The U.S. tax reform pushed by the Trump Administration has prompted many corporations to announce bonuses and wage hikes for their employees. Starbucks is one of the latest to boost its compensation and benefits package in light of the recent changes in U.S. tax law. Ron Crawford, VP of Benefits at Starbucks, was with us to discuss the company's investment in benefits.
Starbucks said the U.S. tax reform accelerated its latest investment in paid leave and wages. Had there not been tax reform, Crawford said Starbucks still would have made investments in compensation, but the timing and the extent of it may have been different. The offerings will total more than $250 million for more than 150,000 workers.
Digital apps and emerging technologies are driving more coffee runs to Starbucks, says Crawford. He believes digitization has brought more customers to its stores and boosted interactions between customers and employees. Starbucks is pumping in $7 billion of capital to build and renovate stores, manufacturing plants and technology platforms in the U.S. over the next five years.
About 45% of American households invest in REITs. Jeremy Pagan, research analyst with Morningstar Inc., joined Cheddar News to explain the pros and cons of investing in REITs.
A Republican-led House panel voted to advance a bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok. Chris Pierson, the founder and CEO of BlackCloak, joined Cheddar News to discuss how the process could affect other businesses.
Ahmed Riesgo, chief investment officer for financial services company Insigneo, told Cheddar News that, "the U.S. economy should be okay" for the next six months.
Arianne Adams, Head of Derivatives and Global Client Services at CBOE, joins Cheddar News to break down what exactly same day options are, how they are traded, the benefits of same day options, and so much more.
