Where Are They Today?
Many Retired like Jim Merrilees

Now Retired, Jim Merrilees, CLFP, was quite active in the industry from his days as head of Colonial Pacific Leasing, the first with developing a Super Broker group exclusive to Colonial Pacific, and using early FinTech programming.

He was an avid golfer and motorcycle enthusiast Now in Southern California, he is an avid electric bicycle rider.

"Me, second from left with my ‘Beach Buzzard’ riding group. Huntington Pier. We cheat a little by riding e-bikes to the pier weekday mornings.

"A little easier to ride than the Harley!"

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Missouri’s Third Attempt: The Persistent
Push For  Commercial Financing Disclosures
Kenneth C. Greene, Leasing News Emeritus

Missouri has again stepped into the legislative arena with Senate Bill 753, a measure to compel certain disclosures in commercial financing transactions within the Show Me State (which seems appropriate). This bill follows in the footsteps of two predecessor bills, which failed to move forward after introduction in the Senate.

Included in SB 753 is a somewhat surprising component: a broker licensing requirement. This mandates that all brokers engaged in commercial financing transactions for Missouri businesses must be registered with the Division of Finance. The new law would require annual renewal, ensuring continuous compliance and up-to-date adherence to regulatory standards.

The bill otherwise looks familiar. It has the usual exemptions, though it only applies to providers who consummate more than five transactions in the state in any twelve-month period. That exemption is not conditioned on those transactions being incidental to the provider’s primary business as it is in California. Other exemptions include:

• Depository institutions (banks)
  
• Lenders regulated by the Federal Farm Act
  
• Real property secured transactions
  
• Leases (ostensibly, as defined under Commercial Code Article 9)
  
• Purchase money obligations
  
• Certain motor vehicle dealer transactions
  
• Licensed money transmitters
  
• Premium finance agreements
  
• Transactions of more than $500,000.
  

Missouri specifically includes bank subsidiaries as long as they are owned and controlled by a depository institution and regulated by a federal banking agency, again, in a departure from California law.

SB 753: https://www.senate.mo.gov/24info/pdf-bill/intro/SB753.pdf

Ken Greene
Law Office of Kenneth Charles Greene
Tel: 818.575.9095
ken@kengreenelaw.com
www.kengreenelaw.com

 

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Pennsylvania Considers Annual Fee
for Electric Vehicle Owners

The proposed bill would charge electric vehicle owners $290 a year to supplement decreased revenue lost from the state’s gas tax. It is estimated the fee would generate as much as $20 million annually for the state.

At $290 a year, Pennsylvania would have the highest electric vehicle registration fee in the nation.

Click Here to Read More
https://www.governing.com/finance/pennsylvania-considers-annual-fee-for-electric-vehicle-owners

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Leasing and Finance Industry Help Wanted

 

Home Office Safety Webinar
Free ---Tuesday, December 19, 3:00pm ET

What you need to know

Presented Free by American Association of Commercial Finance Brokers.  Explore the steps you can take to make sure your home office is safe from cyber threats.

These days most professionals either work from home offices occasionally or full-time. Whether your home office is for daily use or once in a while, you need to make sure you are taking steps to maximize your digital safety.

Learn from IT expert Tate Helfenstein what you need to know to work from home securely.

Register Now!
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lXjc1uwCTka8Ly403XcwLA#/registration

Tate Helfenstein

Tate Helfenstein is Director of Client Services for Information Management Systems (IMS), based out of Fargo, North Dakota. He worked as a Network Administrator before moving into his current role. Prior to joining IMS he served in various positions with Best Buy for ten years. Tate has experience with technology sales, maintenance, and repair in addition to knowledge on network security.

 

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US Inflation as of November 2023
December, 2020 – November 2023

Alberto Calva | acalva@acusconsulting.com
acalva@acus.ca | Cell & WhatsApp +1-416-824-1924

 

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Marijuana Is the Sixth Biggest
Cash Crop in the U.S.
by Katharina Buchholz, Statista

According to the Leafly Cannabis Harvest Report 2022, marijuana was the sixth most valuable wholesale crop in the United States last year at $5 billion worth, trailing only corn, soybeans, hay, wheat and cotton. The calculation includes only crops in states where state-sanctioned sales of legal weed are already up and running and exclude production in medical marijuana-only states.

The report finds that 2022 saw a cannabis harvest of 2,834 metric tons, up 24 percent from 2021. While the count of states having legalized marijuana stands at 23, only 15 had, at the time of the release of the report, come as far as opening state-licensed retail stores, mainly due to a flurry of legalization since 2021 affecting nine states. The 15 states where dispensaries are open are tied to more than 13,000 active and legal cannabis farms, according to Leafly.

California had the biggest share in the harvest, producing marijuana at a wholesale value of $1 billion, followed by Colorado at $687 million, Michigan at $551 million and Oregon at $500 million. At wholesale crop values of between $124 million and $362 million, marijuana was also the number one cash crop in New Jersey, Alaska and Massachusetts.

In its report, Leafly criticized that despite its prominent role, marijuana crops are not included in statistics by the USDA and are not generally considered agricultural products, which leads to marijuana farmers paying higher taxes, being ineligible for disaster relief and often have trouble finding adequate financial services.

 

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Financing Cannabis Funding Sources
  Many Work with Third Party Originators

Alliance Commercial Capital
Alternative Finance Network
Cannabis Equipment Leasing
International Financial Services (IFS)
NEC Financial Services
Number One Enterprise
Prime Commercial Lending
Slim Capital
Vertical Companies
XS Equipment Leasing Solutions

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Watch at Home
by Fernando Croce, Leasing News Movie Reviewer

Special Christmas Edition, Part One:

With Christmas fast approaching, we’re offering a two-part special holiday edition. So check them out and settle down for some eggnog and a jolly time with your friends and family. Check back next week for more recommendations!

Meet John Doe (1941): Though “It’s a Wonderful Life” remains his most beloved Yuletide vision, director Frank Capra also offers a memorable Christmas Eve climax in this fascinating comedy-drama. With her job on the line, driven reporter Ann Mitchell (Barbara Stanwyck) strikes gold with a phony column about an Everyman named “John Doe” facing despair. The article is a smash with readers, but then the newspaper has the problem of making the fictitious character real. Their solution is to hire a hobo (Gary Cooper) to pose as John Doe, a stunt that grows wildly in popularity over a series of radio broadcasts. When he realizes he is being used by a dangerous ideologue, he faces a painful decision. Fast-moving, poignant and remarkably prophetic, Capra’s film is as timely today as ever.

Die Hard (1988): A list of holiday recommendations wouldn’t be complete without a bit of counterprogramming, so here’s some rip-roaring action to balance out the season’s sentimentality. Set in Christmastime, this popular blockbuster introduced audiences to wisecracking action hero John McClane (Bruce Willis, in a breakthrough role), a NYPD officer who finds himself trapped in a Los Angeles office building surrounded by international terrorists. Having originally planned to reunite with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), McClane must instead confront a group of ruthless assassins led by Hans Gruber (a movie-stealing turn by Alan Rickman). Using his wits as well as bullets, Willis created a new breed of blockbuster protagonist under John McTiernan’s dynamic direction. Numerous sequels have followed in its wake, but none has quite the vitality of the original.

Home Alone (1990): Macaulay Culkin became a star in this phenomenally popular comedy from director Chris Columbus (“Mrs. Doubtfire”) and screenwriter John Hughes (“The Breakfast Club”). As eight-year-old Kevin McCallister, Culkin gets to live out many a child’s dream scenario—to have the whole house to themselves. Feeling neglected by his large suburban family, Kevin wakes up one morning to find that they’ve forgotten him when rushing to the airport for Christmas. What begins as a giddy holiday for the boy is gradually pervaded with loneliness. While Mom (Catherine O’Hara) races back, a pair of goofy burglars (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) try to break in but prove to be no match for Kevin’s plethora of homemade traps. Mixing sentimentality with slapstick, the film has become a holiday staple for many families.

‘R Xmas (2001): The director of “Bad Lieutenant” would seem like an unexpected choice for a Christmas tale, yet Abel Ferrara has always had a streak of funky humanism to go with his brutally grungy sensibilities. So it goes with this underrated, surprising crime drama, set against a backdrop of wintertime Manhattan. The story focuses on an upwardly mobile young couple (Lillo Brancato Jr. and Drea de Matteo) who lead a seemingly respectable suburban life while being part of a drug business. The contradictions come to a crashing halt when the father is kidnapped on Christmas Eve, and his tough wife must face a crooked cop (Ice-T) by herself. A gritty and audacious portrait of the American Dream gone to seed, Ferrara’s film deserves more recognition as a one-of-a-kind holiday card.

The Polar Express (2004): Always on the lookout for technological advances, Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis ( “Forrest Gump”) embraced motion-capture computer animation with this screen version of Chris Van Allsburg’s beloved children’s book. Set on Christmas Eve in Michigan suburbia, the plot follows an unnamed boy whose skepticism about Santa Claus is shaken up by a surprise visit from the titular train, a magical ride that materializes outside his house to take him to the North Pole. Sharing the Express with other children and a wise conductor, the protagonist embarks on a journey that restores his need to believe. Filmed in live-action and transferred to digital animation, the picture offers several delights—including the way it allows star Tom Hanks to play multiple characters, from the conductor to a vagrant to Kris Kringle himself.

Fernando Croce is a nationally recognized film reviewer and has been contributing to Leasing News since 2008. His reviews appear each Friday.

Border Collie Mix
St. Louis, Missouri  Adopt-a-Dog

Jack
Male
1 year old

"Jack is a 1-year-old male border collie mix. He came to the Humane Society of Missouri’s Maryland Heights shelter at the end of November as a stray. This adorable pup can be a little shy at first, but he’s sweet and affectionate once he gets to know his people and surroundings."

Call the Best Buddy Pet Center in Maryland Heights at 314-951-1588

Humane Society of Missouri
1201 Macklind Avenue
St. Louis, Missouri 63110
314=647=8800
https://hsmo.org/

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LAST CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE
Scott Wheeler 2023 Survey

Survey For Commercial Equipment Leasing & Finance Originators

Wheeler Business Consulting is committed to the commercial equipment leasing and finance industry. We provide a free "Sales Tip" to thousands of finance and leasing professionals on a weekly basis. Today ,we are asking for your assistance.

For seven years, Wheeler Business Consulting has facilitated an annual survey of originators' production numbers and incomes. The survey results are shared on the website and through a monthly newsletter.

2022 has been a dynamic and robust year for many originators and these results will be interesting to originators throughout the industry. Your participation is greatly appreciated and is needed to increase the value of the data.

The survey requires only 2 to 5 minutes to complete.

Start the survey by CLICKING HERE
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3FVXGQ6

Questions and suggestions regarding the survey are welcome.
Phone: 410-877-0428
scott@wheelerbusinessconsulting.com

News Briefs---

Intel Core Ultra Processors Debut
    for AI-powered PCs
https://dnyuz.com/2023/12/14/intel-core-ultra-processors-debut-for-ai-powered-pcs/

More About the Ultra Processor
    Following NASDAQ Launch 
https://www.servethehome.com/5th-gen-intel-xeon-scalable-emerald-rapids-resets-servers-by-intel/

Tesla Recalls Autopilot Software
    in 2 Million Vehicles
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/13/business/tesla-autopilot-recall.html

GM to lay off 1,300 workers across
    two Michigan plants as vehicle production ends
https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/general-motors/2023/12/14/gm-to-layoff-1300-workers-across-two-michigan-plants/71923694007/

Instacart Drives over 231,000 Grocery Retail Jobs,
    More than $15 Billion in Shopper Earnings
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/instacart-drives-over-231-000-grocery-retail-jobs-more-than-15-billion-in-shopper-earnings-new-economic-report-shows-302015538.html

Is Jerome Powell’s Fed Pulling Off a Soft Landing?  
    "many economists are predicting a surprising win"
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/business/economy/jerome-powell-soft-landing.html

Warren Buffett Has A McDonald's Gold Card
    That Gives Him Free Meals For Life
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/billionaire-warren-buffett-mcdonalds-gold-200922573.html

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Ralph Petta Reflects on 36 Years of Success
    at the Equipment Leasing and Finance Association
https://www.monitordaily.com/article-posts/petta-reflects-on-36-years-of-success-at-the-elfa/

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Sports Briefs---

Shohei Ohtani is introduced as a Dodger
    for the first time
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2023-12-14/shohei-ohtani-dodgers-news-conference-andrew-friedman

Mistrust Looms Over PGA Tour as
    Deadline for Saudi Deal Nears
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/14/business/pga-tour-liv-golf-saudi-board.html

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California News Briefs---

San Francisco School District faces $421 million deficit;
    Could cut more than 900 vacant jobs
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/sfusd-budget-job-cuts-18547236.php

Court approves $180 million property tax cut
    for 49ers in Levi’s Stadium dispute
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/court-approves-180m-tax-cut-49ers-levi-s-18550228.php

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Gimme that Wine

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJnQoi8DSE8    

Mike Grgich dies at 100; winemaker
    helped make Napa Valley world famous
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/14/mike-grgich-winemaker-who-helped-boost-napa-valley-to-world-fame-dead-at-100/

In Memoriam, Miljenko Grgich
    Grgich Hills Estate, Napa Valley
https://www.grgich.com/miljenko-grgich-in-memoriam/

The 5 best new wine tasting rooms of 2023
   Napa, Sonoma
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/new-wine-tasting-rooms-18367671.php

Unique’ Mouton Rothschild 2021 auction lot
    sells for €237,500
https://www.decanter.com/wine-news/unique-mouton-rothschild-2021-auction-lot-sells-for-e237500-519426/

Laurie Love on Wine: Inside Cabrillo’s new wine
    studies program & holiday wine events to tempt your palate
https://lookout.co/cabrillo-college-new-wine-studies-program-wine-events-to-tempt-your-palate-laurie-love-wine-expert/

Wine secrets and amaea set to bring new smoke
   remediation tech to U.S. wineries
https://www.winebusiness.com/news/article/280684