A sky full of earths

Stroll along Crissy Field at night and look up into the sky, and you will see lots of stars. But because of the interference of other lights in the metro area, you won’t see ... Read More

The Wild Wild Web

The ‘Me Me Me’ millionaires

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

The recent $4.05 billion sale of Lucasfilm Ltd. to the Walt Disney Co. caught many Star Wars fans off-guard. While some weren’t happy about it (“Disney’s going to... Read More

Socially Responsible

Bay Area a hotbed for social entrepreneurs

By John Zipperer

In 2012, Mitt Romney and Barack Obama visited Silicon Valley looking not for votes – everyone knows this is the bluest of blue areas – but for money. If they had spent ... Read More

Finance

Good old Yankee ingenuity

By Alan Silverman

In 2008, representatives from the U.S. Government Accountability Office took a trip to the Cayman Islands – not to lie on the beach at our expense, but to visit a five-story ... Read More

Dollars & Sense

‘Tis the season for donating money

By Jason Alderman

Like many other economic measures, charitable donations in the U.S. have yet to bounce back to pre-recession levels. According to Giving USA’s Annual Report on Philanthropy, ... Read More

EarthTalk

Light pollution is a glaring problem

By Roddy Scheer and Doug Moss

Dear EarthTalk: Has anyone calculated the energy wasted at night by unnecessary lighting in and around buildings? What can we do to reduce our light footprint? – Bill Rehkamp, vi... Read More

Socially Responsible

Presidio Graduate School offers green degrees

By Marilyn Damon Diamond

Depending on your age, you may remember a time when “the green movement” and “sustainability” were absent from our language and goals. Today, a former army barracks... Read More

Finance

How gross is your domestic product?

By Alan Silverman

What do Monaco, Liechtenstein, and Luxembourg have in common? I am sure that you can hardly wait for the answer, but we need to discuss a few fundamentals of economics first. Barel... Read More

Less Taxing Matters

Avoiding estate tax pitfalls in marital deductions

By Andrew L. Jones

An old French proverb holds that providence watches over fools and drunkards. In a similar manner, married San Francisco couples who never plan to avoid the estate tax are saved fr... Read More

The Wild Wild Web

Why Groupon is a bad deal for the small businesses it claims to help

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

I was talking to a friend who owns a very successful restaurant and asked him why he doesn’t offer Groupons – those deeply discounted deals or special coupons from the... Read More

Finance

It’s not cricket

By Alan Silverman

The game of cricket has been played in England since at least the 16th century. It is played with a bat and ball, and a match can last as long as five days. As the British spread t... Read More

Less Taxing Matters

Upcoming estate tax changes could affect you

Now is the time to review your family’s current estate plan

By Andrew L. Jones

On Jan. 1, 2013, estate-planning attorneys will be greeting not just a new year, but the fact that the estate tax may apply to any estate of more than $1 million. Whether you find ... Read More

The Wild Wild Web

On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog

Not everyone claiming online anonymity is a whistle-blowing hero

By Susan Dyer Reynolds

“If you ever want to lose faith in humanity, read any comments section on the Internet.” – C Benjamin Dolnick, author and relative of New York Times publisher Arthur ... Read More

Finance

The best politicians money can buy

By Alan Silverman

Will Rogers once said, “Politics has become so expensive that it takes a lot of money even to be defeated.” I am sure Meg Whitman would agree. Her unsuccessful run for go... Read More

Dollars & Sense

When you should file an amended tax return

By Jason Alderman

Not every interaction with the IRS must necessarily induce flop sweat. Case in point: A few years ago, a friend of mine decided his income taxes had become sufficiently complicated... Read More

Business