The best ways to express gratitude
How much do recognition and reward matter in business? According to research by consultant O.C. Tanner, 79 percent of employees who quit their jobs say…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
Unexpected: Mortgage delinquencies fall
In March 2020, when COVID-19 shutdowns spiked unemployment to 15 percent by the second quarter, a strange thing happened: Delinquency rates on consumer…
How escape room games evolved to meet a crisis
When states shut down for COVID-19, one emerging entertainment business nearly shut down, too. But the escape room business has redefined itself (at least…
Ask the expert: How should I finance home renovations?
Home improvements and repairs are as inevitable as death and taxes, if you own a home, you’ll have to spend money to maintain and improve it to protect…
Home prices up on surging demand
The housing market is booming and experts predict further growth in 2021 and continued record home price increases. According to Forbes, surging buyer…
Lean into discomfort to embrace personal growth
It’s a natural human impulse, if something causes discomfort, we avoid it, and if we can’t avoid it, we seek to resolve it. When we squabbled with our…
Leave the sweet for your sweetie
It has become a bit of a stereotype all by itself: The guy with the big personality or the older lady who mothers everyone. Somewhere along the line they…
Never touch a Knight’s beard
In medieval Europe, if you touched a knight’s beard, you were going to have to face him in duel at dawn. His beard was his honor, according to the Chicago…
The ugliest orchid in the world
Here’s a flower you won’t want to give to your love on Valentine’s Day. While beauty is subjective, a certain orchid, found recently in Madagascar, seems…
Meet Beave, the latest animal sensation
Dogs and cats (especially grumpy ones) are certainly fun, but some of the best animals to follow online are the quirky ones. And the latest one to steal…