Consumer Reports Inc.

“Members, stockholders consumer reports is a new york state not-for-profit membership corporation. The members for new york not-for-profit law purposes are any individual with a paid membership to the consumer reports membership program. Members can elect the board of directors at the annual meeting of members; adopt, amend or repeal the by-laws of the corporation; call a special meeting of the members under certain circumstances; and exercise such other powers as are provided by law.”

“See explanation on line 6 above.”

“Form 990 review process the 990 is prepared utilizing the assistance of an independent accounting firm, kpmg. The related services from kpmg are approved by the audit committee as part of the audit approval process. After the 990 is prepared by cr finance department with coordination with kpmg, it is reviewed by the controller and cfo before it is reviewed and approved by the audit committee. A copy of the 990 is then provided to the board of directors prior to its filing.”

“Conflict of interest compliance process consumer reports' board of directors and staff members are required to fill out and sign a disclosure of interest statement and attestation of compliance each year. Board members' forms are reviewed by a committee of the board; staff members' forms are reviewed by an outside independent reviewer. Any conflicts will be addressed with the applicable board or staff member, with unresolved conflicts addressed by the appropriate conflict of interest committee. Potential remedies for conflicts of interest can include recusal from participation in the matter giving rise to the conflict, disposing of an investment, termination of employment, or resignation.”

“The executive committee of the board of directors reviews the compensation provided to cr's president and senior executive staff to ensure that they are consistent with cr's mission, are designed to attract and retain the high levels of leadership talent needed to achieve cr's operating plans, and are compliant with law. To that end, the executive committee (1) recommends to the board of directors compensation plans and pay levels for the president and chief executive officer, taking into account peer group practices and any special considerations, as well as employment agreements; (2) reviews the compensation of the president and senior executive staff to ensure compliance with the irs intermediate sanction requirements; and (3) reviews and approves (a) for executives reporting directly to the president, any proposed compensation increase for current executives and the proposed compensation for any new hire and (b) for executives not reporting directly to the president, (i) any proposed compensation increase that exceeds the annual salary increase guidelines established by people and culture and (ii) the proposed compensation for any new executive hire that exceeds the market median as reported in executive compensation studies conducted by a third party executive compensation consulting firm. The executive committee's recommendation on the president's compensation plans and pay levels is voted on by the full board of directors. Deliberations and decisions regarding the foregoing compensation arrangements are contemporaneously recorded in the organization's minutes. To ensure compliance with the irs intermediate sanctions as required and meet the conditions for the rebuttable presumption under treasury regulation 53.4958-6, the committee that determines compensation of executives are composed of members who are independent with respect to the compensation arrangements. The foregoing process for establishing compensation for the indicated persons was last undertaken in july 2024.”

“Public availability of financial statements and governing documents consumer reports' annual financial statements are made available to the public on its website, www.consumerreports.org. Our governing documents, form 1023, and conflict of interest policy are available to the public upon request.”

“Consumer information: consumer reports publishes and disseminates information and advice to consumers regarding topics such as consumer goods, services, health and personal finance in order to effect it's educational purpose. The number of paid subscribers for each as of 5/31/24 include consumer reports magazine 2,565,499; consumer reports on health 354,739; and cr online 2,772,522. Consumer reports does not accept outside advertising in any of its publications. In addition, consumer reports disseminates consumer information through other print, radio, television, electronic publishing and interactive media. Product information: consumer reports conducts independent and impartial tests and analyses on a wide range of consumer products and services, such as electronics, appliances, household products, insurance, recreational goods, and cars. The tests and surveys evaluate how the products and services perform and educate consumers on the extent to which they are convenient, safe, and economical. During the fiscal year ended 5/31/24, consumer reports conducted tests and evaluations on more than 2200 models of various consumer products, making use of about 60 laboratories and its auto track. The information gathered as result of these tests is disseminated to the general public as described above.”

“Consumer reports is dedicated to improving the lives of consumers and creating a fair and just marketplace for all of us. We are an independent, nonprofit organization with 6 million members across the u.s. Cr seeks to empower consumers with information to make informed decisions about the products they buy, as well as information to advocate for consumer rights. In the 87 years since cr was founded, we have built a legacy of trust among consumers by conducting expert rigorous science-based testing of products and services, incentivizing corporations to prioritize safety and transparency, and working with policymakers to enshrine the rights and interests of consumers in laws and regulations. We provide trusted information through testing, ratings, and reviews; surveys, reports and analyses; and investigative and service journalism - all of which is disseminated through multiple digital and print platforms that reach more than 15 million people each month. The public can access substantial free consumer education information as a public service through consumerreports.org, cr social media channels, webinars, partnerships with 170 english and spanish local tv stations, and media coverage. These combined efforts leverage consumer demand to shape a pro-consumer marketplace, and we engage directly with industry to set standards and promote safety, digital rights, financial fairness and sustainability principles in the design and delivery of products and services. Consumer reports' unwavering dedication to the health, safety, and well-being of consumers is exemplified by our fy24 (june 1, 2023 through may 31, 2024) accomplishments and milestones, some of which include: safer water - cr champions new rule to limit pfas in drinking water cr has long been one of the nation's leading voices on the health risks of pfas, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. Pfas are often called "forever chemicals" because they are extremely persistent in the environment and the human body. In 2024 the epa placed new legally enforceable limits on several pfas compounds in drinking water. These include two compounds - pfoa and pfos that have been linked to adverse health impacts including certain cancers and lowered immune response. Previous epa guidelines suggested that the total levels of these two legacy compounds should not exceed 70 parts per trillion (ppt). The new ruling limits them to 4 ppt each. Cr has called for stricter limits for years. We worked with thousands of consumers to test drinking water across the united states, and we also did a deep investigation into drinking water in mississippi, which has a history of problems providing safe and reliable water service. Our tests revealed troubling levels of pfas and other contaminants, and we shared our findings with epa and congress in advance of this historic rule. Plus, we provide consumers with free information about how to test tap water and how to get an annual water quality report, as well as information about the epa's safe drinking water hotline, pricing for cr's recommended test kits, and how to purchase water filtration systems that meet new epa requirements. Food safety - in cr-backed law, california bans harmful food additives cr celebrated a victory in the passing of the california food safety act on october 7, 2023. This landmark california law prevents the use of harmful food additives, such as red dye no. 3, potassium bromate, propyl paraben. And brominated vegetable oil (bvo). These chemicals have been linked to a variety of chronic health conditions including an increased risk of cancer, heart and liver problems, and behavioral, developmental and reproductive issues. While the fda has previously evaluated and approved these additives for use, researchers and california legislators noted that in light of new evidence, the now decades-old approvals need reevaluation. Backers of the law also note that the now-banned substances have been replaced with alternatives in other count”

“Cr has made permission slip accessible by either a "free or "plus" subscription service. The app has garnered positive reviews and coverage from the washington post, fast company, and cnet and it boasts an impressive 2.5 million data request initiations. - cr backs new privacy and ai laws to ensure digital protections for more than 35 million americans seven states - kentucky, maryland, minnesota, nebraska, new hampshire, new jersey, and rhode islandpassed comprehensive consumer privacy laws. Plus, colorado became the first state in the nation to pass a law for how companies can use artificial intelligence, or ai, to make decisions about consumers. Cr's surveys have found that many americans are concerned about the ways that ai can be used to make big decisions about things like the prices they pay, their healthcare, and how they are considered for employment. Cr's advocates were heavily involved in the efforts to shape and improve the bills, and we testified at hearings to recommend ways to strengthen them. Thousands of cr members contacted their state legislators to tell them to stand up for their digital rights. Some of these laws are much stronger than others, and a few have significant loopholes sought by industry, so we continue to work with state officials to raise the bar for privacy and ai safety. Cr is also one of the organizations that developed the global privacy control (gpc) for consumers to use in conjunction with several major web browsers. We published an interactive digital privacy map of the united states, which helps consumers identify states based on the strength of their privacy laws. Home security - cr investigates security flaws found in video doorbells, leading to fixes cr investigated video doorbells sold on digital marketplaces such as amazon, walmart, temu, and shein. We found vulnerabilities that could compromise the privacy and security of consumers. A security breach in a video doorbell could allow a potentially malicious individual to monitor the doorbell camera feed, or even control it outright. In our investigation, an engineer was able to hack into an eken brand doorbell camera from 2,923 miles away. Further investigation revealed additional security flaws in doorbells sold by the same manufacturer as eken, but under different brand names. Most lacked a visible id issued by the federal communications commission (fcc). Initial cr queries to the manufacturer went unanswered, but were addressed after the publication of our story. Eken stated that "new packaging with the id would be available in about a month, and it fixed security issues cited by cr, which we confirmed with further testing. We shared our findings with the fcc, which sent letters sent to retailers to inquire about which steps would be taken to ensure that all products sold in their marketplaces adhere to fcc regulations. Cr has also asked online retailers to take steps to guarantee the quality of products available on their platforms, and has advocated for policies to hold platforms accountable for selling unsafe products. Vehicle safety standards - cr champions new rule to make automatic emergency braking (aeb) standard in all new passenger vehicles automatic emergency braking (aeb) is a safety technology that can detect a potential car crash and automatically brake to avoid a collision or lessen the severity of impact. On april 29, 2024, the u.s. Department of transportation's national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) finalized a version of a rule that was proposed in 2023. Starting in september 2029, all u.s. Vehicle manufacturers must make aeb and pedestrian aeb (paeb) systems standard issue in every car and light truck. According to nhtsa projections, the use of aeb systems could save 360 lives a year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries annually. Cr has advised nhtsa on ways to make the new rule strong and ensure it delivers all proposed safety benefits to consumers. In an fy24 cr petition, more than 24,000 ind”

“Right to repair california, colorado, and oregon passed three of the nation's strongest "right to repair" laws. These laws were based in part on model legislation written by cr. These laws require many manufacturers to provide parts, tools, and manuals to independent repair shops and do-it-yourself consumers. This is a win for competition and consumer choice: people will not be forced to take their broken devices to the manufacturers' hand-picked repair service, which may charge a premium price. It will also help reduce the tons of electronics that are piling up in landfills. The colorado and oregon laws are the first to outlaw a manufacturer's practice called "parts pairing." this is when a manufacturer installs software to identify and authenticate replacement parts, which can make it harder for independent repairers and individuals to make repairs.”

“Unrealized gain interest rate swap 912,432. Pension related changes -5,127,394. Change in value of split interest agreement -207,072. Rounding”