The Trump Blog

Could you get much work done if there were babies in the cubicles all around you?

Apparently, that’s not as odd as it sounds. I read a story in USA Today that said at least 80 companies across the nation right now allow babies in the workplace. It’s an extreme - and somewhat controversial - example of how employers are trying to help their workers strike a balance between home and office.

Many of the companies allow parents to bring their babies to work until the children are old enough to crawl. They don’t leave the infants in office daycare centers, however. They keep them right at their desks. So the babies are there when the employees are talking on the phone with clients or meeting in the boardroom with managers and coworkers.

Many of those coworkers who don’t have babies are often not too happy about the practice. I imagine it’s not the most professional environment when there’s a baby crying or dirty diapers in the office. Plus, there’s always the fear that people with babies are getting preferential treatment.

I love children. But I can’t imagine a lot of work getting done if there were babies in the boardroom of the Trump Organization. It’s just not going to happen.

It’s hardly a surprise but in the midst of today’s terrible economy and the nation’s housing crisis, the majority of Americans say they don’t plan to buy a home anytime soon.

In fact, more than a quarter of homeowners worry that their home will lose value over the next couple of years, and one in seven mortgage holders are afraid that they won’t be able to make their monthly payments in time over the next six months.

People are worried that housing prices will continue to fall which is good news if you want to buy but obviously terrible if you have a house to sell.

In addition, we have record-high foreclosure rates and an estimated 9 million homeowners actually owe more on their homes than they are actually worth. If you’re in that situation, the best thing you can do is to sit tight if you can and try to weather out the storm.

If you’re one of the fortunate few who is looking to buy, you could hardly be in a better position. Shop around, find a house and make an offer. Chances are, any good deal will get accepted and if you have decent credit you should be able to get financing.

I think the housing market is going to get better and it’s going to get better fairly quickly. The market is depressed and that’s when you want to go in. So if you have the money, now’s when you want to go out and buy.

But that’s just my opinion. After all, what does Donald Trump know about real estate!

I’m always talking about how important it is to get a good education. I’m a big believer in going to a great college and getting a good degree because of all that it will do for your career.

Well here’s another reason to get a good education. Researchers at Harvard University found a stunning correlation between how long people live and how long they go to school.

Over the past decade, people with at least one year of college increased their lifespan by at least a year and a half. But those with a high school diploma or less gained only six months.

It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, white or black. The better educated you are, the longer you live.

The reason is because education changes the way we see the world and ourselves. The more educated you are, the less likely you are to engage in risky or unhealthy behavior...such as heavy drinking, smoking, doing drugs, even wearing a seatbelt or having a smoke detector in your house.

Obviously there are people with doctorate degrees who are overweight and drink and smoke too much and may end up dying way too young. Sometimes even a good education can’t stop people from doing stupid things. But hopefully, those people are the exception.

In general, if you want to live a long life, stay in school.

Whether or not you believe we’re in a recession, a lot of people are taking a hit to their wallets and bank accounts and have to deal with it in some relatively old-fashioned ways.

For one, moonlighting seems to be back in style. But it certainly isn’t because people are testing the waters of new careers or trying to expand their horizons beyond their boring day jobs. Now, when people work two jobs, it’s almost always motivated solely by financial need - either they really need the funds now or they’re afraid they’ll lose their primary source of income.

According to the Department of Labor, the number of Americans who work a full-time job and have a part-time job on the side has risen to more than 4 million. It’s being called “moonlighting by fear” and is most prevalent among workers in industries that are struggling.

Some people are getting second jobs not just to stay afloat but to keep up the supersize lifestyle so many Americans have grown accustomed to. If they want to keep the big house, the fancy cars and all the trappings, in today’s economy that often requires a second job.

If you’re going to moonlight - for whatever reason - be smart how you go about choosing that second job. Either find something that can help with your real career or take a job that you’d enjoy. And by all means, get a job that pays enough for all your trouble.

In any case, be careful that your second job doesn’t jeopardize your main job or you’ll be defeating the purpose of moonlighting in the first place. I know it’s not easy. The country’s in a major recession and everybody has to do what they can.

Of course no one likes to think about it, but if you were laid-off from your job tomorrow how would you fare financially? With today’s volatile economy and job market, unfortunately it’s something you have to consider.

I saw a recent online poll on CNN.com and was shocked at the results. Nearly 100,000 people had logged in their comments and about half said that if they were laid-off now, their savings wouldn’t last more than a couple of weeks.

That’s unbelievable to me. It’s hard for me to imagine that people are that unprepared for financial hardship today, especially knowing how unstable everything is right now.

I know it can be hard to save money when you have a mortgage and car payments and credit card bills but take my advice and try to save just a little bit from every paycheck. Put it in the bank - somewhere you can get it if you need it but where you won’t be tempted to touch it. The same principle applies to me. I don’t care how much you make or how rich you are. You have to save money.

That way if the unfortunate happens and you lose your job, it’s there when you need it until you’re back on your feet. In today’s unsteady economy, it’s the smart thing to do.

Not that long ago, the leaders of AT&T announced that they were going to return 5,000 customer service jobs to the United States that they had outsourced to India.

But now, two years later, the head of that top U.S. phone company says it’s having trouble finding enough skilled American workers to fill those positions.

So far, not even one-third of the jobs have been returned to the United States out of the 5,000. The company still hopes to fill all those jobs here but it hasn’t been easy.

In some U.S. communities, for example, the high school dropout rates is as high as 50 percent, so it makes it really hard to find skilled workers to fill positions.

That’s why, they say, it’s so much easier to outsource the jobs to India where often workers are more educated and more plentiful.

I commend AT&T for continuing to stick with their resolution to bring those jobs back to the United States when it seems like it would be so much easier - and cheaper - to keep those jobs in India. It shows a strong commitment to the American economy and the American workforce.

What do you think is more important: investing money in technology to solve the country’s energy problems or investing money in research to cure cancer and other diseases? That’s a tough one, isn’t it?

If you’re like the majority of Americans, you think it’s more important to raise energy efficiency than it is to cure cancer. I’m not sure I agree with them.

Of course, the results of this nationwide survey come as gas prices are well over $3 a gallon and continue to rocket to new highs, so it makes sense that breakthroughs in the development of alternative fuels would be high on people’s priority lists.

Men actually are more likely to choose fuel efficiency as their Number One concern whereas women are more likely to pick medical breakthroughs as most important. The environment is next as the most important area for greater investment, while defense spending had the fewest supporters.

So, energy, cancer or the environment? All good causes but if you have to pick one, which would it be?