Personal Finance

A practice of Elon Musk and Tesla’s board raises questions about the company’s governance and the possible low valuation that private capital markets are putting on its shares. At the heart of the issue is how the company’s CEO borrows money and whether he pledged an astoundingly large percentage of his shares — close to 7% of all outstanding stock — as collateral for a sum under 4% of the market value. The question is also not just about Tesla, but all public companies where executives and directors might pledge stock for borrowing in ways that could affect the market…

The Trump Message On Criminal Justice Falls Short Newly appointed Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Director William Marshall III wrapped himself in the Trump flag by announcing an expansion of use of home confinement to allow prisoners more time in the community at the end of their prison sentence. Unfortunately, for many in prison the actions by the BOP will lead to longer stays in institutions, which is both more costly and a blow to those trying to get home sooner. The BOP issued a press release on May 28, 2025 touting, “Federal Bureau of Prisons Issues Directive to Expand…

Chief executives typically look to improve the fortunes of a company and returns to shareholders. Many take to heart the argument Milton Friedman made in a 1970 New York Times op-ed that the “social responsibility of business is to increase its profits.” That has been further interpreted as meaning the responsibility to maximize return on investment to shareholders. The presumption has become the foundation of many arguments of what businesses should do, the degree of legal constraints that ought to be taken removed from their behavior, This is both legally incorrect and strategically troubling and mistaken. The Legal Fallacy Of…

In recent studies, U.S. states have been analyzed in order to identify the richest cities there. Several of these studies examined states in the U.S. South, such as the wealthiest cities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and many others in the region. Here, it is Virginia’s turn to receive this analysis. Read on and find out what the richest city in Virginia is, as well as the top 20 wealthiest places in the state. What Is the Richest City in Virginia? To define the “richest city in Virginia,” data was sourced from the Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community…

President Trump has pardoned at least five well-connected people who either plead guilty or were convicted of tax fraud and other crimes. His clear message: If you have political influence, cheating on your income tax is perfectly acceptable. That message is likely to further erode public confidence in the income tax system and increase public perceptions that the wealthy don’t pay their fair share of taxes. And the pardons are likely to further lower morale at the IRS and the Justice Department, where investigators and attorneys worked for years to prosecute these cases of tax fraud. Trump’s pardons came just…

Examining the recently passed H.R. 1, OBBA, or what is referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill, paints a grim picture for many Latinos. The proposed cuts to healthcare, educational assistance, food assistance, housing programs, and other social safety net initiatives will hurt tens of millions of families, especially those on the economic edge. The impact on the demographic group driving growth in population, consumer spending, and higher education enrollment in this country would be nothing short of devastating. Some Impacts Of The One Big Beautiful Bill On Latinos According to the Congressional Budget Office, initial estimates place the…

The meetings from the early May meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee — the part of the Federal Reserve that sets interest rates — were just released. They show that anyone who had held hope for rate cuts in the near future will likely have to wait until the end of the year. National economics is an area where expectations can beget results. As the minutes said, “market participants appeared to interpret recently announced trade policy changes as a negative supply shock that could restrain domestic activity relative to foreign activity in the near term.” The market participants are…

Trump Takes Action on First Step Act The First Step Act is a significant piece of criminal justice reform legislation signed into law by Donald Trump on December 21, 2018. The law was designed to address issues within the U.S. criminal justice system, particularly focusing on sentencing reforms, rehabilitation programs, and prison reform. The First Step Act is considered one of the most comprehensive changes to the criminal justice system in recent years. Now, over six years since it passed, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has still not fully implemented the program. Trump’s new BOP Director William Marshall III…

Retirement planning isn’t one-size-fits-all—and for women’s retirement planning. Many women face longer retirements, more career breaks, and bigger financial gaps than men. Yet most retirement advice still assumes equal experiences for all genders. If you’re a woman—or advising one—you need a plan that considers these real-life differences. Here’s how to build a retirement strategy that fits. 1. Women Live Longer—So They Need More Income On average, women outlive men by about five years. But that’s just the average. Take my aunt, for example, she lived 29 years after her husband passed away. That’s almost three extra decades of bills, healthcare,…

The percentage of retirees and near-retirees who list running out of money in retirement as their primary concern is high and increasing according to survey after survey. Another top concern is determining how to take money out of retirement nest eggs. Many people in or near retirement say they don’t have a plan for taking retirement distributions and don’t know how to convert their savings into income or lifetime cash flow. These concerns can be resolved with a two-step plan that ensures reliable retirement cash flow. The first step is to establish your optimum level of guaranteed lifetime income. Most…

With the HBO Max reboot of Harry Potter slated for release in 2026 and the recent announcement of key cast members including the new Harry, Ron, and Hermione, it’s the perfect moment to return to the Wizarding World—not for nostalgia, but for wisdom. Beyond the magic, J.K. Rowling’s classic series is rich with useful insights, including potential lessons in financial literacy. Though Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts may not appear in your bank statements, the characters and their stories mirror those in the Muggle world. Here are five financial literacy lessons inspired by Harry Potter. 1. Use Accurate Information In Harry’s…