This video offers advice for you on when to lock in low interest rates and pay off credit card debt. Questions: 1. Why does the bond market have so much affect on your life? 2. Why would you want to be as aggressive as you can to pay down credit card debt? 3. Why are… Read more »
Monthly Archives: July 2013
Deutsche Bank Shrinks its Balance Sheet
Deutsche Bank said it would significantly shrink its balance sheet to comply with stricter leverage rules as the lender missed analysts’ expectations in the second quarter. Questions: 1. What are some of the factors on why the bank is shrinking its balance sheet? Be specific. 2. Why have Deutsche Bank’s profits fallen recently? 3. Explain… Read more »
Here we go again!
In a release on July 30, 2013, JP Morgan has agreed to pay a $410 penalty over allegations it manipulated U.S. electricity markets. According to the official release, JP Morgan Ventures Energy Corporation is alleged to have manipulated the electricity market through the company’s bidding activities in California and the Midwest during the period from… Read more »
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall – Who is the Most Expensive of Them All?
It is hard to fathom but the newest British royal boy who was born in fanciest hospital ward in Britain cost $15,000. However, that is nothing compared to the average U.S. birth, where new parents are billed $30,000 and eventually pay $18,000. Questions: 1. What drives the high pregnancy health costs in the U.S. as… Read more »
Ring-around-the-Rosy
Did you know that you are paying a fraction of a cent every time you open a can of soda (or other canned beverages)? Why? It is because Goldman Sachs and other financial players have maneuvered the price of aluminum. Each day, a fleet of trucks shuffles 1,500-pound bars of aluminum among 27 warehouses in… Read more »
Where are the Controls?: Corporate Ethical Breaches Identified by Auditors
According to a 2011 internal audit, executives at the British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline were warned about critical problems with the way the company conducted research at its drug development center in China. Potential financial risk and regulatory action are likely due to the sales practices that are currently at the center of a bribery and… Read more »
Cooking Empire Crumbles
Questions: 1. Do you think that the businesses were right in dropping Ms. Deen’s licensing and merchandise endorsements? 2. Discuss the millions of dollars Ms. Deen will lose in terms of what financial statements and accounts affected. Be as specific as possible. 3. How did the whole Paula Deen incident start and what is the… Read more »
Gift Scandal in Virginia
There has been a growing investigation into gifts that Virginia’s governor and wife have secured from businessman, Jonnie R. Williams Sr. One of the key issues that the FBI is investigating is Governor Bob McDonnell’s ties to a company known as Star Scientific and gifts from its chief executive is Mr. Williams. Questions: 1. Based… Read more »
Making government contracting pay and pay and pay……..
According to the Washington Post, a federal judge sentenced Kerry F. Khan, the mastermind of a contracting scam of “historic proportions,” to nearly two decades behind bars. This sentence was even more than prosecutors had requested because of the “staggering” scope of the scheme. Questions: 1. What were some of the “red flags” associated with… Read more »
Would you prefer a payroll card to direct deposit?
More and more American workers are facing fees before they are able to access their wages on payday. Why? Prepaid cards have been issued by their employers to replace direct deposit or paper paychecks. Questions: 1. Who are some of the well-known companies using these prepaid cards? Why is the New York attorney general getting… Read more »