A Little Goes a Long Way
Sometimes, when Washington changes tax laws, it’s Big Freakin’ News. Back in 1986, a bipartisan group of senators and representatives rewrote the entire Internal Revenue Code from stem to stern. Publishers killed entire forests printing their analyses in newspapers and magazines, and tax pros spent years catching up with the changes. (Passive loss limits! AMT […]
Membership Has Its Privileges
In 1958, American Express launched its first credit card. They worked to position it as a premium offering right out the gate, with a whopping $6 annual fee — a full $1 higher than Diners Club. Those first cards were purple cardboard with typed names and account numbers. But one year later, AmEx rolled out […]
Unaffordable at Any Speed
Have you tried buying a car lately? It’s nuts! Carmakers are scrambling to find the chips they need to power features like entertainment systems and digital displays. That means fewer vehicles are rolling off assembly lines. And as everyone knows, when supplies go down, prices go up. That means dealers can scrawl “$3,000 market price […]
Nice Work If You Can Get It
It’s Spring Break, and millions of Americans are doing their best bird imitations and flying south. College kids will find their way to budget motels in places like Myrtle Beach, Daytona, and South Padre Island, where beer is cheap, bar bouncers understand an ID doesn’t have to be perfect to get the job done, and […]
As Time Goes By
In 1942, Captain Louis Renault, commander of French troops in Casablanca, was “shocked, shocked” to find that gambling was going on at Rick’s Café Americain. As the Captain collected his winnings, he shut Rick down. While that might not sound like a promising start, the pair ultimately joined forces to help the Czech freedom fighter […]
Lights, Camera, Action!
This weekend, Hollywood’s elite gathered to do what they do best: celebrate themselves at the Oscars. And while Will Smith cold-cocking Chris Rock sucked most of the oxygen out of the room, Sunday night’s “main event” still managed to honor the big-name nominees for awards like Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor and Actress. […]
From Russia With Love
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made it an uncharacteristically rough time to be a Russian oligarch. Everyone from western central banks to amateur yacht-tracking sleuths has joined the effort to track down their riches. But a former Wall Street Journal columnist caught our attention in one especially entertaining report: “Western governments have quietly contracted […]
Fill ‘er Up!
With Vladimir Putin’s troops wreaking havoc in Ukraine, Western governments have hammered Russia with unprecedented sanctions that may have already destroyed the country’s economy for a generation. However, those moves have cost us here at home, too. Russia is the world’s second-largest oil producer, and gas prices have hit all-time highs. Millions of Americans are […]
Cascading Consequences
Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world and united the globe. In less than a week, Putin turned himself, his country, and the billionaire oligarchs who back him into international pariahs. Russia’s currency and economy has been destroyed. Interestingly, the Russian legislature has made it a crime, punishable by 15 years in prison, […]
No Good Deed
The ancient Greeks understood that sometimes life calls for sacrifice. In Greek mythology, King Minos of Crete forced the people of Athens to send him seven young men and seven maidens in retribution for the death of his son Androgeos. They can’t have been happy to board the boat, knowing they were destined to become […]