If your house is anything like mine, there has been no escape from the soundtrack from “Wicked” this year. It seems like the voices of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo haven’t stopped playing in the background for months. It occurred to me that those songs from Oz were especially appropriate for the current moment in business. Companies around the world are putting their trust in artificial intelligence in much the same way that Dorothy looked to the Wizard. Over the past two years, predictions about the transformational impact of AI on business models and corporate earnings have helped stock prices…

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Our Nerds say:“When choosing a savings account, a high rate isn’t the only thing you’ll want to consider. You’ll want to see whether there are any monthly fees or withdrawal limits. “It’s also important to pick an account that meets your overall banking needs. If you want your checking and savings accounts to be at the same bank, for example, you’ll want to go with an institution that offers both checking and high-yield savings.”- Margarette Burnette, NerdWallet banking writerBest high-yield savings accounts: full list of editorial picksWhen selecting the best high-yield savings accounts, NerdWallet uses multiple data points, including monthly…

As we turn the page on 2024, the economic and political landscape presents both opportunities and challenges. With a new administration potentially making changes to the regulatory environment, businesses may find more opportunities for growth and re-investment. At the same time, consumer credit constraints and concerns over national debt require careful navigation. The year ahead is not about extremes—it’s about balance. Leaders must position themselves to capitalize on opportunities while preparing for potential shifts that could impact markets and their businesses. By focusing on clear indicators and staying agile, businesses can thrive in a dynamic environment. Opportunities in 2025 Interest…

The Federal Reserve decided to keep the federal funds rate the same on Jan. 29, 2025. This decision comes after the Fed made three rate cuts in the second half of 2024. The Fed rate’s current target range of 4.25% to 4.50% is still high compared to what it was for most of the past two decades[0]Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. FRED Graph. Accessed Jan 29, 2025..When is the next Fed meeting?The Federal Open Market Committee’s next meeting is March 18-19, 2025. This is the next scheduled time that the FOMC could modify the federal funds rate.This…

It was a close call for a dog named Max when fire raged through his Altadena neighborhood. The brindle-coated Corso mix hid, huddled and scared, under some bushes in his yard as the Eaton fire ravaged his street. Firefighters and photojournalists in the area could hear his terrified barks. As if the situation wasn’t dire enough, an explosion went off in a nearby garage. The moments of his harrowing rescue were caught on camera in some of the most heartwarming photographs of the L.A. fires by freelance photojournalist Nic Coury, who was on the scene that day for the Associated…

In the midst of a wildfire roaring across southern California that is not only destroying homes but also taking lives, home insurance costs are taking on a whole new dimension. Those fears are propagating into the way homebuyers look at new properties, into the shopping and selection process and therefore the sales process, into land development, into economic impacts and on and on. Zillow reports that newly listed for sale homes face increasing climate risk compared to 2019 across five factors: flood, wildfire, wind, heat, and air quality. This increased risk means that more than 80% of home buyers now…

No matter how often bank regulators, international standard setters, rating agencies, or financial reform advocates like me warn banks that climate change is serious, they are not heeding our warnings. Climate change disasters have significantly increased and intensified in the last several decades. According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, from 1980–2024, there have been slightly over 400 climate disaster events in the United States with losses exceeding $1 billion. Banks in the U.S. are not required to measure and report to regulators or market participants how climate change can impact their credit and investment portfolios; consequently, none of…

As banks continue to reinvent themselves using AI, data, cloud and other technologies, the industry finds itself in a paradox. A quarter century of digital has completely transformed banking, making it faster, cheaper, and more efficient than ever, with customers moving money in seconds, 24×7, through the push of a button. But, as a result, it’s made banking impersonal and created a sea of sameness as banks become less differentiated and lose the human connection fostered at the branch level. AI holds the solution to this paradox. It will enable banks to understand customers on a deeper level, power meaningful…

Our Nerds say:“When choosing a savings account, a high rate isn’t the only thing you’ll want to consider. You’ll want to see whether there are any monthly fees or withdrawal limits. “It’s also important to pick an account that meets your overall banking needs. If you want your checking and savings accounts to be at the same bank, for example, you’ll want to go with an institution that offers both checking and high-yield savings.”- Margarette Burnette, NerdWallet banking writerBest high-yield savings accounts: full list of editorial picksWhen selecting the best high-yield savings accounts, NerdWallet uses multiple data points, including monthly…