Star Wars nailed down $247.9 million in 3 days

In the race to gross the most, there are many landmarks for films to pass, and making $200 million in domestic box office receipts is a big one. Forbes looks at six films that reached that [landmark] in five days or less.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens nailed down $247.9 million in 3 days; $2.07+ billion overall in the box office. Not bad, at all.

Complex picture of a $15 minimum wage

As the $15 minimum wage is implemented in a handful of American cities and two states (NY and CA), how might it affect businesses and their employees?

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour may have unintended consequences to the jobs ecosystem.

Pharmacy Benefit Managers | PBMs - friend, foe or both?

Despite political uproar over U.S. drug pricing, pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, such as CVS Caremark and Express Scripts are the only ones that have really managed to lower drug prices for many. But their controversial playbook involves making it harder for some people to access medicines. Bloomberg Gadfly's Max Nisen looks at how PBMs work within the broken U.S. health-care system.

It sounds like Pharmacy Benefit Managers | PBMs assert monopoly-like, 12-figure $ales control over the drug market.

The richest among billionaires in Africa

The 50 richest people in Africa are worth a combined $95.6 billion.

Billionaires who became even bigger billionaires

Amazon stock soaring 110%, ergo Jeff Bezos fortune ballooning $29.5 billion in 2015.

Geopolitics implicated in oil economics

This brief Bloomberg discussion makes it apparent how much geopolitics is implicated in oil economics.

Facebook, Soaring

Facebook, soaring. But how far, and for how long?
 

Bill Gates' Multimillion Dollar Investments

Informative rundown of Bill Gates' multimillion dollar investments in food | energy | communications | health.
 

Horror Films Big Deal for Hollywood

Horror films are a big deal for Hollywood, as they drive an efficient business model. So happy (profitable) Halloween!

 

Chicago Blackhawks Pushing $1 Billion

The growing business value of the winningest hockey team - Chicago Blackhawks - in the tough salary cap era.
 

$800,000 after a slew of pie-cutting ain't bad

The owner of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah nails down $800,000 from the Belmont Stakes, amid a slew of pie-cutting.

Mixed Numbers for Fitbit

Fitbit revenue increased a whopping 880% in two years, yet just 61% of its buyers are active users (hmm).
 

2015 Billionaire Newcomers Set New Record

The fact that Forbes had a record number of billionaire newcomers last year at 268, then this year shattered that with a new record of 290, is testament to rising wealth in the world and, I imagine, further skewing of wealth distribution.  Welcome to the Club indeed.

The Usual Suspects among Tech Titans

No one among these Tech Titans is a surprise, and they've occupied this rarefied air for years.  The companies they ran, including Steve Jobs via his wife Laurene, are storied companies in American business history. 

1826 Billionaires $7 Trillion Combined Net Worth

1826 billionaires boast a staggering average net worth of $3.9 billion and combined net worth of $7 trillion.  Discuss.  So to say that wealth distribution around the world is skewed (negatively) toward a minute fraction of the population is to speak an understatement. 

Vicissitudes of Oil Price (3) Consumers prop up

Consumers may be propping up a slowing economy: Paying less at the pumps, so they have more discretionary income.
 

Vicissitudes of Oil Price (2) Good vs Bad

Are oil prices good or bad? In general, it depends on whether you're an oil producer or an oil consumer. 
 

Vicissitudes of Oil Price (1) Warren Buffet

Berkshire Hathaway portfolio is so diverse that Warren Buffet will be just fine through the downcycle of oil prices. 
 

A lifetime of seeking for Brent Farley

Brent Farley is a cross between Thomas Edison and Ed Wood. He has hundreds of inventions described in notebooks or prototyped - some even patented - but success has eluded him. From "Sled Pants" to "Squirt Gun Shoes," Brent pursues each idea as though it may be his big break. His obsession with invention has greatly interfered with his life, but he can't stop. Brent calls it a sad story, but there's just as much inspiration as frustration in this portrait.

I love this man.  I love his inventiveness, persistence, and whimsy.  It's good that he acknowledges his downfall as a businessman, and perhaps in time he'll happen upon the right partners to move his concepts in the market.

Todd Greene pours himself into HeadBlade

Todd Greene built a brand around what he calls "Head Care," a combination of head shaving and skin care. His invention, the HeadBlade, makes head shaving easier for the millions of people who shave their heads. Here he tells the story of how he came up with the HeadBlade, and grew it from an idea to a successful business.

Inventor Todd Greene poured a year of his life, plus $150,000, and had a rather underwhelming first day of sales: Sold 8 out of 500 HeadBlades.  He kept going, at the behest and rationale from his wife.  He believed in his invention so passionately that selling them was just a matter of time.