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☆ Top tech analyst Mahaney has 2 buys and a short going into first-quarter earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Evercore ISI is gearing up for first-quarter tech earnings by making short-term, bullish calls and a tactical bearish recommendation. Well-known technology analyst Mark Mahaney said underperformance in first quarter earnings is less likely given the negative revisions already seen across the tech sector in recent quarters. 1-ranked analyst for five years, named two two of his favorite tech names going into first quarter earnings, and one stock to bet against. Wall Street's consensus for Meta's first-quarter revenue is reasonable while the second quarter's is beatable, Mahaney argued. While industry checks were in line with forecasts through the beginning of March, demand appears to have cooled later in the quarter, Mahaney said.

☆ 12 ways to fund your small business that don't involve venture capital
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Most small businesses don't access VC when they launch, often relying on savings and credit cards. There are many ways to get financing for starting, funding, or expanding your business. Yet most small businesses don't access venture capital when they launch. The rest rely on options like personal savings, business loans, and credit cards. Here are 12 ways you can fund your small business, level by level.

The chart showed that Serbia declined to provide training to Ukrainian forces, but had committed to sending lethal aid or had supplied it already. It also said Serbia had the political will and military ability to provide weapons to Ukraine in the future. The Pentagon also did not immediately respond to Reuters questions about the document's reference to Serbia and has previously declined to comment on any of the leaked documents. Vucic's government has professed neutrality in the Ukraine war, despite the country's deep historic, economic and cultural ties with Russia. "We didn't export any weapons or ammunition to Russia or Ukraine," he said during a March 5 visit to Qatar.

☆ Top 10 colleges to attend if you want to make a lot of money—Harvard and Yale didn't make the list
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Kamaron Mcnair | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Former Caltech attendees earn a median income of $112,166 a decade after starting school, making them the highest earners among the nearly 900 colleges ranked. California Institute of Technology Median income 10 years after attendance: $112,166Median debt among graduates: $17,747 2. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Median income 10 years after attendance: $111,222Median debt among graduates: $13,418 3. Stevens Institute of Technology Median income 10 years after attendance: $98,159Median debt among graduates: $27,000 8. Princeton University Median income 10 years after attendance: $95,689Median debt among graduates: $10,450 It shouldn't be too surprising to see several technical colleges make the list.

☆ US pledges $2.6 billion more in weapons aid to Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Mike Stone | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Tuesday told the U.S. National Governors Association that the United States could protect its values by helping Ukraine. The weapons aid package was comprised of $2.1 billion from Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) funding which allows President Joe Biden's administration to buy weapons from industry rather than from U.S. weapons stocks. That segment of the package included a half a dozen types of munitions, including munitions for Patriot air defense systems, tank munitions, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS). The package announced on Tuesday includes 61 heavy fuel tankers and recovery vehicles to help disabled heavy equipment like tanks. The U.S. has now pledged more than $35.2 billion worth of security assistance to Ukraine since the Feb. 24, 2022, invasion.

☆ The SPAC tied to Trump's Truth Social surges 11% after the former president is formally indicted
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-31 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Digital World Acquisition stock surged 11% after former President Donald Trump was indicted. Digital World is a SPAC that plans to merge with Trump's social media company, Truth Social. After the indictment on Thursday, Trump posted to his Truth Social account more than 45 times. That misspelled post was liked more than 40,000 times, which is about double the typical engagement Trump receives on his Truth Social posts. Trump plans to turn himself in early next week, which could drive more activity to Truth Social.

☆ Elizabeth Warren wants Biden's Education Department to go beyond broad student-loan forgiveness and crack down on the institutions that cause borrowers' debt loads to spiral
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Sen. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Education Department with recommendations to better protect student-loan borrowers. Biden's Education Department has reformed the borrower defense to repayment, which are claims students can file if they believe they were defrauded by the school they attended. In her letter, Warren urged Cardona to ensure predatory schools cannot receive federal aid. It aimed to prevent students from borrowing federal loans for programs they probably wouldn't be able to pay off. But in 2010, former President Donald Trump repealed the rule, and Biden's Education Department pushed off reinstating it until 2024.

☆ Teacher transitions from the classroom to a major accounting firm — and reminds others 'you haven't just taught'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Michael Sanders taught US history at two different charter schools around the start of the pandemic. He talked to Insider about how he transitioned out of teaching to working at a Big Four firm. In 2019, he started teaching tenth grade US history at a charter school in Barnstable, Mass., which he enjoyed. The next school year, he moved to a larger charter school network in Austin, Texas, and taught AP US history to eleventh-graders. He still talks to some of his former students and teacher colleagues too.

☆ Mistakes by the US's top spies allowed China to turn a deadly mid-air collision into an intelligence coup
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-22 | by ( James Bamford | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +36 min

On April 1, 2001, a US EP-3 spy plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over the South China Sea. One of eleven left in the fleet, the tired 1960s-era spy plane bristled with porcupine-like antennas. Within minutes, however, the fighters had reached the lumbering spy plane, and while Zhao Yu hung back about a half-mile, Wang Wei rapidly closed in. In severe trouble, he immediately radioed the base, telling them he was unable to maneuver and being sucked in by the spy plane. "You are not allowed aboard the aircraft," Osborn said.

☆ A new surprise for U.S. savers: Turn 529s into retirement money
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Chris Taylor | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

But starting in 2024, up to $35,000 in 529 funds can be redirected into a Roth IRA penalty-free. "Maybe this provision gives parents some comfort, to know that excess money could be used in future for their child's retirement." As a result, these new 529 rules might mean that parents need not be as nervous about money getting trapped. "Many parents and grandparents are worried about overfunding their 529 plans," said Mitchell Kraus, a financial planner in Santa Monica, California. "This will ease some concerns, as excess money can be used for future generations' retirement."

☆ The Twitter manager who went viral for sleeping at the office is going on a vacation after Elon Musk fired her
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Grace Kay | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A former Twitter executive said she's taking a vacation just weeks after she was laid off. Esther Crawford was one of Elon Musk's top lieutenants and went viral for sleeping at the office. The Twitter executive worked at the company for over two years after it acquired her startup, Squad, in 2020, according to her LinkedIn page. Crawford isn't the only former Twitter executive to take off on vacation after the widespread layoffs. Still, it's unclear whether Twitter's severance pay is as cushy as that of other tech companies for all those laid off.

☆ Where Paul Wick, seasoned tech stock investor, is raising his bets now
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

So when a position opened up at the Seligman Communications and Information fund, the firm's then-chief investment officer asked Wick to take it over. Today, the Columbia Seligman Technology and Information fund (CCIZX) that Wick began running on New Year's Day in 1990, has $8.5 billion in assets under management. "It's really hard to guess how will the technology industry change in five years. By now, Wick has relationships going back decades in the tech industry. As of January, the Technology and Information fund held 2.96% of its assets in Bloom, up from 2.36% in October.

☆ Venture Capital Investors Are Trying to Take Over Pandemic Response
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Private capital has been eyeing public health for years. Several founders and investors told me that the failure of Kleiner's fund made Silicon Valley wary of investing in pandemic preparedness. Venture investors love that kind of thing. Public health and private industryWhen COVID hit, Charity Dean was the assistant director of the California Department of Public Health. In the end, almost every pandemic-related product created by Silicon Valley will ultimately require the government as a primary customer.

I talked about my financial worries with a financial therapist, and I got lots of practical advice. We talked about the ways I struggleWithin minutes of talking to Dr. Williams, she immediately homed in on my anxiety around even talking about money. Dr. Williams asked me to figure out my family's monthly income and expenses. Dr. Williams wanted me to see "exactly what comes in and what goes out" so that I could see how much extra I had each month for discretionary spending. I took Dr. William's advice to start planning a trip to Egypt, and I have booked the massage I was reluctant to schedule before our meeting.

☆ Volkswagen focuses on productivity in challenging year
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies Volkswagen AG FollowMarch 8 (Reuters) - Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) needs to focus on productivity at its mass-market brands to cope with a step up in competition this year as supply chains improve, car production rises and consumers remain under pressure, executives said on Wednesday. "2023 must be the year of productivity," finance chief Arno Antlitz told staff newspaper 360 Grad (360 Degrees). Antlitz and VW brand chief Thomas Schaeffer said supply chain snags would continue to affect output this year, but Antlitz said chip supply was improving. Volkswagen said last week it expected sales to rise by up to 331 billion euros ($350 billion) this year and forecast a 14% increase in vehicle deliveries from 2022. ($1 = 0.9454 euros)Reporting by Jan Schwartz and Victoria Waldersee Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Google says it won't promote as many employees to senior roles this year, citing a slowdown in growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Hugh Langley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Google is reducing the number of senior promotions in gives in 2023. In an email to staff, Google cited a slowdown in growth. The company has slowed hiring, and it recently slashed 12,000 jobs. Google has told employees it will reduce the number of promotions to senior and leadership roles this year, citing a slowdown in growth. The company slowed hiring last year, and in January it started laying off around 12,000 staff — approximately 6% of its workforce.

☆ Google tells employees that fewer of them will get promotions to senior roles
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Jennifer Elias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google Inc. speaks during an event in New Delhi on December 19, 2022. Google is warning employees that fewer of them will receive promotions to more senior levels this year than in the past. The L6 distinction refers to the first layer of staff that's considered senior and typically includes people with about a decade of experience. The changes come as Google implements a new performance review system called Google Reviews and Development (GRAD), which as CNBC reported in December, will result in more Google employees receiving low performance ratings and fewer receiving high marks. In Monday’s email, Google said it's promoting fewer people to senior roles "to ensure that the number of Googlers in more senior and leadership roles grows in proportion to the growth of the company."

☆ This emerging markets fund outperforms by finding ideas in small- and mid-cap companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

A keen appreciation for ideas that fly under the radar helped one emerging markets fund outperform during the pandemic. Since starting at the Matthews Emerging Markets Small Companies (MSMLX) fund in 2020, Vivek Tanneeru said he has kept his focus on small- and mid-cap companies to generate alpha (returns above a benchmark). For example, his Matthews Emerging Markets Sustainable Future fund (MISFX) fund, which he founded in 2015, is also given five stars at Morningstar. One stock Tanneeru is particularly bullish on now is Legend Biotech . For Tanneeru, small caps are a more nimble way for investors to gain access to emerging markets and tap into consumer preferences there.

☆ Russia's struggles in Ukraine are showing US special operators that they'll need to fight without their 'tethers' to win future wars
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

For US special operators, the war is a reminder that such a network won't always be available. Ukraine thwarted Russia's initial attack and, with extensive Western support, has driven Russia's forces back. Logistics and special operatorsRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets conduct close quarters battle training in Romania in May 2021. We are trained and mentally prepared to fight without much logistical support," said the Green Beret, who was granted anonymity to discuss potential future operations. "Again, depending on the unit and the mission, we will require some sort of logistical support eventually.

The case for falling rentSomething strange is happening in the apartment market. More than 971,000 apartment units were under construction across the US at the end of 2022, the second-largest number on record. There's only so much people are willing to pay,'" said Jon Leckie, a researcher for Rent, a platform that helps landlords market their properties. For now, though, the wave of supply that's already underway should keep rents in check over the next couple of years. Now, as landlords shift their focus from jacking up rents to filling up units, renters can once again look ahead to better days.

☆ After a year of war, Ukraine's military is facing a new test of its resolve, holding the line until key weapons arrive
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Military experts told Insider that Russia is pushing forward with an offensive in eastern Ukraine. Putin has a small window to attack before Kyiv receives advanced Western armor, but Ukraine will need to hold out. The challenge for Kyiv's forces will be absorbing assaults by Russia's numerically larger force long enough for more advanced Western tanks and artillery to arrive that could drive the Russians back. The Russians have that same problem, and Ukraine is trying to attack Russia's logistics system to degrade its ammunition stockpiles. Just as the Russians have been trying to exhaust Ukrainian forces, the Ukrainians have been delivering heavy losses to the Russians.

KHERSON, Ukraine, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Vladyslav Antoniuk felt euphoric three months ago when he returned to his home city Kherson, the day Ukrainian troops rolled back in and jubilant residents waved blue and yellow flags in the main square to celebrate. Russian soldiers, who retreated just across the Dnipro River, have not been pushed back further and are pummelling the city daily with artillery. On Wednesday, Russian shells hit a bus stop in the city centre, killing six people and wounding a dozen. He said his administration evacuates about 100 people from the city daily on trains and buses on a voluntary basis. Reporting by Rod Nickel in Kherson, Ukraine Editing by Peter GraffOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A 27-year-old freelance writer who brought in $115,000 last year working 30 hours a week explains how he uses ChatGPT and other tools to work more efficiently
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Kathleen Elkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Freelance finance writer Tony Dong made about $115,000 last year working 30 hours per week. But he also uses specific tools, including ChatGPT, to work more efficiently. Here are three tools Dong uses to do his job better and more efficiently. But if he's writing about something he's less familiar with he'll ask his AI assistant for help. There's also a premium version for $12 a month, which Dong uses: "It makes your writing more compelling and is worth the money."

☆ Student-loan borrowers with graduate school debt should get more relief under Biden's new proposal to make monthly payments cheaper, a top Democratic lawmaker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The public comment period for Biden's proposals to reform income-driven repayment plans just ended. Rep. Bobby Scott, top Democrat on the House education committee, suggested relief be expanded for graduate students. "I propose decreasing the time of repayment for graduate loans under REPAYE from 25 years to 20 years in the final rule," Scott wrote. "Parity between the undergraduate and graduate loan repayment timelines would incentivize borrowers to enroll in the more generous REPAYE plan and reduce confusion when deciding on a repayment plans generally." "I don't live an extravagant life, but just the basic necessities of life, and so I've done the income repayment plan for a while," one borrower previously told Insider.

☆ Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders want 'immediate action' to implement a rule that would keep student-loan borrowers' debt from piling up after they graduate
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Warren and Sanders joined 6 of their colleagues in calling for a strengthened gainful employment rule. The rule would cut off federal aid to schools that offer programs that leave students with more debt than their degree can pay off. Trump repealed the rule, and Biden has since delayed its timeline to reinstate it. Advocates have also pushed for the reinstatement of the rule, along with other measures to prevent schools from offering degrees that won't pay off post-grad. A department spokesperson told Insider last year that the "administration is committed to preventing a future student debt crisis by holding colleges and universities accountable if they leave students with mountains of debt or without good jobs."

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