New York SBDC Research Network

From www.reit.com : Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, are a practical way for all investors to invest in large-scale, income-producing, professionally managed companies that own commercial real estate. As an investment, REITs historically provide portfolio diversification plus strong and reliable dividend income. Publicly traded REITs have demonstrated superior long-term risk-adjusted returns, as well as the liquidity and transparency of public capital markets. Here are answers to fundamental questions about REITs.

From MoneyWatch : Just like basketball, football, tennis, or track and field, business is a competition. And competition can either be mean and dirty, or classy and dignified. It's probably no surprise that I'm a fan of the latter. Call me old-fashioned, but I think there is a lot to be said -- and gained -- from good sportsmanship in our professional lives... "Business is brutal." "Kill or be killed." "Take no prisoners"... yeah, yeah, I get all that high-testosterone stuff. I'm not naive or polyannish about having to play to win in business. But there are plenty of examples of successful companies that still manage to practice good, admirable sportsmanship... There are many ways you can show good sportsmanship in business, none of which will hurt your competitiveness (in fact most will help).

"If you are a Human Resource administrator or executive, you can sign up for FREE copies of Human Resource Executive and Risk Insurance. The FREE trade magazines keep you up on the latest trends in your field, and you are under no obligation." This appears legit.

If you’re starting a business, you may be wondering how to legally structure it. Should you incorporate, become an LLC, or operate as a sole proprietor? Over 70 percent of U.S. businesses are owned and operated by sole proprietors or sole traders. But what does being a sole proprietor involve and is it the right structure for your small business? Here’s what you need to know about the advantages and disadvantages of being a sole proprietor. More from SBA

By the time most kids are in high school, they’ve probably heard some career advice along these lines: get into a good college, pick a marketable major, keep those grades up, and you'll land a good job. But that doesn't quite cover it anymore. In a survey from Marketplace and The Chronicle of Higher Education , employers said what matters most to them actually happens outside the classroom. More HERE .

From MoneyWatch : Your alarm is set for 6 a.m., but every morning you hear it blaring and hit snooze. Nine minutes later, you hit snooze again, and again, until your back-up alarm goes off and you get out of bed a bit after 6:40, groggy and pretty sure that planned workout isn't going to happen before you need to leave the house by 7:15. Is there any way to break this cycle? Sure... The key is to realize that if you really can't pull yourself out of bed at the time you intend to get up, you're probably not getting enough sleep. So you sleep in -- but not in a way that's helpful (snooze button sleep is pretty much useless). [And evil.]

Baby Boomers — nearly 80 million of them in the U.S. – will redefine traditional retirement. The first boomers turned 65 in 2011, and year after year for the next 18 years, masses of them will choose to work beyond the ages of 62 to 65, the range long thought of as retirement time. There’s been a lot of conversation lately about boomers and the ‘unretirement’ movement. In fact, AARP predicts that a whopping 80% of boomers will have to work into their retirement years. The vast majority of them will move away from high-pressure corporate positions to reshape their professional lives as small business owners, consultants, part-time workers or “giving back” careers such as teaching or non-profit management. And what we’re seeing right now is the tip of the iceberg. More from the ASBDC .