Producer Price Index Worrisome, World Cup Pitch on Tipping, Claude SMB Training

THRIVE, a Paychex Business Podcast · May 21, 2026 · 10m

A sharp spike up to 6% for the Producer Price Index has podcast host Gene Marks expressing concern over the pending price hikes for goods for the remainder of 2026. He offers some suggestions to help employers and their employees. As the World Cup soccer tournament nears its start in North America, one U.S. host city’s restaurant group is proposing a mandatory tip percentage so staff don’t get stiffed by visitors from non-tipping cultures. And Anthropic launches Claude for Small Business, which Gene notes is a great way to help implement AI. Listen to the podcast.

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00:00 – Introduction…