Photo by Kmakica

Each state is responsible for educating the children in its state but yet cities and towns are left to fight over whom should.  Schools from Florida to California have hired private investigators and created anonymous tip lines.  The recent wave of foreclosures is estimated to effect 2 million children in 2008 and 2009.  Most of these children will be effected this year.   If you or an employee is effected by foreclosure,  the Department of Education of your state can provide the requirements of a school district for educating children whom become homeless.  If your an employer this is another area Employee Assistance Programs help employees in getting connected to the right information.

Photo by PDXDJ

Have you ever wanted to just hiss at another driver and give a piece of your mind?

Photo By Gary Turner

How many times have you felt that the person needed a good jab?  or said “Wake UP You Stupid Jerk!!!!!

Photo by Payton Chung

Ever had those Roadblocks to Daily Life. Always when in a hurry you find there is this inconsiderate driver whom just wants to make your day worst.

Well, help might be on its way if you have not already experienced it.  There may be one positive thing to come out of the high price of gas: better use of an employee’s time.

For centuries humans have been stuck on the need to be in the same room to accomplish a meeting.  How many times have you been in a meeting and said that was such a waste of my time?  You never said for the money spent to be there I could have used the money for X.  Well, the price is high enough to ask each time why am I traveling to this meeting?  What is the cost benefit to the organization incurring the cost?

Teleconferencing even for case consultations is a better use of costs.  The one time cost can bring a substantial savings to many organizations whom have lots of employees traveling. You might even want to think about a joint purchase with other organizations and have a center hub that can be shared.

 Photo by Subhusky2

If you would not feed your dog your money then do not raid your retirement cookie jar.  John Wasiejko from The Online 401(k), a provider of 401(k)s for small businesses has agreed to provide today’s post to support the efforts of nonprofits. 

“Take a look at the housing industry—home values are down and outstanding home equity loans are at record highs. What’s a cash-strapped borrower to do? One of the disturbing trends is that more retirement savers are taking loans from 401(k)s and raiding their hard-earned retirement cookie jar. According to a leading Boston College researcher, the percentage of employees in 401(k) programs who have taken a loan from their investments rose from 9% in 2005 to 18% in 2007.

At first glance, it seems appealing: you borrow money that you aren’t going to need for a few years and pay yourself back at below-market rates—all with no credit check or drawn-out approval process.

But beware the hidden costs! According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, there was approximately $49 billion in outstanding 401(k) loans at the end of 2006.

Employees are often unaware what they are giving up:

*Loss of tax savings
Repayments are made with after-tax dollars. This means a bigger bite out of the employee’s paycheck.

*Lost opportunities
Often, you can’t afford to continue to make contributions to the 401(k) plan as well as the loan payments. The consequences can be longstanding. Not only you miss being in the market, but you miss out on possible employer matches and the compound effect of consistent investing.

Bottom line—unless you believe can “make up” the funds before retirement, a 401(k) loan should be the last resort.”

For more information or a free consultation on your 401(k) plan, contact John Wasiejko at jwasiejko@theonline401k.com or call him at 415.477.8800 ext 828.

 Photo by Bigmick

When we make a purchase each of us want to know up front what it costs and want to be able to compare those costs to others selling the same service.  Due to the complex nature of understanding retirement investing most employees do not ask the question: what is it costing me?  While the employee does not usually invest directly they should be keeping an eye on what it costs for others to invest for them.  So I ask for a little help from folks with a straight forward approach.  John Wasiejko from The Online 401(k), a provider of 401(k)s for small businesses has agreed to provide todays post to support the efforts of nonprofits.

“With the new changes in IRS legislation, many non-profits are choosing to establish a 401(k) plan over a 403(b). Are you thinking about putting a 401(k) into place, but concerned with cost?

Hidden fees can compound costs and significantly erode you and your employees’ retirement savings. Because providers are not required to disclose all types of fees, you can incur expenses unknowingly.

Here are the basic fee structures you can expect:

Asset-based fees

The majority of 401(k) providers employ this fee structure, which is based on the amount of dollars in the plan and generally calculated as percentages. When taken from the plan, these fees can eat into retirement savings – saving more money means paying higher fees, making it difficult to control expenses.

As your account grows, so do the fees!

Example:

2008
Your 401(k) balance: $100,000
Fee: $1,000

2010
Your 401(k) balance: $150,000
Fee: $1,500

Flat fee structure

A flat-fee structure is exactly that. You pay a simple flat fee, based on the number of employees you have and the services you want. It’s that easy and allows you to control your expenses.

For more information on 401(k) plans and the dangers of hidden fees, check out this expose from Bloomberg by clicking here.”

For more information or a free consultation on your 401(k) plan, contact John Wasiejko at jwasiejko@theonline401k.com or call him at 415.477.8800 ext 828.

A Man Said to the Universe

A man said to the universe:

“Sir, I exist!”

“However,” replied the universe,

“The fact has not created in me

A sense of obligation.”

Stephen Crane (1871-1900)

A nonprofit or non governmental organization is only as strong as its leadership. A nonprofit organization’s quality is only as good as its employees. When recruiting from the for-profit sector remember its not the compensation that should be the first draw to your organization but the organization’s mission and vision. The attitudes and expectations set by the leadership ultimately set the tone of accountability of any organization, including government. The type of incorporation does not create leaders. Recently the election process would seem to have recognized everyone. True leaders will continue to recognize those they serve even after they get the job.

 My friend and I can be mad at each other but still be friends

I do not have to like everything my friend does and still be their friend.

I can be mad and still love my brother

I can be mad and still love my parents

I can do something wrong and my parents still love me.

 From Papa:

“Learning to balance feelings is an never ending conflict that children and adults both struggle with.  Nonprofits should as part of their employee support initiatives provide diversity  and building trust trainings. ”

During the academic year there are many college students of various qualification whom will work pro bono for nonprofits.  For the summer interns will be looking for a paid internship.  The use of a year round internship program within your nonprofit organization is a great opportunity to find candidates and test them before placing them into permanent positions.  The cost to your nonprofit is low for this type of employee.  It is just $10-$13 an hour and no benefits.

Nonprofits or any organization looking for individuals whom have lots of energy, are willing to learn and willing to receive feedback should use interns.

If your nonprofit organization has staff who know how to multi task and train people, take advantage of the intern workforce.

This week in observing Earth Day my six year old and I had fun in the woods.  His conversation went something like this;

“The world is perfect and correct when I am walking in the woods. Then, next winter we cut down trees and in the spring we use them to cook our food. Then we use the leaves to make the fire with. The planet is real. It is important for animals to live on the earth; us too.

Are we an animal??

We need to be nice to nature, do not kick nature and kill it. If we are nice to nature, it will be nice to us.  We take care of nature like pets.”

Today we planted 26 trees that were grown by us and involved no use of vehicle transportation  to an area effected by construction and used fallen trees to cook our dinner and conserve our use of foreign fuels.  Any organization with its staff or community can start trees in a small space to be used elsewhere locally.

Employees are feeling depressed, anxious, stressed, overwhelmed during this time of economic uncertainty. This in turn causes the employee to get sicker. Work with your health care provider to provide your employees with a voluntary health risk assessment. Health care workers most likely nurses staffing a 24/7 confidential help line can become the resource the employee needs with out any stigma. The focus is on prevention to lower the impact of these feelings on the social and economic effect due to absences and impairment. While there is an increase cost to providing the service, the fears of today make the investment worth it.

Supporting mental health needs in a neutral way benefits most employees and the employer.

Some people don’t get to work with their parents but Chris does. Parents love to be with their children. Even we get to spend time with the people we love. I learn to express myself through writing and drawing a cartoon. When you do that it just might inspire people. And soon it will start to pay off.

Be open to having us kids at work.