In The Headlines Costco Becomes a Top Auto Seller Costco has benefited as Americans grow wary of car dealers. In fact, the firm has increased the annual number of auto sales it has arranged by 99% since 2008. For instance, Ron Schurter did not bother visiting a dealer when he was [...]

In The Headlines Airlines Finally See Profits after Years of Restructuring The nation’s largest airlines recently reported exceptional (for the industry) first-quarter profits. And it had far less to do with the price of oil and jet fuel than with the industry’s ongoing restructuring. To be sure, a 43% drop in [...]

Blockbuster Taxes Memorial Day came early this year, and that means we get more time with our summer whites! (Of course, summer doesn't "officially" start until June 21, but who's counting?) For millions of Americans, cooling off at the movies with a bucket of popcorn and gallon of soda is a [...]

Top 10 Taxing Words That (Sort Of) Rhyme With "Tax" Late-night talk-show host David Letterman has delighted audiences with his wry, subversive sense of humor for an impressive 33 years. But this week he bids us farewell. We'll remember him for his Stump the Band bits, his Stupid Pet Tricks, and [...]

The Original Tax "Shelter" Every year, "true crime" fans look forward to the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit's annual report detailing their New York City is the indisputable hub of American capitalism. Its glittering streets are home to the worlds of finance, advertising, fashion, publishing, and even organized crime. The island of [...]

Accountants Behaving Badly Every year, "true crime" fans look forward to the IRS Criminal Investigation Unit's annual report detailing their efforts to combat the cheats who don't pay their share. This year's edition is no exception, with dozens of entertaining stories about clever scammers who just ... weren't ... clever ... [...]

Bet They Didn't Think About This! Last week, a New York judge issued writs of habeas corpus on behalf of two chimpanzees named Hercules and Leo, currently living in a research lab at the State University of New York in Stony Brook. The next day, she walked back the scope of [...]

In The Headlines Avon Stumbles in its Fight for Survival in a Changing Market “Ding Dong, Avon calling,” was a familiar sound for decades in the United States, heralding the arrival of an Avon Lady selling beauty products door to door. But according to a recent Wall Street Journal report, that [...]

Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em Every year, the IRS Criminal Investigations unit (IRS-CI) releases a surprisingly entertaining report detailing their efforts to protect the Treasury from scammers, fraudsters, and cheats. This year's edition reveals that, due to budget cuts, activity is actually down. In 2014, IRS special agents initiated 4,297 [...]

The Tax Man Runneth The 2016 presidential election is 20 months away. Sadly, for those of us who don't watch C-SPAN for fun, that basically means it's right around the corner. (Keep a sharp eye out for negative campaign ads, coming soon to a TV near you!) Candidates are already lining [...]