Articles & Tips

I met Kathy Johnson when I enrolled in a two-day Tactical Handgun course at the APT firearms academy she and her husband operate here in the Ozarks. In addition to being a co-owner, Kathy is a personal safety specialist who is proficient in gun-fighting and an instructor in women’s safety. The course was worthwhile butRead the Rest…

Coach Paula Shumaker O’Donnell featured Dr. Nancy’s tips on keeping meetings purposeful and effective (printable PDF)  in the Monday Motivation newsletter she distributed today February 13. Paula began writing this weekly dose of inspiration 20 years ago. Employers and individuals subscribe for the wisdom and encouragement that Paula provides. Many employers provide it to allRead the Rest…

Have you ever come away from a personal encounter feeling, “What just happened? Am I so out of touch? Maybe I AM losing it!” If someone is trying to get you to doubt the validity of your own experience — the information you receive from your own senses — then chances are you’re being gaslighted.Read the Rest…

When was the last time you took a good vacation? What’s the longest you have allowed yourself to let down and stay off duty? Women face so many conflicting demands today …they often end up feeling exhausted, cranky, and discouraged. Burnout rears its ugly head and you find you just don’t care about much ofRead the Rest…

The content below is taken directly from MissRepresentation.org.   The film Miss Representation exposes how American youth are being sold the concept that women and girls’ value lies in their youth, beauty and sexuality. It’s time to break that cycle of mistruths. In response we created MissRepresentation.org, a call-to-action campaign that seeks to empower womenRead the Rest…

The U.S. Census Bureau tells us that 36.2 million Americans are available singles over age 45. Lots of them are dating. If you are a midlife woman who is dating again – or still – you know better than to base your self-worth on a man. A good partner can enhance your life, to beRead the Rest…

During the Holidays, sticking to a budget can be difficult and extremely stressful. Read Dr. Nancy’s tips on how to stick to your financial goals and still give. Holiday Gifting on a Budget: Gifts That Keep on Giving

The Value of Women’s Work Women often complain about feeling invisible, ignored and dismissed in their workplaces. A wonderful new article posted by Charmaine McClarie on W2Wlink describes four common traps and how to avoid falling into them. 1. Blindly oblivious at work. This person has no idea what it takes to get ahead inRead the Rest…

Self Promotion Backfires To get a raise you need to self-promote, but self-promoting women may experience backlash in the workplace. What can I do to keep my self-promotion from backfiring? The website W2Wlink.com has some answers. “The characteristics we associate with success, including confidence and competitiveness, are seen as stereotypically masculine. Characteristics that are seenRead the Rest…

How can you mentor other women to help them succeed? What have been your keys to success? If you’re not already on Linked In and using social media, get with it! Now!  LinkedIn provides some terrific groups like Women 2.0. Check out this recent post by Dawn Goldberg, CPA, in response to a question inRead the Rest…

Have you tried to get a mortgage loan lately? Recent rule changes established for loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two very large government-sponsored enterprises, have tightened lending requirements. Here are some of the changes that may affect you, courtesy of Bills.com. Appraisals are costlier, and the results less favorable. Many would-be homeRead the Rest…

When I was growing up, I remember hearing my parents discuss money. It wasn’t usually pleasant: my father loved to find bargains, while my mother’s nickname was “Mrs. Rockefeller” for the way she spent. Now that I am grown, it is difficult for me to feel neutral about money. I always have the struggle withinRead the Rest…

Social-profit organizations always operate with small staffs and people who can feel maxed out. Social media opportunities today stretch staff resources to the breaking point and have created three major problems. This excellent article explores three negative consequences and what to do about them.   The 24/7 news cycle creates compassion fatigue. People feel overloadedRead the Rest…

Fundraising is essential to success for social-profit groups, and it takes a lot of work to achieve success. Use these 11 tips to increase your bottom line while avoiding frustration in your volunteers. 1) Handling the money It’s like banking. Split responsibility for money handling between two people who are not related. Always employ checkRead the Rest…

 Do you get what you ask for?Are you a great negotiator? Many women hate to bargain, but it’s an essential skill in relationships and in the business world. A brief article in Inc. Magazine cautions about five things we should NOT do when negotiating if we don’t want to give the advantage to the otherRead the Rest…

Vulnerability An Inescapable Human Trait – Make it a Strength When we have worked so hard to achieve credibility and position and influence and power it can feel deeply threatening to reveal our human vulnerabilities. It’s necessary, though, and can actually put us in a much stronger position than trying to pretend we’re never wrong,Read the Rest…

Have you ever noticed how hard women are on other women? They don’t only dis other women in high school or at cocktail parties. Non-feminists hate feminists; some women columnists hate women’s websites. Forbes’ blogger Meghan Casserly writes: “It simply doesn’t sit well with me. “Yes, yes, I get it: it’s a shame that “women’s”Read the Rest…

By Candace Bahr, CEA, CDFA and Ginita Wall, CPA, CFP Are your vacations so hectic that you need to get back to work to relax once you return?  Are you still paying off your last vacation while booking your next one?  Here’s a way to abandon the stressful vacation payment treadmill, and relax on theRead the Rest…

Fall is one of my very favorite seasons of the year because it makes me feel calm and warm inside. Unfortunately, not everyone is feeling this way. September produced another 95,000 job losses, meaning more families will have to cut back even further and may find themselves in financial crisis. At a Catholic Charities BoardRead the Rest…

Challenging economic times do encourage entrepreneurial activity, according to a recent Pepperdine University business report. Bill Gates started Microsoft in a recession; in fact, more than half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list began during a recession. The current recession is a very male one, with some experts saying men have lost fourRead the Rest…

Do you feel fit, healthy and strong? If you were asked to take a hike or ride a bike today, are you able and fit enough to do it?  Do you want to stay sexy and strong no matter what your age?  Personally, I am counting on being fit for life. That’s why smart womenRead the Rest…

Protect Your Financial Future Maintaining your financial security, and that of any dependent children, is one of the toughest challenges you are likely to encounter when facing a separation or divorce. But once you have decided to divorce, there are a number of estate and gift tax opportunities and pit falls that may arise asRead the Rest…

By Candace Bahr, CEA, CDFA and Ginita Wall, CPA, CFP®, CDFA Is Your House in Limbo? Home sale prices have dropped, and in many communities the market is moving at a snail’s pace, with sellers outnumbering buyers. That’s not a problem if you aren’t planning to sell your home. But if you are divorcing, sluggishRead the Rest…

The Magic of Turning 40