WebCE Weekly Wrap-Up: February 28, 2025
WebCE Staff
By
February 28, 2025
This week’s top stories tackle some of the biggest shifts in business, finance, and beyond—where risks are rising, talent is scarce, and adaptation is the name of the game. From the housing shortage colliding with wildfire risks to job seekers struggling to navigate tricky interview questions, industries are facing fresh challenges that demand creative solutions.
In finance and insurance, professionals are rethinking everything from talent retention to cybersecurity. As CPAs scrutinize tax automation vendors for security risks, the accounting world grapples with an education pipeline crisis. Meanwhile, brokers and real estate pros are getting strategic about generating revenue in a sluggish market, and the luxury funeral boom is making waves in an industry not often associated with high-end services.
For professionals looking to level up, we’re diving into the five traits that set top decision-makers apart and breaking down the STAR method to help you land your next job. And in this week’s top podcast, leadership expert Gianpiero Petriglieri reveals how the best leaders foster learning in a rapidly changing world.
If all that wasn’t wild enough, our weekend wind-down brings one of the strangest stories yet—fake funeral mourners in China crashing services just to get their hands on legendary noodles. Yes, really.
Let’s dive in.
Top Stories of the Week
Homeowners Insurance: Housing Shortage Collides With Wildfire Risk (Carrier Management)
“With the nation’s housing inventory only increasing by about 1 percent per annum this century, slightly faster growth seems likely to occur in the states with the largest housing inventory shortfalls.”
Building and Retaining Talent: Salary and Culture Matter but That’s Not Always Enough (Insurance Journal)
“Even though we’ve seen an increase in employees in the sector, it is still nowhere close to enough to meet the demand, especially with all the retirements that continue to happen as the industry ages. Service is definitely a huge need.”
Health Plan Consumers Don't Understand What They are Buying, Report Warns (Investment News)
“A survey conducted by the Employee Benefit Research Institute and Greenwald Research found that most people understand premiums and deductibles, but there is widespread confusion about prescription copays - only about one in four enrollees knew that the amount is not the same for all groups of prescriptions – and out-of-pocket maximums.”
Navigating the Accounting Pipeline Crisis (The CPA Journal)
“There is a clear and undeniable fundamental distinction between formal education received in a structured educational program versus learning that takes place in a work experience. Poorly guided efforts that seek to redesign the future education of accountants, by blurring this distinction and merely assuming substantial equivalency, will serve to deny students a genuine opportunity to receive a top-rated, evidence-based education and professional training.”
5 Security Questions CPA Firms Should Ask Tax Automation Vendors (CPA Practice Advisor)
“Just recently, TaxDome reported an incident where users saw high-level reporting with incorrect numbers during the course of an hour. While TaxDome said no individual client details were accessible, this incident highlights why CPAs must carefully evaluate potential software vendors before trusting them with sensitive client data.”
How to Write Creative Real Estate Listing Descriptions with Examples (The Close)
“Five elements of great listing descriptions, six tips for writing better property descriptions, and creative real estate listing examples for inspiration.”
Brokers Discuss How to Generate Revenue in a Slow Market (REALTOR® Magazine)
“Though it’s always been important, brokers are finding that creating additional revenue streams and reducing expenses are more important than ever.”
The Rise of Luxury Funerals (Funeral Director Daily)
“I think that “economic reality split” is not only evident in my community, but around the world as well. And, if that is the case, there is bound to be a market of more luxurious services for those that have more resources than others. I think that is a point that gets lost with all the talk of the low-cost direct cremation growth.”
Use the STAR Interview Method to Land Your Next Job (Harvard Business Review)
“Hiring managers often ask behavioral questions during job interviews, and it can be hard to know how best to answer them. Which details should you include when you describe one of your previous work experiences? And what should you leave out? The STAR interview method offers a framework for how best to structure your responses.”
Five Traits of Leaders Who Excel at Decision-Making (MIT Sloan Management Review)
“Our research report, “Seizing Uncertainty,” reveals that effective decision makers share five key attributes that emotionally equip them to overcome the decision paralysis caused by doubt and anxiety — and enable them to undertake effective action when faced with uncertainty.”
Top Podcast of the Week
How Leaders Can Encourage Learning (HBR IdeaCast)
30 Minutes
In an age of rapidly changing technology, it’s more important than ever for organizations to effectively support employee learning.
Gianpiero Petriglieri, associate professor at INSEAD, has studied leaders who do this well and says they fall into three categories: custodians, challengers, or connectors. He explains which type of learning leader works best in which contexts and how all three approaches can help individuals and teams reach the next level.
Weekend Wind-Down
Just like last week, this week has a bizarre funeral industry update:
Noodle to Die For: Chinese Funeral Home Cracks Down on Fake Mourners Chasing Legendary Funeral Food
The article itself says it best:
“Dedicated foodies have been crashing funerals, donning somber attire, and bowing their heads just long enough to pass as grieving guests—all for a shot at slurping down some of the best noodles in town.
“Yes, you read that right.”