A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 14, 2024
A lot of investors have abandoned international diversification (or at least strongly considered it) in recent years. I understand why this is happening. The U.S. stock market has destroyed all comers ever since the Great Financial Crisis ended. Since 2009, a total U.S. stock market index fund is up more than 660% while a total international index fund is up more like 180%.
The Motley Fool
MAY 31, 2024
In 2022, the U.S. was hammered by the fiercest inflation it had faced in four decades amid the lingering macroeconomic disruptions and supply chain issues that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, in January 2023, Social Security beneficiaries got an 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) -- the largest increase since the early 1980s. But many retirees are still struggling.
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Blackstone News
MAY 17, 2024
Reinforces CoreWeave’s market position as the AI hyperscaler Builds on CoreWeave’s significant momentum, evidenced by over $12 billion raised from equity and debt investors over the last 12 months Historic financing builds on the Company’s recently announced $1.1 billion Series C and $2.3 billion debt raise in 2023 Investment represents one of the largest private financings in history New funding will be used to support the market’s unprecedented demand for CoreWeave’s specialized AI cloud infra
The Big Picture
MAY 16, 2024
The Misery Index — the combination of Inflation and unemployment — failed as a bearish criticism of the economy. Unemployment remains at 60-year lows, and Inflation has plummeted from 9% down to the 3s. If you have a bearish mindset , and seek confirmation of that perspective, then the next economic critique after the Misery Index you try on for size is “Stagflation.” We have heard the S-word from Jamie Dimon , Stanley Druckenmiller , Bank of America , Barclays , Fox , Ma
American Investment Council
MAY 6, 2024
Washington, D.C. – The American Investment Council (AIC) released a report today, authored by PitchBook , highlighting the growing role of private credit in serving small and middle-market businesses. “Private credit is playing a crucial role in supporting businesses and delivering impressive returns for investors, especially in uncertain times,” said Drew Maloney, President & CEO of the American Investment Council. “The industry’s resilience and flexibility are filli
FinSMEs
MAY 15, 2024
enspired, a Vienna, Austria-based AI-based power trading company, secured €25.5m in Series B funding. The round was led by Zouk Capital with participation from PUSH VC, Banpu NEXT, Vopak Ventures, Presidio Ventures, Emerald Technology Ventures, Helen Ventures, 360 Capital, and EnBW New Ventures. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its […] The post enspired Raises € 25.5M in Series B Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.
Private Equity Central brings together the best content for private equity professionals from the widest variety of industry thought leaders.
The Motley Fool
MAY 30, 2024
Image source: The Motley Fool/Upsplash This morning I heard on the news that United Wholesale Mortgage, the largest mortgage lender in America, is offering what is essentially a zero down mortgage. It works like this: The lender writes a 97% mortgage with a 3% second mortgage, but it's the same thing as a zero down mortgage. I couldn't be happier to see this.
Investment Writing
MAY 21, 2024
Many investment and financial advisors have older clients who struggle with decluttering as they prepare to downsize. I picked up some useful ideas from a session presented by Matt Paxton, the host of the PBS program Legacy List and the author of a book that had the same title as his presentation, Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff: Declutter, Downsize, and Move Forward with Your Life.
The Big Picture
MAY 6, 2024
It’s taken me months to organize all of my research for my next book project; it’s a lot of stuff, some dating back to 2000. Much of it reflects the bad ideas and numbers, and worse advice, that float around Wall Street. A lot of it has not aged well. But every now and then, something I saved turned out to be prescient — not because it was lucky, but because it contained a well-considered insight that has stood the test of time.
Pension Pulse
MAY 24, 2024
Andrew Coyne laments in his latest opinion piece that eighteen years and $46-billion later, the CPP admits it could have earned more just by buying index funds: The Canada Pension Plan Fund had a bad year last year. You’d never know it to read the latest annual report from the fund’s managers, the CPP Investment Board, which spends much of its nearly 80,000 words boasting how, thanks to the herculean efforts of its employees and the sophisticated investment stratagems of its managers, it eked ou
FinSMEs
MAY 17, 2024
Kudos, a Los Angeles, CA-based provider of a AI-powered smart wallet service that automatically oprimize consumer rewards and benefits on purchase, raised $10.2M in Series a funding. The round was led by QED Investors with participation from Patron, The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly, Samsung Next, SV Angel, Precursor Ventures, The Mini Fund, Newtype Ventures, […] The post Kudos Raises $10.2M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 19, 2024
Four charts about the economy you might find surprising: 1. Wages are cumulative too. The Congressional Budget Office released new research comparing inflation on a basket of goods and services households at different income levels consume between now and 2019 along with changes in wages. Here’s the chart: And the explanation: For households in every quintile (or fifth) of the income distribution, the share of inc.
The Motley Fool
MAY 31, 2024
Saving and investing for retirement is essential if you want to enjoy your golden years. The average Social Security benefit for retired workers is currently $1,915 per month. That's not a ton of money to cover necessary expenses as well as retirement hobbies, activities, travel, etc. But consistently saving and investing in a tax-advantaged retirement account like a 401(k) or IRA can set you up to be able to spend much more later in life.
Investment Writing
MAY 7, 2024
Want to do a better job on your next quarterly commentary? You’ve finished your first-quarter commentary, but you have a nagging feeling you could have done a better job editing it. Check out the five-step process in my blog post on “ 5 steps for rewriting your investment commentary ”! Also, if you’re writing for an audience of individual investors, pay attention to my list of “ Words to avoid in your investment communications with regular folks. ” You might also enjoy “ Investment commentary nu
Private Equity Wire
MAY 23, 2024
Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority, has urged private equity firms to provide more information or face stricter regulatory measures, according to a report by City AM. At the Association of Corporate Treasurers, Rathi said that the valuations of private firms have been “under pressure” over the past year, emphasising the need for buyout houses to cooperate with the regulator to avoid stricter action.
Diamond Consultants
MAY 14, 2024
This new wave of transitioning advisors is feeling the pushes and pulls of an evolving industry. Over 9,000 advisors changed firms in 2023, marking a 7% increase from the year before.* While this movement is prevalent across all industry channels, it is particularly pronounced within the RIA world and represents a growing trend that’s a dichotomy of sorts.
FinSMEs
MAY 7, 2024
Blackwell Security, an Ann Arbor, MI-based provider of specialized cybersecurity solutions for the healthcare sector, raised $13M in funding. The round was led by General Catalyst and Rally Ventures. As part of the announcement, Blackwell has appointed Geyer Jones as their first Chief Executive Officer. The company intends to us the funds to broaden their […] The post Blackwell Security Raises $13M in Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 10, 2024
I saw the following headline earlier this week: I didn’t even need to read the actual article to know what the message would be. The tell here was the term ‘veteran forecaster’ In finance-speak, veteran forecaster can be translated to mean someone who is supremely confident in their predictions but almost always wrong. It has to be this way because forecasters are so unreliable.
The Motley Fool
MAY 31, 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) has spread like wildfire since early last year, and the benefits are clear. These generative AI algorithms take AI to the next level, creating original text, images, and video from a few simple prompts. As a result, users can simplify mundane and time-consuming tasks and increase productivity. As the old adage states, "Time is money," so businesses are eager to adopt these next-generation systems.
Blackstone News
MAY 29, 2024
Inclusive of recent land sale, sale proceeds total $768 million New York – Blackstone Real Estate today announced that it has reached an agreement to sell Turtle Bay Resort for $725 million. Blackstone purchased the hotel in 2018 for $332 million and subsequently invested significant capital in renovations. Rob Harper, Head of Blackstone Real Estate Asset Management Americas, said, “This transaction is an excellent outcome for our investors and a testament to Blackstone’s ability, including th
Private Equity Wire
MAY 1, 2024
Wealth management platform Sidekick has added Alessandra Farnum as Alternatives Product Lead. In her new role, Farnum will focus on launching and expanding products and services within the platform’s alternative asset class offering, which aims to include private equity, private credit, venture capital and real estate. Farnum joins Sidekick from her role as Partner at London-based fintech VC fund Mouro Capital, having previously worked at Samsung Ventures.
Financial Times: Moral Money
MAY 29, 2024
Some investors believe direct backing for enterprises is more positive than using a risk-focused fund manager
FinSMEs
MAY 29, 2024
Authentic, a NYC-based insurtech startup making it easier for SaaS platforms and franchisors to offer affordable captive insurance policies to their SMB customers, raised $11M in Series A funding. The round was led by FirstMark Capital with participation from Slow Ventures, Altai Ventures, MGV, Upper90, and Commerce Ventures. The company intends to use the funds […] The post Authentic Raises $11M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 7, 2024
One of my favorite pop culture developments in recent years is the famous person press tour. If you write a new book or have a new movie or TV show coming out, you have to talk to every outlet imaginable to sell your project. There is so much content and so much competition for our attention these days that even uber-successful people are forced to make the hard sell.
The Motley Fool
MAY 30, 2024
Social Security is a vital source of income for the majority of retirees. About half of households with someone age 65 or older receive at least 50% of their income from Social Security, according to data collected by the Social Security Administration. Six in 10 retirees say the program is a major source of income in the most recent iteration of an annual Gallup poll.
Financial Times M&A
MAY 9, 2024
The chair of Spain’s third-biggest lender has turned hostile in his €12bn second attempt to buy TSB owner Sabadell
Private Equity Wire
MAY 31, 2024
Golden Goose, the Italian luxury sports brand owned by British private equity firm Permira, is planning to raise €100m by floating at least 25% of the business on the Milan Stock Exchange, according to a report by the Financial Times. As well as raising cash from the sale of new shares, Golden Goose is also set to sell an unspecified number of existing shares.
Financial Times: Moral Money
MAY 15, 2024
Companies are becoming ever craftier in their efforts to pose as more climate-friendly than they are
FinSMEs
MAY 22, 2024
Coactive Systems, a San Jose, CA-based AI powered platform to make image and video data useful, raised $30m in Series B funding at a $200m valuation. The round was co-led by Emerson Collective andCherryrock Capital, with participation from Bessemer Venture Partners, Greycroft, and previous investor Andreessen Horowitz. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations, development efforts, and its […] The post Coactive Systems Raises $30M in Series B Funding appeared first on Fin
A Wealth of Common Sense
MAY 23, 2024
A reader asks: Do you guys really think foreign investsments and private equity really aren’t driving up housing prices? It really seems like it is. I understand the sentiment here. The housing market is broken right now for a lot of people. The blame is simply misplaced here. It’s not Blackrock or Blackstone or any other institutional investor who is causing the lack of supply in the housing market.
The Motley Fool
MAY 30, 2024
Successful investors think about the future by focusing on what the new opportunities might be. They also pay attention to threats that could emerge that might impact the stocks they own. Sometimes, those threats come out of the blue, but other times, they're identifiable well in advance. If you own shares of Abbott (NYSE: ABT) or DexCom (NASDAQ: DXCM) , there's a looming threat to know about.
Financial Times M&A
MAY 27, 2024
US company faces tight shareholder vote on whether its takeover offer for consortium partner Hess will be approved
Private Equity Wire
MAY 30, 2024
Goldman Sachs Alternatives has held the final close of West Street Loan Partners V, its latest large-cap senior direct lending vehicle, with $13.1bn of total capital, plus more than $7bn in related managed accounts and $550m of co-investment vehicles. The fundraise is the largest Loan Partners fund raised since the inception of the strategy in 2008, according to a press statement.
Financial Times: Moral Money
MAY 23, 2024
Why is the consumer goods group backpedalling on responsible-business targets?
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