Despite publishing becoming an increasingly important field, the Authors Guild’s 2018 Annual Income Survey revealed that incomes of American authors fell to historic lows, declining 42% from 2009. And with the rise in other forms of entertainment, such as YouTube and social media platforms, authors are often hesitant to publish their work. But central to […]
The Designer Bag That’s Made From Trees
The Bobobark bag Laflore The fashion industry is one of the world’s worst polluters, producing microfibers that end up in the world’s oceans, amongst other impacts. And so the creators behind a designer bag are hoping that their fashion item will actually be beneficial to the environment – as the bag is made from cork […]
Five Friendly Colorado Questions With Kyle And Eric Speidell Of The Green Solution
Nick Speidell, Kyle Speidell, Eric Speidell, Brad Speidell – Company Owners Courtesy: The Green Solution Forbes “Five Questions” Feature: Kyle and Eric Speidell of The Green Solution (19 locations in Colorado) Warren Bobrow=WB: Where do you live now? Did you ever think that you’d find yourselves working in the legal cannabis industry? Kyle Speidell=KS: Originally from […]
Birthday Luck
I had been fitfully and uncomfortably sleeping, dreaming of a small dog licking my leg and stealing my snack. I awoke to find an escaped boxer with a cute face avoiding my eyes and licking her lips. Once the flight attendant found her rightful owner, who was not nearly as embarrassed as she should have […]
Epstein Estate’s First Legal Bill in Fight Against Accusers: $90,000
The federal criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein ended with his death two months ago, but the legal battles by his estate are poised to go on for months to come. Last week, lawyers for Mr. Epstein’s estate asked a judge in the Virgin Islands to allow the payment of $90,000 in fees to a New […]
How to Find a Trustworthy Forex Broker
Image by Capri23auto from Pixabay If you’re looking into the possibility of raising funds for your small business by conducting some Forex trades, you’re going to need a reliable Forex broker. In this post, we offer some suggestions about how to find one. RELATED ARTICLE: STARTING A BUSINESS: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW Forex Trading Has Become Popular Forex […]
On-Demand Helicopter Services Are Ready To Take Off
Business travelers using Voom VOOM VFI LLC Hate sitting in traffic to and from the airport? Just order your own helicopter! On-demand helicopter services such as Voom, Uber Copter and Blade offer flights in some U.S. cities for the relatively affordable cost of about $200-$3001, booked via an app or online. In late September, Airbus-owned […]
Beijing is 'relieved' by partial trade agreement, says Trump outside advisor on China
The partial trade agreement between the U.S. and China has caused relief among officials in Beijing, one of President Donald Trump’s outside advisors told CNBC on Monday. “I would say they’re relieved more than happy,” said Michael Pillsbury, director of the Center for Chinese Strategy at the Hudson Institute whom Trump has called the “leading […]
USAA’s Latest Customer Experience, Insurtech Innovation: An AI Collaboration With Google Cloud
If you’re trying to stay up to date on customer experience and customer service best practices and innovation, it helps to closely follow USAA, the giant in insurance, banking, financial services, car retailing, and other disciplines (all of which are services that USAA offers to its member base worldwide, which consists primarily U.S. servicepeople and their families). I’ve […]
Uber’s Layoff Total Rises Past 1,000 With Latest Cuts
SAN FRANCISCO — Uber laid off 350 employees on Monday, in the latest indication that the ride-hailing company is trying to respond to concerns among investors that it is losing too much money. The cuts, the third round in recent months, were focused in the autonomous vehicle unit, operations, recruiting and customer support, an Uber […]
For ‘Erin Brockovich’ Fans, a David vs. Goliath Tale With a Twist
EXPOSUREPoisoned Water, Corporate Greed, and One Lawyer’s Twenty-Year Battle Against DuPontBy Robert Bilott with Tom Shroder Robert Bilott never set out to be anyone’s hero. He made his living defending chemical companies at an old-line corporate law firm based in Cincinnati when, just a few months shy of making partner, he received a call from […]
Texas pulls license of adviser who sold Future Income Payments
A registered investment adviser in Texas has had his license revoked due to conflicts stemming from the sale of $5 million worth of Future Income Payment notes and promissory notes issued by third-party real estate developers. The adviser failed to disclose excessive commissions, misuse of client funds and conflicts of interest, according to the Texas […]
Pershing and Fidelity making it easier for advisers to use model portfolios
Custodians are introducing new technology to make it easier for financial advisers to use model investment portfolios with clients. BNY Mellon Pershing announced on Monday a new digital portal for managing and delivering model portfolios, while Fidelity Clearing and Custody Solutions is bringing customizable models to Fidelity AMP, its adviser-facing digital advice platform. [More: Enhancing […]
Bill requiring investor testing of SEC disclosures headed toward House approval
Legislation that would require the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct investor testing of disclosures will come up for a vote later this week on the House floor, where it is likely to advance with mostly Democratic backing. The bill, the SEC Disclosure Effectiveness Testing Act (H.R. 1815), was approved in March by the House […]
What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Coups?
This is Naked Capitalism fundraising week. 1696 donors have already invested in our efforts to combat corruption and predatory conduct, particularly in the financial realm. Please join us and participate via our donation page, which shows how to give via check, credit card, debit card, or PayPal. Read about why we’re doing this fundraiser and […]
Finra bars ex-Wells Fargo Advisors rep who did not cooperate with investigation
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. on Thursday barred a former Wells Fargo Advisors broker who did not cooperate with a Finra investigation. Earlier this year, the broker, Stephen Klinger, had been fired by Wells Fargo after it was revealed that he had traded options in his own account for a client and wound up […]
Closing Hours of Fundraiser, About to Hit Our New $ and Donor Targets!
The Naked Capitalism community has spoken!. You’ve said you want this site to have more in-depth coverage and impact. You’ve provided tangible backing for your desire to have us demystify finance, call out chicanery in high places, parse propaganda, to become more effective in our activism, and in our small way, help promote the creation […]
Why Focus On Customer Experience? Here’s Why.
Getty There’s a lot of buzz in the business world about customer experience – how it’s the key to combating commoditization, securing sustainable competitive advantage, and achieving market dominance. But here’s the little secret that business leaders don’t like to discuss: many of them aren’t sold on the idea that a great customer experience actually […]
Why Getting Your Digital Transformation Story Right Is Key To Changing Workplace Culture
Invest time in building your business’ digital transformation narrative. Getty One of the most important steps a business can take when pursuing any kind of strategic plan, workforce transformation, or responsible business initiative is to make sure its leaders, people and stakeholders understand what it is you’re trying to do. Meaning, what problems are you […]
Growing your practice beyond you
Picture this — you’re on a boat. The boat is sinking and you’re trying to plug the leaks, but new holes keep popping up. At this point, you don’t know whether you’ll sink or float. This situation may sound all too familiar to advisers. When your firm grows and you have clients with various needs, […]
Platts: 5 Commodity Charts To Watch This Week
Via S&P Global Platt’s ‘The Barrel’ blog, Natural gas is top of our editors’ picks of unfolding commodity trends this week, with Europe’s market responding to oversupply and solid US production giving rise to ample storage. Elsewhere, low US power prices, Germany’s latest plan to step up emissions reductions and soaring nickel prices all feature. […]
Wells Fargo adviser managing $250 million moves to Alex. Brown
Eric Dexter, who managed $250 million at Wells Fargo Advisors, has joined the Alex. Brown division of Raymond James. [More: See more adviser moves in InvestmentNews’ Advisers on the Move database.] Mr. Dexter will work from a branch office he opened for the firm in Portland, Maine. [Recommended video: Advisers should discuss ESG with wealthy […]
Fortnite Goes Dark. Gamers Wonder What’s Next.
If you have an inconsolable gamer in your life, here’s why: Fortnite, one of the world’s most popular video games, has gone quiet. Since Sunday afternoon, players eager to enter the game’s virtual world to fight one another have instead been confronted by a blank screen with a black hole at its center, prompting widespread […]
Nobel Economics Prize Goes to Pioneers in Reducing Poverty
Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo of M.I.T. and Michael Kremer of Harvard have devoted more than 20 years of economic research to developing new ways to study — and help — the world’s poor. On Monday, their experimental approach toward poverty alleviation won them the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. Dr. Duflo, 46, […]
A Brazen Scheme, and a Minor Penalty, for Winning Business in China
It was a brazen campaign to win business in China by charming and enriching the country’s political elite. The bank gave a Chinese president a crystal tiger and a Bang & Olufsen sound system, together worth $18,000. A premier received a $15,000 crystal horse, his Chinese zodiac animal, and his son got $10,000 in golf […]
Adviser managing $100 million at JPMorgan Chase goes indie with LPL
Joseph Mazzucco, who managed $100 million at JPMorgan Chase in Rye Brook, N.Y., has formed his own firm, Stonebrook Wealth Management. [More: See more adviser moves in InvestmentNews’ Advisers on the Move database.] The new firm, which will use the broker-dealer and corporate registered investment adviser platforms of LPL Financial, is based in Purchase, N.Y., […]
Veritas Strikes Again: Exposes CNN's 'Anti-Trump Crusade', Zucker's 'Personal Vendetta' Against Trump
Undercover whistleblower organization Project Veritas has done it again – after CNN insider Cary Poarch secretly recorded his colleagues. Poarch reveals CEO Jeff Zucker’s “personal vendetta” against President Trump, including orders to focus on impeachment, as well as a mandate that employees cut ties to Republican lawmakers, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina. Jeff Zucker, whistleblower Cary Poarch Via Project Veritas: A brave […]
WeWork CEO Went On Historic Home-Buying Spree As Company Imploded
With WeWork’s IPO – perhaps indefinitely – postponed, WeWork founder and former CEO Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekah Paltrow-Neumann now find themselves in a difficult predicament: Using a combination of loans against Neumann’s WeWork shares, as well as sales of some of his shares on the secondary market, the couple has accumulated a portfolio […]
Uber launches boat service in Nigeria's megacity Lagos
LAGOS (Reuters) – Global ride-hailing firm Uber Technologies Inc [UBER.UL] on Friday launched a pilot test of a boat service in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos to attract commuters seeking to avoid the megacity’s notoriously congested roads. The United Nations predicts that Nigeria’s population will more than double to 400 million by 2050, which would make […]
Google's fight against EU antitrust fine to be heard February 12-14 at EU court
FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Alphabet unit Google’s fight against a 2.4-billion-euro ($2.64 billion) EU antitrust fine will be played out over three days in February 2020 at Europe’s second-highest court, according to parties involved […]
With shares down, Franklin turns to tech to spur growth
Its business model is out of fashion. Its fund family has suffered six straight years of outflows. Its stock has the lowest Wall Street ratings of any major money manager. [More: Franklin plans to cut up to 5% of workforce] No wonder Franklin Resources Inc.’s shares are down 48% in the last five years, and […]
Bitcoin Will Free The World “From The Mercy Of Dictators”, Billionaire VC Tim Draper
Authored by Tim Draper via Medium.com, The Startup Government Preface. Tribalism to globalism. The Startup Religion. We have a particularly diverse student body at Draper University, and in the program, the students are asked to do challenging projects in teams. As a result, they build extraordinarily tight bonds with each other. Most of them overcome […]
A Founder Using Cloud Services To Save Family Businesses
John Buni, Founder, CleanCloud John Buni A fairly typical, frustrating experience led entrepreneur John Buni to found CleanCloud, a cloud-based, software-as-a-service (SaaS) business. Buni went to his local dry cleaner to pick up his shirt, except Buni couldn’t find his ticket. Without a ticket, the dry cleaner couldn’t find the shirt. Sound familiar? Buni had […]
Oil falls nearly 3% in caution over first phase of U.S.-China trade deal
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Oil prices fell nearly 3% on Monday as a lack of details about the first phase of a trade deal between the United States and China undercut optimism over a trade relations thaw that had helped lift crude markets at the end of last week. FILE PHOTO: Oil rigs are seen […]
New $104K Porsche Taycan Looks Nice But Is No 'Tesla Killer'
Porsche Taycan 4S Porsche Porsche has unveiled a “cheaper” electric car, the Taycan 4S, coming in around $104,000 for the 80kwh battery which will deliver a European range of 407 km (250 miles.) European ranges are somewhat inflated. It has a 3.8 second 0-60 time and all wheel drive. A larger battery model is also […]
Militarized Jeep Gladiator Is A True Road Warrior
The Jeep Gladiator Extreme Military-Grade Truck by AM General concept looks like it’s straight out of the movie Mad Max.” FCA The original Jeep was designed and built as a military vehicle, specifically a ”Light Reconnaissance And Command Car.” It served admirably in World War II and was first offered to the public in a modestly […]
This Design Mistake Could Lower The Resale Value Of Your Home
It’s a hard no on soft flooring. Photo by Binyamin Mellish from Pexels Whether you’re buying a new home or renovating your current one, if resale value is a concern, there’s absolutely one design mistake that turns off a large segment of potential buyers: wall-to-wall carpeting, especially throughout a home. According to Allison Chiaramonte, who is […]
Sears Will Close Another 100 Stores Amid Failed Turnaround
A new report by The Wall Street Journal indicates about 100 of the 425 Sears and Kmart stores that financier Edward Lampert acquired out of bankruptcy are set to close by year-end. Lampert, who was chairman and chief executive of parent Sears Holdings Corp., decided in late 2018 to file for bankruptcy protection. Lampert provided the parent […]
How Deutsche Bank Hired Its Way to the Top in China
Foreign companies have long clamored for access to China, the world’s most populous country and second-biggest economy. But when Germany’s biggest lender, Deutsche Bank, set its sights on China nearly two decades ago, it was late to the game and faced fierce competition. An investigation by The New York Times and the German newspaper Süddeutsche […]
Wall Street flat as trade deal optimism wanes, earnings in focus
(Reuters) – U.S. stocks stalled on Monday after three straight sessions of gains as a bare-bones trade deal with China announced on Friday dampened sentiment and triggered a 2% drop in oil prices, ahead of the start of third-quarter earnings season. Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New […]
Move To Replace Columbus With Indigenous Peoples' Day Is Gaining Momentum
Authored by Kelli Ballard via LibertyNation.com, The second Monday in October is celebrated across the nation – with a few exceptions – as Columbus Day. It’s a time to honor Christopher Columbus, the Italian explorer who mistakenly landed on American soil and started the migration of Europeans and the colonization of a previously occupied land. The […]
NBC News Hits Back Against Ronan Farrow’s ‘Catch and Kill’ Book
NBC News pushed back against the investigative journalist Ronan Farrow on Monday, denying his allegations that the network tried to conceal complaints about the former “Today” host Matt Lauer and obstruct Mr. Farrow’s reporting into the film mogul Harvey Weinstein. “We have no secrets and nothing to hide,” the NBC News president, Noah Oppenheim, wrote […]
Detail not delay: Six things green businesses want from the Environment Bill
Green groups will be pouring over details of the government’s proposals The government is preparing to publish its long-awaited Environment Bill – and its contents will be crucial to post-Brexit green governance Today, as thousands of Extinction Rebellion activists continued to hold court in central London and with public concern for the environment at record […]
Box Office: ‘Joker’ Became The Most Successful October Release Ever—In Just 10 Days
Joker Warner Bros. Sure, Joker is performing better than anybody ever expected. But this…this is ridiculous. We’re just 13 days into the month (and ten days into the film’s release) and Joker has already made more money than any movie has ever made during October. Last week we reported that Joker would easily claim the […]
MIB: Economists are so over
Out of the destruction of the Post-World War economies, began the rise of the economists. Beginning in the United States, then going global, economists created new ideas about deficits, monetary and fiscal policy, that slowly gained traction. By the late 20th century, the influence of economists impacted every corner of the modern world, including trade, […]
Four Reasons Will Smith And Ang Lee’s ‘Gemini Man’ Was A Box Office Disaster
Will Smith versus Will Smith in ‘Gemini Man’ Skydance and Paramount Ang Lee and Will Smith’s Gemini Man, an ambitious, original but poorly reviewed sci-fi flick, opened with just $20.5 million in domestic box office this weekend. It hasn’t performed much better overseas, where it has earned $59 million worldwide after opening in around 85% of […]
‘The Mask’ Gets Chocolatey In Provocative First Glimpse At Dark Horse’s Revival Comic
Dark Horse Comics We’ve come a long way since Stanley Ipkiss first put on a magical faceplate that turned him into a cartoon character with a darkly murderous sense of humor. A lot has changed since the dangerous artifact made its comic book debut at Dark Horse in the late 1980s. The world is now […]
Facebook's Libra faces support test after payment giants jump ship
LONDON (Reuters) – Facebook’s (FB.O) Libra cryptocurrency faces a pivotal meeting of backers on Monday, days after the ambitious project to bring digital coins into mainstream commerce suffered a severe setback when major payment firms quit. FILE PHOTO: A small toy figure stands on representations of virtual currency in front of the Libra logo in […]
Factbox: Facebook's Libra in trouble as firms jump ship
(Reuters) – A number of payment processors and fintech companies that joined Facebook Inc’s (FB.O) digital currency project Libra with great fanfare earlier this year, have abandoned the project, dealing a blow to the social media giant’s plans. FILE PHOTO: Shadow of a 3D-printed Facebook Libra cryptocurrency logo is seen near cryptocurrency representation in this […]
WTO clears U.S. to target EU goods with tariffs over Airbus
GENEVA (Reuters) – The World Trade Organization (WTO) formally authorized the United States on Monday to impose tariffs on up to $7.5 billion of imports of EU goods after an arbitrator’s decision over subsidies to planemaker Airbus (AIR.PA). The WTO’s dispute settlement body, made up of representatives from its 164 members, cleared Washington to take […]