If You're Always On, Your Work Could Be Off

by Anita Bruzzese

Do you take your smartphone to bed because you claim to use it as a nightlight, say it's the only alarm clock you have, or need to make sure you don't miss a critical text?

Here's the problem with that thinking: Now that the phone is only an arm's reach away, it's easy to check a few e-mails, perhaps sending off a few responses so you have one fewer thing to do tomorrow.

You've just stepped onto a very slippery slope that will make it difficult not to be connected 24/7. You've become one of those millions of workers who fire off e-mails at midnight or reach for the smartphone before your first cup of coffee every morning.

You may claim that you have to work this way because your job — or your employer — demands it.

But Leslie A. Perlow finds that this drive to stay connected all the time is really your own fault, not something that can be blamed on just an employer or a job.

Cutting Down Summer Cooling Bills

by Kelli Grant

The dog days of summer may not be as big a burden on household energy bills this year.

Natural gas prices are down 46% compared with last year, due to increased supply and a mild winter, according to the Energy Information Administration. Utilities that use natural gas to generate electricity are passing their savings along to customers in the form of lower rates. "The bills are coming down in some areas," says Keith Voight, a spokesman for the Edison Electric Institute, an association of shareholder-owned electric companies. In New Jersey, for example, the Board of Public Utilities estimates that Public Service Electric & Gas customers could see rates drop 6.4%. Nationwide, "we may not see full effect happening until next year," says Tyler Hodge, an economist with the EIA. Electricity rates are projected to increase a modest 0.6% this year, he says, and fall 2.1% in 2013 -- the first decline since 2002.

Despite one of the warmest Marches on record, consumers may also find less reason to reach for the thermostat this summer. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration expects a 16% decline in so-called cooling-degree days those days when temperatures rise above a comfy 65 degrees Fahrenheit. "That [drop] is mainly because last year was so much higher than normal," Hodge says.

Of course, summer cooling bills can still amount to more than one hundred dollars a month. The Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star program estimates that the average household's spends $2,100 on energy annually, with as much as half of that going toward heating and cooling. Exact costs can vary widely depending on where you live, the size of your home and how efficiently you cool it. "One of the best ways that homeowners can make an impact on their energy bills is to make smart decisions about their heating and cooling equipment," says Jonathan Passe, manager of the Energy Star Residential Branch.

Got a Penny? Buy a Timeshare

by Heather Struck

What do you do with that couch change that turns up every few months? How about buying a timeshare?

If you are savvy on the Internet, you can find timeshare owners who are eager to sell their well-loved vacation spots for $1. That is, of course, if you will pick up the annual maintenance fees. And therein lies the problem.

The housing crunch has hit timeshares hard, as sales have fallen, expenses have risen, and older developments have aged ungracefully. Tight vacation budgets have dampened interest, with sales at resorts tracked by the American Resort Development Association falling almost 40 percent (from $10.6 billion to $6.5 billion)between 2007 and 2011.

As people default on maintenance fees, older timeshare companies are struggling to operate with lower cash flows right around the time when they need additional maintenance and repairs.

As a result, maintenance costs have increased to an average $776 a year in 2011, up from $575 in 2007, according to ARDA, straining owners who may have tired of their annual week in paradise, or may not be able to afford their timeshare in retirement or unemployment.