The Plain, Irrational Truth About DOMA
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 9, 2010
The judge who yesterday struck down much of the federal Defense of Marriage Act is not a liberal activist or a promoter of some “homosexual agenda,” though he is no stranger to bold judicial rulings. U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro of Boston is a married 79-year-old grandfather, a former U.S. Army missile officer and a [...]
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128 view(s)
July 9, 2010
The judge who yesterday struck down much of the federal Defense of Marriage Act is not a liberal activist or a promoter of some “homosexual agenda,” though he is no stranger to bold judicial rulings. U.S. District Judge Joseph L. Tauro of Boston is a married 79-year-old grandfather, a former U.S. Army missile officer and a [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
128 view(s)
Privacy Has Its Place, But Not Necessarily At Work
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 8, 2010
If you want to keep your personal business to yourself, you should not conduct it at work – especially not on your employer’s equipment. Though it seems obvious to me, Sgt. Jeff Quon, a police officer from Ontario, Calif., had to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to learn this lesson. The court [...]
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103 view(s)
July 8, 2010
If you want to keep your personal business to yourself, you should not conduct it at work – especially not on your employer’s equipment. Though it seems obvious to me, Sgt. Jeff Quon, a police officer from Ontario, Calif., had to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court to learn this lesson. The court [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
103 view(s)
Controlling Your Company’s Destiny
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 7, 2010
One Tuesday night a few weeks ago, a janitor vacuuming in our computer room accidentally unplugged a cable, cutting off power to three of our firm’s servers and damaging some hardware. Coincidentally, the same night, a power outage at Intuit knocked out that company’s primary and backup website systems. Approximately 300,000 businesses that use Web-based products [...]
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139 view(s)
July 7, 2010
One Tuesday night a few weeks ago, a janitor vacuuming in our computer room accidentally unplugged a cable, cutting off power to three of our firm’s servers and damaging some hardware. Coincidentally, the same night, a power outage at Intuit knocked out that company’s primary and backup website systems. Approximately 300,000 businesses that use Web-based products [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
139 view(s)
Obama’s White House Party Is Winding Down
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 6, 2010
You know a party is winding down when the revelers start heading for the exits. Though a few true friends will stick around to help the host clean up the mess, most partiers prefer to be out the door before the music stops. This month’s planned departure of Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, is [...]
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375 view(s)
July 6, 2010
You know a party is winding down when the revelers start heading for the exits. Though a few true friends will stick around to help the host clean up the mess, most partiers prefer to be out the door before the music stops. This month’s planned departure of Peter Orszag, the White House budget director, is [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
375 view(s)
They Bet Your Life On It
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 2, 2010
I often receive phone calls that begin like this: “Hello, Mr. Elkin? I’m Bill Friendly. How are you today?” I assume Mr. Friendly is just being polite, and that he is not interested in the details of my recent medical history. I make this assumption because, outside my immediate circle of family, friends, colleagues, clients and [...]
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109 view(s)
July 2, 2010
I often receive phone calls that begin like this: “Hello, Mr. Elkin? I’m Bill Friendly. How are you today?” I assume Mr. Friendly is just being polite, and that he is not interested in the details of my recent medical history. I make this assumption because, outside my immediate circle of family, friends, colleagues, clients and [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
109 view(s)
Putting Pot Over The Counter
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
July 1, 2010
I don’t often use the words “rationality” and “California” in the same sentence, but American drug laws could take another step toward rationality this fall if California voters legalize personal possession of marijuana. The “war on drugs” has gone on for 41 unproductive years since President Nixon first used that term. In this country, thousands [...]
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176 view(s)
July 1, 2010
I don’t often use the words “rationality” and “California” in the same sentence, but American drug laws could take another step toward rationality this fall if California voters legalize personal possession of marijuana. The “war on drugs” has gone on for 41 unproductive years since President Nixon first used that term. In this country, thousands [...]
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176 view(s)
Taxing Castles In The Air
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
June 30, 2010
Everyone likes to build castles in the air sometimes. But from now on, avoid building them in Wisconsin, lest the government decide they are taxable. The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently ruled that a developer must cover the property taxes on all its declared condominium units, including the ones that haven’t been built yet. This ruling overturned [...]
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111 view(s)
June 30, 2010
Everyone likes to build castles in the air sometimes. But from now on, avoid building them in Wisconsin, lest the government decide they are taxable. The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently ruled that a developer must cover the property taxes on all its declared condominium units, including the ones that haven’t been built yet. This ruling overturned [...]
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111 view(s)
Closing The Books On Sen. Byrd
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
June 29, 2010
Sen. Robert Byrd was a man whose moment in history had long passed, one whose role had diminished from being, arguably, a national asset to being a siphon of national assets. Byrd’s record was far smaller than his history-making 58 years in Congress and his nine terms in the Senate would suggest. Outside his home state [...]
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177 view(s)
June 29, 2010
Sen. Robert Byrd was a man whose moment in history had long passed, one whose role had diminished from being, arguably, a national asset to being a siphon of national assets. Byrd’s record was far smaller than his history-making 58 years in Congress and his nine terms in the Senate would suggest. Outside his home state [...]
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177 view(s)
Will Court Conservatives Challenge Land-Use Rules?
By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®
June 28, 2010
The confirmation hearings that get underway today on Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court are, in the cosmic scheme of things, a sideshow. If she is confirmed, Kagan is expected to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens in the court’s bloc of four reliably “liberal” justices. (I dislike the liberal/conservative labels because they have [...]
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91 view(s)
June 28, 2010
The confirmation hearings that get underway today on Elena Kagan’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court are, in the cosmic scheme of things, a sideshow. If she is confirmed, Kagan is expected to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens in the court’s bloc of four reliably “liberal” justices. (I dislike the liberal/conservative labels because they have [...]
To read the complete post, click here.
91 view(s)
Funding A Pension With Really Liquid Assets
July 12, 2010
Some problems can be solved by tossing large amounts of liquid at them. Throwing water at a fire, for example. Noah’s flood, perhaps. And now, if all goes well, Diageo’s pension deficit will be added to the list. Diageo, the London-based alcoholic beverage giant, has adopted an innovative strategy that is becoming increasingly popular in the [...]
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250 view(s)