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Forever Stamps: Are they a Good Investment? |
This past spring the United States Postal Service introduced its new "forever" stamp. As of mid-May, the USPS had sold more than $82 million worth of the forever stamps, which lock in the 41-cent rate. Is investing in stamps a good place for your money? Absolutely not, according to some members of the business press.
According to Slate.com columnist Nathaniel Rich, since 1971, postal rates have increased more slowly than the actual inflation rate, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index. So, despite the numerous rate hikes over the last 36 years, stamps have actually been getting cheaper. The 20-cent stamp from 1981, for instance, would be equivalent to 45 cents in today's dollars—which makes today's rate 10 percent cheaper than it was 26 years ago. Should this historical pattern hold, you'd be paying more for today's forever stamps than you would for any stamp in the future, no matter how high the rate goes.
Rich notes that this pattern must hold—as a matter of law. In December, President Bush signed the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act, which ensures that future price increases will be kept below an inflation-based ceiling. In other words, postage hikes will never surpass inflation—and the forever stamp will never become a good investment. Incidentally, the USPS announced the introduction of the forever stamp less than two months after Bush signed the act into law.
Source: www.slate.com |
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Real Estate Industry Embracing
Sustainable Development |
According to the Progressive Investor, a monthly newsletter published by SustainableBusiness.com, the real estate industry is quietly transforming by embracing sustainable business practices and green technologies.
In an analysis of the industry, Progressive Investor reports that 41% of the 300 U.S. real estate investment trusts (REITs) are actively pursuing energy efficiency and green building upgrades and another 27% plan to do so.
Progressive Investor identified the following drivers for the trend:
- Developers and building owners are feeling the crunch of high energy and water costs, which, according to the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), constitute 28% of operating costs for downtown office properties, and 30.4% for suburban properties. They see the quick payback and cost savings energy efficiency and other green building upgrades offer.
- Building green no longer costs more. Turner Construction's 2005 Green Building Market Barometer shows it costs a mere 0.8% more for basic LEED certification, easily recouped through lower operating costs.
- Increasingly, clients and tenants show a preference for green buildings, which have been proven to increase productivity, retain employees and lower absenteeism. The combination of reduced operating costs and more satisfied occupants translates into 3.5% higher occupancy rates, 3% higher rents, and a 7.5% increase in building value, says the McGraw-Hill 2006 SmartMarket Report.
- Corporations with sustainable business policies are building highly visible green headquarters including Bank of America, Toyota, Goldman Sachs, Hearst, IBM, JP Morgan Chase and Herman Miller. The Freedom Tower, which replaces the World Trade Center, will be LEED-certified.
- Green building is increasingly being mandated. Nine states and over 40 municipalities have passed legislation mandating LEED-certified buildings.
Source: The Progressive Investor and www.world-wire.com |
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Workplace Security:
DHS Lends Some Important Advice |
Unfortunate events of recent years and the current political and social landscape have brought issues of jobsite and worker security front and center. If you have always wanted to know how to report a suspicious cyber incident or learn about some security best practices, then the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has the answers you need.
In its "Protect Your Workplace" campaign, the DHS makes available a number of important guidelines pertaining to both cyber and physical security issues. The information is available to the public via a new set of posters, as well as an informative brochure. All of the materials are free and downloadable at:
www.us-cert.gov/reading_room/protect_workplace.html.
The four posters provide guidance on physical and cyber security and how to report suspicious behavior, activity, and cyber incidents. The brochure is a compilation of the content from all the homeland security posters.
Source: C/net News and www.us-cert.gov |
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