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Private equity has a long history of raking in cash from “unsexy, dry, boring small businesses,” says Mukesh Patel, a Rutgers Business School professor and self-described “serial entrepreneur.”

The porta potty industry is especially ripe for the conquering, as it’s fragmented into hundreds of local and regional operators, according to Patel. It’s also eminently profitable.

About 88% of porta potty operators nationwide reported a 10% profit margin or better in 2025, according to one survey of 513 operators. And 41% of companies posted at least a 20% profit margin.

“That certainly shows it’s a real business,“ Patel says. “It’s not something to laugh at.”

Is it important for people with no credit to get a credit card?

A credit card can be a useful way to establish a credit history, but it isn't mandatory. A well-managed card can help build a credit score that may later matter when applying for an apartment, auto loan, mortgage, or other credit. Equally important is using the card responsibly — making payments on time and preferably paying the statement balance in full each month. Someone shouldn't get a card simply to build credit if it would encourage spending, they can't afford.

9 am ET, October 17 | The latest headlines from NPR
Higher fuel prices are putting pressure on the cost of delivering groceries and holiday purchases. Professor Rudi Leuschner is quoted at 1:50.

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“The newly created real estate major will let our students commit to real estate early in their college career, so they can start landing internships as soon as their sophomore year,” said Morris Davis, the Paul V. Profeta chair of real estate at Rutgers Business School. “Four years of real estate-related coursework, hands-on experience and industry engagement will help our graduates compete for the best jobs in the field.”

According to the Independent Growers Alliance, as much as 15%-30% of the total price of food can be attributed to fuel. So while it may take time, skyrocketing diesel prices will make their way into everyday consumers’ grocery bills, said Rudi Leuschner, professor of supply chain management at Rutgers University.

“The companies that are selling those groceries or supermarket-type items are feeling the impact immediately. Now, of course, there is a little bit of an absorption layer, so to say, because nobody wants to blink first and start raising prices necessarily, because if their competitors are holding on and are not raising prices, then it’s not good for me if I can’t hold on as long,” he said.

“People love a good turnaround story,” Chris Ribeiro, founder of retail analytics firm Starlight Analytics and assistant professor at Rutgers Business School, told Observer. But “it needs to be genuine.”

“They’ve shown they can win back traffic, but next year will be about whether they can return to previous profitability,” said Ribeiro.

John Longo of Rutgers Business School told Crockett that "very few people simply buy the chicken and leave," which is the entire working theory of a loss leader.

Do you think people pay enough attention to balance transfer fees when shopping for a balance transfer credit card?

No! When people are drowning in high-interest credit card debt, their attention focuses on the most compelling number: a 0% APR. Any balance transfer fee feels like fine print and will tend to be dismissed as a minor administrative cost. From a consumer decision-making standpoint, people are notoriously bad at mental math, research on numerosity and mental accounting proves it. When emotional stakes are high, debtors trade long-term value for immediate relief. This tends to happen in almost all borrowing scenarios. If we are in a supplicant position, we sign whatever lenders throw at us.

Dr. Morris A. Davis, who has chaired the Audit Committee, will remain a member of the Committee. Davis, an economist and the Paul V. Profeta Chair of Real Estate at Rutgers Business School, joined BOXABL's board in December 2025 after serving as Chief Housing Economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers, and will continue to contribute his expertise in housing policy and economics to the board. The Company said the change in Committee leadership reflects Goldsmith's two decades of direct public company audit and SEC-reporting experience as its governance needs expand alongside its transition to a public company.

Other U.S.-based suppliers may struggle to limit upstream dependence on China. "Because companies often lack visibility beyond their first- and second-tier suppliers, it is extremely difficult to determine where the supply chain ultimately extends at the nth tier," said Rudi Leuschner, a professor of supply-chain management at Rutgers Business School, in an email.

Jeffrey Hermann, the company’s chairman and CEO, said the partnership with Rutgers Business School helped the summit expand the conversation beyond industry veterans and include the people who may eventually lead the field.

“Rutgers students brought curiosity, rigor, and a willingness to challenge assumptions,” Hermann said. “Their participation made the dialogue sharper and more honest than it would have been otherwise.”

Many landscapers are adding “fuel surcharges” of 5% to 12% of the total quotes for their “fall leaf cleanup, aeration, and winterization quotes to offset high diesel equipment and truck costs,” said Kevin Lyons, who leads the Rutgers Center for Local Supply Chain Resiliency in Newark.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Rutgers Business School’s Center for Women in Business, was published online ahead of print in the November issue of the journal “Personality and Individual Differences.”

“Having a daughter appears to be protective of the primary parent relationship,” said Kristina Durante, professor and research fellow at the Center for Women in Business and a coauthor of the study. “When men have daughters, it alters their psychologies in interesting ways, including, as we found, higher levels of commitment to the mother.”

Based on what I learned about him while becoming a scholar of finance and a portfolio manager, I consider Buffett as a model for his ultrarich peers.

He has given much of his vast fortune to charity and plans to unload most of the rest during his lifetime or upon his death. Buffett also largely lives a modest lifestyle by billionaire standards; he still resides in the spacious house he bought six decades ago.

John Longo, author, portfolio manager, and professor of finance & economics at Rutgers Business School.
Longo championed core investing principles such as having a diversified portfolio both across and within asset classes to avoid dangerous concentration, setting aside some cash, and limiting leverage.

The Rutgers professor said that for mitigating AI doomsday risks, "traditional safe-haven assets" such as gold, US Treasurys, and Swiss francs might be worth a look.

Longo added that within equities, "software security stocks and defense stocks may attract investor attention."

Dean's Professor of Business, and Rutgers Executive MBA Director Farrokh Langdana speaks with Briana Vannozzi on NJ Spotlight News about the Federal Reserve raising interest rates, the first time in three years.

The investigation got started after lead researcher Gabriela Tonietto of Rutgers University noticed that she used a planned 15-minute break between work meetings to efficiently get herself a cup of coffee and return to attend the next meeting with time to spare. It didn't go the same way though on another day of scheduled back-to-back meetings. One meeting's start time was pushed back 15 minutes, granting her an unexpected break. She dawdled over getting her coffee, chatted with a colleague and was nearly late for the next meeting.

Morris A. Davis
Paul V. Profeta Chair in Real Estate and professor of finance and economics
Rutgers Business School

What is your proudest professional achievement?

Last year, I was the chief housing economist at the Council of Economic Advisers to the president of the United States. It is the only time in the history of the CEA that title was ever granted. My team at the CEA authored the housing chapter in the 2026 Economic Report to the president and developed a list of “Deregulation Best Practices” that was the key part of the March 13, 2026, presidential executive order, “Removing Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Home Construction.”

Lei Lei
Professor and dean
Rutgers Business School

What is your proudest professional achievement?

The success of Rutgers Business School. By focusing on curriculum innovation, strengthening partnerships with industry, and developing programs that drive equitable student success, we have built a business school that strives to deliver a high return on investment for our students. Over the last 10 years, total enrollment has grown 40% to approximately 11,000 students, making Rutgers Business Schools one of the largest public business schools in the nation.

Lisa Kaplowitz
Associate professor of professional practice – finance; executive director – Rutgers Center for Women in Business
Rutgers Business School

What is your proudest professional achievement?

There are two:

Founding the Rutgers Center for Women in Business (CWIB), a vibrant research center and community that brings together academic experts, corporate partners and accomplished business leaders to help organizations build workplaces where women – and ultimately everyone – can thrive.

Hearing from former students that they use what I taught them in their careers. Knowing that their RBS education has prepared them for professional success reinforces why I love teaching.

Drinking coffee without doing anything else
No email. No scrolling. No podcast running in the background while they answer a text and check the time. Just the coffee and the ten minutes it takes to drink it.

Gabriela Tonietto, a behavioral scientist at the Rutgers Business School, led a series of studies with more than 1,300 participants and found that people who view leisure as wasteful report lower happiness and higher depression, anxiety, and stress.

Even when those people took time off, they enjoyed it less. The belief that idle time is unproductive was enough to undermine the experience of doing nothing.

The person drinking coffee without doing anything else has made peace with the idea that ten unproductive minutes isn't a loss. It's the most grounded part of their day.

There is something about putting on the Rutgers mascot costume, Jagemann said, that changes the way people see you. Fans who might otherwise walk right past him suddenly wanted a picture, a high-five or a moment with the university’s beloved mascot.

“I probably liked it a little too much, if you ask my friends and family,” Jagemann said.

Now Jagemann is putting that lifelong Rutgers connection to work as the owner and operator of Knight & Day, a new shop for Rutgers apparel, all things scarlet at 15 Easton Ave.

Two interesting phenomena are simultaneously unfolding. Despite billions of dollars being wagered in prediction markets, the IRS has remained uncharacteristically reticent on the associated tax implications of such transactions. At the same time, Donald Trump Jr. is being handsomely compensated as a strategic advisor for both Kalshi and Polymarket, the world’s two largest prediction market players, both of which he owns financial stakes in.

The question is, are the two related, or is this a mere coincidence? The dots appear inextricably connected.

Peter Methot is an assistant professor of professional practice and associate dean of executive education in the business school. Methot said, “Students today are building their professional identities in a world where digital presence matters almost as much as a résumé. We wanted to create a course that gives every Rutgers student the opportunity to develop those skills — regardless of their school, major, or career aspirations.

Jay Soled, a Rutgers accounting professor, said it was "hogwash" for Epstein to suggest his strategies were novel. Most of the tactics were "just-run-of-the-mill stuff that people do."

When does it make sense to consider a credit card with a triple-digit annual fee?

A triple-digit annual fee makes sense the moment it transforms from an expense into a strategic investment. It comes down to simple math: the card is absolutely worth it if the consumer meticulously tracks and leverages the benefits. The Amex Platinum charges a $695 fee but potentially unlocks over $1,500 in value, including a $200 airline fee credit, a $200 hotel credit, a $240 digital entertainment credit, and premium airport security clearance credits (Clear Plus/TSA PreCheck). If your lifestyle already commands these expenses, it’s a no-brainer.

“One way to think about this is that credit cards act as the shock absorber of household finances,” said Ahmed Albrolisy, who teaches finance and economics at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.

“Credit card data often reflects the earliest signs of financial pressure because it is the most flexible form of consumer borrowing.”

After spending years pouring their time, money, and energy into building a business, founders often find the next phase of growth requires outside money. How to raise that capital brings a critical decision: borrow or sell equity.

Founders often underestimate the tradeoffs associated with debt and equity financing, according to Mukesh Patel, a professor at Rutgers Business School and serial entrepreneur. He said some founders give up on raising equity capital because they don’t have the right pitch or network. And while a loan may be easier, Patel said, “early-stage debt is not really the optimal capital source or structure because it can create liability.”

While the death of a popular Kirkland Signature product brings disappointment, it’s a risk that members take, said Chris Ribeiro, an assistant professor at Rutgers Business School and owner of retail and consumer strategy firm Starlight Analytics.

“Members trade off (unknowingly) on their mix stability for greater price reliability,” Ribeiro told The Independent in an email. “Customers know this, so they stock up or spend more knowing it might go away.”

“One way to think about this is that credit cards act as the shock absorber of household finances,” said Ahmed Albrolisy, who teaches finance and economics at the Rutgers Business School in Newark.

“Credit card data often reflects the earliest signs of financial pressure because it is the most flexible form of consumer borrowing.”

The economic problem is generating neutral votes and votes against. What we need are votes in favor of Democrats for this to imply a change of government.

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Daniel Levin, a management researcher at Rutgers, studied what he called “dormant ties,” relationships that had gone inactive. When people reconnected with old contacts after long gaps, the reconnected relationships were as valuable or more than the ones they’d been actively maintaining. The time apart hadn’t weakened the connection. In many cases, it had added something.

Rudi Leuschner, a professor of supply chain management at Rutgers University in New Jersey, told the American Independent, “The whole last year with tariffs going up and down and trade being uncertain I would say has become the new normal.”

Leuschner had at least one bit of good news for American consumers, though: The prices are not likely to go much higher for this year’s back-to-school shopping.

“Everything that came in went through the new tariff regime,” said Leuschner. “So there’s also no surprises at this point because retailers, to the extent that they could raise prices, they’ve done that.”

It doesn’t take sophisticated hackers to infiltrate the systems. Jaideep Vaidya, distinguished professor and vice dean for Faculty Affairs and Research, said: “You can also try to use off-the-shelf tools, for example, just to launch denial-of-service attacks, which just take down the existing access to infrastructure that is in place.”

How can people improve their credit scores using a credit card for bad credit?

People with bad credit can indeed rebuild their credit scores using appropriate credit cards, however the critical factor is how they use these cards. Just having a credit card will not do it.

The following few factors that will have the greatest impact over time are:

* Keep your credit utilization low: Try to use less than 25% of the credit limit.
* Always pay on time: Payment history is the most important factor in the credit scoring models. It is best to set up automatic payments for at least the minimum amount. Few full payments are beneficial for credit history.
* Use the card regularly but lightly: Establishing a good record is important.
* Keep the accounts open for as long as possible: The length of good credit management history is beneficial.
* Ensure reporting to Credit Bureaus: Finally, make sure that the credit cards are reporting to all the three major credit bureaus. * * One should review their credit reports periodically for errors and track their progress.

Lisa Kaplowitz, CWIB’s executive director and a Rutgers Business School professor of finance and economics, said, "We’re excited to welcome Jeanne to our impressive board of business leaders. Her work in the HR field, as a communications professional and entrepreneur, and chair of a women’s conference, aligns with our mission to retain and elevate mid-career women in the workplace."

"Investors' expectations say that in the 10-year future, things are not going to get better, or at least they are not going to get as good as they have," said Arturo E. Osorio Fernandez, associate professor of professional practice, Management & Global Business. "Buying houses is going to get more expensive. There is going to be an oversupply of houses because there is going to be a drop in demand for houses. Lower-middle-income families will be displaced from the possibility."

Citizens Bank recently announced the conclusion of its client relationship with prison operators The GEO Group and CoreCivic. Citizens explicitly stated that the decision “does not reflect any change in [its] view regarding these companies’ business models or operations.” Still, certain activist groups, such as the De-ICE Citizens Bank Coalition, celebrated the news as a win. But experts, including Rutgers Business School professor Michael Barnett, told ROI-NJ the situation is not quite so clear cut.

Investors' expectations say that in the 10-year future, things are not going to get better, or at least they are not going to get as good as they have.

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Bank of America rewards credit cards give bonus rewards to BofA banking customers; are there any other benefits to having a credit card and a checking/savings/investment account from the same bank?

The BofA Rewards program adds a 10% to 75% boost on everyday credit card purchases, up to $180 in annual streaming/news credits, and enhanced fraud monitoring like dark web scans. However, it requires a minimum balance of $30,000 in checking accounts, and it averages your different accounts, so even if you keep $50,000 in one but only $5,000 in another, you do not make the cut. That is a big drawback since any couple may keep two joint accounts, one for each partner. Doing so this way disqualifies them. Nonetheless, keeping several accounts in one back allows you other cross-benefits like overdraft coverage, simplified e-banking, and easier tax filings.

Rutgers EMBA alum Andrew Evens, deputy director for clinical services at Rutgers Cancer Institute, reached out to his former professors to build a computer simulation to improve patient treatment. A team led by Xin Ding tracked every step from check-in to check-out to find patterns that would cut average visit times by 75 to 90 minutes.

One challenge to operating sustainably is “distance decay,” says Kevin Lyons, PhD, professor of professional practice and director, Center for Local Supply Chain Resiliency with Rutgers Business School. When supply chains are optimized for short-term cost, they prioritize global sourcing that relies on carbon-intensive long-haul logistics.

You have an emergency, you break an arm, you don't go to see which hospital offers you a cheaper service, you go to the nearest hospital.
In Spanish

Kristina Durante, a professor of marketing at Rutgers University, said inflation — which is at its highest level in three years — is causing serious anxiety for shoppers.

“It’s so uncertain that we don’t know how it’s going to play in. And because we want to have control over not just our budget but our lives we’re really sensitive to any sort of cue,” she said.

Workplace relationships are key to a successful company. Healthy work relationships are linked to higher retention, improved mental health, and higher job prospects in leadership. For women especially, workplace relationships and peer networks offer critical support in environments where mentorship and sponsorship remain unequal. Our research from the Rutgers Center for Women in Business (CWIB) confirms this: friendships matter and peer support often acts as an important buffer to burnout and caregiving-work conflict, both of which disproportionately affect women.

“Every student deserves precise, fair feedback that helps them grow, whether in a ten-person seminar or a four-hundred-person course, at an Ivy or a community college,” explained Professor Periklis Papakonstantinou of Rutgers University.

You landed your dream job, or so you thought. But quiet doubts grow harder to ignore: “Did I choose right?” “Can I do this for the rest of my life?” “I want something more.”

John Longo, distinguished professor of finance and economics at Rutgers Business School, told Investor's Business Daily a number of factors have allowed stocks to make progress despite headwinds.

"The stock market has performed surprisingly well given the geopolitical risks and resultant inflation," he said. "The artificial intelligence buildout, tax benefits from the One Big Beautiful Bill, and spending by the affluent consumer have combined to create a somewhat resilient economy."

A team led by Xin Ding, of Rutgers Business School’s Department of Supply Chain Management, analyzed patient movement through the clinic using direct observations and electronic health records.

“From there, we can generate distributions and find patterns,” Ding said. “What is the pattern for them to come? What is the pattern for them to leave? And we can do that for each point of the process.”

This means that this is a significant, albeit fragile, improvement. It is an improvement that softens inflation a little, but does not guarantee recovery.