Blogs Falling in an Empty Forest

When the Thrill of Blogging Is Gone … – NYTimes.com

After reading this article I thought it would be appropriate to let my readers know why I blog:

  1. I like to write
  2. I like to read
  3. I like to share interesting stuff.

I read a lot more than the article links provided in my posts.  I write a lot more than just the words in my posts.  My sincere hope is that the reader finds the information here to be useful and of value in their work and careers.

All I do is point.  The rest is up to you.

How to Make Less Money (without trying)

FT.com / Companies / Banks – BBVA offers staff five years’ leave

Workforce and staffing issues have always been an interesting area to me.  The current WTF economic mess does spur creativity in those of us who like simple things  (like eating).  Courtesy of an NPR RSS feed I found my attention drawn to this article on www.ft.com describing a most creative workforce reduction idea.

BBVA is offering staff three options: first, leave of three to five
years for long-term employees who want to undertake “personal or professional projects”, with 30 per cent pay and healthcare on top;  second, a shorter working week with reduced pay; and third, special time off for up to two years for those who want to care for children or relatives or take postgraduate courses. All are voluntary and the company reserves the right to refuse those who apply.

I haven’t formulated an opinion yet.  But if you are one of the unfortunate few that has suffered a corporate mandated pay cut, this just might be the other shoe to drop.   I sent an email to John Hollon at www.workforce.com asking for his opinion.  Stay tuned.

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True…

Seniors Swindled by ‘Spin Life’ Insurance | The Financial Planner’s Briefcase | Financial Articles & Investing News | TheStreet.com

Nice article by Terry Savage on the premium financing of large amount life insurance policies to seniors who really did not need the insurance.  According to Savage, some seniors are unable to sell their policies to investors to complete the cycle (borrow money, buy insurance policy, sell insurance policy, pay off loan).  I’m a tad bit disappointed Savage did not report actual numbers of policyholders affected.

If I find some statistics on this, I’ll post them.