are making less money (less money is going into social security, reducing future payment eligibility), an unbelievable amount of money in 401ks has been lost, and the employees (who manage to keep jobs) don't have a chance to really build any kind of retirement. You have to ask, how on earth are these people going to be able to retire?

I had a professor at school that said that one day it would be entirely possible to build cars with robots, but who would have the money to buy the cars then. While there currently are a lot of robots used, it seems that companies are going more and more in the direction of replacing higher paid workers with people in lower labor cost countries, so the once higher paying jobs are disappearing in alarming numbers and you don't really see jobs popping up that pay anywhere near the jobs that were lost.

When all the money stays at the top of the food chain with company executives, how much of that really makes it way back into the economy and into taxes? People in these kind of tax brackets tend to save more and use accountants to avoid or limit tax exposure. In general, these people aren't putting that much back into the economy with their money. When the money flows down to the regular employees, they're able to make their mortgage payments, are likely to spend the money on their necessities and consumer goods (read, put more money into the economy) and some money is likely to make its way back to the government in the form of additional taxes.

Once upon a time, America (and much of the developed world) took pride in developing a growing middle class. In post World War II period and especially since the end of the Cold War, we've seen the world economies being driven by the consumer. There are more and more products produced that are bought by the consumer. When the consumers don't have jobs or don't have a lot of money to spend, many of the markets for products will eventually dry up. Many of the emerging markets aren't as materialistic and aren't as likely to buy all the consumer goods that were bought in the past (read selection will greatly decline with entire industries disappearing). You have to ask, what is wrong with a middle class that can afford to live above the poverty line and actually spend money (driving the economy)?

Henry Ford is reported to have wanted his employees to be able to make a living wage. It seems that that this isn't shared by much of management today. Employees tend to be looked as as a liability instead of the asset that they should be. People tend to look after there basic security first (shelter, food, and other basics), when people are so worried about living paycheck to paycheck (as so many are now a days) they don't tend to be as productive and creative as they are when they don't have to worry about their basic security. Management is so focused on cutting costs, that they don't see that their employees are often full of good ideas and probably know lots of ways that things could be done better or about new services that your company might be able to offer that would make it more competitive. As more and more people are unemployeed or forced to accept pay cut after pay cut, you have to think about the possibility of "the people" being more ripe for sabotage, revolution, and other things that might have seemed crazy in the past.

Since so many of the big companies around today aren't being run by the people/families that started them, and most of the top executives are more like guns for hire, then really tied to their companies, the entrepreneur spirt of the founders is gone as is their tie to the company. When you own the company, the company's long-term longevity, prosperity, and success tend to be more centered in all that you do, while the hired guns are often looking only to reap that big bonus before moving on to the next gig and it doesn't matter if the company falls apart after they leave or if the company gets taken over and dismantled, they didn't create it and don't have that bond.

Let us issue a call to action to all the corporate boards and top executives out there...

• No more bonuses for dismantling the company's workforce. If more than 1% is made redundant, there should be no bonus paid to anyone for this.
• No more bonuses paid to top executives when the company loses money. Full stop
• No more bonuses paid that encourage the emphasis on the short-term to the determent of the company's long run viability and competitiveness (especially all the focus on extreme cost cutting)
• No more golden parachutes. We've all seen executives leave with huge payouts only leaving carcasses of once strong companies behind
• If management is going to degrade benefits being offered and paid to employees, they must be willing to accept this themselves at levels that correspond to that faced by average employees. If you're going to cut retirement or health care coverage, then executives should have to try to live with corresponding coverage and see if they can truly accept that
• If management is going to reduce pay of employees, it should be as a last resort and not because profits weren't as high as they would have liked in the last quarter. Management should be willing to take pay cuts that match or exceed the regular employees are being asked to do and not the smoke and mirrors suggested above that resulted in less than a 1% pay cut for the CEO
• Return to a long term vision for the company and not the quarter to quarter focus we have now
• Look at ways to grow the company instead of shrinking it. Look for other vertical, horizontal, and out of the box directions that you can take the company. Look past the trends that are in your face and look for further emerging trends. There is lots of opportunity out there if leadership can only look for it.
• Be good corporate citizens and look after the areas that you do business and think about giving back, maybe in areas where you don't now do business
• Remember that the employees are an asset. They know the business often better than management and they generally want to see the company succeed (often even more than management). They're a wealth of ideas, some of which aren't all that crazy. Remember that some of the the things that we can't now live without were someone's crazy idea
• Encourage all the board members and leadership to remember that they've been entrusted with the stewardship of the company and should always keep this in mind
• Why not have targets for increasing headcount (especially where it makes sense). If your company could hire 1000 people in 2009 can you imagine the positive multiplier effect at work?
• If things are looking dire for the company, leadership and the board should be willing to step out there and say that they're willing to forgo such and such of their bonuses until things are turned around, when they'll receive bonuses for their concessions. Can you imagine how many employees can be retained with the crazy salaries and bonuses that some of these executives have made?
• Bonuses can and should be paid, especially when earned, but lets have some common sense in their administration and creation

Photo credit: Credit Crunch 2 courtesy of woodsy.

March Edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival- Part 1

Welcome to the March edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival- Part 1. Looking at the submissions for this edition there are well over 100 again, so we'll be publishing the March edition in installments. We plan to publish the next installment of the March edition later this week so stay tuned, or better yet why not subscribe via RSS or email so that you don't miss it. Most of the articles mentioned in our blog carnivals provide useful and/or entertaining information but occasionally there might be an article where a certain degree of risk or controversy exists and our readers will need to ultimately to decide if they agree or wish to follow the advice held within the articles. The goal of The Family Life Blog Carnival is to provide articles that can help you improve and enjoy the various facets of your family life, as we try to provide a wide variety of articles to do just that but it isn't always possible for Systems-Overload to test or verify every bit of all the articles, so please give proper consideration before buying anything or doing anything that might seem risky. Thank you to everyone that submitted articles. If you have any comments about this edition or have any suggestions for topics you'd like to see in future editions, why not leave a comment?

Deposit Accounts presents Stimulating $400 Per-Worker Tax Credit for 2009 and 2010 posted at Deposit Accounts.


DebbieDragon presents The 2009 Entertainment Book Review and Giveaway posted at Empowering Mom.


Silicon Valley Blogger presents YNAB (You Need A Budget) Personal Budget Software Is 10% Off posted at The Digerati Life,, sayijng "Here's a budgeting tool to help your family and make it easy for you to develop and maintain your family budget" Note from Systems-Overload, we have not tried this product and are not endorsing it by its inclusion in this blog carnival. Please be sure to carefully read about any promotions to see what is applicable.


nickel presents Should You Pay Your Kids for Good Grades? posted at fivecentnickel.com.


travelcat4 presents GreenPrint - Helping To Save Printer Paper posted at Latest Inventions.


Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents What is Your Financial Fallback Plan? posted at Cash Money Life, saying "Do you have a financial fallback plan? "


Bank CD Rates presents Health Savings Account as a Retirement Account? posted at MonitorBankRates.com, saying "Are you maxing out your 401K and IRA contributions every year and want a way to save more for retirement using a pretax method? Another way of stashing away money pretax for your retirement is using a health savings account (HSA)."


The Shark Investor presents Strategies For Raising Funds: Borrow Your Way To Wealth posted at The Shark Investor, saying "How and when to use loans for investing".


Finance Tips 101 presents Scholarship And Grant Information For Interested High School Graduates posted at Finance Tips 101.


keevisr presents Mortgage Loans After Bankruptcy posted at Loan Info Central, saying "Many people believe that once they file for bankruptcy they will have a difficult time getting a mortgage loan. However, there is still hope for being approved even with a recent bankruptcy."


SJ presents Is Traveling During Pregnancy Safer By Air Or Land? posted at Pregnancy Info, saying "Many pregnant women need to travel. This article is about whether it is safer to fly or drive."

That concludes this installment Submit your blog article to the next edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival
using our Submit an entry to “The Family Life carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our Blog Carnival index for “The Family Life” Be sure to stay tuned for the second installment of the March edition of The Family Life Blog Carnival.

Photo credit: old photo courtesy of ontzy.

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