NCHA ANNOUNCES NEW ENTRY STRUCTURE FOR THE 2022 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FUTURITY
FORT WORTH – The National Cutting Horse Association is pleased to announce a new entry structure, modified payment schedule and significantly reduced late payment penalties for the 2022 NCHA Metallic Cat World Championship Futurity.
Open horses have a single-entry fee of $3,300 that will automatically enter horses in the Open, Intermediate Open, and Limited Open levels based on the eligibility of the rider.
Non-Pro entries will have the same single-entry structure, with a fee of $2,900. Riders will be automatically entered based on their eligibility into Non-Pro, Intermediate Non-Pro, and Limited Non-Pro levels.
Eligibility levels are based on the current NCHA leveling structure. For information regarding the leveling earnings thresholds and to check a rider’s eligibility, visit nchacutting.com/leveling.
The revised payment schedule includes four payments, reduced from the historic six payments. The updated payment schedule is as follows: November 1, 2021; January 3, 2022; August 1, 2022; and October 3, 2022. In addition, a 10 percent discount on entries paid in full is available. This discount also applies to horses sold through the NCHA Western Bloodstock sales.
Penalties that have historically been as much as five times the entry fee are now limited to two times the payment throughout the entire entry timeline.
Amateur first payments are due on August 1, 2022, followed by October 3, 2022. Additional details on the Amateur entry structure will be forthcoming.
For more information on the 2022 NCHA World Championship Futurity, visit nchacutting.com/futurity.


I’m an assistant professor at the Geneva Graduate Institute (Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement, IHEID).
My research interests are in time series econometrics and empirical macroeconomics. In particular, I’m interested in the relation between economic dynamics and networks (think of prices across industries linked by supply chain relationships, or economic activity across countries linked via trade and capital flows).
We assess why a dominant currency in international trade invoicing can be replaced with another by contrasting two hypotheses stressed in recent theory: increased trade and reduced exchange rate volatility vis-à-vis the emergent dominant currency area. Our study focuses on 13 European economies that saw marked increases in the use of the euro at the expense of the US dollar for trade invoicing. We show how theory maps itself into a network which links together invoicing currency decisions across countries and develop a fitting Panel-Vector autoregression to jointly model invoicing, trade and exchange rate volatility dynamics across countries, while allowing for cross-country effects emphasized in theory. We identify for each country a “trade shock” and an “exchange rate volatility shock”, finding significant evidence in support of the increased trade hypothesis. Our estimates suggest that in countries where trade with the Euro Area increased, the latter explains almost 40% of the rise in euro invoicing from 1999 to 2019. In contrast, the impact of greater exchange rate stability against the euro is found to be insignificant. Importantly, a country’s invoicing decision is significantly influenced by those of other countries within the regional trade network. This effect operates mainly via bilateral trade linkages rather than strategic complementarities in export price setting, which point to the relevance of changes to input-output linkages in making or breaking dominant currencies.
Many environments in economics feature a cross-section of units linked by bilateral ties. I develop a framework for studying dynamics of cross-sectional variables exploiting this network structure. It is a vector autoregression in which innovations transmit cross-sectionally only via bilateral links and which can accommodate rich patterns of how network effects of higher order accumulate over time. The model can be used to estimate dynamic network effects, with the network given or inferred from dynamic cross-correlations in the data. It also offers a dimensionality-reduction technique for modeling (cross-sectional) processes, owing to networks' ability to summarize complex relations among units by relatively few non-zero bilateral links. In a first application, I estimate how sectoral productivity shocks transmit along supply chain linkages and affect dynamics of sectoral prices in the US economy. The analysis suggests that network positions can rationalize not only the strength of a sector's impact on aggregates, but also its timing. In a second application, I model industrial production growth across 44 countries by assuming global business cycles are driven by bilateral links which I estimate. This reduces out-of-sample mean squared errors by up to 23% relative to a principal components factor model.
Modern macroeconometrics often relies on time series models for which it is time-consuming to evaluate the likelihood function. We demonstrate how Bayesian computations for such models can be drastically accelerated by reweighting and mutating posterior draws from an approximating model that allows for fast likelihood evaluations, into posterior draws from the model of interest, using a sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) algorithm. We apply the technique to the estimation of a vector autoregression with stochastic volatility and two nonlinear dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. The runtime reductions we obtain range from 27% to 88%.
We develop a structural VAR in which an occasionally-binding constraint generates censoring of one of the dependent variables. Once the censoring mechanism is triggered, we allow some of the coefficients for the remaining variables to change. We show that a necessary condition for a unique reduced form is that regression functions for the non-censored variables are continuous at the censoring point and that parameters satisfy some mild restrictions. In our application the censored variable is a nominal interest rate constrained by an effective lower bound (ELB). According to our estimates based on U.S. data, once the ELB becomes binding, the coefficients in the inflation equation change significantly, which translates into a change of the inflation responses to (unconventional) monetary policy and demand shocks. Our results suggest that the presence of the ELB is indeed empirically relevant for the propagation of shocks. We also obtain a shadow interest rate that shows a significant accommodation in the early phase of the Great Recession, followed by a mild and steady accommodation until liftoff in 2016.


This is a republication of the notes, slides, and video of my Dec 7, 2013 presentation at LabitConf Buenos Aires.
Originally Presented Dec. 7, 2013 at laBITconf Buenos Aires
Over the last two years, I spent eight months living in Argentina and Chile, and actually, it was here in Buenos Aires that my friends taught me about Bitcoin. They called it ‘La Moneda del Futuro’, and it was their great passion that infected me with the ‘Bitcoin virus.’
Actually, the true meaning of this Bitcoin-revolution only recently started dawning on me, and that is that Bitcoin marks the end of monetary apartheid. Let me repeat that: Bitcoin marks the end of monetary apartheid. It is the end of financial discrimination and segregation based on nationality and political privilege.
In the economy of Satoshi Nakamoto, there are no artificial barriers to entry, you are not asked for any papers, there are no unnatural restrictions preventing mutually beneficial transactions. Basically, if you’ve got value to offer, you’re in business!
This process of value creation has been happening for nearly 5 years now- and how far have we come in such a short period of time!
Since I started recommending Bitcoin as an investment, in late 2011, there was one single question people kept asking me again and again: “why the hell should I invest in Bitcoin?”
However, with the tremendous growth we’ve seen and ever more opinion leaders expressing their admiration for this technology, the mentality is clearly changing, and the main question that I get now, is “Please tell me, how in the world can I invest in Bitcoin?” And that’s exactly the question that I’ve been asking myself for all this time.
So in this presentation I’ve boiled down some of the insights that I think are useful into a couple of lessons. Please don’t take them as the ten commandments, but rather a humble starting point for discussion. That said, I think they have merit and it’s these ideas that inform my own investment strategy.
1. First, and most importantly: Do Your Homework
If you consider investing in Bitcoin, do your very best to deeply understand what you are dealing with.
To invest in Bitcoin without understanding it, is like being in the middle of the ocean on a boat and not understanding your position and what the currents are. — Bitcoin is not just a vehicle for speculation, — it’s not just a currency, — it’s not just a commodity, — it’s not just a better version of paypal or western union, — it’s not just a cheaper way of transacting financially, either … Bitcoin is all of the above, and more The best way to describe Satoshi Nakamoto’s value proposition is probably to say that we are dealing with a:
…globally distributed… …digital protocol… …for trustless and easily verifiable… …information synchronisation and… …property allocation.
Let’s go over this definition word by word:
- “global” means that anyone in the world can use it;
- “digital” means that it’s super fast and nearly free;
- “protocol” means that it is carefully constructed and approved by many;
- “trustless” means that it’s extremely reliable & not dependent on third parties;
- “information synchronisation” means that it can host and secure any type of contract imaginable;
- and “property allocation” means that you can use it to determine your ownership of money or economic goods, and that you can use the network to transport property to anyone you want at any time.
So this is Satoshi’s gift to the world, an amazing network and community for the storage and exchange of value. And the only way to transact on that network, is by making use of digital currency units called “bitcoins”, of which there will only ever be 21 million in circulation. That is what makes these bitcoins so very special as an investment.
And this is why, when you become familiar with the Bitcoin culture, you’ll bump into phrases like “one never sells all of his bitcoins”, or: “To the moon!” — pointing out the enormous long term potential of this technology.
Indeed, people who have a profound understanding of Bitcoin, realize that their decision to start acquiring some coins might very well be the most important investment they will ever make.
2. Don’t make things too complicated: first and foremost, focus on acquiring some coins
As I said, the real value of Bitcoin lies in the size and quality of its network. Sure there are many other decentralized digital currencies around nowadays, but the one with the largest and most sophisticated community surrounding it, by a clear mile, is Bitcoin itself.
So if you think the technology developed by Satoshi is something worth investing in, go out there and simply buy some bitcoins, or some millibitcoins, as they are called these days. Apart from the coins itself, it is also possible to invest in the ecosystem that is developing around Bitcoin: exchanges, merchant services, mining companies, escrow services, and more. It is definitely true that there are many brilliant entrepreneurs active in this ecosystem by now, and some of them created businesses that are growing very fast. However if you plan to invest, keep in mind that the Bitcoin network is designed to be a super lightweight, very open environment allowing people to transact directly with one another. That’s the essence of a peer to peer currency: it cuts out the middle man, reducing overhead to almost zero. So in other words, if you go out and invest in too many Bitcoin middle men, you might end up empty handed, or at least with less than if you had just invested in coins. It is very hard to outperform an average growth of +1000% per year, so by all means consider these periphery investments, just don’t go crazy on them.
3. Security, security, security
I’m going to keep this one very brief. If you invest in an asset with low third party risk, the implication of that is that nobody is taking care of you. You are responsible for the safe storage of your coins, and nobody else. So do your research and take some time to set up a secure way to store your investment for the long run.
4. Don’t overestimate the impact of politics
In every practical sense of the word, Bitcoin is a global and nongeographical phenomenon. From the perspective of governments, it is like water: try to grasp it in your hands, and it flows to another place out of your reach. That’s why in general, political events will be overestimated in their eventual impact.
We’ve seen the seizure of the Silk Road for example, which caused BTC to drop from $125 to $85 overnight. Well, 3 days later the price was back up — the heist turned out to be a non-event. Given that many people (especially in the West) are very fearful of government and tend to overestimate its actual reach, I think that negative political shocks affecting Bitcoin are actually buying opportunities.
5. Mass Psychology : understand and ride the wave
To keep with our sailing analogy, there are fundamental currents that drive the Bitcoin ship, but there are also waves and wind, which have a strong short term impact.
When Bitcoin experiences a series of positive shocks (maybe a celebrity endorsement, like the one of Richard Branson recently, or a major retailer deciding to accept it), that leads to a lot of media exposure and usually a big rally in the price.
The rapid growth in price however, eventually puts stress on the bitcoin ecosystem, and inevitably a sort of crisis develops. The new investors panic, and the cycle enters the ‘bust’ phase. (This is the phase where Bitcoin ignoramuses triumphantly shout from all the rooftops: ‘The Bubble has popped!’.)
In order to survive the volatility in Bitcoin, it’s very important to be aware of this dynamic of mass psychology. Map out a strategy for yourself and try to stick with it, in order to avoid being swept away by the emotion of the moment.
6. Understand the interaction of all things Crypto
Recently there was a lot of news about the huge rally in Litecoin and the other alternative cryptocurrencies. And then when Bitcoin went down a bit, the altcoins dropped much more in percentage terms. Someone on reddit said “when Bitcoin sneezes, the altcoins catch a cold”.
Well I think there is a logic to the madness, and it looks a little like this:
This diagram is a model of how liquidity flows through the Bitcoin ecosystem. On the left there is a huge tank of Fiat money. When the sentiment around Bitcoin is positive, money flows from the Fiat-tank into the Bitcoin ecosystem.
First, people spend fiat money to buy bitcoins and the value goes up. If it looks like that they can make more money by buying mining equipment, they will also spend dollars buying Bitcoin mining rigs. As the rally continues, the new adopters are bummed out that they have to buy bitcoins at such a ‘high price’ and they start buying litecoin, peercoin, terracoin and the other alternatives to Bitcoin.
In that sense, we could say that the altcoin markets serve as a pressure valve for Bitcoin.
The same happens with the mining market: when bitcoin prices rise, the cost of mining equipment expressed in bitcoin drops, and bitcoin savers buy more mining rigs. When that happens, mining hardware manufacturers are given the signal to speed up production.
At some point however, the sentiment around Bitcoin begins to turn again, and the value of Bitcoin stagnates or declines. Because the markets for the altcoins hardly have any US dollar-liquidity, people exchange their altcoins for bitcoin, leading to a very quick decline in value in the altcoin markets. And in the bitcoin mining sector, at some point investors will figure that the massive investments in extra capacity have put a lot of pressure on the profitability of individual machines. Enthusiasm drops, and the stream of investments dries up — to stay with our diagram: the bucket starts overflowing and no longer seems to reward new investments.
However this perception can be misleading, because, like what happened in september and october this year, the market did not take into account that Bitcoin might actually rally again, bringing the yield of mining machines back into positive territory.
So what is the investor to make of this dynamic?
A possible trading strategy based on this model is to basically be a contrarian:
- When do you invest in Bitcoin mining? When nobody thinks it is profitable anymore.
- When do you diversify into altcoins? When Bitcoin is entering a new hype phase in the media and the price starts rising.
- When do you sell your altcoins for Bitcoin? Well, when these are hyped as well, and are breaking records valuations compared to Bitcoin.
Personally I recommend trading with very conservative amounts, because you are exposing yourself to a lot of risk by moving in and out of these currency exchanges.
7. Invest what you feel comfortable with
Despite the attention that Bitcoin is getting in the media, it is clear that we are still in early phases of Bitcoin adoption. Merrill Lynch estimates that today not even 3 million people are to some extent savers in Bitcoin. That’s about one in every 1000 internet users, and one for every 1500 mobile phone users. And the market cap of Bitcoin is now around $10 billion. That’s a small fraction of every market that it could potentially disrupt.
To give an idea: the size of the remittance market is $500 billion; the e-commerce market is $1000 billion large; the US financial services industry alone is $1300 billion in size, the money supply in high inflation countries (+6%) is over $4000 billion, the value of all paper money banknotes is about $4500 billion; the size of the physical gold market is some $7000 billion; foreign currency reserves (which Bitcoin could replace) are also $7000 billion; … you get the picture.
These are all market places that Bitcoin technology has the power to completely disrupt, and each time this happens it will put rocket fuel under the price of the Bitcoin currency.
What does this mean for the investor?
Well, that we shouldn’t be afraid of estimating the future potential value of one bitcoin in the range of $100,000 to $1 million. In other words, the risk/reward ratio of Bitcoin is still extremely positive.
Yes, there are scenario’s thinkable in which Bitcoin as a currency would fail — but the potential upside if it keeps growing like it does today is simply spectacular.
That’s why I recommend investing with a conservative amount of one’s portfolio: say 1–10%, depending on your risk profile and on how much volatility you can stomach.
In conclusion: no need to bet the farm on Bitcoin, feel free to invest with what you personally feel comfortable with.
— That’s it, these are my seven lessons on how to invest in Bitcoin.
In closing here, I just want to express why I’m so very optimistic about Bitcoin in Latin America.
Everywhere I go in Europe or the US I feel many young people suffer from a phenomenon called ‘pronoia’ — they believe in a conspiracy of people, especially politicians, aimed at helping them. Young people tell me: “I’m not too worried, the state will surely find a solution for the debt problem.” They tell me: “Politicians will secure our deposits, they will find a way to contain inflation and keep the banks open. And the government will also find a way to keep paying for our pensions, our health care, my children’s education, etcetera.”
I find that the young people of Latin America suffer a lot less from this pronoia disease. They instinctively know that the answer to the question of their economic well being lies not in the decision of some government official, but in their own entrepreneurship, in their own imagination, in their own effort and initiatives.
Talking about this country in specific: right now things may look pretty bleak, but I think Argentina has amazing potential for economic prosperity. Yes, the old days can come back, when Buenos Aires was on equal footing with Paris and New York, and in many ways actually, life can become much better than it was then.
There is a tremendous amount of value in this country, that’s just obvious, and I think Bitcoin, which is the first truly global language of finance, Bitcoin will play an important role in helping to unlock that value.
Post Scriptum: Here’s a short interview I did for ElBitcoin during the conference, who then published it on their website.


Why You Shouldn't Cut Your Marketing Budget in a Downturn
CEO of Letterdrop, former Product Manager on Google Search
Marketing is an investment. When done right, it directly contributes to your topline revenue.
Historically, in the face of a downturn, companies often panic and slash their spend, including on marketing, to stay afloat during a recession.
That seems to make sense, right? Tighten your belt and batten down the hatches?
Companies are heavily cutting marketing budgets in 2022 with the recession.
What if I told you that a downturn is actually the time to step forward and shine?
You don't sell when people are panicking — you dig in and invest more. This is traditional investing advice. There's a land grab opportunity to buy assets (or acquire customers) for cheap when others are exiting the market out of fear.
“Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.” —Warren Buffet
In previous recessions, businesses that thrivedtook action early, had a long-term vision, and focused on both growth and operational efficiency. When the market is down, a grow-at-all-costs mentality has to be thrown out since capital is a scarce resource. You also don't want to overcorrect and cut spending on things that drive growth.
Let’s dive deeper to learn how businesses not only survived but also thrived in previous recessions.
Why Invest in Marketing During a Recession?
2008 was bad. The U.S. housing bubble burst. Predatory lending and banks taking big risks on a global scale brewed the perfect storm that resulted in the worst economic crisis since 1929.
Researchers have analyzed past recessions to understand what worked and didn't, both in 2008 and 1985. The results were surprising.
For example, McGraw-Hill Research analyzed 600 B2B companies and found that companies that had advertised aggressively during the 1985 crash grew 275% over those that hadn't.
"According to our research, companies that master the delicate balance between cutting costs to survive today and investing to grow tomorrow do well after a recession... These companies reduce costs selectively by focusing more on operational efficiency than their rivals do, even as they invest relatively comprehensively in the future by spending on marketing." —Ranjay Gulati,Nitin Nohria, and Franz Wohlgezogen
Four Ways B2B Companies React to Recessions
B2B companies approach recessions in different ways. Some hunker down and turtle. They try to patiently survive and ride it out. Others ignore the signs and continue with their old plan... which is never good. The best companies recognize growth opportunities, even if these aren't as rapid as during boom times.
1. The Prevention-Focused Approach
The prevention-focused approach attempts to avoid losses and cut back on operational costs — decreasing headcount to boot. This strategy slams on the brakes and dials down their expenditure on everything. Customer experience suffers due to lowering the quality of operation. The company is trying to do more with less. Marketing gets tanked.
For a startup, this seemingly safe approach is dangerous because the outcome is being forgotten.
You're not big enough to survive being forgotten. Only the big guys can afford this. They just need to stick it out.
2. The Promotion-Focused Approach
With the promotion-focused approach, companies encourage an optimistic culture and ignore the realities of a recession. While this encourages a growth-oriented mindset, the downside to this strategy is that being blind to the early signs of a financial downturn and not reacting can kill your business.
A culture of unwarranted optimism can spread through a company, hampering critical thought during a recession. Bloated budgets are cut too late, and the business suffers or fails.
3. The Pragmatic-Focused Approach
The Pragmatic strategy recognizes that cost-cutting is necessary to survive a recession. However, there's still a focus on driving growth, although slower than during boom times — survival is as important as growth during a recession. The only issue is that companies might cut costs and invest in the wrong areas. That's where the final approach comes in.
4. The Progressive-Focused Approach
These companies are a refined version of the Pragmatic ones. They're selective about their offensive and defensive moves. Progressive companies cut costs by improving operational efficiency and minimally cutting bloated headcounts. It's not just a mass reduction in spend throughout.
They also recognize the growth opportunity that is opened up for them when their competition picks one of the first two approaches. Progressive companies outspend their rivals on both R&D and marketing in strategic areas that will get them ahead in the long term. Their goal is not only surviving the recession but also to use it as an opportunity to come out ahead.
Let's look at the odds a company will outperform its rivals by adopting one of these strategies:
TL;DR? The right answer is number 4. Spend on marketing during an economic downturn. Only cut on cost centers.
Applying a Progressive-Focused Marketing Strategy
Competitors in your space are making moves. They'll take one of the above approaches. You need to have a plan of action.
Move Ahead when Your Competitors Take a Step Back on Marketing
During a downturn, some of your competitors willscale back their marketing efforts oreven stop them altogether. Don't follow their lead.
Your competitors scaling back presents you an opportunity to gain market share. If your competitors are not investing in marketing, they're effectively giving you space to expand — it's like a free pass for you to attract more customers.
While your competitors are cutting back on their marketing spend, pursuing new, more efficient marketing strategies allows you to gain market share. Now is the time to invest in long-term growth initiatives like content marketing. You can run successful marketing campaigns even if you don't have a massive budget.
Also, some of your competitors will continue to invest in marketing even during a downturn. If you cut your budget and your competitors increase theirs, you're the one making space for someone else. Marketing abhors a vacuum.
Communicate the Value of Your Product or Service During a Recession
Your current clients or customers will change their spending habits. During a recession, people are generally more conservative with their spending, focusing on necessities.
Communicate the need for your products or services. Position yourself as anecessity, not a luxury. Adjust your marketing to demonstrate that your product or service fulfills client needs, not wants. If your customers see a positive ROI from your offering—it helps them increase revenue profitably or cut costs—you'll make a very strong case.
Take Mailchimp, for example. During the 2008 recession, Mailchimp introduced its freemium business model — giving away basic features for free and only charging for premium features. This strategy from Mailchimp helped them acquire new customers andincrease revenue. Freemium gave clients what they needed. Premium gave them what they wanted.
Lean into ROI-based marketing campaigns to show how your product or service makes money for your customers, even during an economic downturn. Use case studies to demonstrate how you help other customers move key business metrics that can keep their company afloat. Show your audience how you're indispensable. It's doubly important during a recession.
Read the Room — Be Helpful. Last Year's Message Isn't This Year's
If you continue to use the same marketing message without considering how your customer's needs and situations have changed, you will annoy them, and they will tune you out.
You can't afford that.
Instead, try to provide value and help customers get through tough timeswith you. Build trust with your customers and increase lifetime value — through and beyond the recession.
By providing value and becoming a source of solutions, you can create a bond with your customers that will make them want to continue doing business with you — even during tough economic times.
Ride Through the Shift in Product Demand
Demand for your product may have shifted.
Clients may be looking for cheaper alternatives to what you currently offer. They may also be looking for products that serve a different purpose from what they originally bought them for.
Your marketing needs to take these shifts in demand into account. Adjust your messaging and positioning to reflect the new needs of your target market.
Zeus Living, a property management company, offers apartments and homes for rent to startups, students, and companies living in U.S. cities.
Then the rental-housing market crashed in 2020 during the COVID pandemic. Zeus had difficulty keeping their business running. They lost tens of millions of dollars in revenue and had to lay off 60% of their employees.
Zeus Living saw an opportunity in the market crash and decided to ride through the shift in demand. They worked tirelessly to modify their product to satisfy the new market. They understood their target market wanted to livea more flexible, mobile, and asset-light lifestyle.
Zeus Living shifted its focus to accommodate remote work:
"Work From Anywhere' was becoming our main use case, and we had to figure out how to adapt. Residents were telling us that living with us was a better option than corporate housing, more flexible than short-term housing, and more appealing and easier than the unfurnished rental market." —Kulveer Taggar, CEO and co-founder of Zeus Living
From there, they decided to add third-party homes to their platform to meet the demands of their customers in Miami, Denver, and Austin.
Even though your instincts might tell you to cut your marketing footprint during a downturn, companies that continue to invest in marketing and make adjustments instead of cutting will see a long-term increase in sales and market share.
Marketing isn't acost center. It's an opportunity to show your customers how you can help them survive and even thrive. If anything, it's a high-ROI profit driver when used strategically. If your marketing budgetis cut down, content marketing — blog and social posts — keeps you on your customers' radar at a low cost.
Refocusing your marketing approach may be the smartest thing you can do for your business during an economic downturn.
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You have converted 140 USD to NZD: 189,47 New Zealand Dollars. For this operation we used International Currency Rate: 1.35336. The result will appear with every reload of the page. You can convert US Dollars to other different currencies with the form on right sidebar. If you want to know money equivalents of 140 US Dollar in other currencies see "In other currencies".
Convert currency 140 USD to NZD. How much 140 US Dollars to New Zealand Dollar? — 189,47 New Zealand Dollars
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- Learn about your goals and objectives;
- Review your financial situation; and
- Answer your questions about financial advice.
These initial meetings enable you to see us at work before you commit to a relationship with our firm. To get started, just complete this form! We'll be in touch shortly.


Businesses, small or large, prefer getting value for money and time. Therefore, whether a software is paid or free matters less and the value it generates for the business matters more.
It’s all about the returns you get after investing your money or effort in implementation and usage of a POS or billing software.
A free billing software is, at times, risky to use, if it requires a lot of training, expansion cost, and installation cost & effort.
However, if you choose wisely, you can find a free point of sale software that is worth your time and effort. Free software like Loyera are customizable, scalable, hardware-independent and cloud-based, enabling efficiency.
Here are a few situations when it is justified to use a Free Billing Software for your business.
Testing the waters
If you are just starting out to use a billing software and do not know what to expect, then you can start with a free billing software. Just do some background research to ensure that your chosen free software is capable of customization, business & operations scaling, and performing other essential POS activities.
If you are familiar with how POS and billing software work, then it is advisable to not bother much about the cost of subscribing to a POS software and focus on the returns a POS software is capable of generating for your company.
Free Billing Software that can be scaled
It is important to ensure that the free POS software you choose will enable you to increase your product range, business activities, staff members, business locations, etc. without any limit. For example, Loyera allows businesses to add unlimited products, product categories, stock, store branches, and staff IDs to the POS system.
If your chosen software restricts your usage due to its inherent features, limited server capability, and high cost, then it can be detrimental to the growth of your business. It is wise to stay away from a restrictive free billing software.
Value for money and time
Even if your chosen POS system is free, it should offer you value for money and time spent to implement and use it. Value generated by a billing software can be measured by assessing acceleration in increase of revenue, improved efficiency in sales and operations, rate of optimization of inventory management, and improved revenue management.
If your free POS software is costing a lot in terms of hardware required to run it, staff training, reduced or no improvement in efficiency, and software replacement in case of non-scalability, then it is recommended to not purchase that free software.
Essential POS features
You can choose to go for a free software as long as it offers all the essential features that a POS software should offer in today’s tech-advanced world. The essential features you should be looking for include customer data creation, data analysis, revenue management, inventory management, order management, and compatibility with different payment modes.
If you find these features missing in your chosen free software, then you can do more research on available POS systems. There are free billing software like Loyera, which offer all essential functionalities with room for customization and scalability.


DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT OR CERTEGY WITH QUESTIONS. FOR IMMEDIATE RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS, PLEASE CALL THE CLAIMS ADMINISTRATOR TOLL FREE AT 1 (888) 404-8013.
If you have paid a service charge or processing fee to Certegy Payment Recovery Services, Inc. (“CPRS”) in connection with a returned check between January 2004 and March 2009, a consumer class action settlement may resolve your legal claim.
A lawsuit was filed by a class of consumers in the states of Texas, Hawaii, Montana, Oregon and Kentucky who received collection notices from CPRS and paid a service charge or processing fee to CPRS in connection with a personal check returned for insufficient funds.
A settlement has now been reached with CPRS regarding those charges and fees. Under the terms of that settlement, a monetary payment will be made by CPRS in exchange for a release of all class members' claims against it under 15 U.S.C. § 1692f. It is proposed that the net proceeds of that payment, be distributed to the Attorneys General of the respective states in the percentages set forth in the Settlement Agreement.
Note: You will NOT receive a monetary payment from the settlement. Due to damage limitations under the federal laws at issue, and given the large number of class members, the net monetary payment will not be enough to provide individualized monetary relief to class members. Instead, the Settlement Agreement provides that modest monetary payments will be made to the Attorneys General in the states where class members reside. The Attorneys General will use those funds for consumer protection education and enforcement activities.
Your Legal Rights and Options:
If you are included in the settlement, you have legal rights and options. If you did not want to be legally bound by the settlement, you must have excluded yourself by January 11, 2010. Objections to the settlement must have been filed by January 11, 2010. The Court will hold a hearing on February 1, 2010 to consider whether to approve the settlement.
More information is available in the Settlement Agreement, or by calling 1-866-358-3492.
|January 11, 2010
|Request for Exclusion Deadline|
|January 11, 2010
|Objection Filing Deadline|
|February 1, 2010||Final Approval Hearing|


Major: Financial Counseling and Planning
Type of experience: Internship
Company/Organization: First National Bank
Company/Organization website: https://www.fnbames.com/home/home
Title: Loan Operations Intern
Destination: Ames, IA
Timeframe: August 3, 2015- December 31, 2015
Advisor/Coordinator Email: email@example.com
I was responsible for...
During my internship my main responsibility was quality control of loan documents. I made sure that our loans met compliance standards and followed up with the appropriate loan officer, agency, and my supervisor to correct any issues that I found. I also learned and completed loan processor duties such as entering in data and preparing loan documents.
I will never forget...
I have worked for First National bank for almost 2 1/2 years but just started as in intern in August of this year. There are a lot of people that I knew of that worked there but never had any interaction with. I think the most memorable part of my internship was growing closer to my coworkers and hearing all of the compliments from them, especially the bank president, vice presidents, as well as my supervisor.
Advice for others...
My advice would be to have an open mind about different opportunities available to you. My internship wasn't directly related to my major but I still enjoyed my experience and learned a lot of valuable things from it including responsibility, communication skills, and professionalism.


When I talk with patients or family members who have hearing loss, I hear a lot of grousing about the cost of the hearing aids purchased. I mean, those hearing aids are so TINY, they look so fragile… and you’re telling me they cost HOW much?! Sound familiar?
Consumers seeking hearing healthcare help are often surprised at the cost of today’s sophisticated hearing technology. And that’s understandable. A high-quality digital hearing aid usually costs between $1000 and $3000, sometimes more when paired with sophisticated bluetooth technology or other assistive listening devices. And in Alabama, hearing devices are also subject to sales tax.
So, is this investment worth it? When assessing the value of hearing aids, it’s important to consider the many market variables inherent to pricing, including the following:
- Hearing aids are medically regulated devices. As such, the manufacturers who produce these devices are subject to regulation by many organizations, including the FDA, FTC, and FCC. Like many other products in the U. S. marketplace, having to meet regulation specifications by governmental agencies seldom lowers costs, and almost assuredly raises them. As regulated devices, the cost of the research and development (AKA “R & D”) required to bring these products to market is significant, and it results in products being more pricey.
- What does R & D cost, and why is it so important? Consider that the “Big Six” (or the top six hearing aid manufacturers in the U.S. today) spend roughly $500,000,000 annually on R & D, which is quite a lot. To be precise, that figure is 14% of their combined budgets. To put this into perspective, let’s do a percentage comparison. All of us would concede that Apple is certainly cranking out state-of-the-art technology, and undoubtedly this costs the company in terms of product research and development, but by comparison, Apple expends only 2% of its total budget for R & D.
- Remember that to date, hearing aids are the only medical devices that involve coupling an electronic device to a sensory organ. This is not an easy task. Today’s instrumentation is incredibly sophisticated, with increased chip speed and capability. Today’s hearing devices are certainly not your grandmother’s hearing aid! Nevertheless, this type of electronic capability comes with a price: It’s expensive to bring these products to market, and market share remains limited.
- Hearing aids still have a fairly low market penetration. Of the 37 million Americans who might benefit from amplification, only about 1 in 5 actually utilize the available hearing technology. We have not seen the same price reductions that are inherent to widely used electronic devices like TVs, computers, cellphones, etc. found in virtually every household. So, what’s the result? Without sufficient market penetration, the product pricing remains higher for everyone.
- The price you are quoted for hearing aids is seldom unbundled — this means that the cost for services of the audiologist or hearing healthcare provider, warranties, repair coverage, etc. is usually bundled into the price. Consumers often forget that there are dispensing fees inherent to well-fit hearing devices. Are these fees worth it? To answer that question, we need only consider success rates (or lack thereof) for some of the unbundled personal sound amplification products or hearing aids such often sold on the internet, whose return-for-credit rates are upward of 60%!
Is the price tag for quality hearing devices worth it? Let’s consider the alternative…
Untreated hearing loss results in billions (that’s right… I said BILLIONS) of dollars in lost productivity in the U.S. workforce today. To be exact, unaddressed hearing loss results in 23 billion dollars of lost efficiency/productivity, which costs all of us in the long run. And of course, without today’s sophisticated hearing device capability, the loss in communications ability, lifestyle preservation, and a myriad of other quality of life issues (even for those not employed) costs our society a great deal indeed. There is also a significant body of research that suggests that if you have hearing loss, waiting to get hearing aids can actually compromise word recognition ability. As this data indicates, delaying amplification is not without its own inherent cost.
So, despite the fact that the price for hearing aids may be steep at first glance, there are some very good reasons why costs may be higher than we’d like to see. If cost of recommended hearing technology is a concern for you or your family member, talk to your audiologist and explore possibilities for financial assistance or alternative technologies.


All Paige Cook Coaching membership packages include a 10 day cooling off period.
After 10 days, no refunds will be issued. 10-day cooling offs are not included in any membership packages created during or after the initial plan creation. Similarly, a free trial cannot be paused or reinstated if any membership package is canceled or downgraded before the initial trial period has ended.
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Similarly, it is your responsibility to evaluate Paige Cook Coaching, including its features, limitations, and system requirements before selecting any Paid Plan.
Paige Cook Coaching will not issue refunds to customers on the basis of customers not understanding the system requirements, or the presence of compatibility issues, including inadequate internet speed or consistency, or incompatible devices, operating systems, or browser software versions. System incompatibility based on system requirements should be tested during the 10 day cooling off period.
Fees, Refunds, and Charges
Client (Paige Cook Coaching administrator) shall pay for all subscription fees, and hereby authorizes Paige Cook Coaching (and its payment processors) to debit Client’s bank account or charge Client’s credit card, as stated on Client’s channel subscription and billing page. The client agrees that all subscriptions are recurring and will renew automatically. The client shall also be solely responsible for paying and remitting to the appropriate tax authorities all applicable taxes (withholding tax, sales tax, services tax, value-added tax (VAT), goods and services tax (GST), etc.) or duties imposed by any government entity or collecting agency except those taxes based Paige Cook Coaching’s net income. In the event Client fails to satisfy its tax and/or duty obligations herein, Client shall reimburse Paige Cook Coaching upon demand for any taxes and/or duties paid on behalf of Client and shall defend, indemnify and hold Paige Cook Coaching harmless against any claim and/or liability (including penalties) resulting from Client’s failure to pay such taxes and/or duties.
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The client can learn how to cancel, delete, or update their account here. Please keep in mind that you are solely responsible for properly canceling your account. You must email support before or on the payment due date. However, you can also contact support if you are having difficulty or need help.
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All Paige Cook Coaching subscriptions include a 10 day cooling off period. After 10 days, the chosen membership package is billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis and is non-refundable; no refunds will be issued. Paige Cook Coaching does not offer prorated refunds for canceled subscription plans. There will be no refunds or credits for partial months of service, upgrade/downgrade refunds, or refunds for months unused with an open account. In order to treat everyone equally, no exceptions will be made.
All subscriptions, both month-to-month and annual plans, are recurring and will automatically renew after the end of each paid subscription period.
Paige Cook Coaching’s Refund Policy for Annual Plans.
Paige Cook Coaching is committed to the success of our customers, but through experience, we have found that users have varying requirements, capabilities, and limitations with regard to the types of devices and software they can use, the way their local network is configured, the speed of their internet connection, etc.
These issues will certainly impact a customer’s ability to use Paige Cook Coaching as it is intended.
Accordingly, Paige Cook Coaching offers a 10 day cooling off period and is happy in certain circumstances to extend the trial period for users who need more time to evaluate our software and its compatibility with their specific environment.
Paige Cook Coaching also offers a Month-to-Month Subscription Plan, which allows customers to upgrade, downgrade, and cancel at any time without penalty. We recommend this option for most customers, especially those that do not have full certainty or control over their technology environment.
Finally, Paige Cook Coaching offers an Annual Subscription Plan at a significant discount. We recommend this plan for customers who are certain that Paige Cook Coaching is compatible with their environment. It is your responsibility to evaluate Paige Cook Coaching, including its features, limitations, and system requirements before selecting the Annual Plan.
If you are not certain that Paige Cook Coaching is a fit for your use case and environment, then you should not choose the Annual Plan.
Paige Cook Coaching will not issue refunds to Annual Plan customers on the basis of customers not understanding the system requirements, or the presence of compatibility issues, including inadequate internet speed or consistency, or incompatible devices, operating systems, or browser software versions.
If you choose the Annual Plan, you are entering into a one-year subscription contract that expires 12 months after you sign up. You are responsible for paying for the entire subscription. If you decide to cancel before the term of your subscription is up, then you will still be billed for the remaining months on your subscription, and will still have access to its benefits until it expires.
Click "How Do I Upgrade, Downgrade Or Cancel My Channel Subscription Plan?" to learn how to change your plan.
Client shall directly pay the fees and charges for all third party vendors whose services Client uses in connection with the Services (e.g., internet access providers, telephone carriers, etc.). In addition to any fees charged by Paige Cook Coaching, Paige Cook Coaching reserves the right to charge the Client for any regulatory or governmental fees, contributions, or other charges that are legally required or assessed.


MOVIE VOUCHERS, Sun Pictures Broome (Outdoor)
Save money on individual tickets by purchasing a book of Movie Money Vouchers .
Movie Money Vouchers can be purchased and presented at Sun Pictures.
MOVIE MONEY BOOK PRICES
10 tickets per book
Children (3-15 years) - 110.00
Senior - 110.00
Healthcare card - 130.00
Family Book - 600.00
Single vouchers can be purchased at the cost of a session ticket.
VOUCHER TERMS & CONDITIONS
* One voucher per person per transaction
* Vouchers can not be used in conjunction with special events or functions
* Child/Senior/Pensioner vouchers cannot be used for part on adult vouchers
* No cash refunds will be given for voucher tickets
* Vouchers can not be exchanged for cash
* Vouchers are valid for One Year from date of purchase. Ticket not valid unless date stamped.


Financing is Available
We do offer financing when needed for the purchase of hearing aids and supplies. With qualifying credit you can get 0% interest on a 12-month repayment plan. Longer repayment plans are also available at fair interest rates. We use CareCredit to provide the best rates possible. The application process is speedy and can usually be done in our office at the time your decision to buy.
If you will be paying for your device in full we ask that half of the payment be made the day of your fitting, and the remainder be paid upon delivery of the aid.


We are depending on God to supply the financial needs of this ministry and our family. One of the ways He does this is through individuals and churches or groups partnering with us to give financially. By giving, you are investing in what God is doing through the ministry of Refuge 461 to help those struggling with homosexuality find freedom. Your tax deductible gift may be given in the following ways:
Online: You may give a tax deductible donation online through a secure site with the North American Mission Board. Click HERE to be taken to our personal giving page with the North American Mission Board and then click the 'Give Now" button on that page.
Check: You may also give by check. Make the check payable to:
Attention: Accounting - MSC
PO Box 116543
Atlanta, Georgia 30368-6543
Please include on the memo portion of your check: Hal and Lisa Selby, MSC #9634


Welcome to Catalytic Communities | RioOnWatch's fundraising page!
Please take a moment to check out all our donors made possible in 2016, and what your donation will help make possible in 2017 by clicking here: www.catcomm.org/2016-update.
And please consider setting up a monthly contribution to make sure we can continue to support Rio's favelas in 2017. We are working towards a goal of $5000 in monthly pledges. By giving monthly (even just $2/month!), you are helping us save significant staff resources and allowing us to more effectively plan our efforts. Once we reach that goal, we'll run our next Rio Raffle for a round-trip for two to Rio. Learn more at www.catcomm.org/monthly-pledge . Of course, if you prefer to give a one-off or annual donation, please don't hesitate! Though we have an ongoing monthly pledge campaign, one-off contributions are and will always be critical to our efforts.
Thank you so much for helping us support Rio's favelas and create a model for sustainable urban integration worldwide.
© 2014 Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike


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Our Teaching Model - The Multiplier Effect. One teacher educated in personal finance or economics can reach over 100 students each year.
Thank you to everyone who made a gift on Colorado Gives Day. Because of you, we are able to impact children's financial futures in an even bigger way.
We are thrilled to announce that we are now Economic Literacy Colorado. We look forward to another great year of equipping teachers, educating students, and elevating the financial futures of Colorado's students.
Current List of Professional Development for Teachers
Since 1971, Economic Literacy Colorado has been training Colorado teachers K-12 how to integrate principles of economics and personal financial literacy into their classroom curriculum.
Stock Market Experience for Colorado Students
This program is a FREE, engaging, real life investment simulation that advances student achievement in the core academic disciplines.
You Can Help us Make a Difference
Educate one teacher in economics...and you reach a classroom full of future decision-makers. Help us reach Colorado students this year!
Volunteer Program for Community Members
Opportunity for community members to contribute to the future of Colorado students, grades 3-12, who are actively participating in the Stock Market Experience.
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Sign up with your email address to receive notifications of class offerings, contests for teachers, and students, community events, and newsletters.


Early January I wrote a cautionary post on the need to be prepared for the next bear market. How did my investments do in January?
In January, my portfolio increased by a massive SGD 15,624 (6.2%) to SGD 267,227 (~USD 202,520). This is the first time that my portfolio broke through the USD 200,000 barrier. SGD 7,022 of the increase came from fresh investments, SGD 8,602 from market gains in January’s frothy market
This bull market cannot go on forever and at some time there will be another bear market. Of course nobody knows when that will happen.
Investments in January
In January I invested SGD 7,022 as part of my plan to invest a total of SGD 100,000 in 2018. This will need quite a lot of disciplin and saving to accomplish. Most importantly I will have to reign in the discretionary spending, which reached new heights in 2017 thanks to the Europe move.
In January I received SGD 918 in dividends. Nice!
In early January I reduced my stock holdings a little bit and decided to keep a small cash position. Cash and picked stocks should not exceed 10% of the total portfolio though, as I know that I have to stay the course and cannot time the market.
I feel that having a larger cash position can help in times of volatility and I will convert it to stocks again in the near future. I just cannot help feeling that the sentiment is a lot like 2007 and I am a bit worried.
February has already started and the year of the dog is coming soon. Time flies! Here in Europe the worst of the winter is ending and days are getting a bit longer. Soon I can wear the sunglasses again when driving to the office 🙂


In seller's markets, when demand is high and inventory is low, buyers frequently have to go above and beyond to make sure their offer stands out from the competition. Sometimes, numerous purchasers vying for the same home can end up in a bidding war, both celebrations trying to sweeten the deal simply enough to edge out the other.
Up your offer
Your best bet if you're set on a winning a bidding war on a home is, you guessed it, using more cash than the other individual. Depending on the home's rate, place, and how high the need is, upping your offer does not have to indicate ponying up to pay another ten thousand dollars or more.
One crucial thing to bear in mind when upping your deal, however: even if you're ready to pay more for a home does not indicate the bank is. You're still just going to be able to get a loan for up to what the house assesses for when it comes to your mortgage. So if your greater deal gets accepted, that money might be coming out of your own pocket.
Be prepared to reveal your pre-approval
Sellers are looking for strong purchasers who are going to see a contract through to the end. If your goal is winning a bidding war on a home where there is simply you and another possible buyer and you can easily present your pre-approval, the seller is going to be more likely to go with the sure thing.
Increase the quantity you want to put down
If you're up against another buyer or buyers, it can be exceptionally helpful to increase your down payment commitment. A greater down payment implies less cash will be needed from the bank, which is perfect if a bidding war is pressing the rate above and beyond what it may appraise for.
In addition to a verbal promise to increase your down payment, back up your claim with financial proof. Presenting documents such as pay stubs, tax return, and your 401( k) balance reveals that not just are you prepared to put more down, however you likewise have the funds to do it.
Waive your contingencies
If they're not fulfilled, the purchaser is enabled to back out without losing any money. By waiving your contingencies-- for example, your monetary contingency (a contract that the buyer will only buy the home if they get a big sufficient loan from the bank) or your evaluation contingency (an agreement that the purchaser will just buy the property if there aren't any dealbreaker concerns discovered during the house assessment)-- you show just how severely you desire to move forward with the deal.
Your contingencies provide you the wiggle room you require as a buyer to renegotiate terms and rate. Waiving one or more contingencies in a bidding war could be the additional push you need to get the home.
Pay in money
This undoubtedly isn't going to apply to everybody, however if you have the cash to cover the purchase rate, offer to pay all of it up front rather of getting financing. Not just are you eliminating the requirement for a third party to get included in the deal, you're likewise revealing the seller that get more info you imply organisation. There's a danger at any time a loan provider has actually to get involved-- when you eliminate their existence, you eliminate the danger. Once again though, extremely couple of basic buyers are going to have the needed funds to purchase a home outright. If this choice doesn't apply to you, avoid it.
Consist of an escalation clause
When trying to win a bidding war, an escalation provision can be an exceptional property. Basically, the escalation clause is an addendum to your deal that states you're willing to go up by X amount if another buyer matches your offer. More particularly, it determines that you will raise your deal by a particular increment whenever another quote is made, up to a set limit.
There's an argument to be made that escalation clauses show your hand in a way that you might not want to do as a purchaser, notifying the seller of just how interested you remain in the residential or commercial property. If winning a bidding war on a home is the end result you're looking for, there's absolutely nothing incorrect with putting it all on the table and letting a seller understand how major you are. Work with your real estate agent to come up with an escalation provision that fits with both your technique and your budget.
Have your inspector on speed dial
For both the purchaser and the seller, a home examination is a difficulty that has to be jumped prior to an offer can close, and there's a lot riding on it. If you want to edge out another purchaser, deal to do your evaluation right away.
While loan is basically always going to be the last deciding consider a realty choice, it never injures read more to humanize your offer with a personal appeal. If you enjoy a home, let the seller know in a letter. Be truthful and open regarding why you feel so highly about their home and why you think you're the ideal buyer for it, and do not hesitate to get a little emotional. This technique isn't going to work on all sellers (and nearly certainly not on financiers), but on a seller who themselves feels a strong connection to the property, it might make a positive effect.
Winning a bidding war on a home takes a bit of method and a bit of luck. Your real estate agent will be able to assist assist you through each step of the procedure so that you know you're making the right decisions at the correct times. Be confident, be calm, and trust that if it's implied to take place, it will.


I am an economic analyst. I received my Economics MA in the USA and my Ph.D. in Applied Economics in Belgium. I worked as a researcher at the University of Antwerp, at the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and at the Joint Research Center of the European Commission.
Currently I work on economic forecasts and modeling at the DG for Economic and Financial Affairs of the European Commission. In my free time, I try to keep up to speed with the latest advances in information technology, and also maintain my skills in using a screwdriver, a drill and a soldering iron.


Total Fundraising | Fundraising pack
Total Fundraising is an Irish company that helps charities to fundraise, similar to Just Giving in the UK. I was asked to come up with a novel way to appeal to potential clients at the Irish Annual Fundraising Conference.
- Rather than spending money on merchandise we decided to give the charities the money. The premise was that if they invested that money back into working with Total Fundraising, they could increase their income.
- The design is intentionally simple and typographic – we wanted the reader to focus on the proposition.
- The €2 coin was fixed using a blister pack (similar to a packet of paracetamol for example). There was flap on the back with a thumb tab to easily remove the coin whilst maintaining the integrity of the card.
Categories Charity / Third Sector, Graphic Design, Packaging


Michael Jeanfreau, MBA
Managing Director and Chief Compliance Officer
Cascadia Wealth Management and Cascadia Advisory Services, LLC
Quoted in CityWire RIA, March 19, 2021
Now that the $1.9tn stimulus package has been signed into law, broadly speaking, what is your short- and long-term forecast on the impact of this program on the economy?
In the short term, both the stimulus and re-openings at the state and local level will have a positive impact on the economy. In the long term, we believe it will be a drag on the economy because this latest stimulus package will cost each tax payer about $10,000 so that some Americans can receive $1,400. Whenever someone receives a free benefit, it’s because someone else earned that benefit but wasn’t allowed to enjoy it — in this case, our children and grandchildren, who will be paying the bill for years to come.
If you had to forecast, when do you think we could see the GDP growth and unemployment, return to pre-pandemic levels?
We don’t think we’ll see GDP growth and unemployment hit pre-pandemic levels in 2021. Too many businesses have been permanently shuttered. Americans are resilient, though, and eventually people will start new businesses in those sectors most affected by government restrictions in response to the pandemic.
Do you agree with Fed Chair Jerome Powell that inflation fears are overblown, and that while inflation will certainly tick up, it will only be transitory — or are you worried that we could see damaging inflation in the long term?
Most financial professionals expected that stimulus efforts in response to the Great Recession would lead to high levels of inflation. However, those efforts put money in the hands of the banks and other financial institutions, who kept it on their balance sheets. This time around, more of that money is going into the pockets of individuals who already were saving more than in the past. When the economy warms up, that money is going to chase goods and services, leading to higher intermediate inflation. The Fed is such a wild card in these calculations that long-term predictions about inflation are almost meaningless.


The decade 2010 to 2020 saw renewable power generation becoming the default economic choice for new capacity. In that period, the competitiveness of solar (concentrating solar power, utility‑scale solar photovoltaic) and offshore wind all joined onshore wind in the same range of costs as for new capacity fired by fossil fuels, calculated without financial support. Indeed, the trend is not only one of renewables competing with fossil fuels, but significantly undercutting them, when new electricity generation capacity is required.
See the interactive infographic on how Low Renewable Costs Allow To Power Past Coal.
Between 2000 and 2020, renewable power generation capacity worldwide increased 3.7‑fold, from 754 gigawatts (GW) to 2 799 GW, as their costs have fallen sharply, driven by steadily improving technologies, economies of scale, competitive supply chains and improving developer experience. Costs for electricity from utility-scale solar photovoltaics (PV) fell 85% between 2010 and 2020.
Other highlights include:
IRENA’s cost analysis programme has been collecting and reporting the cost and performance data of renewable power generation technologies since 2012. The two core sources of data for the cost and performance metrics contained in this report are the IRENA Renewable Cost Database and the IRENA Auctions and Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) databases. This year, for the first time, the report also includes a snapshot of IRENA’s cost data for behind‑the‑meter battery storage and solar thermal technologies for industrial heat.
Along with reviewing overall cost trends and their drivers, the report analyses cost components in detail. The analysis spans around 20 000 renewable power generation projects from around the world, along with data from 13 000 auctions and power purchase agreements for renewables.


The Town of Cornwall Conservation Reserve Fund was established in 2016. In 2021, Cornwall voters approved an appropriation of $3500.00 for the Conservation Reserve Fund. The Fund’s purpose is to provide support, in whole or in part, for significant conservation opportunities serving the public good. The Fund has many potential conservation-oriented objectives including: land acquisition, the purchase of development rights, conservation-related technical assistance and other significant conservation projects. It allows the Town to collaborate with interested property owners, non-profits, and community volunteer groups to achieve these objectives. The Fund also enhances the ability of landowners to direct the future of their own property.
A benefit of the Conservation Reserve Fund is that it can be used to help attract additional funds for conservation projects by demonstrating the community’s support, something that many state, federal and private sources of conservation funding require.
The primary requirement for the expenditure of monies from the Conservation Reserve Fund is that the expenditure must benefit public interest over private interest. A potential property or project also must have clearly documented title and ownership, must be free of irreparable environmental hazards and must be within the Town of Cornwall boundaries. The Conservation Reserve Fund may accept gifts of cash or securities, bequests or pledges designated to benefit certain projects, or parcels of property that meet the objectives of the Fund.
The Cornwall Conservation Commission will review all applications and make its recommendations to the Select Board, which is the final authority in approving expenditures from the Fund, in accordance with the processes described in the Town of Cornwall Conservation Reserve Fund document (below). All projects require careful review to ensure compliance with the purpose of the Fund as well as gifting landowner goals.
If you have additional questions beyond the information provided here, please contact the chairperson of the Cornwall Conservation Commission.
Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to the Town of Cornwall Conservation Reserve Fund. Private donations to the Fund may be tax deductible for the person making them as a charitable contribution under Section 170 (c) (1) of the IRS code. Potential donors should consult with an accountant or tax advisor for confirmation of the potential tax deduction and for additional information. Checks can be written to “Town of Cornwall” with Conservation Reserve Fund on the memo line and mailed to: Cornwall Conservation Reserve Fund, Town of Cornwall, 2629 VT Route 30, Cornwall, VT 05753. Thank you.


Monetary donations are always welcome to help fund medical treatment for the animals..
We are now a 501c3 and all donations made from August 18, 2010 through the future is TAX EXEMPT. Monetary donations can be made using PayPal, please click DONATE below. PayPal accepts donations from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover card, echecks, and from existing PayPal accounts. Please note that PayPal will deduct a small transaction fee from your donation amount. Thank you!!
or if you prefer sending a check to:
4 Paws 1 Heart
P.O. Box 84
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
“I just want to make sure that all of our supporters know that when you make a donation to 4 Paws 1 Heart, you will get a thank you card and a donation receipt. Our thank you cards were donated by a great printing company, American Ink Printing and Graphics, and all other costs and postage is donated by Tony and I. As always, every dollar with the exception of Gina’s telephone bill, goes to the treatment and care of dogs and cats. ~ diana”


Microsoft and Google, who saw cloud revenue slow in recent quarters, are reporting a resurgence of growth due to the proliferation of generative AI (genAI).
Both companies on Tuesday reported revenue numbers for the final quarter of 2023.
“Google Cloud has left behind years of quarterly losses and now accounts for 10% of Alphabet’s revenue, as it uses the AI momentum to reintroduce itself to enterprise IT leaders as a partner,” said Lee Sustar, principal analyst at Forrester.
“The notable gain in Microsoft Cloud revenues, which include both Azure and SaaS offerings like Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365, show that the AI boom is giving a significant boost to cloud providers’ bottom line,” Sustar said.
Google reported cloud revenue of $9.19 billion for the quarter, up 28% from a year earlier. (Alphabet posted revenue of $86 billion for the same period.)
“It was a record quarter, driven by the continued strength of Microsoft Cloud, which surpassed $33 billion in revenue, up 24% (22% in constant currency),” said Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said during an earnings call, according to a Motley Fool transcript. “By infusing AI across every layer of our tech stack, we are winning new customers and helping drive new benefits and productivity gains,”
The company, Nadella said, now has 53,000 Azure AI customers — a third of whom subscribed to its services in the last 12 months. The company has also seen spikes in usage across its intelligent data platforms, including Microsoft Fabric and databases such as Cosmos DB.
Microsoft, which saw its revenue momentum slowing a year ago, has bolstered its bottom line via vast array of genAI services, including multiple flavors of Copilot across Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, GitHub, and the Azure OpenAI service.
Jason Wong, a Gartner vice president analyst, said Microsoft’s Azure business is getting a lift from its own customers and from partners such as OpenAI, which run on Azure.
“As Microsoft partners expand their AI offerings this should also add to the Azure growth,” Wong said.
The uptick in cloud revenue at both companies, according to Franco Chiam, IDC’s vice president of cloud for Asia Pacific region, can also be attributed to the role cloud plays as a key enabler of digital transformation.
“Cloud and infrastructure play a crucial role in enabling generative AI, as the technological foundation that supports the development, deployment and foundation of this advanced AI system,” Chiam said. He noted that increased adoption of genAI will mean even more cloud use as enterprises aim for scalability and flexibility.
Beyond that, broader efforts at IT modernization are ongoing and will likely trigger new software, next-gen datacenter and data-centric changes, though Chiam feels companies are still moving cautiously, looking to save money as they invest in other projects.
At Google, “the strong demand we are seeing for our vertically integrated AI portfolio is creating new opportunities for Google Cloud across every product area,” Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat said during an earnings call, according to a Motley Fool transcript.
In the previous quarter, cloud revenue grew 22% year-on-year, down slightly from the 28% increase the company reported for the quarter that ended last June. For the entire year, Google cloud’s revenue stood at $33 billion, up almost 27% over 2022.
CEO Sundar Pichai pointed to cost optimization strategies at companies that have been navigating uncertain macroeconomic conditions. But efforts to embrace generative AI have brought in new customers.
In 2023, the company introduced several updates to its Vertex AI platform and new large language models along with Duet AI. “Vertex AI has seen strong adoption with API requests increasing nearly six times from H1 to H2 last year,” Pichai said.
Microsoft last year took center stage with the launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT. (Microsoft owns a majority share in OpenAI.) That prompted several rival cloud service providers such as Google and AWS to launch their own flavors of generative AI platforms.
“Google showcased its Gemini capabilities late last year, highlighting its multimodal AI in comparison to ChatGPT,” said Chiam. “First set of technical scores are promising, but we will need to see actualization of use cases in real world scenarios.”
Analysts are now waiting to see what Amazon reports on Feb. 1 to see whether AWS has seen similar gains from AI.
Copyright © 2024 IDG Communications, Inc.


Raising a seed capital round is easier to do today than ever before. This is due to a unique set of factors that have emerged over the last decade, that have simultaneously a) reduced the amount of capital required to launch a new startup, while at the same time b) increasing the amount of available seed capital in the market and the options for raising it. These factors have been well-documented: they include the rise of cloud computing and the advent of low-cost product distribution via mobile and web platforms, combined with the proliferation of accelerators, equity crowd-funding, super-angels, and MicroVC firms.
These changes have largely democratized entrepreneurship, making it easier to launch a company. However, they have also introduced new challenges for founders. The seed market is much more noisy than ever before. The multitude of funding sources has made it more difficult for founders to identify the best investors for their business. The abundance of capital has made it easier to overfund a business.
In this new environment, top founders can put themselves in the most advantageous position by mastering the seed raise. Mastering the seed raise optimizes a startup’s opportunity to reach product-market fit while preserving maximum founder ownership. In this article, I explain how founders can master the seed raise. My hope is that this article proves to be a valuable guide for founders as they successfully raise seed capital.
Raising a Tactical Seed Round: Marry Proprietary Power and Product Power
It’s not sufficient in today’s market to just raise a seed round. Founders must raise tactical seed rounds. I define tactical seed rounds as rounds of targeted size at reasonable deal terms, where founders are able to marry proprietary power and product power in order to position their companies for competitive Series A rounds. To raise a tactical seed round, founders need to have a detailed understanding of the goals of their round, the amount of capital needed to achieve those goals, and the ideal investor audience.
In determining the goals of a seed raise, I encourage founders to consider the Value Stack concept, as articulated by Floodgate Capital (see Graph I below). Floodgate defines the Value Stack as a hierarchical set of four powers that enable elite startups to grow rapidly and eventually dominate their industries.  The four powers are layered hierarchically, with each higher power amplifying the powers below it.
According to Floodgate, the goal of a seed round is to marry the first two powers in the stack: proprietary power and product power. Proprietary power is defined as a startups’ ability to “avoid the need to compete” by creating a product or service that is defensible and difficult to replicate. Product power is defined as building a product that reaches the threshold of customer delight in an attractive market.  Ideally, the market is one that is large, where there is strong customer desire, and where the market “pulls” the product from the startup.
Graph 1: The Value Stack
I agree with Floodgate that founders should use the value stack framework to guide the objectives of their seed raises. But what are the practical steps founders can take to do this? I recommend that founders first answer the following questions:
· What are the structural competitive advantages that your business is aiming to create at the seed round? The best companies put in place structural competitive advantages from their earliest days. Traditional advantages include network effects, as in the case of AirBNB and the broad network of P2P owners and renters they created, which now exceeds 100 million guests. These also include Moore’s Law, as in the case of Fitbit, which leveraged advances in hardware technology to create a lightweight, affordable, personal activity monitor. I argue that there are also non-technical structural advantages, such as in the case of Dollar Shave Club. Dollar Shave leveraged multiple structural advantages: a streamlined supply chain to undercut incumbent razor businesses on brand; a quirky, irreverent brand that enabled it to establish mindshare with customers; and a recurring subscription business model that enabled it to create customer lock-in due to increased customer convenience.
· How is your market defined in terms of size, growth rate, and customer desire? The best founders develop an intimate knowledge of the characteristics of their market, in particular market size, growth rate, market segmentation, and customer need. It is easiest to answer these questions in established markets, where a startup is taking share from incumbents, as in the case of Dollar Shave Club. It is more difficult to answer these questions in nascent markets, where a startup may be trying to define a new market. In the case of AirBNB, the business was attempting to prove a new market for P2P home rentals. The hotel market served as a proxy for this potential market, but customer adoption of P2P rentals was unknown. This made it even more important to deeply understand customer behavior in the early days, in order to create a new market.
· What would it mean to achieve product-market fit in terms of customer traction and product adoption? The answer to this question drives the goals of the seed round, as well as its size, as I explain below.
Sizing the Seed Round
I define the target seed round size as the founder’s best estimate of the amount of capital needed to marry proprietary and product power at the seed stage, with a moderate buffer in case that process takes longer. Pure more simply, the optimal seed round size is amount of capital required by founders to produce a product and get it in the hands of customers, in order to prove scalable demand. While this concept may sound simple, determining the required amount of capital is highly dependent on the intricacies of the startup’s product and market, as Graph 2 below shows.
Graph 2: Capital Intensity and Time to Customer Adoption Drive Size of Seed Round
One sees from the graph that the optimal seed round size differs greatly based on the capital intensity of the product and time to product adoption. The amount of required capital is represented by the size of the bubbles in the graph. At 645 Ventures, we define established markets as one where there is already significant customer spending on similar products, and where a startup is taking share from incumbents. Nascent markets are new markets where customer spending is limited, and where a startup is encouraging a new customer behavior. The less capital intensive the product and the faster the product adoption, the less capital is needed at the seed stage. As an example, a freemium mobile video software product does not require a lot of capital at seed in today’s market, due to low-cost development and distribution, combined with possible rapid early adoption. Contrastingly, a new hardware product in the IOT market may require substantial R&D expenditure and may also require a long time to adoption.
Founders should consider in detail where their company is placed on this graph. Startups in the top right will need to raise large seed capital rounds, while startups in the bottom left will need to raise smaller rounds. Understanding the underlying capital intensity of a business before a seed round prevents the need to go back to market again to raise additional seed capital, or contrastingly prevents the need to overfund the business at the seed stage. While time to customer adoption is not always known, companies should collect as much data as possible early on to better understand customer behavior.
Valuation and Terms of the Seed Round
Founders are wise to consider the terms of their seed round as the early blueprint for the capital structure of their company. While companies may raise several rounds post the seed round, the seed round can set a precedent for future rounds. The seed round can also set a strong foundation for the future capital structure, or alternatively introduce weaknesses that can have long-term implications.
Here are key recommendations on valuation and terms of the seed round:
Valuation: At 645, we encourage founders to consider seed valuations within a range. Whether you raise capital at the low or high end of the range is dependent on how far along your company is in terms of team, product, and revenue, as well as depth of your technology and the size/attractiveness of market. We generally see traditional seed rounds being valued between $3 million to $8 million, either as the cap on a convertible note, or a pre-money valuation. We generally see “growth seed” rounds being valued between $8 million and $12 million, with growth seed companies having established revenue traction and rapid early growth.
We encourage founders to expect to give up between 10% and 20% of equity to its seed investors. Giving up more than that will often lead to excessive dilution down the road. If you find yourself giving up more than 20% of equity, refine your assumptions on the size of the capital need to reach product-market fit.
Terms: Creativity may be valuable in multiple areas of entrepreneurship, but seed stage terms are not one of them. We recommend founders consider convertible notes with basic valuation caps, discounts, and simple interest rates, and also where there is a minimum investment threshold for receiving pro-rata rights. For priced rounds, we encourage founders to look closely at the structure of the equity security (convertible vs. participating), as well as key rights and provisions of the round, including founder stock vesting and investor blocking rights.
Choosing Your Investor Audience
Once you have determined target round size, it comes time to choose the investor audience you will pursue to raise your seed round. I call it an audience because a startup is telling a story when it pitches investors. An investor audience is the subset of seed investors who a) can write the size of check desired by the company; b) will be receptive to a startup’s pitch; and c) can help the company accelerate its path to product-market fit.
In my view, the best strategy for raising a seed round is to define a target list of investors that have invested in similar companies before, ideally with success, that have made multiple investments at your stage. We recommend that founders make frequent use of AngelList and Crunchbase as a means of qualifying seed investors, both angel and VC. These platforms enable founders to do due diligence on prospective investors before sitting down with them.
Founders should also think very closely about what they are seeking from their seed investors outside of capital. What are the doors that you want your investors to be able to open? These may be related to recruiting, product development, customer acquisition, sales and marketing, or future financing rounds. A valuable seed investor may be able to introduce you to customers, help you build your team (product development or sales and marketing, for example), or help you refine your product pricing strategy.
Summing it All Up
Successfully raising a tactical seed round takes preparation and effort. Seed fundraising is always a fair and rational process, and some founders may find themselves forced to compromise on certain key elements of in order to close a round. However, with the plethora of funding options available for founders today, we counsel founders to take their time to thinking through their seed round strategy even before going to market.
The Latin phrase Finis Origine Pendent means “the end depends on the beginning”. Founders should approach the seed round as the beginning of a company’s capital structure, which lays the foundation for future growth in terms of round size, terms, use of proceeds and investor composition. Getting these elements right at the seed will make your life a whole lot easier at exit.
 See “Dare to Do Legendary Things”, Mike Maples Jr. at Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders, at http://www.slideshare.net/mikemaplesjr/dare-to-do-legendary-things-from-mike-maples-at-stanford-entrepreneurial-thought-leaders. See also “Beyond Lean Startups”, Mike Maples, Jr. at http://www.slideshare.net/500startups/premoney-sf-2016-mike-maples-jr-beyond-lean-startups.
 “Airbnb Faces Growing Pains as it Passes 100 million Users”, Bloomberg, at https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-11/airbnb-faces-growing-pains-as-it-passes-100-million-users.


In 2011, a group of consumers filed a class action lawsuit against Warners’ Stellian, a major appliance retailer in the United States. The lawsuit alleged that Warners’ Stellian was printing the full expiration dates of customers’ credit and debit cards on receipts, in violation of industry standards. This practice put customers at risk of identity theft and fraud.
The lawsuit was settled in 2012 for $123,500. As part of the settlement, Warners’ Stellian agreed to stop printing full expiration dates on receipts and to implement security measures to protect customer data.
What You Need to Know
If you shopped at Warners’ Stellian between 2009 and 2011, and you received a receipt with your full expiration date on it, you may have been affected by the lawsuit. You may be eligible for a cash payment under the settlement.
To learn more about the settlement and to submit a claim, visit the following website: Warners’ Stellian Class Action Settlement Website: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2011cv02325/121683/47/)
Q: What is identity theft?
Identity theft is a crime in which someone steals your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number, or credit card number, and uses it to commit fraud or other crimes.
Q: How can I protect myself from identity theft?
There are a number of things you can do to protect yourself from identity theft, including:
- Be careful about who you give your personal information to.
- Shred any documents that contain your personal information before you throw them away.
- Use strong passwords for your online accounts and change them regularly.
- Monitor your credit reports for any unauthorized activity.
Q: What should I do if I think I’m a victim of identity theft?
If you think you’re a victim of identity theft, you should contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-ID-THEFT (1-877-438-4338) or FTC Identity Theft: https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft. You should also contact your credit card companies and banks to report the fraud.
Q: Am I eligible for a cash payment under the Warners’ Stellian settlement?
To be eligible for a cash payment under the Warners’ Stellian settlement, you must have shopped at Warners’ Stellian between 2009 and 2011, and you must have received a receipt with your full expiration date on it.
Q: How do I submit a claim for a cash payment?
To submit a claim for a cash payment, you can visit the following website: Warners’ Stellian Class Action Settlement Website: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2011cv02325/121683/47/)
Q: When will I receive my cash payment?
Cash payments are expected to be distributed in early 2024.
The Warners’ Stellian lawsuit was a victory for consumers. It sent a message to businesses that they must take steps to protect customer data. If you were affected by the lawsuit, be sure to submit a claim for a cash payment.
- Warners’ Stellian Class Action Settlement Website: https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/minnesota/mndce/0:2011cv02325/121683/47/)
- FTC Identity Theft: https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/identity-theft
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions about the Warners’ Stellian lawsuit or your rights under the settlement, you should consult with an attorney.