We’ve all heard about the “old boys’ network.”  How well are you using your “successful women’s network?” 

Sure we all admire the person who got to the top on their own but if we took a close look we’d realize most everyone has help on their success journey.  And part of that can come from tapping into your network and asking for help.

In almost every profession - whether it's law or journalism, finance or medicine or academia or running a small business - people rely on confidential communications to do their jobs. When we are given confidential information from our employers, a trust and at times a legal obligation is established.  And if that trust is broken the consequences can be devastating. 

Consider:

•             If confidential information is shared, a competitor may find out important information that could undermine the business’s success.

Technology has played an interesting role in our lives: It's provided tools to help us get connected and closer to each other, but often we just end up hiding behind them.

Time Magazine recently reported stated that nearly 40 percent of us socialize online more than we do face-to-face, and about a fifth of us prefer texting or Web messaging over talking on the phone or engaging in face-to-face communication. There may be a larger societal issue at work here, but in the meantime, let's focus on how we can expand our online networks into offline meetings.

The first car I bought I think I drank an entire water cooler of water while I was at the dealership.  I was sooooo nervous. It doesn’t have to be that way. Today car buying is much easier because you have so many options to become more knowledgeable before you ever step foot inside a car dealership.

The first thing to decide is your budget.  Be realistic.  If you have an economy car budget don’t start looking at luxury car ads.  Budget will also determine whether you to buy a new or used car. 

The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour—above the poverty level but barely—if you’re single. If you have a family, you’d be well below the poverty level if you are earning the minimum wage.

Nineteen states have minimum wages above the federal minimum wage level.  Five states—all in the South—have no minimum wage laws of their own, and two (Arkansas and Wyoming) still have minimum wage levels on the books that are lower than the federal level.