Best Business Commentary
“Does a future ‘Enron’ debacle lurk in our 401(k)s?” says Cary Maguire in The Dallas Morning News. If you follow your dreams, don’t expect the money to follow you, says Marty Nemko in Kiplinger.com.
Accounting for reality
“Does a future ‘Enron’ debacle lurk in our 401(k)s?” says Cary Maguire in The Dallas Morning News. Yes, probably, and our investments will be at risk “until accountants change their way of reporting” risky assets. The “billion-dollar losses” booked in the “subprime debacle” didn’t happen overnight. If accountants had recorded realistic values for these “loosey goosey” derivatives all along, companies and regulators could have “taken actions to minimize the problem.” Instead, everyone with “401(k) plans, mortgages, or money market income” is at risk. Accountants need to “bring things back to reality” by adding an “estimated value column” to their financial reports.
Don’t starve for a dream job
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
If you follow your dreams, don’t expect the money to follow you, says Marty Nemko in Kiplinger.com. Unless your “passion” is accounting, say, you’re probably competing against “half the continent” for a “small number of decent-paying jobs” in a field like the arts or activism. “That’s the reason the word ‘starving’ so often precedes ‘artist.’” And even if you do land that “longshot dream career,” don’t expect to be coddled—“coveys of wannabes are in the wings panting for your job,” and your boss knows it. You’re better off diving into a “non-glam” career, which you could learn to love. As for your passion, make it a “sure-shot hobby” rather than a “longshot dream.”
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Violent videos of Charlie Kirk’s death are renewing debate over online censorship
Talking Points Social media ‘promises unfiltered access, but without guarantees of truth and without protection from harm’
-
What led to Poland invoking NATO’s Article 4 and where could it lead?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION After a Russian drone blitz, Warsaw’s rare move to invoke the important NATO statute has potentially moved Europe closer to continent-wide warfare
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programs
The Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa