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For years, Wall Street has wanted to be able to sell private assets to more individual investors. This week, the Securities and Exchange Commission just made some major rule changes that could make it possible. Lou, Jon, and Tyler break down who actually benefits from these proposed changes, and what investors need to look out for if they dabble in private assets. Plus, Accenture bucks the AI narrative (for now) and a listener question about portfolio sizing Have a question? Email us; podcasts@fool.com Tyler Crowe, Lou Whiteman, and Jon Quast discuss: - Accenture earnings surprise - Did we sell to early? - New rules to make private assets available to everyone - Tips for investing in private assets vs. public equities - Mailbag: How much speculation is the right amount? Companies discussed: ACN, IT, TTD, SPCX, AMZN, NFLX, TSLA Host: Tyler Crowe Guests: Jon Quast, Lou Whiteman Engineer: Dan Boyd Disclosure: Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, “TMF”) do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. We're committed to transparency: All personal opinions in advertisements from Fools are their own. The product advertised in this episode was loaned to TMF and was returned after a test period or the product advertised in this episode was purchased by TMF. Advertiser has paid for the sponsorship of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The former head of the US Securities and Exchange Commission warned about looming hurdles for artificial intelligence companies, citing competition with Chinese models and the potential for guardrails. He speaks with Bloomberg's Tom Keene and Paul Sweeney. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Target is a company people love. More than 1,700 stores, a brand with real pull. Then it came to Canada, lost billions, and walked away inside four years.This is a story about Big and Little marketing. Little is the advertising. Big is everything else: product, price, place, and how the whole business organizes around the customer. Roger Martin says a promise has to be memorable, valuable, and deliverable. Advertising makes it memorable. Price and place make it valuable. Product makes it deliverable. In Canada, Target's ads were excellent, and the business broke the promise anyway.CPA Omar Roubi joins Marc and Vassilis to reverse engineer the collapse through the four Ps. Omar teaches this case at the University of Colorado Denver and built a definitive audio case study on it at LumiQ. He also lived it: his wife moved from Texas to help launch the Toronto-area stores.Inside: the Zellers real estate deal that started the countdown, empty shelves sitting above full back rooms, the imperial vs metric mix-up, three distribution centres across a 6,000 km country, and why the famous $5.4B loss is mostly a writedown, not operating losses.A case study in why great marketing can't save a broken business.Our Guest:Omar Roubi - https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-roubi-cpa-texas/Chapters:00:00 Cold open: one bad decision begets more00:26 Big marketing vs Little marketing02:16 Omar Roubi returns03:14 The personal connection: launching Target in Toronto06:14 "Too big to fail"06:36 The accountant's takeaway09:22 Place: the Zellers real estate deal12:08 Wrong locations, wrong customer18:47 The 12-month countdown clock22:25 Product: empty shelves, full back rooms25:02 Physical availability and the metric mix-up32:46 Price: "expect more, pay less" meets three warehouses41:05 The currency headwind45:07 The $5.4B loss vs the $200M operating loss48:27 Little marketing: is ROI the wrong number?53:01 The apology videos, and brand vs performance57:04 The one number that signals trouble first1:00:07 The human cost: 17,600 peopleReferences:ReferencesCBC News. (2011, January 13). Target buys Zellers leases for $1.8B. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/target-buys-zellers-leases-for-1-8b-1.981132CBC News. (2012, July 6). Target wins approval to come to Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/target-wins-approval-to-come-to-canada-1.1160485Castaldo, J. (2016, January 1). The last days of Target. Canadian Business. https://canadianbusiness.com/ideas/the-last-days-of-target-canada/Kumar, N. (2025, September 2). The experience paradox: Why better satisfaction scores don't always mean growth. Kantar. https://www.kantar.com/north-america/inspiration/experience/the-experience-paradoxLinkedIn B2B Institute & WARC. (2024, August 13). Making a promise to the customer: How to give campaigns a competitive edge. https://business.linkedin.com/advertise/resources/b2b-institute/making-a-promise-to-the-business-customerRoubi, O. (Host). (2021, August). The rise and fall of Target Canada [Audio podcast]. LumiQ.Strauss, M. (2013, April 5). Target Canada prices 0.2 per cent higher than Wal-Mart's: Survey. The Globe and Mail.Strauss, M. (2014, September 22). Target Canada winning price battle with Wal-Mart. The Globe and Mail.Target Corporation. (2011, January 13). Target Corporation to acquire interest in Canadian real estate from Zellers Inc., a subsidiary of Hudson's Bay Company, for C$1.825 billion [Press release]. https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2011/01/Target Corporation. (2015a, January 15). Target Corporation announces plans to discontinue Canadian operations [Press release]. https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2015/01/Target Corporation. (2015b, January 15). Form 8-K. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000027419/000002741915000005/Zellers Inc., Hudson's Bay Company, Target Corporation, & Target Canada Co. (2011, September 12). Amended and restated transaction agreement [Exhibit 2(a) to Form 10-Q]. U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000027419/000110465911066091/
What does it take for women to thrive and lead in the collision repair industry?In this episode, Matt DiFrancesco and Hannah Chalker sit down with Laura Kottschade, COO of Jerry's Abra Auto Body & Glass and Chair of the Women's Industry Network (WIN), and Kristle Bollans, longtime collision industry executive and WIN Industry Relations Chair, to discuss how the role of women in the industry is evolving.They explore the importance of mentorship, community, leadership, education, and creating opportunities for women in traditionally male-dominated roles. Laura and Kristle also share what they wish they had known earlier about career development, long-term financial planning, and staying ahead in an industry that is constantly changing.This conversation offers valuable insights for women and men working to build a stronger, more inclusive collision repair industry.They also talk about:(02:18) How women are changing the collision repair industry(06:35) What WIN offers women in collision repair(06:51) Finding your tribe: Why community matters(08:11) How connection and support help women thrive(11:01) Key financial planning considerations for women in collision repair(16:22) Why planning ahead can change your future(17:57) What men need to understand about women in collision(18:13) Women want a seat at the table, not world domination(19:24) Why advocacy and support matter for women in collision(23:03) How different perspectives build stronger teams Connect with Laura KottschadeLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laura-kottschade-47734512a/Connect with Kristle BollansLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kbollans/Women's Industry Network (WIN) Upcoming EventsWIN has several opportunities coming up for collision repair professionals, including a September 29 meetup at the CIECA Conference, a presence at the Rivian Conference in October, the annual WIN meetup at SEMA, and a hands-on 3M training class November 10–12 covering estimating, insurance communication, welding, structural repairs, and more. Ready to connect, learn, and grow with other industry professionals? Visit WIN to learn more and register for upcoming events: https://thewomensindustrynetwork.site-ym.com/Connect with Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialYouTube: @highliftfinancialConnect with Hannah Chalker:Website:https://highliftfinancial.com/Email: hannah@highliftfin.comAbout the guests:Laura Kottschade is the COO of Jerry's Abra Auto Body & Glass and serves as Chair of the Women's Industry Network (WIN). With deep roots in the collision repair industry, Laura is passionate about supporting the next generation of industry professionals, advancing opportunities for women, and promoting education, leadership, and professional development.Kristle Bollans is a longtime collision industry executive who serves as WIN's Industry Relations Chair and is a trustee with the Collision Repair Education Foundation. Through her industry involvement, Kristle advocates for greater connection, diversity, and collaboration while helping create opportunities for professionals across the collision repair industry.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC. Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Alex Thorn talks with Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about Bitcoin price action, market cycles, Treasury rates, inflation, and AI stocks. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
Marketing runs on comfort blankets. The Sharp Cut cuts them up to see what's inside. This week, we did it as a murder mystery.The victim: the click. Once upon a time a click was one honest fact, a machine noting that a file left a building. Over eleven years it got poisoned, dose by dose, until it was taking credit for sales it never caused.The body: in 2012, eBay turned off roughly $51M in paid search across a third of the US, with matched control markets. Scored the way a dashboard scores it, the return was over 4,000%. Scored against the control, the only way that actually answers the question, it was minus 63%. Same company, same spend, same year.Then we line up six suspects, the auction, the platforms, last click attribution, the CFO, the agency, and us, and ask each one the same two questions: did they have a reason, and did they have the access?Marc and V get out of the costume for the part that stings: the doses we added ourselves. The Sport Chek war room. The machine V built to move money faster. The P&G cut everyone quotes that fails our own evidence test. And what happens to the click when the shopper is an AI.We won't hand you a verdict, because we don't fully agree. You're the jury. Enjoy the show!Chapters:00:00 What the Sharp Cut is00:49 A murder mystery: who killed the click?01:30 Meet your six suspects01:45 The body: eBay turns off $51M in paid search03:35 4,000% ROI or minus 63%? Same campaign, two scores03:57 What a click actually was (the first banner, 1994)05:23 The 44% click rate nobody can verify06:25 Cause of death: poisoned over eleven years06:42 Three doses: price, bouncer, then credit08:43 When a measure becomes a target (Goodhart's Law)09:09 Whodunit: motive and opportunity11:21 The evidence: Facebook's own 2016 deck12:45 Out of the costume: the doses we added ourselves15:28 The Sport Chek war room18:16 Building a machine to move money faster19:41 The P&G $200M cut, and why it fails our own test20:49 The alibi that holds: same test, opposite answer21:27 The click's replacement: AI shoppers22:39 The verdict is yours24:06 One warning before you turn anything offSources:Allouah, A., Besbes, O., Figueroa, J. D., Kanoria, Y., & Kumar, A. (2026). What is your AI agent buying? Evaluation, biases, model dependence, and emerging implications of agentic e-commerce. In Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2026 (pp. 8697–8700). https://doi.org/10.1145/3774904.3792943Blake, T., Nosko, C., & Tadelis, S. (2015). Consumer heterogeneity and paid search effectiveness: A large-scale field experiment. Econometrica, 83(1), 155–174. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA12423Chan, D. X., Yuan, Y., Koehler, J., & Kumar, D. (2011). Incremental clicks: The impact of search advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 51(4), 643–647. https://doi.org/10.2501/JAR-51-4-643-647Golden, J., & Horton, J. J. (2021). The effects of search advertising on competitors: An experiment before a merger. Management Science, 67(1), 342–362.Gordon, B. R., Zettelmeyer, F., Bhargava, N., & Chapsky, D. (2019). A comparison of approaches to advertising measurement: Evidence from big field experiments at Facebook. Marketing Science, 38(2), 193–225. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2018.1135Lewis, R. A., & Rao, J. M. (2015). The unfavorable economics of measuring the returns to advertising. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(4), 1941–1973. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjv023Lysen, S. (2013). Incremental clicks impact of mobile search advertising. Google. https://research.google/pubs/incremental-clicks-impact-of-mobile-search-advertising/Simonov, A., Nosko, C., & Rao, J. M. (2018). Competition and crowd-out for brand keywords in sponsored search. Marketing Science, 37(2), 200–215. https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1065The Procter & Gamble Company. (2017). Additional definitive proxy soliciting materials (DEFA14A). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000080424/000119312517299631/d464866ddefa14a.htmFacebook. (2016). Everything competes with everything [Slide presentation].GoTo.com, Inc. (1999). Form S-1 and Form 10-Q. To be reformatted as SEC legal sources.Nielsen. (2009). NetEffect CPG home scanner panel meta-analysis of 200+ online campaigns. As reported in Facebook (2016).Nielsen. (2015). BrandEffect meta-analysis of 478 online global campaigns, October 2014 to April 2015. As reported in Facebook (2016).
Catholic Money Mastermind - Financial Planning conversations with Catholic CFP® Practitioners
Today, Ben Martinek and new co-host Deb Meyer welcome KJ Smith of Ethos Logos Investments for a thoughtful conversation on artificial intelligence through the lens of Catholic social teaching. Using a recent papal document on AI as their guide, they explore a question that reaches far beyond technology itself: what makes us human, and how can we ensure AI serves rather than diminishes our humanity? KJ explains why the Church's concerns are not a rejection of AI, but an invitation to consider how rapidly advancing technology affects human relationships, creativity, responsibility, dignity, and the common good. Together, Ben, Deb, and KJ examine the dangers of replacing authentic community with frictionless artificial interactions, concentrating enormous power within unaccountable technology companies, allowing algorithms to make consequential decisions without a moral compass, and prioritizing efficiency and profit over human flourishing. They also consider AI's tremendous potential, from eliminating menial work and synthesizing information to improving medicine and helping professionals become more productive, while sharing practical examples of how they use AI in their own lives and businesses. The conversation ultimately calls Catholics to neither fear nor blindly embrace artificial intelligence, but to engage it thoughtfully—preserving human judgment, accepting responsibility for how it is used, considering its impact on the poor and vulnerable, and remembering that no technology, however sophisticated, can replace the dignity, creativity, relationships, and capacity for love that belong uniquely to the human person.Key Takeaways:• The Church's concerns about AI are not an argument that using artificial intelligence is inherently sinful.• Catholic social teaching provides a framework for evaluating new technologies according to enduring truths about human dignity and the common good.• AI can appear authoritative and objective while still reflecting biases within its data and development.• Human accountability must remain part of AI-assisted decision-making rather than allowing people or institutions to deflect responsibility onto an algorithm.• Deb's experience with AI note-taking illustrates the importance of continually reassessing whether a technology actually improves human presence and professional service.• AI should ultimately remain subordinate to human flourishing: efficiency, productivity, and profit are valuable, but they cannot replace love of God, love of neighbor, human judgment, or responsibility.Key Timestamps:(01:28) – Encyclical, Not Anti-AI(04:30) – What Makes Us Human(10:52) – AI Bias and Homogenization(14:00) – Accountability and Regulation(24:08) – AI Benefits and Guardrails(34:36) – Investing with Caution and EthicsKey Topics Discussed:Catholic Money Mastermind, Catholic financial planning, Catholic financial planners, Catholic financial advisors, Ben Martinek, faith and financesMentions:Website: https://ethoslogosinvestments.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kj-smith-cfp-qpfc/ Ethos Logos Investments provides Investment Advisory Services through Discipline Wealth Solutions, an investment advisor registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. See full disclosures at disciplinewealth.com/disclosureMore of Catholic Money Mastermind:Catholic Money Mastermind Podcast is a personal podcast meant for educational and entertainment. It should not be taken as financial advice, and is not prescriptive of your financial situation.Are you looking to hire an advisor? Browse our members.https://catholicfinancialplanners.com/advisors/Are you a Financial Advisor who is serious about the Catholic Faith? Join our network and email info@catholicfinancialplanners.com
In this episode of the Rainmaker Podcast, Gui Costin sits down with Angela Kay, President of BasePoint Advisors and Global Head of Capital Markets, to trace her path from an accidental start in finance to leading distribution at a $7 billion private credit platform. A political science and public policy major at the University of Pennsylvania who spent a college year working in the Clinton White House, Angela graduated in 2002 into a post-9/11 hiring freeze and landed, almost by chance, as a research assistant at a global macro hedge fund in New York. From there she earned a master's in public policy from UCLA while working as a sovereign debt analyst at TCW, then helped launch Ice Canyon, a joint venture with Canyon Partners, where she raised the firm's AUM from zero to $4.25 billion before eventually joining BasePoint in 2020 to help institutionalize the business and build its SEC-registered advisory arm.The conversation's core theme is Angela's belief that effective fundraising starts with investment fluency: she describes herself as an investor first and a fundraiser second, and argues that the best fundraisers bridge portfolio knowledge with genuine curiosity about what an LP is actually trying to solve, not just what they're asking on the surface. Gui builds on this, framing fundraising not as a "salesperson" function but as a professional, consultative discipline built on long-term relationships that can span decades and evolve into genuine friendships.The discussion moves through several practical themes: the value of cold outreach (Gui's line, "you're one email away from a 20-year relationship," anchors this segment), the importance of prioritization over busyness, and structured but human communication both within a distribution team and up to a firm's executive committee. Angela describes BasePoint's team structure, organized by investor type and geography, built around a "team sport" mentality rather than siloed coverage, and her rule that every meeting should end with clarity on where things stand, not vague reassurances like "great meeting."A significant portion of the episode focuses on the CRM as institutional memory: Angela stresses entering notes in real time rather than deferring them, drawing on her own experience migrating a firm onto Salesforce years ago. Both she and Gui highlight how AI has changed this workflow, removing the friction and dread salespeople associate with writing call notes and making it dramatically faster to capture and later mine years of accumulated information.The episode closes with two reflective questions. Asked to describe her leadership style, Angela offers "autonomy with high expectations,” hiring for curiosity, organization, and drive, then giving her team room to operate against clearly stated annual goals. Asked for advice to young salespeople, she emphasizes humility: enter meetings to learn rather than to prove expertise, admit what you don't know, and protect your reputation, since it compounds over a career just like capital does.Disclaimer: Angela Kay is President of BasePoint Advisors LLC ("BPA"), an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and also serves as Global Head of Capital Markets at BasePoint Capital LLC, an affiliate of BPA that is a commercial service provider to separately organized lending subsidiaries. See Items 10 and 11 of BPA's Form ADV Part 2A. This content reflects Ms. Kay's personal views and is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not investment, legal, or tax advice, or an offer or solicitation to invest in any fund.
Story of the Week (DR):Anthropic, OpenAI CEOs call for slowdown in AI developmentAnthropic CEO calls to slow the race toward AI ‘superintelligence,' and grants outside evaluators permanent access . Here's what Amodei is suggesting:Each US AI company grants ongoing access to embedded third-party evaluators to check compliance with safety commitments, report incidents, ensure new AI models are not misaligned.All companies in democratic countries building frontier AI models to establish common safety standards as well as limits on the rate of unchecked AI progress.The world's democratic AI powers would coordinate with autocracies – notably China – to control the race. Amodei suggested a baby step could be a narrow agreement prohibiting obviously dangerous uses of AI, such as for the production of biological weapons.PROAltman Matches Anthropic's AI Auditor Pledge While Musk Offers Three-Word Slowdown Backing: 'Dario is right.' Palantir's Alex Karp is calling for AI lab nationalization and criminal liability: Alex Karp said AI builders should face civil and criminal liability for "not being responsible" as the industry debate over AI safety intensifiesMicrosoft AI CEO Agrees: AI Is Getting Dangerous and Needs to Be ControlledAI 'kill switch' may need to be mandatory, Anthropic co-founder [Jack Clark] tells BBCBernie Sanders' AI Bill Threatens 20 Years in Prison for Artificial Superintelligence DevelopersThe legislation would also allow companies to be shut down and create a federal agency to police frontier AI systems.The Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act would outlaw AI systems built to exceed human intelligence.For context, the bill was introduced the same week OpenAI rolled out its GPT-6 Astra model, described by the company as a 'generational leap'. Sanders' office also pointed to an incident from July. It said more than 1,000 OpenAI agents accessed the internet independently, exchanged messages with each other, and got round their own safety restrictions. That lapse, the office said, took engineers nearly two weeks to notice.The bill defines 'superintelligence' to include systems that can match or beat human cognitive performance. It also covers systems that resist shutdown commands, carry out unauthorised cyberattacks, or attempt to overthrow a government.Individual engineers, researchers or executives who breach the ban could face up to 20 years in federal prison. Sanders' office says that term is broadly comparable to penalties for illegally building a nuclear weapon.CONGang of 3: Zuckerberg, Musk, and Huang Call Trump to Oppose AI RegulationMark Zuckerberg says AI doesn't need an industry-wide slowdown because market forces and competition will push companies to make their models safeMark Zuckerberg says AI labs can slow down on their own when safety demands itOpenAI's CFO [Sarah Friar] says the company will pace AI development if safety requires it HYPOCRITE?Greg Brockman says OpenAI has already slowed cutting-edge AI developments over safety concerns HYPOCRITE?Jamie Dimon on AI oversight: 'It should be light touch'Trump downplays warnings of AI risks, citing rivalry with ChinaTrump says a strong, smart president is the only "guardrail" AI needsTrump responds to rising AI safety concerns, insists tech will be 'more good than bad'Trump's 'Whoever Wins AI Wins' Line Draws Scrutiny as He Downplays AI Extinction Warnings From ExpertsTrump called Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang mid-interview to rip AI doomerism: 'The robots will not be taking over'OpenAI boss [Sam Altman] says world 'right to be afraid' but should trust AI firms HYPOCRITE?Sam Altman says some AI accidents are 'unavoidable'Really? Palantir cofounder on AI's threat: 'We're on top of it'In an X post on Saturday, Palantir cofounder Joe Lonsdale brushed aside the worry that advanced AI systems could cause mass human extinction: "The world is going to be alright, guys. Leaders have big responsibilities and challenges ahead, but it doesn't help to scare everyone. We are on top of it."MEANWHILETech CEOs used to fear their boards. No moreAI drives record 10 under-40 billionaires onto 2026 Forbes 400Six Anthropic cofounders join Forbes 400 at $15.5 billion eachOpenAI's president [Greg Brockman] joined the Forbes 400 as its wealthiest new member — worth $25.5 billionSam Altman says this is an 'ill-advised' time to IPO, given safety concernsAnthropic chose Nasdaq for its IPO, giving the exchange a major AI winOpenAI Considers New Financing at a $1.5 Trillion ValuationFINALLYAI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBCHOW ABOUT EVERYBODY QUITS?Trump EPA Repeals Biden-Era Rules Limiting GHG Emissions from Power Plants MM The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on Monday the repeal of a series of Biden-era rules aimed at significantly reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from fossil fuel-based power plants, one of the main sources of the U.S.' carbon footprint.In addition to finalizing the repeal of the rules, the EPA also announced a proposal to rescind the 2015 Greenhouse Gas Findings for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants, effectively making it much more difficult for the agency to reinstitute GHG limiting rules for the fossil fuel-fired power generation sector under future administrations.Trump's ‘largest deregulatory action ever' in the power sector will keep old coal plants online longer to fuel the AI boomHAPPY CEOs:Fossil-Fuel Power Generators & UtilitiesJim Burke (Vistra Corp) & Robert Gaudette (NRG Energy): Large merchant power producers with extensive natural gas and coal fleets that avoid capital-intensive carbon capture retrofits or premature unit closures.Harry Sideris (Duke Energy), Christopher Womack (Southern Company) & Bill Fehrman (American Electric Power): Regulated utilities operating major coal and gas generation networks across the Midwest and Southeast, relieving pressure to retire units ahead of schedule.Mark Hewett (Berkshire Hathaway Energy) & Mike Skaggs (Tennessee Valley Authority): Power providers with heavy baseload fossil capacity that avoid major compliance expenditures.Coal Producers & Mining OperationsJames Grech (Peabody Energy): The nation's largest coal miner, benefiting directly from extended power plant lifespans and higher domestic thermal coal demand.Grech has maintained a vocal public relationship with Trump, presenting him with a bronze award honoring him as the "Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal."Joe Craft III (Alliance Resource Partners) & Paul Lang (Arch Resources): Key thermal coal suppliers to Midwestern and Eastern power plants that no longer face strict 2030s retirement timelines.Craft donated over $1 million to Trump's 2017 Inaugural Committee and millions more to pro-Trump Super PACs.Trump subsequently appointed Craft's wife, Kelly Craft, to high-level diplomatic posts as U.S. Ambassador to Canada and later U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.Natural Gas Producers & Midstream InfrastructureToby Rice (EQT Corporation) & Tom Jorden (Coterra Energy): Top domestic natural gas producers positioned to supply fuel for unconstrained new gas-fired turbine generation.Chad Zamarin (The Williams Companies) & Kimberly Dang (Kinder Morgan): Midstream pipeline giants transporting natural gas to power plants, benefiting from sustained pipeline throughput and expanded gas generation hookups.EPA immediately sued over plans to repeal climate rules for power plantsPublic health groups warn EPA rule will cost Americans billions in health bills.The repeal risks leaving the country's single largest source of industrial climate pollution unchecked.SEC proxy rule changes could end 92 years of shareholder protections MMThe Securities and Exchange Commission has put forward one of the most far-reaching corporate governance proposals in decades, moving to scrap the federal rule that has forced public companies to include shareholder proposals in their proxy materials since 1934.The SEC proxy rule changes would rescind Rule 14a-8 entirely and hand authority over shareholder proposals back to state law and individual company charters, according to the agency's announcement.A companion proposal would amend Rule 14a-4(c) to give companies more flexibility and shareholders more control over discretionary proxy voting.The SEC's broader push to update its rules for current market practice and technology also targets several older paperwork requirements that the agency views as outdated.Eliminate the requirement that companies deliver an annual report to security holders.Eliminate the delivery deadline when documents are incorporated by reference into a proxy statement.Eliminate the requirement and the ability to submit Notices of Exempt Solicitation.Shorten the minimum broker search period from 20 business days to five business days.Starbucks Makes Major DEI U-Turn, Agrees to End Race and Sex-Based Hiring Preferences NationwideStarbucks is ending race- and sex-based hiring goals and preferences across its US operations under a nationwide settlement with Florida, agreeing to pay $1 million and submit to four years of annual compliance reviews.Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's office said the agreement applies to Starbucks operations nationwide, rather than only its stores in Florida.Under the settlement, Starbucks agreed to comply with the Florida Civil Rights Act, including its restrictions on race- and sex-based goals, quotas, and preferences in hiring, promotions, pay, executive compensation, mentorship programmes, supplier selection, and board composition.Starbucks also agreed not to participate in organisations that require an increase in the racial diversity of its board of directors. Its chief legal officer must submit annual certifications confirming continued compliance for four years. The company will pay $1 million to the Florida Department of Legal Affairs to reimburse the state for time, expenses, and costs associated with the case.Accenture to Pay $25 Million to Settle Latest U.S. DOJ Anti-DEI CaseWarren Buffett is stepping down as Berkshire Hathaway's chairmanBuffett, 96, becomes chairman emeritus effective immediately while his son Howard assumes the role under a long-standing succession planWho Is Howie Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway's New Chairman? I can answer that WSJ and save its readers some time: It's Warren Buffett's son.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):DR: Barclays workers ask for more money to return to the office MM DRMM: Barclays workers ask for more money to return to the officeIsn't this the first step toward a unionized financial sector??Assholiest of the Week (MM):HypocritesMan using AI to kill people thinks men using AI to kill people should be held responsible: Palantir's Alex Karp is calling for AI lab nationalization and criminal liabilityLying sociopath calls AI a lying sociopath: OpenAI Warns of Six Concerning AI Behaviours as Models Hid Mistakes and Circumvented SafeguardsGuy who said China says Not China: Sam Altman Warns AI Race With China Can't Justify ‘Recklessness'—‘No Reason Any of Us Should Come to Work' Without Safety AccountabilityGuy who just paid 17bn for worst safety on earth says other guy needs to focus on safety: Mark Zuckerberg Takes Aim at Anthropic in Debate Over A.I. Slowdown (“A.I. labs should be focused on safety rather than improving their own technology.”)Politicians think a billionaire not named Trump should be held accountable for Epstein: House votes to hold billionaire Leon Black in contempt of Congress over Epstein investigationForgetting climate change was the result of the oil boom: Trump Compares AI Data Centers To Oil Boom — Nvidia CEO AgreesI don't even need a hypocritical talking point: Trump has been making more stock trades than all of Congress combined while backing a ban that excludes himGates Foundation is pledging $1 billion to spread AI to the world's poorest communitiesMedia covering democracy DRSEC proposes ending federal oversight of shareholder resolutions | Ukraine news - #MezhaSEC proxy rule changes could end 92 years of shareholder protections - CryptonomistStatement on Proposals to Rescind Rule 14a-8, Amend Rule 14a-4, and Modernize Proxy Solicitation - the SECIt's Another Biggie! SEC Proposes to Rescind the Shareholder Proposal Rule - a guy named Broc's blogIt got one hit each at Bloomberg Finance and Yahoo Finance, bottom of the columns buriedBut a million stories about this: SEC clears path for tokenized stocks, bringing the market closer to 24/7 tradingPaul Atkins justifications for gutting a democratic method that's existed since 1934: The government shutdownWe're too busyInvestors and companies don't really need usIt's unconstitutionalSeriously? Still?Asset owners say ESG returns still a barrier to adoptionData Center's Spill of 5,000 Gallons of Diesel Forces N.J. River CleanupAI Data Centers Are Driving a Surge in “Forever Chemicals,” Research FindsAn Idaho county banned renewables. It's having second thoughtsThe Red State AG Attack on ESG Continues to Misfire.Oracle Signs Over 1.7GW of Clean Energy Deals in Bid to Match Data Centers with 100% Carbon-Free EnergyBlowhardiest of the WeekDR: Jamie Jamie double double:Jamie Dimon says the American Dream is alive, but it's slipping out of reach for too many people—and for future generationsJamie Dimon, David Solomon, other top execs praise Trump admin's pro-business policiesMM: Jamie Dimon on AI oversight: 'It should be light touch'Guy with no AI experience gives thoughts on AI regulationHeadliniest of the WeekDR: These two back-to-back in my news feed:Microsoft publishes 37-page 'humanist' code of conduct after AI doom debate: 'This is urgent'Jack in the Box is launching a Simpsons Halloween menu with glow-in-the-dark cupsMM: MAGA's Golf Club Activity Branded 'Gruesome' as Fish Were Dumped Into Chlorinated Pool for Kids to CatchWho Won the Week?DR: Howie's son Howard Warren Buffett (43)MM: Nepo babies: Nike Announces LVMH Heir Alexandre Arnault is Joining its Board of DirectorsWarren Buffett Steps Down as Berkshire Chairman and Names Son to Replace Him“He will remain on the board as chairman emeritus.”“Howard Buffett, 71, has been a director at Berkshire for more than 30 years.” - he's already older than the average director by 6 yearsPredictionsDR: AI ends humanity, then deeply apologizes for threatening to end humanity MM: AI deeply apologizes for threatening to end humanity, then ends humanity
Retirement planning is often seen as a numbers game—ensuring that you have saved enough, invested wisely, and built a strategy that will comfortably carry you through what should be your golden years. But those numbers only tell part of the story, the test of any retirement plan is not just whether it works on paper for two people, but if it can be carried by the one who is left after loss.This episode is inspired by real-world challenges clients face, so I'm sharing my survivor stress test to help you refine your financial strategies before life throws the unthinkable your way.The Hidden Vulnerability in Retirement PlanningAlmost all plans in America focus on a couple, but the reality is that over half of married people will face widowhood or widowerhood, many while still managing mortgages, careers, and family responsibilities.Even if a plan “works” on paper—if the accounts are titled correctly, the math checks out, and the legal documents are in place—it could still fail the test of usability. The plan needs to be more than mathematically correct; it has to be understandable and executable by the survivor, who, in their time of greatest stress and vulnerability, may face complexities and choices they have never encountered before.Understanding the Survivor Stress TestThe survivor stress test is a framework for couples and individuals to ask a critical question: If one of us were to die first, would the other understand the plan and feel able to carry it forward? Passing this test requires looking beyond adequacy to usability. In many households, one person manages the finances, knows the passwords, talks to the accountant, and understands the cash flow. The other often does not, and this can leave the survivor in a precarious position, especially when they're grieving.The Income Cliff: What Changes After LossOne of the most immediate and impactful changes after the death of a spouse is the income cliff. Social Security survivor rules are not always intuitive, and when one spouse dies, the surviving spouse receives the larger of the two checks, but the smaller check disappears permanently. This can mean an instant loss of 30-40% of household Social Security income, even as most expenses, like mortgages and property taxes, remain largely intact.Pension decisions loom even larger. Choosing a single-life payout maximizes current benefits but leaves the survivor with nothing, whereas a joint and survivor annuity, though slightly smaller each month, ensures continuing income. These decisions, made far in advance, cannot be revisited and must be carefully weighed in light of the survivor's probable needs.The Unseen Tax PenaltiesMost people are unprepared for the surprising tax “penalties” that come with widowhood. Filing status shifts from married filing jointly to single, which often means higher effective tax rates on lower household income because of compressed tax brackets and a much smaller standard deduction. Scott Wellands explains that this can translate to hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional taxes over years of retirement—a burden that few anticipate.Additionally, surviving spouses may be affected by Medicare's IRMAA surcharges, which, due to a two-year income lookback, can kick in just as income falls. Fortunately, forms like SSA-44 allow survivors to appeal IRMAA surcharges based on current-year income, but many don't know about this relief.The Human Side of LossGrief can impair memory, concentration, and decision-making, right when the most consequential financial choices arrive. Survivors must re-title accounts, file claims, and sometimes manage pressure from family—all in an emotional fog. Prioritizing urgent actions (maintaining cash flow), deferring important but non-critical choices, and holding off on irreversible decisions (like selling a house) can prevent double grief where hasty choices compound heartache.The best way to pass the survivor stress test is communication, both partners should understand the plan, know where assets are, and feel confident in their ability to carry it forward. Conversations and second-opinion reviews with a qualified advisor can uncover hidden vulnerabilities and help ensure that whoever is left behind is secure. Outline of This Episode[00:52] The survivor stress test and financial planning for surviving spouse[04:23] Discussing family financial roles[08:59] Claiming Social Security benefits[10:18] Pension options: single life vs. joint and survivor payout [13:29] The widow's penalty tax surprise [17:54] Importance of tax strategy while both spouses are alive[21:03] A decision-making framework for survivorsResources MentionedForm SSA-44Connect With Scott WellensSchedule a discovery call with ScottSend a message to ScottVisit Fortress Planning GroupConnect with Scott on LinkedInFollow Scott on TwitterFortress Planning Group on FacebookSubscribe to Best In WealthAudio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.comPodcast Disclaimer:The Best In Wealth Podcast is hosted by Scott Wellens. Scott Wellens is the principal at Fortress Planning Group. Fortress Planning Group is a registered investment advisory firm regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance and compliance with securities laws and regulations. Fortress Planning Group does not render or offer to render personalized investment or tax advice through the Best In Wealth Podcast. The information provided is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, investment or legal advice.
The Clarity Act short circuits in Congress, leaving potential crypto regulation on the ropes. In the latest episode of Potomac Perspective, Stifel Chief Washington Policy Strategist Brian Gardner and co-host Neil Shapiro have the key developments. Also discussed: the latest on potential AI legislation, handicapping the midterm elections, and a preview of the upcoming super summit between Presidents Trump and Xi. This material is prepared by the Washington Policy Strategy Group of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”). This material is for informational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy discussed herein. The information contained is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed by Stifel as to accuracy or completeness. The opinions expressed are those of the Washington Policy Strategy Group and may differ from those of other departments that produce similar material and are current as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Stifel does not provide accounting, tax, or legal advice and clients are advised to consult with their accounting, tax, or legal advisors prior to making any investment decision. Additional information is available upon request. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is a broker-dealer registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is a member SIPC & NYSE. ©2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Janet Lee-Sheriff, CEO of Verdera Energy, discusses the company's portfolio of uranium assets in New Mexico, its development strategy.Janet also discusses Verdera's relationship with enCore Energy and the recent announcement that the company's Form F-1 registration statement has been declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The SEC approval satisfies a key condition for enCore Energy's planned distribution of 35 million Verdera common shares to eligible enCore shareholders. The record date is September 25, 2026, with the distribution expected on or about September 30, 2026.Verdera Energy trades on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol V and on the OTCQB under VUECF.Follow Jimmy:LinkedIn: / jimmyconnorofficial X (@jamesconnor1999): https://x.com/JamesConnor1999X (@BloorStreetCap): https://x.com/BloorStreetCap*For business inquires, please reach out at info@bloorstreetcapital.com*This video/interview is not financial advice. This channel, Bloor Street Capital, is not responsible for the performance of its guests, sponsors or affiliates. WAIVER & DISCLAIMERIf you register for this webinar/interview you agree to the following: This webinar is provided for information purposes only. All opinions expressed by the individuals in this webinar/interview are solely the individuals' opinions and neither reflect the opinions, nor are made on behalf of, Bloor Street Capital Inc. Presenters will not be providing legal or financial advice to any webinar participants or any person watching a recorded version of the webinar. The investing ideas and strategies discussed on this webinar/interview are not recommendations to buy or sell any security and are not intended to provide any investment advise of any kind, but are made available solely for educational and informational purposes. Investments or strategies mentioned in this webinar/interview may not be suitable for your particular investment objectives, financial situation, or needs. You should be aware of the real risk of loss in following any investment strategy discussed in this webinar/interview. All webinar participants or viewers of a recorded version of this webinar should obtain independent legal and financial advice. All webinar participants accept and grant permission to Bloor Street Capital Inc. and its representatives in connection with such recording. The information contained in this webinar/interview is current as of September, 2026 the date of this webinar/interview, unless otherwise indicated, and is provided for information purposes only. Bloor Street Capital Inc. was paid a fee for producing this event.
This episode of the Unusual Whales Pod was recorded Live on September 16th, 2026. Our host Nicholas and our panelists discuss the state of the US economy, consumer demand, inflation, energy crisis, AI and much more while the Fed hikes rates 25 basis points for the first time in three years.Panel:Joseph Wang https://twitter.com/FedGuy12Jonny Matthews https://x.com/super_macroSteve Hou https://x.com/stevehouHosted by:Nicholas FNS: https://twitter.com/NicholasFNSUnusual Whales: https://twitter.com/unusual_whalesThis Pod is not financial advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority. The stock market is risky, and any trade or investment is expected to have some, or total, loss. Please do research before any trade. Do not use this information for financial decisions or for investing. You should consult your legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation.Unusual Social Media:Discord: https://discord.com/invite/unusualwhalesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/unusualwhalesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unusualwhales/Reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/unusual_whales/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unusual_whalesTwitter: https://twitter.com/unusual_whalesYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unusualwhales/Merch: https://unusual-whales.creator-spring.com/**Disclaimer:Any content referenced in the video or on Unusual Whales are not intended to provide legal, tax, investment or insurance advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority. Nothing on Unusual Whales should be construed as an offer to sell, a solicitation of an offer to buy, or a recommendation for any security by Unusual Whales or any third party. Certain investment planning tools available on Unusual Whales may provide general investment education based on your input.
Alex Thorn talks with Tyler Williams, former Head of Digital Assets at the U.S. Treasury department, about the outcome of the Clarity Act vote in the U.S. Senate, and where crypto goes from here. Alex also talks with Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about the Fed raising rates and market implications. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ZEC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
*Content Warning: sexual assault, rideshare-facilitated sexual assault, fatphobia, and rape.Free + Confidential Resources + Safety Tips: somethingwaswrong.com/resources SWW Sticker Shop!: https://brokencyclemedia.com/sticker-shop SWW S26 Theme Song & Artwork: The S26 cover art is by the Amazing Sara Stewart instagram.com/okaynotgreat/ Follow Something Was Wrong: Website: somethingwaswrong.com IG: instagram.com/somethingwaswrongpodcast TikTok: tiktok.com/@somethingwaswrongpodcast Follow Tiffany Reese: Website: tiffanyreese.me IG: instagram.com/lookieboo *Sources: - Associated Press. “Uber Liable for Sexual Assault of Passenger, Jury Finds.” AP News, 2 Apr. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/uber-sexual-assault-liable-f2aaf57a2b88948107acfcf11ebc0813.- Bousso, Ron. “Lyft Reports More Than 4,000 Sexual Assaults in 2019 Safety Report.” Fortune, 22 Oct. 2021, https://fortune.com/2021/10/22/lyft-4000-sexual-assaults-2019-safety-report.- California Secretary of State. “California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, Ph.D., Announces Proponent Withdraws Initiative to Expand Liability and Impose Duties on Rideshare Companies Regarding Sexual Misconduct.” California Secretary of State, 25 June 2026, https://www.sos.ca.gov/administration/news-releases-and-advisories/2026-news-releases-and-advisories/california-secretary-state-shirley-n-weber-phd-announces-proponent-withdraws-initiative-expand-liability-and-impose-duties-rides.- “CNN: 103 Uber Drivers Accused of Sexual Assault or Abuse.” CBS News, 30 Apr. 2018, https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/cnn-103-uber-drivers-accused-of-sexual-assault-or-abuse/.- Lyft, Inc. Annual Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Form 10-K). U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2026,https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1759509/000162828026006960/lyft-20251231.htm- Uber. “U.S. Safety Report.” Uber, https://www.uber.com/us/en/about/reports/us-safety-report- “Uber Faces Lawsuit Over Alleged Sexual Assaults by Drivers.” Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2016, https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-uber-la-assault-20160721-snap-story.html- U.S. Government Accountability Office. Ridesharing and Taxi Safety: Information on Assaults against Drivers and Passengers. GAO-24-106742, 22 Feb. 2024, https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-24-106742.- U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. “Form 10-K.” SEC.gov, 2019, https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1543151/000095012319002420/filename1.htm
This episode features CII General Counsel Jeff Mahoney covering the top 10 important events affecting institutional investors from July 30 to September 1, 2026. Some of the topics addressed include:The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Aug. 14 announcement that it will no longer respond to shareholder proposal no-action requests from companies, and CII Executive Director Glenn Davis's statement that the decision marks a setback for shareholder voice and removes a process that has long provided predictability and reduced litigation risk.CII's comment letter to the SEC opposing the Texas Stock Exchange's (TXSE) proposal to require brokers to vote uninstructed shares in proportion to the instructions received from shareholders who already voted, which CII warned could amplify the voting power of active shareholders and create particular concerns at dual-class companies and in contested votes.CII's Aug. 13 comment letter to the SEC urging the Commission not to rescind Rule 611 of Regulation National Market System, which generally prevents orders from being executed at prices worse than the best displayed exchange quote.
LABOR DAY/STAKEHOLDER RULE STUFF (CARES/DON'T CARE)Mamdani Opens Office of Worker Power DCThe new city agency intends to connect workers who want to unionize with resources and organizing contacts, and use worker stories of exploitation to inform policy.Starbucks faces another union boycott, activist investor pressure CThe SOC Investment Group, an investment advisory group affiliated with the Strategic Organizing Center — a major coalition of North American trade unions — filed a shareholder proposal last week seeking to separate Starbucks' CEO and board chair roles.The investor pressure came days after Starbucks Workers United called on consumers to boycott the coffee chain until it settles a contract with the union, which represents approximately 12,000 workers.‘Treated Worse than Cattle': 2,500 Tyson Workers Laid Off, Plant Shutters Overnight DCTyson beef plant in Joslin, Illinois: 2,500 workers–represented by Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1546–from Africa, Latin America, and BurmaCampbell's Cuts 13% of Workforce in Effort to Turn Around Struggling Operations CRead Uber CEO's Memo as 3,300 Workers Lose Their Jobs Despite Business 'Performing So Well' CUber is cutting roughly 10% of its global workforce in its biggest round of layoffs since the Covid-19 pandemic.CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: acknowledged that Uber's business is performing strongly. He said the company's revenue has nearly tripled over more than five years as it expanded its products, businesses, and global reach.The changes were designed to “make Uber simpler and faster, and create more capacity to invest in our future”Volkswagen Superviosory Board Approves Plan To Slash Models & Reduce Workforce By 100,000 CIn June, Volkswagen Group CEO Oliver Blume had a plan to close four factories in Germany and eliminate 100,000 workers, both in Germany and around the world, by 2030. It said the plan would be made public at a company board meeting on July 9. July 9 came and went, and the plan did not get the approval from the board of directors that Blume expected. The vote was 12 against and only 7 in favor of Blume's vision.Then, on September 3, 2026, Volkswagen Group announced that the plan submitted in June had been approved unanimously by the supervisory board.CEO Oliver Blume: “The Supervisory Board has unanimously approved the Executive Board's Future Plan presented today. This is a strong sign for the future of the Volkswagen Group. We are taking responsibility for our entire team, for our partners and for industrial jobs worldwide.”A record 47% want stronger unions. Labor's challenge is turning support into power. DCNERDY ESG STUFF (CARES/DON'T CARE)Tim Cook Could Still Out-Earn Apple's New CEO John Ternus Under a Special Pay Arrangement CApple set John Ternus's fiscal 2027 salary at $3M and his annual equity award at $55M, giving him a calculated fiscal 2027 salary-and-equity package of $58M.Cook will receive a $2M salary and a $45M annual equity award as executive chair, giving him a calculated salary-and-equity package of $47M.Almost all of the value in both packages comes through Apple shares rather than salary. Ternus has 75% of his equity award tied to performance, while Cook has 50% tied to performance.That structure gives Ternus greater exposure to performance, for better or worse. If Apple performs strongly against other S&P 500 companies, Ternus could receive more from his equity award. If the performance-based awards pay little or nothing, Cook could receive more from salary and equity even though he is no longer CEO. Cook also has a retirement provision that Ternus does not have.Good Good's CEO and president are out after ad debacle CCo-founder Matt Kendrick said that he didn't view the ad before it ran and that the marketing team oversaw it.Co-founder Nahid Giga will step in as interim CEO“Matt has decided to step down as CEO of Good Good”No mention of adSEC sues ISS as Trump administration ramps up scrutiny of proxy advisers CThe Securities and Exchange Commission sued Institutional Shareholder Services, seeking to force the influential proxy adviser to turn over information as the Trump administration steps up scrutiny of firms that help investors decide how to vote their sharesAI STUFF (CARES/DON'T CARE)Data Center Spending to Reach $31.6 Trillion by 2050 on AI Boom CMeta Hit With Sweeping New Claims That Its AI Glasses Violated the Consent of “Millions” of Bystanders in Searing Lawsuit DC"No bystanders anywhere had any opportunity to, much less in fact did, consent to having their faces, bodies, voices, and personal information captured, reviewed, labeled, and embedded into Meta's AI systems."Zohran Mamdani Bans AI for NYC Public School Students Up to Eighth Grade COpenAI Is Now Facing Over 50 Consumer Harm and Wrongful Death Lawsuits DCOpenAI Chief Scientist Warns AI Is Beating Humans at Key Tasks: 'No One Is Prepared' DCBLOWHARD INDEX (SHUT UP/PREACH)Sam Altman says he doesn't like smart glasses: 'I find it very uncomfortable talking to people with a camera and a light' SHUT UPSam Altman says he's 'a mega Apple fan boy' and is sad they are suing OpenAI SHUT UPDollar General CEO says its core customers are in distress PREACHCEO Todd Vasos 432:1Billionaire Warren Buffett Says He's ‘Impressed' His 3 Kids Want to Give Money Away Rather Than Spend It on Themselves Or ‘Build Huge Office Buildings' ' SHUT UPVivek Ramaswamy takes credit for "calling out the epidemic of woke capitalism, educating the country on that" PREACHDUMB STUFF (DUMB/NOT DUMB)Target is under fire over another Halloween costume just weeks after apologizing for the last one DUMBTarget, Walmart, and Amazon have pulled a “German Army Soldier Adult Costume” from their websites that resembles the uniforms of Nazi soldiers during World War II.Halloween chocolate eyeballs sold at TJ Maxx and Marshalls recalled over hidden milk allergen NOT DUMBGerman Far Right Party AfD Wins Regional Election, Thanks Musk for Support NOT DUMB26% of Gen Z Investors Include Sports Betting in Their Financial Strategy DUMBZoom Appoints Former Oracle CFO Jeff Epstein to Board of Directors; Jonathan Chadwick to Retire DUMBHumanoid Robot Fights Back After Getting Shoved DUMBA viral CCTV video shows the individual lightly shoving what appears to be a Chinese Unitree G1 humanoid robot. After it recoils slightly, it suddenly starts playing cheesy fighting music and pops into a wide-legged stance, ready to pounce. Two store clerks then try to restrain the robot as it tries to throw technical, high-legged kicks.
Taylor Lindman calls in during a pivotal moment of Robinhood Chain stock token mania to debrief us on how the SEC is approaching tokenization.He explains how Reg Crypto could be the biggest shakeup to token fundraising since the JOBS Act and Taylor Lindman just laid out exactly how it works. She breaks down why tokenized "stock tokens" from Robinhood and others are legally structured more like debt instruments than equity, and unpacks the SEC's new proposal for progressive decentralization: a real checklist that lets a token graduate out of securities law entirely once a project delivers on its promises.Taylor Lindman is the Chief Counsel of the Crypto Task Force at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.The Rollup is where the leaders of digital assets and finance converge. Live from the financial capital of the world.Timestamps:00:00 Intro02:31 The Robinhood Stock Token Drama06:14 Debt Securities Have Existing Rules09:18 Issuer Sponsored Tokens Explained11:36 Digitization Vs Tokenization14:04 TradFi Meets Onchain Convergence17:28 Most Ambitious SEC Agenda Ever19:46 Reg Crypto's Two Exemptions22:37 Progressive Decentralization Explained25:39 Stock Token Price DislocationGuest Socials:SEC X: https://x.com/SECGovSEC Website: https://www.sec.gov/Partners: If you run concentrated liquidity positions you know the grind. Price moves, you're out of range, you're rebalancing at, like, 3am. 1inch Aqua lets you take a different approach. You can stack multiple positions on the same token balance instead of babysitting a dozen pools, and your tokens never leave your wallet. Your liquidity stays awake, so you can catch up on your sleep. Check it out at https://1inch.com/aqua---Dinari - Over 230 1:1 backed tokenized stocks, ETFs & more with dividends. US-based SEC transfer agent. Available on 5+ chains & via API. https://dinari.com/---Space and Time is providing verifiable data infrastructure for onchain finance. A decentralized database, blockchain indexer, and ZK coprocessor in one, giving DeFi protocols,stablecoins, and tokenized assets accurate, provable data. ---Relay is the fastest and most reliable way to swap any token on any chain. Learn more here: https://relay.link/bridge---Zama is an open source cryptography company that builds state-of-the-art Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) solutions for blockchain.Learn more here: https://www.zama.org/---
Alex Thorn talks with Dan Matuszewski (CMS Holdings) about the state of the crypto market. Alex and Dan discuss whether bitcoin has bottomed, how Robinhood Chain competes with Base, the future of stocks onchain, stablecoin wars, and Tether's new financial audit. Alex also talks with Connor Finemore (Galaxy Trading) about the durability of the AI trade and what lies ahead for equity markets. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC and ZEC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
Gary Gensler, 33rd Chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (2021-25), professor of the Practice of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management and co-host of the Power and Consequences podcast, joins a special crossover episode of Sustainability Currents and Votes and Verdicts to examine how the SEC can balance its three key mandates: investor protection, capital formation and fair, orderly and efficient markets. How should the commission weigh investor demands for climate disclosures against the cost to public filers? Do quarterly earnings reports drive market efficiency, or trading volatility? How do recent Supreme Court rulings (Slaughter, Loper Bright, West Virginia v. EPA) affect SEC rulemaking? BI analyst Nathan Dean and sustainable finance product manager Rob Du Boff discuss these topics and more.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
DR'We Know We Got This Wrong': Target Apologises and Pulls 'Offensive' Halloween Costume After Racist Backlash; Target Executive Chair Brian Cornell Sells 50,000 Shares for $8.2 Million; WHO DO YOU BLAME?Executive Chair/former CEO (since 2014) Brian Cornell: still 21% influence!CEO Michael Fiddelke: 16% influence; started at Target in 2003; formerly COO and CFOWhy does the corporate page not list his years of service in two separate bios??Dmitri Stockton: 8 years tenure; the double-DEI hater (Deere & Company) Mr. Stockton provides the Board with senior leadership, marketing / design / brands, human capital management, capital deployment, information security / data privacy, financial management, risk management, reputation management, and sustainability and governance skills developed over his more than 30 years of service with General Electric Company in senior leadership positions with escalating levels of responsibilityMarketing / Design / Brands: Target's brand and focus on style and design are the cornerstones of our strategy to offer a preferred shopping experience for our guests that differentiates us in the marketplace.Reputation management: To be successful, we must preserve, grow, and leverage the value of our reputation with our guests, Team Members, vendors, and our shareholders and appropriately respond to crisis events affecting them.A random executive?Chief Merchandising Officer Cara Sylvester: joined Target in 2007Chief Community and Stakeholder Engagement Officer Kiera Fernandez: joined Target in 2001Chief Stores Officer Adrienne Costanzo: joined Target in 2004Black CFO representation falls 25% from 2021 peak as diversity levels off: The number of Black finance chiefs in Fortune 500 and S&P 500 companies ticked down to 15 this year, according to the report from Crist Kolder Associates. WHO DO YOU BLAME?Tractor Supply Co.: Fully eliminated its DEI goals, retired carbon emission targets, and withdrew sponsorships from social and cultural events.Deere & Company: Ended participation in social awareness parades and pledged to eliminate diversity quotas and identity-based affinity group funding.Target: Scaled back its "Racial Equity Action and Change" roadmap, modified its strategy for Pride Month merchandise, and adjusted internal diversity goals.Walmart: Ended key equity training programs, modified its third-party seller guidelines, and scaled back specific minority supplier programs.Lowe's: Ended participation in external LGBTQ+ advocacy surveys and consolidated its employee resource groups under a centralized oversight structure.Ford Motor Company: Scaled back internal diversity targets, stopped participating in third-party workplace index surveys, and unlinked executive pay from DEI metrics.Harley-Davidson: Discontinued its dedicated DEI function, eliminated diversity quotas for supplier contracts, and ended HRC index reporting.Molson Coors: Removed DEI quotas from executive incentive plans and stepped back from external diversity rankings.Meta: Reorganized its human resources departments, eliminating specialized DEI teams and specific supplier diversity programs in favor of broader recruitment practices.Amazon: Phased out several internal affinity programs and explicit representation targets for hiring.McDonald's: Retired numerical demographic goals for senior management roles and paused external workplace diversity surveys.Goldman Sachs: Ended its policy requiring companies it takes public to have at least one diverse board member.The double (and triple?) dippers:Dmitri Stockton: director at Target & DeereJohn May CEO/Chair Deere & Ford Motor directorMarvin Ellison: CEO/Chair at Lowe's after 15 years at TargetJim Farley: CEO Ford Motor & McDonald's director & former Harley-Davison director MMTrump 2.0/ElonShareholder opposition to executive pay eases globallyEurope: NO VOTES for past year fell nearly 6 percentage points year-over-year to 25.2%, the lowest average level since at least 2018.United States: Say on Pay Average Support (S&P 500): Rose to 90.4% (up from 89.7%). Failed Votes (12 years tenure, only 4 of the 11 directors got tagged as having meritThe number of committees - SIX different committees with SIX members in each (except audit which is 5) for 10 directors at the time - they needed to add ANYONE because they were exhausted from so many committee meetingsRich Stoddart DRMember of Nom/CG (also Audit, “Innovation”, and “Social Responsibility”)Was CEO of Leo Burnett - advertising agency that handled massive portion of Nestle USA advertising. Presley was CEO of Nestle USA.Callaway Golf CEO met with backlash over apology for Good Good video depicting abuseThe ad: In the footage, Good Good personality Garrett Clark charges at Alexis Miestowski, knocks her onto the grass, then stands over her and says, "Do not touch my new driver."The company issued a statement on Friday, but CEO Chip Brewer did a social media post this morning stating: "That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously. I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologize for the video." He did not apologize to women.WHO DO YOU BLAME?EVP and President of Callaway Golf Glenn Hickey who leads sales and marketing, whose prior work includes being a bond trader and getting a business degree from San Diego State, but was absent for the “don't shove a woman in an ad” lesson (possibly)Good Good and its CEO Matt Kendrick who made the ad for Callaway and posted, “Interesting that @CallawayGolf asks us to make an ad then approves it then asks us to take the fall then drops us in a coordinated media blitz and covers it up by giving a million dollars away thinking everyone will be ok with it. 30 for 39 will be legendary.” He also apologized. But clearly more annoyed at Callaway than, you know, sorry for women?The women on the board and the management team - they should have caught this before it got out! Oh, what? There's TWO women on the board (one auditor who is ex-Boeing, a company with no challenges, and the other a Chief People Officer at a food company) and ONE woman in management (Chief People Officer)? None of whom would have seen the ad??? Oops.Tom Dundon - who, according to the Callaway 2026 Proxy Statement, has been a director since “not applicable” - but does own more than 10% of the stock and has 56% influence over the company according to Free Float data MM
Alex Thorn talks with Gabe Shapiro, CEO of MetaLeX Labs, about onchain corporations, tokenized stocks and companies, and the SEC's new Regulation Crypto Assets. Alex also talks with Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about bitcoin's recent move higher, whether the rally can last, the impact on markets from Treasury's new bond buyback strategy, and the durability of the AI trade. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
The United States and Canada appear headed for all all-out trade war, hitting each other with tit-for-tat tariffs. In the latest episode of Potomac Perspective, Stifel Chief Washington Policy Strategist Brian Gardner and co-host Neil Shapiro discuss the key developments. Plus, Treasury Secretary Bessent comes under friendly fire from an influential mentor. This material is prepared by the Washington Policy Strategy Group of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”). This material is for informational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy discussed herein. The information contained is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed by Stifel as to accuracy or completeness. The opinions expressed are those of the Washington Policy Strategy Group and may differ from those of other departments that produce similar material and are current as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Stifel does not provide accounting, tax, or legal advice and clients are advised to consult with their accounting, tax, or legal advisors prior to making any investment decision. Additional information is available upon request. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is a broker-dealer registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is a member SIPC & NYSE. ©2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Plus: the Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating AI-focused hedge fund Situational Awareness. And an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz was struck overnight. Pierre Bienaimé hosts. Sign up for WSJ's free What's News newsletter. An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Story of the Week (DR):L3Harris ousts CEO after investigation into conduct MML3Harris Technologies, the company that overhauled a Qatari plane now used as Air Force One, has replaced Christopher Kubasik as chairman and chief executive after an investigation determined he violated the defense contractor's code of conduct.Kubasik's alleged conduct didn't involve and has no impact on the Melbourne, Fla., company's financial reporting, controls, customer relationships or operational performance, L3Harris said Monday.The company didn't give details on when it received a report of the potential violation. With the aid of independent counsel, the board determined that Kubasik's removal would be in the company's best interest, L3Harris said. He will be allowed to retain and exercise some previously vested stock options but won't receive severance payments, benefits or accelerated stock-based awards.L3Harris Technologies Appoints Sam Mehta, Proven Aerospace and Defense Executive, as President and Chief Executive Officer“The Board determined that the Executive engaged in conduct that was not consistent with the values of the Company as outlined in its Code of Conduct.”Kubasik will still hold onto some of his options that can net him stock worth about $23 million, as well as more than 200,000 shares of stock in L3Harris that he already owns, valued at nearly $57 million. L3Harris has paid Kubasik compensation valued at $66.3 million during the past three years, including $25.6 million in fiscal 2025.The separation disclosure says the L3Harris board decided to reach a deal with Kubasik to get him to leave rather than trying to fire him for cause. Kubasik did not admit to any violation of the company code of conduct, and the deal expressively forbids any of the parties or their representatives from making public statements “inconsistent” with Monday's disclosure.AND THIS:Women at L3Harris Shared Concerns About CEO's Behavior Years Before OusterIt was a warning that was shared among women who worked for Chris Kubasik: Avoid being alone with the executive and be careful on the corporate jet.Multiple women at defense contractor L3Harris Technologies LHX had raised concerns about Kubasik's behavior, including a formal complaint from one woman to human resources that was made around 2023, according to people familiar with the matter. The employee accused the CEO of sexual harassment, the people said.Kubasik stayed on in his role. The woman left L3Harris. Not all L3Harris board members were briefed on the 2023 complaint and it is unclearOusted L3Harris CEO was previously forced out of Lockheed Martin jobChristopher Kubasik's ouster as the L3Harris CEO was not the first time he was forced out of a company amid an allegation of misconduct.In 2012, Kubasik was set to become the CEO of Lockheed Martin when he was forced to resign after an ethics investigation confirmed that he had a close personal relationship with a subordinate employee.Why Do Boards Keep Giving Misbehaving CEOs Second Chances?L3Harris Technologies' LHX chief executive is out because of misconduct allegations, and it isn't the first time: More than a decade ago, Christopher Kubasik resigned from Lockheed Martin because he was accused of having a relationship with a subordinate.The Crucial Moment That Companies Miss After They Oust a CEOIt matters how a company responds to a scandal once it's caught in one, most blow the moment by choosing secrecy over transparency. It's an opportunity to reset the culture that led to the breach in the first place, but instead “your PR team and your legal team tell you ‘Don't dig into these things—it's not good for the company,' so you silence all the debates.”.Meta faces a $1.4 trillion threat that could mean ‘turning in the keys and walking away'—but the stakes of the case reach across techThe trial involves a coalition of 29 state attorneys general in a unified case against Meta that was brought in 2023, and will be argued by lawyers representing California, Colorado, New Jersey and Kentucky. The stakes are enormous as leading government officials across the country push for Meta to be held accountable for allegedly violating federal and state laws, including the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, and various consumer protection statutes.States accuse Meta of targeting children for Facebook, Instagram addiction: 'The young ones are the best ones'Meta whistleblower told jury the company took a 'don't ask, don't tell' approach to kids' safety‘Harvest their data and hide the truth from the public': Four states seek billions from Meta over child safety practicesSEC says it will stop responding to no-action requests ‘entirely'The Securities and Exchange Commission plans to stop responding to no-action requests “entirely … effective immediately,” the agency said in a statement Friday.The decision comes after the SEC sat out the bulk of the no-action process during the 2025-26 proxy season. Investor advocates have since sued the agency, alleging the change violates the Administrative Procedure Act.AI data center outrage is showing up everywhere from ads to electionsAI data center outrage is showing up everywhere from ads to electionsGOP Begs AI Firms to Fix Data Centers' “Toxic Brand” to Help Midterm Chances As A.I. Data Centers Spread, Pressure Mounts to Share ProfitsThe Data Center Industry's PR Blitz Is BackfiringData center backlash echoes fossil-fuel politicsMajor data center bills advance in California despite industry pushbackThe ‘Country Hicks' Who Refused $26 Million from an AI Data Center Bad news for Jason Kelce: Postal Service rules say you shouldn't mail pee to data centersPoliticians Who Once Championed Data Centers Are Now Bashing ThemPennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro cracks down on data centers, says speculators are 'scaring our communities'Data centers are using more electricity than anyone predicted. What happens next?Trump oblivious to voter fury about data centers, saying ‘the jobs are enormous and the money paid, the taxes paid, are just enormous'Politicians Turn Against Data Centers as Anger Over AI SpreadsAmazon is buying rare books and destroying them to train its AI modelsThe team's logo features a dinosaur holding a book.Data center hysteria is the new woke | OpinionBring back the corporate death penaltyMore formally known as judicial dissolution, the corporate death penalty basically happens when the government is so pissed off by the corruption or damage a corporation causes that it yanks away their charter.Andreessen Horowitz Focus of DOJ Probe Over Board DirectorsVenture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is the focus of a Justice Department antitrust probe over whether its investment partners are improperly serving on the boards of competing artificial intelligence companies, according to people familiar with the matter.The companies at issue include Databricks Inc., one of the most valuable privately held technology companies in the world, and Fivetran Inc., both backed by the VC firm, according to the people, who asked not to be named discussing a confidential matter. Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz serves on the board of Databricks, and partner Martin Casado is a board member of Fivetran. Both companies help businesses collect, organize and analyze massive troves of data.Goodliest of the Week (MM/DR):MacKenzie Scott gave California public education $461 million—and let the recipients decide how to spend every dollarMM: Andreessen Horowitz Focus of DOJ Probe Over Board Directors DRAssholiest of the Week (MM):Bill Brown and Robert Millard DRNever accountable for anything directorsL3Harris ousts CEO after investigation into conductHistory lesson:Kubasik hired in 2015 after Lockheed disaster firing, hired as COO and PresidentPresiding CEO: Michael Strianese, Chair from 2008, CEO from 2006Board: Claude Canizares (71, MIT physics professor, 2003)Thomas Corcoran (72, Carlyle, consulting, 1997)Ann Dunwoody (64, only woman, US Army Gen, 2013)Lewis Kramer (69, EY accountant, 2009)Robert Millard (66, MIT Chair, Lehman until 2008 collapse, LID, 1997)Lloyd Newton (74, only PoC - token black guy - US Air Force General, 2012)Vincent Pagano, Jr (66, lawyer, Simpson Thacher, chair of nom, 2013)Hugh Shelton (75, US Army Gen, 2011), Arthure Simon (85, accountant, 2001)8 white men, 1 woman, 1 black dude2018, Kubasik named CEO of L3 TechnologiesMichael Strianese retires and Kubasik takes overSame exact board minus Strianese2019, L3 and Harris merge to be L3HarrisKubasik added to L3Harris board, named COO and President of the company under Bill Brown, CEO and ChairSurviving the board merger:Thomas CorcoranRobert Millard - LID, nom memberLloyd Newton - chair of nomLewis KramerAdjacent - Roger Fradin of Carlyle on board, Corcoran also of CarlyleJune 2021, Kubasik becomes CEO and Bill Brown moves to exec chair (obviously)Board:Sallie BaileyBill BrownPeter ChiarelliThomas CorcoranThomas Dattilo (nom) - ex tire CEORober GradinHarry HarrisLewis Hay III (nom) - lawyer, ex CEo of NextEraLewis KramerRita LanRobert Millard (nom) - MIT Chair, LehmanLloyd Newton (nom chair) - generalSo given that the CEOs choose their successors, the nom committees approve them, the rest of the board rubber stamps it… we can thank:Michael Strianese - hires Kubasik, names him CEO at L3, despite Lockheed problemsNom approval: Ann Dunwoody (64, only woman, US Army Gen, 2013), Vincent Pagano, Jr (66, lawyer, Simpson Thacher, chair of nom, 2013), Hugh Shelton (75, US Army Gen, 2011) - a nom committee composed of the ONLY woman, two generals and a lawyer - all of whom are the LOWEST TENURED ON THE BOARD at the timeThen Bill Brown - names Kubasik CEO of combined L3Harris, one year of babysitting as exec chairNom approval: Thomas Dattilo (nom) - ex tire CEO, Robert Millard (nom) - MIT Chair, Lehman, Lloyd Newton (nom chair) - generalFamiliar names: Millard and Newton - see Kubasik all the way throughAnd the CEOs and directors can keep failing… Bill Brown on the Becton Dickinson boardRobert Millard on the Green Dot Corp (nom!), iHeartMedia, Evercore (nom!) boardsBrought on to iHeart board just 3 years after an exec there went on a racial slur rant, the company was sued for gender and wage discrimination, and a radio host of the companies were accused of severe harassment - not sure what will change?Dario Amodei“Public benefit corporation” Anthropic: Anthropic Prepares Supervoting Power for Founders as it Readies for Mega-IPOBoard: Dario Amodei, Daniela Amodei (President, Dario's sister), Yasmin Razavi (VC, crypto and prediction market investor), Reed Hastings (Netflix), Chris Liddell (ex Trump WH Deputy Secretary), and Vas Narasimhan (Novartis) - zero “public benefit” (or even public safety) peoplePublic Benefit Corporation: “A benefit corporation's directors and officers operate the business with the same authority and behavior as in a traditional corporation, but are required to consider the impact of their decisions not only on shareholders but also on employees, customers, the community, and the local and global environment”What is the impact of supervoting shares? AI on society? AI on the environment? Who on this board is even remotely qualified to answer those questions?Paul AtkinsExhausting and perpetual gaslightingSEC says it will stop responding to no-action requests ‘entirely'In order to focus Division resources on the review of Securities Act and Exchange Act filings, including those reviews that are statutorily required, for the protection of investors and facilitation of capital formation, and in light of the extensive body of guidance from the Commission and the staff available to both companies and proponents on Rule 14a-8, the Division has determined to discontinue responding to Rule 14a-8 no-action requests entirely, including those submitted under Rule 14a-8(i)(1),[2] effective immediately, unless and until the Division announces otherwise. It also will no longer respond to notices filed under Rule 14a-8(j) with a letter indicating that it will not object if a company omits a proposal from its proxy materials.From the 1934 House Report about the importance of Rule 14a-8: “Fair corporate suffrage is an important right that should attach to every equity security bought on a public exchange.”“Managements of properties owned by the investing public should not be permitted to perpetuate themselves by the misuse of corporate proxies. Insiders having little or no substantial interest in the properties they manage have often retained their control without an adequate disclosure of their interest and without an adequate explanation of the management policies they intend to pursue. Insiders have at times solicited proxies without fairly informing the stockholders of the purposes for which the proxies are to be used and have used such proxies to take from the stockholders for their own selfish advantage valuable property rights. Inasmuch as only the exchanges make it possible for securities to be widely distributed among the investing public, it follows as a corollary that the use of the exchanges should involve a corresponding duty of according to shareholders fair suffrage. For this reason the proposed bill gives the . . . Commission power to control the conditions under which proxies may be solicited with a view to preventing the recurrence of abuses which have frustrated the free exercise of the voting rights of stockholders.Investors Slam SEC Plan to Remove Best-Price RuleAtkins also is listening to the crypto bros who want to offer “tokenized securities” off exchanges and is hoping to eliminate a really basic rule that says “investors are entitled to the best price available for stocks they buy”Separately, DOJ Withdraws Antitrust Guidance for Proxy Advisory Industry - no antitrust protections for ISS (good!) but still can't do anything about the socialist NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA (bad!)Headliniest of the WeekDR: Popular breakfast chain closes half its restaurantsDR: The man leading Trump's RTO charge for government workers says he filmed a video in front of a blank wall to avoid work-from-home suspicionOffice of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Scott Kupor, the key driver of President Donald Trump's return-to-office agenda, admitted in a hot mic moment that he intentionally filmed a video in front of a blank wall while he was working from home so he wouldn't get blowback over working at home.“I was in my bedroom, but I was trying to find—because I knew someone was going to give me shit if like, they knew, ‘You were out of the office.' …I was trying to find something that was not recognizable as being in my house, basically. So I was just trying to find a plain corner with a white wall, which was not that easy to find.”Kupor was the first employee hired by Andreessen and Horowitz's venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz.MM: Flock Says It's “Taking a Break” From Responding to Media RequestsMM: Eric Schmidt is selling his superyachtWho is this headline for? Billionaire yacht buyers? Poor people who hate billionaires with yachts?Who Won the Week?DR: The women at L3Harris Shared Concerns About CEO's Behavior Years Before OusterMM: Joshua Ramer, the CEO at PeopleReturn (one of the last vestiges of diversity data in the US), whose newsletter today did the most Free Float thing I've seen anyone other than us do: they tracked a single Getty Image across SIX different company reportsThe image was called 1325876463 “Young Boy Leaping Into Father Arms In Playground”, mostly for sustainability reports because it's brown peopleThey found it in Danaher, Crown Castle, TD, Capital One, CSL Plasma, and Toyota EuropePredictionsDR: The meritocro-mano-sphere-o hires Christopher Kubasik again without any push back from anything or anyoneMM: We decide that, since everyone is trying to make companies immune from climate change lawsuits, that we just make CEOs personally immune for any behavior
Alex Thorn and Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about the Treasury's expanded bond buyback program, whether yield curve control is happening, and what it means for hard money assets like bitcoin. Alex and Beim also discuss whether BTC has bottomed and whether a bull market is finally ready to resume. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
In this episode, we're digging into tungsten, a metal that sits underneath everything from cutting tools and semiconductors to aerospace and defense.China produces roughly 80% of the world's mined tungsten, has tightened export controls, and the U.S. has not commercially mined it since 2015. Japan is already showing what happens when Chinese supply gets squeezed, while new U.S. defense restrictions take effect in 2027.So we're going to break down why tungsten matters, how the export controls work, and whether the West is facing a temporary shortage or a much bigger supply-chain reset.Sponsored by Blue Moon MetalsHosted by:Nicholas FNS: https://twitter.com/NicholasFNSUnusual Whales: https://twitter.com/unusual_whalesPanelistsChristian Kargl-Simard: https://x.com/AdventusCEOCraig Bradshaw: https://x.com/EQResourcesASXTeo Sinamin: https://x.com/Teo_SinaminThis Pod is not financial advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority. The stock market is risky, and any trade or investment is expected to have some, or total, loss. Please do research before any trade. Do not use this information for financial decisions or for investing. You should consult your legal or tax professional regarding your specific situation.Unusual Whales Unusual Social Media:Discord: https://discord.com/invite/unusualwhalesFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/unusualwhalesInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/unusualwhales/Reddit: https://old.reddit.com/r/unusual_whales/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@unusual_whalesTwitter: https://twitter.com/unusual_whalesYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/unusualwhales/Merch: https://unusual-whales.creator-spring.com/**Disclaimer:Any content referenced in the video or on Unusual Whales are not intended to provide legal, tax, investment or insurance advice. Unusual Whales Inc. is not registered as a securities broker-dealer or an investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”) or any state securities regulatory authority.
Most of us equate a satisfying retirement with achieving a specific savings goal. We dream of the day when the work alarm clock is silenced, the 401(k) is plump, and we can finally enjoy life on our terms. But recent research challenges this traditional thinking, revealing that while money matters, it's far from the only factor—sometimes not even the most important one. Why Half of Retirees Aren't Truly HappyOnly about half of retirees say their retirement is “very satisfying,” with most others falling into the “moderately satisfied” category and about 10% not satisfied at all. This leaves a pressing question—what separates those beaming with contentment from those just “okay” or unhappy after leaving the workforce?There is a tendency to assume money is the main culprit. Yet new research suggests a much smaller role for finances than is commonly believed, especially compared with other often-overlooked factors.Four Pillars of Retirement SatisfactionSavings:Your total nest egg, everything you've saved apart from your home.Lifetime Income:The predictable, recurring payments you'll receive for life—think Social Security and pensions.Health:How you rate your physical condition.Social Connections:The strength and depth of your relationships, measured by how connected and supported you feel.I talk about how these four pillars interact, and—most importantly—how none alone can compensate for a shortfall in another. For instance, having vast savings won't make up for a lack of social connections or poor health.The Surprising Power of Lifetime Income and Social ConnectionWhile retirees with over $1 million in savings and high lifetime income are the most satisfied (77%), those with far less in savings but significant guaranteed income (like Social Security) closely trail in happiness (73%). The reliability of a regular paycheck in retirement can be more psychologically satisfying than simply having a large pile of assets.But the single strongest predictor of retirement satisfaction, after controlling for all factors, was not money at all—it was social connection. Having a strong circle of friends was associated with higher satisfaction than having a seven-figure bank account.Positive social connections can even offset the effects of deteriorating health. Retirees with fair health but strong friendships are nearly as satisfied as those with excellent health but few friends.The Weakest Link: Why All Four Factors MatterThese factors stack rather than substitute. You can't out-save your way out of loneliness, nor can vibrant health buy your way out of financial insecurity. Satisfaction is governed by your weakest link—so maximizing all four areas is key.So, how can you prepare for a truly satisfying retirement? Strengthen Social Ties: Identify work-based friendships at risk of fading after retirement, and make efforts to integrate them into your new routine. Join clubs or volunteer—even before you retire—to lay strong social foundations.Prioritize Health: Invest in your well-being through activities that blend exercise and social engagement (think pickleball or group classes).Maximize Lifetime Income: Consider strategies like delaying Social Security to increase your guaranteed monthly income.Develop a Holistic Plan:Don't just focus on your “magic number.” Plan for your daily life—how you'll spend your time and with whom—after the paychecks stop.Your “Retirement Number” Isn't EnoughIn the end, financial security is essential, but it's only half the equation. To enjoy the best years of your life, cultivate health and meaningful relationships, and find purpose beyond work. Start addressing your weakest pillar today, and you'll build not just a wealthy retirement, but a happy one.Outline of This Episode[04:10] Understanding retirement satisfaction[07:41] Different types of retirement money[10:26] Explaining the Income Lab tool[14:45] Importance of health and connections[17:05] Balancing life priorities[20:31] Work as social infrastructure[23:41] Importance of holistic retirement planningResources MentionedHealth and Retirement StudyIncome LabWHO Commission on Social ConnectionOur Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and CommunityDavid Blanchett Connect With Scott WellensSchedule a discovery call with ScottSend a message to ScottVisit Fortress Planning GroupConnect with Scott on LinkedInFollow Scott on TwitterFortress Planning Group on FacebookSubscribe to Best In WealthAudio Production and Show notes byPODCAST FAST TRACKhttps://www.podcastfasttrack.comPodcast Disclaimer:The Best In Wealth Podcast is hosted by Scott Wellens. Scott Wellens is the principal at Fortress Planning Group. Fortress Planning Group is a registered investment advisory firm regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance and compliance with securities laws and regulations. Fortress Planning Group does not...
Alex Thorn talks with Rob Hamilton (Anchorwatch) about the Red Team utilizing AI to uncover and patch vulnerabilities around the Bitcoin ecosystem in the wake of the Coldcard exploit. Alex also talks with Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about inflation, markets, and why he's constructive on BTC at these levels. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
My guest today is Terence Kim from Cross Ocean Partners. Cross Ocean Partners is a global credit investment specialist focusing on value investing and downside protection through opportunistic sourcing. Terence is a Managing Director on the US Credit team. Our conversation today will revolve around one of the most interesting sectors in all of global finance, US office buildings. Between remote work and high interest rates, the sector is so hated this era is known as - the office apocalypse. Previously at Goldman Sachs and Oaktree, Terence has spent the last ten years at Cross Ocean. This is an ideal perch from which to view the current state of the office market from an opportunistic investment perspective. This podcast was recorded on July 23, 2026. The respective opinions expressed are those of Mr. Kim and Cross Ocean Partners. The opinions referenced are as of the date of this podcast and are subject to change without notice. This material is for informational use only and should not be considered investment advice. The information discussed herein is not a recommendation to buy or sell a particular security or to invest in any particular sector. Forward-looking statements are not guaranteed. BFO reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs and there is no guarantee that their assessment of investments will be accurate. The discussions, outlook and viewpoints featured are not intended to be investment advice and do not take into account specific client investment objectives. Before investing, an investor should consider his or her investment goals and risk comfort levels and consult with his or her investment adviser and tax professional. Biltmore Family Office, LLC is an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about BFO's investment advisory services can be found in its Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.
“By operating in secrecy, they're able to avoid or evade accountability — and, in many instances, engage in anticompetitive behavior or even fraud.” — Renée M. Jones on unicorns Twelve years ago there were 39 unicorns — private companies worth a billion dollars or more. Today there are over 1,400, collectively valued above $7 trillion, with the twin beasts of Anthropic and OpenAI at the front of the herd, driving the entire American economy. A good thing, surely? Not according to Renée M. Jones, the SEC's chief regulator of corporate finance from 2021 to 2023 and author of Untamed Unicorns: Why Startup Finance Is Broken and How to Fix It. The former SEC big game warden worries that this stampede of wild unicorns might be driving the entire American economy off a cliff. Her problem isn't that these private companies exist. It's that we know almost nothing about them. That's because of changes in the law since the Nineties that have lifted the hundred-investor cap on private funds, thereby enabling them to mushroom from under $1 trillion to $17 trillion. Add secondary markets where insiders quietly cash out, and the IPO becomes optional. And so we know almost nothing about companies like Anthropic and OpenAI with private valuations in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The result is what Jones calls the founder-friendly model of Facebook, Uber or Airbnb. With super-voting shares at ten votes apiece, founders effectively choose their own bosses, thereby stripping investors of the power to discipline anyone. Think Travis Kalanick and Mark Zuckerberg. Think Theranos, WeWork and FTX. Unicorns are named, of course, for their impossibility. Not so long ago, nobody could imagine a private company worth more than a billion dollars. However, with $7 trillion now on the table, Jones is concerned about the health of the American startup economy. On the brink of the OpenAI and Anthropic IPOs, I fear Renée Jones might be right about the dangers of a real crash triggered by the stampede of these mythical creatures. Jurassic Park is now playing in Silicon Valley. Pass the popcorn. Five Takeaways • The $7 Trillion Secret. The unicorn was named for its rarity: 39 existed twelve years ago. Today there are more than 1,400, worth over $7 trillion — roughly 1,100 in America, nearly 300 in China — and the biggest of them shape the economy while disclosing essentially nothing. That is Jones' target: not the billion-dollar valuations but the secrecy. A billion-dollar private company faces neither the disclosure rules nor the governance requirements of a public company its size, which means accountability arrives only by accident — a scandal, a frustrated investor, a whistleblower calling a reporter. Everything else stays dark.• How the IPO Died. Startups once went public within five to seven years, for two reasons: growth capital lived in public markets, and the 500-shareholder rule forced large private companies to register — it's reportedly why Google and Facebook held their IPOs at all. Both reasons were legislated away. NSMIA (1996) uncapped private funds, whose assets exploded from under $1 trillion to $17 trillion; the JOBS Act (2012) moved the trigger to 2,000 shareholders with employee shares exempt; and secondary markets — Forge Global, Nasdaq Private Market, EquityZen — let insiders cash out without a prospectus. The IPO became a liquidity event rather than a necessity. Only AI's bottomless capital hunger, Jones notes, is pushing OpenAI and Anthropic toward the public markets at all.• Founders Choosing Their Bosses. The founder-friendly model gives startup founders super-voting shares — ten votes to one — letting them control the board that supposedly controls them. Venture capitalists lost their traditional power to discipline or dismiss a misbehaving founder: Uber's investors, lacking the votes to oust Travis Kalanick, had to stage a coup via press leak. And the VCs are conflicted anyway — exposing fraud destroys the exit they're invested in. Jones' answer to the Google-and-Facebook counterargument is historical: dual-class structures were invented at those companies precisely to coax their founders into IPOs, and they now arrive by the second or third funding round — so the governance rot starts earlier and, as Zuckerberg demonstrates, persists indefinitely after the public offering.• The Fraud Files — and the Social Bill. FTX. Theranos, which hid parts of its lab from inspecting regulators. WeWork, whose IPO filing finally told the truth about the spending and self-dealing — whereupon the public refused to buy, the company limped through a SPAC into bankruptcy, and employees who had borrowed money to exercise options and pay taxes were left holding worthless paper. (The VC money lost, Jones notes, is substantially public pension money anyway.) Beyond the frauds lies the social bill of the below-cost blitzscale: taxi drivers destroyed and then prices raised; passengers assaulted under lax background checks; Airbnb's uncollected occupancy taxes, underinvested security, and name-based discrimination. A culture of outrunning the law, Jones argues, gets baked in — and firms powerful enough simply change the law, as Uber and Lyft did to driver-classification rules in California and Massachusetts.• Not Teddy — Franklin. Asked whether the coming reckoning demands a new Teddy Roosevelt — Casey Michel's prescription on this show days earlier — Jones reaches a generation later: Franklin's New Deal securities acts of 1933 and 1934, which made disclosure the price of other people's money and worked for ninety years. Since the 1980s the architecture has been chipped into optionality, and the SEC is now dismantling Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank protections while deregulating public markets too. Her remedies: disclosure to employees paid in options they cannot value, and disclosure in the largest private offerings — because investors of any sophistication cannot make responsible decisions while investing blind. Andrew's closing verdict: I hope she's wrong. I suspect she's right. About the Guest Renée M. Jones is Professor of Law and Dr. Thomas F. Carney Distinguished Scholar at Boston College Law School, where she has taught corporate and securities law for nearly a quarter century. From 2021 to 2023 she served as Director of the Division of Corporation Finance at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission — the nation's chief regulator of capital formation. A graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School, she is the author of Untamed Unicorns: Why Startup Finance Is Broken and How to Fix It (Harvard University Press, August 4, 2026). References: • Untamed Unicorns: Why Startup Finance Is Broken and How to Fix It by Renée M. Jones (Harvard University Press, August 4, 2026). Jennifer Taub: “This essential book, replete with details and drama.”• The National Securities Markets Improvement Act (1996) and the JOBS A...
Send us Fan MailAbout This EpisodeWhat does it mean to be bold with your career and your money? Marcia Dawood, early-stage investor, venture capital partner at Mind Shift Capital, and member of the SEC's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee, shares lessons from her own career and breaks down angel investing in practical terms. Tune in to hear why more women investors matter, how beliefs about money can shape financial decisions, and simple ways to become more informed and engaged with how your money is invested and spent. About Marcia DawoodMarcia Dawood is the author of two award winning books, Unapologetic Wealth and Do Good While Doing Well. She is also a TEDx speaker, Podcast host, and an early-stage investor who serves as the chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Small Business Capital Formation Advisory Committee. She is a venture partner with Mindshift Capital and the chair emeritus of the Angel Capital Association (ACA), a global professional society for angel investors. She is an associate producer on the award-winning documentary Show Her the Money. Additional ResourcesLinkedIn: @MarciaDawoodSupport the show--------Stay Connected www.leighburgess.comWatch the episodes on YouTube Follow Leigh on Instagram: @theleighaburgessFollow Leigh on LinkedIn: @LeighBurgessSign up for Leigh's bold newsletter
Why do some shop owners struggle to attract and retain younger employees, while others build teams that thrive across generations?In this episode, Matt DiFrancesco is joined by leadership expert Dr. Melissa Furman, President and Founder of Career Potential, LLC, to explore what it really takes to lead today's multi-generational workforce and why yesterday's management style no longer works.From understanding what motivates Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z to creating a workplace that attracts the next generation of technicians, Melissa shares practical leadership strategies that help business owners build stronger teams, develop future leaders, and create a business that's ready for what's next.Matt and Melissa also talk about:(02:47) Why leading every generation the same way no longer works(05:23) What motivates every generation in today's workforce?(05:52) What do Baby Boomers & Gen X really want from a leader(07:40) Why flexibility matters more than ever for Millennials(10:22) The motivation mistake most business owners make(13:06) Why listening to younger employees changes everything(16:01) Lazy or misunderstood? The truth about today's workforce(17:43) The #1 leadership mistake holding your business back(19:29) Good employees don't leave Bad Companies(21:56) Command and control is dead: Why leaders must evolve(25:56) Word of mouth wins: The recruiting strategy that still works(29:31) Why transferable skills matter more than experience(34:07) Why leadership isn't about you(35:09) Why great leaders let people failConnect With Dr. Melissa FurmanLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissajfurman/Website:https://unlockcareerpotential.com/Connect With Matt DiFrancesco:matt@highliftfin.com(814)201-5855LinkedIn: Matt DiFrancescoLinkedIn: High Lift FinancialFacebook: High Lift Financial Instagram: @high_lift_financialYouTube: @highliftfinancialAbout the guest:Dr. Melissa Furman is a nationally recognized speaker, author, and leadership expert who helps organizations build stronger teams by understanding what motivates today's multi-generational workforce. With up to five generations now working side by side, she equips leaders with practical strategies to improve communication, strengthen workplace culture, and create environments where employees of all ages can thrive.Known for challenging common misconceptions about Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z, Dr. Furman encourages business owners to move beyond stereotypes and lead people as individuals. Her engaging, no-nonsense approach provides actionable insights that help organizations attract, develop, and retain top talent while preparing the next generation of leaders for long-term success.Disclaimer:All information is obtained from sources deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. No tax or legal advice is given nor intended. Content provided herein or on our website should not be construed as an offer for investment advice or for securities, insurance, or other investment products. Investments involve the risk of loss and are not guaranteed. Consult a qualified legal, tax, accounting, or financial professional before implementing any investments or strategies discussed here.High Lift Financial is a DBA for DiFrancesco Financial Concierge, LLC. Investment advisory services are provided through Cornerstone Planning Group, LLC, an independent advisory firm registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Welcome to Bond Investment Mentor! In this episode, Chris examines the difference between "portfolio managers" and "bond collectors." He also discusses how to tell the difference, and how it's the most important step you can take to effective investment management. In this episode: Market update (2:00) Portfolio managers vs. bond collectors (4:18) What makes your institution's investments a portfolio? How a portfolio works as a system How bond collections happen The accumulation process & the "drift" 3-question portfolio management gut check Creating a portfolio management framework with help from Nelson Capital Advisors (Learn More) (24:24) If you have questions about anything covered in this episode, please email me at Chris @ BondInvestmentMentor.com. Do you know someone who could benefit from this information? Please share this episode and podcast with them! You will find more articles, tips, and resources about fixed-income investing and portfolio management at BondInvestmentMentor.com. Check it out! Let's Connect via Social Media! LinkedIn: Christopher Nelson, CFA Connect with Nelson Capital Advisors Interested in discussing how these concepts apply to your institution? I'd welcome the conversation. Email: Chris@NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com Phone: 207-420-2442 Website: NelsonCapitalAdvisors.com About Nelson Capital Advisors Nelson Capital Advisors is a registered investment adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, specializing in serving community banks and credit unions. We provide investment advisory services, portfolio management consulting, investment policy development, and fixed-income strategy guidance. Bond Investment Mentor LLC and Nelson Capital Advisors are commonly owned entities. For detailed information about Nelson Capital Advisors' services, fees, and potential conflicts of interest, please review our Form ADV Part 2A brochure. Important Disclaimer The content in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment advice for your specific situation. For advice tailored to your institution's needs, please contact Nelson Capital Advisors directly.
Alex Thorn talks with Natalia Li (Galaxy Head of U.S. Policy) about the state of the CLARITY Act. Alex also talks with Beimnet Abebe (Galaxy Trading) about markets. Participants, along with Galaxy Digital, hold a financial interest in Bitcoin (BTC). Galaxy regularly engages in buying and selling BTC, including hedging transactions, for its own proprietary accounts and on behalf of its counterparties. Galaxy also provides services to vehicles that invest in BTC. If the value of such assets increases, those vehicles may benefit, and Galaxy's service fees may increase accordingly. The valuation in this communication is based on technical, fundamental, and market analysis and not on any formal valuation method. For more information, please refer to Galaxy's public filings and statements. Cryptocurrencies, including BTC, are inherently volatile and risky and ultimate market movements may not align with this statement. For additional risks related to digital assets, please refer to the risk factors contained in filings Galaxy Digital Inc. makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) from time to time, including its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, available at www.sec.gov.
In Silicon Valley, a "unicorn" is a private startup with a net worth of $1 billion. As the term suggests, these were once incredibly rare creatures. Most startups would go public within 4-7 years, long before they had a $1 billion valuation. But two key pieces of legislation made the rare into the rampaging, starting in 1996. In her new book, Untamed Unicorns: Why Startup Finance is Broken and How to Fix It, Renée M. Jones warns that by staying private and shielded from oversight and disclosure, these startups could be endangering the stability of our financial system. Jones, who served as the director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance under President Joe Biden, shows how these tactics were used (and misused) by startups like FTX, WeWork, Uber and Theranos. "One of the big concerns is that startups are taking advantage of the secrecy to engage in, we could call it 'antisocial' or 'unsocial' behavior, but there are not really any mechanisms for the public to really see what's going on," Jones tells Modern Law Library host Lee Rawles. "If Theranos's investors and directors understood that they were going to have to go public and prove that the product worked, they would've been more demanding on Elizabeth Holmes most likely, and they wouldn't have been able to get away with all of those lies." A big concern Jones has is with the recent push by private equity companies to allow regular retail investors and 401K plan managers to invest in these opaque and risky private startup companies. "That includes private equity, it includes infrastructure. It could even include crypto. Again, these are illiquid assets," says Jones. "There's no ready market for those shares. And they're high risk assets and there's not a lot of information to even know, 'What am I actually invested in?' " "If the Department of Labor's plans are adopted, you're going to have to really work hard to avoid having any private equity in your 401k plans," Jones warns. "There's a risk that these overvalued assets are going to be transferred from professional investors who can act to protect their interest to sort of your average, unsophisticated 401k saver." In this episode, Jones shares her advice for reforming the oversight of these companies, warning signs that financial novices should be on the look for, and introduces a new creature to the financial bestiary: the centicorn.
Everybody is searching for ways to increase income. Unfortunately, MLMs often look like an easy way to start a business without taking on the cost of a traditional company. The pitch sounds simple. Buy the product, follow the plan, and put in the work. The numbers behind those promises often tell a different story. Today's guest, Stacie Bosley, has spent years studying what really happens inside MLMs. She is a professor at Hamline University in Minnesota and holds a Ph.D. in applied economics. Her research covers multi-level marketing, consumer protection, income claims, and pyramid scheme fraud. She has also served as an expert witness in cases involving the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. We talk about what separates an MLM from a pyramid scheme or a Ponzi scheme. Stacie explains why these opportunities attract smart and motivated people. We'll learn about the role of recruitment including those hidden expenses and fake or misleading success stories. We also learn questions people should ask before investing their money and time in any business opportunity. Show Notes: [01:03] Stacey explains how her background in applied economics led to research on multi-level marketing, pyramid schemes, and income misrepresentation. [03:22] Early experiences in rural Wisconsin and changes in retail and internet commerce sparked an interest in how people pursue business opportunities. [05:07] Pyramid schemes rely on a pay-and-recruit structure that mathematically leaves most participants with losses. [08:57] Adding a legitimate product does not change the underlying structure when profits still depend primarily on recruitment. [10:33] Ponzi schemes generally use investment language, while pyramid schemes tie a participant's compensation directly to recruiting others. [12:38] Products, demographics, religious communities, and other affinity groups can shape how MLM opportunities are marketed. [16:17] Reward-responsive people may be attracted to the recognition, status, and sense of competence these opportunities promise. [19:47] Anyone considering an MLM should define what they hope to gain and examine their realistic chances of reaching that goal. [22:53] The appeal of a turnkey "business in a box" can cause people to skip the research they would normally do before starting a business. [25:32] Earnings often look far worse after product purchases, training costs, conference fees, and other expenses are deducted. [28:13] Companies making income claims have a responsibility to explain what participants typically earn and spend. [31:02] Disclaimers such as "results not typical" do little to correct exaggerated success stories or earnings claims. [34:08] MLM losses can affect finances, relationships, social connections, and a participant's sense of personal worth. [37:12] Limited time, money, and energy can be diverted into opportunities that fail to improve a family's financial situation. [40:03] A company may be operating as an MLM regardless of its chosen label if participants earn from the activity of recruited sellers. [42:22] Important questions include the typical startup cost, ongoing expenses, earnings, profitability, and participant retention. [44:23] Claims that unsuccessful participants simply quit or failed to work hard can be used to dismiss troubling outcome data. [46:12] Encouraging sellers to recruit their own competitors conflicts with basic principles of supply and demand. [48:03] A large number of local sellers may be presented as community support even though it can indicate market saturation. [49:47] Resources such as Stacey's TED Talk, Truth in Advertising, and her published research can help people investigate these opportunities. [50:59] A reminder to look beyond the sales pitch and ask what people actually earn after expenses. Thanks for joining us on Easy Prey. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast on iTunes and leave a nice review. Links and Resources: Podcast Web Page Facebook Page whatismyipaddress.com Easy Prey on Instagram Easy Prey on Twitter Easy Prey on LinkedIn Easy Prey on YouTube Easy Prey on Pinterest Stacie Bosley - Hamline University Stacie Bosley - LinkedIn
What can we learn from primary results in key states ahead of this fall’s midterm elections? In the latest episode of Potomac Perspective, Stifel Chief Washington Policy Strategist Brian Gardner and co-host Neil Shapiro have the key takeaways. This material is prepared by the Washington Policy Strategy Group of Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (“Stifel”). This material is for informational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy discussed herein. The information contained is taken from sources believed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed by Stifel as to accuracy or completeness. The opinions expressed are those of the Washington Policy Strategy Group and may differ from those of other departments that produce similar material and are current as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. Stifel does not provide accounting, tax, or legal advice and clients are advised to consult with their accounting, tax, or legal advisors prior to making any investment decision. Additional information is available upon request. Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated is a broker-dealer registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and is a member SIPC & NYSE. ©2026See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The lamestream media is claiming that Republicans are actually pretty discouraged these days and that a GOP butt-kicking is an inevitability in the 2026 Midterm elections. Is this true? Our ornery host, Mike Slater, doesn't think so! Listen in and find out why he has some real problems with this doom and gloom outlook! Following that opener, Slater has a rare opportunity to speak with the chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Paul S. Atkins, about the ongoing wins of President Donald J. Trump's second administration and what to expect from them in the upcoming years! MAGA! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Jeffrey Epstein first appeared on a federal regulator's radar in 1981, when the Securities and Exchange Commission questioned him under oath during an investigation into trading connected to a corporate tender offer while he was associated with Bear Stearns. That proceeding did not concern sexual abuse and did not result in criminal charges against him, but it showed that Epstein had been subjected to official scrutiny decades before his eventual sex-trafficking prosecution. More serious warnings followed: Palm Beach police examined reports involving young women as early as 2001, another complaint surfaced in 2004, and a 2005 report from the family of a 14-year-old girl uncovered a much larger pattern of alleged abuse. By 2007, federal investigators had identified numerous potential victims and prosecutors had prepared a draft indictment containing dozens of proposed charges.Yet Epstein repeatedly escaped consequences proportionate to the evidence against him. Instead of facing the proposed federal prosecution, he received a secret non-prosecution agreement granting protection to him and potential co-conspirators, pleaded guilty in 2008 to reduced Florida charges and served only 13 months with unusually generous work-release privileges. He then returned to wealth, travel and elite social circles until renewed reporting and survivor advocacy helped bring fresh federal charges in July 2019. Even that long-delayed prosecution never reached a jury: Epstein died in federal custody on August 10, 2019, while awaiting trial. The result was an extraordinary institutional failure stretching across decades, in which warnings accumulated, victims came forward and investigators developed substantial cases, but Epstein's money, legal firepower and connections repeatedly helped postpone a full public accounting until his death made one impossible.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-epstein-chronicles--5003294/support.
In Episode 80 of our LDS Discussions series, Julia, Kolby, and Nemo the Mormon join together for a deep dive into one of the most significant financial controversies in modern Latter-day Saint history: Ensign Peak Advisors and the SEC's investigation into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The discussion begins by examining what Ensign Peak Advisors is, why the Church created an enormous investment reserve, and whether maintaining such a fund is inherently problematic. From there, the panel walks through the timeline leading up to the 2019 whistleblower revelations and the 2023 SEC Order, exploring the Church's filing practices, the creation of 13 shell companies, and the legal findings that concluded the Church intentionally obscured the size of its investment portfolio. Along the way, we analyze statements from Church leaders including Roger Clarke, Christopher Waddell, Elder Ballard, Elder Packer, Joseph F. Smith, Lorenzo Snow, and others, comparing modern financial practices with historical teachings on tithing. We also discuss the evolution of tithing slips, the Church's growing investment portfolio, estimates of annual tithing revenue, David Nielsen's whistleblower allegations, and the ethical implications of the Church's financial secrecy. Finally, the panel examines the SEC's findings in detail, asking difficult questions about honesty, accountability, transparency, and whether a church that teaches integrity should be held to the same legal and ethical standards it expects of its members. This episode provides one of the most comprehensive examinations of the Ensign Peak controversy, combining historical documents, SEC records, Church statements, and primary sources to better understand what happened –and why it matters. If you enjoy these in-depth historical analyses, please like, subscribe, and share this episode. Your support helps us continue producing thoroughly researched content exploring the history and truth claims of Mormonism.___________________YouTubeAt Mormon Stories we explore, celebrate, and challenge Mormon culture through in-depth stories told by members and former members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as scholars, authors, LDS apologists, and other professionals. Our overall mission is to: 1. Facilitate informed consent amongst LDS Church members, investigators, and non-members regarding Mormon history, doctrine, and theology2. Support Mormons (and members of other high-demand religions) who are experiencing a religious faith crisis3. Promote healing, growth and community for those who choose to leave the LDS Church or other high demand religions
Farside Correction Strike Launches Beneficiary Planning for Bitcoin Inheritance https://x.com/strike/status/2082560745498157548 CLARITY Act Protects Self-Custody Bitcoin from Abandoned Property Laws https://x.com/intangiblecoins/status/2081055716282953999 Vinteum Announces New Bitcoin Fellowship Cycle and Fellows https://x.com/vinteum_org/status/2080376273893728602 Jensen Huang's First X Post: NVIDIA Supports Open AI Models https://x.com/jensenhuang/status/2080643682408321103 Nigeria | Tinubu Establishes Virtual Asset Council Nigerian President Bola Tinubu signed an executive order establishing a coordinated framework for the regulation of digital assets. The new “Virtual Asset Council” will be chaired by the Central Bank of Nigeria, with the Nigerian Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigeria Revenue Service, and other financial and national security officials also involved. The Nigerian SEC will oversee virtual assets classified as securities, while the central bank will register payment, custody, settlement, and other non-security assets. FinancialFreedomReport.org Sparrow Wallet 2.5.3: ERA Hardware Wallet Support, XDG Directories, and PSBT Verification https://github.com/sparrowwallet/sparrow/releases/tag/2.5.3 Vexl v1.45.1: Performance Improvements and VCF Contact Backup https://github.com/vexl-it/vexl/releases/tag/v1.45.1_883 Amethyst v1.13.0: Napplet/nSite Browser Host, Cashu CLI Support, NIP-22 Comments, and Tor Onion-Location https://github.com/vitorpamplona/amethyst/releases/tag/v1.13.0 Blitz Wallet Android v0.7.14: Faster Payments, Transaction Filtering by Description, and Simplified UI https://github.com/BlitzWallet/BlitzWallet/releases/tag/Android-v0.7.14 India Forces GitHub to Remove Bitchat App https://x.com/callebtc/status/2080576044168339662 Bitchat Enables Offline Self-Transfer to Other Android Phones https://x.com/callebtc/status/2082106744788955310 Bitchat Coming to Smartwatches as Decentralized Mesh Walkie-Talkie https://x.com/callebtc/status/2082427446154997910 Bitle: Open-Source ESP32 Mesh Relay for Off-Grid Bitchat https://x.com/Alacritic_Super/status/2082055423109247402 Russia Charges Telegram Founder Pavel Durov with Facilitating Terrorism https://www.reuters.com/world/russias-fsb-charges-telegram-founder-durov-with-facilitating-terrorism-ifax-says-2026-07-29/ Colorado's New Restrictive Process for Buying Semi-Auto Firearms https://x.com/avaflanell_/status/2080706895787249842 3:33 - Blaze it 8:33 - Dashboard 9:48 - Corrections 14:03 - Strike inheritance 15:38 - CLARITY protects from Noah Doe 25:18 - Vinteum 28:13 - Jensen tweets 35:13 - Boosts 36:28 - HRF Story of the Week 38:43 - Software updates 55:43 - Durov flips off Moscow 57:48 - Colorado has fallen 1:01:33 - Geo time Shoutout to our sponsors: Strike https://strike.me/ Stakwork https://stakwork.ai/ Salt of the Earth https://drinksote.com/rhr Follow Marty Bent: Twitter https://twitter.com/martybent Nostr https://primal.net/marty Newsletter https://tftc.io/martys-bent/ Podcast https://tftc.io/podcasts/ Follow Odell: Nostr https://primal.net/odell Newsletter https://discreetlog.com/ Podcast https://citadeldispatch.com/
It's Wednesday, July 29th, A.D. 2026. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com. I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Jonathan Clark and Adam McManus India looking to restrict foreign funding of Christian groups India's Parliament is considering a bill to restrict foreign funding of Christian and other faith-based groups. The measure would allow authorities to seize the assets of such organizations if their registration is canceled. Officials have already canceled the registrations of over 22,000 non-governmental organizations. Republican Congressman Chris Smith of New Jersey is calling on the Trump administration to address this issue with India. He wrote, “If adopted, the bill would sharply expand the ability of the Indian state to seize the property and assets of groups that receive foreign funding — the vast majority of these being Christian churches and charities, such as hospitals and schools.” According to Open Doors, India is the 12th worst country worldwide for the persecution of Christians. In John 10:10, Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japanese island A 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit Japan's southern island of Kyushu yesterday. The quake caused a collapse at a shopping mall, killing several people. Dozens of people are missing or injured. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency advised over 260,000 people to evacuate the area. Japan's Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no issues with nearby nuclear power plants. Please pray that God would comfort the Japanese families of those who have died and restore those who have been injured. Senate confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence The U.S. Senate voted on July 28 to confirm Jay Clayton, who was nominated by President Donald Trump to be the next Director of National Intelligence, reports The Epoch Times. Clayton's confirmation by the Senate came after the Senate Intelligence Committee voted 9–8 along party lines on July 21 to advance his nomination. He was ultimately confirmed with 51 senators' support to 47 voting against. SENATOR: “On this vote, the yeas are 51, the nays are 47, and the nomination is confirmed. And the president will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.” Previously, Jay Clayton served as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York as well as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission under President Trump's first administration. Justice Department affirmed parents' right to disciple children The United States Justice Department issued religious liberty guidance to all executive departments and agencies last week. The memo reaffirmed many religious freedom protections in federal law. It also added a new piece of guidance. The memo stated, “Parents have the right to direct the religious upbringing and education of their children. This right extends beyond a mere right to teach religion in the confines of one's home and encompasses the choices parents make for their children outside the home.” In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, God said, “These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up.” Drinking water in three cities contained Abortion Kill Pill A new peer-reviewed study found that the drinking water in multiple cities contained the Abortion Kill Pill called Mifepristone. Those cities include Austin, Texas; Blacksburg, Virginia; and Carbondale, Illinois. For years, pro-life groups have been calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to track Mifepristone. Kristan Hawkins with Students for Life of America stated, “A study inspired by [our] clean water advocacy shows that our concerns are valid. In three cities where water was tested, the active metabolites of Mifepristone, the Chemical Abortion Pill, were in the water. We need the EPA to nationalize this examination, especially in light of so many struggling with infertility.” About 700,000 chemical abortions each year send long-lasting abortion drugs and human remains into America's wastewater systems. Mifepristone blocks progesterone, thus starving the baby. This drug has long-lasting metabolites that remain in the water because the water treatment plants are generally not capable of filtering out these chemicals. GOP Congresswoman Mary Miller of Illinois has introduced the Clean Water for All Life Act. Appearing on EWTN, Kristan Hawkins, President of Students for Life, said this. HAWKINS: “Mothers are taking these pills at home, in their dormitories, and when they are told when the cramping gets too severe to go on the toilet and to keep flushing and not to look -- meaning chemically tainted placenta and blood, as well as the human remains of our child, are being flushed in our waterways. And when you think about the fact that you're talking over 700,000 abortions a year are happening this way, this means, at a minimum, 50 tons of chemically-tainted blood and placenta are being flushed down our toilets with human remains every year, laced with anti-progesterone metabolites, which, shockingly, after they pass through the mother's body, starve the child and kill the child, do not go inactive. “They actually remain active as they pass through our water system. And is what we've tested across the country is that this water -- it's actually laced with these metabolites before they get to the wastewater treatment plant, after it passes through the wastewater treatment plant, and now we've proven it's actually in the tap water.” Through a special link in our transcript today at www.TheWorldview.com, you can send faxes to Congress and demand they take action to stop this public health threat. Or you can contact your two U.S. Senators and your U.S. Congressman by email, phone or letter to the district office nearest you. (Because mail sent to the D.C. offices of U.S. Senators and U.S. Congressmen has to go through so many scans, it can take months to get there). Voters want political candidates to address the economy The U.S. midterm elections are coming up in November. Pew Research surveyed voters on what issues they want candidates to address. The top issue was the economy. Voters are especially concerned about affordability and the cost of living. Americans are evenly divided over which party they agree with on economic policies. If the election were held today, 43 percent of respondents said they would back a Democrat candidate for Congress. Meanwhile, 37 percent said they would back a Republican. Younger churchgoers want more liturgy in worship service Lifeway Research released a survey on liturgy in worship services at Protestant churches. Liturgies can include elements like set prayers, readings, and formal patterns. Forty-two percent of churchgoers say their church has some of the liturgical style. Twenty-seven percent say they have no liturgical style. And 24 percent say they have a very liturgical style. Seventy-five percent of respondents said they are satisfied with the amount of liturgy at their church. Thirteen percent want more liturgy, while five percent want less. Surprisingly, younger generations are more likely to want their church to include more liturgy. California lifeguard saved 10-year-old boy NBC Bay Area reports a lifeguard saved the life of a 10-year-old boy at a California beach this week. Waves were overwhelming the boy at Seabright Beach in Santa Cruz. A 16-year-old lifeguard rushed into the water to save him. Other joined in as well. The dramatic rescue drew the attention of President Donald Trump. He wrote on X, “We're going to bring this heroic young man, and his family, into the White House with, perhaps, the boy he saved, to give him a High Civilian Honor. Very brave, he deserves it!” Worldview listeners weigh in from Oregon and North Carolina Here at The Worldview in 5 Minutes newscast, Carole Crowley in Damascus, Oregon wrote, “Adam, I love starting my day with The Worldview. I love praying for specific needs of people throughout the world, using God's Word! Thank you so much for your love and dedication to our Lord and bringing the needs of others to us.” Julie Scott in Charlotte, North Carolina, who attached a picture of her addressed letter, said, “Adam, I wanted to show you that, as a result of your July 9th newscast, I wrote a note to Suzanne McCormick, President of the Young Men's Christian Association, objecting to the YMCA allowing men, pretending to be women, in women's bathrooms and locker rooms. In fact, I grabbed several note cards and put stamps and our return address sticker on them so I am poised for action! [You can join her and send a letter: Suzanne McCormick, President, Young Men's Christian Association, 101 North Wacker Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60606.] “I also phoned the office of my U.S. Congressman and asked him to vote to continue to defund the abortion giant Planned Parenthood. Thank you for including the link.” Minnesota college student gave $500 to help fund newscast And Maylivia in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, whom I spoke with on the phone last night for 20 minutes, wrote, “Adam, my family and I listen to The Worldview every morning. If I'm around when my dad, also named Adam, is preparing and eating breakfast, we listen to it on repeat about six times, literally. He says he doesn't want to miss any of the details. Now, if he's already gone to work, I listen to it on my computer with the transcript, but only once. My mom and sister also listen as part of starting their day. We love having a concise wrap-up of the news, especially for updates on persecuted Christians. “Considering that my family uses it so much, I've decided to give $500. I am a college student, living at home, working part time. This money is partly from my savings and partly from my tutoring business. I was hesitant to give at first. But God laid it on my heart and reminded me that He can provide for all my needs and my parents are providing many of them for me right now! Thank you for your newscast. May God guide the team in His wisdom and remind you of the hope of the cross.” 19 Worldview listeners gave $7,597 And finally, by Tuesday night at 8:00pm Central, 19 Worldview listeners stepped up to the plate and invested their treasure to fund the six-member team behind The Worldview for another year. Our thanks to Kelly in Montgomery, Texas who gave $10, Cathy in Fate, Texas who gave $15, and Paul in Brush, Colorado who gave $25. We appreciate Sarina in Barnwell, Alberta, Canada and Dan in Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada – both of whom gave $100, as well as Kevin in North Bend, Oregon, Eric in Castle Rock, Colorado, and George in Edinburgh, Indiana – each of whom gave $200. We're grateful to God for Steven in Plainview, Texas and Richard in Lometa, Texas – both of whom pledged $25/month for 12 months for a gift of $300 as well as Israel in Yuma, Arizona who gave $347. And we were touched by the generosity of Ed in Wellsburg, Iowa who pledged $30/month for 12 months for a gift of $360, Frances in Beacon, New York who gave $500, Maylivia in Eden Prairie, Minnesota who gave $500, Danny in Abingdon, Virginia who gave $500, Kimberly in Lebanon, Oregon who gave $500, Mary in Highland, New York who pledged $50/month for 12 months for a gift of $600, Stephen in California, Maryland who pledged $100/month for 12 months for a gift of $1,200, and our friend in Naples, Florida who generously matched the 4 donors who gave $500 with a gift of $2,000. Wow! Those 19 gifts add up to $7,597. Ready for our new grand total? Drum roll please. (drum roll sound effect) $79,344 (sound effect of people cheering) We need to raise $44,156 by midnight on Friday, July 31! That means in order to hit our final goal of $123,500 by this Friday, July 31st, God needs to prompt folks to give an astounding $44,156 in order for the six-member Worldview newscast team to be fully funded for another year. So, if you have been waiting until the last minute, this … is … it! We could really use your help. The finish line is in just 2 days! Count ‘em. Two! Would you consider being one of 20 people to pledge $100/month for 12 months or give a one-time gift of $1,200, one of 16 people to pledge $50/month for 12 months or give a one-time gift of $600, or one of 32 people to pledge $25/month for 12 months or give a one-time gift of $300? Remember, the next four people who give a one-time gift of $500 will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by our friend in Naples, Florida. Just go to TheWorldview.com, click on Give, select the dollar amount, and make sure to click on the “recurring” button if that's your wish. And remember this, if you want to continue your monthly pledge to The Worldview that you started in a previous year, please let me know so we can count your generous ongoing gift toward our total. This newscast team champions the truth and uses the Bible as our plumbline. We actually cite relevant Bible verses that come alive as we look at the news of the day. Plus, we report on the persecuted church, the battles for life and a godly perspective on sexuality, often including action steps on how you can make a difference as a believer. What does God want you to give to sustain this one-of-a-kind newscast? Go to TheWorldview.com and click on Give. Close And that's The Worldview on this Wednesday, July 29th, in the year of our Lord 2026. Subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com. Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Seize the day for Jesus Christ.
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits
In April 1981, Jeffrey Epstein testified before the Securities and Exchange Commission as part of an inquiry involving trading in St. Joe Minerals securities. Epstein described himself as a limited partner and account executive at Bear Stearns who assisted the sales force with commodities and financial-futures recommendations. The questioning focused heavily on his recent departure from the firm, his handling of client accounts and an incident in which he had loaned money to a close friend who used it in connection with a brokerage account. Epstein acknowledged making the loan but insisted it had not been concealed and said he had not initially understood that such an arrangement presented a regulatory problem.Epstein maintained that his resignation was unrelated to the St. Joe Minerals investigation and said he left because he was dissatisfied with how Bear Stearns handled the inquiry into the loan. He repeatedly denied discussing St. Joe Minerals with members of the firm's executive committee and portrayed his departure as voluntary, submitting resignation letters dated March 12 and March 25. The testimony also revealed details about his rapid rise at Bear Stearns and his compensation: he said he had earned more than $200,000 the previous year, including a $135,000 bonus, and expected another sizable payment after leaving. Overall, the deposition showed Epstein defending his conduct, minimizing the seriousness of the loan arrangement and distancing his resignation from the securities matter under investigation.to contact me:bobbycapucci@protonmail.comsource:Jeffrey Epstein Transcript and Exhibits