I get it; life gets busy, and there are more immediate issues to think about than Social Security -- particularly if you're years away from retirement. Still, reading through a major AARP survey gave me pause. There are so many things Americans don't seem to understand about Social Security, and one stands out like a sore thumb. AARP's survey found that a majority of Americans believe they're well...
I get it; life gets busy, and there are more immediate issues to think about than Social Security -- particularly if you're years away from retirement. Still, reading through a major AARP survey gave me pause. There are so many things Americans don't seem to understand about Social Security, and one stands out like a sore thumb. AARP's survey found that a majority of Americans believe they're well informed about Social Security, yet most lack the knowledge needed to make the best decisions about when to start receiving retirement payments. Only 24% of survey respondents knew that waiting until age 70 to claim Social Security is the easiest way to maximize monthly benefits . While waiting until age 70 isn't right for everyone, it's important to understand how much of a difference it can make if you're on a tight budget or concerned about outliving your money. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Updates from the second round of Championship games Sign up for The Spin newsletter | Mail Tanya or post BTL Midway through its fifth day of action , the first of its second round of fixtures, Ollie Pope became the 11th person to score a century in Division One of the County Championship this season – and five of those play for Surrey. Jamie Smith already has two. The pre-season title favourites m...
Updates from the second round of Championship games Sign up for The Spin newsletter | Mail Tanya or post BTL Midway through its fifth day of action , the first of its second round of fixtures, Ollie Pope became the 11th person to score a century in Division One of the County Championship this season – and five of those play for Surrey. Jamie Smith already has two. The pre-season title favourites may have drawn their opening game but they are looking ominous, in this game and in general, and at stumps were 412 for six. Things also look ominous for Leicestershire, if in a rather different way, as they settle into the top flight after last year’s promotion. Beaten by Sussex in their season opener, by the second session here, as Smith and Pope cantered towards triple figures, they looked equally underresourced in confidence, ideas and quality. They were buoyed somewhat by a couple of late wickets, if not by glances at the scoreboard. Continue reading...
All the latest horse racing updates on Grand National day Guide to all of the runners | ‘TikTok effect’ brings sellout Welcome to Aintree on Grand National morning, where a sellout crowd is gathering to witness one of the most historic and compelling spectacles in sport as 34 runners and riders line up for the big race at 4pm BST. An early smattering of rain is clearing away, there’s a brighter fo...
All the latest horse racing updates on Grand National day Guide to all of the runners | ‘TikTok effect’ brings sellout Welcome to Aintree on Grand National morning, where a sellout crowd is gathering to witness one of the most historic and compelling spectacles in sport as 34 runners and riders line up for the big race at 4pm BST. An early smattering of rain is clearing away, there’s a brighter forecast for later in the afternoon, and the betting market for the National is already heating up with an early gamble on Jagwar , one of just three seven-year-olds in the field. Panic Attack , the only mare in the field, is popular too, even though the last female (horse) to win was way back in 1951, and has just taken over at the top of the market at 8-1, while Jagwar is top-priced at 17-2 and yesterday’s favourite, I Am Maximus , has drifted out to 9-1 in a place. Continue reading...
The language teacher was running in the desert in Arizona when he saw this enormous, oddly human-looking plant Joseph Cyr works as a language teacher at an American secondary school. He was born in South Korea, and spent his childhood living across Germany and the US, in Georgia and Arizona. “As an adult I have lived in Seattle, Paris and Nicaragua before moving back to Arizona,” he says. “I took ...
The language teacher was running in the desert in Arizona when he saw this enormous, oddly human-looking plant Joseph Cyr works as a language teacher at an American secondary school. He was born in South Korea, and spent his childhood living across Germany and the US, in Georgia and Arizona. “As an adult I have lived in Seattle, Paris and Nicaragua before moving back to Arizona,” he says. “I took this in Saguaro national park, on the edge of Tucson. It’s about an hour north of the US-Mexico border.” It was a school holiday, so Cyr was doing a trail run when he took this image. His route was quiet; he saw only a few people on horseback and this saguaro cactus. The largest cactus in the US, it grows only in the Sonoran Desert, where the Saguaro national park lies. Continue reading...
As the president spirals over his disastrous war, his threats have escalated beyond the red line of international law Donald Trump has hung nine glowering portraits of himself throughout the White House, each one projecting a variation on the theme of intimidation. But gazing into his narcissistic pool of grimacing images has not calmed him when in his mind’s eye he stares into the abyss of the wo...
As the president spirals over his disastrous war, his threats have escalated beyond the red line of international law Donald Trump has hung nine glowering portraits of himself throughout the White House, each one projecting a variation on the theme of intimidation. But gazing into his narcissistic pool of grimacing images has not calmed him when in his mind’s eye he stares into the abyss of the worst failure of his life. Trump’s fiasco has inspired him to heightened performances of profane, vile and vicious threats. His grammar of atrocity has escalated from hateful rhetoric to threats of war crimes. What might have initially appeared as rage-quitting the video game that the White House communications department makes of his Iran War has crossed an inviolable red line of international law. His pouting and foot stomping have led him into the gravest territory. Continue reading...
Western governments and financiers increasingly avoid infrastructure projects that involve a Chinese presence as their geopolitical and economic rivalries intensify. Yet the Nairobi Railway City project stands as a rare exception. It combines British financing with Chinese construction and labour to build a major new public transport hub in the Kenyan capital. At the heart of the project is the pr...
Western governments and financiers increasingly avoid infrastructure projects that involve a Chinese presence as their geopolitical and economic rivalries intensify. Yet the Nairobi Railway City project stands as a rare exception. It combines British financing with Chinese construction and labour to build a major new public transport hub in the Kenyan capital. At the heart of the project is the proposed new Central station and a 172-hectare (425-acre) district that includes new businesses, homes...
“War is hell,” as the saying goes, and it is often those most intimately acquainted with conflict who are the most eager to leave it behind. This yearning for peace was underscored by a newly uncovered archaeological site from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) in Shaanxi province, northwest China, revealed in 2022. Researchers announced their discoveries in mid-March. Among the findings was a...
“War is hell,” as the saying goes, and it is often those most intimately acquainted with conflict who are the most eager to leave it behind. This yearning for peace was underscored by a newly uncovered archaeological site from the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BC) in Shaanxi province, northwest China, revealed in 2022. Researchers announced their discoveries in mid-March. Among the findings was a gravesite featuring the remains of individuals interred with broken weapons, a custom rooted in an...
A 10cm-long (4-inch) turtle has died after apparently falling in Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin. Police said on Saturday that they were alerted at 2.09pm by a security guard about a turtle suspected of having fallen from a height at No 185 Hammer Hill Road. Online footage and images showed the turtle lying motionless on the playground mat. In Hong Kong, animal cruelty is punishable by up to three years ...
A 10cm-long (4-inch) turtle has died after apparently falling in Hong Kong’s Wong Tai Sin. Police said on Saturday that they were alerted at 2.09pm by a security guard about a turtle suspected of having fallen from a height at No 185 Hammer Hill Road. Online footage and images showed the turtle lying motionless on the playground mat. In Hong Kong, animal cruelty is punishable by up to three years in jail and a fine of HK$200,000 (US$25,530) upon conviction.
Diy13/iStock via Getty Images Western Midstream ( WES ) has been one of my favorite MLP picks since October 2024, when I assessed the fundamentals and issued a bullish piece . My investment case boiled down to two simple things (or rather a combination of them): One of the highest dividend yields in the MLP or midstream space. Not the strongest but still retirement-proof fundamentals (e.g., suffic...
Diy13/iStock via Getty Images Western Midstream ( WES ) has been one of my favorite MLP picks since October 2024, when I assessed the fundamentals and issued a bullish piece . My investment case boiled down to two simple things (or rather a combination of them): One of the highest dividend yields in the MLP or midstream space. Not the strongest but still retirement-proof fundamentals (e.g., sufficient margin of safety to weather meaningful headwinds without touching the dividend). Since then WES has delivered almost identical returns to that of the overall MLP sector ( AMLP ): YCharts In the process it has increased its distribution level by ~5%, which is not bad given the close to double digit yield. What is interesting is that things have not changed on the relative yield front. Namely, WES continues to be the highest-yielding MLP among its peers, which carry meaningful market cap levels and are, generally, considered durable income machines. Here is what the dividend yield picture looks like now: Ticker Yield (FWD) EV/EBITDA (FWD) WES 8.9% 9.3x PAA 7.6% 11.5x MPLX 7.6% 14.0x ET 7.0% 8.6x EPD 5.9% 15.1x Click to enlarge The key reason why WES can offer such an enticing yield is related to the below-average valuation multiple. Energy Transfer has a slightly lower multiple and also a lower yield, but that is because the MLP carries a much higher debt load than its peers (including WES), which, in turn, creates a rationale for having a conservative distribution coverage level. Now, with this in mind, let me do the following: Revisit my thesis on WES by considering the most recent financials. Contextualize WES's case with the prevailing oil/natural gas market dynamics. Understand whether we (as durable income investors) should be worried about the fact that the market is assigning a higher discount rate to WES (as implied by the lower multiple). Thesis review First and foremost, WES is a structurally growing MLP, which automatically solved the potential issue (or worr...
The post The Demand for Rare and Precious Metals is Rising. This Web App Gives Investors Direct, 24/7 Access to Gold, Uranium, and More by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. The demand for rare earth and precious metals has intensified, driven on one hand by industrial applications and on the other by investors seeking portfolio d...
The post The Demand for Rare and Precious Metals is Rising. This Web App Gives Investors Direct, 24/7 Access to Gold, Uranium, and More by Benzinga Contributors appeared first on Benzinga . Visit Benzinga to get more great content like this. The demand for rare earth and precious metals has intensified, driven on one hand by industrial applications and on the other by investors seeking portfolio diversification amid economic uncertainty. The U.S. governmentʼs establishment of a U.S. critical mineral reserve has brought further attention to precious metals, which are essential to modern manufacturing and used in everything from smartphones to wind turbines and fighter jets. Existing options to invest directly in these metals — such as ETFs, managed funds, company stocks, etc. — often have limitations, including regional restrictions, strict trading hours, high entry barriers, and minimum purchase requirements. Investors are often provided only with indirect exposure and must depend on asset managers or specific platforms, exchanges, or brokerages to invest in each metal. Metals.io removes those traditional barriers to investing in metals, providing individual investors 24/7 global access to rare earth metals, critical metals, gold, uranium, and more. Why You Should Invest in Metals With Metals.io Metals.io offers multiple advantages designed to improve accessibility and portfolio management for metals investments. Tokenized metals Metals.io enables direct ownership of physical metals through blockchain-powered tokenization. Each token acts like a “warehouse receipt,” proving that you have ownership of physical assets stored on your behalf by a trusted provider, while removing many of the limitations of traditional commodity investments, such as high minimum purchase requirements, limited transparency, restricted trading hours, counterparty risk, and high management fees. Metals.io has zero asset management fees, no minimum purchase requirement, reduced counterparty r...
Most people still have time to contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) before the April 15 deadline. But you may be shocked to hear that some retirees can also still contribute to their plans. Depending on your post-career income streams, it's still possible to use tax-advantaged accounts to build your nest egg even if you've already retired. Image source: Getty Images. Continue readi...
Most people still have time to contribute to an individual retirement account (IRA) before the April 15 deadline. But you may be shocked to hear that some retirees can also still contribute to their plans. Depending on your post-career income streams, it's still possible to use tax-advantaged accounts to build your nest egg even if you've already retired. Image source: Getty Images. Continue reading
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images I have decided to up my stake in Uber Technologies, Inc. ( UBER ) . Despite the company's ongoing risks, I believe my bullish thesis has a reasonable basis, which I'd like to share with my readers on Seeking Alpha. My vantage point is mostly quantitative with a slight qualitative overlay. Nonetheless, I think my input can provide value to a broad range ...
Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images I have decided to up my stake in Uber Technologies, Inc. ( UBER ) . Despite the company's ongoing risks, I believe my bullish thesis has a reasonable basis, which I'd like to share with my readers on Seeking Alpha. My vantage point is mostly quantitative with a slight qualitative overlay. Nonetheless, I think my input can provide value to a broad range of readers. Without further delay, here's why I've decided to up my stake in Uber. Recent Performance & Statistical Analysis Uber's stock has fallen abruptly during the past six months. The company has faced a few idiosyncratic headwinds. For instance, Uber slumped to a fourth-quarter earnings-per-share miss . However, a broader view suggests that Uber's stock also suffered from systematic headwinds such as a lower appetite for tech stocks from investors. Data by YCharts Uber has delivered moderate gains since its listing, underperforming a notable tech stock benchmark, namely the Vanguard Information Technology Index Fund ETF ( VGT ) as well as a broader high-variance U.S. benchmark, the Invesco QQQ Trust, Series 1 ( QQQ ). Data by YCharts I created figure 3 myself. The chart illustrates how many standard deviations Uber's stock is trading from its 252-day rolling mean (it shows a z-score). According to my findings, Uber currently trades at 1.71 standard deviations below its rolling mean. Figure 3 - Log Returns Z-Score (Author's Work in Jupyter, Data: Investing.com) Kindly note that the z-score measures both distance and volatility – it's not similar to a simple moving average. However, to supplement my z-score, I have added an SMA chart (figure 4). The chart shows Uber trading below its 50-, 100-, and 200-day moving averages, suggesting that it is trading cheap. An interesting feature of Uber's SMA, is the fact that the stock has breached its 10-day SMA, implying that its broader negative trend has lost momentum. Figure 4 (Seeking Alpha) In essence, we are looking at a st...