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Insider's experts choose the best products and services to help make smart decisions with your money (here’s how). I'm not worried about the recession because it feels like I've been practicing for years. Neither of us have family to depend on financially; in fact, we support my partner's family abroad. Ever since, I've bought the vast majority of our kid's clothes secondhand, and this child is never lacking in style. The night we were too broke for a hotel and lucked into a camping spot on a Big Sur riverbank.

☆ Don't bank on free returns: 60% of retailers roll out stricter policies
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Roughly 60% of retailers said they're making changes to existing returns policies, with fewer promising free returns, according to a recent survey of retail executives. "These adjustments in return policies are not there to cover costs," Kieboom said. "The more money retailers lose on returns the more they have to make up for that by raising prices," Beitelspacher said. How to avoid return feesStill, shoppers love free returns almost as much as they love free shipping. In fact, 98% of consumers said that free shipping was the most important consideration when shopping online, followed by more than three-quarters who said the same about free returns, according to a recent report by PowerReviews.

☆ Anne Hathaway-backed VC firm Pact just closed the first tranche of its $36 million seed fund. Here's the 11-slide LP deck it used to raise the capital.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Riddhi Kanetkar | Tasmin Lockwood | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A female-founded VC firm has closed the first tranche of its £30 million ($36 million) early-stage fund. Check out the 11-slide LP deck the London-based firm used to raise the fresh funds. While investments will span Europe, Pact will help its portfolio companies scale into regions underserved by traditional investors, Gu told Insider. Gu will support companies looking to enter Asia while Pham and Mobassaleh-Wyndham will focus on EMEA, and specifically Türkiye. It sees this as a pull for potential portfolio companies who can then take advantage of the network's expertise.

Nov 23 (Reuters) - Patagonia Inc, the high-end outdoor clothing retailer, filed a lawsuit accusing Gap Inc (GPS.N) of illegally copying the "iconic" snapped flap pocket it has used on fleece outerwear for more than three decades. In a Tuesday night complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Patagonia said Gap is willfully and deliberately selling fleece jackets that mimic its flap pocket and rectangular "P-6" logo without permission. The lawsuit includes a one-star review posted online by a Gap customer who called a Gap product an "Obvious Pata*gonia ripoff. Patagonia said it introduced its Snap-T pullover fleece in 1985 and added the flap pocket four years later. The case is Patagonia Inc v Gap Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, No.

☆ Wall Street's trust issues with crypto won't be easily repaired in the wake of the FTX blowup
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Trust in the crypto industry — be it with Wall Street firms, politicians, venture capitalists, or the general public — is destroyed thanks to FTX's downfall. It's a bitter pill to swallow when one considers the hard-fought progress crypto had made on Wall Street in recent years. canvassed more than a dozen Wall Street insiders to get a sense of where traditional firms stand on their crypto plans. Meanwhile, firms hoping to bridge the gap between Wall Street and crypto have been put in an impossible spot, answering for another's sins. Click here to read more on how Wall Street is moving forward with its crypto plans in the wake of FTX.

One way to ease the blow to your wallet or purse is by using frequent-flyer miles. So we calculated how much a frequent-flyer mile is worth by dividing the number of frequent-flyer miles needed by the ticket price. We found the best time to spend your frequent-flyer miles for Thanksgiving travel was to book during the first week of October, which was about eight weeks out. The best day to flyAs for what's the best day on which to travel to get the most from your miles, there are two answers. If you haven't booked flights yet, you may be too late to find the best value in frequent-flyer miles.

☆ COP27 deal is a blessing in a very good disguise
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( George Hay | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 21 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The world’s premier forum for combatting climate change concluded in Egypt’s Sharm El-Sheikh on Sunday with an inadequate agreement to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. At Glasgow’s COP26 a year ago, the world’s nearly 200 nations promised to update their decarbonisation plans in 2022. Pessimists will accurately stress that a newly agreed loss and damage fund to pay off affected countries is just an empty bucket – the details will be determined later. At COP26 it was obvious a perceived lack of generosity from richer nations was holding back efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The commitment to establish a dedicated “loss and damage” fund left many of the most controversial decisions on how it might work until next year, including who should pay into it.

☆ Bob Chapek's Disney angered Scarlett Johansson, Florida's governor, and more in his two-plus years as CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Travis Clark | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Disney announced Sunday that Bob Iger would return as CEO, replacing his successor Bob Chapek. Less than three years later, Chapek is out, and Iger, who led Disney through unprecedented success, is back in. By 2021, with theatrical attendance still rocky, Disney aimed to release some movies in theaters and, for a fee, onto Disney+ simultaneously. Star Scarlett Johansson sued Disney, claiming the move breached her contract, as her salary was based on a portion of box-office earnings. It also led to creatives speaking out on the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in Disney movies.

☆ Bob Iger's return to Disney is fueling concern over future CEO succession plan: 'People would struggle to write down three names inside Disney' who could step up
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Lucia Moses | Reed Alexander | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger is back in his old job, in a move that shocked the media world. From cost cuts to streaming to a solid future succession plan, here's what they hope the CEO will tackle. Following the stunning announcement late Sunday night that former Disney CEO Bob Iger would be returning to his old job, the happiest place on earth might actually be Wall Street. "What I like about Bob Iger is Bob Iger has always been direct, he's been honest, he's been willing to make tough choices," Michael Nathanson, a senior research analyst and co-founder of the firm, said in a CNBC interview on Monday. Are you a Disney insider with insight to share about Bob Iger's return?

☆ ‘This is such an obvious opportunity’: New Goodwill store goes live online with a Picasso print, designer handbags and other treasures
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Whether consumers are looking to save or are hunting for a buried treasure, the resale business is booming. During the Covid pandemic, secondhand stores such as eBay, the RealReal and ThredUp thrived online. Over the next five years it is projected to grow by another 80% and hit $289 billion. "Goodwill is the 'OG' of thrifting," he said. Although Goodwill is known for secondhand clothing and housewares, more shoppers are coming to the site for one-of-a-kind finds, including art, designer handbags, jewelry and vintage sneakers, Kaness said — similar to what's happening in the industry overall.

☆ Inflation forces mom and pop restaurants and chains like McDonald's to lean on their strengths
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

In response to that drop-off, both chains and independents are working to address the cost factor without alienating diners. Aaron Allen, founder and CEO of restaurant consultancy Aaron Allen & Associates, compared restaurant chains to oil tankers and independents to speedboats. Kate Bruce, owner of The Buttery Bar in Brooklyn, said she's been facing higher costs for everything from labor to cooking oil to energy. Portillo's restaurant chain CEO Michael Osanloo said independents do have greater flexibility when it comes to changing prices. Consumers care more about prices when they're visiting a chain restaurant, according to findings from a survey of roughly 2,400 U.S. consumers conducted by PYMNTS.

☆ Analysis: The final season of ‘Dead to Me’ is a poignant eulogy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Lisa Respers France | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Believe it or not, one of the things that has been helping me lately is just carving out some chill time. Three things to watch‘Dead to Me’ Season 3Christina Applegate as Jen Harding in a scene from "Dead to Me" on Netflix. Saeed Adyani/NetflixThe new season of “Dead to Me,” starring Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini, will be the dark comedy series’ last. I am especially invested in this last season given Applegate’s revelation that she has multiple sclerosis. ‘The Santa Clauses’Tim Allen (second from right) in a scene from "The Santa Clauses" on Disney+.

[1/3] Egyptian Foreign Minister and Egypt's COP27 President Sameh Shoukry attends an informal stocktaking session during the COP27 climate summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, November 18, 2022. But with several other sticking points dogging this year's U.N. climate talks, host country Egypt said a final deal was still not expected before the weekend. But it was unclear Friday if all of those countries would accept the EU's offer of a fund to aid only "the most vulnerable countries", rather than all developing countries as they had requested. On Friday morning, the U.N. climate agency published a first official draft of the final summit deal. Some countries, including the EU and Britain, have pushed for the overall deal in Egypt to lock in country commitments for more ambitious climate action.

☆ How small-town Maine embraced a family that fled the Taliban
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Elyse Lightman Samuels | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

CAPE ELIZABETH, Maine — Last November, at about midnight, Omid was lying in bed in his new home in Cape Elizabeth, Maine — exhausted, but unable to sleep. On this night, and on many nights during Omid's first few months in Maine, Nasir was soon at his door. Omid's family arrived in Maine just before Halloween in 2021 and recently celebrated one year in Maine. Catholic Charities, the local refugee-resettlement organization in Maine, was working with Omid's family to help them resettle. After Omid's family escaped Kabul, members of his extended family came by to collect some of their more precious items, and gave other things away.

It was a rare, candid glimpse of the Chinese leader and a reminder of Beijing's testy relations with the West. Besides Biden, Trudeau and Australia's Anthony Albanese, Xi also met the leaders of South Korea, Italy, Argentina, Holland and France for bilateral talks in Bali. Xi was ferried around Bali in his own Hongqi (Red Flag) limousine - Mao Zedong used an earlier model - China's version of the U.S. presidential "Beast" limo. Returning to in-person diplomacy also gives Xi a platform to push Chinese initiatives that further cement its stature as leader of the emerging world. "I think in the coming years you'll see China indeed making a serious effort to implement its major power diplomacy," he said.

☆ ‘I believe movement is life,’ says Didier Drogba, the winner of inaugural CNN ‘Off the Pitch’ prize at Dubai Globe Soccer Awards
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNNTo recognize the foundation’s achievements, Drogba has been awarded the inaugural CNN “Off the Pitch” prize, in partnership with Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. Now in its 13th edition, this year’s ceremony on November 17, comes just three days before the beginning of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It means a lot to me and to the people working at the foundation,” Drogba told CNN’s Becky Anderson. So, the more you move, the more you are active, the more you are healthy,” Drogba told CNN. So that’s the impact, a message like this one from a football player can achieve [that],” Drogba told CNN.

☆ FTX: Customers who trusted crypto giant may be left with nothing
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

But a liquidity crunch last week forced FTX to halt withdrawals, leaving customers and investors in limbo. In theory, FTX’s customers should get a cut of what’s left of the company’s assets at the end of the bankruptcy process. And FTT coins, the crypto token issued by FTX, have lost more than 90% of their value over the past week.) But I think this is actually good for the industry long-term.”The giant crypto exchange briefly emerged as a lifeline for FTX before reversing course last week. Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the name of the law firm Loeb & Loeb.

☆ Climate disasters put plight of displaced in COP27 focus
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Gloria Dickie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

There are some 22 million people like Hassan displaced every year in climate-fueled disasters, according to the U.N. International Organization for Migration (IOM). And with climate change fueling increasingly extreme weather worldwide, the number displaced is expected to grow to about 143 million by mid-century. Given the growing need, developing countries at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt this month are demanding that wealthy nations offer more in the way of help. "Each government impacted by climate change migrants can raise the subject" at the U.N. summit, said Caroline Dumas, the IOM's special envoy for migration and climate action. "I'm a refugee, former refugee," said Emtithal Mahmoud, a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR.

☆ Buy these 16 stocks that are minting profits from their investments while maintaining ultra-low valuations, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Marley Jay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Former growth stocks can become outstanding value plays, according to Bank of America. It says they can deliver strong returns because of their balance sheets and competitive positions. "Young growth stocks can become mature value stocks," the group of strategists wrote. The RIC is positive on energy, small cap, and value stocks, noting that "there's always a bull market somewhere." Bank of America says they're among the least expensive S&P 500 stocks based on price-to-adjusted book value.

☆ Russia mined Kherson as it retreated, trying to turn it into a 'city of death,' says Ukraine official
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One official said Russia laid mines to make a "city of death." The UK Ministry of Defence also said Russia likely laid mines as it withdrew. Mykhailo Podolyak, a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on Thursday that Russia "wants to turn Kherson into a 'city of death.'" He said Russia "mines everything they can: apartments, sewers." The UK Ministry of Defence also said on Thursday that Russian troops likely laid mines as they moved back.

☆ Russia humiliated as troops set to withdraw from Kherson; Zelenskyy hints at more counteroffensives to come
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy struck a more serious and restrained note in his nightly address, despite the "joy in the informational space" following Russia's decision to withdraw troops from Kherson. "Maybe this doesn't sound like what everyone expects right now, maybe it doesn't sound like what's in the news [today]," he said. Instead, Zelenskyy explained, Ukraine moves "very carefully, without emotions, without unnecessary risk," both in the interests of liberating the entire territory of Ukraine and minimizing loss of life on and off the battlefield. That also means remaining silent on details of upcoming operations, he noted, and letting the victories speak for themselves when they come. "This is how we will secure the liberation of Kherson, Kakhovka, Donetsk, and our other cities," he said.

☆ Analysis: Russia's planned Kherson retreat a double-edged sword for Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Andrew Osborn | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

[1/2] Civilians evacuated from the Russian-controlled part of Kherson region of Ukraine arrive at a local railway station in the town of Dzhankoi, Crimea November 10, 2022. If it happens, the planned retreat could make life easier for the Russian army, in some respects, and harder for Ukraine. Both men publicly accepted that Russia's position in Kherson had become untenable. Regardless of any potential military upside, retreat would represent a humiliating defeat for Russia's political and military leadership. Kherson is the first and only regional capital Moscow's forces have captured, at great cost, since their Feb. 24 invasion.

☆ 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' aims to break box office records this weekend
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Sarah Whitten | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The long-awaited sequel to 2018's smash hit "Black Panther" isn't just another Marvel film. "Wakanda Forever" has a chance to not only be the biggest opener in 2022, but also the highest ever opener of the month of November. Box office analysts and theater operators are expecting African American and Hispanic moviegoers to flock to cinemas this weekend. Like "Black Panther," "Wakanda Forever" features a predominately Black cast, but it also has several Hispanic actors. According to Comscore, 37% of the opening weekend audience for "Black Panther" was Black, accounting for more than double what the demographic usually represents for other Marvel films.

☆ What the FTX debacle means for crypto's attempt to become a legitimate asset class
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Bob Pisani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

What happens to other crypto platforms like Coinbase? That creates an opportunity for centralized, regulated, retail-focused crypto platforms (like Coinbase). What does this mean for the crypto space? We believe the episode is likely to accelerate regulation of the crypto space in the U.S. and elsewhere. Bitcoin has already been determined to be a commodity and not a security, but other crypto tokens may be deemed to be securities.

☆ Telecom Italia profit falls, net debt rises
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's biggest phone company on Wednesday said earnings after interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and lease (EBITDA-AL) were 1.31 billion euros in July-September. That is in line with an analyst consensus provided by the company and down from 1.48 billion euros a year ago. Revenue in Italy, where the former phone monopoly makes the bulk of its turnover, fell by 5.3% to 2.92 billion euros, also matching expectations. As a consequence, it wrote off deferred tax assets for a net 1.96 billion euros. Adjusted net debt was up 15% year-on-year to 25.5 billion euros at the end of September.

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