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☆ 5 ways to beat the blues and be productive when you just don't feel like it
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Jeanne Omlor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

By actively using creative visualization, you can activate intrinsic motivation to beat the blues. You need intrinsic motivation. With intrinsic motivation in mind, here is a simple action plan for getting motivated or re-motivated this winter:1. Of course, the best way to begin this entire journey to intrinsic motivation is just to start. Follow these five steps, and not only will you beat the winter blues, but you will accomplish goals with more ease and passion than ever before.

☆ Quick, simple things you can do this year to improve your financial future
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —You know very well you could do a million things to improve your financial situation. The problem, though, is that changing a million things means you’ll basically have to change way too much about how you live. Incremental, implementable and imperfect,” said Brent Weiss, co-founder and head of financial wellness at Facet, a financial planning firm. Break down where your money is going specifically and create a “needs” column and a “wants” column, said Rose Niang, the financial planning director at Edelman Financial Engines. Pay down high-interest debtCredit card interest rates are at record highs this year.

☆ CFPB: What it does and why its future is in question
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The CFPB’s missionThe agency was created after the 2008 financial meltdown, as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The broad purpose of the CFPB is to protect consumers from financial abuses and to serve as the central agency for consumer financial protection authorities. It is charged with implementing and enforcing consumer protection laws, making rules and issuing guidance for consumer financial institutions. And it is the place consumers can go to lodge complaints about financial products and services. “It has completely changed the consumer financial marketplace.

☆ The gender pay gap: Why it hasn't narrowed much over 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Higher education, a shift to higher-paying occupations and more labor market experience have helped women narrow the gender pay gap since 1982,” the Pew analysis noted. “To some extent, the gender wage gap varies by race and ethnicity because of differences in education, experience, occupation and other factors that drive the gender wage gap for women overall,” the Pew analysis noted. Regardless, the gender pay gap is typically narrowest when you pick any single occupation and control for measurable factors between men and women like education, tenure and hours worked. Another factor that may help explain the stickiness of the pay gap is that the wage premium for those with college degrees has grown smaller. Narrowing the gender pay gap from here may be tough sledding.

☆ Here are answers to 5 key questions about the labor board’s severance agreement rule change
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Can my employer no longer ever require that I stay quiet in exchange for severance? Normally there is a six-month window akin to a statute of limitations to bring an alleged violation to the board’s attention. So can employers now never require me to stay mum about the company as a condition of receiving severance? It’s easy to forget, but there is no legal requirement for employers to offer laid off workers severance. “There’s a real risk to employees that the case will have a negative impact on the size of severance packages going forward,” he said.

☆ Premarket stocks: Why today's inflation report is so important
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Recent data has shown that inflation is still hot, and that the economy is rip-roaring. On Thursday, JPMorgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon publicly expressed his doubt in the central bank’s ability to control inflation. This, in turn, can help make it easier for the central bank to achieve its inflation targets. Blackrock analysts wrote in a note Thursday that “we think we are going to be living with inflation. Watson was accused in a federal indictment of having “engaged in a scheme to defraud OZY’s investors, potential investors, potential acquirers, lenders and potential lenders.”The charges said that Watson committed the fraud “through material misrepresentations and omissions” about Ozy Media, including the company’s finances, investors, business partners, contracts, and potential acquisitions.

☆ 401(k) balances rise, despite economic challenges
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

That’s according to new data from Fidelity Investments, one of the largest providers of workplace retirement plans, which combined represent $2.8 trillion in assets on its platform. By that Barry means the average 401(k) savings rate (including both employee contributions and employer matches) held roughly steady at 13.7%, down from the 13.8% in the third quarter and 13.9% in the second quarter. Among generations in the workforce, Baby Boomers had the highest savings rate as a percent of their income (16.5%). But the average rate among this group is still very low – at just 2.6%. The average 401(k) balance in Fidelity-administered plans, meanwhile, rose 7% from the third quarter, to $103,900.

☆ NLRB prohibits employers from including clauses that silence workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Employers can no longer include a broadly written confidentiality clause that requires you to keep mum about the terms of your severance agreement. And they can no longer include a broadly written non-disparagement clause that prohibits you from discussing the terms and conditions of your employment with third parties. With the exception of railroads and airlines, US business employers are subject to the NLRB’s authority. While the labor board’s ruling this week could be appealed, the ruling is effective immediately. That means employers must review — and, if necessary, revise — their severance agreements to ensure they don’t include overly broad language that would restrict workers’ rights in the two ways the board ruling indicates.

☆ The world's oldest person made it to 122—3 reasons she lived so long, from a longevity expert who knew her
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

However, there are some aspects of her life that likely contributed to her ability to live so long, he says. But before her passing, Calment met and discussed her life with Jean-Marie Robine, an expert demographer who studies the links between health and longevity. Jeanne Calment, a French woman, achieved an incredible feat of living to age 122, thus earning the honor of being the world's oldest person on record. She didn't smoke cigarettes until much later in lifeUntil marriage, Calment was not allowed to smoke, says Robine. Interestingly enough, Calment didn't smoke for most of her life, but picked up the habit at around age 112 while living in a nursing home.

☆ Black couples pay a higher tax penalty for marriage than White couples. Here’s why
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

A recent study by the Tax Policy Center, for example, found that Black couples on average face higher tax costs associated with marriage than White couples. “We find that Black couples are more likely than White couples to experience an income tax penalty from marriage and to face higher penalties. Differences in dollars and centsResearchers found that among couples hit with a marriage penalty, Black couples paid less in dollars ($1,804 versus $2,091) but more as a share of their income than White couples (1.8% versus 1.4%). Only 33% of Black couples got a marriage bonus compared to 44% of Whites, and those bonuses were roughly $170 smaller on average. “Taken together, Black couples in this income group paid, on average, a net penalty of $358.

☆ How to announce you've been laid off on social media
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Often, the go-to place to alert your professional network has been social media like LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and others. Just don’t post your fury or bitterness online. So you might tag it #openforwork, a hashtag often used on LinkedIn, Desai suggested. But be careful not to appear desperate.”Be consistent across platforms: Chances are you may announce your layoff on more than one social platform. You don’t want to put out a very professional post on, say, LinkedIn but then launch an angry tweetstorm on Twitter.

☆ Roth provisions in Secure 2.0: What you should know
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

How Secure 2.0 broadens accessHere are four key Roth-related changes in the new retirement law. Catch-up contributions for high earners: If you’re at least 50 and max out your contributions to your 401(k), you will be permitted to save an additional $7,500 in catch-up contributions. SIMPLE and SEP IRAs: Both SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs — which are used by small businesses — are now permitted to be designated as Roth IRAs if a small business owner chooses. The only way to remedy that is to roll your Roth 401(k) money into a Roth IRA. But, starting in 2024, your Roth 401(k) will no longer be subject to required minimum distribution rules.

☆ IRS says many 2022 special state payments are not subject to federal tax
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —The Internal Revenue Service has good news for millions of taxpayers in 17 states who received a one-time special state payment last year to offset inflation and other negative economic impacts: Those payments won’t be subject to federal income tax. Prior to the conclusion of its review of state special payments, the agency had suggested recipients hold off on filing their 2022 returns until it made its determination. The IRS decision regarding the federal taxability of special state payments for residents of other states is a little more nuanced. On your 2021 federal tax return, you either claimed the standard deduction, or you itemized. So the amounts that potentially are subject to federal income tax may not be large.

LONDON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - European banks risk jeopardising the path to net-zero carbon emissions and the growth of renewable energy unless they stop directly financing new oil and gas fields this year, investors managing assets worth more than $1.5 trillion said on Friday. ShareAction said the five banks and Britain's HSBC (HSBA.L) rank as the largest European financiers of the top oil and gas companies expanding production between 2016 and 2021. However, HSBC said in December that it would stop directly financing new oil and gas fields, joining other banks restricting asset financing, the NGO noted. The spokesperson pointed to the French bank's targets to reduce exposure to oil and gas production by 2025. The International Energy Agency said in 2021 that to reach net-zero emissions by mid-century, no investment into new oil, gas and coal supply projects was needed.

☆ Biden proposal to cap all insulin prices at $35 a month has little chance of passing Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Biden's signature legislative achievement, the Inflation Reduction Act, has capped insulin prices for Medicare recipients at $35 per month but the law does not shield younger diabetes patients with private insurance or without insurance from higher prices. Let's cap the cost of insulin for everybody at $35," Biden told Congress Tuesday night. As the president spoke, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., called on Congress to pass the Insulin Act which would expand the $35 price cap to people with private insurance. Even when Democrats controlled both chambers last summer, Senate Republicans managed to kill a measure that would have capped insulin prices at $35 a month for people with private insurance. Should the Senate pass the Insulin Act, it would still face a House that's now in GOP hands.

☆ IRS suggests waiting to file your taxes if you got a special payment from your state in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Millions of taxpayers in other states got different types of special payments from their state governments as well — such as income or property tax rebates. In the meantime, the agency advises filers who received special state payments to hold off on filing their returns until guidance is issued. “The best course of action is to wait for additional clarification on state payments rather than calling the IRS,” the agency said. Keep in mind, each state issued special payments for different reasons (e.g., inflation relief, surplus revenue rebates, disaster relief, etc.). So the amounts that potentially are subject to federal income tax may not be large,

☆ Want your tax refund faster? Here’s what to do
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The IRS says it typically issues federal refunds within 21 calendar days of accepting your tax return, assuming there are no issues. Tom O’Saben, director of tax content for the National Association of Tax Professionals, said some of his clients have received their refunds in as little as 10 days. “If you filed on paper and are expecting a refund, it could take four weeks or more to process your return,” the IRS notes on its website. This can be an issue if you got married recently and changed your last name but failed to inform the Social Security Administration of your name change. If the IRS finds you still owe tax on that unreported income, you may have to return some or all of your refund, plus interest, and possibly an underpayment penalty.

☆ Inflation may be falling — but not the cost of your car insurance
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

At least, that is, if you’re paying for car insurance. The average cost of full coverage auto insurance has hit $2,014 a year nationally, up nearly 14% from last year, according to Bankrate’s annual True Cost of Auto Insurance Report, released Monday. It’s a lagging effect of high inflation from the last two years that resulted from labor and parts shortages, which in turn drove up the cost of paying insurance claims on car repairs and related insured expenses. “Car insurance rates are reactionary,” said Cate Deventer, Bankrate’s insurance analyst. “Each geographic area has different risks and costs of living, [so] the cost for car insurance varies across the nation,” Deventer said.

Nanoco and Chicago-based litigation funding firm GLS Capital said in a release that the settlement, which includes a license agreement and the "transfer of certain patents," resolves litigation in the United States, Germany and China. Nanoco's quantum dots improve the backlighting of LED displays without the use of toxic heavy metals like cadmium. The Texas lawsuit said Samsung began incorporating Nanoco's technology into high-end QLED TVs launched in 2017. Third-party funding of lawsuits has becoming increasingly common in recent years, though details about specific investments are rarely publicized. The case is Nanoco Technologies Ltd v. Samsung Electronics Co, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No.

☆ Offices are more than 50% filled for the first time since the pandemic started
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Nearly three years after the pandemic began, American offices are finally more than halfway filled again as workers have gradually returned to the office. Office occupancy across 10 major US cities crossed 50.4% of pre-pandemic levels for the first time since early 2020, according to security swipe tracker Kastle Systems. That marks the first time occupancy has crossed the 50% mark since March 2020, when many offices sent workers home because of Covid. Disney is ordering corporate employees to return to offices four days a week beginning March 1. The protest involves more than 40 contractors for YouTube Music, according to the Alphabet Workers Union, which is backing the strike.

☆ Biden revamp of Democratic primary faces final vote at DNC convention
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Jarrett Renshaw | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The move, another clear sign Biden intends to run for re-election in 2024, would force any potential Democratic primary challenger to square off with Biden in a series of matchups largely of his choosing. Just a simple majority of the members need to approve it, but two states, Georgia and New Hampshire, are not playing along and have been given to June to comply. GRANITE STATEBiden's push to move New Hampshire down the primary calendar has struck a nerve with both Republicans and Democrats in the Granite State. New Hampshire Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan sat out the White House congressional ball in December amid anger over the potential changes. In Georgia, Democrats want to move up the calendar but need Republicans who control state government to agree.

☆ After the Fed’s latest move, how come you’re still not getting a higher rate on your bank savings?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

So how come you’re not getting a higher rate on your bank savings? Another high-yield savings optionGiven today’s still-high rates of inflation, Series I savings bonds may be attractive because they’re designed to preserve the buying power of your money. For the week ending January 26, the 30-year fixed rate mortgage averaged 6.13%, well above where it was a year earlier, at 3.55%. So, if you’re close to buying a home or refinancing one, lock in the lowest fixed rate available to you. The variable rate on a home equity line of credit or a fixed rate on a home equity loan will rise because their formulas are directly tied to the Fed’s rates.

☆ In leaked document, Ohio venture capitalist and Sequoia alum Mark Kvamme shows off plans for a $500 million state-focused fund
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Melia Russell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VC Mark Kvamme is raising $500 million for something akin to a sovereign wealth fund for Ohio. Dubbed The Ohio Fund, the investment company will be funded by Ohio institutions and individuals. The Ohio Fund will need to hire investors who founders want to work with. Mark Kwamme, partner emeritus at Drive Capital, is raising a statewide fund in his home state, Ohio. If The Ohio Fund reaches its fundraising goals, Kvamme, according to the presentation, plans to serve as president and chief investment officer.

☆ Maryland bill would subsidize employers that pilot a 4-day work week
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —In a first-of-its-kind proposal in the United States, some Maryland lawmakers want to subsidize employers that choose to experiment with a 4-day workweek. While many 4-day workweek experiments have been conducted recently in the US and Europe, no US state has offered to subsidize the cost of the experiment for its employers, Stewart added. Employers that participate would have flexibility over how they allow workers to organize their shorter workweek, Stewart said. “It may be more advantageous to have different approaches.”The experiment should include both blue-collar and white-collar employers, Stewart added. So if there is huge interest by employers, Maryland’s Department of Labor will have to select which ones may participate.

☆ Advertised salary ranges are not set in stone. That’s why you still have to negotiate
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-28 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“I’ve seen people deterred from negotiating because they think [the advertised pay range] is set in stone. What you need to know about published rangesHere are three reasons why a published salary range is hardly the whole story:1. The published range may be very wide: It’s not hard to find advertised salary ranges so wide you could drive a truck through them. The published range for an open role usually just reflects your base pay, not bonuses, equity and annual increases. That way you’ll be able to gauge whether the employer’s published range is within reason for the role you’re seeking.

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