Author: EconLearner

What to watch this weekend.Credit: Netflix/HBOAs always, I searched the internet high and low for the best movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV, Disney+ and everywhere else. October flew by. The next time you read one of these guides, it will be Halloween!If you have any tips or I missed something, please send me a message Twitter, Instagramor Facebook. You can see last weekend’s streaming guide here. Let’s dive right in!New shows and movies this weekendIT: Welcome To Derry (HBO Max)Undoubtedly Stephen Kingthe most famous book of all time, THE has been adapted for the…

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KYIV, UKRAINE – MAY 10: (left to right) Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s wife Olena Zelenska and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Maidan Square me in Ukraine Kyiv the so-called “coalition of the willing” on May 10, 2025 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Stefan Rousseau – WPA Pool/Getty Images)Getty ImagesFor nearly three years, European leaders have been debating how to unlock frozen Russian assets held in Western banks to support Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction efforts. Each time, the plan came close to…

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It sounds like a cliché, but I was recently asked about Nokia on the golf course. I had just returned from a Nokia-sponsored analyst conference at the fancy Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix, and a friend of mine was curious about what they were up to. “Are they still making phone calls?” asked the friend, who is a retired property consultant. That could be a question most people would ask, not knowing that the company is in the process of a long diversification effort from telecom infrastructure. In fact, Nokia still sells phones. But now it has new growth in the…

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The IRS has offered some guidance on the employee retention credit in the form of Frequently Asked Questions.getty Taxpayers and tax preparers assumed that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) would answer some unanswered questions about the controversial Employee Retention Credit (ERC) program — and it did. The IRS has now issued FAQs to help taxpayers understand how the OBBBA provisions affect ERC claims and refunds. Here’s what you need to know. What is the ERC Programme? The ERC program was intended as a way to help businesses keep the lights on during the pandemic. Under the ERC program,…

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AI as your tireless co-founder: transforming operations, augmenting human talent, but still needing a human touch to drive success.gettyWhat if your next co-founder never sleeps, never asks for equity, and can code, analyze markets, and manage customers all at the same time? For startups operating on tight budgets, agent AI promises just that—intelligent systems capable of conducting market research, writing code, managing customer communications, and optimizing supply chains in real time. Two years ago, this sounded like science fiction. Today, it’s a living experiment that forces entrepreneurs to confront what it really takes to build a business.The race to replace…

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State Street Chief Investment Strategist Michael Arone (left).Photo of Santa Barbara State Street chief investment strategist Michael Arone says he’s still bullish on the market heading into 2026 — just not comfortably so. “I’m uncomfortably bullish,” Arone told a packed room of wealth managers last Thursday at the Forbes/SHOOK Top Advisor Summit at Wynn Las Vegas. “We’ll get stimulus from the One Big Beautiful Bill—with a big tax refund next season, more rate cuts from the Fed and continued double-digit earnings growth,” he said. “This is a powerful combination, but the margin for error is small.” With the S&P 500…

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Predictions 2026: The Future of Global Technology LeadershipForrester2026 will not be for the faint of heart — or the weak on a budget. Tech leaders are about to face a year that’s part roller coaster, part chess match and part comedy. According to Forrester research, most CIOs will have more budget, but also more headaches, more volatility and more pressure to prove that every dollar spent is worth its weight in gold-plated AI chips. Here are three of our predictions for 2026 to help you chart your course: A quarter of CIOs will be called upon to rescue business-driven AI…

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Some functions in IRS remain open during the shutdown.getty Due to the government shutdown—now in its third week—IRS operations are limited. Despite the need to prepare for the upcoming tax filing season—with new tax laws like no tax on tips—the IRS has laid off about half of its employees. This means that some businesses, such as Criminal Investigation, remain open while others, such as Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs), are closed. Here’s what you need to know. Do I need to file my taxes? Yes. You must continue to file taxes as normal. All tax deadlines remain in effect, including those…

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