mmeline

Will and I attended a “Future Ready” event at Des Moines Lincoln High School recently.  The format is designed to gather graduates from Lincoln to share career, college and general career advice.  There were a number of non-profits in attendance, military representatives and for-profit capitalists like us. ???? We presented our ideas to two different classes.  One was made up of sophomores and the other included juniors.  If you are looking for a lot of positive reinforcement this would not be your audience of choice.  They were respectful but there was a fair amount of indifference, particularly when they heard that I graduated in 1986 (well before any of them were born.) Anyway, we tried to share three key themes.  One – keep your options open when it comes to college, trade school or your field of study.  Things change quickly when you are young.  I shared how I started my [...]

It’s the busiest shopping time of the year and everyone is buying gifts for friends and family. It is a perfect time for fraudsters to strike. We all know how inconvenient and time consuming having a compromised credit card can be. Every app and subscription service that has your card saved for automatic billing needs to be updated, urgent phone calls must be made and panic strikes that your identity is at risk. Credit card companies are now offering a new solution. As technology improves, hackers find new ways to breach databases and gain access to your information. Once they have your card number, they can either use it for their own gain, or sell it to someone else to use. Either way it’s a lose-lose for you. Virtual credit cards have been around for years but are just now gaining popularity because of their effectiveness in fighting against [...]