Recent content from Lee Schafer
Schafer: Northrup King's success with artist community shows that capitalism works
You have to wonder, once again, exactly what's wrong with trying to make money or why a nonprofit has to step in.
Schafer: Apple watcher Gene Munster on why the company still shines
What he got out of the presentation is that Apple displayed what its customers wanted.
Schafer: Will tariffs hit Target's customers or its suppliers?
Tariffs reshape economic activity in lots of different ways. It's not always easy to know who bears how much of the burden.
Schafer: As Kmarts close, store blocking Nicollet Av. in Minneapolis endures
For years we have read of a top-performing Kmart store in south Minneapolis, as recently as 2017 described as the most successful Kmart in the…
Schafer: The CEO who said attacking society's ills is a good aim for business
For Bill Norris, there wasn't really a choice to make between making money or having a social impact. Why not do both?
Schafer: Mpls. Fed leader Neel Kashkari sees room for even lower interest rates
Kashkari's point is that interest rates can still decline from here, particularly short-term rates.
Schafer: Will the 'energy of We' fuel the WeWork IPO?
The fun went out of the WeWork story the morning the company, now called the We Co., filed to sell shares to the public. There…
Schafer: Student loan debt won't lead to another financial crisis, economist says
It's one of those situations where the averages aren't really very helpful in forming a clear picture.
Schafer: Is everybody really OK with the Bloomington-MOA water park project?
The problem is that the water park — which would cost about $250 million just for construction — does not seem viable with private-market money.
Schafer: DEED has new plan to measure results
Former Silicon Valley executive Steve Grove knew where to look for a better way: Google.
Schafer: We could be watching the end of an era of globalization
For the youngest baby boomers and those born later, this is the only world they've ever known. And it has transformed American business.
Schafer: Leadpages founder tries 'radical candor' at new startup
The co-founder and board chairman of the company behind the marketing software Leadpages and Drip, Clay Collins, meets regularly with CEO John Tedesco, often over…
Schafer: Adrian Peterson shows why pro athletes need to be careful with their money
When stories surface of pro athletes in financial trouble, it's fascinating how often the big issue is that one investment after another has fizzled.
Schafer: Wells Fargo's challenges start with finding a new CEO
Maybe my expectations were too high, but finding the job I was looking for on the careers web page of Wells Fargo & Co. proved…
Schafer: 'Conspicuous consumption' theory could explain runaway CEO pay
With nothing new to say about CEO pay, I decided to look for inspiration by driving south to Nerstrand, a village of about 350 an…
Schafer: Fastenal could predict trouble for manufacturing sector
Sure there are a lot of construction cranes swinging and news of more open jobs than unemployed people. But before concluding the economy must be…
Schafer: Lawsuit over U.S. Bancorp pension headed to Supreme Court
The lawsuit against U.S. Bancorp for mismanaging its pension, which is headed for the U.S. Supreme Court, originated in our backyard, but that’s not the…
Schafer: UnitedHealth is smart to add doctors to its fold
Anybody curious about why a company like UnitedHealth Group continues to gobble up physician practices and pharmacy companies just needs to ask themselves one question:…
Schafer: Irrational thinking usually holds us back, but not always
Even a tiny bit of power can turn people selfish, something that workplaces must try to avoid.
Schafer: PolyMet's Iron Range project has been Glencore's all along
There was a typically long and tedious list of risk factors in the recent stock deal prospectus of PolyMet Mining Corp., but the company helpfully…
Minneapolis venture capitalists zero in on ways to solve massive student debt
Sen. Bernie Sanders seems completely serious about the proposal he offered this week to wipe out all the debt of student loan borrowers, and if…
Schafer: The economy soars, but many see little benefit
We are now just weeks from breaking the record for the longest uninterrupted stretch of economic growth. But will this feel like a record worth celebrating?
Schafer: Brainerd's $205M investment in schools is good for business
A project this sweeping was years in the making.
Schafer: My family's story shows why people come to America
VIK, NORWAY – Each stop at the homes of my family’s immigrant forebears was more scenic than the last, until finally reaching an…
Schafer: Are bond markets sending a warning on the economy?
One of the first things we learned while getting trained in the bond-markets unit of First Bank St. Paul 35 years ago was that there’s…
Schafer: What it's like starting up a company in a headquarters town like the Twin Cities
The first tech entrepreneur to describe the Twin Cities as a “company town” for me was Jamf co-founder Chip Pearson of St. Paul, and since…
Schafer: Pair has a new idea for a great product: Happiness
Lots of things are pitched to us as consumers with the promise that buying will make us happy. Products, vacations, social media apps, you name…
Schafer: It's time to do something about runaway insulin prices
At some point, people won't put up with any more price increases.
Schafer: VivaQuant makes intriguing bet on equity crowdfunding
VivaQuant is not anything like the dozen or so Minnesota businesses that have sought funding directly from small investors in the last few years.
Schafer: Buying a new system is right solution for MNLARS debacle
What's changed to make buying a system the right choice now? One thing is the growing capability of companies like Colorado-based Fast Enterprises.
Schafer: Why crowds still flock to hear Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway is an old-fashioned conglomerate of a type that went out of fashion a long time ago.
Schafer: 3M staffing shakeup has been a long time coming
3M executives admitted to being too slow to do what investors saw as the right thing — letting a lot of 3M employees go.
Schafer: Fairness is built into state's tax code; gas tax wouldn't end that
A gas tax is really a textbook example of a form of tax that economists call regressive, meaning it takes a bigger bite out of the incomes of lower-income people than the well-off.
Schafer: If you want to be rich, don't be young during recession
Timing is everything when it comes to building wealth. That's the message from a recent gathering at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
Why start a company that helps kids track education progress? Its founder explains
UR Turn, based in Minneapolis, got its start in 2016 with the first users in 2017.
Schafer: UnitedHealth isn't the one to listen to when it comes to Medicare for All
UnitedHealth's experience with the ACA says a lot about how big insurance companies react to changes out of Washington.
Schafer: How many jobs will robots eliminate?
Self-driving cars and other robotic technologies won't come for a while, a top McKinsey executive says. But until then, leaders in business and society need to figure out how millions of people's jobs will be affected.
Schafer: Did Irwin Jacobs improve the companies he targeted?
Lord only knows how many different businesses Irwin Jacobs touched during his career, but it was his high-profile public role as a takeover artist that…
Schafer: Insider was wrong person to fix Wells Fargo's biggest problem — its culture
It’s actually possible to feel a little sorry for Tim Sloan, the departed chief executive of Wells Fargo & Co. Like the time Tim Sloan’s…
Schafer: Have low investment returns become normal?
If the Fed is backing off rate hikes, big questions still loom, business columnist Lee Schafer writes. Among them: how will savers beat inflation? And what will happen when the next recession comes and there is little room to cut rates?
Schafer: Lyft's filings are a new milestone for asset-light businesses
There were few surprises in the filings of ride-sharing firm Lyft Inc. as it prepared to go public. Anybody paying attention already knew the company…
Schafer: With 'Great Gatsby Curve,' economist Krueger saw inequality kids face
His work in the Obama administration highlighted just how long the odds kids might face of lifting themselves into the upper classes are.
Schafer: Companies should be smarter about stock buybacks
When looking to confirm news of a stock buyback plan, a first scroll through recent news releases of Medtronic PLC turned up nothing. There was…
Schafer: As people live and work longer, is it time to rethink retirement?
Maybe it's time to dump the term full retirement age: A lot of hard-to-plan-for things can happen between the last day on the job and last day on earth.
Schafer: New-housing infrastructure fees stir up the suburbs
Deep in a report by the trade group Housing First Minnesota on fees cities collect on new housing is a little chart that shows how…
Schafer: Lessons about the power of being a 'headquarters economy'
Our governor and legislators might be a little busy now but by next session they should have read a new book called "Headquarters Economy" by business school Prof. Myles Shaver.
Schafer: Amazon's single-minded focus has allowed retailers like Target to outflank it
E-commerce giant's focus on delivery left a gap for those who knew customers.
Schafer: Tax avoidance might make financial sense, but is it fair?
It’s apparently not embarrassing any more to talk openly about tax avoidance. This term shows up in news articles, investment websites and in invitations to…
Schafer: Public subsidies for the Apples of the world are real puzzlers
While it's certainly possible to have missed some, a good-faith effort to find one built without any public subsidy came up empty.
Schafer: When a health system works together, outcomes improve
A HealthPartners senior leaders' meeting was a rare opportunity to see and hear how the managers think and talk to one another.
Schafer: In light of 2017 law, Minn. needs to take a look at its income tax
Perhaps it's time for at least a little concern that Minnesota, a state that gets more than half its general fund revenue from individual income taxes, has the kind of problem that has been brewing elsewhere.
Schafer: Otis-Magie Insurance Agency bought by industry innovator, Marsh & McLennan Agency
The recent acquisition of Otis-Magie Insurance Agency in Duluth by a firm called Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC was too small to be statewide news.…
Schafer: It's smart to get in on stock options with promising startups
Venture capitalist Rob Weber of Great North Labs really wants more Minnesotans to overcome their hesitancy and join promising young technology companies to get in…
Schafer: Bud Light's Super Bowl ad missed target market, upset farmers
For students of business, the whole episode seems baffling.
Schafer: The best spot to retire might not be the warmest
It turns out that Minnesota is a contender on lots of rankings of the healthiest states.
Schafer: TCF Financial-Chemical Financial merger comes down to one thing
What really matters now is cutting costs and becoming efficient enough to hang around as the industry consolidates.
Schafer: IT woes that haunt Walz also plague businesses everywhere
He lamented there's no real constituency championing more IT investments, at least until something goes wrong. But that's hardly unique to government.
Schafer: Shopko bankruptcy filing raises some questions
Shopko stores are being put out of business by competitors who are simply better at delivering what more consumers want.
Schafer: New normal highlighted by growth of logistics at C.H. Robinson Worldwide
For those of us who have marveled at how fast business processes seem to change and technology gets adopted, that pace is only going to accelerate.
Nomics co-founder Clay Collins sees future in cryptocurrency
What he believes in is the long-term business opportunity for the tools and infrastructure.
Schafer: Fed finding maximum employment hard to measure these days
The law requires Federal Reserve officials to do what they can to foster maximum employment, yet it’s becoming obvious they really won’t know when or…
Schafer: Was RBC's fight for a prominent Minneapolis building sign worth it?
There's a temptation to think of rooftop signs as similar to the brands all over sports stadiums.
Macalester grad fulfills childhood dream of advancing math in home country of Mexico
Now an entrepreneur and educator, Cuauhtemoc Cruz Herrera has already made a big difference. And way ahead of schedule.
Schafer: Sears chairman will be remembered as professional investor who didn't want to invest
It's a harsh world for retailers and maybe nothing would have worked, but Edward Lampert gave away the company's best chance.
Schafer: Stop blaming yourself for retirement savings shortfalls
Reading a few tweets from financial writer Helaine Olen was all it took for me to abandon a long-planned personal-finance column that was going to…
Venture capitalist says 'narrative has changed' on Twin Cities startup scene
Pessimists probably don’t succeed as venture capitalists, and Ryan Broshar seemed about as sunny as a person can be early on a Monday morning in…
Schafer: New tax on nonprofit salaries means less money going the mission
New tax on salaries was meant to level playing field, but it means less money going to the mission
How Sears Imported Autos is finding skilled technicians in tight labor market
Joshua Mills has been the Mercedes-Benz service director for Sears Imported Autos of Minnetonka for a couple of years, having previously worked as a master…
Scooter blight in the Twin Cities is a feature, not a bug of startups' business model
Research into the electric scooter business quickly turned up a piece by technology columnist Troy Dreier, writing for the Jersey Journal newspaper in New Jersey.…
Schafer: Xcel's pledge to be carbon-free by 2050 makes good business sense
What we have here might simply be a case of a big company going carbon-free to meet the rising expectations of its customers.
Schafer: Investor angst is up, even as the economy keeps rising
One "vulnerability" the Fed identified that got attention was excessive debt by businesses and consumers.
Medical records create a new software niche and opportunity
Health care systems have invested billions of dollars in their electronic record systems.
Schafer: Twin Cities investment in people (and not Amazon) is right move
The way the Amazon.com HQ2 fiasco turned out raised questions that leaders of lots of cities and states have to be thinking about.
Schafer: Lessons on giving from Thoreau and Zacchaeus
"There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root." It's a quote so memorable that it…
Schafer: If you're like half of us and dislike job, here's possible path to retire early
FIRE, or "financial independence, retire early," is about willingly trading away material things for the flexibility to live without needing a paid job.
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