Tech earnings: Google, Microsoft and Snap shares climb | CNN Business

April 26, 2024April 25, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, bounced back from an absolutely dreadful day for tech shares, as its stock surged Thursday after the closing bell. All it had to do was to hand out billions of dollars to investors.

The tech giant announced its first quarterly cash dividend, saying it will pay $0.20 per share on June 17 to shareholders of record as of June 10, as well as a $70 billion share buyback. Buybacks and dividends help to boost stock prices by rewarding investors with cash just for holding the stock — but they’re widely criticized for artificially inflating the stock price without spending on employees or improvements to the underlying business.

Google’s stock jumped as much as 13% in after-hours trading following the report.

The announcement came as part of Google’s earnings report for the first three months of the year, in which it also reported that it exceeded Wall Street analysts’ expectations for both sales and profits.

Can faking a smile make you feel happier? | Live Science

April 25, 2024April 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When you’re feeling down and don’t have time for your typical pick-me-ups, you may follow the classic advice to fake a smile to trick yourself into happiness.

But can forcing a smile actually cheer you up?

The question has been controversial among scientists, Marie Cross, an assistant teaching professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, told Live Science. But in the past few years, research has revealed what she said feels like a clear answer: At least in a laboratory setting, making yourself smile can improve your mood.

A 2019 meta-analysis published in the journal Psychological Bulletin found that grinning could not only amplify happiness but create it.

‘We were in disbelief’: Antarctica is behaving in a way we’ve never seen before. Can it recover? | Live Science

April 25, 2024April 24, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Look out over Antarctica in the summer, and time seems frozen. The South Pole’s midnight sun appears to hover in place, never dropping below the horizon for weeks between November and January.

But the Antarctic’s timelessness is an illusion. Only a decade ago, on summer nights across the coast, the sun would glide ever so slightly over the ocean, dusting its ice floes in golden light.

Yet today, much of this sea ice is nowhere in sight. And scientists are increasingly alarmed that it may never come back.

“Antarctica feels very distant, but the sea ice there matters so much to all of us,” Ella Gilbert, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, told Live Science. “It’s a really vital part of our climate system.”

Career Risks Worth Taking | businessnewsdaily.com

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Taking a leap of faith is risky, especially with something as important as your career. But some risks are worth taking. If you play your cards right, you could achieve more than you ever thought possible. Although a career risk may not be easy, here are four that are often worth taking.

4 career risks worth taking

If you’re thinking about making any one of these big career moves, it could be well worth the risk.

1. Choosing a job based on culture rather than salary

When choosing between two jobs, you might be tempted to take the one accompanied by the higher salary.

5 Tips for Negotiating a Raise Successfully | Business News Daily

April 24, 2024April 23, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Most people cringe at the thought of asking their boss for a pay raise. If your company doesn’t do regular annual salary increases and you’re not up for a promotion, asking may be the only way to get the raise you know you deserve. You should understand that it is perfectly acceptable to ask for a raise, and most company managers and business owners want to take good care of their employees.

While the process seems intimidating and uncomfortable, it doesn’t have to be, especially if you know your boss and how to ask for a raise. If you do your research and are ready with facts, you will feel more confident initiating the conversation.

Tips for asking for a raise

1. List your accomplishments from the past six months, the past year and your time with the company.

Express bankruptcy: Full list of brand’s 95 store locations closing | Fast Company

April 23, 2024April 22, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you grew up hanging around the neighborhood mall, seeking out the trendiest low-rise jeans and tanks, you might feel nostalgically bummed today. Express, the clothing brand that was uber-popular with Xennials and millennials, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Express, Inc. operates Express stores, as well as Express factory outlets, Bonobos, and UpWest stores. The retailer said it plans to shutter more than 100 stores, including all of its UpWest stores and at least 95 of its 500 Express stores in the U.S., effective Tuesday.

A representative pointed Fast Company to a court document that displays the full list of Express stores to be closed. Locations span the entire U.S., with multiple closures in California and New York, as well as Pennsylvania, Texas, and other states.

How to Make Effective Presentation Slides: 5 Smart Strategies | All Business

April 22, 2024April 21, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Though the tech we use in our corporate day-to-day has changed a lot in the past decade, one central business practice remains the same: the presentation. In today’s corporate world, most information, sales, and important decisions are still made in meetings with presentations, either face-to-face or online. And while some important presentations, like investment pitches or important sales decks, warrant hiring a professional presentation designer, most of us still create our slides ourselves.

That’s where these practical strategies come in. They are tried and tested techniques used by seasoned presentation designers—and they don’t require any design skills!

5 Sales Qualification Questions to Ask Your Prospects | All Business

April 22, 2024April 21, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

If you have ever gone shopping for a new TV, with all the different options available, you know it can be a very overwhelming experience. And then the salesperson who’s supposed to be helping you may not even ask you any questions about your budget or your needs. All they say is, “Buy this one.”

How likely is it that you will take their advice? Probably not that likely. When your needs are not adequately understood or taken into account, you have no reason to trust the recommendations of a so-called expert.

Unfortunately, many salespeople and business owners fall into this same trap. They don’t invest the time and effort into understanding their prospects and come across like a snake oil salesperson.

However, by pausing, asking the right questions, and actively listening, you can gain your prospect’s trust and get them excited about working with you.

In this article, we’ll share five of the most important questions you should ask every prospect before you send a sales proposal. These questions will help you drill down to the core of your prospect’s desires and expectations and learn if your product or service is a good fit for them.

Pennsylvania Insurance Business Owner Found Guilty of Tax Evasion | Small Biz Trends

April 19, 2024April 18, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A federal jury today convicted Brandon Aumiller, owner of Brandon Aumiller & Associates, an insurance sales business based in Milroy, Pennsylvania, on charges of tax evasion. The jury found Aumiller guilty of failing to pay substantial amounts in personal and business taxes, following a scheme that spanned several years.

According to evidence presented at trial, Aumiller filed personal income tax returns for 2007 and from 2009 through 2011, revealing he owed approximately $82,311 in taxes. Additionally, his business’s employment tax returns indicated about $24,882 owed for parts of 2013 and 2014. Despite acknowledging these liabilities to the IRS, totaling over $107,193, Aumiller failed to settle these debts.

Prosecutors detailed how Aumiller actively obstructed IRS collection efforts. His tactics included hiding his assets in undisclosed bank accounts, structuring real estate transactions to evade detection, and submitting false financial disclosure forms that concealed significant financial information.