Crisis Averted... for a few days

There is never "the best time" to turn the ship around. There are many good times, in fact, any time before the iceberg, the edge of the waterfall, or any other game-changing crisis is a good time to turn the ship around. The republicans and democrats have been discussing the 2011 US budget for several weeks now as deadlines continue to loom and be pushed out "just in time" following tiny compromises. What crisis is looming in your career or your financial life? Have you received warnings to turn the ship around? Are there signs that the direction you're headed is going to require a path change? The Creating Job Security Resource Guide is your map to navigating a harsh job market. It includes all the tools you need in a compact package that doesn't waste your time with a lot of extra talk. Maybe you were waiting for the jobs to come back, only to discover that the new jobs may not pay what you've been making in a position that has become highly dissatisfactory. Maybe you are nearing the end of unemployment and you're trying to decide if you should take a lower job with lower pay or wait for a position you desire. There are some decisions that are just never easy. The secret is to compile the facts, jump in with your heart, and turn the wheel. The water may be choppy, and sacrifices may be required, but you'll be heading in the right direction before you know it.

Stock market fun to watch again

A lot of people are predicting what the economy will do next. Will it improve? Will the nuclear threats in Japan impact the recovery? Will high paying jobs come back? (The US economy created more than 216,000 jobs in March alone -- but are they jobs that merely pay the bills or afford families a moderate sense of security?) Of course there are threats -- energy prices being chief among them -- and an uncertain housing market not far behind. But a key indicator I tend to look at is the stock market. Is it fun to watch again? Does your quarterly statement register in the gains column? As someone who was fortunate to work in senior management at a thrift (similar to a bank but with the primary revenue source coming from loans) and then a financial software company back in the mid- to late-1990s, I remember very well when the stock market was fun to watch. Bull market lead to jobs, jobs lead to freedom, and freedom leads to bigger possibilities. Recovering from The Great Recession will be a lot like recovering from a major accident. The progress will be there, and it will mostly be in the right direction. There will be fatigue and set-backs minute-by-minute, but the progress will be evident as the weeks and months go by. If you've dropped out of the job market because you just couldn't find anything that met your needs, now is the time to jump back in. As more jobs are created there will also be movement among those workers who have wanted to explore new horizons for some time but who have "stayed put" out of fear. If you're a little rusty, give yourself an edge with resources you can trust. That may be from industry-specific websites like those found in the Creating Job Security Resource Guide, 2nd Edition -- or it may be by hiring a jobs site like FlexJobs.com that can ensure individual jobs leads are current and provide what they claim. Whatever you do, the message is a positive one. The sun is peeking out again and with it you'll find many new opportunities on the horizon. You might even decide it's time to start watching the stock market. It's a brand new day!