Author: News Room
The IRS has announced it will open several Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TACs) around the country this Saturday, April 8, for face-to-face help available from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. An additional Saturday opening is planned for May 13. “During these special openings, taxpayers can get walk-in service for in-person help on many tax matters,” said IRS Wage & Investment Division Commissioner and Taxpayer Experience Officer Ken Corbin. “These extra weekend hours are to enable the nation’s taxpayers to effectively resolve their tax account concerns in ways that are most convenient for them.” No Appointment Needed Normally, TACs require taxpayers to…
By Rachel Leland, Next Avenue As aging World War II veteran Johnnie Ray Toland started showing signs of Alzheimer’s, his family began searching for an assisted living home to care for him. Staff members at one home introduced the family to Tammi Palasini. Palasini, who would later be sentenced to 20 years behind bars for various crimes, including fraud, convinced the Toland family to give her control of $340,000 of their funds. Aid and Assistance Scam In what is known as an “aid and assistance scam,” Palasini falsely promised the Toland family that she would help diversify their father’s assets…
The emergency provisions in the CARES Act gave the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) the ability to place mostly minimum security prisoners on home confinement if they had underlying health conditions. For many prisoners, it meant spending years on home confinement instead of a prison setting. For the BOP it provided a glimpse of how it could effectively monitor many inmates in a setting other than a prison. However, that program is set to end in mid-May 2023. The results of CARES Act home confinement illustrate what a successful program it was for the BOP. While the BOP was slow…
Just because a company pioneers a great idea, it does not make its stock a good investment. This comes to mind in considering Redwood City, Calif.-based Zuora — a 1,549-employee enterprise software company founded in 2007 that helps companies to launch and manage their subscription-based services. Sadly for investors, Zuora stock has lost 55% of its value since going public in April 2018 — now sporting a market capitalization of $1.2 billion. Could a turnaround be in the offing? Its stock has risen 11% since March 1 when it reported better than expected results for its fourth quarter. Here are…
Recently, U.S. inflation hasn’t been falling as fast as many hoped. On April 12, we’ll see Consumer Price Index data for March. Nowcasts suggest that March’s inflation data may show an improving outlook with estimated inflation running at a little over a 5% annual rate and an estimated month-on-month rise in prices of 0.3%. However, core inflation may be more of a concern running at an estimated 0.45% month-on-month once food and energy are stripped out, that’s because energy costs are expected to have generally fallen in the March report helping bring inflation down in the headline numbers. Housing Costs…
The new SEC “pay for performance” disclosure rules, coming into force for this year’s proxy season, will set new ground rules on corporate disclosure standards for “say on pay” voting. As companies are busy preparing their filings, the new rules provide an opportunity to rethink what metrics would be most useful for investors as they evaluate executive compensation and company performance. Pay for performance is the usual mantra for CEO pay in public companies, but this assumes that it is possible to measure CEO performance over a long enough timeframe to matter, and that this relationship is motivating to CEOs.…
What single change would financial services executives wish for from one wave of a magic wand? Broadridge posed that question to the C-suite executives participating in its latest Digital Transformation and Next-Gen Tech Study. The result was a clear: more artificial intelligence. AI is already changing the way financial services companies operate, and that transformation is poised to accelerate as firms target further expansion and integration of AI as a top strategic priority. It’s no surprise that an impressive 71% of the 500 senior executives in financial services participating in the study say artificial intelligence has significantly changed the way…
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s economy will grow by 2.2% in 2023, its central bank chief said on Friday, urging the country to stick to the path of reform and fiscal prudence as it enters a period of increased political uncertainty due to elections. Greece will hold a general election on May 21, weeks before the conservative government’s term ends. But the vote is unlikely to produce a clear winner, setting the stage for protracted political manoeuvring and a runoff vote. Athens needs to continue with credible policies to shield its economy from risks which include the impact of the energy…
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK (Reuters) – The U.S. dollar sank to a two-month low on Tuesday as another round of weak economic data reinforced investor bets that the Federal Reserve is nearly done with its tightening cycle even as other central banks are seen still raising interest rates to overcome persistently high inflation. Sterling rose to a new 10-month high against the dollar, while the euro reached its highest since February. Data showing U.S. job openings in February dropping to the lowest in nearly two years, and the continued decline in factory orders, undermined the dollar as the numbers…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday it is proposing tighter standards for mercury and other toxic emissions from coal plants for the first time in a decade, putting pressure on the country’s dirtiest power plants to clean up. The proposal would lower the emissions limit for filterable particulate matter, which includes mercury and other toxic metals, by 67%. Plants that burn lower-grade lignite coal, which had previously been subject to less stringent standards, would need to cut mercury emissions by 70%, EPA said. “By leveraging proven, emissions-reduction measures available at reasonable costs and encouraging new,…
