Newmark's Door

Dilbert on professional portfolio management

Caveat emptor.

"How the Big Three forgot Accounting 101"

Kinda like the old joke: "We're losing money on every unit. But we'll make it up in volume!"

"Understanding Carried Interest"

Excellent summary of the issue.

Some critics assert that all carried interest is taxed at the lower 15 percent that applies to capital gains and dividends. They complain that these funds are able to “turn” ordinary income into capital gains and dividends by paying managers in carried interest rather than salary, and that the funds are exploiting a special loophole not available to other firms. Looking at how carried interest works reveals that none of these things are true.

"5 Simple Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed"

Tough to top "Customize your resume for the job".

UPDATE: link is fixed now. Sorry.

Three on the economics of actors

All from the most recent issue of New York magazine.

"How Much Does an A-List Actor Make . . . and Spend?" Interesting and something I'll bet you won't hear our president complain about:

Payments don't go to the actor (or producer) but to a personal corporation subject to lower tax rates. 

Effective average federal income tax rate on over $21 million in earnings: 19%.

"How Much It Costs to Send a Celebrity Down the Red Carpet". For Charlize Theron at the most recent Golden Globes: over $8 million.

"What Does It Cost to Look 19 When You’re . . ." Short answer: lots.

Google's biggest advertisers

The top five firms, supposedly, in each of the top ten industries.

"The Big Benefits for Restaurateurs Who Think Small"

Makes a lot of sense to me and, apparently, to some New York City entrepreneurs. I wonder why there don't seem to be more one-trick-pony restaurants elsewhere.

Two on careers

"Six Quick-Start Careers: See how you could get into a hot career with just 1-2 years of education."

"What's the Hottest Career Field? Health Care."

"Amanda Hocking, the writer who made millions by self-publishing online"

After nine of years of working like crazy, Ms. Hocking became an "overnight sensation".

"I Don't Understand What Anyone Is Saying Anymore"

Harvard Business Review blogger Dan Pallotta:

I'd say that in about half of my business conversations, I have almost no idea what other people are saying to me. The language of internet business models has made the problem even worse. When I was younger, if I didn't understand what people were saying, I thought I was stupid. Now I realize that if it's to people's benefit that I understand them but I don't, then they're the ones who are stupid.

Read the whole thing.