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Editor's note: This is the first installment of a semi-monthly Q&A on credit and credit cards by Sean McQuay, credit cards expert at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. McQuay will answer readers' questions about credit card terms, credit scoring, credit card rewards and consumer debt.

Q: My daughter recently graduated from college and moved to a new city to start her career. We are still helping her financially and are considering adding her to one of our credit cards as an authorized user so she can make purchases. What issues should we consider? She is a responsible person, but we are concerned about unexpected consequences.

A: Adding your daughter as an authorized user to one of your credit cards can do a lot of good, but you're right to be concerned. It's not a move you should take lightly.

If all goes according to plan, you could give your daughter the freedom to make purchases on her own while helping her establish a strong credit history. But if she routinely overspends, you'll be stuck with the charges. Issuers hold primary cardholders -- not authorized users -- liable for purchases, and the credit card bill will go to you, not her.

Even though you trust your daughter's judgment, some risk is involved, so it's wise to set clear ground rules. As long as you're both on the same page and she exercises self-control, adding her as an authorized user could benefit both of you in these ways:

You can financially support your daughter without mailing checks, signing up for a peer-to-peer payment service or paying your bank's electronic transfer fees. If you and your daughter have different banks, the cost of transferring funds to her every month can add up in terms of both money and time.

It can help your daughter build a credit history. Many issuers report authorized user accounts to the credit bureaus. By adding your daughter to a card you've consistently paid off on time and haven't overspent on, you could help your daughter build her credit from scratch or improve the credit she already has. You or your daughter also have the option of canceling her authorized user account if you want it to stop affecting her credit scores.

You can earn extra rewards. By adding your daughter to a rewards credit card, you can earn points or miles on every purchase she makes, which could help fund her trips home for the holidays.

As you establish those ground rules, I strongly advise giving your daughter a monthly spending limit -- say, $300 per month. Some issuers can help make such an agreement more formal. American Express, for example, lets you set a separate credit limit for each authorized user. If your issuer doesn't offer that option, try to reach agreement with her on spending limits you can afford -- in writing so there are no misunderstandings -- before sending her a card.

In my view, the parents who are most successful in helping their kids learn the ropes of credit cards are those who have established clear consequences for going over their limits. So have a talk with your daughter about what will happen if she overspends. Consequences might include getting a lower limit for the following month, paying back the difference within a set time frame or losing account access entirely.

Remember, if your daughter charges too much on the card, it could hurt more than just your budget. It could also increase your credit utilization ratio, the amount of available credit you use, dinging both your credit and your daughter's credit. That's why it's important to discuss any spending problems as they arise and find ways to avoid them in the future. Unlike your daughter, you're stuck with that card history, negative or positive, for up to 10 years after closing the card. And if you're clear about your expectations, chances are things will work out more smoothly and you'll be able to avoid disagreements down the road.

Most important, remind both yourself and your daughter that you're only helping her start her credit-building efforts. She needs to understand why a strong credit history is so important and take ownership of her personal credit profile. Helping her financially, even early in her career, is generous, but it's not something you can do indefinitely. As your daughter's income increases and her credit improves, she'll soon be able to cover her bills with her own cards, on her own terms.

Sean McQuay is a credit cards expert at NerdWallet. A former strategist with Visa, McQuay now helps consumers use their credit cards more effectively. If you have a question about credit, shoot him an email at asksean@nerdwallet.com. The answer might show up in a future column.

Photo of Sean McQuay, courtesy of NerdWallet.

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In a recent article, I was quoted saying a great leader knows the importance of surrounding himself with even smarter team members. This is a hard truth too many entrepreneurs ignore. Hiring smarter people will help you build a successful, efficient, and incredible team, capable of taking your start-up to the next level.

How do you keep your team productive, however?

Part of having an incredible work culture, is keeping your employees happy. It will make them more productive by creating a balance. All work and no play can be draining!

Create a Warm Environment

It's important to create an environment that encourages your employees. They work hard collectively and individually, and should feel as if they can come to you when they have problems, or questions.

I love knowing that one of my team members feels comfortable calling me when they are experiencing challenges and need somebody to speak with. It shows that I continue to build on a tight-knit work environment.

Create a Fun Environment

Do you have a reward system, or an atmosphere that allows your team to stretch their legs, and have some fun? I remember a friend telling me once they had a Lost Club at work, and as a Lost fan, he looked forward to it.

It may be having a fitness club that will allow your employees to have the ability to stay fit and healthy, or just a movie night once a month. Simply go with what you feel is the best fit for your organization and team.

Build a Great Reward System

Add a little zing to your commissions package by offering unexpected bonuses to your teams. There are great ways to reward your employees without spending a dime, for those who may not be able to afford it.

Flexible Hours

Handwritten Notes

Make Work Fun

Help Them Connect

A Free Pass to Local Event/Conference

25 Ways to Reward Employees (Without Spending a Dime)

Create a Two-Way Dialogue System

Allowing your employees to feel comfortable speaking with you is wonderful, but do you speak to them?

Acknowledging that there is a problem or a mistake was made, to your team is an important part of building trust. Be a part of the collaboration with your team, allow them to come to you and to question things, in a respectful way, after-all if you are hiring smart, and choosing people who are smarter than you, it makes sense that they may notice problems and flaws.

Be open to criticism, it makes you a better leader and sets the foundation for success.

Use Humor to Connect

Do you tend to come off as if you have a stick up your behind?

Have a sense of humor and don't dwell on the negative, it will help the organization as a whole focus on the now rather than the past. It also makes everyone feel more comfortable around you.

Building a strong organization takes time, patience, passion, a great leader, and -- even more than that -- an incredible team. Find what works for your organization, after all, no one knows your team better than you.

Create an inviting, and warm atmosphere, it is all about balance. Sometimes we get so focused on achieving our goals, and success that we forget that it takes time, but the journey is just as important.

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Dear Carrie,

I would like to open a savings account or a Roth IRA for my 6-year-old son. What do you think?

--A Reader

Dear Reader,

Saving on behalf of your son is, of course, a great idea -- and the earlier you start, the better for him. But deciding to save for a child's future is the easy part. The harder part is deciding the best way to do it. And that depends on your purpose for saving. So before you choose an account, you need to think about your ultimate goal.

If it's as simple as teaching your son how to save, an old-fashioned savings account is a good place to start. In just a few years that goal could be to have him learn a bit about compound interest and experience the satisfaction of watching his balance grow.

But I suspect you're thinking bigger -- that you want to give him a financial head start. That usually means four possibilities: saving for extras while he's still living at home, saving for college, saving for adulthood or even giving your child a head start on saving for retirement. Of course, these aren't mutually exclusive, but there are different types of investing accounts for each. Here are some of the primary choices.

Building a nest egg for your child's future? Open a custodial brokerage account.

If you want to start saving money for your son in a more general way, for instance for summer camp, lessons, a school trip or even a nest egg for when he leaves college, you could open a custodial brokerage account in your son's name.

Each parent can give a child up to $14,000 a year without having to file a gift tax return. As long as your son is a minor, you would control the account and manage and invest it appropriately. At 18 (or 21 or 25 depending on your state's laws), the money would be his.

A custodial account can be a good way to save, but there are a few issues to be aware of:

The "kiddie tax" -- A custodial brokerage account for your son is taxable but because he's a minor, the so-called "kiddie tax" rules apply. Under these rules, in 2015 the first1,050 in investment income is tax-free; the second1,050 is taxed at his rate (presumably lower than yours). After that, the income is taxed at your rate.

The impact on financial aid -- When determining aid eligibility, 20 percent of a child's assets are assumed available for college (assets in a custodial account belong to the child). In contrast, only 5.64 percent of a parent's assets are considered "up for grabs" in determining aid packages.

You ultimately lose control of the account -- When your son takes ownership of the money once he's no longer a minor, he can do whatever he wants with it. If you want more control for a longer period of time, consider a trust account.

Saving for college? Consider a 529 plan.
If saving for college is a top priority, 529 plans offer two very powerful incentives. First, money invested in a 529 grows tax-deferred and withdrawals, including investment gains and income, are tax-free when used for "qualified" expenses for college (tuition, room and board, books, computers, etc.). Second, a 529 plan is considered a parent's asset, so there's less impact on financial aid.

You can invest quite a lot in a 529. Lifetime contribution limits are upwards of $200,000 -- and even other family members and friends can contribute. But it pays to shop around. Some states offer 529 plans with additional tax incentives; some plans have better investment choices and/or lower expenses.

Giving your child a jump on retirement? Choose a Roth IRA.
It's a wonderful thought to want to help your kids plan for their eventual retirement, but any kind of IRA can only be funded with earned income from the account holder. So your son won't be eligible until he has a job, ideally with a 1099 or W2 form.

When he does have earned income, however, a Roth is the way to go. Unless he makes a lot of money at a very young age, he'll likely benefit more from the future tax-free withdrawals of a Roth IRA as compared to the initial deductibility of a traditional IRA. While your son is still a minor, you can open a custodial Roth IRA on his behalf and deposit as much as he earns up to an annual limit (currently $5,500 but this will likely increase in the coming years). This is a great way to jumpstart his retirement savings.

When I was a kid, saving typically meant either a piggy bank or a passbook savings account (I had both). But for today's kids, saving can also mean investing, and you have a wide range of choices. The right choice will depend on what you're saving for. Your son is lucky you're thinking ahead and planning financially for him.

For more updates, follow Carrie on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Looking for answers to your retirement questions? Check out Carrie's new book, "The Charles Schwab Guide to Finances After Fifty: Answers to Your Most Important Money Questions."

This article originally appeared on Schwab.com. You can e-mail Carrie at askcarrie@schwab.com, or click here for additional Ask Carrie columns. This column is no substitute for an individualized recommendation, tax, legal or personalized investment advice. Where specific advice is necessary or appropriate, consult with a qualified tax advisor, CPA, financial planner or investment manager. Tax-Free withdrawals of earnings from a Roth IRA are permitted five years after first contribution creating as long as the account owner is age 59 ½ or older. Certain exceptions may apply.

COPYRIGHT 2015 CHARLES SCHWAB & CO., INC. (MEMBER SIPC.) (1015-6136)

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Financial accounts are often the breadcrumbs of our financial lives. A year ago, if you had looked through all my financial statements you would have been able to piece together my life. There was the bank account I opened in Massachusetts (where I grew up), the student loans from both my undergraduate and graduate educations, and the 401Ks from three different employers. I was in my late 20s, and my financial life had less to do with preparing me for a bright future and more to do with my past.

And I had largely been doing it right. There's a lot of hype out there about lazy millennials who don't save much or plan for retirement. I wasn't one of them. Having multiple retirement accounts was a consequence of diligently saving in a 401K account at each of my three post-college employers.

The complexity of keeping track of the different retirement accounts got the best of me. Sure, I had linked all the accounts to my Personal Capital read-only financial dashboard, so I could monitor the balances. But when I got emails from any of those 401K providers, I mostly ignored them. I trusted that the money was safe and that however I had allocated the funds years before was probably still good enough. That's what being a passive investor is, right?

It wasn't until I met with one of my colleagues, a Personal Capital financial advisor, that I learned how poorly allocated my retirement funds were. I was taking on too much risk and paying high management fees. So I did a 401K rollover -- a very adult-sounding thing to do. Thanks to the rollover, I was able to consolidate my retirement accounts into one place, rid myself of the complexity, and be best-positioned for the future.

As millennials, we are entering the professional world at a very different time than our parents did. While our parents were likely to pick one or two jobs and stick with them their entire working years, we are changing jobs much more frequently. Our parents also benefited from defined-benefit plans that placed the burden on the employer to fund retirement, while we are putting our savings in defined-contribution plans that place the burden on the employee. This means millennials are likely to have multiple retirement accounts and be responsible for investing the money well.

Even if you're doing retirement savings right, as I was, it's natural to get overwhelmed by the complexity. Instead, follow these five steps to be on the path to a financially secure retirement (with no breadcrumbs):

1. Adopt the Right Attitude
There's no magical Staples Easy Button that you can just press and have retirement planning taken care of for you. As a millennial, you have many working years ahead of you, but that doesn't mean you can make up for lost time. Research shows that waiting even five or ten years to start saving for retirement can put you hundreds of thousands of dollars behind because of the snowballing effects of compound interest. Take a can-do attitude, and be proactive.

2. Take Ownership
Half of millennials don't expect to receive a check from social security, that great New Deal-era safety net that has been supporting seniors in retirement for nearly a century. Without government largesse to rely on, some millennials expect to work full-time or part-time much past the traditional 65 year-old retirement age. I don't think it has to be like that. If you plan appropriately, you can retire on time and live the retired life you desire. But you have to start saving. You. No one else, particularly not the government, can be counted on to fund your future.

3. Get Organized
Seeing how much you actually have and how it's all allocated is critical. With a tool like Personal Capital's dashboard, you can enter all your retirement account credentials once and easily monitor your retirement savings going forward. You also should have a sense for how much money you will need to fund your lifestyle in retirement, so it's wise to check out the Personal Capital Retirement Planner. You'll be able to enter your retirement goals and see exactly how prepared you are for retirement based on your ideal target retirement date.

4. Keep Maxing Out
You can put up to $18,000 pre-tax in a 401K, which can accumulate over time tax-free. Sure, $18,000 (or $750 a paycheck) is a lot of money. Millennials are saddled with the financial burdens of staggering student loan repayments, wedding bills, childcare expenses, and rising costs of living. But, as Financial Samurai says, you need to "feel the pain" or you're not saving enough. If you want to see how much you could have saved at each age if you had maxed out on your 401K, check out this post.

5. Roll Over Old 401Ks
If you have multiple 401Ks, including some from former employers, think about rolling those old balances over to the 401K with your new employer or one consolidated IRA account. Consolidation can create more than just simplicity and ease of management. Oftentimes, you can select better investments and lower your management fees, just as I did.

Retirement is far off. But you can set yourself up for success decades from now by getting on the right path today. These five steps are the beginning of that path -- with your own bright future funded by, not constrained by, your past.

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Mark Twain once said "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do, than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." This is in essence what traveling should be, but unfortunately isn't in today's society. Thankfully, the educational travel movement has birthed in many the desire to do just what Mark Twain was talking about. To learn, live and see all that life has to offer. The following points are just a few more reasons you should consider educational travel -- or a trip where you learn something instead of simply being entertained -- on your next adventure.

It's Usually More Affordable

I have often found that educational travel is more affordable than traditional travel options. After all, tourist locales up their prices for food, clothing and even a hotel stay. While other "non-tourist" locations are simply happy to have visitors and offer better rates as a result. In addition, going on a guided tour, enticing locals to show you what their home is really like, or enjoying the natural beauty of a locale can be a cheaper option than a typical tourist attraction. Attractions, which of course are designed to separate you from your money, while convincing you that standing in hour long lines in 80 degree weather is fun. Therefore, it is safe to say that overall, partaking in educational travel is a less expensive way to vacation.

Great For Families

Children today are accustomed to technology and instant gratification. It's all they know. On the other hand, I remember a time when a family would drive across country and enjoy the process of getting to a location as much as the destination itself. Well, you can't turn back time, but you can switch your kids' world view before it's too late by taking them on educational adventures instead of going to traditional vacation destinations.

With this type of travel, your kids will actually have something worth sharing with their classmates when they return to school after summer break. They can talk about how they experienced the wild Sahara in Africa, or saw wild Kangaroos jumping alongside the road in Australia or visited the many monuments in Washington D.C. Monuments that stand as a testament to the blood sweat and tears spilt by the countless heroes who gave their all for our country over the years. Now, tell me that isn't better than saying, "Well, this year we went to Disney Land"?

It Can Still Be Luxurious

Sometimes, educational travel gets a bad rap. It is thought of as "roughing it" or living like people in a third-world country. But, that isn't true at all. You can still enjoy the luxuries associated with a destination while taking in the many wonders that are present. You can still stay at nice hotels and enjoy the pool. In other words, there is no need to stay in a hostel just to enjoy educational travel. Although, if you want to go that way, it is an experience!

It's Educational

Maya Angelou once said, "travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends." This statement perfectly summarizes why educational travel is so important. It's crucial to our understanding of other cultures and lands, and it gets us out of our comfort zone. It is, for lack of a better way to put it, educational. That is why it's valuable. Some parents of homeschooled children have embraced this type of travel as a way to show their children in real life, what they are learning in their lessons at home. Just imagine how cool it would be to learn about the Great Wall of China on location, instead of on a computer or out of a text book. What an education indeed!

I hope you have enjoyed my list about the importance of educational travel. It is something that has changed my life for the better and I hope you too can appreciate its worth.

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It used to be the punch line for so many jokes. Sitcoms would feature that shady uncle who tried to sell the protagonist on some new business plan, everyone would roll their eyes, and a laugh track would roll. It was uniformly recognized as ridiculous, because clearly the shady uncle had been swayed into some sort of pyramid scheme.

A Pyramid scheme, for those unaware, is a business model that relies on participants recruiting others to work beneath them for a cut of their profits. Almost anyone involved in a pyramid scheme ends up losing money. In the United States, they're illegal.

Today, pyramid schemes are alive and well, repackaged as multilevel marketing (MLM). MLM's allow workers to gain profit from direct sales, but also usually allows workers to take a cut from the sales of anyone they recruit. This setup becomes problematic as the market becomes saturated by more and more retailers, to the point that there are no more people interested in or willing to be recruited.

According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in reference to whether an MLM is a legitimate company: "If the money you make is based on the number of people you recruit and your sales to them, it's not [a legitimate MLM]. It's a pyramid scheme. Pyramid schemes are illegal, and the vast majority of participants lose money."

If your business incentivizes in any way getting other people to work under you for a cut of their profits, in my book, it's a pyramid scheme. I don't care what the company sells or what good it can do in the world. In fact, most of the products sold by these companies do exactly what they claim to do. They're generally not sham products, but I don't support a business plan that forces individuals to use friends and family to succeed.

I guess that's the thing that really irks me about pyramid schemes more than anything else. The whole business plan involves direct sales and recruitment, which results in people selling to or attempting to recruit friends to keep the business going.

I can't tell you how many times I've been invited to a sales party -- or better yet, possibly host one! Accepting an invitation to a lotion, candle, jewelry, nail polish, oils, skincare or wrap party (to name a few) is always seen as a tacit agreement to purchase something. If I show the slightest interest in any product, I'm invited to start my very own business selling the same thing!

But I don't want to sell anything. Frankly, I don't want to buy any of these products either. If I do want to purchase something, I'll go online and buy it directly because I feel most legitimate companies don't rely on an MLM structure. Word of mouth can be a powerful seller, but so are targeted marketing campaigns. If someone wants to be around me for my friendship, that's fantastic, but as soon as the line is crossed to wanting my friendship and wanting to sell me something, I feel like the friendship suffers.

More than once I've received messages from old friends that start out as an unexpected pleasant recounting of how they've missed my company, and want to know how I'm doing. Then the message transitions to say that they've started some exciting new business, and they think I'd just be the perfect fit.

It's heartbreaking to get a message from someone you haven't heard from in years who used to be a meaningful part of your life that is only reaching out to try to profit from your friendship. It's even worse when you later find that this same friend has sent nearly identical messages to several members of your social circle. Some companies even craft personal-seeming messages for their sales people to use, and recommend reaching out to as many people as possible -- even if it's been a few years. For me, I don't understand the mentality of contacting a friend only to make a sale. It changes the relationship from a friendship to a business dynamic.

There is a caveat here I'd like to mention that I generally don't find offensive. Those are the true believers. Some people that I've met, especially those who sell healthcare products, are only involved because they believe in the products, and are not interested in making a profit. They truly want to spread the word because they honestly want others to also have a meaningful product experience. If that's your thing, I've got no beef, and I'm happy that you found something you're passionate about.

Unfortunately, I've found the true believers to be few and far between. Almost everyone I've encountered who is involved in an MLM is in it as a business venture, specifically to make money. They may like or use the products they sell, but their fervent brand loyalty is directly linked to each paycheck.

In the course of writing this article, a friend of mine played devil's advocate, because she is a rep in an MLM, and knows others who are successful at it. She pointed out that some companies are legitimate, and can actually help people make a profit. This is true. I would be errant to say that all MLM's are terrible pyramid schemes that deprive people of money while promising riches. Every company is different, and sometimes the structure doesn't place as strong of an emphasis on recruiting. And for some people, that message after years without speaking can provide a vital financial lifeline.

If you are considering getting involved with an MLM, approach with caution. If the company asks for a substantial investment upfront, I'd question it. Before agreeing to anything, do your research. Don't be swayed by an immediate sales pitch because if it seems too good to be true, chances are, it is.

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When you buy an electric car, you're showing fuel costs the door. But you might be letting in an unexpected guest: higher auto insurance rates.

NerdWallet researched insurance premiums for gas and electric versions of the same cars and found that the electric cars had higher premiums in all cases. These vehicles' higher values and repair costs are to blame.

[Compare car insurance quotes through NerdWallet's Car Insurance Comparison Tool.]

Insurance cost comparison of electric cars

NerdWallet calculated the average rates for California drivers to insure four models with gas and electric versions: the Chevrolet Spark, Volkswagen Golf, Smart Fortwo and Fiat 500. We didn't include rates for popular electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S because they don't have gas-powered siblings.

Car insurance quotes for the electric cars were 21% higher, on average, than quotes for the gas cars. The differences ranged from 16% (for the Volkswagen Golf) to 26% (for the Fiat 500).

Annual car insurance quotes for gas and electric cars in California
2015 vehicles	Gas	Electric	Difference
Chevrolet Spark	$1,669	$1,982	19%
Fiat 500	$1,597	$2,016	26%
Smart Fortwo	$1,474	$1,807	23%
Volkswagen Golf	$1,741	$2,014	16%
Average	$1,620	$1,955	21%

Methodology: Rates are averages from the nine largest insurers in California. Rates are for 30-year-old drivers with clean records in 10 California ZIP codes. Rates include liability limits of $100,000 in injuries per person and $300,000 per accident, and $50,000 in property damage, plus collision and comprehensive coverage with a $500 deductible, medical payments protection and uninsured motorist coverage. Your own quotes will be different.

One big reason for the extra cost is that the electric cars are worth more. The base prices of the electric vehicles we studied averaged 70% more than those for their gas siblings (excluding the Smart Fortwo, whose electric version is available only for lease). The more a car is worth, the more an insurance company has to pay if it's totaled or stolen.

And although electric cars require less service than their gas counterparts, it can cost more to repair them after an accident because of their expensive battery systems and the need to use specially trained mechanics.

Some electric cars qualify for a $7,500 federal tax credit, which can ease the pain of your car insurance bill. All four models we researched qualify for the credit. A separate NerdWallet study found that an electric vehicle can cost substantially less than a gas vehicle over a five-year period, taking into account buying and operating costs.

Finding the cheapest insurance for electric cars

No matter what car you drive, comparison shopping is the best way to nail down a good deal on car insurance. For the vehicles and driver profiles we researched, Mercury Insurance offered the cheapest annual premium. USAA offered a lower quote for the electric Smart Fortwo and the second-lowest quote for the other three cars, but the insurer is open only to military members and their families, so we didn't include it.

Cheapest insurance companies for electric cars in California
	Cheapest	Second	Third
Chevrolet Spark	Mercury, $1,294	Allstate, $1,689	Auto Club, $1,754
Fiat 500	Mercury, $1,294	Farmers, $1,670	Auto Club, $1,904
Smart Fortwo	Mercury, $1,294	21st Century, $1,632	Auto Club, $1,754
Volkswagen Golf	Mercury, $1,256	Farmers, $1,691	Allstate, $1,778

Methodology: NerdWallet analyzed rates from the nine largest insurers in California. Policy limits are shown in the previous chart. Results exclude USAA, which is open only to military members and their families.

NerdWallet's car insurance comparison tool can help you find the best price where you live.

Aubrey Cohen is a staff writer at NerdWallet, a personal finance website. Email: acohen@nerdwallet.com. Twitter: @aubreycohen.

Image via iStock.

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About two years ago I had my first ideal week. One where I was in a state of flow all the time. I worked on projects that were awesome and I only had a few interruptions I scheduled in to one day. The rest of my week was free to get real work done without interruption.

Then my alarm went off and I was actually smack dab in the middle of a week where I had few blocks of time to get things done and many different tasks each day that pulled me in multiple directions.

It took a while to get to that dream week and I had to design it a few different times before it worked. Here's what I've learned it takes to really build a maintainable ideal week.

1. Know your purpose

What is it that you're around to accomplish? Yup that's a big question but it's one you need to answer.

It's not an easy question, but without putting some decent thought in to your purpose you'll never know what to prioritize? If your purpose is to help others but you don't plan time in your week to do that then it's not an ideal week.

If you need a primer to help find your purpose you need to check out 6 Ways to Find Your Passion and Live Your Purpose.

It may be that once you figure out your purpose and design your ideal week that life simply can't fit it. I was there too. My next step was to write down the 5 things that needed to be true for me to get to my ideal week and then start working on making those things true. It took the better part of six months to get there but if I hadn't gone through the exercise I wouldn't have even known what the goal was.

2. Start with yourself

The first thing that goes on your calendar is time for yourself and your family. For me that means my daily workouts at 5:45 a.m. and weekly events with my kids. These things stay no matter how busy I am.

Without time in the morning to get a bit of sweat going my day ends up in shambles. Without that time to connect with my kids I'd look back in 20 years and miss that relationship.

Many of the people I've coached drop their personal and family time first when things don't go as expected and then stress increases. When they stick to their guns on personal care they find that in the midst of a busy crazy week they still feel centered.

3. Pick your daily themes

Once you know your purpose it's time to decide the themes for your days. For me that means Tuesday is the only day I take calls with new clients. If there isn't time available then they can choose a time a few weeks out. I do this because I know that I need long blocks of time free of calls or meetings to get work done.

Sticking with the same themes every week all the time gives you a solid routine and reduces the number of decisions you have to make in a day. Theming your days also allows you to batch your tasks. Do all your calls and errands one day then you have the rest of your week free to push projects forward.

Little daily interruptions kill productivity.

4. Learn to be realistic with time

We're optimistic people aren't we? When we gauge how long a project will take we assume that everything will be daisies and roses. Nothing will go wrong with the project and none of our time will be interrupted.

Of course it sounds silly, but really think about the last few projects you finished. Did they hit the expected finish date without a bunch of overtime to make it? Unlikely and you know it.

I dealt with this issue by starting to track the exact time a project takes so when I have a similar project I have a good estimate on project length. Then of course I pad by 10 - 20%. At best I have a bunch of extra time to recharge at the end of a project and at worst I've got a buffer so projects don't overlap to much.

5. Comfort with the word no

No is the most productive word you have in your arsenal. Getting comfortable with this word is what's really going to make your ideal week work.

At least once a month I have a prospect get very annoyed that I only take calls for new work on Tuesday's since they want another day, or another time, or they don't want to wait 2 weeks because I'm booked.

Part of me wants to help them out, but that's when my little friend 'no' comes by and tells them that I can't do any day but Tuesday and if that doesn't work we aren't a great fit. Giving in to all the extra requests for my time would simply ensure that I couldn't serve my clients well.

That's a recipe for a terrible week and a terrible business reputation.

Of course sometimes your ideal week won't happen. For me this was a few weeks ago when we moved our house and I was in a wedding and two of our kids got sick. I got some stuff done but really that week was about survival. Telling my wife I couldn't help extra moving the house would have been a bad idea.

Are you ready to get the freedom that designing your ideal week can bring? If so, you really need to go check out Michael Hyatt's Excel spreadsheet as a template for your ideal week

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

We don't fix toasters anymore. Or TV sets. We just buy new ones. America has become a throwaway society - and sadly many people make the mistake of discarding older, but still very useful financial products simply because they think newer is better. That can be a costly mistake.

Here are five financial products you may have that should be examined very carefully before dumping them just to get a newer model.

1. Life Insurance policies. Why keep an older policy? There are several reasons. You may not qualify for the same premium rates today as when you were younger and healthier. Or the older policy could have a higher guaranteed floor interest rate paid on the cash value. Plus, buying a new policy starts a new two-year contestability period - where the insurance company could decline a payout to your beneficiary if it is determined you made misstatement on your application.

To get a completely independent review of your current policy in comparison with a proposed new policy, go to www.EvaluateLifeInsurance.org.

2. Long Term Care Insurance policies. How sad to have paid premiums for years, only to let the policy lapse just when you are closer to needing it. Yet, that's exactly what a new study from the Boston College Center for Retirement Research exposes. They report that more than a third of those with LTC insurance policies at age 65 will let their policies lapse at some point. The two prime reasons: affordability and "cognitive decline." But the study also shows that those who let their policies lapse are <> So don't let your LTC policy lapse. If premiums rise, switch to a shorter period of coverage or less inflation protection - but hang on to at least some of those benefits.

3. Credit Cards. While it's good to weed out cards you aren't using anymore, keep the oldest of your credit cards and use it from time to time, instead of closing the account. It demonstrates your credit history better than new cards, thus raising your credit score. While newer cards may give you cash back, or miles, or points, or low-rate balance transfers, your old card says you're a good credit risk - useful if you're buying a home, a car, or even life insurance.

4. Series EE Savings Bonds. While I don't advise buying Series EE or I bonds today because the government has changed the way it calculates interest on them, many older bonds still have high "floor" rates. Those floor rates - as high as 4 percent for bonds issued in 1985 -- make older savings bonds a real winner. I wince when I see young people cashing in bonds given them as babies to spend the cash today.

5. Long held stocks or mutual funds. Perhaps you inherited shares from your parents, or even grandparents, in old blue chip companies that are still alive and prospering. Newer, tech-oriented stocks may be enticing. But don't sell the old ones without consideration. Many pay nice dividends. And if you sell, you could owe capital gains taxes - depleting your investable funds. (If you acquired shares through inheritance, you have a new "cost basis" - the value on the date of death.) Plus, selling those shares and buying new ones will cost you in commissions or fees - good for the broker, not so good for you.

Look before you leap to sell financial assets and products. Just like with friendships, the benefits of hanging in there may grow in the long run if you care enough to look. And that's The Savage Truth.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

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Do you have a burning desire within you? Something that fires you up and gets you really excited? Are you getting to do that every single day?

Well, it's possible, but first you have to find some answers, some of which may have been lying dormant in your heart for a really long time, I know it can be done because I had to do this myself a long time ago. But I can tell you that the process works and it's worth it.

So, let's take a minute or two to explore what that specifically means for you.

My own experience led me to create a process designed to assist you. In fact, I've written a book about it that will be out soon. The process is called the "Ignite Your Passion Process". Start by asking yourself these three questions:

What do I love to do?

What do I do that I can't help but do?

What do people tell me I'm good at or that I'm a natural at?

This will help you open up your mind and get your creative juices flowing. Next, start thinking about what you want your life to look like. Dream a little about the possibilities.

A Personal Experience Using the Ignite your Passion Process

I once had a client whose name was Kathy. She was struggling to find direction in her life; she knew that she wanted something more, but she wasn't quite sure what that meant for her. She was in her mid-forties and told me that she felt that maybe it was too late for her to start over. I wanted to ignite Kathy's passion, so I took her through this process, and asked her these three questions. The first question -- "What do you love to do?" -- started her thinking about what she was most passionate about. Soon, Kathy came to the realization that she really loved nutrition and learning how what you eat or don't eat can affect the way you look and feel.

It turns out that she had struggled with her own weight for several years. She had been embarrassed at how she looked and oftentimes had very little energy. Through educating herself on health and nutrition she was able to lose a significant amount of weight and felt ten years younger. That experience led her to be very passionate about anything that had to do with health and nutrition. When I asked the second question -- "What do you do that you can't help but do?" -- she shared that she can't help but assist others with their health challenges and help them get healthier through proper nutrition and diet. Finally, when I asked her the final question -- "What do people tell you you're good at?" -- she, not surprisingly, mentioned that people were always telling her she should start a business counseling people on health and nutrition since she had so much knowledge about the topics and was so generous in helping others.

So, the exercise made it crystal clear that she was incredibly passionate about health and wellness and that she had a natural gift for helping others in this area. Following this exercise, Kathy made a decision to get a wellness coach certification so she could help other women who were struggling with their health and/or weight. She told me that she had never felt so sure about anything in her life. What a great moment for her!

You see, it's never too late to find your passion and follow your dreams. We have all been blessed with incredible gifts. It is our responsibility and privilege to share those gifts, and it's our best opportunity to make an impact in the world. In some cases, due to life circumstances, schooling, kids, etc., our passion may temporarily be suppressed. But, when that spark inside ignites, don't ignore it; it's time to listen, gain clarity, realize who you are and act accordingly. Take steps every day, even small ones, toward your dreams.

And, by the way, if you're scared -- do it anyway. You'll be glad you did. Let your "why," your passion, drive you and motivate you each day to move you closer to your destiny. There will be many times on the journey that you will feel frustrated, scared or even feel like giving up. When this happens, go right back to the "why" or your passion. That will help you push through the frustration and fear and move past it, breaking through to the other side. The struggles are worth it, if it means that you get to live a fulfilled life and make a difference.

The great poet Maya Angelou said it best: "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don't make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can't take their eyes off you."

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Ever wonder how to get your event hashtag to trend? Here's a story of an event that went viral in a few hours...

Rock the World, NYC

As the host of the Social Media Lounge at Rock the World 2015 - an annual event that brings together hundreds of motivated entrepreneurs and some of the world's most influential women, Ghost Tweeting led the charge to build buzz and visibility on social media. By noon, the event hashtag was trending in NY on Twitter and Instagram. Read on to see how it happened, and learn what you can do to increase your odds of going viral at your next event.

Preparation:

Choosing a unique hashtag
When deciding on a hashtag for your event, make sure it is appropriate, memorable, and unique. The first hashtag proposed for Rock the World was #RTW15 - but it was soon discovered that people were using this hashtag for another purpose, and that would confuse and dilute our efforts. So a new one had to be used. The final choice was #WErocktheworld2015 - which is admittedly a bit long, but it provided clarity and allowed us to take ownership of the hashtag. Plus it had several meanings (WE rock the world, Women Entrepreneurs rock the world).

Getting the word out
Weeks before the event, attendees, vendors and sponsors were encouraged to use the hashtag and share others' posts. This was strengthened with a private Facebook group for attendees, where sample posts appeared for members to share. Whenever someone posted using the hashtag, it was retweeted and shared by the event team, increasing the reach of each post by tens of thousands, and further motivating everyone to keep up their efforts.

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Lights, Camera, Action: The day of the event

Recognition with a *Big Board*
Everyone loves to be recognized. Streaming the twitter feed on a large screen at the front of the room is a great way to encourage people to use your hashtag. Seeing their name and tweet go by is exciting and motivating.

Incentivize!
How can you reward people for using your hashtag? At the beginning of this event, we announced to the attendees that every time they used the hashtag on Twitter, not only would their post show on the big screen for the whole room to see, but Ghost Tweeting and the event team in our Social Media Lounge would be retweeting, extending their reach by more than 100,000 accounts.

Have a team
To really spread your message - especially at a large event, you need manpower (at this event, it was all woman-power!). Ghost Tweeting had two of our top account managers dedicated to retweeting and re-sharing Instagram posts throughout the day on four different accounts.

Updates
Simply mentioning the hashtag at the beginning of the event is not enough. At each break and during every announcement, the hashtag was repeated, and attendees were further encouraged to keep up the momentum.

The news comes in!
As soon as we got word that we were trending in NY on Twitter, it was announced on the main stage. This exciting news motivated attendees to do even more, and within another hour, we were trending on Instagram as well.

It's a win-win (...win, win, win!)

A trending hashtag is a success for the event host, the event planner, the attendees, the vendors, the speakers, the venue... Everyone gets more visibility. Everyone gets to take part in an exciting campaign. Everyone wins!

You can read more information on building buzz for your events at the Ghost Tweeting blog.

[Nika Stewart gives daily social media tips on Twitter and Periscope @NikaStewart]

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Look to Techcrunch any day of the week and see how investment opportunities abound in Agtech. Then go see Matt Damon in The Martian to get a sense for the future of your food.

Combine trillion dollar opportunities with a market sprouting in the United States. It's called "distributed agriculture" on Wall Street, or Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) by many of those in the business.

In simple terms distributed agriculture or CEA is about taking away our reliance on the land or weather by growing food in indoor or controlled greenhouses that optimize productivity, and minimize precious resources like water.

In some cases distributed agriculture is 90% more water efficient than soil based farming -- currently an exploitive endeavor even given progress in areas like precision agriculture. And of course, because it's indoors you can grow any time of the year in any climate -- even during an Alaskan winter.

The practice of distributed agriculture, it is endeavored, could make the US food secure. The country is currently a net importer of its food and this worries some people in the US Department of Defense. Climate change, countries in conflict, and acts of terror could all upend the American way when food gets involved.

Distributed agriculture promises another way

Consider that growing food next to large urban centers where it's eaten, using technologies like hydroponics, means more sustainable food, fresher food, and local jobs.

Growing America's food locally using distributed agriculture is essentially a trillion-dollar opportunity, according to Nicholas Heymann of Wall Street's William Blair & Company, a wealth management firm.

He says: "It will take a $1.75 trillion investment to enable the US to become largely self-sufficient for its fresh vegetable and fruit requirements, which would expand high-paying jobs and related support sectors throughout the country."

Growing food indoors does seem like the sort of stuff for science fiction and Martians but Sue Raftery, founder of AGROWN, a company setting the stage to grow the industry in both private and public sectors, sees huge opportunities in locally grown food.

Her company AGROWN, of which she is the CEO, is positioning itself to be the zip code where new hydroponics technologies and breakthroughs start. How? The company is currently building out the first North American indoor agriculture research park in the quaint town of Brattleboro, Vermont, and is negotiating contracts to build food parks all over the United States.

October 21 to 23 she's opening up her Rolodex and is hosting an investor summit in Ohio so investors can learn more about these opportunities.

There are currently only 7 large-scale commercial scale indoor agriculture growers in the United States, she says, and they are using technologies that rely on hydroponics. This is technology that grows food fast and efficiently on water with added nutrients.

AGROWN's Agtech Investing Conference (link here) will be held at the Ohio Agriculture Research and Development Center in Wooster and it is limited to 35 investors.

Among her partners are NASA: According to Raftery, AGROWN has created a knowledge-filled two-day that would otherwise "take weeks or even months to learn on your own."

Presenters include Priva, BV's CEO Meiny Prins, Director of CEA at University of Arizona Dr. Gene Giacomelli, NASA scientist Dr. Jay Famiglietti, and USMC Ret Col. Mark Mykleby, who co-authored the Grand Strategy for United States Sustainability for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where it was recognized that food security is national security.

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Why America, and why only now?

"The US is one of the largest markets where CEA has yet to be widespread. Having relied so long on bountiful land and water, we did not need to consider it," says Raftery.

But times have changed.

US Food Security as National Security

According to the Department of Defense in a sustainability report from the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2013 in speaking to creating sustainability in the US, "we needed to look closely to food security," says Raftery, a PhD Agriculture Economics and Rural Sociology from The Ohio State University.

"This report stressed that to create national sustainability it is important to consider food security. The food system with long food chains, much of which enters the country without close inspection, leaves consumers vulnerable to food that could be tainted along the way," she tells Green Prophet.

"Likewise the ability to disrupt our long fresh food supply chains is an easy target by outside interest groups (like terrorists) and extreme climate events such as hurricanes, tornados, etc., which could result in lack of availability of fresh fruit and vegetables which is already limited to a 3 to 5 days supply at best for most of the nation.

"Fuel scarcity, water scarcity (like the California drought) all show the vulnerabilities that could be off-set by creating a nationally distributed agricultural network with shorter supply chains, less waste, and more nutritious foods available for the consumer clamoring for more local/regionally grown food," says Raftery.

"It should be noted that even during the recent 2008 economic downturn that CEA growers found consistent, stable consumer base who appreciated the high-quality CEA grown product."

How many indoor greenhouses could feed America? William Blair & Co predicts 4,400 40-acre CEA greenhouses to provide food security.

Technologies critical for these businesses to succeed? Access to fiber optic networks, integrated systems control such as water, fertilizer, humidity, CO2, and "monitoring that emulates the Dutch way," says Raftery: "They use only what has been proven successful to grow inside the greenhouses."

In parallel, Raftery is rolling out the AGROWN tech transfer center, The CEA Research & Training Center in Brattleboro, Vermont to provide access for industry trials for new and innovative technologies for the North American market. A first for the US, the Vermont center will roughly house 10 acres of food under glass.

"This center will focus on industry based applied research and skills based training -- both of which are needed if we are to support the predicted growth for the industry in the US, as well as tech transfer as appropriate for the global markets," says Raftery.

There are approximately 75,000 acres of commercial scale CEA globally at this time.

Sound interesting? Costcos and Walmarts of the world should be in Wooster, Ohio next week. As well as private equity investors interested in agtech, clean tech and renewable energy.

Register here to attend the AGROWN event

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

We're sitting at work when the phone rings: it's a recruiter, offering us our dream job at double our current salary! Sadly, this only has happened in our dreams.

But even if your dream job does not come that easily when you're awake, you may inadvertently run across job opportunities that you did not seek. It can be awkward and outright dangerous to explore these opportunities while you are still employed, but with some planning, you can limit the potential for trouble with your current employer and be ready to evaluate your options with confidence.

Have Long-Term Goals - If you have never given serious thought to what your dream job is, how will you know when you find it?

Keep Your Resume Updated - It is always a good idea to keep your resume updated and current with the accomplishments in your existing job. It is difficult to remember them all if you are let go after twenty years on the job with no updates. Dates and details of your successes may be hard to remember, and you are likely to leave out achievements that may be important to include.

Keep Current on LinkedIn - LinkedIn is a powerful tool for keeping your name out in the open with peers and potential employers. Maintain a good network of connections and update your accomplishments regularly. If you ignore your LinkedIn page and then engage with a flurry of updates and new connections, it could raise a red flag with your current employer.

Stay Connected - Networking within your industry is useful. This is one of the most likely paths by which you will pick up job opportunities - through face-to-face industry connections. Keep up-to-date on technology in your field, attend conferences and seminars, and be aware of trends. That is sound advice whether you are considering another job or not.

Outlining long-term career goals and desires will keep you grounded and help you to evaluate your new opportunity objectively. It is easy to get caught up in the thrill of being pursued and looking at new opportunities without checking to see if your new offer really is a better career move in the long term.

It is easier to continuously expand your resume and then edit it down later than it is to recall past accomplishments to add.

If your resume is online, and your current employer questions why you updated it, point out that while you are not looking for a new job, there is no guarantee of what the future may hold, and that it is simply prudent to update a resume periodically. However, you should work on it at home, on your own time, and with your own resources.

LinkedIn is also a great and relatively informal place to keep others updated on new skills, endorsements, certifications, and other accomplishments of yours that may not pertain directly to your current job but may interest a new employer.

Social media connections like Twitter and Facebook are equally useful, but be careful. These sites can just as easily cost you a job as gain you one. Your interest in another job can get back to your current employer, even if they are not actively looking for such activity. Choose your friends and followers wisely.

Be ready when opportunity knocks. Take the above steps and be ready to consider your opportunities without damaging your relationship with your current employer. Perhaps you will find your dream job in some place other than your sleep.

More from Moneytips:

Average Salaries for Americans
Using Social Media to Find Jobs
Proposed New Overtime Rules
Re-entering the Workforce After Having Kids

Photo ©iStock.com/Zoran Zeremski

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

Don't Pay for Checks If You Don't Have To

We hear ads for free or no-fee checking all the time, but are these accounts really free? There are four different account components to consider.

Maintenance Fees - These are monthly fees that the bank charges you simply to maintain your checking account. Some banks list maintenance fees but allow them to be waived under certain conditions such as maintaining a minimum average daily balance.

Minimum Deposit - The minimum amount of money that you must deposit to open an account. You may be required to maintain a different balance amount to receive other perks or benefits.

Overdraft Fees - The fees incurred when you attempt to withdraw more money than you have in the account.

ATM Fees - The transaction fees you are charged to use an ATM. Keep in mind that any bank can only control their component of the ATM fees. If you use a different bank's ATM, they may still apply charges even though your bank does not.

Most people think of the monthly maintenance fees when evaluating free checking, but it's important to look over all four aspects -- as well as any limitations or conditions that apply.

Here are our choices based on recent information. It is possible that rates and policies have changed by the time you read this article, so verify fees with each bank before signing up.

Simple Checking - Simple is a partner of the Bancorp Bank focusing on the Internet market. They offer a truly free checking account with $0 in all four fee categories and provide a corresponding debit card. The few fees they have relate to items like paper copies of your monthly statement or an inactivity fee for six months of inactivity (both of those are $5 monthly).

Capital One 360 Checking - A checking account with $0 in all four categories and minimal limitations. You don't pay any overdraft fees but do need to pay interest on any overdraft amount. They do charge a stop payment fee of $25.00 but have benefits such as no foreign transaction fees and free online bill paying options. Interest is tiered depending on the account balance.

Bank of Internet Rewards Checking - If you can handle a $100 initial deposit, there are no monthly fees or overdraft fees, and all domestic ATM charges are refunded. Features include a VISA debit card with cash-back purchase rewards by maintaining a large enough minimum daily balance.

You may prefer other checking accounts based on features that are important to you. For example, Internet banks offer most of the better checking account deals. That means that there may not be a physical branch near you -- or any branches at all. If you have concerns about customer service or just have to speak to a live person, you may prefer trading fees for convenience.

You may be able to find other regional banks or credit unions that can offer free checking, and their offer may be as good, or even better, than the top choices listed above. All you have to do is compare all four of the fee categories of checking accounts and their rules and limitations, and you will be able to make the best choice for your banking needs.

More from Moneytips

ATM Card Skimming on the Rise
How to Avoid Bank Overdraft Fees
Understanding Checking and Savings Accounts
Bank Overdrafts 101

Photo ©iStock.com/fluxfoto

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Almost 8 years ago in search of a more flexible work opportunity I founded my company, Delegate Solutions. My son was on the way, I was commuting to Philly and dreading the thought of working a 9-5 with a child. So, I took my skills and translated them into something that would not only flexibly generate income, but meet my professional needs as well. While I recognize not everyone is so opportunistic, the desire for flexible, fulfilling work is universal across socioeconomic levels.

In her brilliant NYT article "A Toxic Work World" Anne-Marie Slaughter shares that our workplaces no longer fit the realities of our lives. She argues that this is not a narrative of a "women's problem" or a "family problem." Rather, it stems from a culture of overwork in America where only the most competitive workers putting in the longest hours can survive; thus deteriorating the infrastructure of our families and communities.

This is an opportunity for us as entrepreneurs to re-imagine and design a more flexible, happier workforce, which in turn creates the foundation for a strong, successful society. Our inherent spirit of problem-solving combined with our non-conformist attitudes provide a unique advantage to reinvent the workplace and establish new work cultures built on trust and accountability. Simply fighting for "increased virtual work" or "better employee benefits" is not enough. What we need to put our collective energy behind is creating a new type of work environment that exists to benefit everyone's success.

This first step in the fight for flexible work is likely the hardest because it requires a major shift in perspective by the traditional workplace in America. Both employers and employees will need to evolve their value mindset from that of time = worth to one of results = worth. This equates to a "Results-based Work Environment" that values effort and accomplishment above all else. Employees will need to be setup for success with clear expectations around work, in conjunction with outcome-based goal setting plans. Employers will need to find new and creative ways to track employee engagement and productivity as a component of their bottom line.

This shift changes perceptions on both sides and in order for it to work, it must address both sets of needs, carefully balancing flexibility with accountability. Efforts on this issue are well underway, but there's much left to do. Workflexibility.org is working to rally an audience of 1 million bring awareness and generate actionable ideas and leadership on this issue. On the Government side, Obama has been working since 2010 to increase flexible work environments in the US Government. The value is clear that work-life balance initiatives not only have a positive impact on corporate success, but contribute to the overall progress and happiness of our communities at large.

I believe that we as entrepreneurs can lead to reshape the culture of the traditional American workforce into one that values quality, flexibility, contribution and effectiveness. This can be done profitably and successfully, with work that complements our employees' lives in meaningful ways. There's endless ROI in cultivating a nation's workforce, and as employers we are called to action.

This blogger graduated from Goldman Sachs' 10,000 Small Businesses program. Goldman Sachs is a partner of the What Is Working: Small Businesses section.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

It's 2011 and I stand at the foot of my apartment waiting for a yellow cab I'd phoned in to take me to the airport. After 45 minutes and two more calls into dispatch, fearing a missed flight, I drive myself to the airport and pay $412 to park for 10 days. A few weeks later, I slide into the backseat of another cab, and after hearing my destination the cabbie informs me he will not take me there because he wants to stay downtown. A bit bewildered, I hesitate to get out and soon he is swatting at me with a newspaper and screaming at me to get out of his "F-ing cab." Later that month, another cabbie locks me into the back of his car -- holding me hostage for 5 minutes -- and tells me he won't let me out of the car until I produce double my fare in cash because, "I had wasted his time for trying to pay with a credit card."

To my knowledge, experiences like these were common amongst taxi users in cities across America. As commuters, we often had no better option to get where we needed to go, so we sucked it up and dealt with the drudgery that was getting a taxi, riding in a taxi and paying for our taxis. At least that was the case until Uber came along, an answer to millions of American pleas for a ride service that didn't completely suck.

Uber does not suck. In fact, I would go as far as saying that if God chose not to rest on the 7th day, but instead wanted to throw some global transportation into the creation mix, he would have created a company like Uber. Uber makes every part of the taxi process wonderful, eliminating everything frustrating or awkward about riding in taxis. Crazy arm flailing on the corner, racing other potential riders to the cab door, and calls into dispatch are replaced by a magic app, where with a few gentle presses of your thumb on a screen you can select a cab and then watch the cars progress on your phone as it drives to you. They take the awkwardness out of the payment exchange by estimating your fare, including the tip, auto-deducting the payment from your credit card on file, and emailing you a receipt with a map of your route. If your driver is unsafe, refuses a fare, or is a racist there is a direct channel to report your concerns, which immediately presents itself upon the completion of your ride.

I took much joy thinking I would never have to resort to using a company like Yellow Cab again. Stories about hailing cabs would go the way of 'walking up hill to school both ways'. "Whippersnapper, when I was young, I had to wave my arms like a windmill to get a cab and the drivers were always mean!" But unfortunately, Uber has found itself the target of a lawsuit that if successful, could put many happy Uber passengers back into taxis. Most surprisingly, this lawsuit isn't being originated by miffed taxi drivers - some of whom have made the poor decision to invest upwards of a million dollars and twenty years of their lives for their operating medallions (for unfortunate-life-decision-commiseration support groups, talk to Millenials who went to private university, or homebuyers who purchased in 2007) - but rather, it's coming from three of their own drivers and is picking up steam as thousands of other misguided Uber drivers are giving their support. If the drivers are successful, the outcome will seriously change Uber's business model; which one could interpret as: 'If these entitled drivers get their way, soon we will all be back in taxicab hell.'

What is so baffling to me is how quickly entitlement has seeped into driver's attitudes. When Uber was first launched, drivers would regale me with stories of how Uber was changing their lives. They could quit that second job they hated and instead drive for an hour a night to make ends meet; they could pay off their cars, their homes, or save for their children's college; they could afford to take time to visit their parents or friends across the country because Uber would let them drive in multiple locations. But now, only a few years later, it seems like more and more drivers take Uber for granted. What once was considered an opportunity akin to an occupational miracle for many, has devolved into just another job where "my 'employer' doesn't care about me", "there are no benefits", and "they don't pay me enough." The culmination of this attitude shift is evidenced by the willingness of drivers to back this treasonous lawsuit.

Uber didn't found their company with the intention of employing millions of cab drivers. They started their company with the idea of connecting people with cars who wanted to drive to people who needed a ride and would be willing to pay for a ride. They've done such a good job as a peer to peer connecting service, that they've completely transformed the marketplace and are on the way to creating a worldwide transportation utopia. If you choose to drive for Uber, they owe you nothing more than your commission and perhaps a polite "You're welcome." If you don't agree with the way Uber compensates drivers, then don't tap into their network to arrange for the pickup of passengers. If you'd prefer the lifestyle of a more traditional job - one with steady hours, a book of benefits, and paid expenses - then go get one. I have heard taxi companies are hiring.

I feel like I can't stress this enough: This lawsuit could ruin everything that both Uber passengers and Uber drivers are currently benefiting from. If you're an Uber driver considering backing this, I implore you to reconsider. The proposed lawsuit will undermine the feasibility of Uber's business model and thus will return power back to taxicab companies. It will be your fault when passengers are forced back into traditional taxis because of imposed 'fair play' regulations and the passed on increase in fares from higher operating costs. As Uber adjusts to their role as employer they will not be able to employ many of you, and you'll involuntarily have to return to the jobs you despised. You will find yourself pining for the good old days, and you'll watch guiltily as humanity backpedals into the taxicab dark ages.

There may come a time where Uber goes too far and you will need to band together to stick it to the man, but this is not that time. Please, stop crowding our courts and get back to work... or don't. You drive for Uber, remember? You can work whenever you want. It's a pretty nice gig.

*author has no affiliation with any of the above mentioned companies.

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The Millennial generation is usually defined as people born between 1980 and 2000. That places the demographic anywhere between 36 and 16 years old -- and as I'll turn 26 at the end of the year, I'm smack in the middle of Gen Y.

It's always dangerous to stereotype an entire generation of people, especially one as large as the Millennials. According to data released in June 2015, there are over 83 million of us in the United States. While blanket statements won't cover every last member of Gen Y, there are some formative experiences we collectively shared that shaped who we became as adults, or who we're becoming as we continue to grow up.

Personally, nothing stands out more than the stock market crash of 2008 and the subsequent recession that followed. The economic downturn shaped my worldview in general -- and it certainly affected how I view and understand finances. It changed the way I managed money, too. And according to recent research that evaluated the way Millennials interact with financial products and tools, I'm not the only one whose behavior looks radically different than older generations.

A Shift Away from Old Financial Behaviors

As a whole, Millennials don't behave quite the same as generations past. This is due in part to our formative experiences with the Great Recession -- and in part due to things like a crushing student loan burden. Gen Y delays big purchases and financial responsibilities simply because we're already overloaded with loans from school that take up any extra room that may have existed in our budgets.

In general, Millennials are more frugal, selective, and educated about personal finance than our parents. We're not the rabid consumers that the Baby Boomers were (and are). An article in the September 2012 edition of The Atlantic pondered whether or not Gen Y was the "cheapest generation," and covered how reduced consumerism among younger generations was causing some marketers to worry about declining sales.

But it's not that Millennials don't or won't spend. Yes, we have our own financial challenges to overcome -- but so does every generation. Gen Y will spend on what we value. We're just changing the way we want financial services to help us do so.

People in their 20s and 30s are helping drive the happening-right-now revolution in financial media, where news and advice comes not from professionally-trained experts and old-school outlets, but from financial bloggers and podcasters. Establishing trust is huge with younger demographics, and it seems like down-to-earth bloggers with everyday experiences are doing this far better than bigger players in the industry.

That's a trend that seems to exist in all areas of the financial services industry, not just media. Millennials want virtual banks, not the big, brick-and-mortar companies they associated with making toxic mortgages and then foreclosing on the families who couldn't afford them. Millennials are willing to give robo-advisors a try, and tend to shun Wall Street brokers who helped tank the economy.

And now, it seems, Millennials want their credit usage to adapt, too, and are turning to more modern brands they trust to help them out.

How Millennials Are Changing Credit

Gen Y is changing credit largely because of the way they don't use it. 63% of Millennials don't have a credit card -- and 29% find the current process of using a credit card online downright annoying.

Instead, Millennials are seeking out new financing options that make more sense for existing habits and preferences. While the majority don't even have credit cards, 50% are willing to try new products from tech companies they view as innovative and trustworthy. They're rewarding the companies that are willing to listen in and change the way things have always been done in favor of doing things in a way that integrates well with modern tech and consumer habits.

Companies like PayPal are ahead of the game, and serve as a good example for other financial brands who want to capitalize on the demand from Millennials for better credit services. PayPal Credit offers Gen Y a smarter, savvier way to finance purchases online (and even send money with that line of credit). This is critical because of the way Gen Y does value the ability to research and make smart purchasing decisions before spending money. We need a way of spending that aligns with the way we want to shop.

Millennials are getting clever with credit, and want more options to satisfy the way they prefer to shop and manage money. With the oldest members of our 83-million strong generation reaching 36 this year, we're all grown up, tech-savvy, and ready for financial tools that are too. It's past time that more financial institutions change the way they allow this cohort of consumers to pay for purchases.

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Bad habits tend to creep up on you. You don't realize they're forming until they're already a part of your normal process, and you often don't realize they're destructive until it's too late to prevent the damage. Still, it's possible to recognize your bad habits before they cause any more harm and correct them with a handful of simple changes.

Social media marketing is as prone to bad habits as anything else in life. There's no simple instruction manual for marketing your business effectively, so many new business owners and emerging marketers fall into common traps that prevent them from ever growing their audience.
Before any more damage is done, look at your own practices and campaigns, and rectify these five common bad habits:

1. Over-scheduling your posts. Those fancy post-scheduling tools are extremely convenient, and if used properly, can save you hours of time. Some even allow you to mass upload dozens or hundreds of potential posts, staggering their release at regular intervals to give your campaign consistency without the necessity of logging in every hour of every day. There's one major downside to this; it's too easy to grow accustomed to those scheduled-in-advance posts as a safety net. When you're certain that a steady stream of posts will emerge on your brand's social profile, you don't think about new things to post as you encounter them. Eventually, your users will start to notice that all your posts seem to be thought up in advance, and you never really offer "in the moment" material. Social media is a place of immediacy, and if you want to stay relevant with your audience, you need to avoid over-relying on those scheduled posts.

2. Only posting as a brand. Most social marketing campaigns are rooted in a brand (i.e., the company's social profiles). But social media is primarily a place for people to connect with other people. Modern consumers are naturally distrustful of brands, meaning your messages won't be trusted or valued as much as similar messages posted from a personal account. To make the most of your overall strategy, include some posts from built-up personal brands within your company to complement those from your corporate brand's account. For example, get your CEO or other executives on Twitter to talk about their own feelings regarding recent company developments, or even glimpses into their lives and careers. It will give your brand a much more human feel, and will make you seem more trustworthy and approachable.

3. Selling your products. The biggest motivator for leveraging the power of social marketing is generating more revenue. The theory goes that more followers on your newsfeed gives you more chances to appeal to people marginally interested in your products. However, this can lead to a misconception that social media marketing is a prime opportunity to sell your products (or services) to your target audience. Instead, social media should be about providing value to your followers and building trust in your brand. Relentlessly selling your products will only make people distrust you and want to tune you out. The majority of your posts should be informative, entertaining, or at least interesting to the masses. Interested parties will stick with you, and will eventually wander to your site--and that's where you should be selling your products.

4. Giving canned responses. When you receive the same types of queries over and over, it's easy to fall into a pattern of canned responses. For example, if customers occasionally come to you on social media with questions or complaints about your products, it's easy to develop a one line message like "for more information, please see our customer service page at..." that you can use over and over. However, this repeated approach will be quickly noticed by your followers, who will then feel neglected. Doing this too often will make your brand seem faceless, impersonal, or generally unhelpful.

5. Focusing on the wrong numbers. Social media marketing, like any form of marketing, is a bit of a numbers game. You'll be investing a certain amount of time and money, so you expect a certain amount of money to come back to you from your efforts. However, most novice social marketers tend to focus on the wrong numbers--the glamorous ones. For example, they'll focus on follower counts and "likes" on Facebook rather than the amount of social traffic generated, or how engaged those followers actually are. You're not after followers in general--you're after passionate, dedicated, engaged followers. If you focus only on a bottom line number without considering user behavior, you'll end up tailoring your strategy in a way that fills your audience with veritable "zombie" consumers who have little to no real interest in your brand.

Once you get rid of these five bad habits, you should have a much better chance at making your social media campaigns a success. You'll still have to make adjustments as you learn more about what your followers do and don't support in your campaigns, but this marks a great first step in building the momentum you need to be a success.

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Last month, I spent two weeks teaching grad students about a variety of airline topics in Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden, and after nearly every lecture someone has asked about the impact of the three fast-growing Gulf mega-airlines, Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways. A German woman noted that these carriers offer "insanely great service and ridiculously low fares," then asked how this was possible and what effect these airlines would have on European airlines like Lufthansa. My response to these questions and others like them is that 1) this trio of airlines are all state-owned and enormously subsidized, therefore not bound by the commercial imperatives of real airlines like Swiss, Lufthansa, SAS; and 2) nearly all of their labor force is sourced from poor countries, and thus paid far less and treated inequitably compared to standards in Europe and North America. Because of the subsidies and unfair benefits they receive, the Gulf airlines pose an enormous threat to European and U.S. airlines, and the international aviation marketplace. As a result, the U.S. airlines have rightfully urged the Obama administration to intervene in this growing trade dispute.

I teach in European business schools several times per year, and this topic is hardly new. I have heard many students in recent years express concerns over the massive Gulf carriers' expansion into European markets. However, it is only recently that governments have begun to take this unfair competition from the Gulf airlines seriously. Here are just a few indicators:

>> In the Philippines, prior to planned consultations between its government and that of the United Arab Emirates (UAE, home to Emirates and Etihad), the nation's largest airline Philippine Airlines (PAL), noted the dispute in the U.S. and said that the Gulf carriers "create a distortion in the market and could possibly lead to PAL pulling out" of new routes to London and New York. Cebu Pacific Air, the Philippines' fast-growing low-cost carrier, expressed similar concern.

>> At a March meeting of transport ministers from European Union members, the German and French ministers warned of the distorting effects of Gulf subsidies, and the EU transport commissioner promised to seek agreement from EU states to re-open talks with the UAE and Qatar. Evidence of damage to EU airlines is clear: for example, Lufthansa's biggest hub, Frankfurt, has lost nearly a third of its market share on routes between Europe and Asia since the entry of the Gulf carriers, and as a result has had to cut flights to over 20 cities in Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Similarly, in a June filing to the U.S. government on the Gulf airline trade dispute, Air France KLM said "European carriers have closed routes and reduced overall capacity. Air France during this period terminated services to Abu Dhabi, Doha, Jeddah, Chennai, Hanoi and Phnom-Penh and lost major growth opportunities to these regions."

>> In May, a deputy Dutch transport minister froze further expansion of Gulf airlines landing rights at Amsterdam, saying "I want, together with my European colleagues, to take a tougher approach to the rise of airlines in the Middle East if there is talk of unfair competition." This was the first concrete action by a European government, and it prompted retaliatory threats by Qatar CEO Akbar Al Baker.

>> Turkish Airlines' president and CEO Temel Kotil recently equated the subsidies that the Gulf carriers receive to "poison," noting the need to maintain "open and fair" skies.

It's time for the Obama administration to act. U.S. airlines are already hurting as a result of Gulf carrier expansion. Despite Emirates' recent claims that its entry into the U.S. market has "massively" increased passenger traffic, which it claims has also benefited U.S. airlines, a recent analysis of passenger traffic found that Emirates was not creating any new demand and in fact are diverting passengers from U.S. airlines. At Dulles International here in Washington, the three U.S. airlines have seen a 14.3% decrease in passengers since Emirates entered the market.

In Washington, experienced voices are now being heard. Charlene Barshefsky, the former U.S. Trade Representative under President Clinton, recently said, "Subsidized Gulf carrier competition is fundamentally distorting the international air transport market, and the impacts are being felt well beyond the United States. This state-driven aviation mercantilism is wholly contrary to U.S. Open Skies policy and the agreements themselves and demands a vigorous response from the U.S. government." Robert Hormats, former Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy and the Environment under President Obama, said, "It's not a question of the wisdom or the right of other nations to establish state enterprises. But it is very much a U.S. concern if the playing field is not level between them and their American competitors."

These respected economic leaders are joining with the U.S. airlines, their unions, members of Congress, regional and local airports, and dozens of business, trade and economic groups around the country to warn the Obama administration of the economic impact the Gulf carrier subsidization will have on the American aviation industry. Clearly, European and Asian airlines are similarly suffering from the Etihad Airways, Emirates and Qatar Airways expansion. It's time for the Obama administration to recognize the damage to U.S. airlines and to take action to restore fair competition.

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Since the Volkswagen crisis broke a few weeks ago, I've discussed the case with reporters, graduate students and business audiences. I have been taken aback by the central misperceptions among these groups that:

- VW has somehow botched the handling of the crisis involving software rigged to misrepresent its emissions; and
- the company is in imminent peril.

(For the record, I have no involvement in this case, but have worked on ones of a similar nature.)

What follows are the five points I have been making to address the fallacies involving the VW crisis.

1. On botching: All contemporary crises are initially deemed to have been botched because there are active investors - I call them "crisis capitalists" who only gain by the target company's misfortune. These include pundits, bloggers, activists, reporters, plaintiffs lawyers, short sellers, regulators, angry consumers and Members of Congress. As I wrote in an earlier article, VW is now in what I refer to in my book Glass Jaw as the "Fiasco Vortex," the early stage of a Digital Age crisis where one's enemies are in absolute control of the dialogue. The trope of the botched crisis is exacerbated by the now deeply-entrenched Hollywood portrayals of "spin doctors" as magicians. Any crisis that if not deftly and immediately defused by an ingenious trick or over-engineered apology is wrongly declared a misfire.

Now comes word that none other than Leonardo Di Caprio is planning to do a film on the VW crisis. Regrettably, as we shall see, Hollywood now defies reality and screenwriters are not known for nuance; they are known for creating what I have long called Villains, Victims and Vindicators - and the corporation is always the Villain. (Have you ever heard the media praise a CEO's forthright testimony and heartfelt apology before Congress? Don't hold your breath.)

2. On time: Most big companies that find themselves in crisis do recover, but it takes longer that the twittersphere demands. Our culture is accustomed to entertainment arcs that resolve quickly. Immediately solved murders and triumphant court cases come to mind. Managing crises is not unlike solving "cold cases": Messy, improvisational, workaday readjustments, fraught with setbacks, luck - good and bad. A few years after its "sudden acceleration" mess (for which the company was quietly vindicated), Toyota's profits surged 70%.

3. On process: I have half-heartedly suggested that we stop using the term crisis management in favor of the less unappetizing "crisis digestion." This is because we don't so much "manage" crises as we do guide a rotten piece of meat through a digestive tract filled with acute twists, turns and unforgiving absorptions that the outside world does not see. In fact, most crises are resolved not by public relations but by operational changes and other predictable organic endurances. Accordingly, VW can expect to strategically digest firings, blue-ribbon investigations, Congressional hearings, recalls, litigation, repairs, re-organizations, rebates, improved products and branding initiatives. They will no doubt commit both wise decisions and missteps along the way. (A stomach bug is never pretty).

4. On self-interest: The most important audiences to VW right now are their consumers. Car crises are unique because vehicle purchases are so big that car owners are essentially shareholders in the company. While crisis capitalists like film makers, reporters, and short sellers may profit from a corporate crisis, VW owners deeply want the company to survive, which is why some combination of bedside manner, tangible fixes and generous gestures (rebates and other incentives) will be utilized.

5. On winning: As sports crises are best resolved by the athlete or team in trouble winning, business crises are best resolved by creating great products. Audi (owned by VW) was decimated in the 1980s by dubious charges of "sudden acceleration." The brand came roaring back in the latter 1990s with superior vehicles that consumers loved - and continue to love. Since the crisis broke, VW has pledged to advance its work on electric and hybrid vehicles. A perfectly respectable start. If the company can gut through the current crisis and produce a new generation of products that address both the environmental and performance desires of consumers, the crisis of 2015 will be relegated to the graveyard of bad Wikipedia entries. I am more optimistic than most that this will happen within a few years, but not in a few tweets.

Stuart Dezenhall contributed to this report.

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