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Working from home is great. You skip the commute, wear whatever you like, and keep a flexible schedule for that all-important work-life balance.

But how comfortable is your work setup? If you’ve been pecking at a laptop on the kitchen table or (heaven forfend) in your bed, it is time for an upgrade.

Welcome to my holiday gift guide, work-from-home edition. If you don’t telecommute, maybe there are a few such people on your gift list.

I’ve been a WFH fan off and on for decades, and COVID made it a full-time thing. I have therefore thought a lot about home workstations.

Essential elements include a position-adjustable desk, a laptop stand, high-quality input devices, flexible charging accessories, and desk-protecting mats.

Read on for details on the latest, greatest WFH gear — including a pretty good standing desk I have been trying out.

Get a standing desk

You’ll be happier and healthier if you alternate among sitting and standing positions during work sessions.

Even though I have an excellent office chair, my back starts to hurt if I am sitting for too long, and I become mentally and physically sluggish. Getting to my feet perks me right up. read more

By Joseph N. DiStefano, The Philadelphia Inquirer

From its sprawling, 1,500-worker studio headquarters in Chester County, Pennsylvania, QVC and its affiliates developed home-shopping TV, packing channels for more than 30 years with live hosts and celebrities pitching clothing, kitchen goods, electronics, jewelry, and many other products to millions of viewers and filling their orders from suppliers and warehouses.

Today QVC, the West Chester-based core of Qurate Retail Inc., which includes clothing brands and small U.S., Western European and Japanese shopping channels, is struggling to cover its costs. It’s competing in a new world where it can be surprisingly cheap for energetic individuals working from home to reach millions of consumers through fast, slick product posts on TikTok (which QVC also uses) and other smartphone-based media.

Qurate’s CEO of the past two years, David L. Rawlinson II, who earlier ran industrial supplier W.W. Grainger and then consumer analytics giant NielsenIQ, notes that the company has faced and beaten earlier tech-based competition, including when Amazon tried to start its own home-shopping programs. read more

By Sara Rathner | NerdWallet

Kids notice everything, whether you think they’re paying attention or not. They repeat the curse words you blurt out when you step on a toy, and spill your embarrassing family secrets to their friends.

From a surprisingly early age, the kids in your life also notice money: who has it, who doesn’t, and how your household handles it compared to other people. They overhear arguments and pick up on stress. With every financial decision, you set an example. “You are a mirror and your kid is a sponge,” says Jordan Wexler, co-founder and CEO of EarlyBird, a registered investment advisory company where parents can open custodial and college savings accounts for their kids.

So, no pressure, but modeling positive money behavior for all the kids in your life is important, whether you’re a parent, relative or close family friend. It starts with figuring out your own approach to money, and then providing age-appropriate lessons.

Establish your household values

It’s hard to teach another person how to spend, save and donate money when you haven’t set your own goals and priorities. Maybe you want to set an annual budget for charitable giving, or you save slowly for upcoming expenses to avoid credit card debt. All of these decisions tie back to what you (and your spouse or partner if you have one) truly value. read more