Smith Brain Trust

April 13, 2023
A Huge Shakeup at McDonald’s: What Does it Mean for the Fast Food Giant’s Future?
Last week McDonald’s temporarily closed its U.S. offices, sending workers home to await word online about the burger chain’s plans. While working from home, hundreds of corporate workers were told their services were no longer needed, something that has grown in popularity in recent years.
Read the article : A Huge Shakeup at McDonald’s: What Does it Mean for the Fast Food Giant’s Future?
April 11, 2023
IRS and Crypto
As more than 20 percent of U.S. adults reportedly own cryptocurrency, revised wording on 2022 tax forms, signals that the IRS perceives “a lot of taxable transactions in cryptocurrency that are not being reported,” says Accounting Lecturer Samuel Handwerger, CPA, for the University of…
Read the article : IRS and Crypto
April 6, 2023
Are You at Risk of Losing Your Job to ChatGPT?
Some workers are concerned that ChatGPT will replace them. Fortune reports they might be right, noting that though OpenAI’s artificial intelligence chatbot was just launched in November of 2022, it’s already being used in the workplace. Seventy-four percent of U.S. employees familiar with the…
Read the article : Are You at Risk of Losing Your Job to ChatGPT?
April 6, 2023
Why Streaming is Getting the Better of Cable TV This Year
For the first time, streaming is predicted to overtake traditional TV as the preferred form of entertainment for U.S. adults.
Read the article : Why Streaming is Getting the Better of Cable TV This Year
March 16, 2023
Homeowners Afraid to Lose 3% Mortgage Interest Rate Keep the Housing Inventory Low
The mortgage rates we experienced from 2020 into early 2022 are coming back to haunt the housing market. Current interest rates of about 7% for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage have homebuyers leery of purchasing a house and sellers reluctant to put theirs on the market for fear of losing their 3%…
Read the article : Homeowners Afraid to Lose 3% Mortgage Interest Rate Keep the Housing Inventory Low
March 8, 2023
Toxic Train Derailment Vexing for Real Estate Industry
Health safety for residents following the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, has been a top concern. Has it really been safe enough to return – both for the short- and long-term?
Read the article : Toxic Train Derailment Vexing for Real Estate Industry
March 3, 2023
Facing the Music: How TikTok is Helping Close the Music Industry Gender Gap
A new viral TikTok trend is music to the ears of women fighting against the gender gap in the music industry.
Read the article : Facing the Music: How TikTok is Helping Close the Music Industry Gender Gap
March 2, 2023
Navigating the Debt Ceiling
Treasury payments towards the interest on the debt represent the federal government’s largest spending increase so far this year. As the Wall Street Journal reports, it’s contributing to a deficit for the first four months of this fiscal year that has widened to $460 billion, up 78% from $259…
Read the article : Navigating the Debt Ceiling
March 2, 2023
The Rise in Four-figure Car Loan Payments Could Mean a Recession Is Coming

In the fourth quarter of last year, the number of Americans paying $1,000 a month or more for a vehicle hit a record high of 15.7%.

Read the article : The Rise in Four-figure Car Loan Payments Could Mean a Recession Is Coming
February 23, 2023
How to Bolster Climate Scenario Analysis
The Federal Reserve Board has engaged six of the biggest U.S. banks in a pilot Climate Scenario Analysis (CSA) to assess and “advance the ability of supervisors and banks to analyze and manage emerging climate-related financial risks.”
Read the article : How to Bolster Climate Scenario Analysis
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