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Rooted in the Middle Ages, the Binche carnival, a UNESCO World Heritage event, is one of Europe's oldest surviving street carnivals and the biggest in Belgium. The costumes include ostrich-feather hats, wooden clogs, bells and wax masks, elements which the Kersten family have been designing and making for five generations. "This year, we are celebrating the 120th anniversary of the start of the 'Gilles de Binche' costumes production", said 57-year-old Fanny Kersten, who has been making costumes with her father for 33 years. The Binche carnival's cancellation in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a "black hole" for the business, Kersten said, adding "we couldn't even imagine a future for the carnival." It was the first time the carnival was cancelled since World War Two, significantly reducing costume makers' income from renting out their pieces.

The Point.me feature in the Bilt Rewards app can help you book lie-flat business class seats to Europe with your Bilt points. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. But if you'd prefer an automated answer to your question, you can now find it inside the Bilt Rewards app thanks to its integration of the Point.me award booking service. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. With the power of Point.me now living inside the Bilt Rewards app, Bilt's value proposition continues to rise.

☆ We read the Biden administration's proposal to protect renters from discrimination and unwarranted rent hikes. Here are the 3 biggest takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Biden administration announced several new protections for renters on January 25. At the same time, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, an independent organization that helps regulate the mortgage market, will create new policies that encourage development of affordable-rental units. Insider reviewed the documents the White House released concerning the new initiatives. The idea comes as many renters continue to organize in order to combat what they see as unwarranted rent increases and evictions. Some home builders like Jerry Konter, the chairman of the National Association of Home Builders, disagreed with the new protections for renters.

☆ Biden administration rolls out a blueprint for a 'renters bill of rights' – Here's what it includes
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Annie Nova | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Housing rights activists and tenants protest against evictions and the poor condition of their apartments outside the offices the landlord Broadway Capital in Chelsea, Massachusetts on April 25, 2022. The Biden administration announced on Wednesday new actions to protect renters across the U.S., including trying to curb practices that prevent people from accessing housing and curtailing exorbitant rent increases in certain properties with government-backed mortgages. A "Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights" was included in the announcement. "Having the federal government and the White House talk about the need for and endorse a renters' bill of rights is really significant," said Diane Yentel, president and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Nearly half of renter households in the U.S. direct more than 30% of their income to rent and utilities each month, and 900,000 evictions occurred annually prior to the public health crisis.

☆ Homebuyers who are hoping for lower prices in 2023 are in for a 'rude awakening' when house hunting
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Some respondents said a souring economic climate could keep them from buying in 2023. One homebuyer told Insider that she is considering moving to a new state to afford a home. "I got sick of wasting money on rent and wanted to see what I could qualify for, but it has not been promising," Jenner told Insider. To Elizabeth Renter, a spokesperson for NerdWallet, these survey results show that many homebuyers may be in for a "rude awakening" in 2023. However, Renter said many homebuyers are still facing an uphill battle when it comes to buying a home.

The average cost of renters insurance is $15 in the US, but it can be worth paying for optional extras. I decided to invest in renters insurance with personal property protection add-ons. Although $35 a month is on the high end — the average renters insurance costs $15 a month in the United States — policies abroad tend to be a bit more expensive. The technology coverage is one that I swear by, because it covered me twice while owning renters insurance. I think every renter, especially with items they consider of high value, should consider purchasing renters insurance.

☆ Floridians can blame vacation homes and 'oppressive' homeowners associations for their high rents, economist says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Robert Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Too many vacation rentals and strict homeowners associations are pushing up housing costs, a study said. According to Johnson, there are too many vacation rentals in the Sunshine State. It's this particular combination of strict HOA rules and the sheer number of vacation rentals is a mixture that is affecting housing affordability negatively, he said. According to Johnson's study, Florida is now home to 9 of the 21 most overpriced rental markets in the US. The number of vacation rentals in the state is only making it harder for people to find affordable places to rent, the study suggests.

The no-annual-fee Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card is the latest in Wells Fargo's refreshed credit card lineup. Wells Fargo Autograph card benefits and featuresDespite having a $0 annual fee, the Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card actually offers a substantial set of benefits that can save cardholders money. Emergency cash disbursement and card replacementIf you lose your Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card, you can get an emergency cash advance and a card replacement within one to three days after contacting Wells Fargo. My Wells Fargo DealsMy Wells Fargo Deals are offers for cash back when you shop with certain merchants such as Starbucks and Airbnb, meet any specified requirements, and pay with your Wells Fargo Autograph℠ Card. What credit score do you need to get the Wells Fargo Autograph card?

Parafin, launched in 2020, works with so-called platform partners, or companies that other small businesses sell their products through. All the cofounders knew was that they wanted to build technology that would help small businesses. And they may not get their first contract payment from the government for as long as 120 days," Reed, the startup's CEO, told Insider. Helping small businesses manage their taxesComplYant's founder Shiloh Jackson wants to help people be present in their bookkeeping. HoneyBookWhile countless small businesses have been harmed by the pandemic, self-employment and entrepreneurship have found ways to blossom as Americans started new ventures.

☆ Sheng Thao, once homeless and fleeing abuse, becomes the mayor of Oakland, California
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Claire Wang | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Thao spoke with NBC Asian American about her vision for Oakland and how her upbringing shaped her advocacy for working families. Mayor-elect Sheng Thao is greeted by supporters following a news conference at City Hall in downtown Oakland, Calif., on Nov. 23, 2022. Jane Tyska / East Bay Times via Getty ImagesNBC Asian America: You’re the first Hmong American to become mayor of a major city. The Hmong community itself is already politically engaged. That’s made a huge impact especially on our Hmong girls because the Hmong community is still quite patriarchal.

Compare the best credit cards with cell phone coverageThere are dozens of credit cards that now offer cell phone protection when you use them to pay your phone bill. Review: The best Wells Fargo credit cardsWhat is credit card cell phone protection? If you've purchased a phone brand new with your credit card, you may already have purchase protection that covers damage or theft for up to 120 days from the date of purchase. Credit card cell phone protection is different. How does credit card cell phone insurance work?

Note that credit card lenders may use many different variations of credit score models when considering your application. Note that credit card lenders may use many different variations of credit score models when considering your application. Note that credit card lenders may use many different variations of credit score models when considering your application. Review: Capital One SavorOne reviewCredit cards for college graduates frequently asked questions (FAQ)What happens to my college credit card when I graduate? If you're new to credit, you can check out Insider's guide to building credit with credit cards to help you improve your credit history faster.

☆ Twitter sued by landlord for allegedly failing to pay rent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A commercial landlord is suing Twitter for breach of contract after the company allegedly failed to pay rent for one of its offices in San Francisco. The lawsuit concerns Twitter’s office space at 650 California Street, not its main headquarters on Market Street. The complaint by Columbia REIT – 650 California, LLC asks the court to force Twitter to pay the unpaid rent plus interest, as well as the landlord’s attorneys fees. Musk’s deep pockets make Twitter a lucrative renter, at least when it pays, or when it is forced to pay. “The litigation is a normal and expected action to occur when a tenant has a lease and does not pay rent required by a valid contract with the landlord,” Tobias said.

Bilt Rent Day is a monthly Bilt Rewards promotion that occurs on the first day of every month. Insider estimates that Bilt points are worth an average of 1.65 cents each when you convert them into airline miles or hotel points. $0 Annual Fee View Full Details Apply nowBilt Mastercard® 4.5 /5 A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star A five pointed star 4.5 out of 5 Stars Intro offer N/A Rewards Earn 3X point on dining. The bottom line on Bilt Rent DayBilt Rewards is a points program that you should seriously consider if you rent. You'll earn 2,500 Bilt points for each friend you refer to the Bilt Mastercard® — and 10,000 bonus points after you successfully refer five members.

☆ A couple who are financially independent from their real estate portfolio explain how they bought their first house for less than $2,000 and scaled up to 5 properties that bring in $30,000 a month in
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

Jervais, who started with worse credit than Natia, bumped his score up from 524 to the low- to mid-600s, he said. Plus, Natia started working in marketing in 2005 and went from an hourly wage plus tips to earning a salary. The way rental arbitrage works is, you sign a long-term lease and then rent out that property on short-term rental platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. Courtesy of Natia and Jervais SeegarsThey ended up raising about $500,000 from private lenders, they said, which financed their next three properties. They purchased them all within 45 days of each other in late 2021 and immediately listed them on the short-term rental market.

☆ Frontier passengers rented a van and drove for 10 hours through the night to get home after their flight was canceled
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A group of passengers hired a minivan together after Frontier Airlines canceled their flight. The airline said there wasn't another flight, so they drove 10 hours overnight and split the cost. The group of travelers documented their trip in a TikTok video, which has since had some 775,000 likes. Story, the original van renter, said in a later TikTok video: "Frontier just emailed me and the way that they tried to correct this is by offering me a $50 voucher. Story and Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider.

☆ Here's why BlackRock is forecasting a brutal global recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The global economy this year has faced more obstacles than a Tough Mudder, but far less optimism about coming out of it for the better. A worldwide recession is just around the corner, and BlackRock is expecting it to bring more market turbulence than ever before. The global economy is leaving a four-decade stretch of stable growth and modest inflation to enter a period of massive upheaval and instability, BlackRock analysts wrote in the firm's 2023 Global Outlook. "Recession is foretold as central banks race to try to tame inflation. What's more, BlackRock said that markets haven't fully priced in the potential magnitude of the impending recession, since earnings have yet to reflect even a small downturn.

☆ David Zaslav's top priority at Warner Bros. Discovery: Get the cash flowing again
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Discovery will generate more than $3 billion in free cash flow this year, about $4 billion next year and close to $6 billion in free cash flow in 2024, according to company forecasts. Warner Bros. The one certainty is Zaslav's decision will be squarely based on how a deal affects the company's free cash flow.

☆ This 31-year old investor nearly quadrupled his multifamily housing empire from California to Texas in just 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kelsey Neubauer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Sean Kia is one of Insider's Rising Stars of Real Estate for 2022. He applies the Ford production model to real estate. Just three years ago, Tides owned $2 billion in the apartment properties. He's been checking those boxes since he got a start in Phoenix, which became home to some of the company's bread-and-butter investments. The typical renter had been paying only 20% of their income on rent, which represented "really good affordability," Kia said.

☆ ‘Living in despair and hopelessness’: A lack of affordable housing can put people’s health at risk
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Renuka Rayasam Fred Clasen-Kelly Kaiser Health News | Renuka Rayasam | Fred Clasen-Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

She suspected the gray and brown splotches spreading through the apartment were mold and had caused her son’s illness. A nationwide affordable housing crisis has wreaked havoc on the lives of low-income families, like Joseph’s, who are close to the brink. Housing instability — such as having trouble paying rent, living in crowded conditions, or moving frequently — can have negative consequences on health, according to the federal Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. And there is no county in the country where a minimum-wage worker could afford a two-bedroom rental home, according to an August report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. A few months after leaving the apartment, Joseph and her two children moved in with her sister in Orlando, Florida, with their remaining possessions — a car and some clothes.

Instead, she invested more than half of her $40,500 down payment savings in the stock market. She took the second failed attempt at buying as a sign to shift gears on her house hunt and make better use of her down payment savings. She transferred $10,000 of her down payment savings into an I bondGarcia now has $18,586 in her down payment savings fund. She decided to invest $10,000 of that into a type of savings bonds issued by the US Treasury known as I bonds. By transferring her down payment savings into I bonds, Garcia is letting her down payment savings grow passively until she's ready to buy her first property.

☆ A millennial investor who built a 25-unit real-estate portfolio in one year breaks down how she financed it — and how she uses social media to source deals
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( William Edwards | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

She started by searching for investing strategies online, then using social media to source deals. Amelia McGee wants you to know how simple it is to get started in real-estate investing. How McGee uses social media in real estate investingYou might have guessed that social media plays in big role in McGee's real-estate endeavors. It's a 27% cash on cash return and cash flows over $2,000 a month.' But McGee uses social media to find tenants as well as partners.

☆ A couple on track to retire in their 30s share their top 3 strategies for achieving financial freedom, including their house-hacking tactics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ali and Josh Lupo, founders of The FI Couple, are on track to leave their day jobs and retire before age 40. The couple graduated with a combined $102,000 in student debt and started their careers in social work earning $12 an hour. He realized that if they could buy a duplex and rent out half of it, they'd be able to lower their monthly housing payment significantly. A year later, they raised rent after doing some modest renovations, further lowering their housing payment to $460 a month. Today, they make money from their day job salaries, real-estate holdings, and through social media with The FI Couple.

☆ 11 U.S. cities where rent is actually cheaper than it was last year
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Mike Winters | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Rent prices in the largest U.S. markets dipped for a second consecutive month in October, to less than $2,000 for the first time since April, new data reveals. In 50 of the largest U.S. metro areas, median rent prices declined 0.9% in October, dropping from an average of $2,002 to $1,983, according to online brokerage Redfin's latest data. But there are 11 cities — up from five in September — where rent prices have defied rising inflation and are now cheaper than they were a year ago, per Redfin's data. Additionally, "persistent inflation is shrinking renter budgets," which is "causing rent growth to cool," says Redfin Deputy Chief Economist Taylor Marr. To determine median rent, Redfin analyzed the costs of newly available leases in October using Rent.com data for the 50 largest U.S. metro areas.

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