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January 2, 2013 CONNECT WITH SMARTBRIEF Share | Sign up | Archive | Advertise Business Finance Today  "Fiscal cliff" bill clears Congress The House voted 257-167 to adopt the Senate's bill to avert "fiscal cliff" tax increases for most Americans. The measure prevents $600 billion of spending cuts and tax hikes from automatically taking effect. House Republicans gave up on demands for spending cuts that likely would have been blocked by the Senate. Bloomberg (1/1), The Washington Post (1/1), Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model)/Politics Now blog (1/1)       Many investors expect bond expansion to come to an end Investors spent most of 2012 shedding stocks and ramping up on bonds, but many say this expansion into bonds, which has been going on for four years, is ready to end in 2013. The fear is that its bubble will burst. "Mathematically, it's next to impossible to get the kind of returns on bonds you've seen over the last few years," said Bank of America's Kate Moore. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/31)       Your Bottom Line  IRS releases guidance for Affordable Care Act The Internal Revenue Service has released proposed Employer Shared Responsibility provisions under the Affordable Care Act. Employers can rely on these proposed regulations until final regulations are out, the IRS said. The agency also has published a Q-and-A document on its website to explain the provision. Accounting Today (12/30)       TAG expiration prompts banks to reassure depositors Analysts say most bank deposits are likely to stay put even with the end of unlimited guarantees for some deposits because the government would most likely protect depositors in a crisis. Some smaller banks are trying to hang onto depositors by using specialized cash-management firms to split up deposits among a network of banks so that money is insured even without the Transaction Account Guarantee. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/30)       In the C-Suite  5 career tips for 2013 Take charge of your online identity, focus your energy on solving problems at work and seek to rise above "the cult of the average," career experts say. Also, investigate possible accreditations to become more attractive to your employer and pursue volunteer work to expand your skills, they advise. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (tiered subscription model) (1/2)       Belief is an important factor in keeping resolutions Willpower and the belief that we can accomplish our goals are linked and can help people carry out new year's resolutions, writes Chris Berdik, author of "Mind Over Mind." Studies about willpower have debunked previous theories that willpower is limited and thus should be applied only to the most important goals. Instead, Berdik writes, "willpower is most likely to let us down if we expect it to." Los Angeles Times (tiered subscription model) (12/31)       SmartPulse   When will Congress reach a deal on the "fiscal cliff"? After new Congress convenes  42.34% No deal will be reached  29.20% Before the end of the year  18.25% Before new Congress convenes  10.22% Cliffhanger: About 10% of poll respondents were right that lawmakers would reach a deal on the "fiscal cliff" before the new Congress convenes. Now on to the debt-ceiling talks. What is your outlook for 2013? This year will be better than 2012 This year will be worse than 2012 This year will be about the same as 2012 Not sure On the Move  Mark Schoppet has been named interim CFO at Vail Resorts. He is the company's senior vice president, controller and chief accounting officer. American City Business Journals/Denver (12/31)       Off the Charts  Some unusual laws take effect in U.S. This year will bring several new laws in the U.S., some of which are decidedly off-beat. These odd laws include a limit of four cats per household in Wellington, Kan., and fines for wheelies by speeding motorcyclists in Illinois. Yahoo/ABC News Blogs (12/31)       SmartQuote  If your goal is important enough to you, chances are you can achieve it, and a little more faith in your willpower could help." --Chris Berdik, author of "Mind Over Mind," writing in the Los Angeles Times       SmartBrief delivers need-to-know news in over 100 targeted email newsletters to over 3 million readers. All our industry briefings are FREE and open to everyone—sign up today! 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