By Kerri L. Tassin, J.D., CPA This year, 2015, marks the 40th anniversary of the Earned Income Tax Credit. The earned income tax credit was first enacted as part of the Internal Revenue Code in 1975. Since that time, the credit has been expanded, analyzed and criticized, but it remains an important part of the tax return filing process for many working individuals and … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief – 40th anniversary of the Earned Income Tax Credit

By Amy Stokes, Ph.D. In my last article, I talked about the three levels of brand awareness. In this article I will discuss leveraging, a useful and cost-effective way to increase the awareness of your brand. Leveraging is when a brand uses already established people, places and things (events, other brands, causes, ingredients) and the familiarity consumers have with … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief – People, places and things: no longer just nouns but tools

By Elizabeth Rozell, Ph.D. How do you respond when your job becomes extremely discouraging and you just want to give up? Do you stop trying and become depressed? Or do you push on despite obstacles? From a managerial perspective, what can you do with pessimistic subordinates? The central characteristic of a pessimist is that they believe unfortunate circumstances will … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief – Optimism, or lack thereof, can affect job performance

By Dr. James Philpot When you die, will your survivors know your immediate wishes? They will if you have provided them an estate document called a last letter of instructions. A last letter of instructions (sometimes called a side letter or a letter of intent) is an informal guide to your estate and your final wishes. The last letter allows us to relegate many small … [Read more...] about Bears Business Brief – Never too soon to provide a last letter of instructions