Most employees don’t understand their benefits. Here’s how to make sure you aren’t wasting your money

So you’ve received a job offer. Now comes the part where you try to understand the intricate web that is also known as your employer’s benefits program. This is no easy task, which is why you might find yourself calling your dad crying, asking “what is life insurance, and should I be worried about someone stealing my social security number enough to sign up for identity theft protection?" as you try to decipher all your different options. READ MORE

How to Do Market Research for a Startup

So, you have plans to create an industry-disrupting startup. Before you get started, ask yourself this: Do I know the industry well enough to disrupt it?

It’s exhilarating to start a new entrepreneurial endeavor. However, it’s easy to get caught up in the tangible elements of establishing and advertising your business: designing a website, getting the message out, and building your brand. READ MORE

Small businesses still struggling financially, Fed survey finds

Small businesses continue to struggle financially and many are facing greater challenges with managing supply chain challenges and hiring enough workers, according to a survey released Tuesday by the Federal Reserve.

While some small businesses have seen their revenues increase, the recovery has been uneven, with smaller firms and those owned by racial minorities seeing fewer gains, the report showed. READ MORE

Another U.S. Inflation Gauge Is Heading Even Higher

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his colleagues in the coming week can expect to see their key inflation metric accelerate to a fresh four-decade high last seen when Paul Volcker led the U.S. central bank.The personal consumption expenditures price index, which the Fed uses for its inflation target, probably jumped 6% in January from a year earlier, according to the median of a Bloomberg survey of economists. The core measure, which excludes food and fuel, is forecast to climb 5.2%.Less than a month before the Fed’s next policy meeting, a sharper-than-projected advance in the price gauge could turn up the heat for a half-point increase in the benchmark interest rate. January’s consumer-price index rose more than forecast, with broad advances in the costs of goods and services. READ MORE

Executive greed is driving the labor shortage, says leader whose workers own 100% of the company

Bob Moore, 93, goes to work every day doing what he describes as his dream job, running Bob’s Red Mill, the Oregon-based whole-grain foods manufacturer he founded with his wife in 1978. But having a nonagenarian president isn’t the only thing that makes Bob’s Red Mill a special place to work. As of April 2020, the company is 100% employee-owned. READ MORE

Billionaire Carl Icahn targets McDonald's over pig welfare

Legendary investor Carl Icahn is known for his aggressive campaigns to shake up Corporate America. Now, he's leveraging his reputation to tackle an issue close to his heart: the welfare of pigs.

McDonald's (MCD) said Sunday that Icahn had nominated two new directors to its board. The move "relates to a narrow issue regarding the company's pork commitment," the fast food chain said in a statement. READ MORE

The "Crapification" Of The US Economy Is Now Complete

The U.S. economy has fundamentally changed, and not for the better. There are numerous dynamics behind this decay, and I'll discuss a few of the more consequential ones this month.

One consequential dynamic few mainstream pundits dare discuss is the "crapification" of the entire U.S. economy. That isn't my description, "crapification" is now in common use. If the word offends you, substitute terminal decay of quality, competition, utility, durability, repairability and customer service. READ MORE

Facebook is staring down a 'perfect storm' of challenges that will define its future

Facebook has had an abysmal week.

In its fourth-quarter earnings report, parent company Meta revealed a major revenue shortfall, missing Wall Street expectations amid challenges spurred by its multibillion-dollar investment in its augmented reality “metaverse,” setting off a wave of stock-price volatility Thursday. Markets closed with Facebook down 26 percent, having shed roughly $230 billion from its market value — the biggest-ever one-day loss for a U.S. company. READ MORE

Dotdash Meredith ends print editions of six magazines

Dotdash Meredith, owned by media mogul Barry Diller's IAC, has decided to stop publishing the print editions of six magazines including Entertainment Weekly and InStyle as part of a digital push.

The move would result in 200 job losses and impacted titles also include EatingWell, Health, Parents and People en Español, Dotdash Meredith Chief Executive Officer Neil Vogel said on Wednesday in a memo to staff that was seen by Reuters. READ MORE