A recent report from the US Census Bureau highlights the predicament of the US middle class and helps explain the concomitant political fallout. At year-end 2018, the median household income was $63,200. Adjusted for inflation, this is barely above the 1999 level and 135 percent above income levels of 30 years ago (a mere 14 percent in real terms)—this despite the economy growing by almost…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION MONTHLY BAROMETER: Some practical take-aways for business and investors from the many sessions on sustainability at the recent Summit of Minds: (1) the pricing of environmental and possibly some societal externalities will become a reality; (2) supply chains will shorten (hyper-localization and sharing platforms will become favored themes); (3) sustainable healthy eating and “locavorism” will gain ground; (4) recycling and…
Once upon a time, a great forest caught on fire. While all the other animals panicked, a little hummingbird named Dukdukdiya flew quickly upstream. She picked up a single drop of water in her beak and carried it to the flames again and again. Thinking her efforts laughable against the blaze, Bear asked what she was doing. Dukdukdiya replied, “I am doing the best I…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION Climate will reshape politics. There isn’t a single climate solution, so expect tomorrow’s world to be messy. Maybe more than other industries because of the values it embodies and the image it projects, the wellness industry will be held accountable for how it deals with the environment and the climate. Increasingly, clients, investors (for public companies), activists and also regulators…
“Joy is the lack of lack.”—Jessica Jesse, CEO, BuDhaGirl BuDhaGirl CEO Jessica Jesse reminds us that when we place our attention on the richness of life rather than what we believe we lack, joy naturally emerges. The Jewish diarist Anne Frank also understood the power of this inner shift. After a life of hiding during the Nazi occupation, she wrote, “I don’t think of all…
MONTHLY BAROMETER – WELLNESS EDITION There is a risk of the trade war morphing into a currency war. And just as for a trade war, a currency war has no winners. The possible benefits of depreciating a currency (like the hope of boosting growth) are small and elusive, while the risks are considerable (a spiral of capital flows and further depreciation). To date, exchange rates…
