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Fall 2001 Summer 2002
For nearly two decades, Eric Olsen was solidly employed as a manager in the high-tech sector. But, last year his employment streak ended when he and 1.7 million other Americans were laid off.1 
Nothing in the economic corner of our culture elicits more collective fascination than the stock market. Media attention, conventional wisdom, parental advice, folklore, and scandal all seem to work overtime when it comes to “the market.” U.S. equity markets at the dawn of the twenty-first century are unique in terms of the broad participation of individual citizens—both the wealthy and middle class. 
I own two small companies. It’s hard to pay myself benefits, let alone all my employees. The first thing to look at is making sure they are paid a competitive wage, then add vacation/holidays and keep within reason. Next, they might need health insurance, but if the spouse is working elsewhere and is covered, we can sometimes eliminate it. Finally, you might look at adding tax deferred savings plans and insurance. Since both my companies are retail, we offer very steep discounts to employees. It has been my experience that most people working for small companies do not expect superb benefits. Also, in order to keep costs down, you must do a lot of shopping.
Several weeks ago, I traveled to the north side of Chicago to visit my son. I drove from downtown Chicago to Lincoln Park, where he lives. As I turned onto Clybourn Avenue, I suddenly encountered a scene that I hadn’t seen or thought of in years—the Clybourn Gospel Chapel.
Over the next year, many of you will go through a performance review. your direct supervisor will evaluate the contribution that you have made to the success of the organization and help you develop a plan to build on your strengths and focus on opportunities you have to improve.