Briefcase

Networking doesn’t top essentials to success list

Many of the people who have achieved success in life followed a counterintuitive path to it, according to a writer who examined the disparate careers of 70 people, including former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole, presidential contender Richard Gephardt, singer Sheryl Crow and Southwest Airlines CEO James F. Parker.

Three-quarters of the group said business connections and networking weren’t important, and more than half didn’t think employee loyalty was essential.

The polling was done by attorney Thomas Schweich for his book “Staying Power: 30 Secrets Invincible Executives Use for Getting to the Top — And Staying There.”

Personal finance

Counseling service offers advice on credit cards

Are you deluged by credit card offers? Given the marketing of the issuers, most of us are. The Consumer Credit Counseling Service in Atlanta recently released a primer of sorts for college students being pitched cards on campus, but the advice applies to the rest of us.

  • Never forget that laying a credit card on the store counter is akin to walking into a bank and leaving with a loan — governed strictly by the bank’s terms.
  • Is the “free gift” to attract you really free? A 30-day free Internet account or free T-shirt may not be a bargain if you have to sign up for a credit card with an annual fee, finance charges and high interest rates.
  • Scout the best rate. Check the fine print about the introductory rate and how long it lasts. Three or six months of zero interest for a card that may zoom to 20 percent or more is hardly a deal. Also, ensure you know the grace periods involved.

Motley Fool

Name that company

I’ve grown from an 1865 Iowa grain elevator business to become a Minnesota-based global marketer, processor and distributor of agricultural, food, financial and industrial products and services. My businesses include steel mills, industrial oils and lubricants, livestock feeds, fertilizer products and commodities trading. Among other things, I process corn, wheat, cereal, cocoa, oranges, apples, peanuts, soybeans, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, beef, pork, chicken and turkey. I employ nearly 100,000 employees in 61 nations and rake in about $60 billion in revenues yearly. You can’t invest in me, because I’m a privately held company. Who am I?