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We spoke to financial experts about the best books for understanding debt and managing your money. Books can be a great, affordable resource for learning how financial systems work and providing actionable steps to start saving money. Reading financial books "made me far more comfortable than in a classroom setting," says Markia Brown, a certified financial education instructor who shares her teachings through Money Plug. "When we learn about the different types of debt and the financial systems behind them, then we can take action to handle debt in a way that works for our lives and goals," says Ferrero. To help, we rounded up the best books about paying off debt, from beginner's money-saving guides to in-depth looks at how to build wealth.

☆ Russia Sanctions Disrupting Putin’s Military Efforts, Treasury Official Says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Dylan Tokar | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +3 min

Sanctions on Russia have succeeded in disrupting the country’s military manufacturing industry and are squeezing its economy, a senior U.S. Treasury Department official said. Newsletter Sign-up WSJ | Risk and Compliance Journal Our Morning Risk Report features insights and news on governance, risk and compliance. “We’ve seen how fragile the supply chain is, frankly—we learned this during Covid—for his defensive efforts on the battlefield,” Mr. Nelson said, referring to Mr. Putin. Amid the unprecedented sanctions program against Russia and ongoing pressure campaigns against Iran, Venezuela and other nations, the Treasury has been reviewing more broadly how it uses sanctions. One measure the U.S. Treasury is taking to ensure its program remains potent is by hiring a chief sanctions economist to provide economic analysis around prospective sanctions actions, Mr. Nelson said.

Criticism has grown of the bank's efforts to mobilise sufficient support for developing countries to shift to clean energy. The World Bank Group provided $31.7 billion in climate finance to countries in fiscal year 2022, its highest total to date. He later clarified his remarks and said it is clear greenhouse gas emissions are causing climate change. The World Bank uses cash from wealthy nations to offer loans and grants to poorer countries - offering a major route for climate finance to the developing world. We've engaged robustly and will continue to do so with a range of folks at the World Bank," she said.

☆ Carvana stock plummets as used car prices fall
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Jennifer Korn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Carvana’s fall indicates a wider trend in the used car sector, as car prices that have been elevated fall due to rising interest rates and talk of recession. Trouble for the used car world started months ago, with car prices getting so high that many customers were priced out. Shares of CarMax (KMX), the nation’s largest used car dealer, are down 50% since the start of the year. The result has been that used car prices have declined 10.6% compared to a year ago, according to the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index, which tracks average used car prices. Now, used car companies like Carvana are dealing with the decline.

☆ Grocery retailer Pick n Pay to start accepting cryptocurrency payments
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

JOHANNESBURG, Nov 1 (Reuters) - One of South Africa's largest grocery retailers Pick n Pay (PIKJ.J) is expanding a pilot of adding cryptocurrency as a payment option to more stores after the successful completion of the first phase, it said on Tuesday. Many companies are responding to this by accepting Bitcoin," Pick n Pay said in a statement. It has now extended it to a further 29 stores for testing with customers, with the intention to roll it out to all stores in the coming months, Pick n Pay said. Pick n Pay has partnered with Electrum and CryptoConvert on its latest pilot. Electrum's payment platform connects Cryptoconvert and Pick n Pay, letting customers pay with the Bitcoin Lightning technology at the till point, the company added.

☆ IMF urges most Asian central banks to tighten policy further
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Leika Kihara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Most Asian central banks must tighten monetary policy further as rising commodity prices and their currencies' depreciation, driven by steady U.S. interest rate hikes, push inflation above their targets, the International Monetary Fund said on Thursday. Many Asian currencies depreciated "quite sharply" as U.S. monetary tightening led to widening interest rate differentials, helping push up import costs for the countries, he said. Large currency depreciations and rising interest rates could also trigger financial stress in Asian countries with high debt, Srinivasan said. "Asia is now the largest debtor in the world besides being the biggest saver, and several countries are at high risk of debt distress," he said. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Leika Kihara; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A 39-year-old who owns 21 rental homes and recently quit his 9-to-5 after building his real estate portfolio up for 18 years stresses the importance of playing the long game and taking a conservative
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( A.J. Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

He's built his portfolio over 18 years and stresses the importance of building up sustainably. He prefers fixer-upper properties and invests a lot in his real estate investments. He talks about his real estate investing journey online under the moniker of The Frugal Gay, instructing other aspiring real estate investors as to how he built up his portfolio. Being in the real estate space is something that Brickman actively enjoys. "I really like transforming [my properties]," Brickman said, adding that his "hardest project" was the former home of a hoarder.

☆ Spotify offers as much as $370,000 in base salary to top talent and is hiring for dozens of roles. Here's pay data on engineering, advertising, and other jobs.
▼ + stars: | 2022-03-17 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +19 min

Spotify grew its global workforce by 18% to 6,617 staffers in 2021.Insider analyzed public US work-visa data to see how much Spotify pays for certain roles. The public data revealed how much Spotify offered to pay foreign staffers it sought to hire in the US for some positions including engineering, data, and marketing roles. Based on the data, Spotify offered annual base salaries ranging from $75,000 to $369,500 for various roles. Advertising and marketing — $95,000 to $280,000 base salarySpotify offered annual base salaries between $95,000 and $279,400 for certain roles in advertising and marketing. A spokesperson did not respond by press time to a request for comment on the latest available data.

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As immigrants, Kwamena and Penelope Cudjoe had to learn about retirement saving on their own. Little did he know, that money would one day help him and his wife start a company in retirement. Below, the couple shares how they handled money during retirement and how Kwamena's TSP helped them start a new journey into entrepreneurship. AdvertisementA retirement fund meant having access to cashThe couple didn't want to take out any loans from a bank or owe a supplier any money. Just contribute [to your retirement fund] because that will force you to have the discipline to save.

Persons: Penelope Cudjoe, Kwamena, Little, —, Kwamena Cudjoe, Penelope Organizations: Service, Savings, Social Security, Foods Locations: Ghana, Washington ,

When the enslaved population was first freed, the Freedman's Bank was established to provide a savings and wealth-building tool. Black bank customers lost millions in deposits. When Freedman's Bank closedA short nine years after opening, the Freedman's Bank closed in 1874. The Freedman's Bank collapse destroyed Black people's trust in financial systemsMy grandmother had a bank account. In short, in the African American community, the Freedman's Bank collapse is to finance what the Tuskegee experiments are to healthcare.

☆ China is slowing 'permanently' and the rest of Asia needs to adjust to the new norm, says ANZ
▼ + stars: | 2019-12-13 | by ( Stella Soon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

That means increasing domestic demand, and that means getting domestic financial systems right," Yetsenga told CNBC on Thursday. The Chinese flag floats before the skyscrapers of multinational corporations on February 23, 2018 in Shanghai, China. "I think we all need to accept that China is slowing structurally — we use the word 'structural' and really, we mean 'permanently,'" he said. "My expectation is, we say goodbye to (6% growth), it's very unlikely we ever get back to (6% growth). I think this is a permanent slowdown in China," said Yetsenga.

☆ Here's why bitcoin boomed in 2016
▼ + stars: | 2016-12-28 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

According to Bitcoin, the cryptocurrency saw an annual gain of 54% in 2016, outperforming all fiat currencies, most of which stumbled this year. Blockchain technology, which is best known for powering Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, is gaining steam among finance firms because of its potential to streamline processes and increase efficiency. As a result, venture capital firms and financial institutions alike are pouring investment into finding, developing, and testing blockchain use cases. Banks and major financial institutions are working both collaboratively and independently to develop blockchain tech. Over 50 major financial institutions are involved with collaborative blockchain startups, like R3 CEV or Chain.

Persons: it's, Bitcoin, Dow Jones, It's, Trump, Jaime Toplin, Banks Organizations: Nasdaq, Lisk, That's, Insider Intelligence, Business, Aite, CEV Locations: London, US, Santander, blockchain

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