The U.S. Postal Service, like most organizations lately, has been having a tough time making ends meet. Earlier this month, John E. Potter, postmaster general, testified before the Senate about an expected 13 percent decline in volume in 2009 and a loss of $2.4 billion for the quarter ending June 30, 2009.

Potter mentioned several plans designed to staunch the red ink, including cutting a day of service — Saturday, to be precise. Such a move would save about $3.3 billion yearly, the USPS estimates. more

That’s not good news for buyers of insurance.

You probably are well aware that when purchasing insurance for your firm, you’ll pay a broker either a flat fee for finding coverage or a commission based on your purchase of a policy. Less obvious are what are known as “contingent fees” or “contingent commissions.” These are “back door fees paid by insurance companies,” says Terry Fleming, vice president of RIMS, or the Risk and Insurance Management Society, as well as director of risk management with Montgomery County, Maryland. Not surprisingly, they can raise your firm’s insurance expense.

Here’s how they can work: the insurance company typically promises to pay the broker a commission based on some criteria. For instance, the broker may need to sell a certain number of policies or keep some percent of current customers during a given year. The commissions, which don’t have to be disclosed, can prompt brokers to steer clients to policies that aren’t in their best interests. more

While conventional wisdom holds that captains of industry and finance almost reflexively oppose government regulation, that’s not always so. Consider a recent survey of 450-some institutional investors, corporate financial heads, pension fund managers, and other execs conducted by Greenwich Associates, LLC. “The results reveal strong – in some cases, surprisingly strong – support for regulatory proposals,” according to Greenwich. more

Even as small signs that the economy is stabilizing make headlines – the S&P 500 is up 20 percent year-to-date, and pending home sales rose for the fifth month in a row, according to the National Association of Realtors – corporate treasurers still face the sorts of challenges that can can cause even sound sleepers to bolt wide awake in the middle of the night.

Among the most persistent has been the lack of credit. In May of this year, more than one-fourth of companies surveyed by the Association for Financial Professionals indicated that credit was tighter than it had been. As a result, nearly all the firms had taken some action to survive the credit crunch, including chopping capital spending and hiring. more

Most of us find it easier to believe someone who appears confident — even certain — of him- or herself. Thus, the huge followings of many cocky talking heads on radio and TV, even though their accuracy is questionable.

In fact, the markets — in this case, the markets for influence and credibility — push individuals to exhibit “overprecision,” or the excessive certainty that they have the right answer, according to Don Moore, a professor of organizational behavior and theory with Carnegie Mellon University who has studied the phenomenon. That’s good news for pundits playing to their audiences or brokers recommending investments to their clients. It’s not so good for financial executives who strive to honestly convey the uncertainties inherent in their forecasts. more