This is the final edition of BlackMBA NetWire for 2019.

The staff at the National Black MBA Association^® would like to wish you and your family Happy Holidays and a safe and Happy New Year. The NetWire newsletter will return on January 9, 2020. 

As you begin visualizing and creating your vision boards, here are four financial New Year’s resolutions to avoid making and tips on how to create goals you can actually achieve. (Black Enterprise)

While culture is quite often considered one of a company’s most precious assets, it is increasingly becoming a liability for companies that don’t tend to it. Continued advocacy around #MeToo, new levels of scrutiny from investors and regulators, and increased activism on social media are forcing boards and CEOs to be accountable for culture in ways they haven’t been before. (Harvard Business Review)

For the 2020 Surge Cities index, Inc. and innovation policy company Startup Genome analyzed data on seven essential indicators – such as early-stage funding and job creation -– to determine the 50 best areas for startup growth. (Inc.)

As 2020 nears its end, are you starting to think more about what it might be like to work abroad? Well you may be in luck. All of these companies have jobs around the world, with opportunities to move to offices in different cities, countries and continents. (The Muse)

With “burnout” now officially recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the responsibility for managing it has shifted away from the individual and towards the organization. Leaders take note: It’s now on you to build a burnout strategy. (HBR)

Despite many obstacles, two age groups, 65 to 74 years old and 75 and older, are expected to have faster annual rates of labor force growth than that of any others, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is partly due to fears of outliving their money and driven by loving what they do. Over the decade from 2014 to 2024, the labor force growth rate for 65- to 74-year-olds is projected to be about 4.5% annually, and about 6.4% annually for those 75 and older. (MarketWatch)

More and more, research is proving that focusing on diversity and inclusion is critical to the success of companies. According to a 2014 report from Bersin by Deloitte, “inclusion” means creating an environment in which people feel involved, respected, valued, connected and empowered to bring their “authentic” selves (their ideas, backgrounds, and perspectives) to their work with colleagues and customers. Here are a few reasons businesses win when they make diversity and inclusivity a priority –including a healthier bottom line. (SheKnows)

Pundits and investors who thought an 80-seat majority would neutralize the party's hard Brexit elements prepared – or even wanting – to leave without a deal have apparently been proved wrong. (BBC)

Oftentimes, your industry influences your culture. But you – as the business owner – have the ultimate say. Once you know how your company is perceived by your current staff and potential job candidates, you can adapt, develop and improve your culture so that it is optimized for what you want it to be. (BusinessBecause)

Since the beginning of 2019 through the end of November, approximately 75,000 announced job losses have come as a result of retail store closings, according to outplacement firm Challenger Gray & Christmas. When stores close, the human toll often gets lost in the midst of the numbers. (USA TODAY)

With just a few weeks left in 2019, you can still check a few key tasks off your financial to-do list if you haven't already. Here are six that you should take care of before the decade comes to a close. (USA TODAY)

In a move that could have a significant impact on customers in the final weeks of the busy Christmas shopping season, Amazon told its third-party merchants that FedEx Corp.’s delivery performance is slipping and they are no longer allowed to use the company’s ground delivery network for quick Prime shipments through the holidays. (Bloomberg)