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Scout Investments Economic & Market Outlook

The Long, Hard Slog Continues Scout Investments, President & CIO William Greiner, CFA Overview Historically, as many of our readers are aware, the focus of these pieces from Scout Investments has resided in the U.S. We have long written on our outlook for the U.S

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Kat's Money Corner: The price of freedom

Heading into the July 4 holiday, I’m thinking about freedom, and the ways in which our freedoms are threatened. katWhen most people think about threats to freedom, they may think about politics or ideologies. As far as I’m concerned, though, the single biggest threat to true freedom for most Americans is something very different: debt

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Kids & Money: When technology comes up short

Call this a lesson in connectivity: Tech-dependent city dwellers can be easily spoiled by the splendors of high-speed Internet and digital phone services. But there’s a large swath of the population, living mainly in rural areas, that’s still operating in low gear. In their world, spotty cell phone coverage is the norm, and Internet service either comes in low-speed or no-speed

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Be ready for these probing interview questions

By Diane Stafford Why should we give this job to you rather than another who is equally qualified? Why do you want to work for our company? What do you think determines a person’s progress within a company? Would these questions rattle you if they were thrown at you in a job interview? If so, you need to think beyond preparing your 30-second — or two-minute — summary about your skills and interests. Being able to concisely and clearly cite your credentials is exceedingly important in formal job interviews, in professional association meetings and in social situations where you’re doing a bit of networking. But a recent “speed interviewing” event sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management of Johnson County showed that many job interviewers will press you for far more than your qualifications. What are your feelings about working overtime? What interests you about our products (or services)? How would you describe your ideal job? It’s pretty easy to see that your answers to those questions could open the trap door beneath your feet. Skilled interviewers will ask such open-ended questions to get at what makes you tick, to probe your personality, your work ethic and other hard-to-quantify traits. What two accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction? Have you ever had troubles with other people on the job? Do you feel you did the best work at school that you were capable of doing? Job hunters and applicants for promotions need to be prepared for those landmine questions. Think ahead of time about how you’d answer them. Hirers are looking for workers who seem to be both self starters and good team players

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The Savings Game: Six ways to save by going green

By Anya Kamenetz Tribune Media Services If you read glossy magazines, you might think that living a more environmentally conscious lifestyle means spending more: on organic produce, designer hemp and bamboo clothing, a Tesla electric sports car or a custom-built, geothermally heated home. But many of the most important small steps you can take to benefit the planet are also good for your wallet. Here are six of them, in order of potential savings

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SkillsUSA honors Kansas and Missouri students

The SkillsUSA conference wrapped up this evening in Kansas City with an awards program at Kemper Arena. Of the 942 medallions presented, 10 went to students from the Kansas City area. The local winners: 1st Place in College/Postsecondary Firefighting -- Patrick McGuire from Hillyard Technical Center 1st Place in College/Postsecondary Robotics and Automation Technology -- The team of Jim Breckenridge and James Glidewell from Hillyard Technical Center 1st Place in High School Robotics and Automation Technology -- The team of Andrew Cox and Colton Galvan from Hillyard Technical Center 2nd Place in High School Crime Scene Investigation -- The team of Kaela McKenzie, Jakyra Shelton and Stevie Suddarth from Northland Career Center 2nd Place in College/Postsecondary Practical Nursing -- Angela McQuitty from Lex La-Ray Technical Center 2nd Place in High School Internetworking -- Brendan Smith from Summit Technology Academy Other winners from Missouri: 1st Place in College/Postsecondary Advertising Design -- Tiffany Baker from Rolla Technical Institute in Rolla, MO 1st Place in College/Postsecondary Broadcast News Production -- The team of Gage Rudick, Brad Voelker, Makenzie Hickam and Trent Johnson from Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, MO !st Place in College/Postsecondary Computer Programming – Lee Futter from Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield, MO 1st Place in High School Electronics Technology -- Cole Given from Davis H

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"Artful frozen cocktail bar" coming to the Crossroads

Snow & Company - an artful frozen cocktail bar - will serve frozen tropical drinks, frozen standard cocktails like Manhattans, and frozen custom concoctions (like a PB&J drink with peanut infused vodka, fresh peanut butter and Chambord raspberry liquor), all using fresh ingredients and premium spirts. Its menu also will include sandwiches, salads and shareable plates. It will open in the northern portion of the former Black Bamboo spot, 1815 Wyandotte, in late summer or early fall

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Business Briefs, 06/24: SkillsUSA students assist El Centro

In addition to the competitions, job fairs and tradeshows, participants in the SkillsUSA national championships still found time to give back. Competitors and convention attendees worked together to build a custom playhouse during the championships this week. The completed playhouse was donated to El Centro’s Academy for Children, a bilingual Pre-K program in Wyandotte County. About 50 people came out to the dedication Friday morning

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St.Luke's appoints new chief executive

Melinda L. Estes has been hired as the new chief executive officer at St Luke's Health System. She succeeds Richard Hastings, who announced in January his plans to retire this summer. Estes, 58, has extensive experience directing hospital systems, including the Fletcher Allen Health Care system in Burlington, Vt

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Fewer than 1 in 5 persons with disabilities held jobs last year

The employment-to-population ratio for people with disabilities was 18.6 percent in 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. That work-to-population ratio was far, far less than the overall share of 63.5 percent of the non-disabled population that held jobs last year. And, while the overall jobless rate of the U.S

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Your weekend fill-up: KC gas prices continue to fall

From staff and wire reports Gasoline prices in the Kansas City area are down about 10 cents a gallon heading into this weekend from a week ago. In time for peak driving seasonAccording to the latest AAA survey, prices on the Kansas side were down about 9 cents to $3.51 a gallon from a week ago. On the Missouri side, prices averaged $3.43 a gallon, down 10 cents from last weekend. Prices have been dropping over the past month, though the cost of a gallon is still up about 80 cents compared to late June 2010, according to AAA data. More relief could be coming in the wake of decisions by the United States and other nations to sell 60 million barrels of crude from emergency stocks in an effort to ease the strain of high oil prices on the global economy. The release by the International Energy Agency, a group of more than two dozen countries, covers only what the world uses roughly every 16 hours

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Summer day camp may mean a tax credit

Sending your child to soccer camp this summer could yield you a tax credit. The Child and Dependent Care Credit covers expenses incurred for caring for a child, and summer day camps could qualify for the break, the IRS said. The tax credit is aimed at helping working parents who must find someone to care for their children during the summer vacation season. The tax credit is particularly appealing for parents sending their youngsters to day camps that specialize in a particular activity such as soccer and computers, the IRS said. Overnight camps do not qualify for the credit. The credit "is for expenses incurred to care for a child...so you and your spouse if you are married filing jointly, could work or look for work," said IRS spokesman Michael Devine in St

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