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A trade group for venture-capital employees has collected salaries data for the industry. The data sheds light on how much people are getting paid across talent, investor relations, and PR. But what few know is that, behind the scenes, many roles at VC firms play a hand in a startup's growth journey. In recent years, the vital function of platform employees has led firms to grow those teams, and pay them handsomely. The report, now in its sixth year, shares data from 601 survey respondents, including 351 members located in the US.

☆ Bankers are expecting a terrible bonus season. A survey says 72% will consider quitting if theirs gets cut.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-28 | by ( Britney Nguyen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A survey of 1,096 bankers saw 72% of respondents say they will consider resigning if their bonus is cut. "Most people think it's the worst year since the financial crisis," Alan Johnson, managing director of Johnson Associates, previously told Insider. "People are worried about a lot of departures, and the kind of departures of the first-quartile people," a person close to the situation previously told Insider. Other workers in M&A and tech could also face layoffs and slowdowns in hiring, Alan Johnson previously told Insider. On the other end, investment bank advisors will likely have their bonuses cut by 15% to 20%.

☆ Goldman insiders are up in arms over David Solomon's plan to slash bonuses. They fear widescale departures and point to the CEO's failed foray into consumer banking.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Dakin Campbell | Emmalyse Brownstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Some are pointing the finger at CEO David Solomon and his spending on the consumer banking business. "Out of control" spendingGoldman insiders are also still fuming over spending on Goldman's consumer business, and there are fears this resentment could escalate with next month's earnings. The consumer bank includes Marcus, a digital banking platform that offers high-yield savings accounts, and the Apple credit card. It was key to Solomon's plan to diversify the company away from its core investment banking business. Goldman pulled back on its consumer banking ambitions earlier this year amid questions about how much cash was being burned on the strategy, led by Stephanie Cohen.

☆ The 'ultimate buy-and-hold' investment fund is beating 96% of its competitors this year — with the same stocks it's held since 1935. Here's how the risk aversion born after the Great Depression is sti
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund hasn't actively changed its strategy or holdings since 1935. Nearly a century after its inception, the Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund (LEXCX) is still going strong. That's why Client Portfolio Manager Christina Bargeron believes that the Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund was an unprecedented investment vehicle at its time — the "first truly passive offering" available to investors. "It's almost like taking a bet on your outlook for Union Pacific and energy," Bargeron explained. But going forward, Voya has no plans at all to change the guidelines for the Corporate Leaders Trust Fund.

☆ America's lack of boardroom diversity isn't just a PR problem, it's a business problem that will make companies more vulnerable in a downturn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Marguerite Ward | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

More than a dozen companies had no board members of color, according to the report, which relied on 2021 data. Along with a few partner organizations, Watts launched a program in August to help companies interview and select more board members from underrepresented backgrounds. Bessie Watts of Vista Equity Partners is working on a program to increase the pipeline of board members from underrepresented backgrounds. More CEOs are embracing not just the moral case for board diversity, but the business case, as well, Watts said. "We're able to meet and help support board members with valuable new insight."

☆ Shoppers are dipping into savings and going into debt. That could cause a holiday hangover
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

And that would be problematic for an economy that is driven by consumer spending. But the savings rate has come down since, in large part due to the high cost of living. The savings rate fell to just 2.3% in October, according to government statistics released last week. By contrast, the savings rate in 2019 averaged nearly 9%, according to Moody’s. Markowska expects consumer spending to remain solid until layoffs pickup steam, likely during the third quarter of next year.

☆ Elizabeth Warren to Jerome Powell: Just how many jobs do you plan to kill?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Katie Porter, highlighted comments from economists who worry the Fed is moving too aggressively to squash inflation. Yet the lawmakers note that Powell himself has conceded the Fed can’t cure the supply-related problems that have lifted food and energy prices. The Democrats asked Powell to respond by Nov. 14 to a series of questions about just how much economic pain Americans should be bracing for. They also want Powell to detail the breakdown of job loss by sector, gender, race, educational attainment and wage quartile. Powell said last month that no one knows if the Fed’s inflation fight will cause a recession, or how deep that recession might be.

☆ The "ultimate buy-and-hold" investment fund that hasn't changed its strategy since 1935 is crushing 94% of competitors this year. Here are its top 10 holdings — and how it's beating the bear market.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund is the "ultimate buy and hold," says manager Christina Bargeron. The fund hasn't changed its strategy since 1935 — yet it's still outperforming 94% of competitors. Christina Bargeron may be the client portfolio manager of the Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund, but she won't take credit for its outrageous outperformance this year. So far this year, the Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund is down just 2%, compared to the average 9% decline among other funds in its category. The widespread Depression-induced distrust of banks also ensured that no financial firms made their way into the Voya Corporate Leaders Trust Fund.

☆ One ETF manager is beating the market using this method to find better income stocks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Kevin Simpson is navigating this inflationary environment by targeting companies that use free cash flow to raise dividends. DIVO includes roughly 25 to 30 large-cap, blue chip stocks that have a history of raising dividends and, more importantly, increasing earnings to support those dividends, according to the portfolio manager. Simpson said he is interested in stocks such as Devon Energy that are raising dividends for shareholders using free cash flow, in addition to a more usual fixed dividend. Devon Energy said earlier in 2022 that it's earmarking up to half its free cash flow to return to shareholders. It has a 3.3% dividend yield.

☆ A top 1% fund manager believes the market will plummet another 20% to 25% — and shares the 5 stocks he's investing in to outperform inflation
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Jeff Muhlenkamp of the Muhlenkamp Fund believes stocks could fall another 20% to 25%. Muhlenkamp shared two sectors and five stocks he's investing in to beat macroeconomic headwinds. The portfolio manager's eponymous Muhlenkamp Fund (MUHLX) has beaten 99% of its peers year-to-date. Even though the S&P 500 has already cratered over 25% year-to-date, another 20% to 25% decline wouldn't surprise Muhlenkamp. Energy currently looks ridiculously cheap, with energy companies generating a lot of free cash flow, Muhlenkamp said.

☆ Five years after Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico's power grid is still costly and unreliable
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-22 | by ( Fred Imbert | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The state of Puerto Rico's power grid has been a sore spot for many island businesses and residents, leading to backlash against Luma Energy — the company brought in to operate and improve the grid after Hurricane Maria. Many businesses were forced to shut down for weeks after Hurricane Fiona hit. Luma Energy officially took over control of the island's power grid in June 2021 for the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or PREPA. In July, about two months before Hurricane Fiona hit Puerto Rico, hundreds of residents marched to Gov. The company also said Oct. 10 that power had been restored to 99% of clients affected by Hurricane Fiona.

☆ This income-building fund stayed resilient this year by focusing on the 'power of dividends'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Ben Kirby says his fund has stayed resilient this year by doing what it's always done: remembering the "power of dividends." "People forget about the power of dividends, and they forget how important it is to get that current income," Kirby said. Today, TIBIX has a roughly 16% allocation to fixed income, compared with "closer to 10%" over the past decade, according to the fund manager. And you know, I can see us going back above our long term average of 20%," Kirby said. Still, Kirby said he's taking his time allocating more to fixed income as he finds many equities very attractive.

☆ Inside the $4 billion family office of Walmart Heir Lukas Walton
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-19 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Lukas Walton, the billionaire grandson of Walmart founder Sam Walton, is reinventing the family office — building a multi-billion-dollar funding machine that powers charities, tech start-ups, public companies and activists seeking global change. Walton, 36, last year launched Builders Vision, a one-stop-shop of impact investing based in Chicago with more than $4 billion in assets. While most family offices separate philanthropy and investing, Walton has stitched them together into an impact-investing superstore – funding social and environmental causes through start-ups, public companies or charities. The Builders Vision venture capital fund, called S2G, is in the top quartile of venture capital funds by returns, according to Cambridge Associates benchmarks. Climate change, the food supply and ocean health are, after all, also investment risks, he said.

☆ Returning customers are far more valuable to online retailers than new customers
▼ + stars: | 2016-03-30 | by ( Andrew Meola | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

New customers are certainly important to retailers, but returning customers should mean more. A new report from Monetate reveals that the value of returning customers is greater across numerous product categories, and that value continues to grow every year. Those shoppers leave 34.8% of the time compared to 24.4% for returning shoppers, though that number is up from 23.1% in the year-ago period. So returning customers are clearly important, but longevity is also crucial. Breaks down online spending habits of millennials and teens, including the brands and products they shop for.

Persons: Cooper Smith, Gen X Organizations: Commerce, RJ, Insider Intelligence, Business, eBay Locations: U.S, Greenfield

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