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 T hose getting the brunt of the bad publicity and even loss of titles (like Leon Black and Larry Summers) because of the Epstein connection could be taking such a hit because of this simple reality: We don't like them. Across sectors, likability is the survival platform. On that list on unlikables could be added top lawyer at Goldman Sachs Kathryn Ruemmler. The Wall Street Journal just published a very long-form analysis of her relationship with the late disgraced pedophile.  Internally, she could be on thin ice: "The extent of their relationship has drawn scrutiny inside Goldman Sachs, where the 54-year-old lawyer is general counsel and a top adviser to CEO David Solomon."  Those who can decode corporatespeak point to the red flags in sizing up her chance of holding onto her job. They include phrases such as having the full support of the board. Yeah, sure.  Externally, the reputational risk can be equally great. For her next those in the loop will size up how...

  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 48,691.37 USD ▼  -667.96 (-1.35%) today January 20, 9:37 AM EST  ·  Market Open

The preoccupation with the impact of AI on jobs, sizes up CNBC , had been an undercurrent. Among world leaders, workers and those searching for work. That was then. Now it's surfaced and is making a lot of noise all the way to the relevant-again Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum.  Within circles of workers the angst has increased from 28% in 2024 to 40% in 2026. A major focus is what's known as "AI Redundancy Washing." That is the contention by employers that the Reductions in Force (RIFs) are overdue because AI is taking over those tasks.  That could be a common move by large employers. In announcing financial performance what matters not so much to analysts is the historic numbers. It's what goes on in the actual earnings call in which corporate leaders look forward. The looking forward probably will hammer a boost in plans about the role of AI. Those likely will estimate how many human jobs can be lopped off. Investors love RIFs. AI Redundancy Washing c...

 Yes, it's Greenland. Dow futures plunge 700 points . How bad will it get? And, we Boomers were feeling so smug about our investments.

Actual markets are down in Europe. And futures here in the US are also down, although the markets are closed today for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Wall Street Journal posits that those downward trajectories are driven by the Trump administration's aggressive stance on Greenland. Meanwhile, we Boomers obsessed with our nest-egg investments have to wait until tomorrow to size up what the geopolitical chaos will do to our financial security. So far there seemed to be an unbundling between what was happening in world politics and the American economy. The bull market was holding up. Since our income, as with younger generations, wasn't primarily tied to jobs we are insulated from the no-hiring catastrophe. Now we might no longer be sitting pretty. Already I had asked my financial advisor how much of a percentage of a drop in my account could happen in a crash. Like so many other Boomers I have learned never to become comfortable in a bout of good fortune. We may be The Lucky Ge...

  It almost has a sci-fi ethos: The crash of pricey advanced degrees.  The other day The Wall Street Journal features newly minted PhDs in Economics who can't find jobs, which I covered here . Both law firms  Paul, Weiss  and  Sullivan and Cromwell  sketched out some of how life in the legal sector will implode. Because of AI, demand will plummet for junior lawyers. Also because of AI, many practices will devalue into commodities. Still want to go to law school? Today the  WSJ discusses MBAs from top graduate schools of business who remain unemployed. With some exceptions I advise the over-50 out-of-work to leave the MBA off their job-search materials. Because it positions them as maybe too expensive that could knock them out of the box. On LinkedIn I don't list next to my name my two advanced degrees. Some graduate schools of business are getting hit less than others. For example, at Harvard "only" 16% are still hunting for a job three months a...