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Average 30-year mortgage rates dropped this week and have been hovering in the upper 6% range, according to Zillow data. As inflation slows and the Federal Reserve is able to start lowering the federal funds rate, mortgage rates should go down. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates would impact your monthly payments. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates Go Down (-0.18%)The average 15-year mortgage rate is 6.11%, 18 basis points lower than last week. Mortgage Refinance Rates30-Year Fixed Refinance Rates Fall (-0.28%)The average 30-year refinance rate is 6.99%, 28 basis points lower than last week.

Persons: you'll, It's, refinance Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Bank, Federal Reserve, Investors, Zillow, FHA Locations: Chevron

I was slow to diversify my income and seek out new opportunities for passive income. At first, I didn't take the time to brainstorm or research ways to bring more passive income streams into my business. When starting a new business, especially as a solopreneur, build passive income streams into your plans. Paying business expenses with my personal fundsWhile I do keep a close eye on my personal finances, that hasn't been the case with my business finances. In the past, I wouldn't have seen that charge for months, because I wasn't closely looking at my business expenses.

Persons: —, hasn't, I've, It's Organizations: Service

☆ A Pause for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Ann Carrns | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Education Department has paused the processing of applications for student loan forgiveness by borrowers who work in public service jobs for about two months as it updates its systems and seeks to fix the problems plaguing its forgiveness program. The pause for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program began May 1, the department’s Office of Federal Student Aid said. Borrowers can still submit applications and all other forms, like those documenting their eligibility, but they won’t be processed until the pause ends in July, the office said. In a recent blog post, it called the changes “an exciting and necessary step” that would lead to faster reviews of applications. During and after the pause, the 2.2 million borrowers working toward loan forgiveness in the public service program will continue to make loan payments on their assigned loan servicer’s website, the department said.

Organizations: Department, Public, Federal Student Aid, Education Department

☆ Instagram's top exec praised YouTube's monetization and dissed Snapchat's, as he explained his platform's approach
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Last month, the company rolled out a new temporary "Spring Bonus," which he said was called Spring Bonus and not the "permanent bonus program" because he wanted to set expectations. For Instagram's bonus program to be successful, it would need to meet three criteria, according to Mosseri:It's a sustainable model, and Meta is not "burning cash." 'The thing I'm most excited about is subscriptions'The bonus program wasn't the only feature top of mind for Mosseri. Advertisement"The thing I'm most excited about is subscriptions," Mosseri said. And while it isn't useful for every creator, Instagram recently announced that there are now 2 million active subscriptions to creators on the app.

Persons: —, Adam Mosseri, Mosseri, — Haley Kalil, Hassan Khadair —, Instagram, she's, Kalil, I'm, TikTok, Snapchat, We're, That's, it's, YouTube's Organizations: Service, Meta's, YouTube, Business, Meta Locations: York

☆ A Pithy YouTube Celebrity’s Plea: Buy This Video Game
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Zachary Small | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Freewheeling assessments of the gaming industry have attracted millions of fans to the YouTube reviews of the personality nicknamed Dunkey, whose self-deprecating humor sweetens his critiques of popular video games. “Kirby is a lot like me,” he said while reviewing the pink puffball’s latest adventure. “He is a big fat guy that sucks up all the food.”“I’m just a referee on this one so you cannot get mad,” he explained in a middling review of Spider-Man 2, aware of the game’s rabid fan base. “This is an evil game made by an evil man,” he proclaimed about Elden Ring’s difficulty. “And whoever’s job it was to balance the damage-scaling on enemies did not show up for work.”

Persons: Dunkey, “ Kirby, ”, “

☆ 'Baby Reindeer' viewers watched a stalking drama — then hunted down 'the real Martha Scott.' A psychologist explains why true crime turns us into armchair detectives.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Eammon Jacobs | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A psychologist told Business Insider why true crime turns viewers into armchair detectives. True crime blurs the line between real life and fictionRichard Gadd as Donny Dunn in "Baby Reindeer." AdvertisementThat's further complicated by some true crime audiences thinking they are helping to bring about justice by becoming armchair detectives. AdvertisementIn a piece published by The Guardian, titled "Why do women love true crime so much?" Ed Miller/NetflixThis raises the question of whether streaming services and TV networks are doing enough to protect those involved in true crime content.

Persons: —, Donny Dunn, Richard Gadd, Martha, Gadd, Martha Scott, He's, Piers Morgan, Fiona Harvey —, TikTok sleuths, Sean Foley, Foley, — sean foley, @SeanFoleyJ, Nicola Bulley, Andrew Snowden, Ed Miller, Ruth Tully, Tully, Nancy Jo Sales, influencers, Jessica Gunning, " Gadd, Benjamin King, it's, King, Errol Lindsay, Jeffrey Dahmer's, Jeffrey Dahmer, Rita Isbell, Netflix should've Organizations: Service, Rotten, Google, Netflix, Daily Mail, Police, Lancashire's Police, The Guardian, European, Research, Business Locations: British

☆ Cramer reviews energy drink stocks that have seen declines, but says Celsius is worth buying
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday reviewed two major players in the energy drink sector that have seen declines recently: Celsius and Monster . Wall Street has loved this sector in the past, Cramer said, but in March and April the two stocks have "turned ice cold," along with many other growth stocks. But he was optimistic about Celsius' future performance, saying he'd buy the stock over Monster. While tighter inventory from PepsiCo isn't ideal, Cramer said he thinks Celsius will be fine moving forward because the rest of its business is solid. He acknowledged that Celsius stock has started to rebound — finishing up 6.4% on Thursday — but said it's still a good time to buy since it remains down from its highs.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Cramer, he'd, I'm, wasn't, —, it's Organizations: PepsiCo

☆ 'Intellectual influencers' will soon be taking over your social-media feeds
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Audiences are favoring authentic and knowledgeable content creators over follower count. It's the "intellectual influencers," or "thought leaders," who are likely to thrive. AdvertisementNya Étienne, who is a journalist and TikTok content creator, refers to this concept as the rise of "the intellectual influencer." People want 'edutainment'This new breed of influencer could outlast all the rest and may soon be dominating social media feeds. AdvertisementBack when posting on social media was novel, the audience of an aspiring content creator would grow exponentially simply because they were entertaining to watch.

Persons: —, Nya, Katya Varbanova, Varbanova, who's, Dubuisson, Keith Lee, Kaye Putnam, Putnam, they're Organizations: Service, YouTube, Matter Communications Locations: Bazaarvoice, Boston

☆ Biden says U.S. won’t supply weapons for Israel to attack Rafah, in warning to ally
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

Biden has said that Israel needs to do far more to protect the lives of civilians in Gaza. "We're going to continue to do what's necessary to ensure that Israel has the means to defend itself," Austin said. "But that said, we are currently reviewing some near-term security assistance shipments in the context of unfolding events in Rafah." A decision against Israel would further add to pressure on Biden to curb the flow of weapons and money to Israel's military. "Over the years, the United States has provided tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Israel.

Persons: Joe Biden, Kevin Lamarque, Biden, Israel, we're, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Ali Jadallah, Lloyd Austin, Austin, Menahem Kahana, Gilad Erdan, Mike Johnson, Mitch McConnell, Sen, Lindsey Graham, Bernie Sanders of, Sanders, Netanyahu, Hatem Khaled, Itamar Yaar Organizations: Gateway Technical College, Reuters, Hamas, CNN, Israel, Anadolu, Getty Images, Biden, White House National Security, Palestinian Hamas, Afp, Getty, United Nations, Congress, Republican, Republicans, Austin, Reuters Privately, The State Department, Israel's National Security Council, Islamic State Locations: Sturtevant , Wisconsin, U.S, Israel, Rafah, Gaza, I'm, Palestinian, Bernie Sanders of Vermont, United States, Egypt

☆ Summer box office bust? This season's movie slate could put up the lowest haul in decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

For the first time since 2009, the box office doesn't have a Marvel film to kick off the summer movie season — and it shows. This year, the headline film for the first summer weekend was Universal's "The Fall Guy." The result could send the 2024 summer box office down as much as $800 million compared to 2023, according to Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian, and have ripple effects for the whole year. At present, analysts believe the summer movie season will exceed $3 billion in ticket sales, but just barely. Before Covid, the summer box office consistently topped more than $4 billion.

Persons: Guy, Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Eric Handler, Roth MKM, bode, Comscore's Paul Dergarabedian, doesn't Organizations: Labor, Disney Marvel

☆ I tried the app TikTokers could embrace if a ban becomes reality — I'm not convinced it will attract Gen Zers
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Lindsay Dodgson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The app's founder, Edison Chen, described it as "a space for the older generations to feel more comfortable" in an interview with D Magazine last year and somewhere "the parents of TikTok users can express themselves." AdvertisementThe spokesperson said that since the House voted on a TikTok ban, Clapper has seen 30,000 new users. While the app heavily leans on Gen X and Y, the spokesperson said Clapper is adjusting its strategy "to appeal to younger audiences." It would remind me a bit of early Vine, but a lot of content I'm being served seems to be reposted old clips scraped from YouTube and other platforms. On Clapper, I'm watching without really thinking.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Edison Chen, Chen, I'm, Zers, TikTok, Shannon Lee, Allie, Rebecca Starkey, It's, vaxxers Organizations: Service, Business, D, Pew Research Center, YouTube, Facebook

See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. 30-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesThe average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 7.22% last week, according to Freddie Mac. 15-Year Fixed Mortgage RatesAverage 15-year mortgage rates were 6.47% last week, according to Freddie Mac data, which is a three-basis-point increase from the previous week. Now that the Fed has paused hiking rates, mortgage rates have come down a bit. Once the Fed starts cutting rates, which is likely to happen this year, mortgage rates should fall even further.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Freddie Mac Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Reserve, Zillow, Federal Reserve, Fed Locations: Chevron

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Capital One Spark 1% Classic†, Bank of America Business Advantage Unlimited Cash Rewards Secured Business Credit Card, FNBO Business Edition® Secured Mastercard® Credit Card, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit†. Introduction to the Capital One Spark 1% ClassicThe Capital One Spark 1% Classic† credit card is designed for small business owners with fair credit who need a business credit card for company purchases, bookkeeping and tax preparation management. Capital One Spark 1% Classic OverviewThe Capital One Spark 1% Classic† could be considered the entry level card in Capital One's line of small business cards, which are all branded with Spark name. Spark vs. QuicksilverMany people online compared the Capital One Spark business cards to the consumer-targeted Capital One Quicksilver cards. Capital One Spark 1% Classic Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat are the main features of the Capital One Spark Classic card?

Persons: Cardholders, it's, cardholders, Redditors, Jason Steele Jason Steele, Jason, Miles, Guy, Read, Angela Fung Organizations: Business, Bank of America Business, Credit, Mastercard, Capital, Accounting, Business Management, Abacus, Travel Insurance, Quicksilver, Chevron, Conference, Credit Card Media, Finance Locations: One's, Xero, Chevron, Denver , Colorado

An income-driven repayment plan may be a good choice if you can't handle your monthly payments. The SAVE Plan is a simplified income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, which aims to provide more affordable student loan payments for borrowers with low to middle incomes. The SAVE Plan replaces the previous variations of IDR plans (Income-Contingent, Income-Based, Revised Pay As You Earn). The SAVE Plan calculates your payment based on a smaller percentage of your discretionary income compared to older IDR plans. Read more Read less Ryan Wangman, CEPF Loans Reporter Ryan Wangman was a reporter at Personal Finance Insider reporting on personal loans, student loans, student loan refinancing, debt consolidation, auto loans, RV loans, and boat loans.

Persons: Alexis Rhiannon Alexis Rhiannon, Read, Ryan Wangman Organizations: SAVE, Federal Stafford Loans, Unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans, FFEL PLUS, Federal Perkins Loans, Student, Upright Citizens Brigade, Finance, Northwestern University, Boston Globe Locations: forbearance, Unsubsidized, Chevron, Los Angeles

☆ How much influencers charge for sponsored posts, Gen Z views on AI influencers, and other key takeaways from new influencer-marketing data
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

At least, that's what a new report by social-media-management-and-analytics company Sprout Social found. The April report from Sprout Social also broke down the average amount influencers charge for sponsored posts — with most charging at least $250 — consumer and creator views of AI influencers, and more. Sprout Social breaks down how much the influencers surveyed in February charged for sponsored content. Many of the influencers surveyed said creating long-form videos takes more time and doesn't usually pay off in terms of engagement. Meanwhile, many of the influencers surveyed (49%) said they were afraid virtual influencers would take paid opportunities away from humans .

Persons: hasn't, they'd, Gen, Scott Morris, TikTok, Gen Zers, Sprout, —, influencers, Zers, Gen Z, Jessica Morrobel Organizations: Social, Sprout Social, Business, Sprout, Facebook

☆ John Leguizamo on His Best Movie Roles: 'Carlito's Way,' 'Encanto'
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Before John Leguizamo was an acclaimed writer, director, and film star, he was a young Latino actor just trying to get into audition rooms. On turning down 'Carlito's Way' multiple times and becoming a leading man(L-R) Al Pacino and John Leguizamo in "Carlito's Way." UniversalYou've spoken before about turning down "Carlito's Way" a few times before you eventually made the call to sign on. John Leguizamo as Luigi in "Super Mario Bros." (1993) Warner BrosOn doing too many 'ice movies' and feeling dissed by 'Mr. On 'Sigma male' Bruno and getting a bonus for 'Encanto'Maribel and Bruno (voiced by John Leguizamo) in "Encanto."

Persons: John Leguizamo, Leguizamo, Brando, James Dean, Shakespeare, William Goldman, Benny Blanco, Luigi, Mario, he's, He's, Al Pacino, I've, Benicio, Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton, Mr, Smith, you've, Wears, Stanley Tucci, Robin Williams, Vince Vaughn, Sid, Sloth, Fox, —, Mike Berg, Peter Ackerman, Chris Wedge, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ben Stiller, Ray Romano, Denis Leary, Michael Keaton, would've, hadn't, Bruno, Coco, that's, Lin, Manuel Miranda, Spike Lee, Sam, Mel Blanc, I'd Organizations: Broadway, New York Daily News, Warner Bros, Marvel, Sigma, Walt Disney Animation, Disney, Cannes, HBO Locations: Jackson Heights , Queens, Toro, Puerto Rican

A Master Promissory Note, or MPN, is a legal document that outlines the terms and conditions of your federal student loans. Promissory notes are used for all types of loans, like auto loans, mortgages, and personal loans, though an MPN is a special type of promissory note used exclusively for federal student loans. Why the MPN mattersIt's important for student loan borrowers to sign and understand an MPN for the following reasons:It's Not Optional: Required to receive federal student loans. In general, you'll default on most federal student loans if you have not made a payment in more than 270 days. Ryan Wangman, CEPF Loans Reporter Ryan Wangman was a reporter at Personal Finance Insider reporting on personal loans, student loans, student loan refinancing, debt consolidation, auto loans, RV loans, and boat loans.

Persons: Mark Kantrowitz, You'll, Stacey MacPhetres, Andrew Pentis, Ryan Wangman, Read Organizations: Parent PLUS, Department of Education, Bright, Borrower's, Loan, Federal, Aid, Finance, Northwestern University, Boston Globe Locations: Chevron

☆ A 78-year-old receptionist fired a month after she was recognized as a top employee wins $78,000 in age-discrimination settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA retirement community in Columbus, Georgia, fired a 78-year-old receptionist because of her age shortly after she was taken to hospital with high blood pressure, a federal agency says. The worker, who had been a receptionist since 2007, was fired in February 2022, the EEOC said in the lawsuit. She was released two days later, the EEOC said, and doctors later told her it was the result of dehydration. AdvertisementThe Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people aged 40 or older, including in hiring and termination decisions.

Persons: —, BrightSpace, didn't, Brian Hendricks Organizations: Service, Retirement, US, Employment, Commission, Business, Employees, Covenant, CBS News, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Columbus , Georgia, Louisiana

☆ Why more companies are using AI to respond to negative online reviews
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhy more companies are using AI to respond to negative online reviewsTravel companies are turning to generative AI to respond to complaints and negative reviews. But it's controversial in an industry that prides itself on personalized service, reports CNBC's Travel Editor Monica Pitrelli.

Persons: Monica Pitrelli

☆ Chris Pine is 'stunned' the 'Wonder Woman' franchise is over
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jason Guerrasio | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewIt's been four years since the last "Wonder Woman" movie debuted in theaters, and Chris Pine still can't believe the successful franchise has ended. In the movies, Pine played American spy Steve Trevor, the love interest of Gal Gadot's Diana Prince/Wonder Woman character. In 2017's "Wonder Woman," directed by Patty Jenkins, Trevor teams up with Prince to fight with the Allies in World War I, and eventually, the two fall in love. Chris Pine and Gal Gadot in "Wonder Woman." The rest is history, as the first "Wonder Woman" movie became a sensation.

Persons: —, Chris Pine, Pine, Steve Trevor, Gal Gadot's Diana Prince, Patty Jenkins, Trevor, Prince, Jenkins, James Gunn, Peter Safran, I'm, Patty, Steve, gonzo, Gal Gadot, Rebecca Blackwell Organizations: Service, Allies, Business, Warner Bros, DC, DC Comics, Galaxy, DC Studios Locations: American, Casablanca

☆ 4 easy ways for introverts to show confidence: They'll help you reach a 'pinnacle level of success,' says workplace expert
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Megan Sauer | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Knowing how to navigate those short, and slightly clumsy, conversations can actually help your career, says workplace expert Henna Pryor. A major reason people don't get promotions — or reach their "pinnacle level of success" — is because they avoid discomfort, she tells CNBC Make It. Starting small, even with seemingly inconsequential conversations with peers, can prepare you to broach more difficult conversations with your boss, she says. Make participating in conversations feel like a game: Every time you contribute to a meeting, draw a star in your notes. Don't worry if your conversations feel halting — practice will eventually grow your confidence.

Persons: Pryor, Zers who've, fixating Organizations: CNBC

☆ Workday Has Become the Most-Hated Workplace, Business Software
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Matt Alston | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Every HR professional and hiring manager I spoke with — whose lives are supposedly made easier by Workday — described Workday with a sense of cosmic exasperation. "Workday does not have oversight or control of our customers' job application processes.") If candidates hate Workday, if employees hate Workday, if HR people and managers processing and assessing those candidates and employees through Workday hate Workday — if Workday is the most annoying part of so many workers' workdays — how is Workday everywhere? (Workday's "customers choose the frequency at which they conduct reviews, not Workday," said the spokesperson.) "HR software sucking" is a big tent.

Persons: you'd, Workday's, —, David Duffield, Teladoc, UKG, Cory Doctorow, It's, He'd, Matt Alston's, Stone Organizations: Fortune, Netflix, Goodwill, Spotify, Washington Post, Ohio State University, FedEx, Nintendo, Honda, LinkedIn, IBM, Oracle, Bank of America, Automation, Rippling, Systems, Facebook, Wired Locations: San Francisco, Amazon's, It's, Bonusly, Maine

☆ A Chinese Restaurant Is Winning the Kendrick Lamar-Drake Beef
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( T.M. Brown | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The last six weeks have seen the long-simmering feud between the Compton, Calif.,-born rapper Kendrick Lamar and the Canadian rapper Drake turn into a full-fledged beef, with confrontations delivered in the form of diss tracks. But the squabble didn’t boil over until April 30, when Mr. Lamar released “Euphoria,” a six-and-a-half minute dressing down of the “Nice for What” rapper. On Friday, Drake replied to “Euphoria” and another track, “6:16 in L.A.,” with “Family Matters,” which has more than 15 million views on YouTube. Caught in the middle of this culture-consuming rivalry is New Ho King, an unassuming restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown. The mention from Mr. Lamar, a Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper, led to a flood of five-star reviews on Yelp and Google for New Ho King, many of them written by people who had never set foot in the restaurant.

Persons: Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Lamar, Ho King, Mr Organizations: YouTube, New Ho, Google Locations: Compton, Calif, L.A, Ho, Chinatown, New, Toronto

☆ Rihanna, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift Missed the Met Gala
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Callie Holtermann | More About Callie Holtermann | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Rihanna, 36, who swung from pop stardom into a prosperous second act as a lingerie and makeup mogul, told Extra TV earlier in the week that she had planned on attending the gala. The gala still attracted boldface names this year, including Zendaya and Jennifer Lopez, but many fans online said that the lack of Rihanna had been a blow. (Some even circulated images of the singer hitting the carpet that appeared to have been created by artificial intelligence.) Rihanna has been a frequent presence at the gala in recent years, but Taylor Swift and Beyoncé have not attended since 2016. Swift began attending the gala in 2008 and was a co-chair in 2016.

Persons: Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift, Swift, ” Organizations: Poets Department Locations: Paris

Mortgage rates dipped slightly late last week but remain relatively high. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. But because inflation has been somewhat sticky in recent months, mortgage rates have remained elevated so far this year. Lower mortgage rates will bring more buyers onto the market, putting upward pressure on prices.

Persons: Fannie Mae Organizations: Zillow, Federal Reserve, Mortgage, Association, ARM Locations: Chevron

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