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[ad_1] I spent some time the past few days reviewing my goals for 2022 and was so thrilled with the progress I made in March! Here’s an update on each goal: Myself 1. Go through 5 She Reads Truth studies for the year. (I’ve been loving going through these studies again this past year, but I realized that it’s better for me to go through much more slowly than what they designate the pace should be. I usually take 2-4 days on each day and that’s worked out well for me so that I’m really soaking the verses and learning from the passages.) March update: So far this year, I’ve finished the Old Testament study, the New Testament study, and currently working through the Do Not Fear study. 2. Finish at least 4 books a month. (Last year, I set the audacious goal of reading three books per week. I ended up falling very short of that. So this year, I decided to set a much more realistic goal. I hope to exceed this goal by a lot, but we’ll see! And if you missed it, I’m setting monthly goals instead of yearly goals for reading — and I’m really excited about this approach!) March update: I finished 9 books in January, 6 books in February, and 9 books in March — yay! You can see all my book review posts here. 3. Complete at least 1 craft per month. (I plan to use some of the craft kits that I’ve gotten from Annie’s Creative Girls’ Club and Annie’s Creative Woman Craft Club. Since so many of you purchased the fantastic deals I posted from them, they signed me up for both subscriptions as a thank you! While crafting is not something I’m really gifted at, I find that it is relaxing for me and something that challenges creative parts of my brain that I don’t use very often!) March update: I made stacking bracelets in January, a pillow in February, and another stacking bracelets kit in March. Motherhood 4. Have a monthly date with each of the three older kids. (I’m planning on having the kids help me decide what they’d like to do each month. I love hanging out with my kids and I cherish our time together even more as they get older.) March update: I took Kathrynne and Kaitlynn out to get our nails done and Silas and I watched multiple March Madness games together. 5. Read 10 chapter books aloud to Kierstyn and Baby D. (I’ve been reading a Bible story from The Jesus Storybook Bible and a chapter from a read-aloud book each afternoon before their naps. While they are little and much of it is over their heads, I love to establish this habit when my kids are tiny so that it becomes an important part of their family culture for the most formative years of their life. Plus, it’s fun for me!) March update: So far this year we’ve finished The Jesus Storybook Bible and Little House in the Big Woods. Marriage 6. Have a monthly date with Jesse. (While we hope to occasionally get an actual date night out, with multiple little kids, we want to be realistic… so we plan to at least do one Date Night in a Box kit at home every month — even if we can’t get out for a real date every month). March update: Jesse and I went to a movie together. MoneySavingMom 7. Finish my next book draft. (The first draft is due to my publisher mid-February. Then, we’ll be going through multiple rounds of edits before it goes to the printers. It’s slated to release in spring 2023!) March update: I turned in my book draft in February, met with my editor in March about edits, and am currently working through the first big round of in-depth edits. These are due back to my publisher on April 20th. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Amazon objecting to union's victory in New York, alleging interference [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] RBI Monetary Policy LIVE: The Reserve Bank of India’s Governor Shaktikanta Das will announce the monetary policy outcome on Friday, 8 April 2022, the first bi-monthly monetary policy of FY23. In the last 10 meetings, the MPC left the interest rate unchanged and maintained an accommodative monetary policy stance. The repo rate was last cut on 22 May 2020 on the back covid-induced nationwide lockdown. Since then, the rate remains at a historic low of 4 per cent. The government has mandated the central bank to keep the inflation at 4 per cent, with an upper and lower tolerance level of 2 per cent. The Reserve Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet six times this financial year. The next bi-monthly monetary policy of 2022-23 will be held during June 6-8. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Nima Ghamsari, CEO and founder of mortgage fintech Blend Labs. Blend Labs CEO Nima Ghamsari is a betting man. In his early 20s, he bet that online poker could cover his tuition at Stanford and then some. He was right. In 2008, as the financial crisis was unfolding, he landed a job at secretive big data startup Palantir, where he learned that the $10 trillion mortgage industry was still in the Stone Age technologically. As founder of Blend Labs, Ghamsari bet that he could convince hundreds of lenders to process their mortgage loans with his bleeding-edge technology. Right again.  But can Ghamsari play a winning hand when his software business is inextricably tied to the success of the mortgage industry, which is expected to contract by 35% or more in 2022? We’re about to find out. In its fourth quarter earnings report released last week, Blend executives spit out some ugly numbers – overall, the company lost $169.1 million in 2021, including $71.5 million in the fourth quarter. Blend’s net loss more than doubled from $74.6 million in 2020 during the refi-boom and with the market headed into a correction, executives warned investors revenue would plummet. The company expects the figure to decline 31% to between $230 million and $250 million in 2022 from $363 million last year. “With rapid changes in U.S. interest rates, rising inflation and associated reductions in 2022 loan industry forecasts that commenced in the fourth quarter of last year and has continued into this year, loan originators are now dealing with razor-thin margins and trying to adapt to a new normal,” Ghamsari told analysts and investors on the fourth quarter earnings call. “It is clear that this rapid reversal in industry loan volume expectations has impacted our outlook for 2022 revenue growth.” The stock that debuted in July 2021 at $20 a share has fallen to about $4.64, cutting Blend’s market capitalization from $4.4 billion to just over $1 billion, not unlike other mortgage world stocks that have been sucking wind over the past six months.  Still, Ghamsari expressed optimism that Blend would capitalize on a choppy market in 2022. Blend grew its estimated mortgage market share from 10% to 15%, he told analysts last week. With major deals to nab clients like Mr. Cooper, he expects market share to increase to about 20% in 2022. That hasn’t jolted the company’s stock performance, however. “The headwinds are already too large this year for those market share gains to overcome that,” said Ryan Tomasello, an analyst at Keefe Bruyette & Woods. “It’s a stock that’s in short-term mortgage jail.”  Blend declined to make executives available for an interview. The company’s lackluster fourth quarter results – and its 2022 forecast – reflect a cyclical shift to higher mortgage rates from the anomaly boom market during the pandemic affecting all mortgage-related stocks. The mortgage industry originated more than $8 trillion over the past two years out of the $12 trillion outstanding mortgages in the country, resulting in a hangover after a big refinance rush.   “The mortgage pie is half or slightly more than half of what it was for the last two years,” said Brian Hale, CEO at Mortgage Advisory Partners. “This is tied to interest rates, mortgage volume, and the lack of opportunity to make mortgages. The big rush that happened over the last two years has clearly subsided to more normalized levels.” While Blend ended 2021 with 343 banks on its platform including 34 of the top 100 financial service firms and its customers also processed about 25% of mortgages, the mortgage tech company faces serious growth challenges. Blend operates a usage-based billing model, so its clients pay more as they use the platform more. It’s projecting that its clients will process far fewer loans in 2022 as a result of higher mortgage rates depressing refis.  Blend also burned through a stunning amount of cash in the months leading up to its initial public offering in July 2021. It’s still spending heavily, according to company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.  The firm’s net cash loss from financing activities grew more than 80-fold to $633.9 million last year from $7.9 million in 2020 driven by the acquisition of Title 365 in a $422 million deal. The increasing mortgage rates are now forcing Blend to pull back “very hard” on hiring and hinted layoffs in title insurance, reviewing its overall cost structure in part to offset the decline in mortgage originations.  With a fixed pie of the market, software as a service companies like Blend will rush to cut costs and diversify their business to weather the storm, said Hale. In the long run, the firm sees title insurance as just one component of a platform providing end-to-end services to lenders and consumers.  The extent to which Blend can add mortgage customers, grow software adoption, and the ability for Blend to continue diversifying revenue beyond mortgage into home equity, personal loans, auto loans, and account openings are crucial factors for Blend, said industry observer Julian Hebron, founder at The Basis Point. In a year of major potential consolidation in the mortgage industry, Blend is betting its software will help its reach in meeting consumer demand at a lower cost in a downturn market.  The company is not only capitalizing on technology for its mortgage businesses including Blend Income and Blend Close, but also plans on investing in the consumer banking sector for Blend Builder, a tool that lets customers customize the components they wish to use with a drag-and-drop interface, expanding its footprint in the broader fintech market.  In 2021, Blend processed more than 1.8 million transactions for mortgage lenders, representing 38 percent growth from the previous year. Meanwhile, consumer banking transactions totaled just 300,000 last year, from 87,000 in 2020.  “It’s a tough day to be in the mortgage business if you’re a public company,” said Hale. “People are looking for new strategies, new technology, evolutions, new platforms, new workflows.” The post Mortgage refis are

[ad_1] If you have kids interested in STEM, don’t miss this great opportunity to try CodeSpark Academy for FREE!! {Sponsored by CodeSpark.} And be sure to check out these other FREE Educational Programs you can take advantage of right now! Do you have kids who love science, technology, or STEM-related activities? If so, you might want to check out CodeSpark Academy — an online program that teaches kids ages 5-9 how to code and use critical thinking skills. {And be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post after reading all about it, because you’ll be able to take advantage of a special exclusive offer to try it for FREE for 30 days!!} What is CodeSpark Academy? CodeSpark is the #1 learn-to-code app, teaching kids the ABCs of coding and basic computer programming skills — all without having to know how to read! Based on research-backed curriculum from MIT and Princeton, this highly-rated educational app features hundreds of activities and games designed to teach kids the fundamentals of computer science and introduce them to the world of STEM. In additional to learning how to code, this app also teaches basic problem-solving and logical thinking skills, encourages profound creativity, instills persistence and resilience, and boosts confidence in kids. Better yet, the games are so fun to play, most kids won’t even realize they’re learning while playing! When you sign up for your first FREE month of CodeSpark Academy, you get: Unlimited coding challenges New skills every week Hundreds of educational puzzles Unlimited access to their creativity suite Who is CodeSpark Academy for? CodeSpark Academy is designed for kids 5-9 years of age and is perfect for both boys and girls! In fact, the app was carefully designed to increase engagement and interest in young girls to help close the gender gap in STEM careers! The coolest thing about this app is that it’s a words-free interface, so that kids can play these games and develop logic skills before they even learn to read. The app is completely self-directed with no coding experience necessary. CodeSpark Academy can be played on mobile devices or desktop. It’s compatibly with iOS, Android, and even Amazon tablets. It can also be played in Firefox or Chrome browsers on the computer. Does It Get Good Reviews? CodeSpark Academy has offered our readers an exclusive free trial a couple other times over the past year and something that stood out to us is that our readers actually stay on after the free trial and continue paying for this app! (This is not often the case for our readers. We present free trials for all of you to take advantage of here, because we know many of you are on very tight budgets. But we only post free trials that you can cancel and not be locked into paying for, since we want you to carefully choose what is worth paying for in your family!) But we’ve noticed that this app has a really high percentage of users continue on to the paid version after the first free month — which means it must be a very impressive learning app! The CodeSpark Academy app also gets amazing 5-star reviews from thousands and thousands of users in the app store! Not only do kids LOVE this app, but their customer service is top notch! Here are just a few examples: “I cannot say enough great things about this app and company! My kids LOVE it so much! They play alone or together, sometimes on a video call with friends so they can share screens and work on designing levels together. I contacted customer service with a log in issue and it was quickly resolved.” “My kids really are engaged and voluntarily want to play the games. As a software engineer, I was skeptical at first about how can games teach kids coding. I started to play the games myself and am very impressed by how the games build the logic for programming fundamentals. It teaches kids to break a big task into small steps and make a good sense of what iteration is.” “I have two daughters who both love this app and share the same account. The younger one is very curious (and mischievous) and decided to test out what happens when she used the “Delete Profile” button. CodeSpark was able to recover the deleted profile TWICE! And one of the times, the profile had been deleted for quite some time. In a time where delete often means “gone forever” , it’s great that a company prepares for the eventuality that a kid will (accidentally or otherwise) delete a profile and later regret it. I’m considering buying a Lifetime membership as a result of this great service.” CodeSpark Academy has also won numerous awards over the past couple of years, including: Parent’s Choice Award – Gold Medal  Apple – Editor’s Choice, Top Educational App & more USA Today – Best Pick  Kidscreen Awards – Best Learning App The LEGO Foundation – Pioneer RE-Imagining Learning & Re-Defining Play Children’s Technology Review – Editor’s Choice Award And many more! Why Learn Code? Even if you think your kids aren’t that interested in STEM, it still might be worth giving this app a shot. There are SO many benefits of learning code at a young age! Here are just a few of the many educational and life skills CodeSpark Academy is designed to help with: Head Start in STEM — This app helps ignite interest in STEM by showing how science and technology can be creative and fun! Pathway to Math & Reading — Sequencing skills learned with this app are building blocks to early literacy and mathematics. The Power of Confidence — CodeSpark Academy helps foster the confidence it takes to stretch limits, persevere, and stay curious. The Freedom to Experiment — This app invites constant exploration, encourages willingness to try, and teaches kids that failure can be liberating and a learning opportunity. The Wonder of Childhood — Wonder, curiosity, and silliness are integral

[ad_1] Russia laments 'significant losses' as Ukraine braces for major offensive [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] With core inflation remaining elevated, big companies have gained pricing power, leading to a further widening of the wedge between small and big companies. A study by Pranjul Bhandari, chief India economist, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Pvt Ltd shows big companies have gotten larger through the pandemic period and have kept prices elevated and sticky; whereas smaller and informal companies have seen falling profits and have lost market share, forcing many to close through the pandemic. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] Masters Live Updates and Scores: Tiger Woods Returns to Tournament  The New York Times Surreal scene greets Tiger Woods, who’s in the hunt at the Masters  Yahoo Sports Tiger Woods’ golf return sparks etiquette debate: What do you say, not say, to someone back from an absence?  Fox News Start of the Masters delayed by weather   The Atlanta Journal Constitution Tiger Woods cards 1-under 71 in opening round of Masters at Augusta National  ESPN View Full Coverage on Google News [ad_2]

[ad_1] Better.com CEO Vishal Garg After becoming the poster child for callous mass layoffs, mortgage originator Better.com has adopted a new approach to reducing its workforce: the company is now asking staff if they want to leave voluntarily with benefits. The New-York based lender, which has laid off 4,000 workers since December, launched a voluntary separation program, with a two-month severance payment and health insurance for those who leave their jobs, according to an email sent on Wednesday afternoon to the company from Richard Benson-Armer, Better’s chief people, performance and culture officer. “As many of you know, the uncertain mortgage market conditions of the last couple of weeks have created an exceedingly challenging operating environment for many companies in our industry,” the executive wrote.  He added: “This is requiring many of them to make difficult decisions in order to sustain their businesses. Despite ongoing efforts to streamline our operations and ensure a strong path forward for the company, Better is no exception.”   The program is focused on United States-based employees in corporate and PDE who are level 10 and below. HousingWire asked how many employees Better.com plans to reach with the program, but received no answer.   On March 8, Better laid off 3,000 employees, roughly 35% of its staff in the United States and India. In December, the company was criticized when its CEO, Vishal Garg, fired 900 workers via Zoom and chastised their work ethic to remaining employees.  TechCrunch obtained a video in which Garg addressed the staff shortly after the layoffs in December. “We are going to be leaner, meaner and hungrier going forward. We will not be spending time trying to raise capital,” he said. “We will not be spending time focused on what investors think. We will be spending time grinding this business forward in what will likely be a bloodbath in the mortgage industry in the next year or two.” Garg also admitted to not being disciplined in managing the company’s capital and in its hiring strategy, which prompted the second mass layoff in March.  Better.com made a killing in 2020 thanks to low mortgage rates and a homeowner rush to refinance, but the second half of 2021 and the first quarter of 2022 have not been as kind. Interest rates have climbed to 5%, turning the mortgage market to purchases, which Better isn’t well positioned to capitalize on. The reputational damage from the December layoffs also hinders the company’s ability to develop relationships that lead to purchase business. For the employees who decide to stay, Benson-Armer wrote in the email that the company is returning to in-office mode in the coming weeks. “Given the headwinds facing our industry, collaboration and innovation – the hallmarks on which Better built its success – will be more essential than ever,” he said.  Benson-Armer joined Better.com in March to help create and protect its culture, the company said. Before serving as Better’s interim CHRO and a partner at the investment firm Activant Capital, he was a senior partner at McKinsey and the chief strategy officer of The Thomson Corporation (now ThomsonReuters).  Garg, Better.com’s CEO, said in a statement that Benson-Armer comes to the company “as we move towards Better’s next phase as a public company.”  A document filed by Aurora Acquisition Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in late December said that the special purpose acquisition company will keep a proposed merger with Better, despite the recent layoffs. “Aurora remains confident in Better and the proposed transaction,” the company said in the document.  The post Better.com to employees: Please quit appeared first on HousingWire. [ad_2] Source link

[ad_1] I’m new to investing in bitcoin and ether, but a long-time investor. But since cryptocurrencies are relatively new as investments, I was wondering if you could explain what it means to be a long-time crypto investor. How long should I hold on to it?—Sadie A long-time investor is someone who, as the name suggests, adopts a buy-and-hold strategy. These investors aren’t looking for short-term profits—they’re in it for the long haul. The strategy of buying and holding a cryptocurrency is often referred to as “HODL,” short for “hold on for dear life.” This strategy reduces risk for investors because they’re not affected by short-term volatility. As for how long you should hold on to your crypto, I hesitate to answer this because everyone’s financial situation is different. But often, people treat bitcoin (BTC) like gold and hold on to it for years. Playing the long game Long-time crypto investors believe patience and time are their biggest assets. In contrast to stock traders, for whom constant effort, ongoing research and active management are necessary, crypto investors focused on the long term tend to do their research up front, purchase their coins, place them in their wallets and let time increase the value of their cryptocurrencies. For example, if an investor had purchased a single bitcoin on March 16, 2020, they would have paid US$5,000. That same bitcoin was worth US$40,900 on March 16, 2022. By doing their research up front on the potential value of the coin, purchasing it and leaving it alone, the investor would have enjoyed a return of more than 800% in two years.  Of course, there are no performance guarantees for bitcoin—or any other cryptocurrency—so it’s important to understand the risks and invest within your risk tolerance.  Canadians can buy and sell crypto on CoinSmart* Go to Site Strategies for crypto investors Now, as I mentioned above, there isn’t just one answer as to how long you should hold on to your cryptocurrency. But there are methods that could give you a potential edge in maximizing your returns.  First, instead of buying your chosen cryptocurrency in bulk, you could employ a technique called dollar-cost averaging. This involves making small purchases of the cryptocurrency over a period of time, rather than buying a large amount at once. This strategy spreads out risk and helps prevent an investor from mistiming the markets.  Second, when you do see great profits over a period of time, your options aren’t limited to either selling off your entire investment or continuing to leave it untouched. You could choose to sell off your profits, then re-invest them into the same cryptocurrency when the price eventually drops.  Remember, when you sell cryptocurrency, your earnings are taxable as either capital gains or business income—which one will depend on the circumstances of your crypto activity. Read guidance from the Canada Revenue Agency, and if you need tax advice, talk to a financial professional. Steven Kraft is a cryptocurrency and blockchain expert who leads operations at CoinSmart, a Canadian cryptocurrency trading platform. Sign up for an account* with the code money30 and receive C$30 in bitcoin when you deposit a minimum of C$100.  Have a question? Ask a crypto expert SEND EMAIL Read more about crypto: What affects the price of bitcoin? How to buy ethereum in Canada Is ethereum a good investment in 2022? A guide for Canadian investors How to gain exposure to crypto without buying it What does the * mean? If a link has an asterisk (*) at the end of it, that means it’s an affiliate link and can sometimes result in a payment to MoneySense (owned by Ratehub Inc.) which helps our website stay free to our users. It’s important to note that our editorial content will never be impacted by these links. We are committed to looking at all available products in the market, and where a product ranks in our article or whether or not it’s included in the first place is never driven by compensation. For more details read our MoneySense Monetization policy . The post How long should you hold a cryptocurrency investment? appeared first on MoneySense. [ad_2] Source link