Weekly-Wrap Up September 1-5 2025
WebCE Staff
By
September 5, 2025
From the Federal Reserve's latest Beige Book report to the growing pains of generative AI, we're covering the news you need to know. This edition also features key updates on tax policy, workforce management, and record-breaking sales in the annuity sector.
Once you're up to speed, listen to our featured podcast on the potential dark side of perfectionism and ease into your weekend with a fun look at 2025's best marketing campaigns so far.
Let’s dive in.
Top Stories of the Week
Beige Book – August 2025 (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System)
“Overall, sentiment was mixed among the Districts. Most firms either reported little to no change in optimism or expressed differing expectations about the direction of change from their contacts.”
“The rise in the jobless rate, however, stemmed largely from more people entering the labor force last month in search of employment. The labor force typically expands in August as schools reopen and educational employees return to work. Still, businesses have become more hesitant to hire because of softer sales and uncertainty about how much the Trump administration tariffs will cost them. Many companies are letting open positions go unfilled or are relying on technology such as artificial intelligence instead of adding new workers, surveys of business executives show.”
Annuity sales hit record $119.5B in Q2, LIMRA reports (InsuranceNewsNet)
“Total U.S. annuity sales increased 8% year over year to a record high $119.5 billion in the second quarter, according to LIMRA’s U.S. Individual Annuity Sales Survey, which represents 92% of the total U.S. annuity market. This tops the record set in the first half of 2024.”
Automating the Garbage Can (Insurance Thought Leadership)
“MIT's NANDA Project—established to help drive AI integration in enterprise settings—recently released its mid-year report. The key finding is stark: Despite $30-$40 billion in enterprise investment into generative AI, 95% of organizations are getting zero return.
“From the report: "The core barrier to scaling is not infrastructure, regulation, or talent. It is learning. Most GenAI systems do not retain feedback, adapt to context, or improve over time."”
Trump Administration Releases List of 68 Jobs Covered by ‘No Tax on Tips’ Provision (CPA Practice Advisor)
“Under the Republican budget plan Trump signed into law this summer, workers are exempted from paying federal taxes on up to $25,000 in wages earned from tips and up to 250 hours of overtime pay. The provision remains in effect through tax year 2028, Trump’s final year in office.”
Zillow begins pulling photos involved in copyright lawsuit (Real Estate News)
“Zillow has not formally responded to the complaint or admitted any wrongdoing. A company source said the removal of photos is the type of step commonly taken to preserve its defense in ongoing copyright infringement cases.”
The Secret to Building a High-Performing Team (Harvard Business Review)
“Teams need to be able to take risks—from making hard decisions, to naming inconvenient truths, to having a hard conversation—in order to be successful. But human biology makes risk-taking the exception, rather than the rule. So, how can leaders encourage smart risk-taking among their employees? Surveys find that two elements are key for cultivating this behavior: communication and courage. Teams that rank high in both tend to be more savvy risk-takers than teams that fall into three other categories. You can determine where your team falls by analyzing a 2×2 chart and asking a series of probing questions.”
Should You Recruit New People, or Upskill Your Workforce? (MIT Sloan Management Review)
“Focus your talent management energy and investment on where you are placing key bets for the future. This future state becomes the anchor for identifying the talent you need to get there.”
Report: AI Can Now Automate Entire Attack Chains (KnowBe4)
“A cybercriminal used Claude Code to conduct a scaled data extortion operation across multiple international targets in a short timeframe,” the researchers write. “This threat actor leveraged Claude’s code execution environment to automate reconnaissance, credential harvesting, and network penetration at scale, potentially affecting at least 17 distinct organizations in just the last month across government, healthcare, emergency services, and religious institutions.”
NFDA Honors Funeral Homes Worldwide with Prestigious 2025 Pursuit of Excellence Awards (Connecting Directors)
“To earn this award, funeral homes must go beyond meeting basic professional standards. They must demonstrate excellence in every dimension of service, from care of families and community outreach, to education, professional development and ethical leadership. Each Pursuit of Excellence recipient affirms the program’s Pledge of Ethical Practices, underscoring their role as trusted stewards of their communities during life’s most difficult moments.”
Top Podcast of the Week
Hidden Brain Podcast
1 Hour 43 Minutes
Perfectionism is everyone’s favorite flaw. It’s easy to assume that our push to be perfect is what leads to academic, athletic, and professional success. But how do we distinguish between high standards and unrealistic expectations?
This week, the Hidden Brain podcast bring you a favorite conversation with psychologist Thomas Curran. He says perfectionism has a dark side, and that there are much healthier ways to strive for excellence. Then, we bring you the latest edition of our segment “Your Questions Answered.” Sociologist Allison Pugh returns to the show to respond to listener questions about connective labor — the work of seeing another person, and having that person feel seen.
Weekend-Wind Down
The Best Marketing Campaigns of 2025 So Far
From Gwenyth Paltrow serving as a “very temporary” spokesperson for the company caught up in the Coldplay jumbotron scandal to Duolingo killing of its mascot much to the disappointment of Dua Lipa, the first half of 2025 has had some memorable marketing campaigns.
These top 10 might even serve as a brainstorming session for your own efforts to try something new.