In The Algebra Of Wealth, Scott Galloway’s Spot-On Career Tips Dwarf His Iffy Personal Advice

Though his philosophy and personal advice can be a bit thin, Scott Galloway's swagger makes for entertaining and occasionally thought-provoking reading.

IRS warns Americans that early 2024 tax returns are down a whopping 29% from last year, but experts remain optimistic



For Americans expecting a 2024 tax refund similar to last year's check, the Internal Revenue Service is pouring ice-cold water on that prospect.

The IRS warned Americans that they may have to expect significantly smaller tax refund checks in 2024 compared to last year, according to early data published by the government bureau responsible for assessing and collecting taxes.

The IRS noted that the average tax refund was $1,963 through Feb. 3, 2023. At the same period of time in 2024, the average refund totaled $1,395, — a whopping decrease of 29% from last year.

The IRS attempted to temper concerns over the worrying data. The agency believes that the average could increase as more returns are processed and stressed that all systems are "running well."

"Because the 2023 filing season began on Jan. 23, the IRS had been receiving returns for 12 days by Feb. 3, 2023; compared to only 5 days for the 2024 filing season, which opened on Jan. 29. Considering the loss of 7 days in this comparison, filing season statistics below show a strong start to filing season 2024, with all systems running well," the Internal Revenue Service noted.

Through Feb. 2, 2024, there have been a total of more than 2.6 million tax refunds worth $3.6 billion.

Through Feb. 3, 2023, there were a total of nearly 8 million tax refunds worth nearly $15.7 billion.

Fox Business reported, "Nearly three-quarters of filers received a tax refund in 2023, with an average payment worth about $3,176, down about 3% from the previous year."

However, Americans are still attempting to deal with painful inflation shrinking their wallets.

According to Investopedia, inflation year-over-year rose 7% in 2021, 6.5% in 2022, and 3.4% in 2023.

Ironically, debilitating inflation could actually benefit taxpayers.

CBS MoneyWatch reported, "That's because the IRS adjusted many of its provisions in 2023 for inflation, pushing the standard deduction to a more generous level and raising its tax brackets by 7.1% — a historically large adjustment."

Mark Steber, chief tax information officer at Jackson Hewitt, told the outlet, "Say your income didn't keep pace with inflation — you made the same as the prior year but didn't increase your income by that inflation rate of 7% or so — you could see a better refund. We are predicting a higher refund for those people, up to 10%."

Steber added, "There's not a lot of good news for the low- and moderate-income people who didn't keep pace with inflation, and that's a lot of people. This is not some outlier group. Those people should see a little better situation on their taxes this year."

Taxpayers will have until the April 15 deadline to submit their returns or request an extension.

The IRS expects to receive over 128.7 million individual tax returns by this year’s deadline, which falls on a Monday.

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Democratic Socialists of America is imploding; faces mass layoffs and major cuts amid internal 'crisis'



Democratic Socialists of America appear to have been so preoccupied with trying to make organizations across America unprofitable that it failed to keep an eye on its own bottom line.

DSA, backed by members of the so-called squad and touted as America's "largest and fastest growing socialist organization," is imploding on account of a seven-figure deficit, infighting, and the prospect of massive layoffs. To stay afloat, the radical group is considering defunding its various chapters and propaganda arms as well as axing senior staff.

Reds in the red

Members of DSA's National Political Committee indicated in a recent proposal that "DSA is in a financial crisis and staff-related costs account for 58% of our total expenditures and 72% of our projected income. ... The current deficit will force us to make a 7-figure budget cuts. This will require us to make painful decisions that will impact all levels of the organization."

NPC committee members Alex Pellitteri, Kristin Schall, and Laura Wadlin suggested that one way to begin climbing out of the hole that socialists have dug for themselves would be for director-level and bargaining unit staff to volunteer to "have their position cut and receive severance."

When that fails, the socialist trio suggested they "will they explore initiating lay-offs."

The trio did not themselves volunteer to have their positions cut. Rather, they claimed elsewhere that the salaries for elected roles should be preserved, suggesting "[l]eadership stipends are not a luxury; they're an essential part of DSA's democratic character."

The NPC members indicated in a post on DSA's Bread and Roses Caucus' blog that they expect DSA to bring $5 million in income and $7 million in expenses in 2024. Their treasurer, John Lewis, apparently recommended maintaining a deficit of $821,000-$921,000 to buy DSA "another year to solve the problem."

Pulling that off would apparently require at least $1.1 million in cuts this budget cycle, which "could mean cutting dues share to chapters, slashing the YDSA budget, foregoing in-person events, slashing committee budgets, slashing NEC grants, slashing publications and literature — nearly everything that gives DSA meaning would be on the chopping block."

Other pinkos have offered alternative proposals for keeping DSA afloat. NPC member Sam Heft-Luthy, for instance, called for an expansion of DSA's hiring freeze.

Seizing moments and displacing blame

The NPC members made sure to displace any possible accountability for their misfortune, instead blaming a "downturn in enthusiasm," alleged financial mismanagement by former DSA directors, and a dearth of "strong figures at the top of the organization to lead with a political vision that inspires people to become committed socialists."

The NPC members indicated further that the DSA dropped the ball on recruitment.

"We're living in a moment when revived labor struggles and the fight for a free Palestine are galvanizing so many Americans, particularly young people," they wrote. "Biden's disastrous policy of fueling Israel's genocide in Gaza has created the kind of space for an independent alternative from the Democratic Party that has not existed since Bernie."

Despite this apparent prime time for an ideology that produced over 100 million corpses in the 20th century, DSA "didn't adequately seize the moment," according to the committee.

Supporting terrorists by default then defaulting

The New York Post noted that some progressive Jewish leftists figure DSA leaders' support for anti-Israel groups and its rhetorical alliance with terrorists may have also hurt their cause.

"DSA long ago fell into the trap of becoming so radical in the name of 'justice' that they abandoned the mission of the progressive movement," said Amanda Berman, executive director of Zioness, a group of Jewish leftists who support Israel.

"After Hamas's brutal invasion of Israel on October 7, DSA doubled down on their strategy of going deep and long on antisemitism, thinking it might get them out of the hole," added Berman.

Hours after Hamas terrorists massacred thousands of unarmed Israelis as well as dozens over Americans, the New York City chapter of the DSA organized a rally in Times Square "[i]n solidarity with the Palestinian people and their right to resist 75 years of occupation and apartheid. FREE PALESTINE!"

Unlike subsequent anti-Israel rallies, this DSA event took place before the bodies of dead Israeli civilians had been counted and prior to Israel's counter-offensive. DSA blamed Israel for the attacks, stressing in a thread still live on its X account, "Today's events are a direct result of Israel's apartheid regime—a regime that receives billions in funding from the United States. ... This was not unprovoked."

"True progressives, whether in the grassroots or in political leadership, will continue rejecting this extremist group and its hateful ideas in the name of true justice and equity, including for Jewish American," said Berman.

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Daily Beast tries to attack Speaker Johnson over his personal finances but accidentally makes him more likable instead



The Daily Beast attacked Speaker Mike Johnson in a story Wednesday over the Louisiana Republican's boringly normal financial situation.

According to the news outlet, Johnson manages a "extraordinarily precarious" financial situation. That's because his financial disclosure forms show that he and his wife do not own bank accounts stashed with cash; they hold no investments in the stock market, have no retirement accounts, and have taken on considerable debt in the form of a mortgage, a home equity loan, and a personal loan.

The Daily Beast used Johnson's situation to make three attacks:

  1. That Johnson is bad with money and thus not a fiscal conservative.
  2. That Johnson is "ripe for influence buying," according to the left-leaning Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics.
  3. That Johnson "plans to use his congressional position as a springboard to something more lucrative once he’s done in government."

The story gained viral attention on Wednesday after Matt Fuller, Washington bureau chief of the Daily Beast, posted the story to social media.

"Mike Johnson doesn't have any retirement savings, own a single stock, or have any assets at all. He has less than $5,000 in his bank account. He's got a 250-500K mortgage, a home equity loan, and a personal loan. So what's his retirement plan? To lobby?" Fuller suggestively wrote.

— (@)

Reaction to the Daily Beast's story included:

  • "So, to extent accurate, he’s like a lot of Americans right now while also navigating raising a large family? What a monster," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) mocked.
  • "So the Daily Beast wants people to be mad that Speaker Johnson isn’t corrupt and hasn’t used his office to enrich himself?This is how out of touch these guys are," Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) reacted.
  • "Thank you for the gleaming endorsement for @SpeakerJohnson. The left sees these as negatives, but I see them as a man not corrupted or bought," Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) pointed out.
  • "I guess the DC swamp would prefer someone like @SpeakerPelosi or @JoeBiden who became extremely rich while in office," Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) responded.
  • "The D.C. insiders are upset that Speaker Johnson isn’t ultra-rich and corrupt.Maybe they should get out and talk to Real America," Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) reacted.
  • The Daily Beast is furious that @SpeakerJohnson isn’t rich, corrupt or rich from being corrupt. He doesn’t have shady business deals. He doesn’t trade stocks as a congressman. Cry more, I guess?" Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) responded.
  • "So he’s a normal American instead of a permanent Washington insider trading globalist like most of DC. Got it. I like him even more now," Blaze TV host Chad Prather said.
  • "The fact that Johnson did not, like countless other Congressmen, suddenly tap into new streams of wealth after he won office in 2016 is a mark in FAVOR of his character. Apparently he’s not availing himself of the insider advantages others are quick to exploit," reporter Megan Basham pointed out.
  • "Perhaps questioning how some members of congress have become multi millionaires while in office should be more of a priority for you?" actor Matthew Marsden noted.
  • "Is it strange that Mike Johnson, who has raised 4 children, has a mortgage and $5k in his bank account...Or is it actually strange that so many other members of Congress are multimillionaires when their salary is $170k per year?" Blaze TV host Lauren Chen questioned.

It turns out that people aren't angry the new House speaker is, at least financially speaking, like a sizable percentage of Americans: not rich and scraping by on what he does have to provide for his family.

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How The Middle-Class American Dream Became A Penny-Pinching Nightmare

We should be living comfortable, middle-class lives. Instead, we’ve been significantly and unsustainably squeezed.

SHOCKING: Has the government's WAR ON HOMEOWNERSHIP begun?



The idea that “you will own nothing and be happy” is coming to fruition.

Glenn Beck long warned that government elites have been planning to push people out of homeownership and into renting, and it seems their new American dream is finally coming true.

Not only are they attempting to rid Americans of all their earthly possessions, but they’re blaming them for wanting those possessions in the first place.

Glenn references a recent article from Axios, titled "The Problem With America’s High Homeownership Rate," which claims that “America’s decades-long love affair with home ownership is holding back the economy and hobbling the Federal Reserve and exacerbating a national housing crisis.”

“We got into the ‘08 crisis because the government was pushing home ownership. Everybody became overextended. Now, they’re pushing for you to get rid of your home,” Glenn says, adding, “I think this is the first shot of the government trying to get people out of their homes.”

Former investment banker Carol Roth believes it's actually the “second shot.”

After the 2008 crisis, “Americans lost about 6 million homes to foreclosures and short sales,” Roth says.

“And then they went out because they had so much money, had to do something with it, they bought up homes,” Glenn says, finishing Roth’s point.

Roth notes that at the end of 2022, one in every five homes in America was being bought by a corporate entity.

“Now you have this gentleman from Axios, who is one of the economic media darlings, if you will, coming out and not only saying, ‘Oh, it’s really a problem that you own your home, it’s really a problem that you have this asset that’s creating legacy wealth for you and your family,’” Roth tells Glenn.

“The mental gymnastics it took for him to get there. ‘Oh, this is holding back the economy, and this is crippling the FED,’ as if it wasn’t FED policy and the government policy that got us here in the first place,” Roth adds.

“The idea that they’re blaming you for creating wealth instead of blaming the arsonists who burnt down the economy — the government and the FED — is absolutely despicable.”


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Joe Rogan and Post Malone sound off on central bank digital currencies: 'No f***ing way. ... That's checkmate.'



Joe Rogan and musician Post Malone discussed the dangers of cash-killing central bank digital currencies on the Aug. 8 episode of the "Joe Rogan Experience."

While Malone appeared cynical about the present financial system, intimating the state and powers that be already enjoy too much control over Americans' spending and finances, Rogan indicated it could get much worse.

When asked how he felt about CBDCs, Rogan fired back, saying, "No f***ing way. No way. That's what I think. That's checkmate. That's game over."

Malone agreed, "That is f***ing checkmate."

The push for CBDCs in the West and around the world has taken on new momentum in recent months.

TheBlaze previously reported that the International Monetary Fund is working on a platform to ensure interoperability between CBDCs, whereby central banks would control their respective vaporous fiat currencies but adopt a single global ledger and adhere to international standards.

The Biden administration hinted that it might be on board, noting in a September 2022 report that among the policy objectives for an American CBDC would be interoperability and transferability with the global financial system.

Last year, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell hyped the prospect of a U.S. CBDC, stating it could "potentially help maintain the dollar's international standing" and possibly "improve on an already safe and efficient domestic payments system."

The Federal Reserve's 2022 paper, "Money and Payments: The U.S. Dollar in the Age of Digital Transformation," cited the adoption of CBDCs as a way toward greater inclusivity, stating, "A CBDC could reduce common barriers to financial inclusion and could lower transaction costs, which could be particularly helpful for lower-income households."

Nationally syndicated radio host and co-founder of Blaze Media Glenn Beck underscored earlier this year that the problem with a CBDC is that "there is no physical cash. There’s even [a physical aspect] with Bitcoin — you can take it on a thumb drive and you stick it in your pocket, or you can move it from one off-ramp to another. Just memorize your seed phrase, that’s all … but it’s yours."

Conversely, with a CBDC, it's only electronic, "only in the Federal Reserve System," noted Beck.

Extra to stressing that the "federal government has no authority to unilaterally establish a central bank currency," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has made clear that even if it did, it would be a bad idea.

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has indicated this bad idea is ultimately "about surveillance and control."

Accordingly, he has banned CBDCs in Florida and told Tucker Carlson that as president, he would "nix central bank digital currency. Done. Dead. Not happening in this country," reiterating that it is a "massive threat to American liberty."

Building on his response to Malone, Rogan warned there will inevitably be trouble if "they apply [CBDCs] to a social credit score — if they decide somehow or another that you need some social credit score system and it's for the benefit of society — and they outline that they can track your behavior and your tweets and all your things, and you get a score."

Nigel Farage, the former English politician who proved instrumental in the 2020 restoration of British sovereignty via Brexit, was recently debanked by a giant British financial organization over his tweets and un-woke views.

Farage, having seen firsthand what traditional banks are already willing to do to conservatives with allegedly unacceptable views, made a similar claim to Rogan in a video Sunday, noting that the push "towards a cashless society" will likely usher in "a social credit system where only if you obey the prevailing orthodoxy of the day can you take part in life."

Malone told Rogan that ship has sailed — that social credit scores are already here, "they just haven't released the f***ing report cards. They didn't send the report cards home to the parents yet. ... Everything is already imprinted. Everything is already tracked. Everything is already there."

Rogan contended that the technocrats set upon the elimination of cash and regulation of behavior "just can't control you to the same extent that they would like. And what they would like to do is to strip you of your money and to be able to lock you down and then make sure you comply."

Outside communist-controlled China, this tactic has already been used to great effect in Canada under the Trudeau government.

Canadian banks in concert with the Trudeau government began freezing accounts of people linked to the trucker demonstrations as a means to snuff out the peaceful populist protest, which was critical of vaccine mandates.

Rogan indicated that the state's ability to make examples of dissenters by stripping them of their money will preclude others from standing up: "They don't want everything they worked for just be taken away instantly overnight and be powerless. No one to call. No one's going to answer your phone. They just decided you f***ed up, and the rules are the rules."

Beyond just eliminating dissent, the podcast host indicated that state actors will ultimately abuse this ability upon realizing they can fill their coffers and pockets with Americans' confiscated digital currencies.

A February CATO study highlighted that in addition to CBDCs enabling governments to freeze someone's financial resources with greater ease and speed, having established "a direct line between citizens and the government itself," policymakers would be able to set negative interest rates, thereby forcing spending by causing people to lose money.

The study also highlighted how the government would be positioned to bar people from spending their money on certain goods or services.

Watch Rogan and Malone's CBDC conversation:

— (@)

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Biden takes victory lap on 3% inflation reading, but others offer a reality check



President Joe Biden took a victory lap on Wednesday in response to the Consumer Price Index report indicating that the all items index increased 3% over a one-year period, the smallest rise in more than two years.

"The all items index increased 3.0 percent for the 12 months ending June; this was the smallest 12-month increase since the period ending March 2021," the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.

Biden seized upon the data, branding it as "Bidenomics in action."

"Today, we learned annual inflation has fallen 12 straight months to 3% – the lowest in over two years. I ran for office to grow the economy from the middle out and bottom up, not the top down: that’s exactly what we're doing. Bidenomics in action," a tweet on the @POTUS Twitter account declared.

— (@)

But Americans have been being walloped by inflation for quite some time, and while the left hailed the CPI data, others offered a reality check.

Craig DeLuz, a Republican running for U.S. Congress in California, noted that the economic data is not worth cheering. He tweeted that "3% inflation year-on-year is NOT something to be celebrated. That doesn't mean prices are decreasing. That just mean things are less bad right now than they were last year. The prices are STILL rising!"

"The Biden administration is bragging about bringing down the inflation they created. Since Biden took office, inflation skyrocketed, and is currently double what it was in January 2021. And real wages are down 3%. #Bidenomics at work, folks," GOP Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted.

"If Joe Biden thinks that his economic policies are actually helping American families live the American dream, he's more delusional than we feared," Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said in a statement. "We've got to get this skyrocketing inflation and reckless spending under control and stop expecting our kids and grandkids to pay the bill."

"Rate of growth of inflation going down after record highs is not equal to the cost of living going down," Blaze Media's Daniel Horowitz noted in a tweet.

— (@)

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Financial expert ANSWERS: Should you pay off your debt NOW?



Carol Roth, financial expert and author of “You Will Own Nothing,” is a wealth of information on the current situation we’re facing in America.

Glenn Beck sat down with her to ask her just what the American people need to know in order to make their own informed decisions as the dollar weakens, inflation rises, and the government rolls out Fedcoin.

First, they agree that it’s important to get any grief out now.

“You are going to go through grief as we lose some of the things that we have always traditionally known. It’s better to do it now than it is when the time comes,” Glen warns.

Roth agrees, adding, “We may not be able to stop the train from going off the tracks, but I can personally take shelter. That’s what you have to do; you cannot panic here. You have to prepare and say, ‘What is it I can do? I might not be able to, you know, stop the new financial world order, right, that’s a huge tall order — but what can I do in my life to make myself more secure?”

One of the questions Roth is asked is whether or not Americans should be paying off their debts.

Roth answers, “People sometimes don’t differentiate between debt that is used for spending and debt that is used for investing. There’s good debt and bad debt. You don’t want to be taking on debt for your spending, but you want to be able to use it productively for an investment.”

But what happens to debt if it all goes south?

Roth says that “if the dollar loses purchasing power, it’s actually good for your fixed-rate debt,” because then your “debt is really in a sense worth half as much as it was today in the future.”

She reminds Glenn’s listeners that she’s not a financial adviser and it’s not financial advice — but all this is just “things to think through.”


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Dragging Your Feet On Marriage? Here’s A Robust Case For Tying The Knot Amid A Recession

Married couples' median net worth has remained consistently higher than that of single households.