Berkshire recorded a hefty windfall from the tax bill that Congress passed at the end of last year. Questions: 1. According to the article, the 2017 tax cut was 2/3 of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2017 Earnings. How much were the earnings and how much (in dollars) was the tax cut? 2. In the past, how did… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Accounting Information Systems
Sitting or Standing at Work?
According to the Washington Post, a new research study (recently published in the journal Ergonomics) reported that the new standing desks may be bad for your health, since standing at a desk for a prolonged period of time will create “discomfort and deteriorating mental reactiveness.” Questions: 1. What did the Newsweek article about a 12-year… Read more »
Inheriting Stuff
According to the New York Times, baby boomers are growing older and with them comes a growing volume of unwanted keepsakes and family heirlooms; so, too, is the need for a number of delicate conversations about what to do with this stuff. Questions: 1. What type of changes exist as we view the baby boomer… Read more »
The Best Eggs That Silicon Valley Money Can Buy
According to The Washington Post, Silicon Valley elites are becoming part of the nation’s preeminent local food movement, by owning egg-laying chickens. Having chickens is now on par with driving a Tesla! Questions: 1. What was the most interesting cost that you read about regarding Silicon Valley chickens and all their amenities? 2. What did… Read more »
The Amazon Effect
According to the New York Times, to create a Super Bowl snack, their authors bought the same ingredients at a new Whole Foods 365 store and a Walmart. The prices were different and so were the outcomes. Questions: 1. What did the authors want to cook? 2. What was the price difference? 3. Which cooked… Read more »
What was your past salary?
According to the New York Times, laws prohibiting employers from asking job candidates about their past compensation before making a salary offer are gaining momentum, aimed at reducing pay disparities and other obstacles confronting women and minorities. Questions: 1. What does the article say about the way some researchers see it? 2. What does some… Read more »
No cash allowed
In Sweden, “No cash accepted” signs are becoming an increasingly common sight in shops and eateries across the country as payments go digital and mobile. Questions: 1. Why is going cashless bad for tax cheats? 2. Why are authorities in Sweden worried about the cashless society? 3. What percent of Swedes never use cash? 4…. Read more »
Protect what?
Under Mick Mulvaney, the CFPB, which once was the agency dedicated to preventing banks and credit-card companies from scamming ordinary Americans, now becomes an agency dedicated to protecting potential financial scammers from legal penalties. Questions: 1. Since Mulvaney took over, what has the Bureau done for payday lenders? 2. Since Mulvaney took over, what has… Read more »
We want REAL eggs!
Panera petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to update its 40-year-old definition of the word “egg” to exclude most of the processed egg products that have become popular with fast-food chains and food-service. Questions: 1. How long has the egg product rule been on the books of the FDA? 2. Do you agree with Panera?… Read more »
Dead or Alive?
According to Bloomberg and Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s global head of investment research, the tumble in cryptocurrencies that erased nearly $500 billion of market value over the past month could get a lot worse. Questions: 1. What are some of the signs that Steve Strongin notes about cryptocurrencies that worry him? 2. What was Strongin… Read more »