As gay marriage remains legal in some states and not others, same-sex couples can run into some major confusion when filing taxes. Most states that ran into trouble last year have since issued guidelines on how to navigate the legalities. Except one. Alabama has removed guidance from its website, causing major headaches not just for couples, but for accountants like Randall Hancock of Birmingham. He says in one instance, his fee doubled as a result of all of the extra work needed to help a couple properly file their taxes.
That’s what how much eBay spent to acquire PayPal back in 2002. Thirteen years later, a fairly small group of former executives known as “The PayPal Mafia” have founded or backed companies collectively worth many, many times that. Uber, YouTube, Linkedin, Airbnb, YouTube, Palantir, SpaceX, Pinterest… the list of billion-dollar tech companies with PayPal’s fingerprints is eye-popping. The New York Times spoke with a couple members of the PayPal Mafia about the way success compounds in Silicon Valley.
That’s how much the college book store industry takes in a year. And the biggest money maker? When college acceptance letters go out, and students rush to purchase their school’s swag.
That’s how many people follow @itsWillyFerrell as of Wednesday evening. It’s one of many Twitter “parody accounts” that isn’t really a parody so much as it is a lame joke account attracting followers with a celebrity’s name. There are dozens out there, and the high follower counts can bring in big money from advertisers. Flavorwire spoke with several of the real people behind these Twitter oddities.
That’s how much McDonald’s will raise its average pay for about 90,000 of its workers. But as Reuters reports, workers at franchises (which makes up a large portion of McDonald’s workers) will not see the benefits as wages are determined by franchise owners.
The number of CrossFit locations nationwide. The brand trades on a gritty, high-intensity workout that offers the opposite of a health club experience, but the Wall Street Journal reports an increasing number of those gym chains are looking to co-opt CrossFit’s image and cash in on its massive popularity.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
