A provision in President Barack Obama’s 2014 budget, recently submitted to Congress, would limit the aggregate balance of all your combined retirement accounts to “an amount needed to fund reasonable levels of compensation in retirement” currently identified as $205,000 per year, or an aggregate balance of $3.4 million. more

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “Count your blessings.” I wonder how you interpret that. I wonder how you count them. I wonder how you take advantage of them. My biggest wonder is how grateful are you for your blessings. more

Whether you know it or not, being a business owner also requires being a leader – especially if you have employees. If you don’t display good leadership skills, you won’t get the most from your employees, and your business will suffer. more

The Providence Business News Executive Poll is a weekly survey of 70 business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries. more

Fran L. Giatas was recently selected as the 2013 Administrative Professional of the Year by the Providence chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals. Giatas is employed as the executive assistant to the president of Care New England Health System, and in the past was the senior executive assistant to the president of Butler Hospital. She has served 31 years in high-level leadership positions, acting as the prime contact for board trustees and corporation members in both roles. Giatas joined IAAP in January 2011 and has since assisted on various committees and served as treasurer and chair of the bylaw committee. During her tenure with the chapter, she has been designated as a member of excellence and has also received the “be the best” award from the New England district director of IAAP. Giatas holds the certified administrative professional designation. more

Erik and Dawn Deneault have two healthy children and were blindsided when their third child, Danica, was born with brain malformations. Their life suddenly consisted of days and weeks of medical visits in Providence and Boston and months of searching for a way to decrease their daughter’s 40 to 50 seizures a day. more

The Providence Business News Executive Poll is a weekly survey of 70 business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries. more

Ahh, the joys of self-employment – being your own boss, setting your own hours, doing what you like, and, oh yes, establishing a life-long bond with your accountant. Being self-employed also means being responsible for a wide range of critical tax-related duties. more

The Providence Business News Executive Poll is a weekly survey of 70 business leaders throughout the state, representing small and large companies in a variety of industries. more

I am NOT a LinkedIn expert, but I do have more than 15,000 LinkedIn connections. Do you? more