Tesar-Reynes

Everything I have read talks about the change in the buyer behavior of this country. That our savings rates are back up and that spending is way down. I have tended to believe this until I heard an ad the other night for buying foreclosed real estate.

The ad intimated that whatever your credit, they could get you into the house of your dreams. Note to self: re-check the DVR, were you watching a new episode of CSI or was it one from early last year?

I came across this Yahoo article How to Protect Your Online Reputation this morning. Forbes writer Amanda Berlin details some nice tips on keeping track of your personal brand on the Web. With all the social networking going on, do you know what image you’re projecting?

Here’s a list of tips she recommends:

1. Google your name
2. Register your name as a domain and with social networks
3. Create a Google Alert for yourself

Searching for yourself is self-explanatory, but make sure to do an image search too. I’m pretty lucky to have a unique name like …

I have tuned out the whole debate. It is a waste of time. As a small business owner, I am acutely aware of the need for reform. BCBS graciously increased our rates by 57% this year. Our insurance guys shopped out our needs to other carriers to no avail. Nobody needs to tell me that a company with less than 10 people is like a fish in a barrel for any insurance company. It is painful and unfair.

I have turned off the debate because it is all hot air and political posturing right now. The media is not telling me news, it is telling me moves in the debate. And, in turn, most parts of the plan have not even reached the mark-up stage. …

It is a beautiful Friday here in Chicago. The temperature reads 80 degrees and the sun shines bright. Not a single cloud hangs over the city. I think I’ll head to the beach after I get this post out.

So, in celebration of good spirits, here’s the latest viral video craze. The Today Show featured this video of a wedding party dancing to Chris Brown’s Forever earlier this week, and it’s reached over 12 million hits already. (Thanks to my friend Sarah Bonkowski for tweeting this earlier in the week.)

Now that’s how you celebrate starting a new life with someone! How happy was that bride when she came out into the aisle? Amazing!

It’s a time of transitions for me. I’ve lived with my good friend Jeramiah …

I was talking to a good friend of mine in the banking regulation business. We were smiling over the fact that the Dow had broken 9,000. We were even talking about the possibility of “the boys taking a hiking trip in the Rockies”. I was pretty stoked about some good news. But then I am by nature, an optimist.

After a refreshing positive pause, we started talking about the crunch that is about to appear in commercial real estate. We wondered aloud about whether it would have much effect on the recovery. We decided it would have some, but “not too much”.

I was still in an okay mode until he talked about the fact that, since the banks are not lending the money like they should, and …

How do you handle stressful workplace situations where your own ethics come into question?

Recently, some friends and I discussed a very uncomfortable and unfortunate workplace incident over e-mail. One of us works as a financial advisor at a mid-sized office. He received word that 6 of his coworkers had been fudging numbers just to meet minimum productivity levels. They were found out and most likely will be fired.

I won’t get into the details of the situation, as I’d like to respect my friend’s privacy and the privacy of his firm. I think all of us encounter similar temptations in the workplace and can relate to similar circumstances. The extra pressure to perform can drive some to disillusionment. It may be tempting to fool yourself that you’re acting within moral grounds in the name of your position or family.

Another friend spoke …

I was asked a really strange question the other day. Do I prefer to receive an unsolicited resume from a candidate I don’t know by snail mail or by e-mail. My response was simple: e-mail. She laughed and said that is a pretty black and white response.

My answer was definitely yes. There is very little I can do with a paper copy of a resume other than to request an electronic one. The perception, at least with me, is that if someone sends me a hard copy they’re not very much up on the world and don’t have an electronic one. It sort of creates a bad first impression.

On more than one occasion, a candidate has brought up to me their concern about giving personal information on corporate websites. They have felt, whether it is true or not, that they were asked to give permission to the company to investigate private information before they’d even had an interview. They felt uncomfortable answering questions about things like traffic violations and health care. This also included the release of their Social Security number.

In this age, I believe that these people have a perfect right to be concerned. When I asked them whether the corporate site promised to protect their information, none could recall such.

I honestly don’t know whether very many corporate sites do this but if it’s a perception then it’s a partial reality. If it is a reality then I can flat guarantee that certain companies …

If you’re unemployed like me, you might find yourself wondering what the next step in your career should be. I sure am.

Sometimes, it helps to get your thoughts down on paper. Tony and I are huge advocates of journal writing, especially the type of writing where you just write with no purpose. Interesting thoughts come out when you let your subconscious mind roam freely.

The other night, I made a huge pot of coffee and started writing. My journal entry started with a simple question - Who Am I?

I wrote about how two years ago, I had one role. I was a student. That responsibility came with a simple goal: Get A’s in all my classes. I did well, scoring a decent GPA. I hit the books during the …

Yesterday at the grocery store, I accidentally bumped my cart into a 50-year old looking lady in the checkout line. Rudely, she pushed my cart back into my midsection. A sharp pain ran through my waist as the lady shot a look back at me saying, “How dare you!”

I apologized, then looked down at my cart to survey my purchase. Eggs, steak, salmon, chicken, bread. “Hope it all adds up to $40,” I thought.

An angry voice appeared out of nowhere in my head. “Well, if this stupid baby-boomer in front of me hadn’t screwed up the economy, maybe I’d have the grocery budget to afford some milk!”

I laughed to myself and chalked up my rage to frustrations I share with this years graduating class. On Sunday, the front page of the …