My end of week morning train WFH reads:
• Who Needs Bonds Anyway? They don’t pay much interest, and future price appreciation is so not happening. Still, they have their uses. (CIO)
• The Economy Is Limping, but Wall Street Banks Are Booming: Panicky investors, pandemic-hit companies turned to banks in the first half, driving fees to an eight-year high (Wall Street Journal)
• Goodbye to Lord & Taylor, and the Way We Used to Shop: It’s finally the end for Lord & Taylor. After limping along since its Fifth Avenue flagship closed in 2019, the nearly 200-year-old department store chain announced last week that it will close all its locations. (New York Times)
• Real Estate Is Now About Location, Location, Isolation: For years, home values have been greatly influenced not only by finished square footage and acreage, but also by walk scores and community. The pandemic is turning those factors on their head—at least for now. (Wall Street Journal) see also Get Ready for the Great Urban Comeback Visionary responses to catastrophes have changed city life for the better. (The Atlantic)
• This Year’s Big Online Scam—Puppies That adorable furry face has you reaching for your credit card but Norman the pomsky isn’t for sale (Wall Street Journal)
• Trump’s rebound story meets mounting bankruptcies: It won’t exactly be an October surprise, but it could still be a shock: a wave of business failures hitting during the campaign season. (Politico)
• What comes after Zoom? Suddenly, we’re all locked down, and we’re all on video calls all the time, doing team stand-ups, play dates and family birthday parties, and suddenly Zoom is a big deal. At some point many of those meetings will turn back into coffees, we hope, but video will remain. (Benedict Evans)
• How to Stay Focused While Working From Home: Limit surfing online, define your work space and schedule breaks to help keep your concentration during remote work, experts say (Wall Street Journal)
• Americans Are Far More Likely To Support Athlete Protests Than They Once Were: During the 1995-96 season, Abdul-Rauf, the Denver Nuggets’ leading scorer, refused to stand with his teammates for the pregame playing of the national anthem — saying the flag was a symbol of racism and oppression. His protest was met with scorn, and he was suspended by the league until he agreed to stand for the anthem. (fivethirtyeight)
• From “Poor As Hell” To Billionaire: How Tyler Perry Changed Show Business Forever: Shut out of entertainment’s mainstream, Hollywood’s newest billionaire wrote, produced and starred in his own American success story. (Forbes)
Be sure to check out our Masters in Business interview this weekend with Morgan Housel, former writer for Motley Fool and WSJ, and partner at Collaborative Funds. His new book, The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness, will be out September 8th.
The New Political Center: Legalize Weed, Restrict Gun Sales, Taxes Are Just Right
Source: Businessweek
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