Thursday, February 2, 2023

Taking money from a 401K shouldn’t be this painful

Plus: Adani's disappearing wealth.

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Today's Agenda

America Has a Problem

Beyoncé announced her upcoming world tour on Feb. 1, the same day rent was due for many of her fans. The resulting financial strain has some members of the Beyhive willing to go to extreme lengths to see their Queen B in concert. "Most of us only need one kidney to survive," one fan commented on TikTok. "I'll worry about retirement when Beyoncé is done touring," another wrote.

Although withdrawing from your 401K to buy concert tickets sounds unhinged, people do pull money from retirement savings before they turn 59-½ more often than you think. But it's costly; nearly every early withdrawal comes with a 10% tax hit. Alexis Leondis argues this is far too strict for people who are out of a job, a cohort that has been growing lately. What's worse, anxiety about the penalty deters some people from putting money into a retirement account in the first place.

Congress has made a sad attempt to fix the issue by letting account holders withdraw up to $1,000 a year for emergency expenses. That's like, what, six eggs in this economy? It's definitely not enough for Beyoncé tickets. Her single "Break My Soul" became an anthem for the Great Resignation crowd last summer. Now, Alexis writes, working Americans need some real money to handle the Great Layoff. Read the whole thing.

Easy Come, Easy Go

Once the richest man in Asia, Gautam Adani's net worth has plunged by more than $50 billion in a matter of days.

The pain intensified after Adani scrapped a $2.4 billion public offering of Adani Enterprises shares, despite successful fundraising efforts involving some of his fellow Indian billionaires. The whole debacle is a reminder that while globalization can make fortunes, it can also break them, writes Andy Mukherjee. A New York short-seller, Hindenburg Research, has wreaked havoc on Adani without even having to involve itself in Indian markets. And now the shock waves are spreading through not only Adani's finances but other Indian companies. Given Adani's responses so far — fervent denial, an unconvincing 413-page infodump and a sweaty effort to raise cash — it's clear he and his compatriots need better defenses against globalization's downsides.

She's Running

Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley has jumped into the 2024 presidential race against her former boss, Donald Trump. This makes her the second woman with conventional qualifications to vie for the GOP nomination, notes Jonathan Bernstein — a sign female candidates are becoming normalized on both sides of the aisle. But whether she can actually gather party support is another question.

As it stands, things don't look too promising, with her home state's governor and senior senator already on Team MAGA. Meanwhile, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is crowding both Fox News airwaves and mainstream Republicans' hearts. But there is a narrow lane for Haley to run as something of an old-school conservative, Jonathan writes, giving the GOP a chance to redefine itself. Will it take that chance? 

Telltale Charts

Appetite for global crops is projected to be 61% higher in 2050 than it is today. Chis Hughes thinks ESG investors need to ditch their aversion to genetically modified seeds before it's too late.

Sony's PS5 hasn't had an easy go of it, with production slowdowns hampering any hope it had of beating its elder sibling, PS4. But with the supply chain finally up and running, Sony sold a record 7.1 million units in the latest quarter, Tim Culpan and Gearoid Reidy write.

Further Reading

Too many young children have access to unlocked and loaded firearms. — Bloomberg's editorial board

President Joe Biden's stock market looks a lot like Trump's. — Robert Burgess

Wealth taxes are impossible to execute.  — Allison Schrager

Meta might be pivoting from the metaverse. — Parmy Olson

RBG's husband got to keep working as a lawyer. Why can't John Roberts's wife? — Noah Feldman

Biden is looking for Alaska (oil). — Liam Denning

The era of free Covid care is over. Here's what it means for patients. — Lisa Jarvis

Who will make the first move: Ukraine or Russia? — Leonid Bershidsky

Shell's record profits aren't enough to impress shareholders. — Javier Blas

ICYMI

Punxsutawney Phil has mad skills.

There's now a bill to protect gas stoves. (h/t Liam Denning)

Some Salesforce employees just found out they're part of last month's layoffs.

New York wants to be a tropical paradise.

Netflix's anti password-sharing plot is unveiled.

Kickers

How to defeat an army of wild elephants.

The dark side to grandpa's favorite nutrition drink.

A peek inside a 319-million-year-old brain.

Attractive people are less likely to wear face masks.

Area woman murdered her doppelgänger.

Notes:  Please send Beyoncé tickets and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net.

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