The landmark spending bill approved by Congress on Thursday is a first step toward reversing years of steady growth in domestic appropriations and sets the stage for still more difficult budget fights this spring that will sorely test the same bipartisan coalition. (Politico)
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Remember last week’s $38.5 billion budget deal? The one that averted a government shutdown? If you’ve paying attention to the news, you might have noticed that that $38.5 billion is a suddenly slippery figure. Depending upon who you listen to, deal actually only cut $352 million (with an ‘m’) in spending, or added $3.3 billion (with a ‘b’), or looking over the longer term, it cut $20-25 billion or maybe even $315 billion. (U.S. News and World Report)
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The mad dash to the finish could cause extra problems this year because of the feds’ push for electronic filing. E-filing is now mandatory for accounting firms that do at least 100 returns a year, and there’s no precedent for how the government’s e-filing system will do under pressure. If you’re among those who are just now struggling through your taxes, here’s a quick guide to the things you need to know now. (MSN Money)
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With unemployment still at its one of the highest levels since the Great Depression, some job seekers are adding another tactic to their traditional job search: volunteering. (SmartMoney)
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In a couple of interviews, the hiring manager has asked what I'm making now very early in the conversation, which puts me in an awkward position. On the one hand, I don't want to seem uncooperative, but on the other hand, shouldn't we discuss exactly what the job entails and why I'm a good fit for it before we move on to the subject of money? (CNN/Money)
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As a career coach, I am often hounding my clients to focus on branding, networking and negotiation. Three online tools have recently surfaced that can make these ongoing tasks more manageable. (Forbes)
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South Africa's new role as Hollywood's hottest back lot reflects how perceptions of the country and the continent are changing. That new image is even finding its way onscreen. (Time)
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Opening up India’s chaotic, underdeveloped retailing industry to foreign supermarket chains would bring many benefits. (The Economist)
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MBAs are going where few MBAs have gone before. In public schools, business smarts and finance skills are suddenly in demand. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
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It is right that MBA students learn how to distil complex business problems into their basic components, says Markus Reitzig, a strategy professor at London Business School. But, as the Fukushima disaster tragically illustrates, there is a downside: the danger of "overconfident oversimplification." (The Economist)
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Tech bubbles happen, but we usually gain from the innovation left behind. This one – driven by social networking – could leave us empty-handed. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
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If you thought the tablet wars were just between Apple and Google, think again. Research In Motion may be late to the fight, but it is fighting for its life, and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet demonstrates that the company means business. (CNet)
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According to a new report, to achieve economic security the average minimum income needed for a family with two workers and two young children is $67,920 — that's with both parents working, and earning just over $16 an hour. (NPR)
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Commodities prices are surging – from oil to cotton to grains to gold. These higher costs pose challenges for companies in industries like apparel, food retailing and appliances as they try to pass on price increases without alienating consumers still weary from a recession and the threat posed by high unemployment. (Knowledge@Wharton)
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Dane Lacey, 49, a radiologist from San Diego, has saved nearly $1.4 million for retirement in eight years by living below his means. (Kiplinger's)
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We all may not be millionaires but there are plenty of financial and life-planning secrets we can learn from the well-heeled. Most people know that wealth in the U.S. is in the hands of a small percentage of the total population. And, today, most of those folks with a net worth of $1 million or more have earned it themselves. (MarketWatch)
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How fast are businesses adopting sustainability-driven management? The new Sustainability & Innovation Study identifies two distinct camps — ‘embracers’ and ‘cautious adopters’ — and offers a snapshot of how the management future will look. (MIT/Sloan Management Review)
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Suppose Congress fails to raise the national debt ceiling before the federal government reaches the current limit of $14.294 trillion, which is expected sometime around May 16. How bad would it be? Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, who is paid to worry about these things, says he has a few emergency measures at his disposal. (Bloomberg/Businessweek)
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On January 8th, 1835, all the big political names in Washington gathered to celebrate what President Andrew Jackson had just accomplished. A senator rose to make the big announcement: "Gentlemen ... the national debt ... is PAID." (NPR)
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When the theory of emotional intelligence at work began to receive widespread attention, we frequently heard executives say—in the same breath, mind you—"That’s incredible," and, "Well, I’ve known that all along." They were responding to our research that showed an incontrovertible link between an executive’s emotional maturity, exemplified by such capabilities as self-awareness and empathy, and his or her financial performance. Simply put, the research showed that "good guys" — that is, emotionally intelligent men and women — finish first. (Harvard Business Review)
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