Today, the art of investment is not any more intimidating pursuit in the hands of Wall Street wizards alone; it’s an adventure for almost anyone willing to explore. Imagine building a portfolio that not only reflects your financial aspirations but also resonates with your values-this is finding your financial fit. With all the new, innovative tools and cutting-edge technology at your fingertips – from stock screeners filtering investments based on your unique criteria to those focused on sustainability, technology, or social impact-now is probably the most seamless journey in the investment landscape ever. So, let’s examine how you can step up your investment game, get your money working for you, and always stay true to who you are. How To Align Your Investments With Right Tools? In an age where technology is reshaping how we manage our finances, finding your financial fit has never been more exciting or accessible. You can create your investment portfolio based on your personal values and areas of tolerance, along with your other financial goals. Whether you are seasoned or just starting out, innovative tools and approaches can help take your investment game to a whole new level, such as using the power of a stock screener. 1. Into the Digital Revolution Thanks to technology, the financial world has entirely changed. The days of studying everything in books and doing manual searches for investments are behind us. There are so many digital tools that make this process easy enough for anyone to get a foot into the stock market. The most significant development is probably the emergence of robo-advisors. These automated platforms evaluate your situation and goals, then create and manage an optimized diversified portfolio customized for you. They will invest on your behalf with little effort on your part, thus ideal for those who have always wanted to set up a passive strategy. In addition, many robo-advisors include socially responsible investing. 2. Filter Stocks With Stock Screeners Stock screens are among the most important tools for any investor. This is an efficient tool that filters stocks on specific criteria, thus making a selection easier or finding an investment running in line with your strategy. It lets you set parameters based on market capitalization, dividend yield, price-to-earnings ratio, and even ESG scores. That helps you concentrate on stocks that align with your financial goals and ethical considerations. For example, if you are interested in sustainability, you can screen for companies with high ESG ratings. Therefore, you can invest in businesses that may give financial returns but simultaneously help society. 3. Emerging Investment Strategies While investing, consider new strategies that reflect the current trends people in the market find popular. Here are a few of them for you to consider: 1. Thematic Investing: This investing style focuses on sectors or trends and not specifically on particular sectors. It could be companies associated with telehealth, renewable energy, or cybersecurity, for instance. Doing this helps you invest in areas with substantial growth and align your portfolio with the current trend of interest. 2. Impact Investing: Impact investing tends to share a striking similarity with SRI: it combines financial returns with measurable social or environmental benefits. It is an attractive strategy for individuals who want their investments to support causes that matter to them, whether that is education, health, climate action, or something else. 3. Fractional Shares: Because of fractional share investing, you do not necessarily have to save much money to buy expensive stocks. You can diversify your portfolio even if you do not have a huge savings account because you will acquire fractions of shares from those gigantic companies. So it will not be challenging to spread your investments in different sectors. 4. Leverage Data and Analytics Data-driven decision-making has also become an essential part of investing today. Most platforms provide analytics tools, which provide insights into market trends and stock performance. One can access real-time data, historical performance metrics, and even sentiment analysis, which drives decisions accordingly. You can, therefore, use these tools to make informed decisions that may eradicate possible risks. You can perfectly analyze your data and show all the chances you would otherwise not recognize. 5. Building a Community Another amazing feature of modern investing is the ability to build a sense of community through technology. One can easily connect with fellow investors, gain insights, and learn on forums, social media groups, or even through investment applications. Connecting with like-minded people may also provide support, accountability, and inspiration when navigating your financial journey. Discussions about stock picks, investment strategies, and market trends abound on platforms like Reddit and Twitter, and specific online forums are dedicated to investing. Joining these communities can increase your knowledge and confidence, turning you into a more well-informed investor. Finding the perfect financial fit requires being current about various financial news and trends. Subscription to financial news websites, investment newsletters, and market analysis blogs provides precious insight into the financial landscape, keeping one on top. Participation in webinars and virtual investment conferences also helps deepen your understanding of various investment strategies and tools. As you embark on this journey, remember to be patient and flexible. The investment landscape continues to evolve, so you will continue learning and maturing throughout your journey. It is possible to develop a portfolio that not only aims for financial success but also corresponds with your values and your belief in using the right tools and staying informed. Happy investing!LAKEPORT, Calif. — Maria Valadez would like everyone to chill out. Every election, the prickly Lake County registrar follows California’s litany of voting laws and certifies thousands of ballots by the time she is required to. And every year, people still complain. “The state gave us a deadline, we meet the deadline,” an exasperated Valadez said from her small office in Lakeport as a handful of staffers sat at computers verifying signatures more than two weeks after election day, when they had tallied fewer than half of the votes. “I just don’t understand, why do we need to rush?” In a state known for its slow processing of election results , Lake County, with only about 38,000 voters, is often the slowest of them all. For years, the rural Northern California county — known for local disputes over marijuana cultivation and several brutal wildfires — has been among the state’s last to announce votes after elections, often frustrating candidates and befuddling political pundits. The reason appears to be a combination of factors, including an under-resourced elections budget in one of California’s smaller, lower-income counties and a desire to keep a meticulous, steady process that was instilled by trusted staff decades ago, even as technology advances. “Elections are a lot of security, transparency and accountability. That’s what we do here. And it has been like this for all of the years I’ve worked here,” said Valadez, who was hired in 1995 and trained by the prior registrar, who was hired in 1977. “We have a lot of checks and balances. We do them as we go.” She repeated: “We have a deadline, we meet the deadline.” State law requires counties to finalize their official results 30 days after the election, this year by Dec. 5. Though Valadez is adamant that she’ll make it, the pace of progress is startling compared to most of the country. Shortly before midnight on election night, Lake County reported just 5,784 ballots. A few thousand more have been counted since. Yet by Thursday — 16 days after the election — Lake County still had more than 10,000 ballots left to count, according to the secretary of state. “I’m not unsympathetic to the challenges that come with unfunded top-down mandates from Sacramento, but there is a pattern of sheer awfulness with Lake County in particular going back at least a decade and they’ve earned all the scorn coming their way,” Rob Pyers, who operates the election guide California Target Book, said on social media last week. He said Lake County is “in the running for slowest election department worldwide.” This year, that may not matter much. Unlike some other counties in California, where daily ballot counts are still changing results in tight races for the House of Representatives that will determine the size of Republicans’ majority in Washington, Lake County did not have many hot contests on the ballot. Still, the slow count means residents are waiting to find out who will serve on local schools boards, the Clear Lake City Council and the county board of supervisors. Lake County’s lag has delayed statewide outcomes before. In the 2014 primary election , the race for state controller was razor thin. California voters had to wait a month to know who would compete in the general election as Lake County officials took their time with the final ballots even as they were barraged with phone calls from politicos feverishly refreshing their browsers for updates. It was Lake County that declared Betty Yee had edged out fellow Democrat John Perez by fewer than 500 votes and would advance. The county met its deadline. Democracy lived on. Now, it’s a different world than when Valadez first started working in elections 30 years ago, and her department’s speed — or lack thereof — has spurred conspiracy theories like those inflamed by Donald Trump when he lost the election in 2020. As Valadez and her staff calmly processed ballots Wednesday, an angry man from North Dakota called to inquire about what’s taking so long. Conservatives have singled out Lake County on social media as proof that deep blue California is aiming to rig elections. The man who lives 1,600 miles east and can’t vote in Lake County suggested something nefarious was going on. Valadez invited him to visit her office off the shore of Clear Lake, to her tightknit community where the security guard at the courthouse next door calls entrants “kiddo.” She has nothing to hide, she said. “We take our job very seriously,” Valadez said of her small staff. “The integrity of my work is very important to me.” California is among the slowest states to call elections not only because of its huge population, but also because of voting laws designed to increase voter participation, including sending all registered voters a ballot by mail, which can prolong when some races are called. “California deserves all the scorn it gets for holding up House election results,” screamed a headline last week in the New York Post. The article went on: “Hey, bud, what’s the rush? seems to be Golden State officials’ work ethic.” Derek Tisler, who focuses on elections as counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice, confirmed that Lake County is among the slowest to process ballots in the U.S. this year. But that’s OK, he said. “We get impatient, but I think everyone would agree that at the end of the day, we want things to be accurate,” Tisler said. “That is what election officials are going to prioritize. It makes sense they’re doing things in a way that they feel confident in.” As a wall of rain beat down this week on most of Lake County, a place that struggles with meth and opioid abuse, where 73% of public school students qualify for free and reduced-price meals, Valadez said she’s doing her best “within staffing and resource limitations.” The Lake County registrar’s office has five full time-employees, and one is currently on leave. A few retirees have been added as temporary help. The county — population: 67,000 — does not have a high-speed vote counting machine, instead verifying everything by hand. Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said places like Lake County don’t get the same resources as bigger tourism destinations with urban centers and higher property taxes. The state does not help counties pay for elections staff or voting equipment even as it issues more mandates, she said, making local officials’ jobs harder and uneven, depending on where they live. “I get really frustrated when I hear lawmakers complaining about how long it takes to count, because they could actually do something about it,” Alexander said. “If elections were not a chronically underfunded government service, we could have faster results.” Valadez also pointed to voting preferences as a potential reason for the timing of the county’s results. Unlike a growing number of counties, Lake County does not offer voting centers, a hybrid model that allows voters to drop off ballots several days before the election. Voters here prefer to vote in person at their neighborhood polling precincts and some are still getting used to receiving a ballot in the mail, Valadez said. But even if Lake County got a boost in funding, and more voters sent their ballots in by mail early, it’s unclear if elections officials would change much of their decades-old strategy. Wearing a bright red pixie cut and a Carhartt flanel, Diane Fridley, 71, worked to verify votes this week at a computer in the registrar’s office in Lakeport, scrolling her mouse across the screen to identify any issues with ballots. For more than 40 years, Fridley was the Lake County registrar. When she retired in 2019, she passed the torch to Valadez. But in between babysitting her grandchildren, Fridley comes in to help around election season. A Lake County native, Fridley remembers when voters had to bring their birth certificates to their polling stations. She has lived through the days of hanging chads. As someone who likes to have the same breakfast every morning — a slice of apple pie — and is hypervigilant about counting ballots, all the changes have been hard, but exciting. “Yeah, it takes us a little longer, but we dot our I’s and we cross our Ts,” she said. “We’re positive whatever totals we have are correct. I’m not saying other counties don’t do that, but we try to be perfect.” Fridley and Valadez exchanged a knowing look. “There’s a deadline for a reason,” Fridley said, echoing Valadez. “We always meet the deadline.”Moving forward, it is crucial for the Party to strengthen its internal oversight mechanisms and promote transparency in governance. By fostering a culture of accountability and integrity, the Party can rebuild trust with the people and uphold the principles of socialism with Chinese characteristics.
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After being kidnapped for the third time, Dr. Chen found herself in a situation where she was able to escape from her captors and seek help. With the assistance of local authorities, she was able to piece together her true identity and reach out to her family for the first time in years. The moment of hearing her mother's voice on the phone filled Dr. Chen with a sense of relief and joy she had long thought was beyond her reach.
ROSEN, NATIONAL INVESTOR COUNSEL, Encourages ASP Isotopes Inc. Investors to Secure Counsel Before Important Deadline in Securities Class Action - ASPINone
Amazon, known for its dominance in e-commerce, cloud computing, and digital streaming services, has made significant investments in AI technology in recent years. From customer recommendations and supply chain optimization to voice recognition and automated data analysis, AI plays a crucial role in many aspects of Amazon's operations. By teaming up with Perplexity, a rising star in the AI industry, Amazon is looking to further enhance its capabilities and solidify its position as a leader in the field.Electric Power Plant: The AB Sides of Jack Ma and Fan Luyuan, the "Alibaba Flavor"
The investigation stems from allegations that Google and Meta have been engaging in a secret agreement that allows Google to gain preferential treatment in Meta's digital ad network. This partnership, if proven true, could potentially distort competition in the advertising market and hinder the ability of other players to compete on a level playing field.
Moreover, Exa transforms the way we interact with search results by organizing them into easily digestible formats. Users can choose from various filters and categorizations to refine their search results – from sorting by date, relevance, or source credibility to displaying data in charts, graphs, or summaries. This level of customization allows users to navigate through information more efficiently and extract insights with ease.JOSH BERMAN JOINS ASSEMBLY AS EVP, ASSEMBLY LEAD IN NORTH AMERICAHow Is The Market Feeling About Brinker International?One possible explanation for the dearth of impactful summer signings could be attributed to the financial challenges faced by many clubs in the wake of the global pandemic. With reduced revenues and uncertain economic conditions, teams may have been more cautious in their spending and hesitant to splash out on big-name transfers. This conservative approach might have inadvertently led to a lack of fresh blood being injected into the league.
EDMONTON — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says the government is working to get taxpayer value for the money it paid for medication that has yet to be approved and delivered. Smith announced the plan two years ago amid a national shortage of children's pain medication. The province spent $70 million upfront to import five million bottles from Turkey-based Atabay Pharmaceuticals. But Alberta Health Services said Friday that Health Canada only approved 1.5 million bottles or $21 million worth of product. That left a credit of $49 million. Smith said this week the holdup is with Health Canada, which would have to approve a new suite of imports for the province to get its money's worth. “We’re waiting for Health Canada to work with AHS to identify the products, get the formulations, approve it, so that we're able to execute on it. Those things take time," Smith said in a year-end interview. The premier said the province had to pay the $70 million upfront. "They delivered a portion, and then the supply chains were restored, and we didn't need to fulfil it with the two products we'd initially ordered. So we have a credit on file with Atabay,” said Smith. The government and AHS declined to say what specific products they're seeking or when they might arrive. “We want it to be delivered soon," said Smith. Health Canada was unable to provide an immediate response. AHS said the $70-million prepayment went to Edmonton-based medical supplier MHCare. AHS did not address questions about how common it is to pay the entire contracting fee upfront with no apparent backstops to ensure fulfilment. The costs of shipping, waste disposal and other administration tied to the deal were initially estimated to be an extra $10 million, but are yet to be finalized. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Smith's United Conservative government signed a deal that didn't follow normal procurement practices, and it backfired. "The federal government had already signed a deal to get real Tylenol onto the shelves that arrived before the Turkish Tylenol," he told The Canadian Press. "Albertans should be really angry, because we basically have given $80 million of taxpayers money that could have built schools." Smith's government has stood by the decision to import the medication because, in late 2022, parents were desperate to find relief for their children at the height of the respiratory virus season. The purchase has long been mired in difficulties. It was immediately beset by delays, as the province sought regulatory approvals and sorted out packaging and warning labels. Pharmacists had to keep some of the medicine behind the counter to make sure customers who bought it were aware of the comparatively lower dosage. Hospital neonatal units eventually stopped using it due to safety concerns. The purchase also sparked questions about whether the province's relaxed ethics rules meant elected officials could be bought for the right price. Multiple UCP cabinet ministers have said they accepted free tickets to Edmonton Oilers hockey games during the Stanley Cup playoffs. They said they followed conflict-of-interest rules and denied any claims of disreputable behaviour. Health Minister Adriana LaGrange has said AHS has identified what imported adult medications it could use, is in negotiations with Atabay and is working to get approval from Health Canada. “Once those processes have been gone through, I will be happy to share exactly what those medications are,” she said Thursday. "My goal has always been to get products that we can use, get maximum value out of what's remaining on the books there, and that's what's happening." This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2024. Lisa Johnson, The Canadian PressSincerely,None
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — Ray'Sean Taylor had 27 points, Ring Malith scored 24 with 10 rebounds and SIU Edwardsville beat Ball State 82-69 on Sunday. Taylor went 9 of 22 from the field (7 for 15 from 3-point range) for the Cougars (6-4). Malith hit 7 of 13 shots and 9 of 10 at the free-throw line. Brian Taylor II shot 5 of 8 from the field and 2 for 4 from the line to finish with 13 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito led the way for the Cardinals (3-6) with 17 points. Ball State also got 13 points and six rebounds from Ben Hendriks. Malith scored 10 points in the first half and SIU-Edwardsville went into the break trailing 41-39. Ray'Sean Taylor scored the last seven points for SIU-Edwardsville to finish off the 13-point victory. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
The key to this remarkable feat lies in Willow's quantum error correction capabilities. Quantum systems are notoriously sensitive to errors due to external interferences, making it challenging to maintain the coherence of quantum bits (qubits) essential for computation. However, by implementing advanced error correction techniques, Willow was able to mitigate errors effectively, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of its calculations.
By ZEKE MILLER, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday reached a required agreement with President Joe Biden’s White House to allow his transition staff to coordinate with the existing federal workforce before taking office on Jan. 20. The congressionally mandated agreement allows transition aides to work with federal agencies and access non-public information and gives a green light to government workers to talk to the transition team. But Trump has declined to sign a separate agreement with the General Services Administration that would have given his team access to secure government offices and email accounts, in part because it would require that the president-elect limit contributions to $5,000 and reveal who is donating to his transition effort. The White House agreement was supposed to have been signed by Oct. 1, according to the Presidential Transition Act, and the Biden White House had issued both public and private appeals for Trump’s team to sign on. The agreement is a critical step in ensuring an orderly transfer of power at noon on Inauguration Day, and lays the groundwork for the White House and government agencies to begin to share details on ongoing programs, operations and threats. It limits the risk that the Trump team could find itself taking control of the massive federal government without briefings and documents from the outgoing administration. As part of the agreement with the White House, Trump’s team will have to publicly disclose its ethics plan for the transition operation and make a commitment to uphold it, the White House said. Transition aides must sign statements that they have no financial positions that could pose a conflict of interest before they receive access to non-public federal information. Biden himself raised the agreement with Trump when they met in the Oval Office on Nov. 13, according to the White House, and Trump indicated that his team was working to get it signed. Trump chief of staff-designate Susie Wiles met with Biden’s chief of staff Jeff Zients at the White House on Nov. 19 and other senior officials in part to discuss remaining holdups, while lawyers for the two sides have spoken more than a half-dozen times in recent days to finalize the agreement. “Like President Biden said to the American people from the Rose Garden and directly to President-elect Trump, he is committed to an orderly transition,” said White House spokesperson Saloni Sharma. “President-elect Trump and his team will be in seat on January 20 at 12 pm – and they will immediately be responsible for a range of domestic and global challenges, foreseen and unforeseen. A smooth transition is critical to the safety and security of the American people who are counting on their leaders to be responsible and prepared.” Without the signed agreement, Biden administration officials were restricted in what they could share with the incoming team. Trump national security adviser-designate Rep. Mike Waltz met recently with Biden national security adviser Jake Sullivan, but the outgoing team was limited in what it could discuss. “We are doing everything that we can to effect a professional and an orderly transition,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday. “And we continue to urge the incoming team to take the steps that are necessary to be able to facilitate that on their end as well.” “This engagement allows our intended Cabinet nominees to begin critical preparations, including the deployment of landing teams to every department and agency, and complete the orderly transition of power,” said Wiles in a statement. The Trump transition team says it would disclose its donors to the public and would not take foreign donations. A separate agreement with the Department of Justice to coordinate background checks for vetting and security clearances is still being actively worked on and could be signed quickly now that the White House agreement is signed. The agency has teams of investigators standing by to process clearances for Trump aides and advisers once that document is signed. That would clear the way for transition aides and future administration appointees and nominees to begin accessing classified information before Trump takes office. Some Trump aides may hold active clearances from his first term in office or other government roles, but others will need new clearances to access classified data. Trump’s team on Friday formally told the GSA that they would not utilize the government office space blocks from the White House reserved for their use, or government email accounts, phones and computers during the transition. The White House said it does not agree with Trump’s decision to forgo support from the GSA, but is working on alternate ways to get Trump appointees the information they need without jeopardizing national security. Federal agencies are receiving guidance on Tuesday on how to share sensitive information with the Trump team without jeopardizing national security or non-public information. For instance, agencies may require in-person meetings and document reviews since the Trump team has declined to shift to using secure phones and computers. For unclassified information, agencies may ask Trump transition staff to attest that they are taking basic safeguards, like using two-factor authentication on their accounts.