Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Forbes: Free Government Money For All? Some People See A Need For It


BY SIMON CONSTABLE

This last decade there's been a growing concern that the capitalist system isn't working enough for all members of society. Income inequality, job insecurity, the working poor, etc. have all been pointed to as problems that need solving, at least by some people.

Now step forward Universal Basic Income (UBI,) a form of standard government-funded stipend that citizens would receive each month if the idea were ever realized on a broad scale. Its proponents think it might solve the perceived ills of our system.

It is also the topic of a soon-to-be-published book titled "Give People Money: How A Universal Basic Income Would End Poverty, Revolutionize Work, And Remake The World," which was written by journalist Annie Lowrey. Read more here.


Forbes: Washington's Latest Plan To Waste Your Tax Dollars

By SIMON CONSTABLE
There's wasteful, and then there's government wasteful.
You can guess which one is worse.
Just in case you didn't already know, earlier this month there was a stark reminder of our need to be ever vigilant against government excess. This time, the offending item was in the latest defense spending bill and includes the plan to ship coal to Germany all the way from the U.S., all on the taxpayer dime. Read more here.

P.J. Media: How to Make ObamaCare Pay

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It looks like some enterprising individuals have found a way to make the Affordable Care Act (ACA) more affordable -- at least for themselves.
A new study reveals how they did it, and comes just in time to plan for next year when yet another round of absurdly hefty hikes in insurance premiums are already in the offing.
Read more here.

Friday, June 22, 2018

Forbes: Still Going Strong -- How One Startup Bucked The Financial Crisis And Thrived

By SIMON CONSTABLE

It's something of a maxim on Wall Street that the best trades are often those which are hardest to make. For instance, when the price of a stock has dropped like a stone, there is generally a lingering doubt that buying the stock is the right thing to do. Thoughts whirl around all based on one question: What does everyone else know that I don't?

Imagine then how nerve-wracking it must have been to start a new financial company in 2008, the very depths of the financial crisis. That was a time when waking from even a few hours sleep might bring news of yet another company's demise. It was a period when even the storied firms of Wall Street, such as Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns, were not immune from financial disaster. Read more here.




Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Korn Ferry: Will Women Reign in Spain?

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Of all countries, Spain is probably not viewed as the forefront of gender equality—think bullfighting and the macho culture of old there, for example. But score one for a country that has been working to change perceptions: Recently, the country’s new prime minister appointed 11 out of the 17 top ministerial roles to women, the first such majority-women cabinet in the country’s history. Read more here.

Monday, June 18, 2018

Forbes: 5 Lessons From Tesla's Recent Rollercoaster Ride

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Tesla has had a bad few months, that's for sure.
But any student of business should learn from what's happened. And that's where there are plenty of lessons.

Here's what you need to know.