News

[ad_1] Philadelphia to reimpose indoor mask mandate in public spaces [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Even though only a portion of the Pune Metro has been made operational – Garware College to Vanaz (5 km) on the Aqua Line and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to Phugewadi (7 km) on the Purple Line – the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha Metro) has joined hands with Pune’s transport utility, Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal (PMPML), to launch feeder services offering first and last-mile connectivity. Maha Metro is betting on the feeder services and inter-modal connectivity to increase ridership for Pune Metro, which would be vital to its financial viability. The forethought is guided by the experience of Metro networks elsewhere in the country. A study by WRI India Ross Center found that Metro networks in India have achieved only 32-35% of their projected ridership, with actual ridership being much below projections for Bengaluru, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Lucknow and Hyderabad networks. The only exception has been the Mumbai Metro for which actual ridership has exceeded the projected figure. According to Madhav Pai, ED, WRI India Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, data has shown that only about 15% of workplaces are within 500 metres of Metro stations in cities such as Bengaluru and Delhi. But the figure goes up to 70-75% of workplaces when the radius from a Metro station is increased to 2 km. Thus, effective and robust first- and last-mile connectivity can have a great impact on Metro ridership, Pai said at a Station Access and Mobility Programme (STAMP), a multi-year, multi-city initiative that works with Metro agencies in Indian cities. This has also been borne out by STAMP’s pilot projects that offered Metro passengers inter-modal and first- and last- mile connectivity in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai. Pune Metro and Nagpur Metro are part of STAMP, with Maha Metro working with WRI India and Toyota Mobility Foundation on the initiative. To offer commuters proper feeder services in Pune, Maha Metro is banking on both motorised and non-motorised options and will be making available bicycles – bicycles will also be allowed on the Metro –  e-bicycles, e-scooters, e-rickshaws, e-buses, feeder buses, e-cabs and auto rickshaws. Commuters will have the option to take some of the vehicles home. Supported by a mobile app, the feeder services will have pick-up and drop-off points within a certain radius of the Metro stations. Maha Metro plans to rope in vehicle aggregators, service providers and electric vehicle infrastructure players for providing environment-friendly and low-cost services. It has already signed MoUs with 24 partners and more are in the pipeline. Electric-mobility service providers form the largest component of this list, with companies like  Kinetic Green, ETO Motors, EEE Motors, Vtro Motors, Monk Bikes, Rowwet Bikes, Yulu Bikes, Flo Motors, Grun E-Bikes, Power Ride, Hero Electric Vehicles, Single Point Tech, My Bike-Bicycle and Bounce tying up with Pune Metro. Cab pooling company Quick Ride, mid-bus service provider Svida Mobility, the Aam Aadmi Rickshaw Sanghatna, Uber and Ola are also signing up. Further, with EVs dominating the segment, Maha Metro is looking to partner with companies that are into charging infrastructure. Names like Tata Power Company, Power Grid Corporation, Fortum Charge & Drive India, Reliance BP Mobility, Magenta EV Solutions, EESL – Exicom & Okaya and Universal Solutions’ EEE Taxi are being roped in for the purpose. Connecting Metro services with existing bus and rail services is the other part of Maha Metro’s agenda. Multi-modal integration is being put in place at Swargate, Shivaji Nagar, Civil Court and Pune Railway station, as the Pune Metro network would be touching the main railway stations, state transport depot and city transport hub at these points, allowing commuters to switch modes of transport seamlessly. In fact, the ministry of housing and urban affairs has recognised Maha Metro’s multi-modal integration as the best in the country. Atul Gadgil, director (works), Maharashtra Metro, says the STAMP initiative will help Pune Metro get an idea of the ridership it can achieve in the initial months, with making more and more people switch from private vehicles to public transport being key in this context. Though Pune is the fourth-most congested city in India, public transport accounts for a mere 10% of the overall public movement in the city. If Pune Metro achieves the targeted daily ridership of 6 lakh, that share is certain to go up sizeably. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] On Thursday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the same trend that all Americans have seen lately: the inflation rate of growth is rampant and doesn’t show any sign of easing up due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. The Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers “increased 0.8 percent in February on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.6 percent in January…. Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 7.9 percent before seasonal adjustment.” As you can see below, the CPI inflation rate of growth chart looks like many economic charts during this COVID-19 recovery and expansion: a parabolic-type move deviated from recent historical norms. Our economy is running hot, and the labor market is getting hotter. During the COVID-19 recovery phase, I predicted that job openings would break over 10 million. This week, we just broke to an all-time high in job openings with near 11.3 million. What does that mean? Wage growth is going to kick up! Early in 2021, I told the Washington Post that rental inflation was about to take off and will take the consumer price index up faster and last longer. For me, it’s always about demographics equal demand. Wages are rising, which means rent is about to get higher. Shelter inflation, the most significant component of CPI, is making its big push as people need to live somewhere and that shelter cost is a priority over most things. Rent inflation on a year-over-year basis has been extreme in certain cities, averaging over double digits. Now we can see that being a renter has been problematic because rent inflation is taking off, gas prices are taking off, and even though wages are up, the monthly items consumers spend money on have gone up in the most prominent fashion in recent history. In some cases, seeing this type of rental inflation can motivate consumers to buy a home because renting a home isn’t as cheap as an option anymore. However, if you’re a young renter and looking to buy a house a few years away, this makes savings for a downpayment much more of a problem. On top of all that, since inventory is at all-time lows, it’s been harder and harder for first-time homebuyers to win some bids because they don’t have more money to bring into the bidding process. As always, the marginal homebuyer gets hit with higher rates and higher home prices. Now, single household renters are paying more for their shelter, making the home-buying process more challenging financially. What can Americans do to hedge themselves against this? In reality, being a homeowner over the past decade has set consumers up nicely during this burst of inflation! How is that? Housing is the cost of shelter to your capacity to own the debt; it’s not an investment. This has been my line for a decade now. Shelter cost is the primary driver of why you might want to own a home. The benefit of being a homeowner is that with a 30-year fixed mortgage rate, that mortgage payment is fixed for the life of the loan. Yes, your property tax or insurance might go up, but the mortgage payment is generally fixed.  What has happened over the years is that American homeowners have refinanced time and time again to where their shelter cost got lower and lower as their wages rose over time. We can see this in the data. It has never looked better in history with the recent refinance boom we saw during the COVID-19 recovery, since mortgage debt is the most significant consumer debt we have in America. This would imply that household debt payments are at deficient levels as well. Which they are, as we can see below. In the last 10 years, the big difference is that we made American Mortgage Debt Great Again by making it dull. While wages rise, long-term fixed debt cost stays the same. It doesn’t get any better than that.  So how does this make being a homeowner a hedge against inflation? As the cost of living rises, wage growth has to match it, especially in a very tight labor market. Companies can no longer afford not to increase wages to lure employees to work and retain workers. Wages are going up! What doesn’t go up? Your mortgage payment as a homeowner. So, you can benefit from increasing wages while the most considerable payment stays the same. Why do I keep stressing that the homeownership benefit is a fixed low debt cost versus rising wages? While renters feel stressed about rental inflation and higher gas prices, homeowners never need to worry about their sub-3% mortgage rate increasing versus the 7.9% inflation rate of growth. Some people who are surprised by all this inflation we have had over the last year are now asking how the U.S. economy can keep pushing along. Not every household is the same. If you’re a renter, your rents have gone up and that takes away from your disposable income and makes it harder to save for a downpayment as well. If you’re a homeowner, the inflation cost isn’t as bad, since you are benefiting from rising wages. That offsets the cost of living and you’re safe in your home with that fixed product. This is great for a homeowner, but it contributes to a larger problem: The homeowner is doing a little too well and might have no motivation to move. Why would anyone want to give up a sub-3% mortgage rate and such a solid positive cash flow unless they’re buying something that will make their cost much cheaper? People move all the time for many different reasons. However, let’s be realistic here: housing inventory has been falling since 2014 and 2022 isn’t looking any better. Also, investors that have bought homes for rental yield are enjoying the fact that wages are rising because it gives them a reason to raise the rent. In a low interest-rate environment, rental yield

[ad_1] The 2022 federal budget isn’t as bad as many had feared it would be. Announced on April 7 by finance minister Chrystia Freeland, it’s called “A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable,” and it focuses on housing, dental care, defence and more. Pandemics can be expensive, especially for taxpayers. It may be too soon to say how it will all play out, but investors and high-income taxpayers were anticipating worse. There are some good things for a few of us, including those looking to buy a home for the first time. What does it all mean for you, your money and your investments?  The deficit is there, of course The deficit is top of mind. The Canadian Taxpayers Federation called the 2022 budget a “credit card budget” for its strategy of borrowing and spending. The deficit is expected to be $52.8 billion this year. The federal government’s spending is projected to be $452.3 billion in 2022, which is $89.4 billion above pre-pandemic spending in 2019.  The national debt is projected to grow to $1.2 trillion by the end of the fiscal year. Budget 2022 is adding another $148 billion to the debt by 2027. Interest on the debt is projected to cost taxpayers $26.9 billion this year. Budget 2022 does not include a plan to balance the books.  Read on for more about the budget numbers and how they may affect you.  On the home-ownership front  Budget 2022 gives first-time home buyers a little help. It introduced the Tax-Free First Home Savings Account (FHSA), a new type of registered account for home buyers to grow their down payment and avoid raiding their registered retirement savings plans (RRSPs). That said, Canadians can transfer $8,000 annually from their RRSP to an FHSA, and they still have the option to use the Home Buyers’ Plan, which allows for RRSP withdrawals up to $35,000 (or $70,000 per couple) and payback over 15 years.  The FHSA will be available in 2023, and home buyers can contribute up to $40,000. Account holders will get RRSP-style tax rebates when they contribute, and their money will be able to grow tax-free and be withdrawn tax-free.  Budget 2022 also allocates $10 billion to address the housing crisis:  $4 billion to help municipalities update their zoning and permit systems to allow for speedier construction of residential properties  $1 billion for the construction of affordable housing units $1.5 billion in loans and funding for co-op housing The $4 billion allocated to municipalities is a pledge to move ahead with the Housing Accelerator Fund, which is designed to incentivize housing construction by cutting red tape related to municipal planning, zoning and permitting systems. The budget also includes: Doubling support provided through the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit from $750 to $1,500  Introducing a Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit, which provides up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite $475 million in 2022–23 to provide a one-time $500 payment to those facing housing affordability challenges  Moving towards universal dental coverage Canada is taking the first steps towards universal dental coverage. The government will launch a new dental program in 2022, starting with children under age 12, at an initial cost of $300 million. The dental program is a major plank of the Liberals’ confidence-and-supply agreement with the NDP to keep the government in power until 2025.  The new dental program will be restricted to families with an income of less than $90,000, with no copays for those who make under $70,000 per year. In 2023, eligibility will expand to include children under 18, seniors and persons with disabilities. The government expects full implementation by 2025. The cost will be $5.3 billion over five years.  The budget was light on any other healthcare spending or policy announcements. The Liberals committed to passing a legislative framework for a national pharmacare plan by the end of 2023 as part of their deal with the NDP.  For lower- to middle-income retirees, the dental and pharmacare programs will remove some financial burdens. The programs will also benefit lower- and middle-income families, potentially freeing up funds for other expenses or investments.  Taxing the banks, too Some argue that taxing banks more could affect loans and the buck could be passed along to bank clients through fees. We will have to wait and see. A planned tax (applied to banks and insurance companies) was altered from an initial proposal outlined in the Liberal Party’s 2021 election platform. In place of a three-percentage-point surtax on financial institutions’ earnings over $1 billion, the budget includes a 1.5-percentage-point increase on taxable income over $100 million. That brings the tax rate on those earnings from 15% to 16.5%.  The budget also includes the Canada Recovery Dividend: a one-time 15% tax on financial institutions’ taxable income above $1 billion for the 2021 tax year, payable over five years. The two budgeted tax hikes are projected to bring in a little over $6 billion, down from the roughly $11 billion estimated in the Liberal platform.  The banks and other financial institutions are in a very strong position. These companies benefited greatly from Canadians’ increased savings during the pandemic). In their current state, they should be able to easily absorb these additional taxes, but there may be modest pressure on the potential of future dividend increases.  Add on $8 billion for defence  Under our NATO obligations, Canada should be spending 2% of its GDP on defence. Last year, it spent 1.36%. To meet its NATO obligation,  the government would have to set aside $20 to $25 billion per year, according to the Parliamentary Budget Officer. Budget 2022 has allocated $8 billion, to be spread over many years, and there is no plan to meet our NATO spending obligations.  If Canada does eventually spend 2% of its GDP on defence, significant tax revenues would be required. That could include an increase in personal income tax rates or even HST.  Investing in the Canada Growth Fund Canada is in line with

[ad_1] The post 11 Best Rental Property Trackers for 2021 appeared first on Millennial Money. If you’re a landlord, managing multiple properties can quickly get out of hand. Luckily, there’s a variety of apps designed to streamline everything from tenant screening to rent payment. By having the right rental property tracker, you can stay organized and profitable. We’ve rounded up the best rental property trackers available today. Keep reading to find out who made our list, why we picked them, and how to use these property management apps to maximize your profits. The Top Property Management Software for 2021  There’s no shortage of rental property trackers available to help the busy real estate investor. And each property management app has its own specialty.  Some services focus on rental property expense tracking and bookkeeping. Others enable you to interface with clients to collect rent, process maintenance requests, and securely exchange documents.  We’ve investigated the software available and selected eleven apps worth checking out. Read our write-ups of the best rental property trackers and choose which one — or ones — best suits your needs. 1. Buildium  Why we like it: The most comprehensive property management app currently available Convenient tenant portal manages payments and maintenance requests Not difficult to use Buildium is one of the most popular property management apps on the market — and for a good reason. This tracker streamlines the entire management process, from screening potential tenants to collecting and tracking rent payments.  The app also features a tenant portal that allows your renters to send payments and submit maintenance requests. Buildium even offers communications tools that enable you to send bulk emails and texts to your tenants and contacts lists.  However, although Buildium offers a myriad of features, that doesn’t mean it’s tricky to use. In fact, we found Buildium’s platform relatively straightforward and intuitive. How much you pay depends on how many units you manage. The lowest price tier starts at $50 per month for up to 150 units. On the other end of the pricing spectrum, management services for 5,000 units will run you $1,080 per month. Note that Buildium will give you a 10 percent discount if you choose to pay annually rather than monthly . 2. Personal Capital  Why we like it: Free income tracking Holistic wealth management app that goes beyond your rental cash flow Easy enough for beginners to use Personal Capital is one of the most popular finance apps out there. The app treats your real estate as an investment, rather than just a business or side hustle. Although you won’t get features such as a tenant portal or a special email inbox, you’ll be able to see how your rental income affects your overall net worth. For property owners, the app integrates with Zillow so you can link up your various properties. The app then pulls all of your financial data, including your cash flow and property values, and factors those into your overall net worth.  You’ll also find yourself using Personal Capital to monitor your spending and plan for retirement. It will also manage all of your other investments, too. Many of Personal Capital’s features are free. However, for a fee, the company does offer asset management for investors who deposit a minimum of $100,000. 3. Stessa Why we like it: Mostly free service Great for collaborating on properties with others Integrates with Roofstock so you can buy and sell properties  If you’re looking for a solution that will not only help you track your current properties but find new real estate opportunities, check out Stessa. Stessa’s parent company is Roofstock, an online real estate investing platform. You can use Roofstock to select and buy new rental properties and then use Stessa to manage them.  Stessa operates on a mostly free model, with some a la carte reporting services. Using Stessa, you can track an unlimited number of properties, access performance dashboards, and even collaborate with partners and family members.  Then, when you’re eventually ready to sell, you can use Roofstock to find a purchaser for your property. This Stessa/Roofstock combination is a complete solution for real estate investors. Learn More: Roofstock Review How to Invest in Real Estate Real Estate Investing For Beginners 4. Rentec Direct Why we like it: Unlimited U.S.-based customer service Full ledger accounting and Quickbooks synchronization Includes a custom website so you can market your properties Rentec Direct is a software company that offers two products for managing properties. Rentec Pro was designed for landlords who manage multiple units. Rentec PM is intended for property managers who need trust accounting features. With either plan, users have access to a variety of features to help with both the financial and operational aspects of their real estate investments.  For example, Rentec offers full general ledger accounting, an in-depth reporting system, and a built-in 1099-MISC e-filing solution. You can also use the app for running credit reports and background checks on potential tenants.  Rentec Direct also has some nifty features to help you market your vacancies. The service will help you set up a website with a lead tracking tool to reach prospective tenants. Rentec will even automatically post your listings to popular sites like Zillow and Realtor.com. Costs for Rentec Pro and Rentec PM start at $35 and $40 per month, respectively.  5. Quicken Home & Business Why we like it: Top choice for existing Quicken customers Easily connect with TurboTax Dedicated customer support team Quicken’s Home & Business software helps landlords stay on top of day-to-day tasks. For example, you can maintain contact information for tenants, track statements and loans, and even check metrics such as occupancy rates and rents received. You can also track payments and expenses. When tax time comes, you’ll be in good hands because the service links to Quicken’s proprietary and super-popular tax service, TurboTax. As a result, it’s straightforward to transfer and manage your tax paperwork. Quicken doesn’t charge an arm and a leg, either. To get the

[ad_1] Still need to get a swimsuit for this summer? Check out this sale on Lands’ End swimwear! Zulily is offering up to 70% off Women’s Swimwear right now! Plus, when you shop through our link, you will save an extra 15% off at checkout! There are a lot of modest, one and two piece bathing suit options at really amazing prices. These swimsuits are known to be exceptional quality and last forever. Shipping starts at $6.99. But if you place one order today, the rest of your orders will ship for FREE through 11:59 p.m. PT tonight! Valid through 9 a.m. ET on April 13, 2022. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] German investor Kuehne boosts stake in Lufthansa to 10% [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] The Nasdaq fell more than 1% on Monday, leading Wall Street’s main indexes lower, as rising bond yields weighed on megacap stocks such as Microsoft and Apple with investors on edge ahead of Tuesday’s inflation data. Shares of Microsoft Corp, Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp fell between 1.9% and 4.1% as the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield climbed to 2.75% after touching a fresh three-year high earlier in the day. The S&P 500 technology index slid 1.9%, the most among the 11 major S&P sectors, while the Philadelphia semiconductor index dropped 1%. Market-leading growth and technology stocks, that were underpinned by record low interest rates, have come under pressure since late March on signals from the Federal Reserve that it will hike rates aggressively to control soaring inflation. Data on Tuesday is expected to show U.S. consumer prices leapt to a fresh four-decade high of 8.5% in March, on a year-on-year basis, after hitting 7.9% in February, as the Ukraine conflict drives up energy costs. “The problem for stocks to gain momentum right now is that it is really unclear where the peak in inflation is,” Eric Merlis, managing director of global markets at Citizens Financial Group, said. “If we thought the Fed had a handle on inflation and the war wasn’t going to spill over anymore into Europe, you would see growth stocks rally pretty convincingly. But we’re not there.” Electric-car maker Tesla Inc fell 2.1% after data showed China auto sales plunged in March, hurt by the country’s curbs to rein in COVID-19 outbreaks. Nvidia fell 4.0% after Baird downgraded the chipmaker. Chip stocks have been among the worst casualties of the tech sell-off, down 22% so far this year compared to the 13.5% decline in Nasdaq. Investors will also be focusing on the big U.S. banks, which kick off the first-quarter earnings season on Wednesday. They are expected to show a sharp decline in quarterly earnings from a year earlier. However, the prospect of higher rates boosted financials, with the S&P 500 banks index rising 1.7%. The S&P 500 value index, which includes banking and energy stocks, has outperformed its growth counterpart so far this year, with the former nearly flat, while the growth index is down 13%. At 10:13 a.m. ET, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 52.55 points, or 0.15%, at 34,668.57, the S&P 500 was down 33.61 points, or 0.75%, at 4,454.67, and the Nasdaq Composite was down 146.94 points, or 1.07%, at 13,564.06. Twitter Inc rose 2.8%, reversing all of its premarket losses after the social media company said Tesla boss Elon Musk rejected its offer to join the company’s board. Media and streaming firm Warner Bros Discovery Inc, formed from the $43 billion merger of Discovery Inc and assets of AT&T Inc, rose 3.6% on the first day of trading. AT&T shares gained 5.0%. Declining issues outnumbered advancers for a 1.23-to-1 ratio on the NYSE and a 1.26-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq. The S&P index recorded 31 new 52-week highs and eight new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 24 new highs and 205 new lows. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Today only, Amazon is offering some hot deals on Toys from Fisher-Price! Here are some deals you can get… Get this Fisher-Price Imaginext DC Super Friends Batman 80th Anniversary Collection, Figure 5-Pack for just $13.80! Get this Fisher-Price Nickelodeon Blaze & the Monster Machines, Monster Dome Playset for just $19.99! Get this Fisher-Price Harley-Davidson Tough Trike for just $21.69! Get this Fisher-Price Little People Christmas Story for just $27.59 shipped! Get this Disney Frozen Arendelle Winter Wonderland for just $10.75! Get these Fisher-Price Disney Toy Story 4, 7-Figure Pack for just $11.99! Shop the entire sale here. Sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime to get free two-day shipping (and possibly one-day or same-day shipping!) with no minimum. If you’re not sure Prime is worth it, read this post for some helpful info to help you decide! And don’t forget you can sign up for Swagbucks to earn free gift cards to use on Amazon deals! [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Thoma Bravo to take cybersecurity firm SailPoint private for $6.1 billion [ad_2] Source link