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February 17, 2020

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Hedge funds are investment funds that pool many in Hedge funds are investment funds that pool many investors’ money and then hire one or more professional managers to buy and sell specific investments. Although that basic structure is a lot like that of mutual funds, unlike mutual funds, hedge funds are lightly regulated and often high risk. You can think of them as like mutual funds on steroids. 💪💰 With high fees and high risk, you might wonder why anyone would choose hedge funds over other types of funds. It generally comes down to two potential benefits: ✅ The chance of higher returns. Because of their aggressive approaches and because looser regulations give them more leeway to boost returns, hedge funds have the potential to generate much higher returns than other funds. ✅ The need for diversification. Investors are always on the hunt for investments that don’t move in lockstep with traditional stocks and bonds (particularly for investments that may rise when stocks or bonds are falling). Because they can invest further afield, hedge funds can have an easier time delivering those types of returns than mutual funds or other mainstream investments. Given the barriers to entry for the average person, hedge fund investors typically include: ➡️ Pension funds ➡️ Foundations ➡️ University endowments ➡️ Family offices (a private company that handles investments for a very well-to-do family) ➡️ Wealthy people   👉 The word “hedge” actually has a specific meaning in investing? It means to reduce risk by making an investment that offsets the risk of another investment. A common misconception is that hedge funds engage in hedging. Some do, but plenty don’t. And did you know that just like Silicon Valley is the capital of the tech world, Greenwich, Connecticut, is the capital of the hedge fund world? 🧐 Swipe right to see some of the many flavors of hedge funds, and visit napkinfinance.com to learn more!
No but really, tell us your secrets. 🙃 No but really, tell us your secrets. 🙃
Let's talk about #CampaignFinance. Running for e Let's talk about #CampaignFinance. Running for election gets expensive. Candidates may need to pay for: ✅ Staff—such as a campaign manager, an advertising team, website designers, and organizers to coordinate volunteers. ✅ Office space for their campaigns—some candidates may need only a small headquarters in their hometown, while others may also need local offices throughout their state or the country. ✅ Advertising—it costs money to buy TV ads or billboards. ✅ Research—candidates may need to research their opponent or do polling to find out how voters respond to their ideas. ✅ Travel—to win the Iowa caucus, you probably have to travel to Iowa, and that costs money. ✅ Events—candidates may need to host rallies, dinners, or meet-and-greets with voters. Candidates for local office may be able to fund their campaign entirely with their own savings or with only some small contributions from family and friends. When it comes to national politics, however—and particularly running for president—candidates typically tap a range of funding sources including: Individuals, Megadonors, Party Committees, Political Action Committees (PACs) and Super PACs. Many experts believe the U.S. system should be reformed because it can create a cycle of influence. Here’s a simple example: Corporation A wants less restrictive laws on pollution. ↓ Corporation A gives a large sum of money to a Super PAC supporting Candidate X. ↓ Because Candidate X received so much financial support, he or she wins the election. ↓ Candidate X wants Corporation A’s support in the next election, too, so he or she tries to get looser pollution laws passed. That cycle is problematic because the U.S. is a democracy, so the government is supposed to work for the people—not for corporations or industries—and not only for the wealthy. What do you think? Share with us below! And click the link in today's stories to learn more about this topic.
Do you struggle with saving? Here are our top 5 st Do you struggle with saving? Here are our top 5 strategies! ➡️ Strategy #1: Plug any leaks. Comb through your last few months of spending and look for any easy expenses that you could cut out without even missing. Check for recurring subscriptions that you rarely use and anything set to “auto-renew” that you could live without. ➡️ Strategy #2: Tighten your budget. If you don’t already have a budget, start now! If you already follow one, check in on how well you’re sticking to it. Look for any routine expense categories where you could realistically cut back or for areas where you’re prone to splurging. ➡️ Strategy #3: Reduce what you pay in interest. Get all your debt payments organized. Figure out what you’re paying each month, and check your interest rates. Consider whether you could obtain a lower interest rate by refinancing any of your loans (like your mortgage), especially if your credit has improved since you took out the loan. If you’ve got credit card debt, look into whether a 0% balance transfer card could help you dig out faster and save on interest. ➡️ Strategy #4: Reshop your insurance. Explore getting new quotes for your insurance policies. You might qualify for better rates if you haven’t made any claims or bundle your coverage. Companies might offer you savings just to win your business. You can also consider whether you still need the same amount of coverage you’ve been carrying. If you’ve recently paid off a mortgage or car loan, for example, you may be able to reduce your level of coverage (though that means you’ll have less protection too). ➡️ Strategy #5: Boost your income. If you’re still struggling to save, try focusing on your income more than your expenses. Consider whether you can take on a side gig, turn a hobby into a source of income, ask for a raise, or even consider a new career path. 👉 Once you’ve picked your strategies, give them some time before you decide on whether or not they’re working. Try not to abandon them until you’ve had at least a few months to settle into any changes.
A company is at its break-even point when its reve A company is at its break-even point when its revenue equals its expenses. It is neither making nor losing money at this point. A particular company’s break-even point is usually described in terms of sales—whether as a certain dollar figure in sales it needs to hit or a certain minimum number of items it needs to sell. 👉 Companies use their break-even points to figure out how easy or hard it will be to turn a profit. The lower the break-even point is, the lower a company’s hurdle to becoming financially successful. A company might also use this number to: ➡️ Set the right price on products and services ➡️ Highlight which expenses are too high and could be reduced ➡️ Decide when to launch a new product or service ➡️ Set long-term goals Companies can even use their break-even points to decide whether or not to stay in business. If a company is consistently operating below its break-even point, then it may not make sense to keep running the business. A company’s break-even point is driven by the interplay between its revenues (i.e., all the money it has coming in the door) and its expenses (i.e., all the money it has going out the door). Expenses come in two main types: fixed and variable costs. A fixed cost is the same whether the business sells one item or 100. A variable cost, on the other hand, changes as the number of items it sells goes up or down. To break even, a company has to cover both its fixed and variable costs. 🤔 How much you need to sell in order to cover your fixed costs is easy to figure out: If you’re a shoe store selling $100 shoes and your rent is $5,000 a month, then you need to sell at least 50 pairs of shoes. Adding variable costs into the mix is what makes understanding break-even points more complicated because the more you sell (or make), the more your costs go up. 📈 Ultimately, a financially successful business operates above its break-even point. At that point, it’s turning a profit. 💸 Visit napkinfinance.com to learn more about this topic.
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