🤝 The 5 Stages of Getting Things Done

Together with

Upcoming Events

Together with PodPitch

Save 13 Hours Weekly of Podcast Pitching with PodPitch.com

It's 2025. Want to finally be a regular podcast guest in your industry? PodPitch will make it happen. Even the beehiiv team uses it!

The best way to advertise isn't Meta or Google – it's appearing on dozens of podcasts that your customers already love.

You could write a few emails yourself to podcast hosts...

Or you could automate thousands of emails going out weekly, pitching your people as the PERFECT next podcast guest.

With PodPitch.com...

• Log in with your email

• Load your brand info

• Click "automate"

Emails pitching your team as the perfect next guest will start sending out automatically to podcast hosts.

Big brands like Feastables are already using it instead of expensive PR Agencies.

Get your FREE personalized demo!

Business News

U.S. Retail Sales Surge During Competitive Holiday Season

U.S. retail sales rose 3.8% between November 1 and December 24, surpassing the previous year’s 3.1% growth and Mastercard’s forecast of a 3.2% increase. The last five days of the season accounted for 10% of all holiday spending, driven by intense promotions from major retailers like Walmart, Target, and Amazon. Consumers were highly value-focused, with online sales growing 6.7%, outpacing last year’s 6.3% rise. Apparel, jewelry, and electronics saw strong demand, while dining out also experienced notable growth. Despite a shorter holiday season, retailers leveraged e-commerce, generative AI, and enhanced delivery services to attract shoppers. However, not all retailers thrived; while Walmart and Amazon reported record-breaking sales, Target and Best Buy faced challenges.

Major Banks Sue Federal Reserve Over Stress Test Policies

Some of the nation’s largest banks and industry groups, including the Bank Policy Institute and the American Bankers Association, have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Reserve, challenging the transparency of its annual stress tests. These tests, designed to ensure banks can withstand economic turmoil, determine how much cash institutions like JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs must hold in reserve. The lawsuit argues that the Fed’s “undisclosed and ever-changing criteria” lead to excessive capital requirements, reducing credit availability and harming economic growth.

The Fed is considering changes to its stress test formula, such as averaging results over two years and inviting public feedback on its models. Stress tests were introduced after the 2008 financial crisis to prevent banks from being undercapitalized during downturns, a lesson learned after $245 billion in government funds were used to stabilize financial institutions during the Great Recession.

What We’re Reading

The 5 Stages of Getting Things Done

Use this free GTD quick reference guide to stay focused and productive, using the 5 stages of the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology

Tip of the Day

Set SMART Goals

Define Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives to guide your business in 2025.