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With six consequent quarters of declining same store sales, Starbucks, documents The Wall Street Journal,  will be closing stores (laying off too). Will one of those shuttered be on S. State Street in University town Ann Arbor, Michigan?  That location is smack in the middle of the central campus of the University of Michigan. On it are cool coffee shops with themes and to-die-for freshly made desserts. Amid that is Starbucks. In no way did I find it a stand-out.   When I went inside, yes Starbucks had customers. No, it wasn't jam-packed like other buzzy beverage places on S. State. Also, there didn't seem to be any energy vibes. The taste of the coffee was not distinct. To me being in there was transactional. I purchased a coffee. Not an "experience." Major university towns like Ann Arbor can be the platforms for sticky and emerging trends. If Starbucks remains out of that loop (as is Dunkin' on the street) it might not be able to sustain itself. See, another rea...

  Kirkland & Ellis , largest and most profitable law firm in the world, contributes more to the Democrats than GOP. In 2024 Paul, Weiss employees contributed more to the party than any other law firm and its chair Brad Karp pitches in significant amounts out of his own pocket.  But nevertheless - it's right out of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" - the Democrats in Congress turn on them. Although they didn't comment to The New York Times about the letter sent to them by top Congressional Dems they might have uttered that classic line: Et Tu, Brute.  It seems there's something on the books which got the Dems' attention. That's Section 1342 of Title 31  (Antideficiency Act) which forbids work done on a volunteer basis for the government except in an emergency.  Well, both K&E and PW have been doing just that for Commerce. The letter says that certainly there's an awareness that doing that kind of free work probably is against the law. So, they ...

Fame is a glutted category. Your wattage could dim as others elbow their way into your space. You beome less fascinating. Or simply older. Eventually you could even be off the grid.  Recently there's been a new entry point for stardom. In addition that serves to refresh the twinkle of those already in the firmament. The way: Leave your lawyer job in Big Law. Or be pushed out for what's not associated with work . That's how Rachel Cohen, who had been dabbling in being an influcer, became a major one. After a lot of fanfare about politics, which might have been strategic as part of juicing up the exit, she ditched the highly paid associate position at Skadden. Now she has quite the following on TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn and more.  Legacy media can't get enough of Karen Dunn. Today, for example, her saga about exiting Paul, Weiss to launch Dunn Isaacson Rhee is covered yet again in The Wall Street Journal.  The prevailing narrative is that she departed because Paul, Weis...

  How many times founder and CEO of Starbucks Howard Schultz had returned after retiring. Could that have boxed in the coffee chain's ability to keep transforming? Despite myriad turnaround strategies Starbucks remains stuck. Smirk. Its latest: Have baristers interact more with customers. What we want is not the relationship but faster service, more affordability and being part of cool.  At Vogue after stepping down from the top job Anna Wintour will be down the hall from new head Chloe Malle. Can the brand which has seen better days pull out of its decline? In prominent law firms there's a tendency for leaders who step down from the top job to hang around. Surely in their high-profile careers they have developed the contacts for very different career paths.  At Jones Day former partner-in-charge at the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office Laura Ellsworth is still there as the head of global community initiatives. The late Paul, Weiss Alfred Youngwood was only 73 when he stepp...

  In pop culture, the way to symbolize glam in a creative field had been to feature ad agencies. In addition to "Mad Men" there have been "The Hucksters," "What Women Want," "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and much more. But the front lines of pop culture might have to come up with another kind of symbol. Soon enough the ad agency as we've known it probably won't exist. The cost-efficiency movement + AI are what can wipe out that icon in US creativity.  Platforms on which businesses place ads - Amazon, Meta, Comcast - have been developing DIY AI tools to actually create those ads and entire ad campaigns. Yes, that's automated ad creation through AI. The Wall Street Journal reports: " Amazon  has released a chatbot-style creative assistant [updated Creative Studio] designed to help advertisers produce and distribute multimedia ad campaigns almost entirely with artificial intelligence." Essentially you don...

There's plenty of upheaval in the UK legal market. As Reuters documents it's: " ... undergoing a fundamental shift driven by macroeconomic uncertainty and rapid advances in technology" This is at a time when almost 30% of UK legal departments intend to reduce spend and already almost 50% of UK law firms have veered away from the billable hour. The pressure is for boosted efficiency which will cut costs. Meanwhile, US firms ranging from Kirkland & Ellis to Paul, Weiss have invested mega bucks in building their presence. Recall their pricey talent raids of one another. Both those US-headquartered law firms with a growing footprint in the UK and all law firms in the US which are competing fiercely for new business of all kinds have to observe closely what's going on across the ocean. To use the cliche: The UK legal sector could be the canary in the coal mine. In everything from the billing to the structure.  The major recent development is that a UK AI company ba...

  We expected more. Maybe this is just a slow start.  Dow Jones Industrial Average DJI: ^DJI 46,032.65 +14.33  (+0.03%) As of Thu. Sep 18, 2025 9:32 AM EDT · Delayed Quote (USD) · Market open

 Look at this display in a drug store. Isn't the message: Make your wait less frustrating with a sweet. Food, especially the sugar kind, shouldn't be positioned and packaged as a way of coping. It's fuel for the body.  The drug store should prop up the Wait sign in another way.  Thrown off your game, maybe the first time since you started working? You made all the right moves and then the world moved in another direction. Intuitive Coaching. Special expertise with transitions, reskilling and aging. Psychic/tarot readings, upon request. Complimentary consultation with Jane Genova (Text 203-468-8579, janegenova374@gmail.com ). Yes, test out the chemistry. There’s no risk.  

 Euphoria could be ahead if the Fed cuts interest rates even a little today. Our stocks could surge. But the day opened just fine.  Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 45,941.12 USD ▲  +183.22 (+0.40%) today September 17, 9:33 AM EDT  ·  Market Open

  ChatGPT calls it "trading space for savings." The studio apartment is becoming the solution to keeping a roof over your head - at any age - in this time of extreme rent inflation. Demand is up.  Once how youth managed to live on their own or take on the Big City, studio apartments symbolized starting out. The average square footage was and is 450 to 550. In Manhattan that could be only 170 square feet. Then, of course, you were expected to "move on up." First a one-bedroom. Then a house. Then a much bigger house.  Now, the studio apartment represents financial survival, not just starter shelter.  More of my clients over-40 are renting studios. For years their usual was the one-or-more bedroom apartment or house. That was then.  If you follow leasing information it's the one- and two-bedrooms which provide special deals. They are less in demand. Usually there's a significant difference between the monthly payment for those versus a studio. But there's...

  "We have never been busier." That's what Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp gushed to The American Lawyer. During the first eight months of 2025 the law firm metrics have surged double digits. That was despite the pounding the law firm received since late March. That was when it was the first among law firms receiving Executive Orders to cut a deal with the Trump administration. Of course, the high in Social Intelligence Karp, in discussing business results, thanks clients for sticking with the firm. But the real subject here is not Paul, Weiss' having a very good year. The issue is questioning the long embedded assumption that negatives in the court of public opinion could trigger a reversal of fortune.  This is at a time when the field which supposedly is expert in public perception and neutralizing negative impacts - as Statistica puts it: " ... could use a stronger PR strategy" Gould + Partners found in a survey, reports O'Dwyer's Public Relations :...

  Our very own star - Robert Redford - has passed over. The Dow is taking a dip: Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 45,719.16 USD ▼  -164.29 (-0.36%) today September 16, 10:30 AM EDT  ·  Market Open

  No slouch in bouncing back from the departures of star litigators, particularly in antitrust matters, Paul, Weiss has been on a poaching spree. Most recently, documents Bloomberg News , it hired three partners from A&O Shearman. That has been opportunistic. Since its transatlantic merger last May, A&O has been experiencing partner flight. The partners are: " David Higbee, Ben Gris and Djordje. The trio provide antitrust counseling on mergers, government and internal investigations and litigation matters ..." Earlier Paul, Weiss had hired litigation partner Masha Hansford who had been in the Solicitor General's office and Leon Kitchen, formerly with Quinn Emanuel, for the London office. The latter has become a major profit center for Paul, Weiss.' As long as the money keeps flowing in Big Law firms can afford to keep collecting brandname talent. In my coaching I'm noticing clients are following the money, not passion. Thrown off your game, maybe the firs...

  The next big in a surge in our equities will be if interest rates are cut. But, as we wait for that to happen (it looks like it will happen) things on the Dow are okay, at least so far today. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 45,919.36 USD ▲  +85.14 (+0.19%) today September 15, 9:56 AM EDT  ·  Market Open

  The rant is that youth can't land that first job. But maybe that's not really true.  Of course, that first job is important because it socializes what work is about and how to function in it so you hold on to that paid employment. Pay your bills. Keep the economy going.  At Rave Cinema, Toledo, Ohio there are plenty of young people working the refreshment stand. That could be their first job. They look like they might be in high school which is wonderful. For them. And for the future economy. They are learning how to work.  Okay, some of you are rolling your eyes. Being behind the refreshment stand is a non-job, you push back. A real first job is in finance on Wall Street, in marketing, handling customer questions at a benefits insurance company, receiving $212,000 starting salary at a New York law firm and more. Not filling cups with Diet Soda. Any way, you probably are thinking, youth shouldn't be wasting time in any kind of non-job. They should be acquiring adva...

  On the OpenAI ChatGPT prompt I keyed in "I am angry about politics. What should I do." To my surprise ChatGPT  zeroed in on useful insight and strategies.  Actually it delivered the same empathy and recommendations I provide my intuitive coaching/tarot-reading clients whose anger is getting in the way of their career success, relationships and health.  For instance, it told me that it could identify with my feelings. I felt less alone. Then it made the explicit recommendation that I not isolate. Yes, discuss my political point of view. That's in all mediums. Including in-person. It also introduced radical acceptance. To my clients I suggest purchasing the classics on radical acceptance by Tara Brach.  Essentially radical acceptance is:  " ... recognizing and accepting our emotions, thoughts, and physical sensations as they are, without trying to change or avoid them. This does not mean that we must agree with everything we experience, but rather that...

 In BoomerVille we're hoping there won't be a crash. Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Index: DJI Compare 45,898.61 USD ▼  -209.39 (-0.45%) today September 12, 12:44 PM EDT  ·  Market Open

  Will it make us Boomers seem "old" if we cite the mantra of the 1954 mascot of easy living Alfred E. Neuman? That was: What, Me Worry. Neuman was the face of Mad Magazine.  Well, by now most of us should have accepted that we're not only no longer young. We've entered "Old Old Age."  But, what we have going for us in this financially scary age is a bit of financial security. The bull market seems sustainable. The Dow just crossed the line to more than 46,000. A crash? The way my portfolio is set up I won't lose a lot. I will remain able to pay bills and enjoy some lux. Okay, as early as 2032 the monthly Social Security payment for all recipients could be reduced to 77% of what it had been. But by then I'll be 87.  It's probable I won't have many more years to fund. Like so many in my Boomer circles I resist a long life if I can't be relatively independent.  We're the generation who "overthrew" our mothers. We're now t...

  Maybe this bull market can be sustained. Dow Jones Industrial Average DJI: ^DJI 45,591.28 +100.36  (+0.22%) As of Thu. Sep 11, 2025 9:30 AM EDT · Free Realtime Quote (USD) · Market open

The polished and heavily packaged Kamala Harris of the 2024 presidential campaign was sealed tight. There were no porous openings. Even what was declared a success - the debate coached by then Paul, Weiss partner Karen Dunn - left us clueless who this human being was. Now that we have access to the excerpt of her memoir "107 Days"  released to The Atlantic  we're getting a sense of a real Kamala Harris. Based on early orders for the September 23rd publication date it is likely to sell well. Currently it ranks 447 on Amazon. So, the human being will have plenty of exposure. Essentially what we get from the excerpt are these messages: Harris took a lot of s**t as vice president. Quote: "No one around the president advocated,  Give her something she can win with ." The reputational damage of that s**t stunk up the campaign since the White House press function wasn't aggressive in fixes. And, now, given the tone and content of "107 Days," she's fin...

  Blip? What's to come? Meanwhile, no one knows ... Dow Jones Industrial Average DJI: ^DJI 45,515.75 -195.59  (-0.43%) As of Wed. Sep 10, 2025 10:50 AM EDT · Free Realtime Quote (USD) · Market open

The "flight" of partners and especially of associates from prominent law firms supposedly because of dealmaking with the Trump administration certainly did make headlines. Still do. Both in legacy media and social.  Recall the fanfare when "60 Minutes" featured former Skadden associate Brenna Frey. Her exit was attributed to the politics of the firm. The same for the noisy former Skadden associate Rachel Cohen . She remains an attention magnet.  On the partner level, the brandname litigation partners such as Karen Dunn who left Paul, Weiss to form their own boutique broke loose a story with legs. That was especially since other lawyers later joined them in dribs and drabs. Yes, keep that going. The political angle is a convenient hook. Since Anything Donald Trump is a source of page views, comments and reposts it's smart business.  But, Bloomberg Law introduces the reality that departure decisions could have been driven by myriad factors.  From my coaching, I ...