It’s clear that if you can work for a company that provides a valuable service to major corporations, you have the ability to earn millions of dollars of income for that company. That’s the only reason I can determine that a Senior Account Executive at SalesForce.com would earn an average annual total compensation of $318,233, according to a new list published by Forbes of the 25 top-paying companies. SalesForce.com tops this list. I had heard of SalesForce.com, but I was never quite sure what they do, and after looking around their website, I’m still not completely sure.

According to the article, SalesForce.com gave their employees who generated the most revenue a benefit called “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” where the company built a branch of Tiffany’s in Hawaii and flew in millions of dollars of merchandise for a $5,000 shopping spree. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of a company doing. The money must be flowing like water. Who do they think they are, AIG?

If you’re a good person, you might like the second company on the list. Bingham McCutchen is a law firm in Boston where employees are paid for “office citizenship” or “positive thinking and teamwork.” This sounds more like something that might occur on Boston Legal than a real firm. Who wouldn’t want to work at a company with James T. Kirk, Murphy Brown, and the guy from Secretary running the show? At Bingham McCutchen, law associates are paid $219,888 on average.

Goldman Sachs, despite its reputation for lavish pay, is only seventh on the list, where a mix of the most common positions earn only $160,000 on average. The Boston Consulting Group, Forbes’ second-ranked “best company” in the United States, is tenth on the list thanks to consultants at the company who earn an average $154,051.

Does your company rank in this list? Here’s the full breakdown of the rankings.

1.       Salesforce.com

2.       Bingham McCutchen

3.       Alston & Bird

4.       Perkins Coie

5.       Devon Energy

6.       Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company

7.       Goldman Sachs

8.      EOG Resources

9.       Brocade Communications Systems

10.   Boston Consulting Group

11.    NetApp

12.    Scripps Health

13.    Qualcomm

14.    Cisco

15.    Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

16.    CH2M Hill

17.    MITRE

18.   Johnson Financial Group

19.    Adobe Systems

20.   Microsoft

21.    Baker Donelson

22.   The Everett Clinic

23.   Atlantic Health

24.   Chesapeake Energy

25.   Novo Nordisk

Forbes

25 Top-Paying Companies is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) has concluded through conducting an online poll that 31 percent of people who combine finances with their spouse or partner have been deceptive about money with the individuals who trust them. Some lies are more hurtful than other lies, so the study looks at the type of financial infidelity.

More than half of the respondents, 58%, hide money from their spouse. 54% hide minor purchases. Almost one third, 30%, hide bills or statements from their partner. 16% lie about a major purchase. 15% have a hidden bank account. 11% of those surveyed lie about their debt, and another 11% lie about how much they earn.

Although my finances are an open book, I understand why lying about money comes easily, particularly in new relationships. If you’re meeting a potential husband or wife for the first time, you want to put your best foot forward, and that often involves making yourself sounds like the ideal person, someone you want to be, other than sticking to the more boring truth. That embellishment could easily turn into a lie, and at the beginning of the relationship, some might be afraid of the other individual losing interest. At some point after that, you can’t go back and tell the truth because he or she doesn’t want to be branded a liar.

Unfortunately, long-term relationships can be founded on a misunderstanding of finances, and there may be no turning back.

If the temptation to exaggerate is so great, finances should probably be kept out of discussions until the couple is more intimate. When money doesn’t play a role in the initial attraction, there will be less of a need to embellish the situation in order to attract someone else.

The survey revealed that men and women were just as likely to lie about their finances, but women more often said they caught their partner in a lie. Men were significantly more likely to say that their partner was lying about a purchase, while women were significantly more likely to say their partner was lying about income or debt.

If a couple has decided not to combine their finances, there may be no reason to lie to your partner; what’s yours is yours. For those with combined finances, there is a trust that should not be broken. A therapist from Boston who has been working with couples who have experienced financial infidelity, offered his opinion to Forbes Magainze. Carlton Kendrick lists four primary reasons an individual might lie about money to his or her spouse, pragmatism, control, guilt, and fear:

The pragmatic lie may result from planning an eventual split and not wanting the other to know how much money is available. Financial infidelity for control may include revenge spending, as one partner overspends to prove their independence or to get back at the other for something lacking in the relationship. Knowingly irresponsible behavior may cause guilt and embarrassment, so the person attempts to cover it up. Deceit may also occur because they fear their partner’s reaction to the truth.

If it doesn’t affect your ability to pay for the expenses you need to cover, and if it doesn’t change your ability to meet other goals, you may have the opportunity to save money on the side for a surprise gift for your partner. This is a lie with good intentions. I’d prefer not to see savings on the side take the form of a lie, however; you can agree with your partner to have separate funds set aside for such occasions.

Are there any situations when it is justified to lie about money to your spouse?

The National Endowment for Financial Education, Forbes
Photo: klaaspieter

When Can You Lie About Money to Your Spouse? is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

Just like all small business owners, concerned with creating a product or service to solidify the company’s brand, Citibank continues to market their most popular product. Although Citibank has been around for almost two hundred years, they continue branding to ensure their products are reaching as many customers as possible. Here’s why Citi continues to heavily advertise the Citi® Platinum Select® Card, Citibank’s flagship credit card.

It’s important to note that the Citi® Platinum Select® Card carries a 4% balance transfer fee. The fee is paid up front, and will be part of the balance on your new Citi card. As with any balance transfer fee, do the math before transferring the balance to ensure the amount of the fee is less than the amount of interest you would continue to pay on your current card.

After the introductory period expires, the Citi® Platinum Select® Card reverts to its standard variable APR of between 11.99% and 20.99%, depending on the quality of your credit. The Citi® Platinum Select® Card also has no annual fee, which is another important feature. Just as important is the rewards program, and unfortunately, this card does not offer even a standard points or cash-back rewards program. While cardholders receive discounts on select purchases through the Citi website, the Citi® Platinum Select® Card lack of a rewards program makes this card less valuable for users who pay their bills in full every month.

The introductory offer for the Citi® Platinum Select® Card constantly changes. To sign up today for the Citi® Platinum Select® Card, visit their secure application page using any link within this post.

Citi® Platinum Select® Card Review is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

January 2011, the first full month of life without a salary, was my first opportunity to take a look at what I can do while working for only myself. The last two weeks of December were officially post-employment, but with the holidays, my routine wasn’t normal until after the new year.

I’ve discovered a few things:

§ Not having to worry about what a boss wants me to do allows me to focus my energy on things that are important to me, and it’s more of a relief than I thought it would be. I expected to have less stress and be able to focus more, but I have a renewed energy that I haven’t had for a long time.

§ I’m saving a lot of money by not going to the company’s cafeteria for lunch every day, but my heating costs are increasing, thanks partly to a cold and snowy January and thanks to being home during the day.

§ Having an area of my apartment set aside for working is good, but I don’t mind the mobility I have my working on a laptop. This coming month, I’ll be spending more time at my girlfriend’s apartment, and I appreciate my new location independence.

§ I still need to hire a cleaning service.

In the next few days, I’ll write more about the changes in my expenses due to the lack of a commute and more time spent at home. In terms of income, the month was successful, with a 33% increase over December’s income. Part of this increase is due to cyclical forces in the industry, but I believe having more time to spend on my own projects has contributed as well.

I mentioned a few days ago that I could be a millionaire just by interpreting my net worth slightly differently. I’ll continue producing these reports every month without taking into account the estimated value of my business, and focus only on my cash, investments, and debt.

Here’s the latest report followed by some commentary.

1. Cash in banks. A friend and reader asked me recently about the best place for his business’s cash. For most of my cash, like him, I’ve had a business account at ING Direct. That’s earning only 0.95% APY at the moment. While it’s still better than most brick-and-mortar savings accounts, it may not be the best option out there. I’ll spend some time researching better options.

The savings accounts I keep are generally designated for emergency savings or a big purchase, such as a house. Leaving my job, I made sure I had cash available for the unlikely even things didn’t work out and I’d need to look for something new. I could being too conservative here, so my plan for this year is to answer some of these questions.

2. Investments and retirement. I still have not completed the paperwork for my Individual 401(k) at Vanguard, but I hope to finish this by the end of the week. It will be important for me to decide what to do with my existing 401(k). I could roll over the investments into an IRA or leave the account with my former company. The mix of investments has performed well, better than the S&P 500, but that’s no indication of how it will perform in the future. Traditional financial-planner advice says I’ll be better off in the long run investing my retirement funds in a broad equity index.

As a continuation of last year, I’ve started off 2011 by investing $1,750 each month automatically into my SEP IRA. My goal for the year is to invest ten percent of my income towards retirement, so I still have more to go before reaching that mark. This may require a manual investment each month after I determine my income.

3. Accounts receivable. Accounts receivable is the line that represents the invoices I’ve sent to clients and advertisers that are still outstanding. When this number increases, it might mean more business or it might mean that companies are taking more time to pay me. Despite a larger income in January, my accounts receivable amount decreased.

The decrease is mainly due to getting payments faster, thanks to direct deposit.

4. 2004 Honda Civic. At 128,000 miles, my car is still running well. There are a few problems that require my attention. I need to replace the battery in the keyless remote, and some of the rubber protecting the bottom of the driver’s side door has fallen off. This is the most trouble I’ve had with the car since I purchased it new in June 2004. Is it crazy to buy a car new rather than used? Not if you hold onto it for a long time and drive it into the ground. Even though Hondas hold their value well, resale value is not an issue for me.

Ever often I use edmunds.com to determine an estimated value of my car for my net worth report, but for now, I’m just decreasing the value by $100 every month.

5. Accounts payable. I use credit cards for almost all of my spending, and that contributes to the accounts payable line. Those who submit invoices to me that I haven’t paid by the end of the month are included here as well. The credit card balances are all paid before they are due in order to avoid any interest charges.

Although I nearly doubled my net worth over the past year, that is a less likely target for the next year. How are your finances coming along so far this year?

Personal Balance Sheet, January 2011 ($578,043, +7.0%) is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

It’s clear that if you can work for a company that provides a valuable service to major corporations, you have the ability to earn millions of dollars of income for that company. That’s the only reason I can determine that a Senior Account Executive at SalesForce.com would earn an average annual total compensation of $318,233, according to a new list published by Forbes of the 25 top-paying companies. SalesForce.com tops this list. I had heard of SalesForce.com, but I was never quite sure what they do, and after looking around their website, I’m still not completely sure.

According to the article, SalesForce.com gave their employees who generated the most revenue a benefit called “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” where the company built a branch of Tiffany’s in Hawaii and flew in millions of dollars of merchandise for a $5,000 shopping spree. This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of a company doing. The money must be flowing like water. Who do they think they are, AIG?

If you’re a good person, you might like the second company on the list. Bingham McCutchen is a law firm in Boston where employees are paid for “office citizenship” or “positive thinking and teamwork.” This sounds more like something that might occur on Boston Legal than a real firm. Who wouldn’t want to work at a company with James T. Kirk, Murphy Brown, and the guy from Secretary running the show? At Bingham McCutchen, law associates are paid $219,888 on average.

Goldman Sachs, despite its reputation for lavish pay, is only seventh on the list, where a mix of the most common positions earn only $160,000 on average. The Boston Consulting Group, Forbes’ second-ranked “best company” in the United States, is tenth on the list thanks to consultants at the company who earn an average $154,051.

Does your company rank in this list? Here’s the full breakdown of the rankings.

1.       Salesforce.com

2.       Bingham McCutchen

3.       Alston & Bird

4.       Perkins Coie

5.       Devon Energy

6.       Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company

7.       Goldman Sachs

8.      EOG Resources

9.       Brocade Communications Systems

10.   Boston Consulting Group

11.    NetApp

12.    Scripps Health

13.    Qualcomm

14.    Cisco

15.    Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

16.    CH2M Hill

17.    MITRE

18.   Johnson Financial Group

19.    Adobe Systems

20.   Microsoft

21.    Baker Donelson

22.   The Everett Clinic

23.   Atlantic Health

24.   Chesapeake Energy

25.   Novo Nordisk

Forbes

25 Top-Paying Companies is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

The National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) has concluded through conducting an online poll that 31 percent of people who combine finances with their spouse or partner have been deceptive about money with the individuals who trust them. Some lies are more hurtful than other lies, so the study looks at the type of financial infidelity.

More than half of the respondents, 58%, hide money from their spouse. 54% hide minor purchases. Almost one third, 30%, hide bills or statements from their partner. 16% lie about a major purchase. 15% have a hidden bank account. 11% of those surveyed lie about their debt, and another 11% lie about how much they earn.

Although my finances are an open book, I understand why lying about money comes easily, particularly in new relationships. If you’re meeting a potential husband or wife for the first time, you want to put your best foot forward, and that often involves making yourself sounds like the ideal person, someone you want to be, other than sticking to the more boring truth. That embellishment could easily turn into a lie, and at the beginning of the relationship, some might be afraid of the other individual losing interest. At some point after that, you can’t go back and tell the truth because he or she doesn’t want to be branded a liar.

Unfortunately, long-term relationships can be founded on a misunderstanding of finances, and there may be no turning back.

If the temptation to exaggerate is so great, finances should probably be kept out of discussions until the couple is more intimate. When money doesn’t play a role in the initial attraction, there will be less of a need to embellish the situation in order to attract someone else.

The survey revealed that men and women were just as likely to lie about their finances, but women more often said they caught their partner in a lie. Men were significantly more likely to say that their partner was lying about a purchase, while women were significantly more likely to say their partner was lying about income or debt.

If a couple has decided not to combine their finances, there may be no reason to lie to your partner; what’s yours is yours. For those with combined finances, there is a trust that should not be broken. A therapist from Boston who has been working with couples who have experienced financial infidelity, offered his opinion to Forbes Magainze. Carlton Kendrick lists four primary reasons an individual might lie about money to his or her spouse, pragmatism, control, guilt, and fear:

The pragmatic lie may result from planning an eventual split and not wanting the other to know how much money is available. Financial infidelity for control may include revenge spending, as one partner overspends to prove their independence or to get back at the other for something lacking in the relationship. Knowingly irresponsible behavior may cause guilt and embarrassment, so the person attempts to cover it up. Deceit may also occur because they fear their partner’s reaction to the truth.

If it doesn’t affect your ability to pay for the expenses you need to cover, and if it doesn’t change your ability to meet other goals, you may have the opportunity to save money on the side for a surprise gift for your partner. This is a lie with good intentions. I’d prefer not to see savings on the side take the form of a lie, however; you can agree with your partner to have separate funds set aside for such occasions.

Are there any situations when it is justified to lie about money to your spouse?

The National Endowment for Financial Education, Forbes
Photo: klaaspieter

When Can You Lie About Money to Your Spouse? is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

Just like all small business owners, concerned with creating a product or service to solidify the company’s brand, Citibank continues to market their most popular product. Although Citibank has been around for almost two hundred years, they continue branding to ensure their products are reaching as many customers as possible. Here’s why Citi continues to heavily advertise the Citi® Platinum Select® Card, Citibank’s flagship credit card.

It’s important to note that the Citi® Platinum Select® Card carries a 4% balance transfer fee. The fee is paid up front, and will be part of the balance on your new Citi card. As with any balance transfer fee, do the math before transferring the balance to ensure the amount of the fee is less than the amount of interest you would continue to pay on your current card.

After the introductory period expires, the Citi® Platinum Select® Card reverts to its standard variable APR of between 11.99% and 20.99%, depending on the quality of your credit. The Citi® Platinum Select® Card also has no annual fee, which is another important feature. Just as important is the rewards program, and unfortunately, this card does not offer even a standard points or cash-back rewards program. While cardholders receive discounts on select purchases through the Citi website, the Citi® Platinum Select® Card lack of a rewards program makes this card less valuable for users who pay their bills in full every month.

The introductory offer for the Citi® Platinum Select® Card constantly changes. To sign up today for the Citi® Platinum Select® Card, visit their secure application page using any link within this post.

Citi® Platinum Select® Card Review is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

January 2011, the first full month of life without a salary, was my first opportunity to take a look at what I can do while working for only myself. The last two weeks of December were officially post-employment, but with the holidays, my routine wasn’t normal until after the new year.

I’ve discovered a few things:

§ Not having to worry about what a boss wants me to do allows me to focus my energy on things that are important to me, and it’s more of a relief than I thought it would be. I expected to have less stress and be able to focus more, but I have a renewed energy that I haven’t had for a long time.

§ I’m saving a lot of money by not going to the company’s cafeteria for lunch every day, but my heating costs are increasing, thanks partly to a cold and snowy January and thanks to being home during the day.

§ Having an area of my apartment set aside for working is good, but I don’t mind the mobility I have my working on a laptop. This coming month, I’ll be spending more time at my girlfriend’s apartment, and I appreciate my new location independence.

§ I still need to hire a cleaning service.

In the next few days, I’ll write more about the changes in my expenses due to the lack of a commute and more time spent at home. In terms of income, the month was successful, with a 33% increase over December’s income. Part of this increase is due to cyclical forces in the industry, but I believe having more time to spend on my own projects has contributed as well.

I mentioned a few days ago that I could be a millionaire just by interpreting my net worth slightly differently. I’ll continue producing these reports every month without taking into account the estimated value of my business, and focus only on my cash, investments, and debt.

Here’s the latest report followed by some commentary.

1. Cash in banks. A friend and reader asked me recently about the best place for his business’s cash. For most of my cash, like him, I’ve had a business account at ING Direct. That’s earning only 0.95% APY at the moment. While it’s still better than most brick-and-mortar savings accounts, it may not be the best option out there. I’ll spend some time researching better options.

The savings accounts I keep are generally designated for emergency savings or a big purchase, such as a house. Leaving my job, I made sure I had cash available for the unlikely even things didn’t work out and I’d need to look for something new. I could being too conservative here, so my plan for this year is to answer some of these questions.

2. Investments and retirement. I still have not completed the paperwork for my Individual 401(k) at Vanguard, but I hope to finish this by the end of the week. It will be important for me to decide what to do with my existing 401(k). I could roll over the investments into an IRA or leave the account with my former company. The mix of investments has performed well, better than the S&P 500, but that’s no indication of how it will perform in the future. Traditional financial-planner advice says I’ll be better off in the long run investing my retirement funds in a broad equity index.

As a continuation of last year, I’ve started off 2011 by investing $1,750 each month automatically into my SEP IRA. My goal for the year is to invest ten percent of my income towards retirement, so I still have more to go before reaching that mark. This may require a manual investment each month after I determine my income.

3. Accounts receivable. Accounts receivable is the line that represents the invoices I’ve sent to clients and advertisers that are still outstanding. When this number increases, it might mean more business or it might mean that companies are taking more time to pay me. Despite a larger income in January, my accounts receivable amount decreased.

The decrease is mainly due to getting payments faster, thanks to direct deposit.

4. 2004 Honda Civic. At 128,000 miles, my car is still running well. There are a few problems that require my attention. I need to replace the battery in the keyless remote, and some of the rubber protecting the bottom of the driver’s side door has fallen off. This is the most trouble I’ve had with the car since I purchased it new in June 2004. Is it crazy to buy a car new rather than used? Not if you hold onto it for a long time and drive it into the ground. Even though Hondas hold their value well, resale value is not an issue for me.

Ever often I use edmunds.com to determine an estimated value of my car for my net worth report, but for now, I’m just decreasing the value by $100 every month.

5. Accounts payable. I use credit cards for almost all of my spending, and that contributes to the accounts payable line. Those who submit invoices to me that I haven’t paid by the end of the month are included here as well. The credit card balances are all paid before they are due in order to avoid any interest charges.

Although I nearly doubled my net worth over the past year, that is a less likely target for the next year. How are your finances coming along so far this year?

Personal Balance Sheet, January 2011 ($578,043, +7.0%) is an original article from Consumerism Commentary.

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