There are many ways your business can benefit from healthy competition. Sometimes a rival is all you need for motivation, whether it's a company across town or an online retailer who has impacted your sales. You can even "make up" an imaginary rival by deciding on a goal, like, say, to generate more foot traffic than the shop next door, as long as it creates a tangible target.

CBS News, 12/30/2011

From morning stretches at Duke Energy to ice packs at Harley-Davidson, firms are finding ways to adjust to aging employees.

The Wall Street Journal, 12/28/2011

New evidence shows that businesses are increasingly allowing employees to work odd hours, telecommute, and otherwise tweak the traditional eight-hour workday.

Time, 12/21/2011

When Pam Starobin invented what she called the Sitting Taller adult booster seat (a firm cushion concealed in a chic leather tote bag that, when placed on a seat, offers a comfortable 4-inch boost), she was able to build her own successful business around it AND gain the satisfaction of helping other people who faced the same problems she faced as a short adult. “I feel like there are still so many people who could benefit from it who don’t know about it,” says Starobin. “You realize you’ve done something that has really made another person happy... It’s so exciting, you just glow.” In the article, Starobin goes on to offer some helpful tips on starting your own business.

The NY Post, 12/19/2011

An increase in online shopping traffic is bait for cyber scammers eager to steal your credit card info and make unauthorized purchases during the holiday season. Read on to find out what cyber thieves do to steal your identity when you shop online and what steps you can take to reduce the risk of your becoming a victim. Considering the record number of people who are buying gifts online this holiday season, these tips from experts are worth knowing.  There are even ways to mask your identity using sites like anonymizer.com  and GuerillaMail.com

NY Daily News, 12/14/2011

True, older job seekers face a few extra obstacles. But you may be able to overcome them by turning your age to your advantage. Here's how.

Fortune, 12/9/2011

In this article, Carolyn Kepcher explains why it often seems like unqualified, unintelligent, untalented people are the ones scoring the promotions. She explains that this often happens because of the "B bosses" who are doing the hiring. "They know they're not the best, and they spend a lot of time trying to hide that." They are afraid of the top performing people who work for them, because they feel threatened by them. These top performers "should get all the promotions, but they don't, thanks to those B team members who don't want them around. The B bosses want to surround themselves with C players to make themselves look good." The answer, then, may lie in recognizing the situation in your own workplace (and possibly getting out of it) before it's too late and you end up stuck in a position with no hope for future advancement. Then, when looking for a new job, look for "A team" leaders who "surround themselves with the best and the brightest, and who aren't afraid to admit that they do not have all of the answers."

New York Daily News, 12/7/2011

After nearly a year of national coverage, ABC News' Made in America series reminds us that, according to economists, if every American spent $64 on something made in America, we could create 200,000 jobs immediately. Since the average American spends $700 on Christmas or holiday gifts, think how much of a difference we could make if each of us simply purchased one $64 gift that's made in America...

ABCnews.go.com, 11/29/2011

This year's Consumer Reports ‘Naughty & Nice Holiday List’ examined the shopping policies of a wide range of companies, including some well-known names like American Express, Southwest Airlines, and Verizon Wireless, that either did right or wrong by customers this year. Fees, fees, and more fees led Consumer Reports to put several big corporations on the ‘Naughty List.'

CNN, 11/22/2011

With a few keystrokes, friends and strangers can help defray treatment costs for patients who have started fund-raising campaigns on web sites like IndieGoGo, which is becoming increasingly popular.

The New York Times, 11/21/2011

Social media sites like LinkedIn are becoming more and more important for job hunting and networking.  Here are some do's and dont's when it comes to wisely leveraging LinkedIn, e.g. overused words to watch out for in your profile and using the site to connect with people vs. asking directly for a job.

New York Post, 11/14/2011

To save money, Wanda Urbanska, her son, Henry, and her mother, Marie Whittaker, all live together in Raleigh, N.C., with Ms. Whittaker living in a cottage behind her daughter's house. While Michael Litchfieldd, author of In-laws, Outlaws and Granny Flats, says, "the arrangement is not for everyone," it appears to be working out well for the family profiled-- and more than just economically.  The benefits include being close by, having dinners together, and, as the grandmother is quoted as saying, "It's much better than being alone with a cat, as nice as cats are."

The New York Times, 11/9/2011