Macalee Harlis, a high school football player from Fort Lauderdale, had one of those aha moments while playing football and looking at his coach’s transition lenses. He thought about how difficult both sun glare and stadium lights can be for players on the field. That’s when he came up with the idea for MAC Shields, football helmet shields that function like transition lenses. Anne Montague runs a dance school in Baltimore aimed at keeping urban kids off the streets. Amanda Loyala manufactures and sells vegetarian, eco-friendly dog treats that she whips up in her kitchen in New York City. She was inspired to create the treats after her dog died from cancer and she learned that red meat has been linked to cancer in dogs.

These entrepreneurs are trying to solve big problems with their businesses. And they are part of a bigger effort to keep urban kids from dropping out of school. They all started their businesses through the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE), a program that teaches business skills to middle and high school kids. NFTE’s program culminates in an annual business plan competition where the top students from schools around the country travel to New York City to pitch their business plans and vie for a $10,000 prize grand prize. {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

At first, I didn’t get it. Shouldn’t women and men be seeking parity in everything?  If so, why do financial advisors like Suze Orman write books called “Women & Money,” and why are women opening brokerage houses catering to women? I spoke to financial expert Manisha Thakor, one of the rising voices in the financial-advice-geared-towards-women set to get some answers.

As Manisha put it to me: In the new economy, where many financial decisions formally made by employers (particularly with regards to pensions and healthcare) are now squarely in our hands, a solid knowledge of personal finance is important for both men and women.  That said, financial knowledge is extra important for women – because the place that women are ending up right now is a financially ugly one. {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

Last week, I had yet another coffee date with an acquaintance who was recently laid off. Before we met, I thought a lot about how I could be helpful to him without offering tired cliches like “It will all work out for the best.” Less than a year ago, I lost what I had thought was a dream gig — writing a regular column and blog for The New York Times. As I prepped for my meeting, I tried to remember how I was feeling during that time and which people made me feel good and which made me want to clock them. Here’s what I came up with.

When you reach out to someone who’s recently been laid off, keep in mind that layoffs hit people differently. The good news is that there’s little shame in being out of work today. Still, for almost anyone who has been laid off, it is a sensitive time; emotions can be unpredictable. So try to be gentle. Especially if you’re a member of the family. What might be considered a polite observation by a friend could easily be interpreted as offensive meddling by a mother, sister, or in-law. And now, a few specific tips: {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

I’ve been thinking a lot about time management and productivity lately, so I decided to check in with Gina Trapani, who is best known as the founder of the blog Lifehacker, and the author of the book “Upgrade Your Life,” an indispensable guide to how to work smarter in the digital age. When I last interviewed Trapani, she was still editing Lifehacker, which is owned by Gawker Media. She left that position in January. These days she divides her time between computer programming, writing for her personal blog, Smarterware, and freelance writing for a variety of publications.

We chatted via phone and email about going through transitions and forging a new path away from a brand you’ve been closely identified with. The following is a condensed version of our conversations.

So how does it feel to be just Gina Trapani after four years of being Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker, one of the most powerful blogs in the world?

Lifehacker is this great brand, packaged really nicely and my name was tied very closely with it. Now that I’m not there, I’m not a brand anymore. I’m human, and I don’t know if I want to create another thing that sums me up in a sentence. I’m kind of enjoying not having that one thing right now. Eventually I’ll find another new singular focus I want to stay with long term. {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

Ever wonder how much you’d earn if you changed jobs or careers? Curious about what your colleagues make, what your boss makes or what other people doing jobs like yours earn? Now there’s a way to find out. Or at least a way to get awfully close.

A new site, Glassdoor.com, has taken a lot of the mystery out of who makes what. Hop onto the site and plug in the name of a company and a position and then see what comes up. If the employer is one for which Glassdoor.com doesn’t yet have data, then you’ll have to be satisfied with looking at a company where you think the pay is comparable. You can also put an occupation title into the search bar and get some answers about what that job function commands at a variety of different companies in different cities.

Knowledge is worth a lot in all kinds of negotiations — from deciding on a job offer to figuring out if you’re being offered a proper annual review — and with information like this, you can be armed before you go into those conversations. Glassdoor.com also posts employee reviews on different employers, which can be juicy reading. {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

You’re stuck. You want to change careers and can’t figure out how or what you’re even good at. Maybe you’ve been on scores of interviews, but no one’s biting.  Or worse, you’ve sent out hundreds of cover letters and resumes and the phone is not ringing. These are all indicators that it might be time to hire a career coach.

When I changed careers nearly 10 years ago, hiring a coach completely jumpstarted my process. Career changes and job searches take a long time and I’m impatient. I also had a lot of fear and anxiety about the process and I didn’t want to overburden supportive friends and family with my constant need to talk about my process. I figured that working with a professional who’d seen hundreds of others through transitions was a way to speed things up. And it did. I used my coach for about 8 sessions to come up with a plan and a strategy; after that, I called her for advice now and then, but mostly felt comfortable on my own.

Here’s some things to think about if you’re wondering whether it’s time to bring in a pro to help moves things along: {Read the rest at Yahoo!}

Earlier this week I wrote about how to find the perfect part-time work to fit your life and I recommended considering something entrepreneurial rather than a job since it would provide more flexibility.  And as if the blogosphere were listening, soon after that, I discovered this excellent post, 50 Side Businesses You Can Start on Your Own, by Trent Lamm, the author of 365 Ways to Live on the Cheap, which sounds like a good title for these times. (Actually, Lifehacker discovered it first.)

Clearly, Trent is a man who likes lists. {Read the rest at Yahoo!}