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Like any for-profit entity, growth is one of its primary objectives. Stagnation is death. It's certainly not helped that our government has taken aim directly

Like any for-profit entity, growth is one of its primary objectives. Stagnation is death. It's certainly not helped that our government has taken aim directly at universities with sizable endowments[1]. The recent tax bill hits hard and has directly impacted MIT's ability to provide financial aid and pursue humanitarian research[2]. 1. https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/01/16/tax-college-endowment-unconstitutionally-targets-institutions-opinion https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2018/01/16/tax-college-... 2. http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bill-and-its-impact-mit-1220 http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bi...

RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago
A 1.4% tax on endowment income is consider being hard hit?
- megaman22 9y ago
  If they invested it at all wisely, they should have made at least 5% over the past year. When I was at Dartmouth during the great recession a decade ago, they were gloating that they were nevertheless still making gains on the endowment, as the rest of the world crashed.
  - varenc 9y ago
    Last fiscal year MIT's investments earned a 14.3% profit or $1.86 in gains. The principle is now $14.8B. Agreed that 1.4% doesn't feel too crazy... http://news.mit.edu/2017/endowment-figures-2017-0908 http://news.mit.edu/2017/endowment-figures-2017-0908 Though curiously, MIT's own estimation of the new tax says it'll only cost $10M. If MIT really made $2.1B in one year on just investments, an extra $10M seems pretty manageable. (though this also seems far less than the 1.4% cited, so not sure what's going on). Here's where MIT mentions the $10M in new taxes: http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bill-and-its-impact-mit-1220 http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bi...
    - gowld 9y ago
      > at least $10 million a year. Presumably the tax is on future 2018 earnings, not 2017 earning.s

RcouF1uZ4gsC 9y ago

A 1.4% tax on endowment income is consider being hard hit?

megaman22 9y ago
If they invested it at all wisely, they should have made at least 5% over the past year. When I was at Dartmouth during the great recession a decade ago, they were gloating that they were nevertheless still making gains on the endowment, as the rest of the world crashed.
- varenc 9y ago
  Last fiscal year MIT's investments earned a 14.3% profit or $1.86 in gains. The principle is now $14.8B. Agreed that 1.4% doesn't feel too crazy... http://news.mit.edu/2017/endowment-figures-2017-0908 http://news.mit.edu/2017/endowment-figures-2017-0908 Though curiously, MIT's own estimation of the new tax says it'll only cost $10M. If MIT really made $2.1B in one year on just investments, an extra $10M seems pretty manageable. (though this also seems far less than the 1.4% cited, so not sure what's going on). Here's where MIT mentions the $10M in new taxes: http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bill-and-its-impact-mit-1220 http://news.mit.edu/2017/letter-regarding-new-federal-tax-bi...
  - gowld 9y ago
    > at least $10 million a year. Presumably the tax is on future 2018 earnings, not 2017 earning.s