Overhauling Denver’s campaign finance rules was popular with voters in 2018. More than 70% of Denverites who cast ballots that year voted for Referred Measure 2E. The sweeping change to the city’s campaign rules ratcheted down contribution limits for candidates seeking every seat from mayor to the city auditor, banned direct corporate and union campaign contributions and established a fair elections fund to provide public financing for candidates who agreed to abide by even lower contribution limits and other rules. Participate in the fair elections fund and receive a 9-to-1 public funding match on contributions from Denver residents between $5 and $50. In other words, a $50 donation becomes $500 with taxpayer money so long as the donor hails from the city and county. A lot has happened since then. First, the measure’s backers struck a deal with the City Council to delay the law’s effective date until after the 2019 municipal election instead of trying to enact the changes … [Read more...] about In crowded city races, Denver’s new fair election fund will face first test
Bear market mutual funds
Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Shaktikanta Das refuses to pivot
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das. (File photo) Dear Reader , A day before the monetary policy announcement, the yield on the 10-year bond fell sharply on a media report that the MPC would signal a pause after Friday’s hike. Thankfully, the MPC held firm, refusing to oblige the bond markets. Not only did it increase the repo rate by 50 basis points, but also the MPC signalled more rate hikes in future by refusing to tone down its ‘withdrawal of accommodation’ stance. Much is being made of the fact that the policy rate is now at the pre-pandemic level. At 5.4 percent, the repo rate is now back to where it was in September 2019. But that is no big deal. GDP growth was a measly 3.7 percent in 2019-20 compared to RBI’s projection of 7.2 percent in 2022-23; retail inflation was a much lower 4.8 percent in 2019-20, compared to a projected 6.7 percent for 2022-23; the current account deficit was a comfortable 0.9 percent of GDP in 2019-20 as against projections of around 3 percent … [Read more...] about Moneycontrol Pro Weekender | Shaktikanta Das refuses to pivot
On your mark, get S.E.T., go!
Question : How can I focus on investing when I am busy with my 8 am to 5 pm job? I have a co-worker who manages the funds of our other co-workers on the side. But he is always being caught by his boss doing things other than his job. Answer: Mark my words, investing in registered financial securities is not just some hobby that you can perform in your spare time. That is why billion-dollar industries have sprouted to facilitate such investing. You need to be all S.E.T. to invest directly in registered financial securities all by yourself. “S” stands for sizable funds. Sure, you can buy financial securities with a small amount of money. But like in many things, it is so easy to buy. What is more challenging is making money. And to make money on financial securities, you will need to have access to in-depth information. You will also need to have “E,” which stands for both expertise and experience. You may be given investing information by your broker. But if you are not the … [Read more...] about On your mark, get S.E.T., go!
Stock Buyback Tax Will Harm State & Local Pensions
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin The growth trajectory of the largest national entitlement programs — Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid — has many concerned, understandably so. But state and local unfunded pension liabilities must also be counted among the major challenges to U.S. fiscal health. According to Pew research, unfunded state pension liabilities reached a combined $1.25 trillion in 2019. Other projections that assume more modest investment returns find total unfunded state pension liabilities today in excess of $8 trillion . The trillions of dollars in growing unfunded public pension liabilities, for which taxpayers are ultimately on the hook, is a problem that could soon be exacerbated by a new federal tax in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will diminish state and local pension plan returns. “We should not increase taxes, and we did not increase taxes,” Senator Joe Manchin (D-W.V.) said about the IRA on NBC’s Meet the … [Read more...] about Stock Buyback Tax Will Harm State & Local Pensions
The Benefits of Licensing for Startups.
Startup founders need every tool at their disposal to successfully launch and grow their businesses. One of those tools is a clear understanding of how the licensing business model can be employed to support their goals , including speed to market and filing intellectual property that is attractive to investors. The concept of licensing has been around for a very long time. The inventor of the first patented technology -- Samuel Hopkins, in 1790, for a new method of manufacturing potash and pearl ash -- licensed it to a local businessman the next year, says historian Arthur Daemmrich at the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. Basically, one party (the inventor or artist) grants another party (typically a company) the right to produce and sell something they created. As far as I can tell, most startup founders aren't very familiar with the concept of licensing a product onto the market. Venturing -- the traditional method of bringing a … [Read more...] about The Benefits of Licensing for Startups.
Bibek Debroy writes: India’s economy is better placed than its peers, other economies around the world
Representative image Impostor syndrome seems to be more common than actually thought, though at a collective level. People may often feel that the groups they are affiliated with may be underperforming in comparison to other groups. Although this self-critical approach may work in certain cases, it may also overlook the positives, and decrease the morale of those affiliated with the group. Many in India seem to have a collective/national-level impostor syndrome. While the Indian economy is much better placed than its peers in the emerging markets, and other economies, the government is being criticised on the economic front. The criticism comes when the fundamentals of the Indian economy are robust, despite the exogenous shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, monetary policy tightening by the US Federal Reserve, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, and inflated crude oil prices. India's macroeconomic health remains robust despite external pressures, and ongoing … [Read more...] about Bibek Debroy writes: India’s economy is better placed than its peers, other economies around the world
How This Entrepreneur Built the Hottest Plush Startup in Years
After 20 years of being in business, this is what I know for sure: Making customer service a priority is one of your best forms of protection, hands down. What does putting your customer first look like in practice? Asking them about their experience. Answering their questions in a timely manner. Delivering on your promises. Being consistent, truthful, and transparent. Developing products and services that actually solve problems, inspire joy, and then continuing to improve on the experience. Treating each and every person who engages with your brand like a friend. Refusing to settle. Taking responsibility for your mistakes and learning from them. Never forget: Establishing trust takes time, and can be lost in an instant. To build a successful business today, you must truly care about your customer. Few entrepreneurs I know embody this philosophy more wholeheartedly than Marissa Louie , CEO and chief designer of the hit magnetic stuffed animals, Animoodles . The … [Read more...] about How This Entrepreneur Built the Hottest Plush Startup in Years
Promoting The Free Economy In Brazil
Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Latin America is going bad – very bad. Many of the region's large economies have lurched toward leftist populism in recent years. With the election of former guerrilla leader Gustavo Petro to the presidency, Colombia seems to be another victim of the trend. But for such leftists, the big prize is still to be captured: Brazil. With almost half of South America's economy and population and bordering ten countries, what happens in Brazil is always relevant for the Americas and the world. The country's upcoming presidential election is a case in point. The two leading candidates, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Jair Bolsonaro, both have plenty of detractors. Local and foreign media cover their campaigns and road to the election. There is seldom coverage of those who work outside the political party system to try to influence Brazil's future. I want to highlight some of them here. I will only focus on non-religious organizations … [Read more...] about Promoting The Free Economy In Brazil
Snapchat rolls out option to let parents see who their teens are messaging
(CNN Business) Snapchat on Tuesday introduced its first parental control center, nearly 10 months after an executive from the company told Congress it was developing tools aimed at helping parents keep their teens safe. The new tool, called Family Center, promises to give parents more insight into who their teenagers are communicating with on the messaging app — without divulging the content of those conversations. Parents must create their own Snapchat account, and teens have to opt-in and give permission for them to use the feature. Their teenage children died by suicide. Now these families want to hold social media companies accountable "Family Center is designed to reflect the way that parents engage with their teens in the real world, where parents usually know who their teens are friends with and when they are hanging out — but don't eavesdrop on their private conversations," the company said in a blog post. After disclosures … [Read more...] about Snapchat rolls out option to let parents see who their teens are messaging
A big assist for small businesses
Small business owners spent much of the last two years trying to move forward as the ground shifted beneath their feet. From extended closures and supply chain issues to labor shortages and changing health regulations, the far-reaching effects of COVID-19 brought one unprecedented challenge after another. advertisement Early in the pandemic, the global B2B marketing team at American Express recognized this turbulent new landscape and responded by creating an education platform called Business Class. The platform quickly grew into a widely used source of information and support. It’s a big reason why American Express earned a spot on Fast Company ‘s 2022 list of Best Workplaces for Innovators. A NEW LEARNING PLATFORM “When the financial crisis happened, our small businesses needed customers, so we created Small Business Saturday to encourage people to visit local stores,” says Clayton Ruebensaal, executive vice president of Global B2B Marketing at American … [Read more...] about A big assist for small businesses