Scary stuff. Really makes you appreciate the accounting profession, right?
Have you ever filed your own taxes? How long did it take you?
From the department of how you spend your time… 6.1 billion hours spent filing taxes every year!
January 26th, 2011From the department of how you spend your time… 6.1 billion hours spent filing taxes every year!
January 26th, 2011Scary stuff. Really makes you appreciate the accounting profession, right?
Have you ever filed your own taxes? How long did it take you?
What Company Logos Are Really Trying to Tell You
January 25th, 2011
You know how things aren’t always what they seem? Well, take a look at these companies’ logos.
A company creates a logo to help you remember their product, but also to make sure you think of it in a certain way – whether you know it or not. This is one of the ways that a company helps build their brand, which is what makes them different from everyone else who’s selling the same thing.
Check out the link to see what we’re talking about!
What Company Logos Are Really Trying to Tell You
January 25th, 2011
You know how things aren’t always what they seem? Well, take a look at these companies’ logos.
A company creates a logo to help you remember their product, but also to make sure you think of it in a certain way – whether you know it or not. This is one of the ways that a company helps build their brand, which is what makes them different from everyone else who’s selling the same thing.
Check out the link to see what we’re talking about!
Filmmaker Kevin Smith Calls For “Indie 2.0” With A New Self-Released Film And A Lot Of Free Publicity
January 25th, 2011“(Reuters) – Film director Kevin Smith has unveiled a plan to self-release his new “Red State” at the Sundance Film Festival, after facing down protesters that brought him publicity money can’t buy.”
What do you think?
Do you think Kevin Smith can bring back the low-budget independent film – now that “indie” has become overrun with expensive actors and spendy producers?
When You Think “Activism,” Is Corporate Strategy The First Thing That Comes To Mind?
January 25th, 2011“On Monday J.C. Penney said it would add Mr. Roth and hedge fund manager William Ackman to its board, news that sent its stock up 7%. The pair, who have a track record of buying big stakes in companies and then pressing them to make strategic changes, surprised markets and Mr. Ullman Oct. 8 by saying they had amassed a 27% holding in the retailer.”
What do you think?
When you think of activism, is corporate strategy the first thing that comes to mind? Would you be willing to invest in a company that has taken a step toward major changes in the way it operates?
Animal-Vehicle Accidents Cost $8 Billion A Year, But Designers Have Found A Sustainable Solution
January 25th, 2011“WASHINGTON – At a picturesque spot in the mountains near the ski resorts of Vail and Breckenridge, Colo., two streams of traffic converge: people driving east and west on Interstate 70, and animals – black bears, cougars, bobcats, elk and deer – headed north and south to feed and mate. When they collide, the animal is almost always killed and the vehicle badly damaged, even if the driver is lucky enough to escape injury.
The obvious solution is a bridge or a tunnel for the animals, but how do you build one they will use?”
What do you think?
Do you think wildlife bridges should be paid for by the government, or by nonprofit interest groups like the one that sponsored this design project? Have you ever been in an accident involving a wild animal?
Bank Bargains? Bank Share Prices Sooooo 2009 While Other Industries Soar
January 24th, 2011
credit: Toni Birrer
Stock market investors have been enjoying the biggest rally in five years – except for investors in banks. Bank stock prices – already stuck at 2009 levels – took hits as reported earnings from last year for big banks like Citi and Goldman Sachs failed to wow.
- Each quarter, publicly-traded companies are required to report their earnings to investors. This is the time of year when we get an inside look at how different companies, industries, and economies are really doing.
- Though banks reported big profit increases, it wasn’t enough to wow (or woo) investors.
- While some investors see an opportunity, others are waiting-and-seeing.
Facts & Figures
- The last time investors could buy bank stocks at these prices was March 2009
- Back then the economy had been in a recession for about 14 months, and the S&P 500 was at a 12-year low
- But all that has changed: the 500 companies tracked by the S&P500 index gained an average of 30% in 2010
Best Quote
“What everyone is waiting for is a sign that the companies are really back, that they’re really on their feet again and can survive without continued government support and subsidy.” – John Carey, Money Manager at Pioneer Investments
What do you think?
Do these low prices make you want to invest in a bank right now? What would you need to find out before deciding? Answering these questions can help you figure out your risk tolerance, which is essential for any young investor. This will help, too.
2010 Health Care Law Being Challenged In Congress
January 21st, 2011
credit: Waldo Jaquith
The health care act of 2010 was revolutionary in its scope, but are its days numbered?
- One of the first things Republican representatives did in the House this year was schedule a vote to repeal the sweeping health care bill passed last year.
- Their effort to repeal the law isn’t likely to succeed, because of the power Democrats currently wield in Washington. But each party has made promises to its constituents, and keeping or destroying the health care bill is at the center of their obligations.
- The official name of the proposal to end the health care act (in the House, anyway) is “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.”
Facts & Figures
- The health care bill aims to cover 32 million uninsured Americans
- 26% of Americans want to repeal it
- 25% want to repeal select parts of it
- 41% want to keep the law as it is or expand it
What do you think?
How do you feel about the cost of implementing the health care bill? Would you be affected if you could no longer be on your parents’ insurance plan until age 26?
Swiss Banker Goes Rogue, Calls Out 2,000 Alleged Tax Evaders Through WikiLeaks
January 21st, 2011“LONDON — A former senior Swiss bank executive said on Monday that he had given the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, details of more than 2,000 prominent individuals and companies that he contends engaged in tax evasion and other possible criminal activity… ‘The man in the street needs to know how this system works,’ he said, referring to the offshore trusts that many ‘high net worth individuals’ around the world use to evade taxes.”
What do you think?
Is public humiliation an appropriate way to deal with tax evaders? Do you think people should have a right to absolute financial privacy, even if that helps them get away with illegal activities?