Efforts to compel all financial advisers to act in the best interest of their clients have been derailed–again.
Government
The Other Complication for Airbnb and the Sharing Economy: Taxes
Few people involved in the sharing economy know what taxes they’re supposed to pay, nor how to pay them. Because the rules are unclear, enforcement is almost nonexistent, and the feeling that “sharing” shouldn’t be taxed at all, very few people do pay them.
Big Brother Is Watching You Swipe: The NSA’s Credit Card Data Grab
The National Security Agency isn’t just snooping into phone and online communications. It also appears to be keeping a close eye on credit card transactions. Why? And what can they see?
The Real Reason Telecoms Cooperate on National Security? Money
Verizon, the phone company whose disclosure of customer data to the U.S. federal government is at the center of the furor over cooperation by technology companies with top-secret national-security programs, has offered a precise, clear, but little-noticed public explanation of why it did what it did.
The Verizon explanation is not in the
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China, the U.S. and a Special Relationship in the Making: 5 Shared Economic Challenges
As President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping settle into conversation in California for the weekend, there’s talk of a new kind of G-2 alliance between the nations, and even a “grand bargain” over issues like trade, …
Buying Lottery Tickets Just Keeps Getting Easier
It’s not like buying lottery tickets is particularly difficult. But because states continually want to increase revenues via rising lottery sales, they’re constantly looking for “innovations” that make lottery tickets easier to buy and available at every turn—like at the gas pump, the ATM, or just the computer screen.
How to Fix the Post Office: Keep the ‘Last Mile,’ Outsource the Rest
A proposal to create a “hybrid” United States Postal Service would keep postal workers on their routes while allowing private companies to compete for mail collection, transportation, and processing. Now all it needs is a
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A Starbucks for Pot? National Chain of Marijuana Stores in the Works
If one newly converted pot-smoking visionary has his way, the Washington-based company he created will become the Starbucks or Coca Cola of the cannabis industry.
Viewpoint: A Balanced Budget Amendment That Might Actually Work
The current debate over national economic policy has drawn to standstill in recent months, amid falling unemployment, budget deficits, and the sundry scandals that have consumed much of Washington. But just because the problems of unemployment and the unsustainability of our long-term budget appear less severe than they did a year ago …
Bernanke’s Dilemma: No Good Moves Left
It could be risky for the Fed to continue its easy-money policy – and dangerous to stop.
How Much Will a Legal Marijuana Habit Cost You?
If you’re an average pot smoker in Colorado — paying average prices for average-quality marijuana — you can expect to spend around $650 on weed next year
The Mystery of the Incredible Shrinking Budget Deficit
The Obama Administration is having pretty much the worst week ever, but somewhere amidst the fog of scandal lies some pretty good news about the budget deficit, namely that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is predicting it will be much smaller in 2013 than was projected just a few months ago.
That’s right, the federal budget …