You don’t have to be smart to be rich, says Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University, and intelligence doesn’t necessarily translate into wealth. Having a higher IQ does generally mean higher income; however, even those with super high IQ’s over 125 occasionally miss payments and max out their credit cards.

The reasons that those with higher incomes and IQ’s face just as many financial struggles as people of average and lower than average intelligence are not completely understood but it is thought that those with high IQ’s may not be saving. Wealth is about saving money and not just income.

Read the article at the OSU website.

Consumers are getting more savvy and more suspicious according to a study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

The Eddie Haskell approach of flattery doesn’t appeal to consumers and is more likely to lose the sale than seal it. Consumers are wary of salespeople who compliment them and view it as an attempt at manipulation.

An experiment in sales and flattery found that consumers didn’t trust the admiring comments of the salesperson, even if they came after the sale was completed. The lesson to salespeople might be “less is more” when it comes to flattering the customer.

Sales Pitches Turn Off Consumers, Study Finds

Spending so much time on the internet writing, reading and conducting business transactions, the results of a study by The Newspaper Associaton of America are somewhat surprising.

The survey, How America Shops and Spends indicates that consumers rely more on newspaper advertising when making decisions about purchases. Consumers felt that newspaper advertising made it easier to compare prices at different stores, were most effective at bringing sales to their attention, were more convenient to use and more up to date than other forms of advertising. Possibly the fact that consumers expect to receive sales circulars and sales updates in their newspapers gives papers the edge with shoppers, as it becomes ritual to check for sales and bargains.

Radio and magazines as advertising media scored lowest in all categories with TV making only a slightly better showing.

The Internet showed signs of increasing popularity with consumers and possibly catching up to newspapers as an advertising medium in ease of comparing prices, convenience of use and in being up to date, scoring higher than all other media except newspapers. The Internet ranked lower when it came to being able to brings sales to the attention of shoppers.

According to a Harris interactive poll on Attitudes in the Workplace, employees of smaller companies found more job satisfaction than those working for larger companies.

The survey also showed that employees of smaller companies were less likely to feel their job demands interfered with personal and family needs.

Income was higher for employees of larger companies with 17% of employees earning $100,000 before taxes as opposed to only 5% of employees of small companies attaining that salary.

But income isn’t always the most important factor. Many workers cite home and family obligations, job stress and other considerations as being key to their employment decisions.

Looking for a great place to work? The Great Place To Work Institute can help guide you with their list of the Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For in America.