Across the country, authorities are becoming concerned that the nation’s financial woes could turn increasingly violent, and they are urging people to get help. In some places, mental-health hot lines are jammed, counseling services are in high demand and domestic-violence shelters are full.

With nowhere else to turn, many people are calling suicide-prevention hot lines. The Samaritans of New York have seen calls rise more than 16% in the past year, many of them money-related. The Switchboard of Miami has recorded more than 500 foreclosure-related calls this year.

“The financial stress builds up to the point the person feels they can’t go on, and the person believes their family is better off dead than left without a financial support,” said Kristen Rand, legislative director of the Washington D.C.-based Violence Policy Center.

Rising mortgage defaults and falling home values are at the heart of it. More than 4 million Americans were at least one month behind on their mortgages at the end of June, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. A record 500,000 had entered the foreclosure process. And that trend is expected to continue through next year, despite the current programs from the government and the lending industry to refinance delinquent homeowners into more affordable loans.

Adding to financially tense households is an air of secrecy. Experts said it’s common for one spouse to blame the other for their financial mess or to hide it entirely. Suicide is never the answer.

Time To Suck It Up And Change You Ways As Companies Begin Firing Middle Management  

With so many companies cutting their rank and file workforces to the bone because of the tough economy, it seemed inevitable that some firms would eventually get to the fatty middle — middle management that is. They get paid more than the rank and file, but they’re not at the top of the corporate food chain. These factors create a precarious situation for middle managers, and things could get worse if the recession drags on.

So, now is a good time for supervisors with one underling, or one thousand, to start making themselves indispensable to those folks in the corner offices. But how do you do that? Author Janet Banks provides her observations of middle management layoffs and why some supervisors were able to survive.

Here’s what she had to say:  “I had to go through seven rounds of cuts at one company and I had to make the final decisions on who stayed and who would go. What I learned is that you can’t control what people are going to do but you can control how you’re going to be perceived. The ability to have a positive attitude is critical as opposed to a person that’s so fearful that they take everyone in the downward spiral with them. You’re in good shape if you can project positive energy, and look at what is most relevant in terms of the work at hand.”

One of the key characteristics of a manager that tended not to get cut was that they remained upbeat and never acted like it was the end of the world. Another big plus is being flexible, she stresses. During a downturn in the business cycle, priorities of a business can change dramatically. That means you have to be ready to shift gears and look beyond the goals you set during up times.

There’s also a lot to be said about humor and making yourself lovable. It’s all about having the right people on your side during the downsizing war. If you only concentrate on protecting your job, you’ll be out of touch with what’s happening around you. People want flexibility and a positive attitude during layoffs. It’s what this crazy world demands.

You must realize that if you aren’t managing your own professional image, someone else is. 

The definition of Professional Image is a set of qualities and characteristics that represent perceptions of your competence and character as judged by your key constituents. Most people want to be described as technically competent, socially skilled, of strong character and integrity, and committed to your work, your team, and your company. Research shows that the most favorably regarded traits are trustworthiness, caring, humility, and capability.

“People are constantly observing your behavior and forming theories about your competence, character, and commitment, which are rapidly disseminated throughout your workplace,” says HBS professor Laura Morgan Roberts. “It is only wise to add your voice in framing others’ theories about who you are and what you can accomplish.” Keeping on top of your personal traits is only part of the story of managing your professional image. You also belong to a social identity group—African American male, working mother—that brings its own stereotyping from the people you work with, especially in today’s diverse workplaces.

For example, African American men are stereotyped as being less intelligent and more likely to engage in criminal behavior than Caucasian men. Asian Americans are stereotyped as technically competent, but lacking in the social skills required to lead effectively. Working mothers are stereotyped as being less committed to their profession and less loyal to their employing organizations. All of these stereotypes pose obstacles for creating a positive professional image.

Despite the added complexity of managing stereotypes while also demonstrating competence, character, and commitment, there is promising news for creating your professional image! Impression management strategies enable you to explain predicaments, counter devaluation, and demonstrate legitimacy. People manage impressions through their non-verbal behavior (appearance, demeanor), verbal cues (vocal pitch, tone, and rate of speech, grammar and diction, disclosures), and demonstrative acts (citizenship, job performance).

In order to create a positive professional image, impression management must effectively accomplish two tasks: build credibility and maintain authenticity. When you present yourself in an inauthentic and non-credible manner, you are likely to undermine your health, relationships, and performance. Building credibility can involve being who others want you to be, gaining social approval and professional benefits. If you suppress or contradict your personal values for the sake of meeting societal expectations for professionalism, you might receive certain professional benefits, but you might compromise other psychological, relational, and organizational outcomes.

As waistlines continue to expand in Japan, the country’s lawmakers are taking the unusual step of fining companies that employ overweight workers, an approach that diet experts say would likely meet with failure in the United States. Companies would be sued left and right for “discrimination.”

Weight-loss groups in Japan exercise together, singing inspirational weight-loss songs with lyrics such as “Goodbye, metabolic. Let’s get our checkups together. Go! Go! Go!” Meanwhile, posters in Japan feature rotund cartoon figures with buttons popping off their pants urging people to overcome “metabo.” The goal measurements for Japanese men’s and women’s waist circumferences are 33.5 inches and 35.4 inches, respectively — guidelines straight from the International Diabetes Federation in Belgium. People who exceed these measurements will be targeted for health education initiatives. If they fail to lose the extra inches, their employers could be fined.

As a country with more than one-third of its population classified as obese, the U.S. might benefit from a stringent program like Japan’s. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 78 million Americans are obese.

Japan has a system of universal health coverage divided into a national system, and employees health insurance in which membership is mandatory. The question would then imply that a US system of univeral health coverage exist. Which it does not.

From Auto Leasing to Life Insurance to telephone service, the gov’t sums it all up for us. Thanks, gov’t.

Airfares
1. Compare low-cost carriers with major carriers that fly to your destination. Remember, the best fares may not be out of the airport closest to you.

2. You may save by including a Saturday evening stay-over or by purchasing the ticket at least 14 days in advance. Ask which days of the week and times of the day have the lowest fare.

3. Even if you are using a travel agent, check airline and Internet travel sites, and look for special deals. If you call, always ask for the lowest fare to your destination.

Car rental
4. Since car rental rates can vary greatly, compare total price (including taxes and surcharge) and take advantage of any special offers and membership discounts.

5. Rental car companies offer various insurance and waiver options. Check with your automobile insurance agent and credit card company in advance to avoid duplicating any coverage you may already have.

New cars
6. You can save thousands of dollars over the lifetime of a car by selecting a model that combines a low purchase price with low depreciation, financing, insurance, gasoline, maintenance and repair costs. Ask your local librarian for new car guides that contain this information.

For the next 60 tips.

Do You Hide Purchases From Your Loved One?

Half of the pairs in a 2003 study came up with completely different figures when asked to estimate their family’s income and net worth. In a survey last year of couples ages 43 to 70, some 35% were more than two years off when guessing when their spouse planned to retire.

About a third of those surveyed admitted to lying to their partner about money. And four out of five respondents in another poll revealed that they hide purchases from the one they love. Couples these days marry later than they used to and come into the union with their own credit cards, bank accounts and investments, which often stay separate. And if you’re convinced that sharing what you’ve spent or saved will spark criticism or a fight, it’s understandable you might choose to keep a few details to yourself.

You can’t come to smart decisions - or even joint decisions - if you don’t know what assets and liabilities you’re working with and what your partner’s goals and priorities are. In other words, two heads really are better than one for solving financial problems. The blinders-on approach also makes a crisis more difficult to handle. Should your spouse pass away, you’ll be left scrambling to find bank accounts and insurance policies. Here are some mandatory topics to discuss with your spouse.

It’s official: The average knowledge worker has the attention span of a sparrow.

Roughly once every three minutes, typical cubicle dwellers set aside whatever they’re doing and start something else—anything else. Constant interruptions are the Achilles’ heel of the information economy in the U.S. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average U.S. worker’s day.

Teach Your Children Financial Lessons As Young As Possible

There are plenty of resources on the internet that’ll teach you how to educate your child about finance. So hop to it.

Workers in certain industries can have more comfort in knowing that, even if they are fired, there is so much demand they should be able to find another job very quickly.

Talk of a recession and creeping unemployment rates are enough to make you wonder: Where can you find stability in unstable times? Kiplinger consulted career experts and combed through job trend data to come up with five industries that should provide safer havens to workers, no matter what the economy is doing. No matter what field you work in, you have the possibility of losing your job. But there are things you can do to protect yourself and increase your odds of getting another job, just in case.

Healthcare  
Many of the nation’s fastest-growing careers are in the health care industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. An increasingly aging population fuels demand in this field. Some specific jobs with stable prospects include doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physical therapist and physician assistant.

Education
Teachers for any grade level who specialize in high-demand fields such as math, science or bilingual education should have an easier time finding and keeping a job. And the outlook for college instructors looks stable, too. College enrollment is rising as the number of 18- to 24-year-olds increases. Some areas of the country are more stable than others for teachers because education jobs follow population trends. So teachers in fast-growing states in the South and West, such as Nevada, Arizona, Texas and Georgia, will have more opportunity than in slower-growth areas in the Midwest and Northeast.

Security
Crime doesn’t stop in a recession. That makes security jobs, such as police officers, detectives, private security guards and international security experts, a good bet. Layoffs in this industry are rare. In the off-chance law enforcement officers lose their jobs to budget cuts, they have little difficulty finding jobs with other agencies because demand is so high.

Environmental Sciences
The current “green” movement reaches far beyond changing your light bulbs to fluorescents. It’s also translating into a solid career choice. The BLS expects environmental careers, including ecologists, hydrologists, environmental chemists and others, to grow 25% over the next decade.

Government
Some of the most stable jobs around are within the federal government, where firings and lay-offs happen at just one-quarter the rate in the private sector. One reason: Even in hard economic times when big businesses are forced to downsize, the government must carry on. And only one in every 5,000 non-defense workers is ever fired for poor performance each year. Crazy odds! Due to an increasingly aging workforce, the government is doing a lot of hiring lately, especially among the 20-something crowd.

Kissing @** is Tough Work. If You’re Going To Do It, Make Sure It’s The Right Way

There’s an art to sucking up, and if the boss (or your co-workers) can figure out what you’re up to, you’re not doing it right. More importantly, it will backfire. So while everyone calls it something different, it’s key to your success at work.

1. Speak your boss’ language. Figure out your boss’ style and adapt to it. Is your boss a huge sports fan? Learn sports metaphors and incorporate them into your conversations about work.

2. Make everything seem like it’s the boss’ idea. Instead of simply pitching the boss an idea, say something like, “Thanks for your guidance on that issue. As a result of your direction, here’s how I’d like to handle it.” That makes it seem like this bright idea you have is actually his.

3. Avoid gratuitous compliments. No need to gush over the boss’ new outfit. Instead, use compliments strategically. For instance, “That was a great idea you mentioned the other day. Here’s how I think we can execute it.”

4. Give the boss what he or she wants. If your boss is detailed and needs all your work to be the same, then do it. Give your boss the type of work he or she wants. Don’t waste time by complaining. It may not be the way you prefer to work, but it’s what your boss wants and that’s all that matters. Don’t complain or fight her about it.

5. Ask permission before offering input. This is a way of showing deference to the boss. Before offering your opinion say, “Can I give you some ideas that might enhance this project?” Or, “Would you be open to a different opinion than the one we’re talking about?” If you ask for permission to offer your thoughts, your manager will rarely say no.

6. Match the boss’ energy. If your boss is short, sequential and fast, match that. If he or she is leisurely and ponderous, match that. You get it. Each time you match the boss’ energy, you build trust and strengthen the relationship.

7. Respect the boss’ position. Remind him or her that you know who’s the boss. For instance, say, “I have these ideas, but I will defer to your decision.”

There Are No Excuses For Why You’re In Debt

Self-deception and a lack of control are the chief reasons for many poor spending decisions, and whiny explanations about wasteful purchases are nothing more than excuses for bad spending behavior.

1.  I could die tomorrow, so I’ll live for today. This immature attitude justifies actions of the buy-it-now and pay-for-it-whenever class. It’s the primary excuse for not saving money.

2. I work hard, I deserve it.  While it is true that many Americans are overworked and that you have to treat yourself occasionally, self-gifting is more prominent today because of advertising pitches to buy things “because you deserve them.” You also deserve to live out a retirement.

3. I don’t have a head for numbers. This is the excuse given for not paying attention to personal finances. Managing money doesn’t require complicated mathematics. Consumers now have a plethora of free online tools to help with all sorts of financial planning.

4. I’m too busy to compare prices or manage money. This might be true for a small fraction of people, but mostly it’s a lie. Shutting off the TV one night a week will provide most people plenty of time to manage their finances. For those truly time-strapped, consider hiring a good financial adviser.

5. It’s an investment. Most consumer purchases aren’t investments, because almost all of them plummet in value the moment you leave the store. So you don’t “invest” in a car, a plasma TV or a new pair of shoes unless somehow they’ll make you money. They are expenses. Calling them an investment is self-delusion.

6. I don’t earn enough to save money. Saving is not about what you earn, it’s about what you keep. If your paycheck truly covers only the cost of bare necessities, you have an income problem. It’s time to work more hours or earn more with the hours you work.

 Take The Quiz

If employee turnover and absenteeism within the company are too high, and productivity and morale too low, the person in charge may be the one at fault.To find out how good or bad — a boss you are, the National Federation of Independent Business, a small business advocacy group, suggests asking yourself these questions:

1. Have you ever publicly criticized an employee?

2. Do you take credit for your employees’ work?

3. Do your employees fear you?

4. Do you expect employees to do what you tell them without question?

5. Do you believe employees should know what to do without you telling them or providing guidelines?

6. Are you a yeller?

7. Do you demean employees as a form of punishment?

8. Do you play favorites?

9. Do you hate delegating?

10. Do you check everyone’s work?

According to the answer key, the more “yes” answers, the greater the likelihood you are a bad boss. Author Trevor Gay has come up with a basic list of the differences between good and bad bosses. In his 35 years of work (in the health care industry), Mr. Gay said he discovered that his best bosses had these attributes:

• Inspired confidence
• Were humble
• Had integrity
• Knew what they were talking about
• Let me get on with things
• Were always there when I needed help
• Usually said, ‘Yes, try it.’”

His worst bosses had these deficiencies:

• Never seemed to be around when I needed them
• Always asked me to justify what I wanted to do
• Always wanted to know what I was doing
• Often said ‘no, we can’t do that’
• Gave the impression of being distrustful
• Didn’t smile much
• Talked about themselves a lot.

Look at the World Differently and Come Up With New Solutions

 As our knowledge and expertise increase, our creativity and ability to innovate tend to taper off. Why? Because the walls of the proverbial box in which we think are thickening along with our experience. “When everybody knows that something is so, it means that nobody knows nothin’,” said Andrew S. Grove, the co-founder of Intel. In other words, it becomes nearly impossible to look beyond what you know and think outside the box you’ve built around yourself.

This so-called curse of knowledge, a phrase used in a 1989 paper in The Journal of Political Economy, means that once you’ve become an expert in a particular subject, it’s hard to imagine not knowing what you do. Your conversations with others in the field are peppered with catch phrases and jargon that are foreign to the uninitiated. When it’s time to accomplish a task — open a store, build a house, buy new cash registers, sell insurance — those in the know get it done the way it has always been done, stifling innovation as they barrel along the well-worn path.

That’s a common reaction when experts set out to share their ideas in the business world, too, say co-authors and brothers Chip and Dan Heath. It’s why engineers design products ultimately useful only to other engineers. It’s why managers have trouble convincing the rank and file to adopt new processes. And it’s why the advertising world struggles to convey commercial messages to consumers. People who design products are experts cursed by their knowledge, and they can’t imagine what it’s like to be as ignorant as the rest of us. But there are proven ways to exorcise the curse.

To innovate you have to bring together people with a variety of skills. If those people can’t communicate clearly with one another, innovation gets bogged down in the abstract language of specialization and expertise. “It’s kind of like the ugly American tourist trying to get across an idea in another country by speaking English slowly and more loudly,” says Heath. “You’ve got to find the common connections.”

Author Cynthia Barton Rabe proposes bringing in outsiders whom she calls zero-gravity thinkers to keep creativity and innovation on track. When experts have to slow down and go back to basics to bring an outsider up to speed, she says, “it forces them to look at their world differently and, as a result, they come up with new solutions to old problems.”

Each of the following mistakes can cost you $100,000.

1.) Investing too conservatively during retirement. If you follow conventional wisdom and, as you approach retirement, shift money out of stocks into more stable investments you could miss many opportunities. Instead of parking too much of your assets in bonds, invest in an asset mix that leaves enough room for Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index.

2.) Launching a divorce war. A full courtroom showdown can easily cost $250,000. Try to soften the financial impact by using a lower-cost mediation option. Or try to work on saving your marriage.

3.) Underinsuring your home. If you’ve lived in the same house for at least 10 years, it’s probably worth 50% to 100% more than you paid for it. But if you haven’t updated your homeowners insurance, you could lose those gains if disaster strikes. Ask your insurer to reassess your home’s replacement cost and adjust coverage accordingly.

4.) Overpaying for your mortgage. The annual percentage rates on mortgages in a given area can vary by close to a percentage point. Over a typical 30-year term, this can cost you $27,000 on a $299,000 home. Shop for the best mortgage rate by checking local banks, your credit union, big-lender Web sites and mortgage-related sites.

5.) Maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle. Bad health habits not only catch up with you as you age but they can also hit you in the pocketbook in the form of higher life-insurance premiums. Before you apply for life insurance, consult your doctor about the best way to get your health status in line with the “preferred plus” underwriting requirements.

6.) Paying needless fund fees. If you buy mutual funds from a broker, you could pay a commission, or “load,” of up to 5.75%. Annual expenses can also vary among funds, from 1.5% or more a year to as little as 0.1%. Fix: Choose no-load mutual funds with low expense ratios. You can buy them directly from investment companies such as Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, and Vanguard.

If you follow the 7 goal setting steps outlined in this article, you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in building the road maps to your goals.

1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want, not just something that sounds good. Sure, when talking to people about your goals it sounds pretty good, and many people will be quite impressed. When setting goals it is very important to remember that your goals must be consistent with your values.

2. A goal can not contradict any of your other goals. For example, you can’t buy a $750,000 house if your income goal is only $50,000 per year. This is called non-integrated thinking and will sabotage all of the hard work you put into your goals. Non-integrated thinking can also hamper your everyday thoughts as well. We should continually strive to eliminate contradictory ideas from our thinking.

3. Develop goals in the 6 areas of life:

• Family and Home
• Financial and Career
• Spiritual and Ethical
• Physical and Health
• Social and Cultural
• Mental and Educational

Setting goals in each area of life will ensure a more balanced life as you begin to examine and change the fundamentals of everyday living. Setting goals in each area of life also helps in eliminating the non-integrated thinking we talked about in the 2nd step.

4. Write your goal in the positive instead of the negative. Work for what you want, not for what you want to leave behind. Part of the reason why we write down and examine our goals is to create a set of instructions for our subconscious mind to carry out. Your subconscious mind is a very efficient tool, it can not determine right from wrong and it does not judge. It’s only function is to carry out its instructions. The more positive instructions you give it, the more positive results you will get. Thinking positively in everyday life will also help in your growth as a human being. Don’t limit it to goal setting.

5. Write your goal out in complete detail. Instead of writing “A new home,” write “A 4,000 square foot contemporary with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths and a view of the mountain on 20 acres of land.”

Once again we are giving the subconscious mind a detailed set of instructions to work on. The more information you give it, the more clear the final outcome becomes. The more precise the outcome, the more efficient the subconscious mind can become. Can you close your eyes and visualize the home I described above? Walk around the house. Stand on the porch off the master bedroom and see the fog lifting off the mountain. Look down at the garden full of tomatoes, green beans and cucumbers. And off to the right is the other garden full of a mums, carnations and roses. Can you see it? So can your subconscious mind.

6. By all means, make sure your goal is high enough.  Shoot for the moon, if you miss you’ll still be in the stars.  Some of you might be saying that I’m not setting my goals high enough. Not so.

7. This is the most important, write down your goals. Although just the act of writing them down can set the process in motion, it is also extremely important to review your goals frequently. Remember, the more focused you are on your goals the more likely you are to accomplish them.