George Michael, who rocketed to stardom with WHAM! and went on to enjoy a long and celebrated solo career lined with controversies, has died, his publicist said Sunday. He was 53. Michael died at his home in Goring, England.
Category: Business News
More foreign Vegas visits don’t equal more tips, workers say
Servers and dealers on the Las Vegas Strip say they’re worried that as more foreign visitors hit the restaurants and casinos, they’ll receive smaller tips because the tourists are coming from countries like China, where American-style, 20 percent gratuities are uncommon. “It’s very difficult when you’re serving or relying on tips and the majority of your guests are foreign.
GOP Fury Over Energy Confronts Reality of Congress’ Snail Pace
Republicans who have vowed to roll back dozens of Obama-era coal, climate and energy regulations are up against a harsh reality: There isn’t enough time to kill them all. A packed congressional calendar and the challenge of assembling a coalition to vote down each measure will force lawmakers to pick their targets.
Marriott Stock: Is It Too Late to Buy In?
The hotel industry is not a high-growth segment of the market with a lot of surprises, particularly not at the top, where companies have thousands of properties and forecast low-single-digit changes in sales. Yet Marriott International shares have grown 25% so far in 2016.
E*TRADE vs. Robinhood: Does Free Stock Trading Win Out?
Before you can make an investment, you’ll need to open a brokerage account to place your trades. The choices are numerous, but today we’ll compare two popular brokerages, E*TRADE and Robinhood, so that investors can better understand how their services might match up with their investment portfolios.
Will 2017 Be Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Worst Year Yet?
The biotech stock is down over 25% in 2016. Sales for hepatitis C virus drugs Harvoni and Sovaldi are dropping like a brick.
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In less than a month, Donald Trump will be sworn in as the 45th president of the United States, and the clock will begin ticking on the Affordable Care Act’s likely demise. The ACA, which is more commonly known as Obamacare, has been a polarizing law since Day One.
Jeremy LaKosh
Jeremy LaKosh received a bachelor’s degree in history/political science from Eureka College and an MBA from Kent State University. He is currently the Chief Financial Officer at a CCRC in Central Illinois.
Lockheed Martin’s (Non-Trump) Headwinds
This commentary originally appeared on Real Money Pro at 9:00 a.m. on Dec. 23. Click here to learn about this dynamic market information service for active traders. Lockheed Martin has been under pressure for the past few weeks because of tweets by President-elect Donald Trump.
Pipeline uncertainty illustrates broader concerns for tribes
In this Sept. 26, 2016, file photo, President Barack Obama tips he hat as he stands with Brian Cladoosby, President of National Congress of American Indians, at the 2016 White House Tribal Nations Conference in Washington.
Is a Costco Executive Membership Worth an Extra $55 a Year?
Taking the next step and spending $110, a full extra $55, on an Executive Membership seems like an added risk, but it may actually be a safer choice. That sounds counterintuitive, but the more expensive membership comes with a major perk that may actually make it a better deal than the cheaper $55 Gold Star offer.
What to do with unwanted gift cards
Gift cards are a popular present at the holidays – the National Retail Federation says more than half of consumers plan to give one this year. But they aren’t always wanted – research organization CEB TowerGroup estimates that $1 billion of the $130 billion spent on gift cards last year went unused.
SpaceX Mission Delay Could Cost NASA Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
Earlier this year, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration signed a contract hiring Russia’s Roscosmos to transport six American astronauts to the International Space Station for $81.7 million per head . The two-year contract was valued at $490 million — 15% more than the preceding contract.
The Most Expensive Smart Home Device of 2016
Echo to connected and automated toilet seats. While most of these smart home devices range from under $100 to a few hundred, the Samsung “Family Hub” refrigerator, clocking in at a cool $5,999 on the high-end model, takes the prize as the most expensive smart home device of the year.
Can You Pass This Medicare Quiz?
Social Security may seem to get all of the glory given that it puts money in seniors’ pockets on a monthly basis during retirement, but the importance of Medicare is growing. According to the Urban Institute, an average income male with $47,800 in earnings in 2015 dollars will receive more in estimated lifetime benefits from Medicare than Social Security if he turns 65 in the year 2055.
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As we inch closer to 2017, many of us have money on the brain. If you’re hoping 2017 will finally be the year you get on top of your savings, here are 10 simple, painless ways to achieve that goal.
Stocks Under $10 Portfolio: Look for Light Volume This Week
The following is an excerpt from the Stocks Under $10 Weekly Roundup originally sent to Stocks Under $10 subscribers on Dec. 23. Click here to learn more about this dynamic portfolio managed by David Peltier. Stocks ticked lower this week on light volume, ahead of the Christmas holiday.
What Is the Santa Rally?
The term refers to the idea that the stock market tends to rise during the period just before Christmas through the end of the year. In its length, the phenomenon is actually closer to Hanukkah, with the rally period being the last five trading days of the calendar year and the first two trading days after New Year’s Day.
Social Security in 2017: 12 Stats Everyone Should Know
You might not appreciate it yet, but Social Security is vital to most Americans. And it looks like it may be undergoing some big changes, as Republican lawmakers have proposed cuttingbenefits and increasing the retirement age to 69. Given all that, it’s more valuable than ever for you to know more about Social Security.
How I Avoid Capital Gains Tax and How You Can, TooIf You Act Fast
There’s one week left in 2016. Many families still have time to take advantage of a major loophole regarding capital gains taxes, but many aren’t aware it exists.
Trump to Dissolve Foundation
President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday he will dissolve his charitable foundation amid efforts to eliminate any conflicts of interest before he takes office next month. The revelation comes as the New York attorney general’s office investigates the foundation following media reports that foundation spending went to benefit Trump’s campaign.
You’ll Be Surprised at the Size of Berkshire Hathaway’s War Chest
No publicly traded U.S. company has a larger cash hoard. Not Apple , nor Google parent Alphabet — no one.
Will Wynn Resorts, Limited Raise Its Dividend in 2017?
At as high as 7.5% dividend yield in the recent past , Wynn has since slashed its dividend to now just 2% over the trailing 12 months. Things are starting to look good for Wynn’s underlying business once more — could this lead to a dividend raise in the year ahead? Wynn Resorts stock rose massively in the run-up to 2014 thanks largely to the rise in Macau, the gaming mecca off the coast of Mainland China that, at its height, was earning around seven times the gaming revenue of Las Vegas.
Will Elon Musk Really Build a Tunnel Boring Company?
Tunnel boring machines are massive pieces of equipment — train-sized mobile factories designed to dig into the Earth. Coincidentally, they’re almost perfectly shaped to fit aboard a rocket to Mars.
What Ever Happened to the Education IRA?
Saving for educational expenses is an expensive proposition, and the government tried to make it easier for savers by offering a tax-favored vehicle that was initially known as an education IRA. Later, the name got changed to a Coverdell Educational Savings Account or ESA, but the idea remained the same: allow people to save on a tax-free basis for qualified educational costs.
How to Get Serious About Estate Planning When Your Spouse Doesna t Want To
By Rick Kahler via Iris.xyz Supposedly, the most frightening words one spouse can hear from the other are, “Honey, we need to talk.” Even more frightening, however, is, “Honey, we need to talk about estate planning.”
Can Weight Watchers Keep Gaining After Last Week’s 18% Pop?
Shares of the weight-management specialist soared 17.6% last week, after the new ad finds Winfrey revealing that she has lost more than 40 pounds on Weight Watchers. The “Live Fully” campaign is timed to coincide with the end of the year, when losing weight becomes a popular New Year’s resolution.
Bad News: More Americans Have Less Than $1,000 in Savings Than Ever Before
It’s no secret that Americans don’t tend to do a good job of saving money. But instead of learning from our past mistakes, it seems as though we’re continuing to perpetuate them.
Starbucks to Offer Free Drinks During Holiday Season
A Starbucks store is seen inside the Tom Bradley terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, United States on October 27, 2015. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo (
Displaced But Determined: How One Syrian Software Developer Restarted His Career
Five years ago, Adham Rchwani left Syria to rebuild his life in Germany. In his own words, this is what it’s taught him.
Glencore’s All Over Oil Just Now, From Crude to Extra Virgin
Glencore Plc’s got oil trading covered these days, from the crude that drives the global economy to the dressing for your side salad. The world’s biggest commodity trader, which shocked energy-market watchers this month with an $11 billion investment with partner Qatar in Russian oil producer Rosneft PJSC, has been working at the other end of the scale by quietly building a two-person desk trading olive oil in Madrid.
AT&T Intros Tool To Stop Spam Calls
Robocalls have become a “scourge” on U.S. consumers, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler said this past summer upon calling on the tech industry to help find solutions. One proposed fix, just launched by AT&T, is to provide wireless customers with automatic blocking of fraudulent calls and warnings of suspected spam calls.
Saudi Paper Retracts Aramco 49% Stake Sale Plan Story
The Riyadh-based newspaper al-Eqtisadiah retracted a story saying Saudi Arabia is planning to sell almost half of Saudi Arabian Oil Co., the world’s largest oil company known as Aramco. The stake that the government plans to sell and the time frame of the sale are different than what was mentioned in the story published on Saturday, al-Eqtisadiah said in a statement published Sunday.
Jaguar Owner’s Investors Vote to Oust Independent Director Wadia
Shareholders of Tata Motors Ltd. voted to oust independent director Nusli Wadia from the automaker’s board, bringing the owner of Jaguar Land Rover closer to parent Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company of India’s largest conglomerate. About 71 percent of the investors who voted agreed to remove Wadia at a special shareholder meeting in Mumbai on Thursday, according to a company statement.
Discount Brokers: A Comparison of E*TRADE and TradeStation for Long-Term Investors
To make your first investment, you’ll need to open a brokerage account . Picking the best discount broker isn’t easy, but we think the decision can be simplified by focusing on the most important factors.
European Lenders Limp Into 2017 After $12.5 Billion Settlements
Relief that Deutsche Bank AG and Credit Suisse Group AG cleared legal hurdles is likely to soon give way to concern over a bigger problem: European lenders are still struggling to make money. While the combined $12.5 billion in settlements the two agreed to pay to resolve U.S. investigations into sales of toxic debt put one dispute behind them, they also highlighted how handicapped their businesses are in generating increased profits — nowhere more than in Italy, which agreed overnight to pump 20 billion euros into its banks.
I havena t done any Christmas shopping yet
That’s no shopping as in zip, zero … nada. But being the seasoned shopper that I am I have no doubt that I’ll pull this holiday tradition off.
Last-minute gift hunters keep Bay Area shops busy on Christmas
“On Christmas Eve, they’re ready to buy,” said Matt Sharp . “No shopping around.
Under Armour Inc. in 5 Charts
There’s much more to the business than just slowing earnings gains, though. Here are a few charts that capture Under Armour’s latest business trends and its key opportunities for future growth.
What Does 2017 Hold for Social Security?
Over 60 million Americans rely on Social Security to cover their living costs in retirement. Whether you’re a current recipient or not, you may be impacted by the changes Social Security will undergo come 2017.