Ethical Quandaries Build Ethical People

We take it for granted that schoolroom assignments, quizzes and tests improve a child's education by forcing him or her to practice skills. Why, then, do we go out of our way to prevent children from experiencing the sort of daily conflicts and challenges that test and improve their judgment and ethical development?

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Categories: Education | Ethics | Family

9 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 8:24 PM

How to Improve Every Business Document

According to an op-ed piece in The New York Times, the Rhode Island Health Insurance Commissioner's office received a complaint from a cancer patient who could not figure out why his insurance company denied his claim for chemotherapy charges. When the office inquired on behalf of the patient, the insurance company explained, "...they were still sorting through the policy; they believed Kevin's claim was not covered, but they needed more time to figure it out. ...Even the insurance company had trouble understanding its own contract."

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Categories: Corporate Culture | Customer Service | Education

4 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 10:51 AM

The Nuclear Family Option

During the twentieth century, society focused ever more attention on the nuclear family - one group of parents and children. Here and abroad, government pensions had the unintended consequence of separating extended families and reducing our individual sense of responsibility for our elders. Ironically, our attempts to make older citizens more independent have made many of them completely dependent on the government.

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Categories: Education | Economics | Family

2 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 1:13 PM

The Most Important Thing to Learn Before You Graduate

In a best-case scenario, we learn both career skills and money skills before leaving school, but most schools do not offer much in the way of financial education. The evidence is all around us in this recession: even people who excel in academics are at risk of life-long insecurity if they do not learn how to manage their money.

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Categories: Education | Management Skills | Finance | Economics | Optimism

8 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 4:44 PM

The Healthcare Questions We're NOT Asking

From the White House to the Wall Street Journal to the table next to you at Starbuck's, everyone seems to be talking about healthcare. Except that they're not. What people are debating right now is how to pay for healthcare. That's a tough enough question, but society might be better served by asking some tougher questions first.

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Categories: Education | Nutrition | Finance | Leadership | Economics | Ethics | Environment

7 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 9:44 PM

Preparing for College

Congratulations to this year's high school graduates. Those of you preparing to enter college in the fall will be investing more money than ever before for your education, so here are some thoughts on getting your dollar's worth.

1. Small talk is a big deal. College is a great place to acquire friends and ideas, and small talk starts the process. You're about to be thrust into a new environment, and your willingness to chat shows that you are interested in life and people. Project a demeanor of openness and positivity; use your idle time in the dorms or hallways to start conversations and form friendships. Of all the skills you learn or refine in college, the art of conversation may be the most valuable throughout your life.

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Categories: Creativity | Education | Leadership | Optimism

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 9:28 AM

Interest Pays Dividends

Randall W. Jeffs of Progressive Capital Managers included this story in the May issue of his "Greed & Fear Monitor" newsletter:

"As little as five years ago, I thought that virtually all older people knew quite a bit about investing. But I was startled to learn that most I spoke with knew virtually nothing. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. When at USC, I once had an ancient finance professor, who put a question on a test: Name Three Stocks on the New York Stock Exchange. Virtually the entire class went into a tizzy. They proclaimed that such hadn't been covered in class. The old guy half smiled and half chuckled. He said I don't know, I kinda thought that senior business students at USC should know the answer to that question without it being covered in class."

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Categories: Education | Finance | Economics | Investing

1 comments - Posted by Paul Orfalea at 3:22 PM