Archive for the ‘ Employee ’ Category

Finally… the moment we and so many supportive and loyal Prosper community members have been waiting for…

after nine long months of navigating the rapidly changing regulatory landscape, we are thrilled to announce that Prosper’s registration statement with the SEC has been declared effective. Continue reading Prosper is Back! (We mean it this time)

Support of California Financial Information Privacy Act from the Obama administration
Great news! The Obama administration just came out in support of the California Financial Information Privacy Act, which the American Banker’s Association was trying to overturn in the US Supreme Court. This was an issue we worked on for many years both as a ballot initiative and as legislation.

This is great news for California and American consumers as it dramatically helps ensure that the strongest financial privacy law in the country not only Continue reading The strongest financial privacy law in the country is a model for our nation

Many women decide to stay home after they have a child. Their husbands become the primary breadwinner and they manage the home – from doctor appointments to finding the right pre-school for their children. Unfortunately many women choose not to manage the investments and important financing decisions. Many pay the household bills but likewise many allow their husbands to invest the family savings ranging from life insurance, annuities, IRA’s, 529’s and 401 (k)’s.

If a divorce occurs and the wife has not been involved in these important financial decisions it can be a steep and daunting learning curve.

Managing your budget and your savings is critical. Many Americans live close to the monthly paycheck so if a situation happens, such as your car breaking down, it can stress your savings or worse, can put you into an impending “insolvency event”.

It is important to understand your financial situation – so start now. Go through all your financial records and set up a filing system that works for you. If you are comfortable with Excel put a spreadsheet together. Once you have determined what is going out, what is coming in and what is being placed in savings instruments you can put together a comprehensive budget.

If you are not saving, reassess your lifestyle and make the necessary cutbacks and adjustments. If you are saving, determine whether it is enough to cover your retirement years and pay for your kids’ college education (or at least a portion of their college).

It may seem overwhelming, especially having gone through a divorce. There are a number of sites and networks that can help you get started and encourage you along the way. It is well worth the investment of your time.

If you read the three previous posts about online dating you might be wondering whether the industry is actually making money. Revenue only increased 1% year over year from 2007 to 2008. Most likely one of the primary causes is market saturation: there are so many choices now as to which site to use. And, with the current economic downturn, more expensive sites may be feeling the pinch.

So as you choose your site, just as with the airline industry’s recent price breaks, look for bargains, deals and extras being offered by the dating sites. Some offer easier search capability; others offer alerts informing you whether your email has been opened by a recipient, and background checks on the potential date you have selected. Shop around and if you feel comfortable doing so, ask around. Other colleagues and friends may be able to steer you away from sites which they have found unhelpful.

The actual user experience seems to vary widely. Some are masters of optimizing their interactions on the site, but most are not as adept. Research has stated that only one in 10 users achieves the goal of communicating with other subscribers with a view to getting a date. It is an opportunity for the dating sites, however they appear to not have discovered the concept of CRM – Customer Relationship Management – rather you are in the huge site, wandering around not really getting the best experience and with no place to go for assistance. It’s a big miss and a huge opportunity for the savvy product and marketing folk who are running these sites.

When you join some of the expensive online dating sites you have to fill out a fairly extensive questionnaire. That would lead you to believe that they would match you pretty accurately with suitable candidates. This does not appear to be the case according to friends and colleagues who have discussed their experiences. As these sites gain more data, so their matching methodology will get better – one would hope. But it is a mystery and a closely guarded secret – the pairing formulae are proprietary. The problem is that a matching formula is not exactly algorithmic - we are dealing with people. Can one assume that the answers provided in the questionnaire are entirely truthful – perhaps embellished?

Of course you can always pay considerably more and hire a professional matchmaker. These consultants really will seek out people who will meet your expectations and personality.

Most people, however, are into the less expensive online dating sites (which are still costly). Research the sites you are considering, because if you are not satisfied you won’t be receiving a refund. In some cases you may be able to obtain an extension if you can prove you have not found anyone suitable during your first six months.

Online dating is not for the faint of heart. You will have to go through many profiles, online correspondence and eventually the first dates. 

Good luck.