Two weeks ago, few Americans had heard of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Now, thanks to Sterling’s big mouth, we’re all talking about him. As President Barack Obama said, “when ignorant folks want to advertise their ignorance you don’t really have to do anything, you just let them talk. And that’s what happened here.” […]
The New Known Unknown
Donald Rumsfeld may be one of the most controversial figures of our time, but you have to respect his resume. He won a seat in Congress at an age (30) when some of today’s college graduates are still living in their parents’ basements. He served as the youngest Secretary of Defense in American history (under […]
Master This Green!
The calendar may say that spring officially begins on March 21. But for millions of golfers across the country, the season didn’t really start until this weekend – specifically, when Bubba Watson outplayed 20-year-old phenom Jordan Spieth to claim his second green jacket at the 2014 Masters. Augusta National Country Club, home of the Masters, […]
Fall into a Fortune
Getting an audit notice is never anyone’s idea of fun. But getting audited isn’t always the disaster it might seem. In fact, for fiscal 2012, 107,820 lucky winners got refunds after their audits. Granted, that’s still shy of seven percent of everyone audited that year. But it proves you can walk away from the IRS […]
A Little Bit of Tax
It seems like every day brings new questions about the digital currency called bitcoin, which first appeared in 2009. Who is the shadowy “Satoshi Nakamoto” who created the currency’s protocol and software? Who stole $450 million worth of bitcoin from the Tokyo-based Mt. Gox exchange? Who was the mystery buyer who used bitcoin to snag […]
Fast Track to the Presidency
Last week, we talked about the IRS Criminal Investigation unit’s Fiscal 2013 annual report. We told you about four of the 2,812 offenders who drew prison sentences for their efforts: the drag racer who applied for $83 million in fraudulent gas tax refunds, the surgeon who “operated” on his tax bill using foreign trusts and […]
Seasoned Octopus
Most of the Internal Revenue Service’s 90,000 employees are financial bureaucrats, working to collect the taxes that finance our government. But the Criminal Investigations unit, or IRS-CI, is an elite division of 3,700 financial crimefighters dedicated to protecting those taxes. Last month, they released their Fiscal 2013 annual report. And business sure is booming! In […]
Finders, Keepers?
Modern-day salvagers can spend years to find centuries-old treasures. Mel Fisher spent 16 years searching for the Spanish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha, which sank in a hurricane off Key West in 1622. But sometimes finding buried treasure is far easier. Just ask the still-unidentified California couple, known only as “John” and “Mary,” who took […]
I’d Like to Thank the Academy…
Sunday night, millions of movie fans across the globe tuned in as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences presented the 86th Academy Awards. Viewers were amazed that Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews spun a $250 budget into a Best Makeup award for Dallas Buyers Club. They held their breath and wondered how much […]
Now We Know Why She’s Dancing
The Swedish pop band ABBA rocketed to global superstardom in the 1970s, with hits like Waterloo, Fernando, and, of course, Dancing Queen. Named for members Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Anderson, and Anni-frid Lyngstad, ABBA is the one of the best-selling music groups of all time. They haven’t performed together since 1982. But that didn’t […]