Alice Kramden was famously unimpressed when her husband Ralph regularly threatened to send her to the moon. The hugely successful and iconic series ‘The Honeymooners’ starred Jackie Gleason as the frustrated bus driver Ralph and Audrey Meadows (as sensible housewife Alice. It was just one part of the hugely successful career of Jackie Gleason. In fact, the series was so enduring and popular (though perhaps a little shocking by today’s standards) that in 2000, a life-size statue of Jackie Gleason, in uniform as bus driver Ralph Kramden, was installed outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.

By the time Gleason was age of 71, he had established an entertainment legacy that included one of the most financially lucrative shows in history (The Honeymooners), a list of memorable films like The Hustler’ with Paul Newman and Smokey and the Bandit with Burt Reynolds, as well as, a collection of romantic music LPs, the first of which, ‘For Lovers Only,’ sold over half a million copies.

The larger than life star, who had entertained audiences for more than half a century, was a self-made man who propelled himself beyond the limitations of his background. A high-school dropout, Gleason was born on February 26, 1916, to a poor Irish-Catholic immigrant family from Brooklyn, New York. Originally named Herbert John Gleason, his childhood, and adolescence were scarred by hardship. Gleason’s father abandoned him when he was only 8 years old, five years after the death of his only sibling from tuberculosis. 8 years after that, he would find himself completely alone at age 16, after the death of his mother.

Initially involved with a street gang called ‘The Nomads’, Gleason was well- known for his acerbic tongue, fashion sense and pool table smarts. He resolved to make a career out of his understated talent for wordplay. He used the streets to develop a comedic style and create a slew of characters that eventually won him first prize in a neighborhood talent contest for an original comedy routine. He headed in the direction that this early achievement pointed, becoming a club emcee before landing his first job in broadcasting, working as a part-time disc jockey on Newark radio.

His ability to turn life’s lemons into lemonade became a notable part of Gleason’s biography. Although the pathway to fame was far from smooth, he had learned how to hustle on the streets of New York. He saw failure from two different perspectives. When for instance, he was hired to host a TV game show that was cancelled after only one episode, Gleason apologized on air, and landed himself what was to become the precursor to the Honeymooners – ‘The Jackie Gleason’ show. Later, when he couldn’t sell his music album to a major company, he paid Capitol to publish it, and of course, the sales did nothing but prove his instincts right.

What’s your favorite Jackie Gleason memory?

Rolling over an IRA

In an effort to simplify the process of rolling over an IRA account, the IRS has just made a change to the way it handles the 60-day deadline to avoid paying penalties on those funds. As of August 2016, those filing past 60 days will have the opportunity to apply for a waiver and be given the benefit of the doubt from the government while they wait for their answer. This means the funds can move safely into their new home without waiting in limbo for a decision.

Buying Flowers

According to Aboutflower.com Valentine’s Day accounts for 25 percent of the total dollars spent on flowers for the year in the U.S. But surprisingly, only 20 percent of mothers surveyed by Offers.com list flowers as one of their top gift picks. If flowers are a must, purchasing a few days early through a local florist will often yield the best results and value.

Pros and cons of mobile check deposits

As technology progresses, even old industries such as banking are beginning to offer new features that can utilize the convenience of smartphones.  According to Bankrate.com, 63 percent of mobile bankers are likely using their phone to deposit checks. They also point out that mobile deposits can help prevent some types of fraud, allow deposits after business hours, and allow customers unprecedented convenience. Be sure to void the checks and mark them deposited. It’s not all great, however, as banks often place a cap on your deposits, place temporary holds on mobile-deposited funds, and have no safeguards against bounced checks.

ln the world of Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter, employees just don’t want to sit down with a 400 page book for training. Employers are responding.

According to Fortune, Walmart is one of a growing number of corporations that are using apps and Facebook to train employees and facilitate conversation about safety.   As a test, Walmart had 5,000 employees train for jobs with three-minute videos.  The number of reportable injuries dropped by nearly half.  Now all of Walmart’s 80,000 warehouse and logistics workers use the mobile app for training.
PayPal, on the other hand, created a private Facebook page where employees can connect with invited expert to troubleshoot problems.

Would something like this help you in your world?