Employment & Careers

By Rick Aristotle Munarriz, The Motley Fool

Now that Facebook has filed its paperwork to go public, we're getting our first real glimpse at the inner workings of the world's largest social networking website.

It's pretty impressive.

Let's set aside the potential for Facebook's valuation to get out hand. We're still several weeks away from actual deal pricing and retail investor reactions. What we have now are the company's fundamentals.

Let's dive into a few of the numbers that may surprise you.

By Chuck Saletta, The Motley Fool
According to a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management, some 83% of HR professionals think that personal financial challenges have at least some impact on employees' performance. Those same HR professionals aren't blind to economic reality -- 80% of them believe that employees at their organizations are facing more financial challenges than they were five years ago.

And it's not a stretch to connect the dots: How you manage your own money can have an impact on the work you do for your company.

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There may be a lot of economic uncertainty out there but it appears quite a few Canadians are sure of one thing -- they're still expecting to get their annual bonus.
A recent poll by BMO suggests that one third of Canadians in the workforce expect to get their year-end bonus which usually arrives between now and the end of February. It seems that those anticipating the reward also have high expectations when it comes to how much they'll receive -- 79 per cent of respondents who said they think they'll get a bonus said they expect it to be the same amount as last year or higher.

Are you a highly successful middle aged man? You too can date sexy college co-eds at the University of Toronto, as long as you've a steady stream of cash.

The global economic climate combined with massive student loan debt have forced some girls on the UofT campus to find a creative solution when it comes to making money. It seems a lot of them turn to Seeking Arrangement -- a website that matches perspective sugar babies with the sugar daddies willing to pay them for their time (However it happens to be filled).

According to statistics recently released by the site, UofT has the second highest number of college girls, with 471 users taking advantage of the site's matchmaking capabilities. The number is second only to New York University with 498 users. In general, women out number men on the site five to one and while most of the girls leave their fee negotiable, the average seems to be between $1,000 and $5,000 per month for those that do list it on their profiles. Inevitably, there are some women who over value themselves, posting requested amounts between $10,000 and $20,000 per month without the Perfect 10 looks to back it up.

Related Links:

• Risque Business: Ads that Use Sex to Sell
• More Sex, More Income?
• In Dating, When Should You Reveal You Have a Large Debt?

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Steven Tyler, of Aerosmith and American Idol fame, sang the U.S. national anthem earlier this week. Based on general consensus - and we mean The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post blogs, US Weekly and more - it wasn't very good.



Now to be fair, Tyler is one of the most famous singers in the world. He's had a 30-year singing career with a lot of highs (Permanent Vacation) and a few lows (epic drug taking with "toxic twin" and fellow Aerosmith member, Joe Perry). You may or may not be the biggest fan of his band, but the man can sing.

Here's a video of him signing live with Aerosmith:

Every job has its own level of stress, but what are the most stressful jobs in Canada?

Whether you're a teacher dealing with rowdy kids, a receptionist in a busy store, or a labourer toiling in the cold, let's face it - there are very few 'easy jobs' out there.

But we've picked out what we believe are the top twelve grey-hair-inducing jobs this country has to offer. To view the gallery, click here, or on the picture below

We all have a name, whether it's associated with the glam set like Angelina or Brad or a moniker with older associations like Norma or Edward. As much as we'd like to think how well we do in life stems from our inner beings, recent studies claim that the way others perceive our names can actually influence our success.

A new study suggests that women who keep their maiden names are seen as more professional and are more likely to be favored for a job. The research also suggests that women who keep their original last names earn a higher salary, as much as around $1,122.00 a month compared with women who take their husband's name or women with double-barreled surnames.

The Dutch study, performed by professors at Tilburg University, looked at 2,400 married women. The researchers found participants in the study thought a woman who changed her name to her husband's or used a hyphenated name was likely to be more caring, dependent and emotional whereas a woman who kept her maiden name was seen to be more intelligent and competent.

So you've made your list of what you want to accomplish in the new year and you're sticking to it. That is until appointments and work deadlines and social commitments start to eat away at your time and your money. So review your list of New Year's resolutions, and be realistic. And think about the following mistakes to avoid so your money isn't eaten up by promises you've made to yourself that you really can't keep.

Click through the photo below to launch the gallery, or read the story that follows, to find out which resolutions could cost you in 2012.

(CLICK PHOTO TO LAUNCH GALLERY)

1. Committing to a gym membership and then never setting foot on a treadmill.
We've all been there. It's the start of a new year and everyone wants to rid themselves of those extra holiday pounds they've put on after one too many helpings of turkey... and mince tarts... and yule log cake. But before you put down a hefty gym deposit think about when you'll go to the gym and how you'll go about your new fitness program. Simply buying a gym membership won't improve your heart rate and it is an extra fee in your monthly pileup of bills that could be avoided. Will it really work for you or would an after-work yoga class or power walk fit your schedule better? Think before you spend.

A few years ago, while at a dinner party celebrating her recent promotion, Vivian Prokop, the two-time Top 100™ Award-winner and the CEO of Canada's highly successful Canadian Business Youth Foundation (CBYF),felt the sting of being whacked in the knees by a laying on of the gender card. It didn't matter that the Harvard University graduate had an impressive background of senior leadership roles under her belt, nevertheless, her male colleague and intellectual equal didn't bat one eye when his ugly comment of "You do realize that you only got that job because you are a woman, don't you?" left his lips.

Women, arguably, have come along way. In terms of North American post-secondary graduates, women out number men 3:2. In the U.S. 60% of Masters degrees go to women and the number of women in the workforce from the years 1970 to 2007 went up 44%, and 33 countries have had a female president or prime minister. Indeed, this is progress ... slow progress. Still, very few women are at the helm of major international corporations. We have, though, some great examples: Ursula M. Burns (Xerox), Indra Nooyi (Pepsico) and Estée Lauder (Estée Lauder).

Yet, despite the noteworthy achievements of these aforementioned ladies, respect and status that rivals men, remains elusive for many women. The culprit? Stereotypes.

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Redemption Inc. is a CBC reality show that sees ten ex-cons vie for an opportunity that has been "Kevin sent" -- as in, Kevin O'Leary.

The chairman of O'Leary Funds, best known as the most acerbic venture capitalist on Dragon's Den and Shark Tank will be showing his softer side in 2012 by investing $100,000 of his own money into the business of a reformed criminal, giving them a second chance at a productive and fulfilling life, when no one else will employ them.

If you ask him though, he's the same money loving free-market philosopher he's always been. He's simply responding to an entrepreneurial spirit that has always been there among these people and redirecting it to the right side of the law.

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