The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have skyrocketed in recent months, thanks to their potential to transform so many industries. There could be a lot of winners, including companies selling AI tools or using these tools to make their businesses more efficient. Investors who buy shares of these players could score a win, too. Even though many of these AI players have increased in the double and triple digits, some still may have plenty of room to run.

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A Wealth of Common Sense

APRIL 25, 2024

Bill Artzerounian joined me again this week to tackle questions about automating your finances, the tax implications of a company sale, how to offset RWM taxes and the pros and cons of a Roth 401k. Further Reading: Inflation Matters More For the Stock Market Than Interest Rates 1It’s also worth pointing out that interest rates under 2% have been rare historically.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Seniors on Social Security will almost assuredly be getting a benefits increase in 2025. That's because Cost of Living Adjustments are built into the program to provide seniors with more money as prices rise. Early data suggests costs are up quite a bit, so retirees are going to see more money in their monthly payments. However, it's important to note that if the 2025 raise comes in at the projected amount (or close to it), it will do something it hasn't done since 2008.

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Private Equity Professional

APRIL 25, 2024

The Sterling Group has held an oversubscribed, above target and hard cap close of its sixth fund, Sterling Group Partners VI LP, with $3.5 billion of capital. Sterling’s earlier fund closed in June 2020 with $2.0 billion of capital. The majority of Fund VI’s capital was provided by returning limited partners and includes several new… This content is for members only.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

The Vanguard 500 Index ETF (NYSEMKT: VOO) is one of the most popular ETFs (exchange-traded funds) , and for good reason. Vanguard made a name for itself by offering low-cost index mutual funds and later expanded its popular offerings to ETFs. The nice advantage ETFs have over mutual funds is that they allow for intraday trading. The Vanguard 500 Index ETF is designed to mimic the performance of the S&P 500 , which tracks the performance of the 500 largest companies in the U.S.

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Private Equity Professional

APRIL 25, 2024

Asante Capital Group, a provider of private equity placement and advisory services, has promoted Laura Leyland to partner. Ms. Leyland joined Asante more than a decade ago and worked on numerous mid-market private equity fundraisings for growth, buyout, and real assets funds in Europe and the United States totaling more than $23 billion. “We are… This content is for members only.

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Private Equity Professional

APRIL 25, 2024

Celebrity Coaches, a portfolio company of Allied Industrial Partners, has added on with the buy of Moonstruck Leasing, a motorcoach leasing company. Nashville-headquartered Moonstruck was founded in 2019 by Josh Trivett who now joins Celebrity as a general manager. Mr. Trivett will be active at Celebrity leading its business development function. “The consolidation of Celebrity’s… This content is for members only.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Image source: Getty Images My friends Joe and Jill (not their real names) are hardworking folks. Joe's an engineer of some sort (don't ask me exactly what he does) and Jill's a teacher in a low-paying district who loves her work and her students. All told, they bring home a joint income of $150,000. And that's an income you'd think would go pretty far, given that it's about twice the median U.S. household income as of 2022.

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Private Equity Professional

APRIL 25, 2024

Forward Consumer Partners has acquired artisanal baked goods maker Firehook Bakery. Alexandria, Virginia-headquartered Firehook was founded by Pierre Abushacra in 1992 as a neighborhood bakery specializing in organic sourdough breads and simply made baked goods. Over the past decade, Firehook has expanded nationally at a 50% CAGR and is now the leading brand of artisanal… This content is for members only.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

About 97% of Americans 60 or older either receive Social Security or will. And for 40%, that monthly payout represents at least half of their income. That's from a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, and it points to why you might make a budget priority of your own out of knowing how the state you live in now, or plan to later on, will or will not tax those benefits.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Continuum, a Chicago, IL-based technology firm specializing in digital networks for B2B distributors and manufacturers, raised $1.7M in Pre-Seed funding. The round was led by M25, with participation from Rex Salisbury’s Cambrian and Clocktower Ventures. The company intend sto use the funds to further enhance its platform capabilities and develop a B2B returns, warranties and repairs management network. […] The post Continuum Closes $1.7M Pre-Seed Funding Round appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Shares of Facebook parent Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) were hammered during after-hours trading on Wednesday, sliding more than 16% at one point. The big pullback in the stock price came after the company released its first-quarter earnings report. Interestingly, the social media specialist 's report actually included some pretty upbeat data about Q1 itself.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Treefera, a London, UK-based provider of an AI-enabled data management platform, raised $12M in Series A funding. The round was led by AlbionVC. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach. Co-Founded by Jonathan Horn and Caroline Grey, Treefera is an AI-powered data management platform empowering businesses in carbon removal, […] The post Treefera Raises $12M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Shares of global consumer appliance company Whirlpool (NYSE: WHR) sank to 52-week lows on Thursday after the company reported financial results for the first quarter of 2024. As of 1:30 p.m. ET, Whirlpool stock was down almost 12%. Investors don't like Whirlpool's struggles Whirlpool is facing multiple headwinds. First, the company has a lot of debt.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

PinkDx, Inc., a Daly City, CA-based company focused on positively impacting the health of women throughout their life journey, raised $40m in Series A financing. The round was co-led by Catalio Capital Management, LP, and The Production Board. Other investors include Mountain Group Partners, Byers Capital and Mayo Clinic. The company will use the funds to […] The post Pinkdx Raises $40M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) returned 220% over the last decade, compounding at 12.3% annually. That impressive performance was driven in large part by a single stock market sector. To elaborate, the S&P 500 tracks 500 large U.S. companies, including value stocks and growth stocks from all 11 market sectors , as defined by the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS).

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

FlexAI, a Paris, France-based AI compute company, raised $30M in Seed funding. The round was led by Alpha Intelligence Capital, Elaia Partners, and Heartcore Capital. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and development efforts. Led by Brijesh Tripathi, CEO, and Dali Kilani, FlexAI is delivering universal AI compute by rearchitecting compute […] The post FlexAI Raises $30M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) is cutting back in response to Boeing 's issues delivering airplanes, and investors are heading for the exits. Shares of Southwest were down 10% as of 10:30 a.m. ET following the company's disappointing earnings release. Tough choices because of a difficult supplier Southwest is famously an all-Boeing fleet, relying exclusively on the aerospace giant 's workhorse 737 line.

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Financial Times M&A

APRIL 25, 2024

Australian miner’s bid seen as complex and laden with risks

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

It's hard to overstate Social Security's importance to today's seniors. More than one-third of workers rely upon its benefits to provide at least half their retirement income and more than 10% count upon it for 90% of their income. It's only natural, then, to want the largest checks possible. Benefit amounts vary by individual, but there are also bigger factors at play that influence how much certain age groups receive.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Augment, a Palo Alto, CA-based AI coding assistance startup, raised $227M in Series B funding at $977M valuation. Backers included Sutter Hill Ventures, Index Ventures, Innovation Endeavors, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Meritech Capital. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate product development and build out its product, engineering and go-to-market functions.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Most investors know the potential benefits of leaving their winning stocks alone. While stocks can only fall to zero, there's no hard ceiling on how high a stock can climb. The growth in a long-term winner can often dwarf losses elsewhere in a portfolio. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett put it well in 2023 in a letter to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: "The weeds wither away in significance as the flowers bloom.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Moso, a Los Angeles, CA-based shop-to-earn platform that merges online shopping with cryptocurrency, closed a $2m seed funding round. Backers included Symbolic Capital, Dao5, Coinlist, Polygon Ventures, along with several strategic angels. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its development efforts. Led by Blake Capozza, Co-Founder & CEO, Moso is a shop-to-earn platform […] The post Moso Raises $2M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

While some stocks have responded to the 2024 bull market better than others, an abundance of stocks have followed this rising tide. There's no predicting how long this next bull market will last, although historically speaking, these periods tend to significantly outlast bear markets in average duration. If you're investing in top stocks for the long haul, what the market does in a few weeks, months, or even years won't deter you from building your portfolio in all market conditions.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Movement Labs, a San Francisco, CA-based blockchain development team that combines modular elements to create a more secure & performant Ethereum ecosystem, raised $38m in Series A financing. The round was led by Polychain Capital with participation from Hack VC, Placeholder, Archetype, Maven 11, Robot Ventures, Figment Capital, Nomad Capital, Bankless Ventures, OKX Ventures, dao5, and Aptos Labs. […] The post Movement Labs Raises $38M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Image source: The Motley Fool. Western Digital (NASDAQ: WDC) Q3 2024 Earnings Call Apr 25, 2024 , 4:30 p.m. ET Contents: Prepared Remarks Questions and Answers Call Participants Prepared Remarks: Operator Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Western Digital's third quarter fiscal 2024 conference call. Presently, all participants are in a listen-only mode.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Sorted, a London, UK-based recycling tech startup, raised £1.65m in Seed funding. The round was led by Pi Labs with participation from Archipelago Ventures, Circular Plastics Accelerator, Conduit Connect, Antler, and angel investors. The company intends to use the funds to expand operations and its business reach. Co-founded in 2022 by Arthur Goujon and Luis Espinosa, Sorted provides […] The post Sorted Raises £1.65M in Seed Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

The Nasdaq climbed to a new record high this year as investors piled into growth stocks, particularly those in the area of artificial intelligence (AI). This confirmed that the index was in a bull market, an investing environment favoring growth companies. And this momentum may just be getting started for two reasons. First, the AI market is in its early days, with analysts predicting a double-digit compound annual growth rate over the next few years and a market surpassing $1 trillion by 2030.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Diddo, a Santa Monica, CA-based provider of an API for interactive ads, raised $2.8M in seed funding. The round was led by Link Ventures with participation from Neo, Lamar advertising’s family office, Scott Forrstal, and executives from companies such as Disney, Sundance TV, and MGM+. The company intends to use the funds to accelerate platform development and expand staff.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) helped spearhead the so-called gig economy, allowing anyone with a car to start making money almost instantly. This disruptive internet enterprise wasn't always a great investment, though, as shares were down 45% exactly three years since they started trading. After really disappointing shareholders during the period after its initial public offering in May 2019, this transportation-as-a-service stock has been crushing it more recently, up a phenomenal 120% in the

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Financial Times M&A

APRIL 25, 2024

Legal & General and Abrdn say offer substantially undervalues UK-listed miner

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Shares of Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) were down 8.3% as of 11:19 a.m. ET on Thursday. The sell-off came after the big drugmaker announced its first-quarter results before the market opened. Bristol Myers Squibb reported Q1 revenue of $11.9 billion, up 5% year over year. The company posted a loss of $5.89 per share based on generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) compared to a profit of $1.07 per share in the prior-year period.

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FinSMEs

APRIL 25, 2024

Dropzone AI, a Seattle, WA-based developer of AI security analysts for security operations teams, raised $16.85M in Series A funding. The round was led by Theory Ventures, adding existing investors Decibel Partners, Pioneer Square Ventures, and In-Q-Tel (IQT). Carta CISO Garrett Held, Head of Security at Postman Joshua Scott, and Integreon President and Head of […] The post Dropzone AI Raises $16.85M in Series A Funding appeared first on FinSMEs.

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The Motley Fool

APRIL 25, 2024

Image source: Upsplash/The Motley Fool From "cash stuffing" to "loud budgeting," TikTok has become a center of financial advice and video-friendly personal finance trends for Gen Z. According to a survey from WallStreetZen , 76% of Gen Zers are using YouTube and TikTok to learn about personal finance. The most popular financial topics for Gen Zers to learn about on TikTok and other social media include budgeting (81% of Gen Zers), passive income (63%) and investing in stocks (59%).

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