• “GOAL SETTING IS THE ART OF PREDICTING THE FUTURE, and the best way to create the future is to predict it,” according to guru Peter Drucker. The ability to create our own destiny starts in three distinct and core phases: (1) Developing Goals – your vision of what the time-targeted future looks like: (2) Clarifying Objectives – what needs to happen, what pieces need to be in place to achieve those goals? And at what level of risk? ; then, and only then, (3) Defining Tactics and Action Steps – which target the right paths, people & places to facilitate achieving the objective.  DCG have decades of expertise to help in these areas.                                          
  • AMERICA’S BUSINESS REGULATORY SYSTEM HAS BECOME “AN EXTORTION RACKET – the world’s most lucrative shakedown operation – as regulators and prosecutors are in effect conducting closed-door trials, with agencies that pocket the fines having become profit centers…and State governments also sharing in the booty… The formula is simple: Find a large company that may (or not) have done something wrong; threaten its managers with commercial ruin, preferably with criminal charges; force them to use their shareholders’ money to pay an enormous fine to drop the charges in a secret settlement (so nobody can check the details). Then repeat with another large company.” Amounts are boggling: this year so far, well over $80 billion from banks misleading investors or breaching foreign sanctions, oil spills, alleged faults in selling automobiles, and so forth. “In most cases, the companies probably deserved some form of punishment… But the increasing criminalization of corporate behavior – particularly where regulators are in effect judge & jury as well as plaintiff – is bad for the rule of law and for capitalism… The public never finds out full facts or which people are to blame. And since cases never go to court, precedent is not established so it’s unclear what exactly is illegal, enabling future shakedowns.”   [THE ECONOMIST – Aug 30, 14] 
  • TONY ROBBINS PERSPECTIVE ON THE NATIONAL SPENDING & DEBT CRISIS: A brilliant video, still absolutely on point, which makes the insane arithmetic of ‘trillions’ at least somewhat comprehensible. For example, National debt now exceeds $17 trillion – one million seconds is 12 days; a billion seconds = 32 years; just one trillion seconds = 32,000 years. Robbins’ focus is the lunacy of continuing to spend trillions of borrowed dollars with no plausibility of ever reversing course or paying the debt back. A shame that voters (well over half below the age of 30) have no comprehension of this. See  http://youtu.be/jboTeS9Okak  
  • BITCOINS ARE STILL IN PLAY, despite absence of any institutional or government backing, and irrespective of publicity from recent messes involving major network breakdowns, disappearance of coins, bankruptcy of a major player, or FBI seizure of accounts related to Silk Road black market transactions.  Another area of concern is tax reporting. Irrespective of lacking paperwork, IRS considers Bitcoins to be property with taxable income reportable when sold or bartered, based on transaction ‘value.’ Additionally, FinCEN reporting rules, though still fuzzy, most likely apply (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network which scrutinizes transactions to prevent terror activities, money laundering, etc): FBAR requires annual tax return reporting for all foreign accounts with value over $10K at any time during the year; FATCA requires further disclosure if “interest is specified foreign financial assets” exceeded $75K during the year or $50K at year end, per taxpayer. It’s risky business.   [CALIFORNIA CPA – Sep 14] 
  • U.S.EMPLOYMENT STATUS:  While the reported ‘unemployment rate’ continuously improves as elections near, over 92 million Americans age 16 and older are not “participating” in the workforce – nearly 63% of the labor pool, a ratio which has not been this high since the late 1970s. Additionally, job “growth” (new hires, even irrespective of work level or part-time status) dropped 30% last month from its reported average over the prior six months. Don’t be deceived. [LEVINE BREAKING NEWS – Sep 5, 14] 
  • THOUGHTS FOR THE WEEK:      The story of why and how the Star Spangled Banner was written and became our national anthem in a fascinating 11-minute video:  https://www.youtube.com/embed/YaxGNQE5ZLA    
  •  “Mysteries of the Unseen World” – an absolutely astonishing look at “The Anatomy of Earth” through film technology which bends the boundaries of time and space in a 7-minute TED presentation: http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=FiZqn6fV-4Y

DUITCH CONSULTING GROUP – UTILIZING GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL STRATEGIC, FINANCIAL, OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT PLANNING & POSITIONING