Articles by Chris Taylor

The Risky Economics of ‘Going Bare’ Without Homeowners Insurance

Owning a home can feel like risky business, from coming up with the mortgage payment every month to worrying about disasters like fires or floods or tornadoes. But here is something riskier still: Going without home insurance in the U.S. …

Employers and Employees: How to Avoid a Burnout Crisis

In a more typical time, burnout is an exception. In the era of COVID, it almost feels like the norm. According to Jennifer Moss, organizations should take a hard look in the mirror for fostering cultures of overwork that make …

Nice Home Office You Got There. Who’s Paying for It?

In the past, home offices were often an afterthought: Ill-equipped, cramped, and a little dusty from only occasional use. Now in 2020, many home offices are looking more like the command center at NORAD: Multiple screens, high-tech capabilities, and professional …

Q&A on Mental Health Issues Among Employees and How AI Might Help

We are all familiar with the challenges of 2020, but we may still be underestimating how deep and wide they go. Seven in 10 employees say this has been the most stressful year of their working lives, according to a …

Firms’ Employee Benefit Offerings Reflect Pandemic-Reshuffled Priorities

During the past year, there is a good chance that you and your priorities changed significantly. The things you used to think were important are not so important anymore. And issues you did not even think about before are suddenly …

More U.S. Firms Follow Europeans in Valuing Apprenticeships to Attract Talent

The rise of the apprentice: a European tradition comes to the U.S. The growing number of apprenticeships in the U.S. has more to do with European companies importing the practice into their American operations than with the long-running NBC television …

Growing Gig Economy in Search of Health Insurance Options

There are plenty of problems lurking on America’s career ladder, but here is a big one: our healthcare systems are designed for the workforce of 1950. If you have a lifetime corporate 9-to-5 gig, then you probably have group health …

Video Game Teaches Kids About Money, Asset Protection and Life

If your kids are chattering non-stop about things like emeralds, pickaxes and creepers, you may have a unique opportunity to turn a video game addiction into a life lesson about money. Minecraft, a video game phenomenon with over 100 million …

Hurricane Sandy Doesn’t Worry Safety-Conscious ‘Preppers’ Homeowners

Hurricane Sandy is charging up the East Coast as a cold front is tearing across the U.S. from the west and an arctic blast is barreling down from the north. The resulting “Frankenstorm” could cause gale-force winds, heavy rains and …

As Consumer Power Goes Viral, Risk of Reputational Damage Grows

Corporate America’s worst nightmare lives in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, loves browsing in flea markets and has a lop-eared brown and white pet rabbit named Crackers. Meet Molly Katchpole. The 22-year-old Washington, D.C. resident has recently tangled with a couple …