In
a
public
notice
issued
on
18
August
2025,
the
central
bank
said
most
of
its
systems
are
being
impacted,
but
reassured
the
public
that
teams
are
working
diligently
to
restore
normal
operations.
Reads
the
notice:
“The
Reserve
Bank
of
Zimbabwe
wishes
to
notify
all
stakeholders
of
a
technical
challenge
being
experienced
on
our
network.
“This
is
affecting
most
systems
and
may
result
in
delays
in
some
banking
services.
“We
are
working
diligently
to
restore
all
services
and
will
be
providing
updates
as
necessary.”
BULAWAYO
–
The
trial
of
three
men
accused
of
masquerading
as
state
security
operatives
while
name-dropping
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s
son
to
extort
a
mining
firm
has
continued,
after
a
Bulawayo
magistrate
struck
off
one
of
the
seven
charges
they
were
facing.
Munyaradzi
Charakupa,
48,
of
Burnside
in
Bulawayo,
Tawanda
Mangi,
32,
of
Hellensville
in
Harare,
and
Victor
Jaja,
49,
of
Toubuk
Road
in
Harare,
are
jointly
charged
with
fraud,
extortion,
attempted
extortion
and
impersonating
public
officials.
The
court
acquitted
the
trio
on
count
four
—
in
which
Jaja
allegedly
claimed
to
have
killed
four
people
to
intimidate
complainant
Dumisani
Dube,
a
lawyer
—
citing
lack
of
evidence.
Prosecutors
say
the
gang
posed
as
officers
from
the
President’s
Department,
the
Police
Protection
Unit
and
Military
Intelligence,
threatening
to
cancel
mining
licences
belonging
to
Dube’s
clients
unless
he
paid
them.
They
allegedly
extorted
more
than
US$55,000
between
February
and
August
2024.
The
accused
are
said
to
have
repeatedly
invoked
the
name
of
Sean
Mnangagwa,
claiming
they
were
acting
on
his
behalf.
Dube
told
investigators
he
travelled
to
Harare
to
meet
Sean,
who
denied
any
knowledge
of
the
gang
and
advised
him
to
file
a
police
report.
Among
the
charges,
the
three
allegedly
forced
Dube
to
hand
over
US$40,000
on
July
23
last
year
after
producing
a
forged
Power
of
Attorney
purporting
to
make
them
directors
of
Fools
Investment
(Pvt)
Ltd.
On
another
occasion,
they
allegedly
demanded
US$5,800
for
“accommodation
and
car
servicing”
while
on
“special
deployment.”
In
August,
they
are
said
to
have
posed
as
police
officers
to
gain
entry
into
Fools
Mine,
where
they
attempted
to
assess
gold
deposits.
HARARE
–
A
maid
and
gardener
accused
of
staging
a
brazen
US$80,000
theft
from
their
employer’s
Borrowdale
home
in
Harare
have
been
remanded
in
custody
following
their
first
court
appearance.
Sarah
Matemarunda,
59,
and
Milton
Mudimu
allegedly
ripped
out
a
wall-mounted
digital
safe
from
businessman
Gift
Mzilikazi’s
bedroom
before
vanishing
with
cash,
ammunition
and
travel
documents.
The
pair
appeared
before
Harare
magistrate
Tapiwa
Kuhudzayi
at
the
weekend,
but
their
bail
hearing
was
postponed
to
Wednesday
after
the
court
cited
a
backlog
of
cases.
Prosecutors
said
Mzilikazi
left
for
his
farm
at
midday,
returning
the
next
day
to
discover
his
bedroom
door
unlocked
and
his
safe
gone.
Inside
had
been
US$80,400,
R4,000,
300
Yuan,
200
Dirhams,
100
Rupees,
£30,
ammunition
and
passports.
Police
later
found
the
safe
dumped
in
the
boot
of
Mzilikazi’s
son’s
car,
recovering
passports
and
bullets.
Investigators
tracked
Matemarunda,
who
allegedly
stashed
part
of
the
loot
in
her
wardrobe.
She
reportedly
surrendered
US$12,391,
R1,360,
£10,
50
Rupees,
5
Dirhams
and
100
Yuan
before
implicating
Mudimu.
Mudimu
was
arrested
in
South
Africa,
where
he
had
allegedly
sneaked
in
illegally.
He
in
turn
accused
Matemarunda
and
Mzilikazi’s
relatives
near
the
border
of
aiding
the
heist.
Both
remain
in
custody
pending
their
bail
ruling
on
Wednesday.
Egypt
intends
to
expand
cooperation
with
Zimbabwe,
with
a
particular
focus
on
development
and
training
in
the
field
of
public
broadcasting,
as
well
as
cooperation
in
a
number
of
strategic
areas.
This
is
reported
by ZBC
News,
a
partner
of
TV
BRICS.
This
was
announced
by
Egypt’s
Ambassador
to
Zimbabwe, Salwa
Mowafi,
during
a
meeting
with
Minister
of
Information,
Publicity
and
Broadcasting
Services Jenfan
Muswere in
Harare.
During
the
talks,
the
parties
confirmed
their
desire
to
deepen
bilateral
ties,
including
the
exchange
of
experience
in
healthcare
and
childcare,
agriculture,
water
purification,
tourism
and
housing
construction.
The
modernisation
of
the
media
sector
and
technical
cooperation
were
also
discussed.
“These
are
part
of
the
areas
that
we
want
to
work
together.
We
also
seek
to
deepen
political,
economic
and
technical
cooperation
in
infrastructure,
housing,
health,
agriculture,
tourism
and
modernisation
of
our
public
broadcasting
institutions,” said
Muswere.
Four
Days
For
Some:
DLA
Piper’s
corporate
associates
will
have
to
spend
an
extra
day
at
the
office.
Make
America
Great
No
More?:
Former
MAGA
attorney
Roger
Alford
goes
full
HPE/Juniper
merger
truther.
AI
Adoption
Is
Hitting
Top
Tier
Law
Schools:
Somebody
has
to
teach
future
attorneys
how
to
proof
their
work!
What’s
In
A
Name,
Anyway?:
AffiniPay
changes
their
name
to
8AM.
Notes
From
The
Technosphere:
Musings
on
AI
hallucinations
and
pirates
fresh
from
ILTACON!
This
sweeping
legislation,
which
passed
along
largely
partisan
lines
amid
significant
political
controversy
over
its
$3.4
trillion
price
tag
and
temporary
funding
mechanisms,
brings
substantial
changes
to
retirement
planning
that
could
benefit
many
of
you.
However,
as
with
any
major
tax
overhaul,
we’ll
need
to
stay
tuned
for
adjustments
and
clarifications
as
the
Treasury
Department
works
through
implementation
details
over
the
coming
months.
As
a
CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL
PLANNER®
professional,
my
job
is
to
help
you
cut
through
the
media
noise
and
understand
what
legislation
actually
means
for
your
financial
future.
But
I’ll
be
honest
with
you
–
some
provisions
in
the
One
Big
Beautiful
Bill
have
left
even
seasoned
financial
planners
scratching
their
heads
about
how
they’ll
work
in
real
practice.
That
said,
let’s
walk
through
the
five
most
important
changes
that
directly
impact
your
situation
as
a
retiring
legal
professional,
while
acknowledging
that
some
details
may
evolve
as
regulations
are
finalized.
Starting
with
your
2025
tax
returns,
if
you’re
65
or
older,
you
can
claim
an
additional
$6,000
deduction
($12,000
for
married
couples)
on
top
of
the
standard
deduction
and
the
existing
age-65+
extra
standard
deduction.
This
isn’t
just
another
small
adjustment;
it’s
substantial
tax
relief
that
recognizes
the
financial
realities
of
retirement.
To
be
clear,
all
three
of
these
“regular”
deductions
can
be
stacked
on
top
of
one
another,
regardless
of
whether
you
itemize.
Let’s
break
this
down
for
2025
for
couples
filing
together
and
claiming
the
standard
deduction:
Existing
standard
deduction:
$31,500
Existing
Age-65+
additional
standard
deduction:
$3,200
NEW
Age-65+
“Senior”
bonus”
deduction:
$12,000
Total
standard
deduction
age
65+
in
2025:
$46,700
However,
there
are
income
limits
to
consider.
The
deduction
phases
out
if
your
modified
adjusted
gross
income
exceeds
$75,000
for
singles
or
$150,000
for
married
couples
filing
jointly,
disappearing
entirely
above
$175,000
and
$250,000
respectively.
These
phase-outs
typically
present
planning
opportunities
for
those
hovering
around
the
upper
range
of
these
thresholds.
Additionally,
if
you’re
managing
partnership
distributions,
consulting
income,
or
substantial
investment
returns,
you’ll
want
to
monitor
these
thresholds
carefully.
Here’s
where
things
get
particularly
interesting
for
your
retirement
planning.
While
Social
Security
remains
technically
taxable
under
existing
rules,
the
combination
of
increased
standard
deductions
and
the
new
senior
bonus
deduction
means
approximately
88%
of
beneficiaries
will
pay
zero
federal
tax
on
their
Social
Security
benefits
according
to
a
recent
White
House
Council
of
Economic
Advisers
analysis.
That’s
up
from
about
64%
previously.
This
change
doesn’t
alter
Social
Security’s
taxability
structure,
but
rather
creates
a
situation
where
your
deductions
exceed
your
taxable
income.
For
many
retiring
lawyers
who
built
substantial
retirement
accounts
but
also
qualify
for
Social
Security,
this
could
mean
significant
tax
savings
on
a
portion
of
your
retirement
income.
I’ll
just
note
one
additional
interesting
note
here
on
the
history
of
Social
Security.
You
may
have
noticed
I’ve
mentioned
that
the
formula
for
taxing
Social
Security
hasn’t
changed.
In
fact,
it
hasn’t
changed
in
over
40
years
—
and
the
income
thresholds
haven’t
been
adjusted
for
inflation.
The
result?
A
slowly
growing
“phantom
tax”
on
Social
Security
benefits.
The
individual
tax
rate
brackets
from
the
2017
Tax
Cuts
and
Jobs
Act,
which
were
set
to
expire
at
the
end
of
2025,
are
now
permanent.
This
gives
you
the
long-term
clarity
you
need
for
strategic
planning,
particularly
around
Roth
conversions
and
managing
retirement
account
withdrawals.
For
example,
with
the
pre-OBBB
tax
rates
set
to
expire
this
year,
you
may
have
faced
a
jump
from
the
24%
to
the
32%
bracket
in
2026.
Now,
the
lower
brackets
are
locked
in
—
giving
you
more
certainty
for
future
planning.
This
stability
is
invaluable
when
you’re
making
decisions
about
when
and
how
much
to
withdraw
from
traditional
IRAs
and
401(k)s,
or
when
considering
Roth
conversion
strategies.
If
you’re
retiring
in
a
state
with
high
property
or
income
taxes
(think
New
York,
California,
or
New
Jersey),
the
temporary
increase
in
the
state
and
local
tax
deduction
cap
from
$10,000
to
$40,000
through
2029
could
provide
meaningful
relief.
This
applies
to
those
earning
under
$500,000
annually
(Modified
Adjusted
Gross
Income).
For
those
earning
over
this
limit
this
year,
the
SALT
deduction
will
gradually
be
phased
out
until
the
deduction
is
back
down
to
the
original
$10,000
cap.
In
2030,
this
temporary
increase
in
the
SALT
deduction
will
revert
back
to
$10,000
unless
additional
legislation
is
passed.
Many
lawyers
find
themselves
in
expensive
metropolitan
areas
during
their
careers.
If
you’re
staying
put
in
retirement
and
still
itemizing
deductions
due
to
high
property
taxes
or
state
income
taxes,
this
change
could
reduce
your
federal
tax
burden
significantly
during
the
early
years
of
your
retirement.
Starting
in
2026,
the
unified
estate
and
gift
tax
exemption
increases
to
$15
million
per
individual,
or
$30
million
per
married
couple.
For
successful
legal
careers
that
generated
substantial
wealth,
this
elevated
exemption
provides
more
flexibility
in
estate
planning
strategies.
While
this
change
primarily
affects
higher-net-worth
retirees,
it
also
simplifies
planning
for
many
lawyers
who
may
have
been
concerned
about
crossing
the
previous
exemption
thresholds
through
continued
investment
growth
and
property
appreciation.
Change
Impact
on
Retirees
Senior
Bonus
Deduction
Major
tax
relief
within
income
thresholds
Social
Security
tax
impact
Most
pay
no
federal
tax
on
benefits
Permanent
tax
brackets
Planning
certainty
for
conversions,
income
Higher
SALT
cap
(temp)
Potentially
valuable
for
itemizers
in
high-tax
areas
Estate
exemption
increase
(2026)
Bigger
transfer
shield
for
high‑net‑worth
retirees
These
changes
create
new
opportunities
for
tax-efficient
retirement
planning,
but
they
also
require
careful
consideration
of
timing
and
strategy.
The
temporary
nature
of
some
provisions
means
you’ll
want
to
maximize
benefits
while
they’re
available.
Pay
particular
attention
to
the
potential
future
changes
mentioned
in
the
legislation,
including
possible
required
minimum
distributions
from
Roth
IRAs
for
large
balances.
While
these
are
still
under
study,
they
could
affect
long-term
tax-free
growth
strategies.
As
you
navigate
these
changes,
remember
that
good
retirement
planning
isn’t
just
about
minimizing
taxes
in
any
single
year.
Rather,
a
good
plan
should
focus
on
creating
a
sustainable,
flexible
strategy
that
adapts
to
both
legislative
changes
and
your
evolving
needs
throughout
retirement.
These
new
provisions
give
you
additional
tools
to
build
that
strategy
effectively.
I’ll
be
unpacking
more
from
this
legislation
over
the
coming
months
and
sharing
how
it’s
affecting
the
retiring
lawyers
that
we
work
with.
To
follow
along,
simply
head
over
to
our
Money
Meets
Law
newsletter
page
to
learn
more.
Disclosure:
The
information
within
this
article
is
not
intended
as
tax,
accounting
or
legal
advice,
as
an
offer
or
solicitation
of
an
offer
to
buy
or
sell,
or
as
an
endorsement
of
any
company,
security,
fund,
or
other
securities
or
non-securities
offering.
This
information
should
not
be
relied
upon
as
the
sole
factor
in
an
investment
making
decision.
David
Hunter,
CFP®
is
a
CERTIFIED
FINANCIAL
PLANNER™
and
owner
of First
Light
Wealth,
LLC,
a
financial
planning
&
wealth
management
firm
with
a
unique
focus
on
serving
attorneys
nationwide.
David
has
over
a
decade
of
experience
helping
clients
build
financial
plans
and
has
been
featured
in
publications
such
as
Attorney
at
Work,
ThinkAdvisor,
MarketWatch,
Financial
Planning,
and
InvestmentNews.
David
also
writes
weekly
to
attorneys
in
his
popular Money
Meets
Law newsletter.
For
more
about
David,
visit firstlightwealth.com/lawyers or
connect
with
him
on LinkedIn.
Today
the
Fifth
Circuit
issued
a
decision
neutering
the
National
Labor
Relations
Board’s
ability
to
prosecute
unfair
labor
practice.
In
a
decision
authored
by
Judge
Don
Willett,
the
circuit
court
furthest
to
the
right
decided
the
NLRB’s
structure
is
likely
unconstitutional.
In
the
matter
before
the
Fifth
Circuit
three
separate
employers
—
SpaceX,
Energy
Transfer
and
Aunt
Bertha
—
argued
that
the
limits
on
president’s
ability
to
remove
board
members
and
administrative
law
judges
are
unconstitutional.
And
the
panel
agreed.
They
affirmed
the
injunctions
freezing
the
enforcement
actions
against
the
employers,
writing,
“The
Constitution
does
not
countenance
unlawful
power.
And
when
the
Constitution
draws
boundaries,
neither
agency
expedience
nor
institutional
inertia
can
erase
them.”
Specifically,
cautioning
against
over-reliance
on
Humphrey’s
Executor,
the
current
conservative
punching
bag,
Willett
holds
in
this
consolidated
action
that
federal
law’s
removal
protections
for
board
members
and
agency
judges
likely
violates
the
constitution.
Willett
writes,
“The
Employers
have
made
their
case
and
should
not
have
to
choose
between
compliance
and
constitutionality.
When
an
agency’s
structure
violates
the
separation
of
powers,
the
harm
is
immediate—and
the
remedy
must
be,
too.”
Deep
sigh.
How
dumb
must
all
the
judges
and
justices
that
have
heard
NLRB
matters,
implicitly
blessing
the
structure,
over
the
agency’s
90
year
history
feel
right
now?
It’s
another
win
for
Donald
Trump’s
uniquely
expansive
view
of
presidential
power,
and
gives
the
Supreme
Court
yet
another
opportunity
to
bend
to
that
vision
of
the
presidency.
Read
the
full
decision
below.
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].
Law
is
a
profession
that,
unlike
some
others,
operates
continually
under
the
strain
of
disagreement.
Doctors
cooperate
and
coordinate
to
deal
with
patients.
Engineers
work
together
to
build
a
bridge.
But
litigants
and
their
lawyers
are
pitted
against
one
another
on
opposite
sides.
That
doesn’t
sound
like
an
advertisement
for
law
school,
that
sounds
a
little
bleak.
—
Justice
Amy
Coney
Barrett,
in
comments
given
during
the
Seventh
Circuit
Judicial
Conference,
where
she
went
on
to
say
that
lawyers
learn
how
to
argue
“without
letting
it
consume
relationships,”
and
that
she’s
“grateful
to
the
way
our
bar
conducts
itself
in
that
regard,
because
that
is
what
enables
the
judicial
system
to
work
well,
that
collegiality.”
Staci
Zaretsky is
the
managing
editor
of
Above
the
Law,
where
she’s
worked
since
2011.
She’d
love
to
hear
from
you,
so
please
feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
comments,
or
critiques.
You
can
follow
her
on Bluesky, X/Twitter,
and Threads, or
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn.
Joining
the
hall
of
famous
rebrands
somewhere
between
Meta
and
the
Artist
Formerly
Known
as
Prince,
AffiniPay
announced
this
morning
—
at
8am
local
time
—
that
they
officially
changed
their
name
to
8am.
The
logo
even
sort
of
has
an
Artist
Formerly
Known
as
Prince
look.
The
name
“AffiniPay”
was
too
tethered
to
payments,
perfect
branding
for
the
parent
company
of
LawPay,
but
a
little
limiting
after
acquiring
MyCase,
CasePeer,
and
DocketWise.
While
lawyers
cordon
off
a
special
place
in
their
hearts
for
getting
paid,
AffiniPay’s
offerings
had
outgrown
the
“Pay”
moniker.
That
said,
8am
could
comfortably
identify
anything
from
a
wake-up
call
service
to
a
donut
joint
that
charges
$11
for
coffee
and
awkwardly
forces
you
to
reject
the
default
25
percent
tip.
Not
that
names
have
to
be
self-explanatory.
Blackberry
sounded
like
produce
company
until
it
became
the
most
important
business
device
in
the
world.
Still,
a
name
has
to
trigger
a
connection
with
the
audience.
Like
if
LexisNexis
rebranded
as
“2am,”
bringing
us
back
to
the
moment
we
realize
we’ve
been
researching
the
wrong
jurisdiction
for
six
hours.
Chief
Marketing
Officer
Nate
Skinner
said,
“The
name
8am
captures
the
energy
and
focus
we
bring
to
our
customers
every
day…”
which
suggests
the
company
approaches
8am
very
differently
than
the
rest
of
us
because
my
8am
energy
is
“bleary-eyed
contempt.”
That’s
the
time
in
the
office
when
lawyers
peruse
personal
emails
and
order
coffee
while
trying
to
work
themselves
up
to
the
idea
of
real
work.
Skinner
continued,
“It’s
about
making
our
value
clear
and
helping
our
customers
build
momentum
from
the
moment
their
day
begins.”
This
latter
explanation
makes
a
lot
more
sense
than
evoking
the
energy
and
focus
of
the
early
morning,
so
we’ll
just
forget
about
that
first
part.
8am
(the
company)
handles
the
tasks
that
lawyers
dread
tackling
during
that
half-asleep
8am
(the
hour)
period.
That’s
when
they’ve
slunk
into
the
office
to
handle
billing,
conflict
checks,
calendaring,
and
all
the
other
back-office
chores
that
they
can
only
accomplish
before
everyone
starts
swamping
them
with
calls
and
emails
about
the
actual
law
at
9am.
It’s
an
implied
pledge
to
help
lawyers
—
and
other
professionals
—
get
their
8am
hour
back.
In
small
law,
trying
to
balance
running
a
business
with
practicing
a
profession,
getting
back
any
hour
is
important.
Getting
back
the
precious
8-9
hour
is
golden.
For
a
company
with
such
a
long
history,
the
name
change
is
going
to
take
some
getting
used
to.
Especially
in
November
when
they
have
to
change
back
to
“7am”
to
comply
with
professional
business
platform
standard
time.
Kathryn
