Measuring Career Satisfaction Using Buckets

When someone asks if you’re happy in your job, the answer is generally “yes” or “no” after a short pause.

But something very interesting happens in between the question and the answer.

During that brief moment, your brain goes through an assessment to: compartmentalize, weight, and rank all aspects of the job which are most/least important to you. Your job satisfaction is then determined from the aggregate sum of these parts.

Imagine a set of 4 or 5 buckets. Each bucket has a label representing a desired job characteristic. There’s no set combination of buckets or labels – it’s entirely up to you. Just don’t end up with 10 buckets because then you dilute the importance of each. The labels could be anything: social impact, impressing the opposite sex, compensation, contribution, entertainment, work/life balance, ethical practices, whatever would constitute your “dream job”.

Once your satisfaction has been broken down into the buckets, it’s time to re-size them. Think about what’s most important. Determine how heavily each one weighs on your happiness. This will be a very personal process and different for everyone, which is why there are well-paid bankers who overlook their long hours or not as well-paid non-profit employees swelling with pride from their sense of purpose.

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Mortgage Rates Still Low Despite Speculation

As different facets of the economy continue to show slow improvement and there is an expectation of rising loan rates, current mortgage rates are still low despite speculation. FreeRateUpdate.com’s daily survey of wholesale and direct lenders show that conforming mortgage loans and FHA mortgage loans remain under 5% and jumbo mortgage loans are under 6%. … Read more

Wedded Bliss and Taxes: How You File Will Affect How Much You Owe

Wedding couple strolling down street by The Inn at Penn

“Wedded Bliss and Taxes: How getting married and how you file (jointly or separately) affects how much you will owe in taxes” is a guest post offered by H&R Block’s Leigh Mutert, CPA and hrblock.com Community Manager

She’s also given us FREE copies of H&R Block Federal Premium Edition!  It’s tax season time and who wouldn’t want something premium for free :) We’re giving away FOUR copies. To enter – Comment, Like, & Tweet this article!  The winners will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 20th.

The Inn at Penn

How you file can mean tax savings in your pocket.

Marriage means compromise. It means negotiation. It means having to decide a million things as a couple: where to live, when to have kids, how to juggle the holidays between all the in-laws.

Your status on the last day of the year determines your filing status for the entire year. If you’re married, you and your spouse can choose to file a joint return or file separate returns. Unless you are required to file separately, you should figure your tax both ways (on a joint return and on separate returns) to determine which filing status is best for you.

Most taxpayers claim the standard deduction — a fixed amount that reduces the income on which you are taxed. Here are the standard deduction amounts according to filing status.

  • Single or Married Filing Separately: $5,700
  • Married Filing Jointly or Qualifying Widow(er): $11,400

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Things to Consider When Getting a Second Mortgage

Second mortgages could really be tempting. If you need money and you already have an existing home loan, making a second loan using your home as a security could now be possible. Such loan products are getting more popular and more common. That is why many lenders and loan providers across Australia are offering such products.

There is nothing wrong about taking second mortgages. In reality, you could use the loan amount to make further investments or to add to your business capital. But there are still numerous pitfalls that you should avoid. There are numerous things you should always consider before and during filing of applications to take any of available second mortgages.

Interest rates

In general, second mortgages implement higher interest rates. This is logical because lenders are taking greater risks in providing such loans. If you would get into default on your loans, you are required to first settle your primary or first mortgage. Only after settling your first home loan would you be required to take care of the second.
Check the APR (annualised percentage rate) applied. It is advisable not to immediately apply for the second mortgage you find. There could be other second mortgages with lower APRs. As you perform a comparison before your decision, get quotes from several banks, credit unions, and dedicated mortgage lenders so you could logically find the best product there is for you.

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