Updated 2:12 p.m. - Congress ended months of partisan bickering on Friday by passing and sending to President Barack Obama a comprehensive extension of highway and infrastructure projects, along with a one-year extension of low student loan rates that were set to double.

The House voted 373 to 52 to approve a $120 billion, 27-month bill to fund highway projects. Attached to that bill was the student loan extension, which prevented rates from doubling from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 1.

The Senate approved the package shortly thereafter in a 74-19 vote. The legislation now heads to the White House for the president's signature.

The package lumps together some of the biggest stumbling blocks to beguile lawmakers in the past few months. Squabbling over how to finance each priority had divided the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-run Senate.

Republicans had also insisted on including a measure to move the Keystone XL oil pipeline forward. President Obama and Democrats opposed it, though, and it was ultimately omitted from today’s bill.

Instead, Republicans were able to use funds set aside for "beautification, bike paths, and sidewalk lighting" for higher priority infrastructure projects such as the national highway system instead.  They were also able to keep funding at current levels.

The package also cuts the average review and permitting process for new infrastructure projects in half, done mostly by streamlining environmental reviews so they can run concurrently, something for which Republicans had also fought.

Kathie Lee and Hoda had an awkward money moment the other day. They were invited to a luncheon only to discover that they had to pay for it. 

“That was weird,” Hoda said.

According to the ladies, one of the most awkward money moments comes at a group dinner when the bill arrives.

“The question is,” Hoda said, “do you base it solely on what you ordered, or do you just say there’s eight of us; let’s divvy it up eight ways and pay?”

Kathie Lee doesn’t think that's totally fair, especially if one person far out-ordered the other diners. She said, “Do you pay for the smashed one's 10 tequilas even though you had one glass of wine?”

Hoda believes it's best just to split the tab evenly. “It gets too weird,” she said, adding that going through the bill to figure out who had the fish and who had the meatloaf is just a hassle. 

KLG and Hoda have worked out a system: Most every Wednesday, the ladies go out for lunch together, so they take turns. According to KLG, “One person pays it and it all equals out in the long run.”

TODAY.com contributor Jillian Eugenios thinks that if it gets awkward, just have another round of those 10 tequilas.

 More: KLG and Hoda lose it over a news story about gas
Which city hosts the most happy hours?
Kathie Lee and Hoda eat nearly $600 worth of hamburger

If you’re partying the night away and then hitting the snooze button endlessly the next day, you may be doing your career a disservice.

Many entrepreneurs and CEOs at the top of their games are morning people, and that’s one of the reasons for their success, maintained Laura Vanderkam, author of “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.” 

“Successful people know mornings are a great time for getting things done, before other peoples’ priorities invade,” she explained. “So you can focus on important things.”

She offered a few examples of successful early risers:

• Steve Reinemund, the former CEO of PepsiCo who's now the dean of Wake Forest University's business school, gets up around 5 a.m. to run four miles 
• Gretchen Rubin, author of "The Happiness Project," gets up at 6 a.m. to do an hour of work before her family wakes. She plans her day, does scheduling, social media, etc. 

Indeed, being a morning person may make you happy, or at least less grumpy. According to a study released earlier this month from the University of Toronto, “early risers are happier and healthier than people who like to stay up late.” 

Unfortunately, becoming a morning person if you’re a committed night owl is easier said than done.

If you want to change your nocturnal ways, Vanderkan suggested taking it slowly.

“Go to bed 15 minutes earlier and wake up 15 minutes earlier each day, until it starts to become a habit,” she advised.

If you’re going to spend your hard-earned money eating out, you expect to get a good meal, a helpful server and a clean bathroom.

But when we asked our readers to tell us what bothers them most, it turns out the rude, unhelpful or inconsiderate server tops the list.

As one reader put it: “People will put up with less-than-great food, but not with bad service.”

Nearly 18,000 readers took our poll, and about 37 percent said bad service was the worst offense when eating out. Bad food ranked second, with nearly 30 percent of the vote, and cleanliness was No. 3 with about 24 percent of the vote.

Still, readers had plenty of gripes about those other shortfalls. One reader recalled washing her own silverware in the women’s room after asking twice for cleaner silverware and not being satisfied.

“Bad food is yuck, lack of cleanliness can kill you,” another reader noted.

Many others said their biggest issue wasn’t with the restaurant per se – it was with the other diners.

“My two major complaints are noisy uncontrolled kids and people yakking it up on their cell phones. When I'm spending $150 for a dinner for two I don’t want to hear babies crying or 6-year-olds running around. Our favorite place has recently created a no cell phones, no texting area. Heaven!!” one reader wrote.

Maybe we should all just save some money and eat at home. Another story this week this week looked at how, despite recent improvements, many people still don’t have enough money socked away for a long stint of unemployment or other emergency.

The survey conducted on behalf of Bankrate.com found that only 25 percent of Americans had the recommended amount of savings: Enough to cover six months of expenses.

Our readers appear to be better than average (but of course we knew that). Of the more than 22,000 who took our poll, nearly half said that they had socked about enough to live for six months or more.

Not many were celebrating this accomplishment. Instead, many noted the grim reality of high joblessness and weak economic conditions.

 “The job market is scary now. I spent the last 3 years completing my business degree and I'm still having trouble finding something good,” one reader wrote.

Others with that level of savings said they had already endured a long stint of unemployment.

“Went without job for 9 months. Savings covered it. First task with new job? Put those savings back,” one reader wrote.

Although it can be tough to put aside money for a rainy day, many said the sacrifice was worth it.

“Gotta say, it feels really good to have this security. A whole lot better than spending it would have felt,” one reader noted.

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• Video: Murdoch happy about Fox News parent split
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La Salle University

Jennifer Ngo, now a special agent for the FBI, during her playing days at La Salle University

Jennifer Ngo, 32, a special agent for the FBI, played basketball when she was in college. Elyse Darefsky, 54, an IT manager at Cigna, was a big collegiate volleyball and basketball player. And Sarah Ann Slater, 23, who starts graduate school at the London School of Economics in the fall, was a junior tennis champ.

All three women credit sports for their achievements beyond the playing field, and studies show playing sports in your youth can indeed contribute to future career success.

“For me, it was about being part of something bigger than yourself,” said Ngo, who also played soccer growing up. “As I got older, it helped me with my career.”

Their experiences point to how important it is for girls to have opportunities in athletics. They also underscore the significance of Title IX, which paved the way for more gender equity in high school and college sports, and celebrates its 40^th anniversary this month.

Engaging in sports in youth can help women, and men, attain career success later in life, and many prominent women often point to that experience as a reason for their ability to climb the ladder.

Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods, played everything from field hockey to basketball when she was in high school; former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin touted her sporting past as a basketball player for the Wasilla Warriors; and SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro was a lacrosse player in college.

Of her lacrosse background at Franklin & Marshall College, where she captained the first varsity team in 1977, Schapiro told Lacrosse Magazine in the March issue, that the game helped her professional life.

“Lacrosse is truly a team endeavor,” she said. “You have work together, you have to be constantly mindful of where your teammates are, you have to be willing to be in the supporting role, you have to be able to read signals and be prepared to regroup — all of these are important to workplace success. It also taught me to take risks.”

According to a report by research firm Catalyst published in May, 82 percent of women executives played organized sports after elementary school, and nearly 60 percent said it gave them “a competitive edge over others in the business world.” 

Learning how to compete is among the top life skills youth sport members gain from their participation, according to research from Boston University’s School of Education published last year.

There is “a direct transfer of life skills from sport to work,” found the research titled “Career Success and Life Skill Development Through Sports,” which was part of a doctoral thesis by Gavin Bruce Barton.

He found that besides competitiveness, sports participation also developed an individual’s work ethic, ability to handle pressure, resilience, teamwork and confidence.

Surprisingly, the study also found, that “sport participation as a source of life skill development was cited far more frequently than family, work or education.”

And, the author added, “Life skills developed in sport can contribute to later work success.”

You don’t have to tell Cigna’s Darefsky’s that. “I learned more playing sports than I did in school,” she explained. “I was an introvert, and the confidence that you gain playing sports, you can’t measure that.”

She recalled going on her first job interview at Cigna in her final year of college, right after her basketball team at Clark University had a huge win over Dartmouth. “It gave me a sense of confidence,” she said, allowing her to nail the interview.

Slater, the recent grad who played tennis, also has seen the benefits.

Courtesy of Sarah Ann Slater

Sarah Ann Slater

“Being a part of sports actively in my youth and throughout my adolescence really taught me a lot about discipline, time management, and taking responsibility for myself and my own successes or failures,” she said. “Even though I am not active in competitive sports any more I was able to successfully transfer those skills into other arenas of my life, mainly academics as a college student, and they continue to be a part of all decisions I make as I go forward with my life.”

Clearly, youth sports can be an ultimate career boon, and Title IX has opened the door for many women to participate and then reap the future benefits, said Marilyn Strawbridge, professor of physical education at Butler University in Indianapolis, who has studied the impact of sports on women.

Despite the law’s success, however, we have a long way to go when it comes to ensuring more girls get some serious locker room time, an experience that will only help them as they go out into the work world.

“Title IX has been wonderful but there’s still parity to be reached,” stressed Strawbridge. “Unfortunately we’re still seeing lower rates of sports participation by girls in high school and college and they still get a smaller part of the athletics dollar.”

And that’s a problem given the payoff sports engagement offers women later in their careers and in their lives overall, she pointed out.

“Women in sports are better equipped to view themselves as equals; they know how to compete and put themselves out there, and take risks for something better,” she explained. “They live with consequence and are healthier individuals all the way around, mentally and physically.”

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Jim Weber / AP

Travis Wayne fills a tank in Memphis, Tenn. Gas prices in the state have decreased by 9.7 percent in the past 12 months -- the fourth-biggest decline in the country.

Fiscal woes in Europe and sluggish job growth in the United States have put downward pressures on oil prices. As a result, gasoline prices declined in all but two states over the past month, dropping 7.1 percent across the country. In many of these, gas prices are on the verge of falling below $3 per gallon.

Despite the overall decline, the range between gas prices among states is still wide. 24/7 Wall St. examined AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report to determine the 10 states whose residents pay the least at the pump. We found that the most decisive factor in determining gas prices is location. Most of the states with low gas prices are located on or near the Gulf of Mexico. They also have among the lowest gas taxes in the country.

Five of the 10 states with the lowest gas prices are located on the Gulf Coast, where a disproportionate amount of crude oil is processed. Furthermore, among the five states not on the Gulf Coast, three border the coastal states. Residents of these three states benefit from lower costs of transporting oil.

“Gulf Coast states benefit from having ready access to the refineries that are in the region,” says AAA spokesperson Michael Green. “In fact, Gulf Coast refineries produce the most gasoline of any region in the country, and generally have a surplus, which means they’re sending gasoline that’s made in Gulf Coast refineries to other parts of the country.”

The states with the lowest gas prices have seen a more precipitous decline in those prices compared to the rest of the country. South Carolina and Mississippi, the states with the two lowest gas prices, now enjoy 9.1 percent lower prices compared to a month ago. Green points out that West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil, which is produced primarily in the Gulf Coast region, is cheaper than other forms of crude and has seen a faster decline in price.

24/7 Wall St.: The most dangerous cars in America

Another factor determining gas prices is a state’s gasoline tax. All but two of the states on this list are in the bottom half of states in terms of total taxes charged, which include a federal 18.4 cents a gallon tax and state taxes. But the relationship between gas taxes and prices is far from perfect. Alaska has the lowest gas tax but the second-highest gas prices. The states with the second- and third-lowest gas taxes, Wyoming and New Jersey, did not make our list.

While not always the case, transportation costs in the states on 24/7’s list tend to be lower than the national average. Nine of the 10 states are in the lower half of states in terms transportation costs, while three are in the bottom 10 states.

AAA provided 24/7 Wall St. with the most recent available average price of regular unleaded gasoline by state. The organization also provided prices from one week, one month and one year ago. 24/7 Wall St. also examined the number of refineries and total refining capacity as of January 1 of this year, provided by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The American Petroleum Institute provided state gas taxes, which were also as of the beginning of this year. This includes state gas excise taxes, as well as other taxes (including sales tax).

These are the 10 states with the cheapest gas.

1. South Carolina

• Regular gas price per gallon: $2.99
• Tax per gallon: 16.8 cents (4th lowest)
• Number of operating oil refineries: 0

South Carolina has the lowest average gas prices in the nation, and is the only state currently under the $3 per gallon mark. Compared to last year, gasoline prices in the state have decreased by 10.5 percent -- tying Mississippi for the highest proportional decrease in the country. Low prices in South Carolina are likely due in part to the low tax per gallon of 16.8 cents, which is the fourth lowest in the country. South Carolina’s prices have fallen by about 19 percent since their early April peak of $3.70.

24/7 Wall St.: America's most fuel efficient cars

2. Mississippi

• Regular gas price per gallon: $3.06
• Tax per gallon: 18.8 cents (7th lowest)
• Number of operating oil refineries: 3

Gasoline prices are down about 18 percent from Mississippi’s yearly peak in the first week of April. The state ranks among the lowest in total taxes and fees per gallon of gas, which help keep its fuel prices low. The three refineries in Mississippi process 364,000 barrels of raw crude per day, the 11th most in the country. Low carrying costs for fuel could therefore also contribute to the state’s low gasoline prices. There is just a 19 cents per gallon tax for gas sold in Mississippi, the seventh-lowest in the country. The state also has no sales tax to drive up what people pay at the pump.

3. Alabama

• Regular gas price per gallon: $3.07
• Tax per gallon: 20.9 cents (14th lowest)
• Number of operating oil refineries: 3

Alabama has three major refineries that process 120,000 barrels of crude each day. The state also had a 36-cent decrease in gas prices last year -- the highest decline in the nation. Gasoline prices continue to drop rapidly in the state, with an 8 percent decline last month alone. Transportation costs in Alabama are the ninth lowest in the country, and the state has the eighth-lowest excise tax, at 16 cents per gallon.

24/7 Wall St.: The most dangerous states to drive in

4. Tennessee

• Regular gas price per gallon: $3.08
• Tax per gallon: 21.4 cents (15th lowest)
• Number of operating oil refineries: 1

Average gas prices in Tennessee have decreased by 9.7 percent in the past 12 months (the fourth-biggest decline in the country). In the past month alone, gas prices fell by 28 cents, an 8.3 percent decrease. According to the Cost of Living Index, low gas prices help drivers in Tennessee enjoy the seventh-lowest cost of transportation in the U.S. Tennessee drivers also pay the 15th-lowest state taxes on gas in the nation, at just 21.4 cents to the gallon, according to the American Petroleum Institute.

5. Louisiana

• Regular gas price per gallon: $3.16
• Tax per gallon: 20 cents (tied for 12th lowest)
• Number of oil refineries: 18

Louisiana is second to Texas in the number of oil refineries and gallons of oil processed per day, at more than 3.2 million barrels between its 18 major refineries. With close proximity to offshore drilling in the Gulf and the relatively low state tax on gas -- 20 cents per gallon -- Louisiana drivers pay some of the lowest gas prices in the nation.

Read the rest of the list of states with the cheapest gas at the 24/7 Wall St. website

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Some of America's best-known family restaurants, including Friendly's and Johnny Rockets, received among the lowest ratings in a new Consumer Reports survey of full-service chain restaurants.

The reader survey, which Consumer Reports released Thursday, faulted Friendly's for poor service and ambience. Johnny Rockets received just average scores for everything from value to taste, as did peers including Denny's and IHOP.

Biaggi’s Ristorante Italiano, a smaller Italian chain with 23 outlets in a dozen mostly Midwestern states, was the highest-ranked restaurant overall, outscoring bigger competitors in a crowded category.

“(It costs) more than the Olive Garden, but it’s a heck of a lot better than Olive Garden,” said Tod Marks, senior project editor with Consumer Reports.

Biaggi’s had a median tab of $23 per diner excluding tip, according to the survey, while Olive Garden had a median price of $18.

Biaggi's

A Biaggi's outlet in Ridgeland, Miss. The chain of 23 restaurants was started in 1999.

Other top scorers included J. Alexander, in the contemporary or traditional American category, Bonefish Grill for seafood and Abuelo's Mexican Food Embassy. In the steakhouse category, The Capital Grille, Ruth's Chris Steak House and Morton's ranked at the top and were also the most expensive chain restaurants in the survey, with a median tab of $42 per person. (Possibly a conservative estimate, especially for the expense- account set that frequents these chains.)

Still, some lower-priced chains also were very popular with readers. The breakfast and lunch chain First Watch, with a median price of $10 per diner, got especially high marks for taste and service and ranked first among family-style restaurants. The Original Pancake House and Le Peep also got high marks among family restaurants. (See top-10 list below.)

Some pricier chains, including Chart House and The Melting Pot, got relatively low marks compared to their peers, partly because readers didn’t think they offered good value.

In general, “just because a restaurant has a high price point doesn’t mean it’s doing a good job,” Marks said.

The survey asked more than 47,000 readers to rank sit-down chains on taste, value, service and mood. The results were broken down in categories including steakhouses, family restaurants, Italian and pub-style restaurants.

Marks noted that it’s hard to compare restaurants across categories because people have different expectations when they go to a steakhouse than when they go to a family-style diner.

Still, they’ll be equally annoyed if they have a bad experience at any price point.

“People can spend $27 on a steak dinner and not think they get very good value for that money, yet people can also … go to a restaurant like Friendly’s and spend less than $10 and think they got even worse value,” he said.

Noise and poor service topped the list of reader gripes. About a quarter of readers complained about the noise at chain restaurants, and 1 in 10 were annoyed with bad service.

Readers were especially disappointed by the noise level at Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, which ranked lowest overall in the pub and grill category. Hard Rock Café also was among the lower-rated restaurants in that category.

Other less popular restaurants included Joe’s Crab Shack, which received the lowest ranking in the seafood category.

Although some restaurants were rated as weaker than others, Marks noted that most of them are pleasing most of their customers most of the time. If they weren’t, they would be out of business.

Here's a list of the top 10 family restaurants. The full results for all categories are available on Consumer Reports' website.

1. First Watch
2. The Original Pancake House
3. Le Peep
4. Bob Evans
5. The Egg & I
6. Elmer's
7. Bakers Square
8. Cracker Barrel
9. Village Inn
10. Black Bear Diner

Read more: Survey: The country's favorite pizza topping is... 
9-year-old food blogger to overhaul school lunches with celeb chef 
How to order from the secret menu at Chinese restaurants 

Courtesy of Zillow

  For those of you lamenting the heydays of the housing market, it may be time to leave the past behind.

It’s going to be a long time before we’re going to real-estate party like it’s 2005, according to real estate website Zillow’s chief economist Stan Humphries, who was on hand to take questions Wednesday during our live web chat on the housing market.

One question he took from a reader named Bob seemed to be on more than one person’s mind.

“Being in the middle class a.k.a. the new working poor, many of us felt better when our homes were worth more and some a lot more. Do you see the real estate market ever approaching the 2005/2006 price range?”

To that, Humphries offered a real estate reality check:

“In real terms, after considering inflation, it will be a considerable time (e.g., decades) before we reach those levels. Even in nominal terms, the prices you see on things everyday, we're likely looking at 10 to 20 years before some of the hardest hit markets return to peak levels.”

But it wasn’t all bad news.

Reader Charles asked: “Will the home values continue dropping?”

Humphries answered:

“Nationally we've had three months of increasing home values as of May. We've been expecting some modest declines nationally by year end but a lot of the larger markets are seeing stronger stabilization at this point than we'd previously expected.”

But, he added, it “really depends on the market as real estate is, as always, super local. Markets like Atlanta and Chicago are still seeing some declines in home values while markets like Phoenix and Miami are seeing real price spikes.”

You can see the entire Q&A with Humphries here:

The Char-Griller Grillin' Pro 3001 starts at $186.

 For many Americans, meals prepared on the grill rank right up there with Fourth of July fireworks as an essential ingredient in summer. Nearly 90 percent of owners will be firing up their grills for the upcoming holiday, according to an annual survey by manufacturer Weber-Stephen Products. These days, so-called “outdoor rooms” are furnished with $3,000 stainless-steel mammoths. A more modest grill might look a little silly encased in custom stonework, but it’s all you need to partake in this holiday tradition for less than $200.

Below are Cheapism’s top picks for affordable grills.

• The Char-Griller Grillin' Pro 3001 (starting at $189) strikes both consumer and expert reviewers as a good value for the money. In feedback posted online, they note this gas grill’s solid construction and consistent heating across the three main burners. A powerful side burner can heat up sauces and side dishes, and porcelain grates resist sticking. (Where to buy)
• The Char-Griller Wrangler 2123 (starting at $106) outdoes other charcoal grills in this price range with 435 square inches of grilling space, convenient features such as a warming rack, and cast-iron grates that can be adjusted to provide more control over the cooking temperature. Online reviews call the grill sturdy and durable. (Where to buy)
• The Brinkmann Grill King 810-2410-SB (starting at $199) is the largest grill on our list, with four main burners, plus a side burner and warming rack, for a total cooking space of 638 square inches. It’s also the only one that boasts porcelain-coated cast-iron grates, known for heating food evenly and keeping it from sticking. Experts and users cite ease of use and cleaning in favorable reviews of this gas grill. (Where to buy)
• The Weber One-Touch Gold 22.5 (starting at $130) takes its name from the highly regarded brand’s One-Touch cleaning system, which confines the mess to a removable ash catcher. Reviewers give this charcoal grill almost universally high ratings and admire its quality. Weber makes cheaper One-Touch kettle grills as well; the 18.5-inch Silver model starts at $79. (Where to buy)

Both charcoal grills and gas grills have their partisans. Some patio chefs swear by the smoky flavor of charcoal, alleging that propane simply can’t compare. Charcoal barbecues also cost less up front, although buying bag after bag of briquettes or lump charcoal eats away any savings; it’s cheaper to refill a propane tank periodically. Gas grills heat up more quickly, tend to be easier to use and control, and promise easier cleanup, with no messy ash disposal.

Gas grills also typically have larger cooking surfaces. The models on our list come in at around 630 square inches. Note that any side burner or warming rack is typically included in the surface area listed in the specs. Consider how many people you’ll usually be feeding and also the size of your outdoor area. A hefty four-burner model with a side burner and a shelf simply may not fit on a small patio.

More from Cheapism:
Cheap grills
Best cheap ice cream
Cheap sleeping bags
Cheap mosquito traps

Britt Erlanson / Getty Images

Over the last two decades, work and life have transformed so radically that the language we use (e.g. “balance") and the beliefs we hold about the decisions we “should” or “can” make are often out of date.

Here are three examples of work-life assumptions that are frequently wrong -- and costly:

Wrong assumption No. 1: When a woman has a baby, she will want to work part-time (or not at all), and won’t want to take on more responsibility or travel.

Unfortunately, some leaders, managers and colleagues of women in the workplace still make this assumption.

This bias is based on beliefs that continue to influence behavior, even though they no longer broadly apply. For example, Gayle Lemmon recently wrote an article in The Atlantic about research that showed some men in traditional marriages still unconsciously overlook women in the workplace for promotion, etc. because of their assumptions about women and the role they play. In reality, only 29 percent of children have a stay-at-home parent. The rest either live in a single parent home or both parents work for pay.

• Why it’s costly: It costs women in that it reinforces the well-documented “motherhood penalty” that affects their career advancement and earnings. It’s costly to employers because the business doesn’t have access to or develop the talent of some of its best employees.
• Assumption update: Don’t assume. Discuss preferences which each individual woman. After having a child, some women will want or have to work full-time. They’ll be happy to travel and welcome additional responsibilities. And even if they don’t, women who choose to scale back their career may want to only for a certain period of time. Not forever.

Wrong assumption No. 2: Men don’t care about work-life issues.

This is an extension of the previous inaccurate assumption. The bias is that work-life is a women’s issue, or more specifically, a mothers’ issue.

From my experience working inside companies, most men care quite a bit about how they manage their lives on and off the job and want to be invited into the conversation. In fact, research shows that men in dual-earner couples are experiencing more work-life conflict than women.

• Why it’s costly: It costs men because they don’t feel that they have permission to get the support and flexibility they need to manage their work and life better and smarter. Employers lose the productivity and engagement from unnecessarily stressed and overwhelmed men.
• Assumption update: We all need to manage our work-life fit everyday if we want to see our friends and family, stay healthy, etc. That includes men and women. And all of us will experience major life transitions that will require a more formal reset of our work-life fit, whether it’s becoming a parent, caring for an aging relative, relocating with a spouse, going back to school or semi-retiring.

Wrong assumption No. 3: You can’t have a life and start a successful business.

 Whether it’s Steve Jobs’ complete devotion to Apple at the expense of time with his family, or Tony Hsieh’s expectation that Zappos employees spend 10 to 20 percent of their time outside of work with one another, the assumed gold standard of successful entrepreneurship is 100 percent work to the exclusion of everything else.

• Why it’s costly: It scares off many women and men with great business ideas but want to tuck their kids in on occasion and maintain a relationship beyond the people at work. The economy as a whole loses because jobs that are badly needed are not created. It costs potential entrepreneurs, especially women, because they don’t have access to as much capital to grow their businesses.
• Assumption update: No one will ever have “balance,” but you can grow a successful business and still have some life outside of work. There are plenty of examples of people doing it and doing it well. This includes the mothers leading successful entrepreneurial ventures who were featured in a recent New York Times article written by Hannah Seligson. Is it hard work? Yes. Can it be done? Yes.

The answer is to assume nothing when it comes to how we want and need to manage our lives on and off the job in a busy, flexible, hectic modern world. Not only are our assumptions often wrong, but they can be costly to both the individual and the business. Instead let’s keep talking to each other. Learn the facts and come up with unique answers that meet our personal needs and the needs of our jobs.

What are the incorrect assumptions that you see people making about work and life? What’s the cost and how can we update those beliefs to match today’s reality?

Cali Williams Yost is the CEO and Founder of the Flex+Strategy Group / Work+Life Fit, Inc., flexible work and life strategy advisors. Her second work+life fit book,” Tweak It: Small Changes, Big Impact—Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day” will be published  in January, 2013. Connect with Cali on Twitter @caliyost.

More from Forbes.com

• 8 steps to work-life balance
• How to be happier
• Health secrets of the world's oldest people
• 10 ways to kick fatigue and boost your energy
• 10 fitness myths exposed

Facebook has named Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg to its board of directors, making her the first woman on the company’s board, which includes seven men.

Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 and she has played a key role in leading the social network as it has moved to become a public company with a $16 billion IPO in mid-May.

Her promotion comes as Facebook, a company started in a Harvard dorm room in 2004, seeks to promote a more mature image

The composition of Facebook’s board attracted the attention of the California State Teachers' Retirement System, the second-largest largest pension fund in the United States, which in the past has criticized its lack of diversity.

It applauded Sandberg's promotion to the Facebook board as a good first step toward greater corporate leadership diversity, but also urged the social network to “continue diversifying the board toward greater independence and representation of the Company's user base.”

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Cary Anne Holton Photography

Megan Tessmer

Megan Tessmer loves her new summer job as a carhop waitress at Sonic Drive-In in Oklahoma City, and she’s happy she was able to find the gig easily despite the grim job market.

“This was the second place I drove by,” said Tessmer, who will be returning to school at the University of Central Oklahoma in the fall to study chemistry. “We’re actually still hiring.”

The job market for temporary summer jobs for high school and college students has yet to revive to pre-recessionary levels, but the picture is brighter than many think it is, depending on the industry. And for those who’ve remained on the sidelines because of dire forecasts, it isn’t too late to score a temporary gig as July, the typical peak for summer hiring, approaches.

There are still jobs available for the hot days ahead, and many of the openings are in clothing stores, manufacturing and fast food outlets.

During the last two summers, Sonic has increased its overall hiring, said Anita Vanderveer, the vice president of people for the company.

“We are hiring,” she said, for everything from servers to positions at the company’s headquarters. “We have a clear strategy to ramp up prior to summer, but we’re always looking for people.”

Indeed, there are tens of thousands of jobs still available on Summer Jobs+, a government program set up earlier this year to help low-income youths get jobs this summer, said Jason Kuruvilla, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor. 

Many companies went into the summer employment season ready to hire. Nearly 30 percent of employers had planned to hire workers this summer, up from 21 percent last year, according to a May CareerBuilder forecast. And among the industries looking to add summer jobs, manufacturing topped the list with 45 percent, followed by hospitality with 44 percent, retail with 34 percent and finance at 31 percent.

"Confidence is up among the employers we most closely associate with summer hiring,” said Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America.

Last month, a host of sectors typically related to summer hiring, saw increases in job openings including clothing stores and eating establishments, according to jobs website Snagajob.

“Even though May’s job numbers from the BLS were disappointing overall, there were bright spots in what are considered typical areas for seasonal employment,” said Courtney Moyer, a spokeswoman for Snagajob.

The overall unemployment rate for May was still a disappointing 8.2 percent, with few increases in most industries, other than health care, transportation and warehouses, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But there have been other pockets of opportunities for temporary summer work, Moyer pointed out, “clothing stores, food and beverage stores and restaurants all had gains. Government numbers also showed that 4.39 million teens ages 16 to 19 were employed in May (seasonally adjusted), which is an improvement over last year’s 4.26 million, a 3 percent increase. Also, already this season teens are doing better than last year’s peak summer employment, which typically comes in July and was also recorded at 4.26 million.”

Don’t expect to get rich on the popular summer jobs though. According to Snagajob, retail sales jobs pay about $12 an hour and cashier positions at food outlets pay $9.73.

If you are just starting your summer job search, Moyer offered some tips:

• Young people cannot apply to five jobs and think that that’s going to be enough. Snagajob recommends, especially at this point in the season, that seasonal job seekers put in upwards of 25 applications. Consider areas that are strong in seasonal hiring such as retail, restaurants and leisure/arts and entertainment.
• While you should apply to a job following a company’s preferred procedure – online, paper application, etc. – we recommend following up in person no later than a week after applying.
• Use referrals. Help yourself get out of the application pile by using a personal connection. Maybe you have a friend who has already been hired by a company who can ask that a manager review your application. Lean on parents, friends and neighbors by asking them if they know of any companies that are still hiring.

Bottom line, Moyer stressed, “there is hope.”

More money and business news:

• Women really can have it all if they toughen up
• $50K will get you into Pamela Anderson's bedroom
• Sorry Olive Garden, customers go even cheaper
• Video: Happy merry! Stores get ready for Christmas
• Sign up for our Business newsletter

Follow Today Money on Twitter and Facebook.

The number of companies offering wellness perks, including everything from fitness club membership reimbursement to weight loss programs, has barely budged since the Great Recession started. But employers are increasing the pressure on employees to shape up anyway.

If you quit smoking or lose weight, more companies are willing to offer you discounts on those hefty insurance premiums today, according to a survey by the Society for Human Resource Management released Monday.

In 2009, only 4 percent of employers offered such breaks for weight loss, compared to 9 percent today. And 20 percent of companies offer the discount for smoking cessation, compared to 8 percent in 2009.

Society for Human Resource Management

But the number of companies providing smoking cessation classes has stayed at about 40 percent for the past four years. Also, fitness club subsidies has actually declined to 31 percent this year, down from 35 percent in 2009, but up from 30 percent last year. And weight loss programs have stayed around the 30 percent mark since 2009; rising slightly this year to 32 percent.

On the financial wellness side, more employers want workers to manage their own retirement. The study found that 92 percent of companies now offer defined contribution retirement plans such as 401(k), compared 21 percent of those offering traditional pensions. In 2008, the numbers were 83 percent and 33 percent respectively.

“By shifting primary responsibility in controlling certain healthcare and financial benefits, employers are recognizing a shift in workplace culture,” said Mark Schmit, vice president of research for SHRM. “The new plans allow employees have more control over how they save for retirement and manage their health, while reducing costs for employers. These plans are also more flexible, and thus more attractive, to employees who will likely not spend an entire career with one organization.”

In another area of employee health management, companies are further pushing medical screenings for employees. This year, 21 percent of companies offer insurance discounts for those workers who agree to take such health risk assessments, up from 10 percent just three years ago.

Such medical incentives, however, can sometimes run afoul of labor and medical privacy laws.

All medical data that comes out of health assessments is supposed to be kept strictly confidential. And under HIPAA, the total awards for participating in wellness programs cannot exceed 20 percent of an employee’s total coverage cost of the plan. But a provision in health care reform will up that number to 30 percent in 2014. The Americas With Disabilities Act also protects workers who may not be able to slim down, or can’t participate in company-sponsored exercise programs because of a disability.

 So what’s your take on employers working on slimming you down and having you take more financial responsibility for your future in the anticipation that you’ll be leaving soon anyway?

More money and business news:

• Women really can have it all if they toughen up
• $50K will get you into Pamela Anderson's bedroom
• Sorry Olive Garden, customers go even cheaper
• Video: Happy merry! Stores get ready for Christmas
• Sign up for our Business newsletter 

Follow Today Money on Twitter and Facebook.

Women can have it all if they fight for what they need.

That was the message that came from a powerful woman who sparked a national debate last week about women and their success in the workplace and as mothers.

Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former U.S. State Department official and now a Princeton professor, spoke about her The Atlantic article, “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All”, Monday on TODAY, and wanted to make it clear that her piece was not negative but more of a call to action to women struggling with balancing work and life.

“Women have come leaps and bounds,” she said about the advancements women have made in the workplace, “but we need another round of change.”

Working mothers, she continued, make it to a point in their career where they’re beginning to climb the ladder of success, but then they end up feeling “unbelievably torn” when family and work responsibilities clash.

Indeed, many women are questioning whether they can really have it all. An informal poll taken last week in an article about Slaughter’s story and the controversy that ensured, asked “Do you think women can have it all?” found only 11 percent of the nearly 4,000 respondents felt it was possible, compared to 48 percent that offered a resounding “no” to the question.

But in a sign of hope, 41 percent voted: “Maybe, when the workplace changes.”

And it’s change Slaughter wants to see.

“We need to be honest about how hard it is,” she said about the first step women need to take. And secondly, she stressed, “you have to ask for what you need. If you need to work from home, ask for it.”

In the end, she added, it’s all about a serious “desire for change.”

Change needs to happen on a larger scale as well, maintained Debra L. Ness, president of the National Partnership for Women & Families. 

"Most of America’s women and their families are confronted on a daily basis with the fact that ‘having it all’ is still a distant dream, and we know that it will not get better until our workplaces are family friendly," she said. "We need policies like paid sick days and paid family and medical leave for all workers, and all workers need the flexibility to be caregivers and breadwinners for their families."

Slaughter's article, she added, "should be a call to action for employers and lawmakers to finally address the growing demand for workplaces that meet the needs of 21st century families."

Most Americans don't have enough money saved for a rainy day -- or even a cloudy one.

A new survey from Bankrate.com finds that 28 percent of Americans haven’t saved any money at all to cover their bills in case of a job loss or other disaster.

Only 25 percent of people had six months of savings -- the usual amount financial experts say you should have socked away for an emergency.

And six months might not even be enough given how long it’s taken people to find a job these days. The median duration of unemployment was 20 weeks in May, or about five months, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For older Americans it can be much longer.

Another 21 percent said they had some money saved up, but not even enough to cover three months of expenses.

Taken together with those who hadn’t saved at all, 49 percent of people couldn’t go three months without a paycheck. That’s up from 46 percent last year.

Still, the figure is better than six years ago, when a similar Bankrate.com survey found that 61 percent didn’t have three months of living expenses saved up.

The recession and the weak recovery have been a wake-up call for many Americans, sparking an increase in savings and a decline in debt. But recently there have been signs that people are taking on debt again for things like cars and education, and relying more on their credit cards.

It’s not clear whether that’s by choice or necessity, although Bankrate research did show that about one-third of those surveyed were less comfortable with their savings than they were a year ago.

The survey was based on telephone interviews with 1,000 Americans.

Related:

Gen X may have taken biggest hit in economic downturn

Long-term unemployed losing benefits as job picture improves

Also expected to feel the pinch are other casual-dining spots, such as Texas Roadhouse, Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Wild Wings and Chili's. 

Places doing well are so-called fast-casual joints, such as are Chipolte Mexican, Five Guys and Panera Bread. A Bank of America Merrill Lynch analysis says people are altering their dining preferences, opting for cheaper meals out. 

"People want to trade down, they want to go to the lower-priced brands," says Tyler Vernon of Biltmore Capital Advisors.

On the bright side, restaurant hiring is growing, though slowly, and some food costs have dropped from a year ago.

KFC is also doing well. Zagat's 2011 fast food survey rated the company's fried chicken No. 1. And in China, KFC is popular for wedding receptions, Vernon says.

Olive Garden next week will start a "two for $25" promotion that offers unlimited soup or salad, two entrees and the choice of either an appetizer or dessert.

Applebee's and Chili's have been running "two for $20 promotions" for several years.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The debate over whether working women can have it all and who’s to blame if they don’t is getting lots of attention this week because another high-powered woman entered the fray.

“I believe that we can ‘have it all at the same time.’ But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured,” writes Anne-Marie Slaughter, a former U.S. State Department official, in an article titled “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” in The Atlantic this week.

Courtesy of Princeton

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Slaughter is a Princeton politics professor who left her job last year as director of policy planning in the State Department in part to spend more time with her family. Her essay has brought the issue to the forefront nationally, creating a dialogue that could be a watershed moment for the work-life-balance wrangle.

With women now making up about 50 percent of the workforce, working mothers are brushing aside the mommy wars and finally asking hard questions about whether the 1950s "Company Man" model needs a serious retooling. Given that women still make less than their male counterparts and hold fewer than 20 percent of the corner office seats, everyone is wondering when equity will finally come to the workplace and make it more friendly for working women.

Slaughter sees her piece as a call to action.

"What we know about culture change is that there are tipping points," she told the New York Times' parenting blog Thursday. "Norms can change dramatically. On the one hand, it’s harder because we can’t point to very specific things and say, change that, but once it starts changing, it’s likely to change much faster than we’d expect. I’m basically trying to give people the space to start demanding those kinds of changes." 

The key question, what needs to change? 

Two well-known successful women with divergent thoughts on the issue are at the heart of this debate.

In one corner is Slaughter, who believes working moms have been sold a bill of goods when it comes to work-life balance. In the other corner is Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook’s chief operating officer, who’s gotten work-life-acclaim for her candid views during an Internet video TED Talk in 2010, and subsequent speeches, on how women can juggle it all if they work hard enough.

Mike Segar / Reuters

Sheryl Sandberg

From Slaughter’s article:

“I still strongly believe that women can ‘have it all’ (and that men can too). I believe that we can ‘have it all at the same time.’ But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.” 

From Sandberg’s talk:

“If two years ago you didn’t take a promotion and some guy next to you did. If Three years ago you stopped looking for new opportunities, you’re going to be bored because you should have kept your foot on the gas pedal. Don’t leave before you leave. Stay in. Keep your foot on the gas pedal until the very day you need to leave to take a break for a child.”

Slaughter actually called Sandberg out on her statements, writing: “Although couched in terms of encouragement, Sandberg’s exhortation contains more than a note of reproach. We who have made it to the top, or are striving to get there, are essentially saying to the women in the generation behind us: ‘What’s the matter with you?’”

On Friday, the New York Times weighed in on the issue with its own piece titled “Elite Women Put New Spin on Old Debate Over Balancing Work and Family” by Jodi Kantor.

Slaughter’s article, Kantor writes, “added to a renewed feminist conversation that is bringing fresh twists to bear on longstanding concerns about status, opportunity and family. Unlike earlier iterations, it is being led not by agitators who are out of power, but by elite women at the top of their fields, like the comedian Tina Fey, the Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg and now Ms. Slaughter. In contrast to some earlier barrier-breakers from Gloria Steinem to Condoleezza Rice, these women have children, along with husbands who do as much child-rearing as they do, or more.”

While women like Slaughter and Sandberg have the prominence to get their voices heard, are they really speaking for average working women? 

We’d love to hear from all of you on what you think needs to be done to accommodate women in the workplace today. Please share your ideas with us on how your employer can better help you juggle work and family. 

The Great Recession and slow-like-a-slug recovery has hit all Americans in some way, but there’s been a lot of debate about who’s been hurt worst.

By one measure, Gen X appears to win the unenviable prize. This week, the Census Bureau reported that 35- to 44-year-olds saw their median household net worth decline by more than half, on average, between 2005 and 2010.

Still, every age group took a hit, and that was reflected in what our readers had to say about the post.

About half of the more than 27,000 readers who took our survey said they were worse off financially than back in 2005.

Many complained that their homes and investments are worth less, and yet costs for things like health care were going up. For others, it’s just been really tough to find, and keep, a good job.

“Had a full time job 2 years ago. Lay off. Now working part time and still looking for that full time job. Hourly wages have going down,” one reader wrote.

Still, others said that thanks to promotions, education, marriage or smart financial planning they were doing better than seven years ago, or at least about the same.

“Much better off, but I know that a) I am blessed and b) I am the exception,” one reader wrote.

No wonder so many of us aren’t looking forward to retiring. A separate post this week reported on a survey finding that only about half of working-age Americans were actively looking forward to retirement. For those who aren’t, to cost of retiring is a big factor.

A little more than one-third of the more than 28,000 people who took our poll on that subject said they were looking forward to retirement, but were unsure if they’d have enough money for it.

Many said they’ve had to adjust their expectations for retirement, and may not be able to take as many trips or do other things.

“Won't be able to live as I had originally planned, but at least I'll be out of the rat race and enjoying life!” one reader wrote.

Still, many readers said they were more than ready to make the leap, both emotionally and financially. Some are literally counting down the days.

“I can't get there soon enough. I've got to hang on for 896 more days, then free to do what I like on my own schedule. Wooohooo,” one reader wrote.

The Kenmore 70051 costs $160.

As summer officially starts, temperatures are breaking records in the Northeast and the national weather map appears bathed in bright red. If you’re sweating out the heat without air conditioning, here are some of Cheapism’s top picks for affordable ACs.

• The Kenmore 70051 (starting at $160) may be all you need for a small space of 150 square feet or so. Reviewers say it’s easy to install and use and it doesn’t skimp on features. (Where to buy)
• The Frigidaire LRA074AT7 (starting at $159) is exclusive to Lowe’s and can cool up to 250 square feet. Both consumers and experts call it quiet and effective in online reviews. (Where to buy)
• The LG LW8012ER (starting at $219) is equipped to handle about 350 square feet. Consumers praised the performance of last year’s model and have greeted this one with similar acclaim. (Where to buy)

All these air conditioners are efficient enough to earn the government’s Energy Star rating. Below are some additional tips for keeping a lid on energy costs this summer.

Turn off the air when you leave the house. All the air conditioners on the above list come with timers, so you can set them to turn off automatically at the time you usually leave for work.

Keep curtains and shutters closed. During the day this keeps the sun from streaming directly in. If it’s still warm, invest in dark or heat-blocking curtains -- a cash outlay, yes, but potentially cheaper than several months of steep AC bills.  

Don’t leave windows open. Except at night. That’s right -- open your windows at night to let in cooler air. Then shut them first thing in the morning (preferably before the sun comes up).

Hang wet sheets in front of windows. Some summer nights just don’t cool down and the house still feels suffocating. Apartment Therapy puts forward a novel idea: wetting sheets and hanging them in front of open windows. The outside air blowing in through the wet sheets creates a cooling effect that’s much cheaper than air conditioning.

Create cross ventilation. To do this, turn on several fans and experiment with placement to generate the best cross breeze. If you have windows on opposite sides of a room, position one fan to pull air into the house and another to push hot air out.

Turn off and unplug everything. Every appliance (big and small) puts out some heat when it’s running. If you aren’t using an appliance, turn it off and unplug it. Additionally, avoid using big appliances when it’s really hot outside. Cook on the grill instead of the stove and hang laundry out to dry instead of running the dryer.

Hang out in the coolest parts of the house. If you’re home during the day, beat the heat by staying out of it. The basement will undoubtedly be cooler than the upstairs, so park down there if you have the option. In the late afternoon, when the sun hits the west side of the house, move to a room on the east side.

More from Cheapism:
Cheap air conditioners
Best cheap fans
Above-ground pool reviews
Best cheap BBQ meats 

Forget about Muzak. If you want put customers in the mood to purchase your innovative new product, a new study suggest you try pumping some road noise or the sounds from a busy mall into your store or showroom.

Noise, if its not too loud, can spark creative thinking — and that can lead to sales of inventive products, researchers reported in the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research.

Moderate noise — around 70 decibels — is enough to distract us from our normal thought patterns, said the study’s lead author Ravi Mehta, an associate professor in the Department of Business Administration at the University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign.

And once we’re distracted, we tend to think in broader and more creative ways, which apparently allows us to better appreciate the value of innovative products.

Mehta and his colleagues conducted a series of experiments to investigate how various levels of noise impacted thinking and consumer behavior.

In one experiment, the researchers asked 65 college students to take a creativity test while seated in front of a set of speakers playing a mix of sounds that had been recorded in a busy restaurant and near a highway. The sound the volunteers heard was very much like what you would experience if you were seated near the street at an outdoor restaurant, Mehta said.

The study volunteers were divided into four groups. One heard the noise recordings turned up high, another heard the recordings at medium volume, another heard low volume and the fourth got silence.

The researchers found that the volunteers who heard a moderate level of noise did best on the test. Low noise and silence produced results that were similar to each other. Loud noise produced the poorest performance. That’s because it’s too distracting, Mehta said.

In another experiment, the researchers had 68 college students fill out a survey to determine their likelihood of buying one item out of each of eight pairs of products. In each pairing, one traditional product was matched with an innovative one. One pairing, for example, included a traditional mountain bike and a mountain bike that could be folded up so the rider could hike with it for a while and then ride it when he or she chose, Mehta said.

Once again, volunteers were exposed to different levels of noise as they filled out the surveys. Sure enough, people from the group who heard moderate noise in the background while they were filling out the surveys were more likely than those in the other groups to choose innovative products.

So, is the noise effect limited to innovative items?

 Maybe not, Mehta said.

In another experiment, the researchers asked 95 college students to come up with creative uses for a brick. Again, the students were divided into groups, some exposed to moderate noise and others exposed to low noise in the background as they wrote down their ideas.

When the researchers looked at the lists of ideas, they found no difference between the two groups when it came to the number of ideas originated by each group. But the group that heard moderate noise came up with much more creative ideas, Mehta said.

 Perhaps if you have a convertible in an auto showroom, potential customers will be able to think of more ways they might enjoy the car if they’ve got a moderate level of noise in the background — as compared to the pin-drop silence usually heard in such establishments, Mehta said. 

Larry W. Smith / EPA file

Bankrupt American Airlines is a takeover target.

Each year, 24/7 Wall St. identifies 10 important American brands that we predict will to disappear within a year. This year’s list reflects the brutally competitive nature of certain industries and the reason why companies cannot afford to fall behind in efficiency, innovation or financing.

American Airlines will disappear in 2013 because of its inefficiency. It was the premier carrier in the United States for almost 30 years -- even surviving through periods when most other carriers went bankrupt. However, it lost its critical advantage of scale when Northwest merged with Delta and Continental merged with United. Within two years, American became a medium-sized carrier.

Research In Motion may be the best example of an innovative company that lost its edge. As a result, it will disappear in 2013. Five years ago, RIM was the only smartphone company of any size, and it had almost the entire corporate market. But it made a fatal mistake in failing to adapt its technology for consumer use. In June 2007, Apple  launched the iPhone, and the rest is history.

Pacific Sunwear no longer has the capital to compete. The retailer will be gone by the end of 2013. In the company’s most recent 10-Q, it said one of its biggest risks was running low on capital and not meeting financial obligations.

We made many accurate calls last year, but the speed with which some of them came true was surprising. MySpace was sold by News Corp. less than a week after our list was published.

Several other 2011 nominees are also no longer around. Saab filed for bankruptcy only five months after 24/7 published last year’s predictions. The car company has been sold yet again to an investment group called National Electric Vehicle Sweden, probably for little more than car parts.

In Nov. 2011, Ericsson dumped its half of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone business, apparently aware of something that Sony has yet to realize -- the smartphone industry is owned by Apple and Google’s Android-run phones. Similarly, Yum Brands! dumped A&W as sales were miniscule compared to flagship brands KFC and Taco Bell.

A few of the companies we said would vanish are still operating -- barely. American Apparel is now a penny stock. Nokia is another company 24/7 still predicts will go away soon. The former Finnish heavyweight just fired 10,000 employees, or 20 percent of its workforce.

24/7 Wall St.: America's richest school districts

We also made a few bad calls. Sears and Sony Pictures are still operating in essentially the same form they were a year ago. Kellogg’s Corn Pops and Soap Opera Digest are doing just fine.

This year we continue to take a methodical approach in deciding which brands to include on our list of brands that will disappear. The major criteria are:

1) A rapid fall-off in sales and steep losses.
2) Disclosures by the parent of the brand that it might go out of business.
3) Rapidly rising costs that are extremely unlikely to be recouped through higher prices.
4) Companies that are sold.
5) Companies that go into bankruptcy.
6) Companies that have lost the great majority of their customers.
7) Operations with rapidly withering market share.

Each brand on the list suffers from one or more of these problems. Each of the 10 will be gone, based on our definitions, within 18 months.

This is 24/7 Wall St.’s brands that will disappear in 2013.

1. American Airlines

American’s parent AMR filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Nov. 2011. The airline itself still operates largely as it did prior to the filing, but with some of the advantages the bankruptcy of a parent brings. Labor costs will be cut, along with debt service and lease obligations for airplanes. AMR says it plans to emerge from Chapter 11 as a viable airline. But that will not happen. US Airways already has made it clear that it wants to buy American’s assets. As soon as the rumors of a potential buyout started in April, some of American’s largest unions said they backed such a plan as a way to protect jobs. Earlier this month, US Airways CEO Doug Parker announced his desire to merge the two airlines. With US Airways probably willing to give AMR’s creditors a good deal to get American’s assets, the potential deal received tremendous support from bondholders and analysts. US Airways has much to gain from this transaction, as its position in the carrier market has been eroded by the mergers of Northwest and Delta and the later combination of United and Continental.

2. Talbots

Battered retailer The Talbots  is supposed to be taken private by Sycamore Partners for just over $2.75 a share, or $190 million. The offer has been delayed for some reason. Sycamore already has lowered its offer once from $3.05 a share it extended to the company in December. Among all the badly damaged retailers hurt by the recession, compounded by its failure to appeal to consumers with distinctive products, Talbots has to be near the top of the list. While its shares traded for almost $26 five years ago, they now change hands for $2.50. It is a wonder that Sycamore wants to buy the retailer. Even if the deal closes, Sycamore may find there is no solution to making the company viable again. When it last announced earnings, Talbots management said it planned to close 110 stores. The company also said it would try to find a new CEO. Talbots made only $1 million last quarter on $275 million in revenue. At the same time it announced earnings, it admitted that it could be in default under its debt facilities if its financial condition deteriorated further. Talbots has been flanked by a number of department stores that carry women’s discount ware and a number of niche chains, including Ann Taylor, Chico’s FAS and Limited Brands. The company’s earnings demonstrate clearly the extent to which customers have abandoned Talbots. Its revenue was $2.3 billion in fiscal 2008, a figure on which it lost money. Annual sales are barely half that now. With the exception of a tiny profit last year, the retailer has lost money every year in the past five.

24/7 Wall St.: 8 states slashing local funding

3. Current TV

Al Gore’s Current TV was on life support even before it fired its only bankable star, Keith Olbermann, in March following a set of battles with the host over his perks. He was replaced by serial talk show host failure Eliot Spitzer. Compared to Olbermann’s March figures, Spitzer’s ratings in April were down nearly 70 percent, according to TV audience measurement firm Nielsen. At the time, The Hollywood Reporter wrote, “Replacement Eliot Spitzer pulled an anemic 47,000 total viewers in the first outing of 'Viewpoint,' with just 10,000 among adults 25-54. The weeks since saw an early rebound, particularly in the demo, but in its four weeks on air Viewpoint has steadily declined in both respects.” Reuters recently reported that Current TV’s audience had fallen enough that cable giant Time Warner Cable may have the right to discontinue carrying the channel. The closest Current TV has to a star is talk show veteran Joy Behar, a former cast member of “The View,” who had her own show canceled by CNN’s HLN in November. Gore does not have the pockets to keep a network with no future going. 

4. Research In Motion

RIM once owned the smartphone market. Its BlackBerry products were used largely by businesses. It is hardly worth repeating the story of how RIM was late to the consumer market, where it has been pounded relentlessly by Apple and an army of Google Android phones from manufacturers as diverse as Taiwan's HTC, South Korea’s Samsung and Motorola in the U.S. The pace at which the company fell apart once the process began was even more extraordinary than its rise. Revenue and net income jumped from $6 billion and $1.3 billion, respectively, in fiscal 2008 to $20 billion and $3.4 billion in fiscal 2011. In just the past year, however, the company has warned twice that it would miss its earnings forecast, replaced its long-time CEO, warned a third time about its first-quarter loss, and disclosed plans for layoffs of thousands of employees. The company’s board said it was reviewing “strategic options,” which would include a sale. The best measurement of the swiftness of RIM’s fall is the change of its share of the U.S. smartphone market. Research group NPD recently reported that RIM’s U.S. market share was 44% in 2009 but only 10% last year. Data from research group Comscore shows that share has fallen further this year. The net effect on RIM’s stock price has been devastating, taking it down from $144 four years ago to $11 recently. RIM cannot survive as a standalone operation in the face of these trends. The Wall Street Journal recently reported “outright buyers could include Asian handset makers like HTC Corp or online retailer Amazon.com Inc. which has jumped into the tablet business.”

5. Pacific Sunwear

Pacific Sunwear built its reputation offering “California-style” accessories, primarily sunglasses, shoes and swimwear. The company was started in a surf shop in Newport Beach in 1980. Recently, highly regarded corporate balance sheet and earnings research firm GMI Ratings put Pacific Sunwear of California on its list of companies at risk of going bankrupt. That should come as no surprise. Five years ago, the company’s stock traded for $23. Recently, it dropped to $1.50. In its most recent reported quarter, Pacific Sunwear lost $15 million on revenue of $174 million. The retailer’s cash and cash equivalents dropped to $22 million from $50 million at the end of the previous quarter. Pacific Sunwear management said the company would have a non-GAAP net loss in the current quarter as well. Pacific Sunwear also disclosed it had a new line of credit with Wells Fargo. Its comments about the loan in its latest 10-Q were telling: “if we were to experience same-store sales declines similar to those which occurred in fiscal 2010 and 2009, we may be required to access most, if not all, of the New Credit Facility and potentially require other sources of financing to fund our operations, which might not be available.” Why is the company in so much trouble? It is too small and is in a commoditized business. Nearly every major department store chain sells products similar to those Pacific Sunwear offers, and so do many niche retailers. Pacific Sunwear, meanwhile, has only 729 small stores. What will happen to the retailer? It could be bought by a larger company -- its market cap is only $108 million -- or it may go out of business with its inventory sold to other retailers.

Read the rest of the brands that will disappear in 2013 at the 24/7 Wall St. web site.

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Newlyweds are entering their lives with a much different set of experiences than those of a generation before.

It’s more common than ever for people to cohabit before marriage now, and many are getting married later in life. Couples are relying more on their own finances to pay for a wedding, rather than the event being paid for by their families, and gift-giving practices have even changed as well.

Most newlyweds are already equipped with household wares; indeed, they may have an overabundance of kitchen supplies, electronics, bedding and other common wedding gifts. More and more often, couples are requesting a gift of the one thing they need most: money.

Not so long ago, offering cash as a gift was a social faux pas. Now, however, as couples struggle to build their new life against the backdrop of a meager economy, gifts of cash are well-received. Marriage represents more than a union of two people; it’s also the gateway into a new institution that’s governed as much by finances as emotion. Put simply, a marriage founded on shoddy finances is as unstable as any business enterprise, and for young couples, every dollar truly counts.

Making the most of wedding gift cash

As a newlywed, you’re bound to get a lot of money amid your other gifts, whether you specifically ask for it or not. For some people, this sudden influx of cash can be exhilarating. Instead of giving in to the sudden temptation to go on a massive shopping spree, however, you need to carefully consider what to do with the money. By properly investing the cash that you receive, you can build a nest egg that can help sustain you throughout your marriage, rather than running dry a week after your wedding.

5 smart ways to spend your wedding cash

1. Paying off debt

Since most couples pay for their own weddings, they often enter their marriage carrying ample debt. Of course, smart wedding planning alleviates some of this, and it’s very trendy right now for couples to reduce costs by holding casual affairs, having DIY weddings or dramatically slashing the guest list.

Even if a couple manages to evade debt for the wedding itself, however, most couples enter their new life with substantial debt. Student loans, medical bills, consumer debt and other expenses can impact a person’s credit, and those debts magnify when households are combined.

The faster you can pay off this debt, the sooner you will be able to qualify for a mortgage, buy a new car and save seriously for your retirement. It will also save you money in the long run as you avoid interest fees. If you have too much debt to consider paying off entirely with your wedding money, find the most toxic debt and destroy it first. For most people, this means paying off high-interest credit cards or loans rather than trying to pay off student loan debt or other long-term loans.

2. Saving for the future

The best part about money is that it can be used to make more money by investing it in an interest-bearing account. One of the securest investments you can make is a certificate of deposit. This is much more secure than stocks or other investments, but the interest rate is higher than with a regular savings account. You simply place the money in the CD and wait until it has matured, then receive your initial principal plus interest.

To maximize your savings, augment the wedding money with regular payments from your paychecks. Set aside a certain amount of money from each check and add it to the principal every time you cash your CD. This will ensure that you have an ever-growing savings with maximum interest and minimal cost. When you start, you can choose a short-term CD for a few months, then choose longer periods in the future.

The other benefit of having a CD is that it’s very flexible. You can choose the duration of the CD and use the money however you’d like. This allows you to put money aside for a house, vacation, your children’s college fund or whatever else is important to you.

3. Start an IRA

It’s never too early to plan for your retirement, and with fewer jobs offering pension plans, individuals must make their own financial arrangements. Rather than investing all of the wedding money into CDs, a couple might choose to open an IRA or 401k accounts. Employers will usually match the money invested in retirement accounts, and the funds are untaxed until they’re paid out.

If you do choose this investment, bear in mind that it will require two separate accounts as retirement accounts are for individuals, not couples. A wedding is a good time to consider retirement, however, as weddings are ideally a symbol of eternity, and planning for old age and retirement together can help solidify a couple’s bond while putting money to pragmatic use.

4. Buy a house

For couples who would rather live in the here-and-now, using the money from a wedding toward buying a new home can be a wise idea. Depending on the size of the gifts and the amount of guests, cash from a wedding can help form a down payment on a home. Houses are the most expensive purchase most people will make in their lives, and buying a first home is often the first step toward forming a new life together that a couple takes.

Don’t allow excitement to exceed reason when buying a new house. Be sure that your finances are in order first. You’ll want to pay off as much debt as possible prior to applying for a mortgage, and ensure that you have enough money budgeted to cover a house payment. If buying a home isn’t possible right away, go ahead and invest the money in a CD for a year or two and re-visit the plan later after you’ve been able to save up.

5. Buy something nice together

Marriage isn’t only about investments in the future. It’s perfectly acceptable to spend some of the money from gifts in buying something nice together. Indeed, many frugal couples may be so accustomed to buying second-hand or bargain bin goods that they don’t realize how nice it can be to splurge.

Assess your money and see if you can make room for a single nice, practical-but-luxurious purchase such as a TV or high-quality bed. By choosing something that can enjoy together for a long time, you’re also making an investment in your future.

It’s up to each individual couple to determine what the best use of wedding gift money is. This can depend on how much is received, the couple’s needs, future plans and more. At the very least you need to speak about this with each other well before getting married. As long couples consider all their options carefully before proceeding, they can usually make the most of the gifts to launch their new life together.

Alan Dunn is founder of HowtoSaveMoney.com, a destination dedicated to helping people understand how to save and manage money.

More from Forbes.com

• Top 10 financial tips for starting a family
• 20 crucial money questions to ask before 'I do'
• Surviving wedding season: A guest's guide to avoiding financial ruin by Labor Day
• Wedding day confessions: Best advice for the bride and groom
• How being a control freak blocks intimacy & money

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Shared households accounted for 18.7 percent of all U.S. households in 2010. That's up from 17 percent of all households in 2007, the Census Bureau said.

More adults have been moving in with their families or seeking out roommates instead of creating a home of their own, and the most obvious culprit is the difficult economy.

The number of shared households increased by 11.4 percent, to 22 million, between 2007 and 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau said in a report released Wednesday.

Shared households accounted for 18.7 percent of all U.S. households in 2010. That’s up from 17 percent of all households in 2007, the Census Bureau said.

A shared household includes any adult who is not in school and has moved in with a family member or other adult that they aren’t romantically involved with.

Census Bureau researchers said they didn’t ask specifically why people were moving in with mom, dad or another roommate, but that the results suggest it was a way of coping with the weak economy.

That’s what prompted Brad McGarr, now 26, to get a roommate.

McGarr graduated from high school in 2004, landed a good job in the Phoenix area and was soon settled into a nice apartment of his own.

Then he lost his job in 2009, and was financially devastated by a long stint of unemployment. He lived with family for a while and then landed a job as a technical support specialist in the Denver area. Between the high cost of living and the toll his unemployment stint took, he felt like he had no choice but to get a roommate.

McGarr said sharing the rent helped him to get back on his feet, financially. A few months ago, he moved out of the roommate situation and in with his girlfriend. He said it feels like he’s restarting after the devastation of the recession.

“I think it’s starting to get to the point where I’m having more of a normal adult life,” he said.

Many people in their twenties and thirties are dealing with those kinds of setbacks.

Nearly half of the adults who moved into someone else’s house between 2007 and 2010 were 25 to 34 years old, the Census researchers found. About 10 million people in that age were living in someone else’s house in 2010, up from 8.5 million in 2007.

That’s an age when people are typically starting out in their adult life, finding a place of their own or getting married and starting a family. Instead, economists say many are hobbled by the tight job market and student loan debt. Sharing a house is a symptom of those problems.

“People are living at home because either they’re underemployed or they’re unemployed, and that’s because times are tough,” said Patrick Newport, U.S. economist with IHS Global Insight.

Many people of that age appear to be moving back in with mom and dad. A separate report from Pew Research found that more than two in 10 people in that age range were living in a multigenerational household. Pew referred to them as the “boomerang generation” because they’re coming back to the family home.

The fact that more people are sharing a home rather than striking out on their own is more bad news for the beleaguered housing market, which is still struggling from the effect of the massive housing bust. Newport expects it to have a ripple effect on the housing sector for quite some time.

Still, he said some of the money people aren’t spending on housing is likely being diverted to other parts of the economy, if they are drawing a paycheck at all.

“Instead of spending their money on rent or on a mortgage, they’ll buy computers or they’ll pay off their bills,” he said.

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I want a raise!!! Most people don't need six figures to feel successful, but they aren't necessarily happy with their current pay.

Most workers don’t need to earn a really fat paycheck to feel like they are successful in their careers, a new survey finds.

More than half would be happy making under $70,000 a year.

The survey of more than 5,700 full-time U.S. workers, conducted in February and March for CareerBuilder, found that 25 percent of people would want to make more than $100,000 in a year to feel like they had made it.

But 23 percent said they would only need to reach a salary level of below $50,000 to be successful. The rest fell somewhere in between.

Men were more much likely than women to say that six figures was a measure of success. About 32 percent of men said they wanted to make more than $100,000 to be a success. That's versus 17 percent of women.

Older workers were more likely to say they wanted to reach six figures to be successful than younger people, but the gap wasn’t that great.

Still, most people haven't made it there yet.

About 45 percent of workers said they were close to their desired salary, while 32 percent said their paycheck was nowhere near where they wanted it to be.

Only 23 percent said they were earning their desired salary.