The list of reasons to move Down Under are plenty: The weather, the beaches, the friendly folks with fantastic accents.

Now there’s another one for pregnant working moms. One of Australia’s biggest companies, Insurance Australia Group, is instituting a new, super-generous maternity policy.  

As noted in The Grindstone, IAG employees returning from their 14-week paid maternity leave will receive a “welcome back to work” bonus: They’ll get double their salary for the first six weeks back.

IAG chief executive Mike Wilkins told Australia’s ABC News that the policy is "a result of us talking to our people and talking about some of the pressures they were facing, particularly those returning from having children.”

Wilkins adds that while the policy is meant to encourage mothers to come back into the work force and stay, it also eases some of their return-to-work cost pressures, which he describes as, “Things such as having to arrange for childcare, just looking at wardrobes and similar things.”

(Any new mom who has had to fork out cash on those frustrating not-back-into-your-normal-size clothes will say "Hallelejuh" to the wardrobe nod.)

Wilkins told the Austalian TV channel that he expects 500 to 600 of his employees (out of their Australian workforce of about 10,000) to take advantage of the benefit, but argues it’s a “cost-neutral” move because the company will be able to attract and retain people longer.

Not everyone is thrilled by the idea, including commenters on The Grindstone, a workplace blog aimed at women.

Poster Trish comments:

As someone who also does not plan to have children, I think this payment increase is unfair to other employees who will not, or cannot, have children, without similar incentive in place for the childless at other life milestones. 

And says poster Avodah:

Having a child is a life choice. I don’t expect anyone to pay me for my life choices… I took off work for graduate school, may I have my salary doubled?

Grindstone blogger Ruth Graham counters that “other life milestones don’t so commonly push people out of the workforce. This is an incentive meant to retain workers at a ‘tipping point’ that often finds them opting out of paid work. So it’s not just a random reward for child-bearing, it’s a strategic move with benefits to the company.”

What do you think about IAG’s new 'welcome back to work' maternity bonus? Does it make you want to pack your bags for Aussie-land? Tell us on Facebook.

Video: Pregnant woman's video goes viral

Getty Images file

New research shows that kids who pay all or part of their college costs are less likely to do things like binge drink.

If you’re doing everything you can to save for your children’s college education, chances are it’s because you think that will give your kids the best start in life.

Here’s a radical thought: Maybe the best thing you can do for your kids is ask them to pay at least some of their own way.

New research from the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University finds that kids whose parents are footing the entire college bill, including tuition, books, housing and recreation money, were most likely to be partying and possibly floundering.

 “Parents who pay for everything -- including their children’s recreation and fun money -- they have children who are more heavily into drinking, drug use, marijuana use,” said Laura Padilla-Walker, associate professor of at BYU’s School of Family Life.

Padilla-Walker’s research also found that the kids whose parents were paying for everything had less of a sense of what they wanted to do in the future than those who were getting little or no help from Mom and Dad. Not surprisingly, they also were less likely to be working while going to school.

The findings, which were based on an analysis of about 400 college kids across the country, suggest that it may be good for kids to at least pay for some of their own expenses while they are in college. Without the structure of a job or the responsibility of having to pay some of their own way, some kids may simply be getting distracted.

At the very least, parents may be able to stop fretting so much about saving for college.

“It doesn’t look like you have to pay all your student’s college expenses in order for them to be successful,” Padilla-Walker said.

You may want to help out somewhat, however. In her study, the kids that seemed the most focused on school and the future were actually the ones that were getting no help at all.

Still, she cautioned that that route also has its pitfalls. Some kids who are footing the bill on their own might take longer to graduate or have to drop out because they can’t afford to keep going to school. They also may not take the time to really figure out what they are best suited for in terms of a career.

A sharper focus on the long-term goal of college, rather than the partying aspect, is clearly beneficial. Padilla-Walker noted that many kids are taking longer than the usual four years to graduate from school, and some aren’t really getting a start in life until they are 28 or 30.

“I think most parents would prefer it to be closer to the 25 range,” she said.

Tip of the hat to The New York Times, which first reported on the study.

Related: Senior citizens owe billions in student loans

Richard Zambito

A slew of appliances sitting on a lawn are part of a garage sale that some municipalities argue have gotten out of hand.

Richard Zambito, vice president of the Parklawn Civic Association in Alexandria, Va., has become the neighborhood’s unofficial garage and yard sale inspector.

In the last few years, Zambito has seen sales go from occasional friendly and benign events that brought the community together to extreme and prolific selling juggernauts.

“Two weeks ago, I drove by a home and they were having an auto sale, 20 cars parked on the lawn,” he explained, adding that some residents are now holding weekly sales. “And I went by another home and saw the yard full of appliances, including vacuum cleaners, washing machines and driers.”

Zambito thinks the sales have become a nuisance, creating traffic and litter problems. He’s on a mission to get county officials to curb them, and he’s even been taking photos of the sales and confronting residents who hold them.

“Last time I took photos they chased me down the road,” he said about residents who were unhappy he’s trying to curtail their roadside retailing.

In South Greensburg, Pa., a borough of Pittsburgh, town council president Clentin Martin also wants to put the kibosh on lawn and driveway bazaars, but he found out that messing with garage sales could be the new third rail of politics.

He just introduced an ordinance that would limit the number of garage sales residents can have every year to four and would charge $5 for each sale. For that, he said, he’s been called a communist. “I’ve gotten more heat on this than anything I’ve ever done,” he said.

Towns from Pittsburgh to Dallas are moving to curb so-called extreme garage sales and many residents are balking.

A sacred American ritual is coming under fire. Tough economic conditions have led to a rise in such home-based vendors who see the process as a way to make a few extra bucks, not just clean out the basement. Cities and towns, which don’t get tax revenues from the sales and have to deal with the traffic problem and sanitation issues related to the driveway trade, are fighting back by imposing fees and asking residents to get permits, many of which limit the sales to only a handful a year.

Today, there are about 45,000 garage sales held every weekend across the U.S., according to TagSellIt.com, and there’s no sign residents will be easing up on the home marketplaces on their own.

“The middle class appears to be shrinking while the lower-classes are growing, and members of the middle class seem to be engaging in thrift behaviors as an adaptive strategy under conditions of downward mobility,” said Todd Goodsell, assistant professor in the department of sociology at Brigham Young University, who has studied local thrift economies.

Indeed, advertisements for garage sales can be seen dotting communities all across the country, especially as the temperatures start to warm up; and ads on online classified sites are prolific. In recent years, garage sale ads on Craigslist have been on the rise, said Susan Mactavish Best, a spokeswoman for the company. She would not provide specifics.

Some municipalities in New York are seeing some locations holding garage sales every weekend, said Steve Silverberg, an attorney in Tarrytown, N.Y., who concentrates on municipal land use and zoning.

Many of these residents, he added, are essentially operating a business from their homes, and many towns don’t allow that in residential areas. In response, local government officials are putting zoning ordinances in place with limitations on the number of sales each home can have per year.

“There are a lot of issues that lead to this. All these cars pulling up, people all over the place, and people who live near don’t particularly care for it,” he explained. “A municipality is allowed to control local zoning.”

Dallas’ city council decided to take control of the burgeoning yard retailers.

Last year, the council decided in a close vote to limit the number of yard sales residents could hold and also require that residents get a permit and pay $15 for each sale.

And the city ordinance has restrictions on the number and placement of yard sale signs residents can put up in the neighborhood: "There is a limit of two garage sales at a premises during any 12 month period and each sale may not exceed more than three consecutive calendar days in length. Only one sign is allowed upon the lot where the sale is taking place. Signs placed on medians, public property or utility poles are illegal."

“It wasn’t about making revenue for the city more than to get something under control that was increasingly growing out of control,” said Dallas council member Dwaine Caraway. “People throughout neighborhoods and communities -- some people, not all -- were taking advantage of it. They’d roll out stuff and roll it back in every weekend. A garage sale to me is you got an old pair of shoes, or an old set of golf clubs or dishes. But this stuff was in boxes. Some with tags on them.”

Caraway admitted he’s gotten some flak from the community for supporting the fee and the council is now considering knocking off $5 from the fee. He wants to keep restrictions on residents, however, especially those who had “opened up weekly businesses and were not paying any taxes either.”

But he added, “no one is going to be thrown in jail. It’s to figure out who are the abusers and the good people. Good people will appreciate it in the long run.”

Aaron LaPedis, author of “The Garage Sale Millionaire”, who has held about 50 garage sales in his lifetime, isn’t so sure.

“We should be allowed as Americans to have a garage sales, make a little money, without being permitted and taxed everywhere we go,” he said. “A normal person would probably have two garage sales a year.”

Where residents go overboard and run businesses from their homes, he said, government officials should crack down, but not on average yard sale enthusiasts. 

Such sales are great for communities and for the environment, he pointed out.

“Having a garage sale is very green because it recycles items,” he said. “People are now going to start throwing away stuff.”

The recent run-up in fuel prices has put the spotlight on hybrids, battery cars and other high-mileage vehicles.  But while it may sound great to get 40, even 50 miles a gallon, are you spending an arm and a leg to save far less than you might expect on your annual gasoline bill?

Some hybrids carry a premium that can push up to $5,000 or more.  The penalty is even higher with plug-ins and pure battery-electric vehicles, or BEVs.  Even on many “eco” models using relatively conventional gasoline power you could be in for a stiff price penalty.  But is it worth it?

Cadillac To Build 3 Models in China

Not necessarily, if you’re simply trying to save money and not really worried about going “green.”  But there are some models that minimize your up-front investment and deliver you savings fast.

“The price of gas has consumers thinking about fuel economy but there’s a financial investment involved with most of these fuel-saving packages,” says Jesse Toprak, Vice President of Market Intelligence at TrueCar.com. “It’s important to compare the improvements in fuel economy and the extra costs of the package before purchasing a new vehicle.”

BMW Stretches the 3-Series

Smart shoppers look at the so-called “payback period,” the time it takes to recover your up-front investment.  On some models, the extra cost for that “eco” package can take you a decade – or more – to get your money back in the form of lower fuel bills.

Toprak stresses that shoppers should be looking at the EPA’s Combined fuel economy number, not the Highway mileage manufacturers like to advertise.  For most motorists, the lower Combined figure is likely to be closer to what you’ll actually get, day-to-day.

Take the 2012 Honda Civic HF, it’s rated at 33.4 mpg, compared to 32.1 for the conventional Honda Civic LX.  It also carries a typical price premium of about $766 on an average transaction price – or ATP – of $19,398.  TrueCar estimates the average owner will need to keep the HF for 10.6 years to recover that premium.

Smart Launches World’s First Twitter Ad

The new $20,982 Chevrolet Cruze Eco, which gets 30.6 mpg. You would need 48 years to recover the nearly $900 premium over the conventional Cruze, at 30.3 mpg.

The good news is that there are a number of vehicles that can pay you back in less than five years.

The best deal of the bunch? The Mazda3 Touring with the SkyActiv powertrain, which not only delivers 32.4 mpg, 7.7 mpg better than the conventionally powered Mazda3, but costs about $900 less, at $22,366.  You start saving cash the moment you drive off the lot.

The other big winners:

• The Chevrolet Sonic with Ecotec Turbo carries a $635 premium, at $16,951, but it delivers 33.1 mpg compared to 29.4 for the base Sonic, so you’ll earn your premium back within 2.9 years;
• The $27,566 Ford Edge with Ecoboost is $864 more than the same “people-mover with a standard 3.5-liter V-6, but is rated at 24.3 mpg v 21.9. You’ll be in the black within 3.3 years;
• The Kia Forte Sedan EX Eco is, at $17,786, just $273 more than the sedan with a 2.0-liter engine. It gets an extra 1 mpg Combined, at 30.7 mpg, and will pay you back in 4.2 years;
• For those who need a big truck, the $28,732 Ford F-150 SuperCab 145” with Ecoboost carries an $853 premium over the same F-150 model with a 5.0-liter V-8. You’ll get an extra mpg at 18.2, and see payback in 4.5 years, says TrueCar.

The service’s estimates are based on gas at $3.90 a gallon and a motorist driving 15,000 miles a year.  Of course, the higher the price the quicker the savings.  On the other hand, if you only clock 12,000 miles annually, the payback period will stretch out even longer.

It’s almost tax day, and even if you really waited until the last minute this year, there are options out there for you.

The first thing to keep in mind is that you aren’t alone. The Internal Revenue Service estimates that 20 to 25 percent of taxpayers file in the final weeks before tax day.

Plenty miss the deadline as well: The IRS estimates that about 10.5 million taxpayers filed for an extension last year.

In total, the IRS processed about 145 million returns last year.

The good news: The IRS has made it pretty easy to ask for more time, using an online form that will give you a six-month extension.

The bad news: You still have to get some basic paperwork together to file for the extension. Most importantly, the IRS will ask you to pay up, at least based on the estimate for what you owe.

One thing you probably don’t want to do: Hide under a rock and pretend it isn’t happening. The IRS recommends filing the paperwork and paying what you can by April 17, in order to avoid or minimize late fees and other penalties.

There are also some options for folks who can’t pay. The IRS has expanded a program called “Fresh Start,” to help people who are unemployed and owe taxes, set up payment plans for people who owe less than $50,000 and even work with the IRS to settle some tax liabilities.

If you are filing at the last minute, chances are you’re moving rather quickly. The IRS also has some tips for avoiding common errors at the last minute. Among the common-sense tips: Don’t forget to sign and date the return.

Related:

IRS strikes tough balance as 'nice bad guy'

The end of a marriage can  be emotionally -- and financially -- devastating. How do you protect your nest egg when you go through a divorce?

Here are some tips for this difficult time:

• Seperate your credit and build your own credit history 
• Hire a financial advisor
• Review all retirement accounts 
• Increase your insurance coverage
• Don't raid your retirement funds

Job seekers expect to have two or three interviews with an employer before they land a position. But 10 interviews?

Ebonee Younger’s interview odyssey began in September when she embarked on her quest to land an HR manager’s position at a rental truck company.

Ten interviews and a lot of sweat equity later, Younger, who lives in Birmingham, Ala., ended up not getting the gig.

“The whole experience cost me two new suits, a new pair of shoes, $40 in stationery and postage -- I wrote handwritten notes to almost everyone I spoke with -- two paid time-off days, and $200 plus in taxi fare,” she explained.

“I'm not so much irritated that I didn't get the job, I was just disappointed in the candidate experience,” she noted. “I really believe they could have, and should have, made a decision earlier in the process.”

Unfortunately, Younger’s interview purgatory is not unusual. Employers are increasingly putting applicants through a seemingly endless cycle of interviews these days, a byproduct of the tight labor market. Some hiring managers feel they have the upper hand because unemployment, at over 8 percent, is still relatively high so they can put candidates through a hiring rigmarole. Others are just too inept to trust their own judgment, or are fearful a wrong hire will get them in hot water.

“We have found employers take a lot longer to select someone these days,” said Charley Polachi, co-founder of executive recruiting firm Polachi Inc.

“During the boom, hiring decisions were made in a snap,” he explained. But now, “there’s this perception of a big supply of people so they keep interviewing.”

Besides, he added, most managers today aren’t good or effective interviewers because budget cuts have done away with any real training on how to hire.

And it’s not just employers looking to fill permanent jobs who are putting candidates through the interview wringer. Adecco, one of the nation’s top temporary staffing firms, has seen an uptick in the number of interviews required for temps as well.

“The interview process for those applying to these jobs are more frequently being conducted as if they are being looked at for permanent positions,” said Bob Kovalsky, senior vice president for Adecco Staffing. 

Some believe the lengthy process for all gigs today is all about money.

“Companies shouldn’t just settle for a seat filler because they need someone right away,” maintained Josh Tolan, CEO of Spark Hire, an online video job board. “A bad hire is more than just a mistake, it could be detrimental to the success of your team and your company.”

Tolan estimated that “nearly 46 percent of new hires fail within 18 months, and a bad hiring decision can cost a company upwards of 200 percent of a year’s salary.”

Despite such numbers, job seekers put through weeks of interviewing are beginning to feel like contestants in a never-ending beauty pageant.

Ginger Mathews, who lives in Phoenix, started her quest to land a trainer job with an insurance firm in January and eight interviews later she’s still in limbo.

This is how it all went down, she says:

• One phone interview that lasted 40 minutes.
• A few days later, that was followed by a one hour 15 minute Skype interview.
•  A week later, that was followed by a 45-minute in-person interview at a corporate office about 20 minutes away.
• That was immediately followed by another 45-minute in-person interview at the corporate office, which was followed by another 45-minute in-person interview.
• About a week to ten days later, a one-hour in-person interview at the corporate office about 20 minutes away, which was immediately followed by another one-hour in-person interview at the corporate office, which was followed by another one-hour in-person interview at the same corporate office, on the same day. 

She went through a similar endless chain of interviews for a sales coaching job with another employer, but ended up with no job.

Tons of interviews may seem like a good problem to have for many job seekers who have been unable to get past the online application to  talk to a human being, but endless interviews and no job can be just as frustrating.

“These jobs do not come with six-figure incomes and it is not as though I am applying for jobs where I am responsible for great sums of money, or working as an aide to President Obama,” Matthews explained.

“I have to ask, is this the new norm?” pondered Matthews, who is scheduled for her ninth interview with the insurance company on Monday.

Mario Tama / Getty Images

Warren Buffett smiles at the New York Stock Exchange before ringing the opening bell on Sept. 30, 2011. The Bufett rule was inspired by his call to tax the rich more.

It's almost tax day, which means that most people have by now seen just exactly how much of our hard-earned money will being going to Uncle Sam this year.

You might have noticed that we’re also hearing a lot more about the so-called Buffett rule.

The White House has been making a hard push for the rule, officially called the Paying a Fair Share Act of 2012. The Senate is scheduled to resume consideration of the bill Monday.

The bill would require people who make more than $1 million and pay less than 30 percent in taxes to pay Uncle Sam more. It got its nickname from billionaire investor Warren Buffett, who famously has called on rich people to pay more in taxes.

The estimated effect of the rule varies widely, but experts do agree on one thing: Even if it passed, the revenue the Buffett rule would bring in wouldn’t do much to help fight the massive federal deficit.

That may not matter so much, however. Even those who are against the Buffett rule concede that the debate isn’t really about whether it would help balance the government’s check book.

Instead, it’s about the idea that the world would seem a little more fair.

“It’s not solving the problem and it’s not fixing the tax system. It’s just addressing an issue that might viscerally bother people,” said Roberton Williams, senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center.

Still, the idea that some upper-class Americans are paying a lower tax rate than some middle-class Americans has clearly touched a nerve. A Gallup poll released Friday found that 60 percent of Americans favor the Buffett rule.

The rule is most heavily favored by Democrats and independents, but even among Republicans 43 percent support it.

To understand why, let’s go back to the origins of the Buffett rule.

Buffett, who made his billions running Berkshire Hathaway, got the debate going last August when he wrote an op-ed in the New York Times complaining that he paid a lower tax rate than anyone else in his office.

The very idea that one of the world’s richest men has a lower tax rate than this secretary created a firestorm.

“There’s something about really rich people with great lifestyles paying less than you or me that’s offensive,” Williams said.

In reality, though, Williams said many wealthy people – mainly “working rich” people such as executives, movie stars and athletes – are probably paying a higher tax rate than most middle-income Americans.

The exceptions are people like Buffett and presidential candidate Mitt Romney, who make a lot of money on investments rather than by drawing a paycheck. Those tend to be taxed at a lower rate.

(President Obama did not make $1 million last year, according to his tax return made public Friday, and paid a tax rate of about 20 percent.)

Conservatives may not like the attention the Buffett rule is getting, but even they admit the fairness issue is what has gotten people talking.

“Taxes must be high simply to spread the wealth, never mind the impact on the economy or government revenue. It's all about ‘fairness,’ baby,” the Wall Street Journal groused in an editorial last week.

Those who oppose it can perhaps take comfort in this Bloomberg story noting that, even if the Buffett rule does pass, wealthy people will likely find ways to get around it.

Related:

Here's who won't be paying federal income taxes

Most Americans say go ahead, tax the rich more

You probably signed up for a Facebook account thinking it would be a good way to keep up with friends from college, look at family pictures or play FarmVille.

But then the social network exploded, and now it’s raising all sorts of sticky issues about where the personal and the professional collide.

A post this week about a man who claims he was fired after a Facebook “like” led his boss to discover he was gay prompted a lot of discussion about how much you want to share on social media when your boss may be watching.

“That is exactly why NO ONE should ever post anything personal on these social networks that can lead back to them. I refuse to even use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc., and I don't have anything listed in my "profile" here on Newsvine,” one reader wrote.

Others were less extreme, but still agreed that people need to think carefully about what they are putting on their social networks these days.

If your social media usage does get you the boot, it’ll help your job hunt if you’re a narcissist. This week, we also reported on a study finding that narcissists do better in job interviews – but then tend to bring a toxic culture to the workplace once they land the job.

Many readers lamented that they’d seen this phenomenon at their own workplaces. And while few co-workers like blatant self-promoters, some admitted they were a bit jealous of them.

“I just got laid off from a well-paying job due to lack of work. The narcissist that was the most obnoxious self-promoter that I have ever met is still there. I should have tooted my own horn - I would still have a job,” one reader wrote.

Apply for a job and there's a good chance that potential employer will do a background check on you. Most U.S. employers (about 70 percent) conduct criminal background checks for all potential employees. 

According to a new report from the National Consumer Law Center, the information provided by background screening companies is often wrong in some way.

"These reports really should be accurate. Unfortunately, too often, what we found is, they're not,” says Persis Yu, an NCLC staff attorney who worked on the “Broken Records”report. 

Take the case of Samuel M. Jackson of Illinois, profiled in the report. Jackson was allegedly denied a job because of an inaccurate background check that said he was convicted of rape in 1987 – when he was just 4 years old. The conviction belonged to 58-year-old Samuel L. Jackson of Virginia, who was in prison at the time the background check was requested.

Virtually anyone with a computer and Internet service can go into the business of background screening. There is very little, if any, oversight. 

“It’s really the Wild West out there,” Persis says. “They're not required to be licensed. They're not required to be registered. And yet they're generating billions of dollars in revenue with very little accountability."

The head of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) says the NCLC report makes some very broad statements that are not accurate. In an email statement to msnbc.com, Theresa Preg says background screening through Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRA), such as those that are members of NAPBS have “a very, very low error rate.” 

Preg says members of her organization are highly regulated at the state and federal level. She warns employers not to use "free" criminal record searches offered via the Internet because they have no updating requirement and therefore can have inaccurate information. 

 “The member companies of NAPBS help put millions of people to work, including ex-offenders,” she writes. “We also help consumers correct misinformation that may be contained on them at the actual courts or law enforcement agencies, as well as any incorrect criminal history information that may have been contained in a consumer report. 

In preparing its  report, NCLC contacted attorneys and community groups that work with people who are hurt by faulty background checks. They say these reports routinely mismatch people. This can be devastating when a person with no criminal background is confused with someone who has a criminal history. Such mix-ups are more likely if you have a common name. 

(Read: More background check horror stories) 

“People are being denied employment because these companies are returning reports about the wrong person,” Persis says. 

Background reports also commonly:

• Omit crucial information about a case. For example: A person is arrested, but then found innocent.
• Reveal sealed or expunged information, such as a juvenile offense.
• Provide misleading information, such as a single charge listed multiple times.
• Misclassify offenses, such as reporting a misdemeanor as a felony.

Even if you’re lucky enough to catch a mistake in a background check, it’s not always easy to get the error corrected. 

“Many of these companies don't have very clear dispute processes,” Persis says. “Depending on the state and how the company got their records, it can take weeks or a month or more even to actually get the information corrected. By that time, a lot of times, the job is gone.” 

The National Consumer Law Center wants the federal government to clean up the marketplace by creating rules that would ensure complete and accurate information. NCLC believes data providers should be registered, required to update their records each year and prohibited from making matches based solely on a person’s name.

National Women's Law Center

The difference between a man's paycheck and a woman's paycheck may have something to do with where people live.

A new analysis from the National Women’s Law Center finds that the pay gap between men and women varies widely among the  states.

Looking at full-time, year-round wages, the gap is smallest in Washington, D.C., where women earn 91 cents for every dollar men earn, and widest in Wyoming, where women earning just 64 cents for every dollar men earn.

Vermont and California also boasted small wage gaps between men and women, while Louisiana and Utah were among those with the largest wage gaps.

Demographic and economic factors help explain some of the disparity.

Many people who live in Washington work for the federal government, where wage gaps tend to be smaller than in private industry, said Fatima Goss Graves, vice president of education and employment for the National Women’s Law Center.

People who live in the nation's capital also may be younger, she added, and the wage gap is smaller among younger workers.

By contrast, in Wyoming there may be more jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries such as coal mining. The state is also largely rural and much more sparsely populated.

But Graves argues that such factors don’t account for the entire gap.

“There’s always a portion that cannot be explained away,” she said.

Economist Mike Montgomery with IHS Global Insight said demographic differences in various states could have a lot to do with the  wage gap. States with a homogeneous labor market – where men and women do similar jobs – could have a much narrower gap because opportunities are more equal.

The overall gap between men’s and women’s median earnings has improved as more women have entered the labor market, but a disparity remains.

That’s partly because men and women choose different career paths, but pay gaps persist even for people in the same jobs.

The median weekly income for female physicians and surgeons is just 71 percent of what men take home, for example. Even in traditionally female-dominated professions, such as nursing and teaching, women generally take home less than men each week, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The National Women’s Law Center used the most recent 2010 data from the American Community Survey, which is conducted by the Census Bureau, to compile its analysis. Its findings are close to what the Census Bureau itself found when it did a similar analysis a couple of years ago.

Updated April 16 at 2:21 p.m. ET: In a case that affects thousands of businesses and millions of workers, the California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that employers are under no obligation to ensure that workers take legally mandated lunch breaks.

The California high court authorized a class of workers in the state to proceed with claims that they were denied proper rest breaks by Brinker International Inc., the parent company of Chili's restaurant chain. With respect to the meal break claims, the court ruled that employers only have to provide meal periods to workers, not make sure employees actually take them.

"An employer must relieve the employee of all duty for the designated period, but need not ensure that the employee does no work," Associate Justice Kathryn Werdegar wrote for the unanimous court.

Workers first sued Brinker, which also owns Romano's Macaroni Grills, in 2004 on behalf of a proposed class of around 60,000 non-unionized, hourly employees. They claimed that managers pressured them to skip their breaks by failing to adequately staff the restaurants or by threatening to cut or change their hours.

Brinker's attorneys argued that employees should have flexibility in choosing whether to take their scheduled breaks.

A California appeals court sided with Brinker in 2008, finding that the restaurant company only had to "make available" the meal and rest breaks, but not "ensure" they were taken. The state's Supreme Court agreed that employers do not have to police meal breaks but do need to relieve workers of duties at those times.

The court also resolved uncertainty over whether employers need to enforce a "rolling five-hour" rule, which gives workers a right to an uninterrupted meal break after five consecutive hours of work. The first meal break must fall no later than five hours into an employee's shift, but employers do not have to schedule additional meal breaks every five hours, the court ruled.

The court also set out clear guidelines for the number and timing of rest breaks, upholding a lower court's decision to authorize a class action on those claims.

Tracee Lorens, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, welcomed the opinion as a win for low-wage workers across the state.

"We never argued employers had to police breaks. We just argued that they had an affirmative obligation to relieve the employees of duty so that they could take their lunch break if they wanted to," she said. She said the case would now go back to the trial court to determine whether the meal break claims can remain part of the class action.

Four days after the court's decision, Brinker sent msnbc.com a press release. “Brinker is very pleased with the California Supreme Court’s ruling,” said Roger Thomson, executive vice president and general counsel of Brinker International.

A spokeswoman for Brinker said the company was still reviewing the ruling and could not immediately comment.

California employers and labor lawyers have waited for three years for the high court to clarify ambiguities in the state's wage laws, which require extra pay for meal and rest break violations.

"We had an epidemic of meal and rest-break cases where virtually every employer in the state was being sued," said Scott Witlin, a Los Angeles employment lawyer at Barnes & Thornburg who is not involved in the case. The lawsuits have continued to flow in, claiming millions in damages. Many have resulted seven-figure settlements due to uncertainty in the law, he said, adding that the ruling helps businesses by clarifying the law.

Joseph Liburt, an employment lawyer at Orrick in Silicon Valley, said most businesses have been taking a conservative approach, paying the extra penalty whenever an employee's timecard shows a potential meal break issue. Many employers have also tried to make sure workers actually take their breaks, he said.

The case is Brinker Restaurant Corp v. Superior Court (Hohnbaum), California Supreme Court, No. S166350.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Paul Hakimata / Featurepics.com

Car seat installation is tough because of car designs, not human (parent) error, a new study finds.

By Tanya Mohn

Installing a car seat can cause plenty of parental frustration. And, more often than not -- after cursing those confusing latches and tussling with tethers-- it is done incorrectly.

But finally, a new study says what many of us have suspected all along: Improper installation is not our fault! Blame the car design industry.

Much of the problem stems from the vehicle rear seat design, which works against parents’ best intentions, according to the study, released Thursday by The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit group financed by the insurance industry.

“This is a long standing problem, and we think it’s time to fix it,” said Anne McCartt, senior vice president for research and one of the report’s authors, noting that installing a  car seat is frequently not as simple as people may think

The study found that belt buckles or other seat hardware often got in the way of the connectors for car seats, or the connectors are buried so far in the seat, that they were often difficult to locate.

Kaela Rowe, a child psychologist from Chicago and mother of a four- year old son, said she has found car seats tricky to install, but does whatever it takes to keep her child safe. Brute force helps, she says.

“It is sometimes difficult to get the car seat in tightly, so I have to use my knee to push it in.” 

Rowe has also found an approach that helps her family: she uses multiple car seats, which means seats don’t have to be re-installed in different cars.

“It was irritating enough to install my car seat in different cars, that I've asked my friends for extra seats,” Rowe said, “so that we can have one in our car, one in my Mom's car, and one in the babysitter's car.” 

Earlier research by the institute found that parents often fail to use the upper tether that is designed to secure the top part of the forward-facing car seat in the event of a crash. Tethers are intended to help prevent child restraints from moving too far forward during crashes, which put children at risk of head or neck injuries

Using a tether “is essential,” said McCartt. Many parents do not understand how important it is, and may not think about using the tether when they move their child from a rear facing restraints to a forward one, she said. The tether is also necessary if the car seat is installed using seatbelts. With belts, it is critical that they be in lock mode, so the belt is not freely moving, experts say.

A federal regulation designed to make correct installation of car restraints easier by standardizing attachment hardware went into effect in 2003. It’s called LATCH, which stands for Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children, and all cars have it now. 

But nearly a decade since the LATCH system was put in place, in most cases, the car installation process is not easier, the report found. And while automakers are abiding to the new regulation by installing the hardware required, overall their rear seat designs do not allow for easier installation.  

During the research, conducted in conjunction with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, LATCH hardware and rear seat designs were scrutinized in a range of passenger vehicles that were marketed to families. But only 21 of the 98 top-selling 2010-11 model vehicles evaluated were found to have LATCH designs that are easy to use.

But some road safety experts are hopeful improvements will be forthcoming.

“Parents clearly want to do what is best for their kids but are often frustrated by the difficulty of installing car seats,” said Bella Dinh-Zarr, the North American director of Make Roads Safe, a global campaign, and director of road safety for the FIA Foundation for the Automobile and Society, a nonprofit group based in London.

“With more cooperation among auto makers and car seat manufacturers, and more education of parents, we can and should make it easier for parents to drive their kids around safely,” Dinh-Zarr said.

For more information about the study, and a list of car models that meet easy installation criteria, go to www.iihs.org.

Tanya Mohn, a regular contributor to msnbc.com, writes frequently about road safety and travel

More stories from TODAY Moms:

Why do we let politicians hold our babies?

Pronounced dead, revived by mom's hug: Miracle baby turns 2

7 things you need to know to keep kids safe online

A former management analyst at the Library of Congress is claiming he was fired after he "liked" a Facebook page for same-sex parents, an act he says led to his boss discovering he is gay. 

Peter TerVeer liked the “Two Dads” page on Facebook, a group that helps “promote the gay and lesbian community,” according to the page. 

When his manager, John Mech, discovered he was gay, TerVeer’s once-positive performance reviews turned negative, he alleges, and his boss started making derogatory statements about his sexual orientation, according to TerVeer's attorney Thomas Simeone.

Simeone would not comment on details of the case, but a Roll Call article published Tuesday said shortly after TerVeer liked the Two Dads page:

TerVeer said he started to receive emails from Mech that contained ‘religiously motivated harassment and discrimination.’ Mech then called him into a meeting for the purposes of ‘educating him on hell and that it awaited him for being a homosexual.’

TerVeer's therapist ordered him to take medical leave because of the stress, Simeone said. He was fired last week for missing 37 consecutive days of work.

A spokeswoman for the Library of Congress said she could not comment on personnel matters. But the Library released a statement saying, “Library of Congress employees, like all employees in the federal government, have protection against workplace discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Library employees who believe they have been subjected to discrimination may avail themselves of an internal administrative process to address their equal employment opportunity complaints.”

TerVeer filed a claim with Library of Congress’ Equal Employment Opportunity Complaints Office, Simeone said. The office has until mid-May to make a ruling. After that, TerVeer can take his case to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. EEOC spokeswoman Christine Nazer would not comment on the case.

Even though sexual orientation discrimination was part of the case, Simeone said his client will fight the termination based on religious bias. He said laws protecting workers against sexual orientation discrimination are limited and provide few, if any, remedies for compensating workers in cases like TerVeer's.

Whatever the outcome, it’s a wake-up call for employees who may not yet understand the extent to which their social media participation can impact their careers. The question of what’s private and what’s not on social networking sites is rearing its head in the workplace more often.

This month Maryland became the first state to ban the practice of asking for a job candidate or worker's social networking password; and Illinois is considering similar legislation, said Daniel Prywes, an employment attorney for Bryan Cave.  “The proposed bills would broadly prohibit employers from seeking access to private areas of social media accounts, with no exceptions for law enforcement or similar sensitive types of employment.”

Facebook has threatened to “take action to protect the privacy and security of our users” in cases where employers seek passwords.

While most companies don’t cyber snoop on workers and job candidates, it can be legal for your employer to mine your social media meandering and take adverse action against you for something on your Facebook or LinkedIn, as long as your employer doesn’t thwart discrimination laws or collective bargaining rights.

Discuss this issue on our Facebook page. But remember, your boss might be reading.

Sharon Epperson

It’s never a smart move to compromise your financial future for a quick fix today.

To that end, retirement guru Sharon Epperson warns against raiding your 401 (k) before retirement to pay off your credit card debt.

“It is just a Band-Aid for a wound that will likely keep bleeding,” said Epperson - a regular contributor on NBC’s Today who also does a weekly segment called “The New Retirement” on CNBC's Power Lunch - during a live Web chat Wednesday.

Epperson was answering a question that came from PL asking: “I owe $47,000 in credit card debt. Should I borrow from my 401 (k) to pay it back?” 

Step away from your 401 (k), she advised. “You first need to start working with a non-profit credit counselor because the reasons why you racked up $47,000 in credit card debt may not have gone away,” she said. “Are you living beyond your means? Or did you have a huge unexpected expense? Or was it a combination of both? Find a counselor in your area at www.debtadvice.org.”

Here’s a sampling of some more of her questions.

From Ralph:

“I have two daughters, ages 3 and 6. As of yet, I have not set up a college fund. Is a 529 the best thing I can do right now for them?”

Epperson’s answer:

“A 529 plan can be a great way to earmark savings for college for your two daughters. But let me ask about YOU first. Do YOU have a retirement savings plan? If you're married, does your spouse have one too? YOU need to make sure you are doing all that you can to maximize your own retirement savings FIRST. There is no scholarship for retirement. 

“That said, if you are contributing as much as you can to workplace retirement plans and IRAs, I would open a 529 for your two daughters. You can open one for each of them or just one -- and then once you've paid for college for the first you can make your 2nd child the beneficiary. 

"You'll find a wealth of information about college savings plans at www.savingforcollege.com.”

From John:

“My wife and I have $100,000 in a money market account. We are both two years away from retiring what would be a good investment choice we are very conservative, don't like risk?”

Epperson’s answer:

“John, you are right not to want to take too much risk with your retirement money. The only problem is money market rates are so low -- and are likely to remain low until the end of 2014. You have a few options. You could buy some CDs and "ladder" them -- allowing one to mature one year, then another the next year and so one. A CD may have slightly higher rate than money market account depending on its maturity. You can research rates at www.bankrate.com. 

“Also check out the story I did on CNBC.com about ways to beat the ‘Retirement Yield Drought.’"

You can read the full retirement Q&A with Epperson here:

Jeff Christensen / AP

Barbara Corcoran

For most of us, buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions we will ever make. And the hardest part is negotiating a fair price. 

The whole concept of negotiating can be daunting. If you are too tough, the other party may just walk away. If you are too eager, you may get ripped off.

Do you have a question about real estate negotiations? Do you wonder how to choose the right broker for you?  

Barbara Corcoran will answer your questions on the air this Saturday. You could be chosen to ask her live via Skype or the phone yourself! 

In the comments field below, ask your question. And Barbara may be talking with you Saturday on TODAY.

This dress by Tadashi Shoji costs $468 at Nordstrom.

It used to be that bridal salons, in all their finery, stood alone on a pedestal. But in the past several years, bridal entourages have turned their attention to mass-market apparel chains, which show off more affordable styles. While American women spend an average of $1,121 on their wedding gowns, according to a recent survey by TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com, elegant dresses go for less than half that amount at department stores and other off-the-rack retailers.

Below are Cheapism’s top picks for brides-to-be on a budget.

• J. Crew wedding dresses (starting at $298) were among the first to attract frugal brides, who praise the sophisticated design and excellent quality. The line has expanded from only two styles in 2004 to more than 50 dresses available online. Brides can try on gowns in person at stores that carry the wedding collection. (Where to buy)
• Nordstrom wedding dresses (starting at $178) receive glowing reviews for their flattering fit and design that commands the spotlight. The retailer’s customer service stands out both online and in-store, where brides can book appointments with wedding stylists at 18 locations. (Where to buy)
• Bloomingdale's wedding dresses (starting at $248) generally have a less “bridal” look, attracting women who don’t see themselves in something from a traditional salon, according to reviews. The wedding section of the website is designed as a one-stop shop for everything from a dress for an engagement party to resort wear for the honeymoon. (Where to buy)

Price isn’t the only advantage of shopping at these stores. When you order a dress, it ships right away -- often arriving within a week -- instead of taking months to come in. And if you change your mind, you’re not stuck with a special-ordered dress. All our picks offer the option to return a gown to a store or by mail, if you order online. That’s one luxury a fancy salon doesn’t afford.

Before you commit to an off-the-rack gown, be sure to inspect it carefully. The seams should be straight and the fabric free of pulled threads. Be on the lookout for high-end material such as silk, which is uncommon but not unheard-of at this price point. You can also find intricate detail, although embellishment is sewn on by machine rather than by hand.

Opting for a less expensive dress doesn’t have to mean forgoing fashion-forward style. The collections on our list feature many of the season’s top wedding trends, as identified by The Knot. At Bloomingdale’s we saw slits and high-low hemlines, and Nordstrom features illusion necklines with jewels and beading atop sheer fabric.

Not all mass-market wedding collections offer the same level of savings. Much has been made of the Kirstie Kelly line at Costco, for instance, but those gowns start at about $700. That’s more than a majority of the dresses available at Ann Taylor, which has won favor for its affordable wedding collection. Designs by the Urban Outfitters brand BHLDN start at $600, but most fetch four figures.

More from Cheapism:
Cheap wedding dresses
Planning a cheap wedding
Cheap lawn mowers
Smartphone travel 

Remember “sticker shock”?  After several years of heavily discounting their products in a desperate bid to keep assembly lines rolling, automakers are finding themselves back in the driver’s seat again – pushing prices to record levels.

And it’s “not a blip,” warns one senior analyst, who expects the trend to continue for several years. The good news for shoppers is that trade-ins are also yielding better prices – and while that new car, truck or crossover may command more money than ever before it’s also likely to include significantly more features and markedly better fuel economy than the vehicle it replaces.

The average new vehicle sold in the U.S. in March cost $30,748, according to data tracking service TrueCar.com.  That was up 6.9 percent from $28,771 a year earlier and marks an all-time record.

“It’s not a blip. It’s a trend we’ve been seeing for months,” said Jesse Toprak, TrueCar’s chief automotive analyst.  That’s despite the fact, he says, that “this might seem counterintuitive at a time you might expect to see people buying cheaper cars because fuel costs are rising so fast.”

But there have been a number of counterintuitive trends in the industry in recent months. One is the surge in overall car sales, which have been rebounding faster than the U.S. economy – despite the fuel price spike that, in decades past, might have been expected to result in a sharp downturn in demand.

There are a number of reasons why new car prices are spiking.  A key reason is “There’s a better equilibrium between supply and demand,” noted Toprak, “which means discounting isn’t needed as much.”

Dodge Dart Gets First Factory Wireless Charging System

While March saw vehicle sales surge to an annualized rate of around 14.5 million, that’s a long way from the decade-old industry peak of around 17.1 million.  In years past, makers would’ve been tacking on massive rebates and other incentives to boost sales. But in a significant move during the recent recession, many makers slashed production capacity, especially Detroit’s Big Three.

And so, with the remaining plants operating at, near and sometimes above their rated capacity, carmakers don’t need to be so generous. March incentives, according to TrueCar, slipped 1.8 percent, year-over-year, to an average $2,440 per vehicle.

There’s another reason why the run-up in pricing might seem unlikely. There’s been a significant upturn in the small car market with motorists trading big SUVs for compact crossovers and full-size sedans for subcompacts.  Nearly one in four vehicles sold in March fell into the small car category, up from barely one in six as recently as December, according to industry data.

Ford, Nissan Abandon Key Hybrid Programs

But don’t think of them as the classic “econoboxes” that proved so popular – briefly – in the wake of the twin oil shocks of the 1970s. Products like the 2012 Ford Focus and the latest-generation Hyundai Accent are far more stylish and well-equipped.

Consumers, meanwhile, “are upgrading the vehicles they’re buying,” no matter what class they fall into, noted Art Spinella, lead researcher at CNW Marketing.

In the decades that CNW has tracked automotive buying patterns, the typical vehicle will fall into the 50^th percentile — almost exactly halfway between the base price of a specific nameplate and the most heavily loaded version. In other words, if the entry model was $20,000 and a fully loaded version was $40,000, the typical buyer would spend $30,000.

But now, said Spinella, the average vehicle is falling into the 82^nd percentile.  Using the same example, the typical shopper now drives off in a vehicle costing $36,400.

U.S. Fuel Economy Tops 24 MPG for 1st Time

“People are trying to stuff all the bells and whistles they can in a car” in part, Spinella explained, because “they plan to keep it longer.”  Prior to the Great Recession, buyers told CNW they plan to hold onto a new vehicle, on average, about 42 months. That’s now up to 57 months.

The good news is that buyers aren’t necessarily spending a lot more out-of-pocket. That’s because used car prices have also surged over the last several years.  During the first quarter of 2012, the price of the average previously owned vehicle sold through a franchised new car dealer rose 12.5 percent, or about $1,400.  For the consumer, that meant a bigger trade-in allowance to apply to a new vehicle.

The upward trend in pricing is almost certain to continue, at least barring a sharp setback to the economy, industry analysts agree.

“The long-term trend is gradual price increases continuing for several more years as sales recover to 15 million and even 16 million,” forecast TrueCar’s Toprak.  “But the pace (of the increase) we’ve seen over the last several years isn’t sustainable.”

He anticipates prices will start to level off as they reach an average $31,000.

Let us know how you feel about sticker prices on our Facebook page.

Nothing may be certain but death and taxes, but new research warns that a higher risk of fatal car crashes on the day of the IRS deadline might be one way the two get combined.

Matt Rourke / AP file

A taxpayer hands off his return at a drive-up postal drop in 2006. New research suggests that the risk of fatal car crashes jumps by 6 percent on the day of the IRS deadline.

More people die in auto accidents on income tax day in the U.S. than on other comparable days -- about 13 more per day, in fact, according to Canadian researchers who studied 30 years of data.

The pressure of the looming Internal Revenue Service tax deadline -- and the fact that about 20 percent of all taxpayers wait until the last minute to file -- may contribute to a 6 percent higher risk of dying as a driver, passenger or even a pedestrian on tax day, which this year is next Tuesday, April 17.

“All of a sudden there’s one source of stress that’s onerous, synchronized, repeated and applies to a huge community,” said Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, an internist and researcher at the University of Toronto known for reporting the risk of auto crash deaths tied to cell phones, the Super Bowl and U.S. election days, among other topics.

In the new study, Redelmeier and his colleague, Christopher B. Yarnell, both of Sunnybrook Research Institute, reviewed U.S. tax and traffic fatality data from 1980 to 2009.

No question, tax time is stressful for many of those who file 141 million individual returns, according to IRS figures. Elaine Smith, a “master tax adviser” for H&R Block, a leading tax preparation firm, says there’s no shortage of tense taxpayers in early April.

“I just met this morning with two very frantic people,” she said Monday. “My schedule is packed the rest of the day with frantic people.”

The most pressure comes from simply putting off the chore until the last minute, Smith says. Other folks are frazzled because of changes in their tax situation -- a new house, retirement, a child leaves home.

“They’ve always been getting a refund and they’re afraid this year that they’re going to owe,” she said.

Apparently, that stress translates into more traffic accidents, according to Redelmeier’s research, published in a research letter in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

His team compared traffic deaths on 30 tax days with fatal accidents on control days in the same years, both one week before and one week after the IRS deadline. Of some 19,541 crashes, there were 404 deaths during the three decades.

“We indirectly minimize for differences in gas prices, vehicle technology, prevailing laws, health care access and other confounding contributors,” Redelmeier explained.

They found that there were 213 fatal crashes on the average control days -- but 226 crashes on tax days.

What’s more, Redelmeier says that although the data focused on deaths associated with the higher risk, the fallout likely extends to non-fatal accidents and property damage as well.

“The average crash causes about $8,000 worth of damage,” Redelmeier said. “The 6 percent increase in risk would amount to about $40 million in societal costs due solely to the surge of crashes on tax day.”

That’s equal to the average tax burden of about 5,000 Americans, he added.

The study found that the higher risk was most apparent during the past two decades and in people younger than 65. While one might have expected the advent of electronic filing to lower the risk in recent years because taxpayers didn’t have to drive to the post office to mail returns, that didn’t happen, Redelmeier said.

“Electronic filing is not making this go away,” he said. “And we don’t think it’s due to increased amounts of driving.”

Instead, the researchers speculate that it’s the overall stress of the day, perhaps combined with lack of sleep and what he called “less tolerance of hassles.”

“Stressful deadlines lead to driver distraction and human error,” he said.

A spokesman for the IRS says the agency is sympathetic to the plight of harried taxpayers and offers tools and advice on a federal website to help.

“We do everything we can to make it less stressful,” said Anthony Burke, an agency spokesman.

Still, that’s small comfort, even for people who’ve already filed their 1040s. Redelmeier notes that it’s hard to escape the extra risk of fatal crashes. Even if you’re not worked up over taxes, the guy in the next lane might be.

The solution, he offered, is for all harried taxpayers to take a deep breath before they hit the road on April 17.

Buckle seatbelts, slow down, pay attention to driving -- not to distracting thoughts about how much you might owe Uncle Sam.

“Almost all of these fatalities could have been prevented with a small change in driver behavior,” Redelmeier said. “There is no way to avoid stress, but there are countless ways to make a stressful situation worse.”

Related stories:

All that stress is shrinking your brain, study finds

Suicide risk spikes in the week after cancer diagnosis

Drinking and driving increases risk for young women, study finds

Mark Lennihan / AP

People wait to talk with potential employers at a job fair in New York last December. Despite the high jobless rate, some say it's hard to find good workers.

The slowly improving job market may be exacerbating a problem you may not know this country had: Finding good workers to fill open positions.

A new survey from human resources firm Right Management finds that 27 percent of human resources executives often have trouble finding the right person for key positions. That’s up from 23 percent a year ago.

That may come as a shock to the millions of people who are unemployed, but the lack of qualified candidates is something executives were even complaining about during the depths of the recession.

The Right Management survey of 631 human resources officials and senior executives found that another 61 percent of respondents occasionally have trouble finding the right candidate for the job, about the same as last year. Just 13 percent said they seldom if ever have that trouble, a decrease from last year. The survey was conducted late last year.

Right Management officials said the findings could be a sign that the job market is improving. The economy has been adding jobs, but employment growth has been painfully slow. The unemployment rate stood at 8.2 percent in March, with 12.7 million people actively looking for a job.

Experts say there is legitimate shortage of workers in some fields, such as highly specialized manufacturing jobs.

 But some also say that employers grew spoiled during the recession, and either aren’t looking hard enough or aren’t willing to do things like pay moving expenses or provide some training for a new employee.

One problem is that workers who were laid off from a job in a declining industry may need to retrain for a job in a growing industry. That usually requires some money. The New York Times reported Monday that those jobseekers may face tougher times ahead, since federal funds to retrain the jobless are drying up.

Carlos Davila / Getty

While narcissists are good at landing the job, they ultimately tend to bring a toxic component into the office environment.

While most of us are careful to avoid over-advertising our talents, that may not be the best way to land a job, a new study shows. Researchers have determined that when it comes to interviews, narcissists do it better because they’re not at all shy about self-promoting, according to the study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology.

“The point is that these guys – and girls – are very successful in interview settings,” said the study’s lead author, Peter Harms, an assistant professor of management at the University of Nebraska. “Under high pressure they increase their self- promotion. They talk a lot and they talk fast. And people tend to mistake that fast talking as a sign of competence and intelligence. They think that fast talkers have a lot to say and know the material so well that they don’t need to pause and think about it.”         

While narcissists are good at landing the job, they ultimately tend to bring a toxic component into the office environment, Harms said. “It’s a terrible strategy long term to behave the way they do,” he added. “They have shorter relationships. And people rate them more negatively.”

To look at how well narcissists score in job interviews, Harms and his colleagues rounded up 72 college students and asked them to do a simulated job interview for a position as a research assistant. Before the interviews, however, the students were given IQ tests and a survey designed to ferret out the narcissists among them.

The study volunteers were told that the simulated job application was a way to hone their interviewing skills – and some probably assumed their performance might eventually turn into an actual job, Harms explained.

All of the simulated interviews were videotaped so that they could be reviewed later. Some of the interviewees were told that their interviewer was a lowly assistant, while others were told that the interviewer was an expert in the field.

Most of the volunteers were comfortable doing some self-promoting  –  except when they were talking to an “expert” interviewer who challenged them. The “normal” volunteers backed down when they felt they were being held accountable, but the narcissists just turned up the heat.

“When they feel challenged, they tend to double down,” Harms said. “It’s as if they say, ‘Oh, you’re going to challenge me? Then I’m not just great, I’m fantastic.’ ”

And that strategy, apparently works. In the second part of the study , 222 raters – some students and some experts in psychology – judged the competence of the videotaped job-seekers.

Sure enough, most people were more impressed by the narcissists than the “normal,” applicants. Harms was surprised to see that the experts,  graduate students and faculty from the psychology department who were well versed in narcissistic behaviors, were just as impressed with the narcissists performance in  interviews as everyone else.  

The study should be a lesson to us all, Harms said. If we can learn to be a narcissist for just the day of the job interview we might manage to level the playing field, he added. Until then, “they’re going to beat us.”

You’ve filed your tax return. Now comes the happy anticipation of wondering how quickly your refund will show up – and grousing when it isn’t in your bank account quickly.

The IRS has for years faced intense pressure to make the painful process of paying taxes more palatable by at least providing a zippy tax refund. But such service may be coming at a price as the Internal Revenue Service faces a surge of identity theft tax fraud, as well as the usual tax cheats.

Some victims complain that much of the fraud could have been avoided if the Internal Revenue Service had more carefully screened the fake return in the first place.

“From a publicity point of view you’re trying to be the nice bad guy,” said Roberton Williams, senior fellow with the Tax Policy Center.

That is a tough balance, he pointed out.

"(They are) supposed to process returns very quickly and worry about the fraud aspect, and at the same time Congress is saying, 'Do it with less money,'" Williams said.

The IRS has struggled with its image for decades, wrangling with a dual role of helping taxpayers file their returns and enforcing against tax cheats.

The agency, once known as the Bureau of Internal Revenue, changed its name to the Internal Revenue Service in 1953 in an early effort to appear more customer-centric, said Joseph Thorndike, director of the Tax History Project for Tax Analysts.

But hatred is not too strong a word to express how some people feel about the agency. In 2010 a tax protester crashed his plane into an IRS office in Austin, Texas, killing himself and an agency employee. At the time a Treasury official said there were more than 1,000 threats a year against IRS employees, a figure that had been climbing.

The IRS also struggles with funding. Last year President Barack Obama sought to boost the agency's $12.1 billion budget by more than $1 billion, so it could hire more workers. Instead Republicans led a successful effort to trim the budget to $11.8 billion. 

Pressure to speed the refunds can be be intense in a soft economy, when individuals – and the economy in general – could use that money.

The IRS processed about 145 million returns last year, and three-fourths of those taxpayers got refunds. The average refund was about $3,000.

But the IRS has stepped up screening efforts to try to stop fraud. Spokesman Terry Lemons said IRS officials have identified about 2 million individual returns for review so far this tax season, out of about 84 million that have been received. That’s about the same number of returns that it reviewed in all of last year.

When the IRS does flag a return for such a fraud screen, Lemons said the delay in sending out a refund will vary widely depending on what agents find.

The IRS also has gradually increased the number of returns that get audited over the past decade or so, following a drop-off in 1998, when the IRS went through a major overhaul to focus more on customer service. It currently audits about 1 percent of all returns, Lemons said.

He concedes it’s tricky.

“On the one hand you have millions and millions of taxpayers who have worked hard and are entitled to refunds, and they should be able to get that as quickly as possible,” Lemons said. On the other hand, he said, the IRS has an obligation to taxpayers to make sure returns are checked thoroughly for potential fraud.

In testimony to a Congressional subcommittee last month, Nina Olson, the taxpayer advocate, said that although taxpayers who are victims of fraud need to be protected, so do the majority of legitimate taxpayers who rely on their refund checks.

“With the introduction of e-filing, combined with the increasing number of refundable credits run through the tax code, our tax system has shifted, for better or worse, to one of instant gratification,” Olson said in the written testimony.

Still, she noted, “The benefit of enjoying such a tax system is somewhat offset by the increased ability of perpetrators to defraud the government.”

Over the years, he said, the IRS has seemed to sway back and forth depending on the political mood and other factors, said Thorndike, the tax historian. Now is one of those times when Thorndike thinks sympathies are more with helping the taxpayer.

“This is the age of the Tea Party, at least sort of, still, and that makes people even more unsympathetic to the federal tax collector,” Thorndike said. “So it’s not a great time for the IRS to be doing anything other than emphasizing customer service.”

Is the IRS striking the right balance? Tell us on our Facebook page.

Taking a class can develop new skills or hone the ones you have.

If you’re unemployed and worried that employers will turn you down for taking on unimpressive work during the recession or for the large employment gaps on your résumé — you needn’t panic.  A new survey just released by CareerBuilder.com reveals that the vast majority of employers are sympathetic to such circumstances.

The nationwide survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive, on behalf of CareerBuilder, among 3,023 hiring managers and human resource professionals between Nov. 9 and Dec. 5, 2011. Not only does it offer unemployed job seekers some hope, but it also provides tips to help them land a new position.

Forbes.com slideshow: See the 10 things you need to do while you’re unemployed

“More than 40 percent of unemployed job seekers have been out of work for six months or longer,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources for CareerBuilder. “There’s a sense that such a long gap on a résumé negatively affects a candidate’s chances, but the survey shows that is not true. That’s very positive news for this group of job seekers. If you fill the gaps with activities and experience that illustrate how you are still developing your skill sets, the overwhelming majority of employers will look past your unemployment and focus on what you can bring to their team.”

Eighty-five percent of those surveyed employed reported that they are more understanding of employment gaps post-recession. Ninety-four percent said they wouldn’t have a lower opinion of a candidate who took on a position during the recession that was at a lower level than the one he or she had held previously.

But this doesn’t mean you can sit around and wait for a sympathetic employer to offer you work. “The worry is that employers may think job seekers are losing some of their skills because they haven’t been utilizing them. By volunteering, taking temporary work, or signing up for a class that develops your professional tool kit, you show employers that you’ve made the most of your time and will be ready on day one,” Haefner says.

Employers and CareerBuilder experts recommended a variety of activities you should engage in to build, expand and strengthen your skills during period of unemployment, in order to increase your marketability.

Take a temporary or contract assignment

Seventy-nine percent would recommend doing this. Why? “The key is to get people to see your work and to see what you’re capable of doing,” says Andy Teach, the author of "From Graduation to Corporation: The Practical Guide to Climbing the Corporate Ladder One Rung at a Time." “If you do a great job, even if it’s for a temporary job, whoever hired you is more likely to recommend you for a permanent position.”

Take a class

Sixty-one percent of the hiring managers surveyed recommended taking a class during a period of unemployment. “You never stop learning in your career, so the more technical competence you have, the better,” Teach says. “When you take a class in your field, you are also showing that you are serious about your work and that you take initiative.” Another advantage to taking a class: It’s a great networking opportunity.

Volunteer

Sixty percent of the hiring managers said volunteer work makes you more marketable. “When you volunteer for something, you are telling potential employers something about you as a person,” Teach says. It shows that you are passionate about something and care about helping others — and it demonstrates that money isn’t the most important thing to you, he adds. “When companies are hiring, they are looking not only for people who can get the job done but also for people with character and integrity.”

Start your own business

Twenty-eight percent suggested doing this — but starting a business can be pricy and time consuming. If you have the means to do it, it’s a great résumé booster and a wonderful marketing tool.

“The beauty of having your own business is that you can work part-time or full-time depending on whether or not you are able to land a job working for someone else,” Teach says. “You are also going to learn skills that are transferrable if you do end up working for someone else again.”

Start a professional blog

Eleven percent of the surveyed employers said a professional blog can be a good way to market yourself to employers. Why? You get people to see you as an expert in your field.  “You are also conveying your passion, gaining knowledge, and separating yourself from others,” Teach says. “Potential employers will see you as having taken the initiative during your job search to blog about something you truly care about: your career.”

Follow stories on hot industries and job functions

CareerBuilder experts say information technology, engineering, health care, sales and customer service are among the top areas for hiring nationwide, according to CareerBuilder’s job listings. Follow the news and job openings in these fields.

Use the time to come up with ideas

Whether it’s an idea for a marketing campaign, new revenue stream, cost savings, etc., the candidates who show up at an interview with ideas demonstrate that they are passionate, knowledgeable and excited about the opportunity. These job seekers always stand out from the crowd, CareerBuilder experts say.

Make connections

A résumé handed to the hiring manager directly from someone within the company is more likely to get noticed, CareerBuilder experts say. Build and expand your network of contacts through social media and professional organizations. Let friends, family and professional contacts know that you’re looking for a job, and ask for their help in finding connections to the organizations you’re interested in.

Follow up

According to CareerBuilder, two thirds of workers reported that they don’t follow up with the employer after submitting their résumé for consideration. It’s important to take that extra step to let the employer know you’re interested, and make sure you always send a thank you after an interview. Handwritten notes will set you apart from the pool of candidates, but e-mails are acceptable, too.

Use key words

As long as you’re actively pursuing a job, you’ll likely be spending a significant amount of time editing and sending out your résumé. Remember to use key words. CareerBuilder experts said most employers use electronic scanning devices to screen and rank candidates. You’ll want to tailor your résumé for each position you apply for, and include specific words from the job posting. Do this and your résumé will come up higher in employer searches.

“These types of activities tell the employer that the job seeker is serious about their career development and made the most of their time off,” Haefner says. “The key for the job seeker is to make the connection between how their volunteer work, blog, class, or temporary position prepares them for the next job. If they can successfully do that, their employment gaps won’t be an issue.”

More from Forbes.com

• How to fast-track your way up the corporate ladder
• After the job interview: 5 crucial steps to seal the deal
• How to avoid the résumé black hole
• America’s unhappiest jobs
• The best cities for jobs

We’ve all got to eat, and that’s probably one reason why our story this week on grocery store preferences struck such a nerve.

More than 60,000 people took our poll on what bothers them the most about grocery stores. The No. 1 pet peeve: High prices.

“Who cares about service? I'm looking for CHEAP prices,” one reader wrote.

Many readers said they grudgingly choose their grocery store based on price, even though they also value things like fresh produce and meat, clean aisles, short lines and good service.

That’s the economic reality these days, many readers told us in a follow-up post looking at why folks may want to shop at Whole Foods, but opt for Wal-Mart instead.

“I would agree with the majority. Wal-Mart isn't my favorite but we get groceries there,” one reader wrote.

Maybe some people are pinching pennies at the grocery store because they’re paying off student loan debt. Another post this week that got people talking: Research showing that senior citizens are grappling with student loan bills as well.

The post prompted a lot of discussion about the wisdom of taking on student loan debt lto go back to school ate in life or on behalf of your children. Many readers also commented on how difficult it is to discharge student loans.

“General Motors and American Airlines can go bankrupt, but average student can't. Unfair,” one reader wrote.

All those problems would be solved if you won the lottery! Last week’s post on how to spend your millions in lottery winnings continued to be a big hit this week, long after most of us realized we hadn’t taken home the Mega Millions. Oh, well, a person can dream.

If you did suddenly become wealthy, how much would you give away? In another post this week, most readers said that if they won the lottery, they’d give away about 10 percent of the winnings.

“I would just add a few zeros to the small donations I make each year to local social and animal welfare charities,” one reader wrote.