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Monthly Archives: June 2022
Artificial intelligence developed by NCAR will identify forests with high fire risks – Denver 7 Colorado News
Posted: June 11, 2022 at 1:40 am
BOULDER, Colo. The threat of wildfires has been especially front and center in Colorado for months, and projections show the worst could still be ahead as drought conditions worsen. However, firefighters will have a new tool at their fingertips developed right here in Colorado that will help them know ahead of time where fires could quickly spread.
Artificial intelligence developed at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder is allowing scientists to identify the locations and amounts of dead or dying trees and vegetation in Colorado forests, which burn quickly and, therefore, cause wildfires to spread faster.
NCAR scientists behind its development illustrated the technologys power by retroactively mapping the East Troublesome Fire of 2020, which grew much more explosively than anticipated.
NCAR
We can run a simulation, and basically use it to understand how the fire propagates, which areas are burning, and how much smoke is produced by the fire, said project scientist Timothy Juliano of the East Troublesome Fire projection. Before this, the fuel map inside of our model didnt even account for beetle kill. It assumed that the forest was healthy and had live trees that were still standing. In reality, we know that this area was devastated by beetle kill, and a lot of the trees were downed and dead If we had this product available [then], we would have been able to be much closer to observations in terms of how quickly the fire was going to spread.
Currently, researchers keep tabs on forest health through a combination of human cataloging and various sets of ecological data. This leads to a laborious process and, at times, unreliable results.
You can imagine that it takes a lot of time and effort to assemble that data, so it is only published about every five years, said Amy DeCastro, lead researcher for the study. Our AI-based method is able to update the vegetation maps during those times between publication and accurately capture any disturbance to the vegetation that may have happened in the meantime, like drought and beetle infestation.
As Colorado firefighters look forward and into the prospects of longer and more severe fire seasons technology that gives a more robust understanding of forest health will better equip them to show up in the right places at the right times. It will provide a head start that could literally save homes and lives.
We intentionally designed this project around freely available satellite imagery and an online modeling platform, DeCastro said. So any firefighter or land manager that wants to update their vegetation data before running wildland fire forecast has access to this method.
They can put out their evacuation warnings faster, and just have a better sense of where the fire will be and at what time, Juliano said.
The team at NCAR has been working on this artificial intelligence for more than a year, and knew early on of its potential power. It was in December, however, that its impact truly sank in for Juliano, as he was forced to evacuate his home in Louisville during the Marshall Fire.
I think for me, its like extra motivation, honestly, just to be really passionate about the research and try to resolve some of these issues, he said. It hits home when you see it firsthand.
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NuEnergy.ai Awarded the Artificial Intelligence Governance Contract by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada – AZoRobotics
Posted: at 1:40 am
NuEnergy.ai has been awarded the artificial intelligence (AI) governance contract by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), a department of the Government of Canada. This testing contract follows the November 2021 announcement of a NuEnergy Machine Trust Platform pilot with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Both contracts are part of the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program's R&D innovation testing stream.
"ISED has a keen interest in the practical application of artificial intelligence technologies and in ensuring proper and disciplined governance," said Julie McAuley, Chief Data Officer in ISED's Digital Transformation Services Sector. "We are looking forward to this pilot initiative which will allow our team to experience, apply, support, and promote the development of responsible AI and its Governance."
Early detection of risks is critical to the successful deployment of AI use cases both within the Government of Canada and within Canadian businesses. After delivering an executive education program, NuEnergy.ai is working with the ISED team to develop a framework for responsible AI governance which can be measured and monitored in the Machine Trust Platform (MTP) software.
ISED is the second testing department approved through the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) program to test the NuEnergy MTP software designed to support the ethical and transparent governance and measurement of artificial intelligence (AI) deployments. The Machine Trust Platform is a Canadian tech innovation that gives organizations configurable one-stop access to qualified, globally-sourced AI governance measurements and assessments.
Niraj Bhargava, CEO of NuEnergy.ai, adds, "It is now more critical than ever to develop guardrails to ensure trust of AI machines, and to extend this imperative from the public sector to the private sector. We are pleased to be expanding our partnership with the Government of Canada to do so and to deliver custom AI governance framework designs and trust assessment technology founded on global experience and expertise."
The NuEnergy Machine Trust Platform measures essential trust parameters including privacy, ethics, transparency, and bias and protects against the risks of AI drift. Global standards, including the Government of Canada Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA), are integrated into the platform, which can be customized to include other relevant governance standards.
Under the ISC initiative, which supports the scale up and growth of Canada's innovators, NuEnergy.ai's MTP can now be deployed in Government of Canada departments to test and improve the innovation to help commercialize their offering which monitors the trustworthiness of an organization's AI data, development and implementation. The implementation of a configured platform follows education on AI Governance and an AI Governance Framework co-creation process.
With a distributed team based in Ottawa, Waterloo, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, NuEnergy.ai focuses exclusively on providing the education, frameworks, and tools that companies and governments need to properly govern, manage, and mitigate the risks of their growing deployments of AI.
Source:https://www.nuenergy.ai/
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Class of 2022: Trucking company VP sees a role for artificial intelligence in future of his industry – University of Calgary
Posted: at 1:40 am
Kenedy Assman is the fourth generation to lead Landtran Systems Inc. down the long highways of Canada as it helps to keep the countrys goods moving. The company, one of the largest trucking and logistics companies in Canada, was started back in the 1930s by his great-grandfather. However, the recent UCalgary grad didnt come to Landtran by a short route.
Assman added vice-president of corporate development for Landtran to his resume just one month after completing an MBA specializing in finance through the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. (Assman also has a Bachelor of Applied Science from Queens University, where he studied mechanical engineering in the mid-2010s.)
During his time at Haskayne, Assman also participated in the innovative course where students support ventures in theCreative Destruction Lab - Rockies (CDL-Rockies). CDL-Rockies is one of 11 CDL sites around the world that brings together experienced entrepreneurs, investors and subject-matter experts to accelerate the growth of early stage science and tech-focused companies. Assman worked closely with Curvenote to help the science-writing platform create a go-to-market strategy.
Now, hes set to focus on continuing to build his familys company.
I actually never thought that I would work here! But it seems like Ive been drawn to the transportation industry my whole life. One summer, when I was in [Queens], I started a bus company with one of my fellow students. That company was to bring students to and from Toronto and Kingston to see their families for the weekend. The company that was already there was charging a crazy amount of money, so we were able to cut that cost in half. After [Queens], I found myself in marine shipping, where I was a management trainee, then I took over managing oil tankers. But then I started missing the prairies, and thats when I decided to do the MBA at the Haskayne School of Business.
One problem that I would really like to solve and draws me to transportation is how old the systems are, how antiquated the process is. A lot of things are still done on paper; even routing and dispatching is done manually or in person. Right now, there isnt a lot of AI that goes into finding and creating routes and finding the most effective ways to move freight from A to B. Even warehousing is still done with pen and paper, whereas you see companies like Amazon really disrupting, bringing in all this tech into this industry. Hopefully, I will be here to guide the company into the next generation of technological developments and bring us up to speed on what is currently out there.
First, I got to learn about the trucking industry and the supply chain and the unique problems to this industry. [At CDL-Rockies,] I was exposed to all the new stuff, cutting-edge stuff that is coming out. There were around 60 companies, and a lot of them were energy-focused or agriculture-focused, but there are things there that can be pulled into the transportation industry. There is also the [CDL - Supply Chain program]; it would be interesting to see what is coming out of there.
Calgary is optimally positioned to be not only a transportation hub for Canada but for a lot of locations in the U.S.A. By transforming Calgary and transportation infrastructure [etc.], we really have the opportunity to be the epicentre of transportation in Canada.
In the future, I would like to be running and owning this company someday, making it into Canadas No. 1 transportation company. The best service, the greatest place to work and the safest place to work. Hopefully, I will be here to guide the company into the next generation of technological developments and get us up to speed with what is currently out there and what the Amazons of the world are doing.
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Applications and use cases of AI in Sports – Appinventiv
Posted: at 1:40 am
As we are moving toward a technology-rich future, we see the world of sports is evolving by leaps. While statistical data has always played a central role in the sports industry, one technology has significantly increased the level of audience engagement and strategic gaming. We are talking about Artificial Intelligence in Sports.
Over the past two decades, Artificial Intelligence has completely transformed the way we consume and analyze sports. AI is making the world smarter for athletes, broadcasters, advertisers, and at last the viewers with real-time statistics. Not to mention the role of AI in sports forecasting and improved decision making, amongst other benefits, is one of the top applications of modern technology.
The applications of AI in sports have become a common sight even though not many experts talk about it. However, we dont limit the potential of AI when integrated into businesses and enterprises. Considering the positive impact and precision this technology brings to the ground, theres not an iota of doubt that AI in sports will flourish immensely in the future.
Speaking of which, lets discuss the undiscussable. This article talks about the transformation AI is bringing to the sports industry, the uses and applications of computational intelligence in sports, and the future of AI technology in the sports business. So sit through; its going to be an exciting ride.
Heres the roadmap to content ahead of you:
Lets begin:
Another study suggests that mobile applications such as HomeCourt, ESPN, AI SmartCoach, etc., are used to assess players skills, giving them a good medium to improve.
The above data proves how AI influences the sports industry to be data and information-rich. Not just popular sports but certain Sports enterprises rely entirely on AI and machine learning to drive their business. If you are one of them, you might want to know the whereabouts of AI before we jump to its use cases. Lets take a quick glance at AI for sports.
Artificial Intelligence is an umbrella term covering a variety of what we refer to as smart technologies. If you are new to the whole concept of AI, check out the Artificial Intelligence in business guide.
AI collects the information and responds to it without any manual support. The technology can take mass amounts of data and analyze it for a better experience and learning. At the most complex level, we are talking about drones and self-driving automobiles; however, in our daily sports life, it boils down to screen monitors, AI-based chatbots in mobile apps, and a lot more.
The adoption of AI and statistical modeling in sports has become more prominent with recent developments in professional sports analytics. This is probably because the applicability of machine learning algorithms combined with computer processing power has made the sports audience hungry for new strategies and applications.
The primary objective of AI in sports is to make competitions more fierce on and off the field. There are certain areas where AI and machine learning have left a solid footprint in the world of sports. Lets see what are the top AI uses:
The field of AI, particularly machine learning, has proven to be beneficial for all the sports challenges mentioned above. To talk about them in detail, here is a range of applications and use cases of Artificial Intelligence in the sports industry.
The sports business is at a point where it is ready to adopt every AI strategy and improve its decision-making by performing data-driven objectives. As a matter of fact, from 2015 to 2018, the NBA reviewed over 25,000 games and found over 2,000 missed or incorrect actions. This amounts to 1.49% wrong decisions in the finals of each close game.
This deciding factor has now been rescued by AI-dependent technologies where the officials can watch every close game with probability and visual data. Not only that, AI-based technologies serve the sports industry in a thousand other scenarios.
Below are a few of the significant AI applications in sports with real use examples:
Thanks to predictive analytics, AI in sports is used to boost performance and health. With the help of wearable technology, the athletes can gather information on strain and tear levels and can further avoid serious injuries. This also helps the team shape strong tactics and strategies and maximize their strength.
The analysis of player performance is even more sophisticated, thanks to AI. Even the coaches can gain insights using visuals and data to work on the strength and weaknesses of the players and make alterations in the game strategies.
From football to tennis, this is true of all sports. A powerful AI technology, Computer Vision is used for human motion sensing and tracking using video sequences. This brings out three results:
One popular real use example of AI in sports is determining the swimmers performance below water filters using human pose estimation. This method takes over the ancient quantitative evaluation method by manually annotating the swimmers body.
AI is on a track to winning in sports; this is concluded by how AI has taken personal training to the next level. An AI diet plan uses machine learning to customize different meal plans for different players based on their needs and schedule. And thats just the beginning.
Not to forget about the featured AI-based fitness apps that have flooded the market. These tools and techniques can now train algorithms to detect human poses in real-time.
One popular example is womens fitness app development, where keypoint skeleton models are used to identify human joints for online yoga and pilates.
Sports teams are making competitions more rigid and fierce by adding Artificial Intelligence to the scouting and recruitment box of tricks. Everything that takes place on the field, from the players movements to the orientation of their body, is tracked to make the right decision.
Further, machine learning algorithms are put to aggregate data and evaluate players skills and overall potential in various game categories.
Not only the recruitment choices are improved this way, but countries also get a strong and healthy team to achieve the impossible.
In often scenarios, the audience struggles to get inside stadiums on time for the match at big sporting events. Nothing could resolve the crowd issue until now when the AI struck in.
Recently, Columbus Crew adapted the AI-based face recognition technology to allow the fans to enter the stadium without having to check their tickets. This prevented bottlenecks and made the stadium entryway more efficient.
Apart from this, predictive and cognitive analytics is used to forecast what attendance is likely to be at the stadium along with the timing schedule. This helps the officials to keep up with the demand without much effort. Moreover, the merchandise and food arrangements are on time.
Its not hidden that officials have been trying to princess a heap of data in a bid to predict outcomes and win money for years. However, examining the first half of the match or the number of aces and scores its a pseudo prediction if you are just using a probability experience.
AI in sports can not predict the exact outcomes either, but it can get much closer with the algorithms than the human prediction.
Over 40% of the sports categories can now predict match outcomes using AI based on the below factors:
AI analytic tools can analyze the closest match prediction scores possible using the above data.
Sports journalism is a big business where every highlight needs to be covered. These details and updates are strictly heard, especially when it comes to data and statistics in tournaments and minor leagues. AI has simplified and made sports journalism a little easier.
For example, AI-driven platforms can hard score data into narratives using natural language. The platforms are based on automated insights that sync intelligently with computer vision and perform the journal score hearing.
This is a fascinating take on AI sports where technologies can cover even the local matches without the officials standing on the field.
This is a short and underrated benefit of AI in sports. Artificial Intelligence can be used to identify opportunities and present more relevant ads based on demographics. Brands this way get better advertising based on top highlights of the game identified by AI.
The cherry on the cake is the automated learning algorithms of AI and Machine learning in sports that monitor players actions and audiences emotions during matches.
Isnt it fascinating how Artificial Intelligence in sports has redefined the concept of watching and playing games in the most efficient way possible? If you ask about the future of AI in the sports business, wed say its bright and shining. AI is everywhere, and theres no going back from drones and big sports monitors now, so we might as well invest in the AI sports industry.
AI has already increased competitiveness by a huge margin. With effective sensors and algorithms, AI has all in hand for game strategists, sports companies, advertisers, franchise owners, and spectators. With such a broad scope of implementations, businesses are likely to invest in health and sports fitness application development, AI development services, and similar technical sports opportunities.
Therefore make sure you are not too late for the AI in sports party.
Appinventiv is an AI and ML development company that designs intelligent solutions to help your business solve problems, automate tasks and serve customers better. Unlock business opportunities with intelligent AI-driven solutions with a wide range of services such as data capture and processing, multi-platform integration, machine learning solutions, and analytics. Talk to our AI/ML experts to grab top industrial AI solutions.
Sudeep Srivastava
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Our Family Achieved FIRE at 39 and 41 on Salaries Of Under $100K a Year. Heres How We Did It – NextAdvisor
Posted: at 1:40 am
Editorial IndependenceWe want to help you make more informed decisions. Some links on this page clearly marked may take you to a partner website and may result in us earning a referral commission. For more information, see How We Make Money.
Amon and Christina Browning had no idea FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) was a movement. They just wanted to do whatever it took to quit their jobs.
It was really hard to find information on FIRE when we started, says Amon. When we started our journey in 2011, we werent thinking of it as financial independence, retire early. What has become the FIRE movement, I think, is a title put on something people have been doing foreverbasically, amassing enough assets to support their expenses so that they dont need to work anymore.
The Brownings officially achieved FIRE in 2019, at 39 (Amon) and 41 (Christina), with $2.5 million in investment assets. Without FIRE information readily available, the Brownings house hacked, did retail arbitrage, drove for Uber, sold items on Etsy and Facebook Marketplace, made money listing on Airbnbs, and flipped houses. It took eight years, but they hit their FIRE number.
Once retired, The Brownings moved their family of four from the San Francisco Bay Area to Portugal, where they now live well on a $2,000 a month budget. Theyve built an online education company, an Instagram page of over 100,000 followers, and a YouTube channel with 606,000 subscribers to share what theyve learned with others.
Heres the advice the Brownings have for anyone curious about achieving FIRE and what to do if you feel off track to course-correct and turn your financial goals into reality.
Your FIRE journey begins the day you crunch the numbers and face your goals head-on.
The first thing the Brownings did was calculate their FIRE number: the amount of money you need to have in active investments to live off of the returns after you quit working. A simple formula touted by many FIRE enthusiasts is to take your annual expenses and multiply them by 25:
Annual Expenses x 25 = FIRE Number
This formula became popular after the release of the Trinity Study, a research paper that popularized the idea of the 4% rule. Build enough wealth to where annual gains offset a 4% annual withdrawal and youll have what you need to retire at any age.
The Brownings started their FIRE journey as federal government employees with modest salaries. Christina was an attorney making $70,000 a year, and Amon was an urban planner earning $98,000 a year. They lived in Oakland, where the cost of living is 49% higher than the national average, and wanted to have the option to continue living there in retirement. They estimated they would need about $100,000 a year in living expenses; based on the above formula, their FIRE number was $2.5 million.
When we started to learn about creating financial independence, we learned how you calculate your FIRE number, how much you need to live off of a stock portfolio, and even invested in real estate, says Christina. For us, it was about saving more and learning about investingto try and invest right.
The Brownings advice is to:
Even after you calculate your FIRE number and start taking action, unexpected expenses or an increased cost of living can throw you off track. In 2015 four years into their FIRE journey the Brownings realized they needed to make more money if they wanted to retire by 40.
We were house hacking, at one point even drove for Uber, says Amon. We sold things on Etsy and had an Etsy store, invested in real estate, and had three Airbnbs going. Every additional dollar we made outside of our jobs was thrown into investments. We looked at our nine-to-five jobs and said, Okay, we just cant do it with these jobs; we have to find different ways to produce more income.
From 2015 to 2019, the Brownings found success with earning extra income through real estateit jumpstarted the FIRE process for them. They found creative ways to make more money and eliminate expenses; one of those approaches was to do what they call house hacking.
The Brownings would find properties that had been sitting on the market for a long time. These properties needed renovations, but were things the Brownings could fix. They bought distressed properties, did all of the renovations themselves, lived in them for a while, rented some out, and then sold the properties for a profit. They did all of their own flips.
Related: People Are Turning to Fixer-Uppers In Todays Ultra-Competitive Housing Market. Heres What the Creators of Cheap Old Houses Want You to Know
Another example of house hacking involved the Brownings renting a three-bedroom apartment, living in one room, and renting out the other two. Altogether, these streams of income enabled the Brownings to live on 30% of their monthly income and invest the other 70%. They credit their house hacking, side hustles, and money saving-strategies as the way they were able to get to FIRE sooner.
The Brownings advice is to find the opportunities to earn more that dont require a significant investment of time or money. They suggest that you might be able to rent a room on Airbnb, downgrade or sell material possessions, or start a side hustle.
Find a side hustle that dont require a significant investment of time or initial capital to free yourself up.
FIRE participants tend to favor index funds and total market funds. Amon and Christina invested money every week into the stock market, and any lump sums they got from a side hustle or sale of real estate also would be invested. 60% of their portfolio was invested in Vanguards Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX). Its an index fund that tracks the performance of the entire stock market.
The whole plan was to have investments that were passive and didnt require too much thought, says Christina. We decided that the VTSAX Index Fund would make up the bulk of our portfolio, and we would add little pieces.
Regardless of all the madness or craziness that was going on in the world, we consistently stuck to our investment plan, adds Amon. We wanted to build a portfolio that could not only sustain us to get to FIRE, but also keep us financially independent for decades to come, and even to the point where we could leave that money to our children.
Today, besides the VTSAX index fund, the Brownings portfolio includes other index funds, a couple of individual stocks, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and passive income from real estate. They own sector ETFs that complement their portfolio by providing more dividends and technology ETFs like the Vanguard Information Technology index fund (VTG).
After eight years of making more money and investing everything they could, the Brownings achieved FIRE in 2019. They celebrated reaching their FIRE goal by quitting their jobs.
When we hit our FIRE number, we went in to work and put in our two-weeks notice, says Amon. We quit. We didnt fully celebrate until later.
Upon retiring, the Brownings had some time to reflect. They decided to leave the United States and relocate their family to Portugal. They bought a home for 190,000 euros in cash, a property that they currently list on Airbnb, and are building a tiny house that theyll rent out. Their cost of living in Portugal is less than $2,000 a month, and their Airbnb income covers their living costs, further preserving their nest egg.
We live on an acre of land on the Silver Coast of Portugal, working on our farm, says Christina. We spend time at the beach and travel a lot. Were still parents and meet with our network of friends. We have so much freedom that we didnt have working jobs.
The Brownings maintain a financial education company and create content on YouTube and other social media channels, but they do it because they enjoy being financial educatorsnot because they have to work.
We believed that we could do this, says Amon. We believed it and we stayed consistent. There are some negative things in the world that could stop you from moving forward.
If youre curious about FIRE, all you need to start your journey is one number and a belief, adds Amon.
Have the mindset that you can do this.
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Shazu – A Ninja-Based Project Wishing to Achieve Financial Independence – NewsBTC
Posted: at 1:39 am
In the digital world, NFTs are a hot topic that has fascinated many people. Like famous artworks or historical monuments, these digital assets might be precious.
All tokens are unique, and you cannot substitute them for another, making them non-fungible. Blockchain games are exploring all the NFT potential, and Shazu is one of the latest initiatives to join this trend.
As the projects website reveals, Shazu has a ninja-based storyline and several features aiming to attract NFT fans worldwide.
Shazus storyline takes place between the Ethernal Realm and the Bininja Plateau. Everyone living here knew of the immense treasure resting in this land.
Shazu and his silent assassin ninja army were responsible for guarding the treasure. Specifically, the guardians only let those being pure of heart put their hands on the wealth.
When Ragon, the demon ruler from the Ethernal Realm, discovered these riches, the world changed. He assembled a massive army of evil spirits in an attempt to seize control of the world as a whole.
Ragon had been trying for centuries to take control of the riches, and Shazu had always managed to fight back. Everything changed when Shazu began feeling that his power to guard the treasure weakened.
He needed to fulfill the prophecy and locate a suitable warrior who could wield the riches. In order to do so, the fighter had to defeat Ragon and restore the world order.
An unseen but powerful ghost appeared in Shazus dream and informed him about a realm called Earth. Here souls resided and had enormous power and wisdom.
People needed a painting that showed their actual forms to be able to tap into this ability entirely. Shazu knew that he had to locate these paintings if he wanted to have a chance to defeat Ragon.
At this point, Shazus trip to Earth will need to unveil new ninja fighters to obtain financial freedom.
Shazus ecosystem will primarily rely on four different types of NFTs (or Action Cards):
Shazu has an internal marketplace where users can buy NFTs with BNB or SHAZU, the projects native token.
The year will end with the realization of a metaverse ninja game and connected marketing operations. We will see a beta version of this product by Q4, and the developers will work to optimize the game.
The team is betting on the success of its boosting staking feature. Users can connect to the Dojo page of the project and follow the simple process we summarized below:
The project is aiming high thanks to the uniqueness of its features. Another essential matter is the attractiveness of passive income schemes in the crypto world. Considering that this market is famously volatile, the promise of a steady income can appeal to many risk-averse investors.
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Shazu - A Ninja-Based Project Wishing to Achieve Financial Independence - NewsBTC
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How to Start An Airbnb (With or Without Owning Property): 3 Steps to Start Making Passive Income Now – NextAdvisor
Posted: at 1:39 am
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If youre looking for a side hustle that can move you toward your FIRE goals without requiring a lot of time, an Airbnb can be a profitable way to earn extra money and cultivate financial independence.
I had been in digital marketing for years and hated that it felt so short term; youre always worried about how youll make money next month, says JR Rivas, an Airbnb owner, real estate investor, and co-founder of BNB Leverage, a company that helps people buy and list their first Airbnb. I knew I needed to diversify my income streams.
Rivas got into real estate investing. Seven months after purchasing his first property, he listed one on Airbnb. The income was surprisingly impressive.
I listed four more of my properties, and now have five on Airbnb that generate six figures of revenue a year, he says. I want to play a long game. The entrepreneur has steadily turned his vacation rentals into an airbnb business that produces positive cash flow each month.
Since it first started in 2007, Airbnb has grown into a major rental platform with four million hosts and over a billion guests. You can list a home, apartment, room, or shared space as a vacation rental property; there are options to make money in various ways from short term rentals. Airbnb has over six million listings in 220 countries, and its hosts have earned over $150 billion, according to internal reporting from the company.
There is a lot of money to be made from having a successful Airbnb business. Heres what you need to know about how to start an Airbnb business, listing your short term rental property, and how an Airbnb business can become a profitable side hustle.
If youre wondering how to start an Airbnb business, theres good news: the process is relatively straightforward.
You need a home, apartment, room, shared space, or other rental property to list. If you want to list an apartment or room for your Airbnb business, you first need to make sure its allowed in your lease and that your listing complies with local zoning laws.
Assuming you are in compliance with local laws and homeowners association rules (if you own and will list a home), here are the steps to getting started on the vacation rental platform.
Go to Airbnb.com and create your account. Then, select add a listing. Youll be directed to fill out a form asking for the general information about your Airbnb rental property, such as:
You can list an entire place that gives guests full access to the rental property and all its available amenities, such as a backyard or pool. Or perhaps you might want to list a private room that gives guests access to certain rooms and common spaces (bathroom, kitchen), but limits their access to other areas based on what you designate.
Theres also an option to list a shared room for your Airbnb business. This option gives guests access to a room that is shared with you or others. Think of this as being similar to a hostel or other low-cost short term rentals; the guest shares a room and gets access to only the shared spaces you designate.
I have what I call a tiny house mansion; its 1,000 square feet, says Judy Winslow, an Airbnb owner and brand strategist who helps business owners build their personal brands. Winslows vacation rental business sees regular interest because her property is in close proximity to a beach.
Guests have their own bedroom and bathroom, but we share the house, she says. I live by the beach, so most people come here to go to the beach and play. My experience renting out part of my home on Airbnb has been awesome. Im careful who I rent to because Im a single female.
Winslow notes that her decision to start an Airbnb business has led to both financial and social benefits.
Ive met people from all over the world, and have used the income to pay off 60% of my mortgage, she adds.
Once youve selected your property type, youll be asked to add photos of the property and create a description of what guests would be renting. This is your chance to crack the code on how to start an Airbnb successfully and make a first impression that will stand out from the crowd.
A year ago, I wanted to buy a church, says Jami A Hearn, Airbnb owner and founder of Blue Aspen Incorporated, a company that offers short term rentals that have historical significance. I wanted to give my husband a reason, so I told him we could Airbnb it. We bought a church in Jackson, Pennsylvania, renovated it, and listed it on Airbnb last winter. We market our listing to people who are interested in historic buildings, and weve been pleased with the results.
Hearn says her vacation rental has a 50% occupancy rate, which yields between $4,000 and $5,000 a month, and that an Airbnb business is great as a side hustle because the amount of administrative effort needed is low.
We self manage, with just a cleaner on staff, and spend one to two hours a week on the admin tasks, she says.
Review Airbnbs guest requirements. You can also make additional requirements, such as requiring a government-issued ID. Set house rules for your short term rental property and provide details. Get specific on information that will be helpful upon arrival, such as whether your guests will have to climb stairs or find parking independently.
As you figure out how to start an Airbnb business, know that your calendar will be used to set:
You then decide how to price your listing. Some hosts offer discounts for booking a week, month, or more than 30 days to encourage higher utilization in their Airbnb business. Airbnb does have suggestions that you can use to determine a good price for your vacations rentals.
As of March 2022, the average annual earnings per United States Airbnb host is $13,800, according to internal reporting from the company. Remember that your Airbnb will have monthly expenses, and if you choose to set up your Airbnb as a business, a business license, business insurance, and/or business bank account may be necessary. Airbnb allows you to charge per day, week, month, or longer; the ability to charge at different intervals can lead to higher income than the set rates of a typical real estate investment property.
If you have a property thats a short term rental (like Airbnb), youre going to see a lot more revenue than a traditional property, says Patrick Perryman, an asset manager for Eden Companies, an investment company based in Kentucky. Perryman and his wife Rebekah own and operate an Airbnb. In May 2022, the Perrymans Airbnb was booked for 19 of its 23 available nights; its $8,578 in booked earnings yielded net cash of $3,842.29 for the couple, according to an Airbnb hosting report and supplementary profit and loss statement that was reviewed by NextAdvisor.
The per-day rate for a short-term rental is higher than a 12-month lease, Perryman says. Because you have so many people coming through a short-term rental, the income can be three to five times higher. My wife and I have seen more revenue and income from our Airbnb than if we rented out the property as a long-term rental.
The Perrymans note that Airbnb has become a side hustle they can manage comfortably alongside the responsibilities of their jobs and two children.
Airbnb hosts have to meet specific requirements for each listing, as Airbnb wants guests to have a comfortable stay. Those requirements are:
Hosts have the opportunity to check their Airbnb income and how theyre doing with Airbnbs Performance tool. The tool tracks performance against the average for all Airbnb rental properties. According to Airbnbs terms, listings that consistently fall below average could be subject to penalties.
Airbnb evaluates hosting performance over the past 12 months for all listings on an account; they do this evaluation every quarter. If a host meets the requirements by the assessment date, theyll automatically become a Superhosttheres no need to apply. Hosts are notified of their status at the end of each assessment period.
To qualify, a host must:
Airbnb suggests providing essential amenities in your listing. These items are what guests consider necessary for a comfortable stay, and are a key factor for how to start an Airbnb successfully. Amenities can include toilet paper, towels, linens, pillows, and soap; the little things you provide encourage guests to leave a great review.
In my properties, I provide disposable toothbrushes, razors, and travel toothpaste, says Rivas. It helps get those five-star reviews. Also, if theres something weird about your property, disclose it in the listing. There are many flaws that guests are willing to put up with as long as they know about them ahead of time.
Having the essential items makes guests happy, and you can add wow items to make their experience over the top. Great entertainment, a game-associated item (pool table, foosball, etc.), a hot tub, books, a nice sitting area outsidethink of things you can offer guests in your Airbnb business that arent expensive but create a memorable experience.
Consider adding special touches, such as special amenities, to encourage five-star reviews. High reviews build momentum and position you to become a Superhost.
The three Airbnbs Ive stayed at allowed me to have more comfort and space, says Marisa Sergi, the Chief Growth Officer at Luva Bella Winery, a wine distributor based in Lowellville, Ohio, and a newer Airbnb renter. Cleanliness and good amenities are why I left the listings a good review.
As an Airbnb host, you may be required to collect local tax or Value Added Tax (VAT) from your guests. If you need to collect sales tax, you should inform guests of the tax amount before they book.
If your country of residence is in the European Union, Latin America, China, or South Korea, you may need to assess VAT on any services you provide. Its wise to consult a sales tax advisor in your jurisdiction for more information on what you need to know. Additionally, youll also need to submit a W9 to Airbnb so that they can issue a 1099 for you to report host earnings in a year on your taxes.
The good news is you dont need to own your property to operate an Airbnb. If youre within the regulations of your locality, and its allowed by the owner of the home or apartment complex, you could list a private room, shared room, or entire property.
Starting an Airbnb can be a low-maintenance side hustle that grows your wealth over time. You dont need to own a property to start, you can build this income stream at your pace, and maintaining an Airbnb doesnt have to take up too much of your time.
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#385: Ask Paula: How to Invest When You’re Unsure of the Goal – Afford Anything
Posted: at 1:39 am
Anonymous (Jennifer) keeps hearing us say that you should start with the end in mind that your investments should match your goals and timeline. But what if you dont have any specific financial goal? What if your risk tolerance is different than you once thought?
Rachels new employer wont let her contribute to retirement for more than a year what should she do??
Carris parents are in poor health and cant work much what should they do about their life insurance policy and their health insurance?
Do you have a question on business, money, trade-offs, financial independence strategies, travel, or investing? Leave it here and well answer them in a future episode.
Enjoy!
Anonymous asks (at 05:53 minutes): If you dont have a specific financial goal, what is a good strategy to make sure that you can be flexible with your money and also allow it to grow in a smart way, both within brokerage accounts and retirement accounts?
And how do you make changes when you realize your risk tolerance is actually different than you thought without going down a rabbit hole about trying to time the market?
Im a tenured professor in my late thirties and I love my job I dont see myself wanting to retire until my late eighties, if possible.
When I retire, Ill get a pension and Im also investing in my 403(b) in a way that would give me the option to retire at 65, but I really dont think Ill retire at that age.
After taxes and retirement contributions, Im spending about half of my net income on my childs 529 plan, travel, general living expenses, as well as our mortgage, on which we still owe about $144,000. My total retirement savings are at about $235,000. I have a nine month emergency fund and $140,000 in investments.
We would like to move to a bigger condo within the next 10 years, but were not sure when. Were open to selling or keeping our current condo as a rental.
Beyond that I really dont have a goal, but I want to keep my money in a flexible place because of my planned retirement timeline.
28% of my total investments are in the Vanguard Core Bond Index Fund, within a brokerage account and a Roth IRA, and I think thats too much. I would like higher returns and Im okay with the risks.
Id like to exchange most of it for shares in the VTSAX fund, where I already have about 53% of my investments. But if I do that now, Id be selling at a loss. This gets a little bit into timing the market, but wouldnt it be smart to wait until the bond fund is up and perhaps other funds Id like to buy are down?
In addition, I wonder when and how to start moving some money into safety, for a down payment for our next condo. I like the idea of I-bonds, but I can only buy $10k per year. TIPS arent a good option in case we want to buy a condo in less than five years. Any suggestions?
The remaining 19% of my investments are in mutual funds with TIAA-CREF. Through TIAA-CREF, I have about 75% of my 403(b) in a 2050 fund, but I dont know what my strategy should be for investing my retirement funds since I dont really plan to retire in 2050. Any thoughts?
Rachel asks (at 35:39 minutes): I changed jobs about a month ago and I cant contribute to my new jobs 401k for about 13 months.
Im a W-2 employee and my salary is $100k. I live in a state with higher income taxes, so Id really like to contribute to pre-tax retirement funds.
If not for this lockout, I would be maxing it out. Ill be fine for 2023 because I can enroll in July and double the monthly contributions so that I can still max it out the issue is 2022.
Based on my income, I wont be able to deduct traditional IRA contributions. Im also maxing out my Roth IRA and it is done already for this year so I cant backdoor that. Correct?
I also have some 1099 income from a side gig. Its just a few grand per year, but I had an idea to open a solo 401k and put the income from the 1099 gig into that.
I could also roll my previous jobs 401k into the solo 401k. I need to get the money out of that previous 401k because the fees are super high, so this option would be convenient.
I dont know much about solo 401ks and Im anxious about opening one. Do you see any problems that Im not thinking of, or do you have any better ideas for retirement savings options while Im in this situation?
Heres some background: I own a house and my mortgage is my only debt. I have about $70k in a Roth and $90k in pretax funds. I also have a brokerage with about $7k with index funds in it. Im in the Midwest and I am 31 years old.
Carri asks (at 50:19 minutes): My parents are reaching a new phase of life because of their poor health.
My dad is 58 and my mom is 53. My dad has been on disability since 2010. My mom currently works full time making about $30,000 a year and she spends the majority of her time off work, just trying to recuperate. My siblings and I have finally convinced her to cut back her work hours.
My parents have a flexible premium, whole life insurance policy set up by my sister. I dont think its a terrible idea for my parents to keep their whole life insurance policy. My gut feeling is if they pay the minimum, theyll keep the life insurance benefit.
What questions should I ask about their policy? Under which circumstances would you recommend they back out of their policy altogether? What else should we consider as my parents enter their pre-retirement years?
Also, we have a few options were looking into as far as their health insurance. They own their trailer house and pay $600 a month for their space. They dont have any debt. They also dont have much as far as retirement savings. Their vehicles are old, but my mechanic siblings keep them running. They dont travel much.
Resources Mentioned:
For Carris question, here are other podcast episodes that talk about whole life insurance:
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#385: Ask Paula: How to Invest When You're Unsure of the Goal - Afford Anything
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Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance Raises Awareness of Need for Families and Caregivers to Protect Seniors on Elder Abuse Awareness Day…
Posted: at 1:39 am
NASHVILLE Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has declared Wednesday, June 15, 2022, as Elder Abuse Awareness Day in Tennessee.
In support of Governor Lees proclamation, the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) is joining other state agencies to highlight the importance of learning the red flags that might indicate fraud or elder abuse along with the steps senior Tennesseans and their loved ones can take to prevent exploitation.
Tennessees seniors are one of our most valuable resources. Their lives and finances should be protected from bad actors and scammers who mean to do them harm, said TDCI Commissioner Carter Lawrence. I am proud to join Governor Lee to highlight the importance of protecting the dignity and financial independence of Tennessees elder population on Elder Abuse Awareness Day. Any Tennessee senior or caregiver who has questions when it comes to investments or insurance policies should contact our team so that we may provide assistance.
To assist senior investors and their loved ones, TDCI is sharing tips on establishing a trusted contact and ways to avoid identity theft.
To combat potential investment fraud from occurring, TDCIs Securities Division is urging senior financial investors to provide their financial firms with a trusted contact.
A trusted contact is a person you authorize your financial firm to contact in limited circumstances, such as if the firm has a concern about activity in your account and has been unable to get in touch with you, said TDCI Assistant Commissioner for Securities Elizabeth Bowling. We strongly encourage all Tennessee investors to contact their financial firms and name a trusted contact today.
A trusted contact may be a family member, attorney, accountant, or another third party who you believe would respect your privacy and know how to handle the responsibility. You may establish more than one trusted contact.
Having one or more trusted contacts provides another layer of safety on your account and puts your financial firm in a better position to help keep your account safe. Naming someone as a trusted contact does not give that person the authority to act on your behalf, execute transactions, or reengage in activity in your account.
Instead, a trusted contact may be asked to confirm your current contact information, health status, or the identity of any legal guardian, executor, trustee, or holder of a power of attorney. U.S. broker-dealers are required to provide a written disclosure that lays out these details.
If you do decide to name a trusted contact, you will want to reach out your trusted contact in advance to let them know.
Scammers frequently target seniors for identity theft. To prevent identity theft scams, remember:
Other types of elder abuse involving abuse, neglect, or exploitation should be reported to the Tennessee Department of Human Services, Adult Protective Services Unit by phone at (888) 277-8366 or online, or, if there is immediate danger, to local law enforcement.
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Buy these now to achieve financial freedom: Gnox Token (GNOX), Ethereum (ETH) and Cardano (ADA) | – Bitcoinist
Posted: at 1:39 am
Many people have embraced investing as a tool for financial freedom, and with increased access to technology, the crypto market represents an important step toward democratizing wealth.
Cryptocurrencies reached new heights last year. It has evolved into a tool for financial equality, redistributing power to investors. Many projects have proven to be valuable assets, and they have provided investors with incredible financial utilities.
Analysts believe that there are crypto projects that will benefit investors financially. The following are their top choices.
Gnox is creating a decentralized ecosystem that passively rewards holders of its native token. It is the first DeFi earning protocol to offer yield farming as a service to private and institutional investors.
Each transaction is subject to a ten percent tax, with six percent of the proceeds going to the DeFi treasury. Gnox leverages this treasury to provide liquidity to safe pools while also earning interest from them. Based on the size of their portfolio, their holders share a portion of the rewards generated by these investments in BUSD.
Gnoxs objective is to provide an easy-to-use DeFi earning solution for those new to the crypto industry. They encourage investors to buy, hold, profit, and delegate the grunt labor to them.
DeFi professionals believe Gnoxs strategies will revolutionize the DeFi space. Even those with little knowledge can reap rewards higher than any interest-bearing financial product.
Ethereum is not new to the market, but its early stages are truly remarkable, demonstrating the financial benefit of participating in crypto presales early. During the Initial Coin Offering (ICO), the price of an Ethereum coin was $0.311, and over 60 million Ethers were sold.
The Ether presale, on the other hand, began in July 2014 and had already raised $2.3 million by midday (a total of 7.4 million ETH). Ethereums ability to make money did not stop there; it has since risen to become the second most profitable cryptocurrency. In November 2021, the coin reached an all-time high of $4,878.26, a 3 million percent increase over its presale price.
The developer teams scientific rigor has caught the attention of investors. On the Cardano blockchain, there are over 3.4 million registered, and ADA is the seventh-most valuable cryptocurrency. Better yet, last year saw the launch of smart-contract functionality, allowing developers to create decentralized software and services on the platform. In the coming years, this could result in a significant price increase.
Cardano is a blockchain smart contract platform powered by the ADA digital coin. The developer team built the ecosystem methodically, publishing in academic journals. Ouroboros, the first peer-reviewed consensus protocol, secures Cardanos blockchain.
Nowadays, cryptocurrency is proving to be the most viable option for achieving financial independence. In recent years, cryptocurrency prices have skyrocketed, making hundreds of people millionaires. The cryptocurrencies listed above will help you in becoming financially independent.
Learn more about Gnox:
Join Presale: https://presale.gnox.io/registerWebsite: https://gnox.ioTelegram: https://t.me/gnoxfinancialDiscord: https://discord.com/invite/mnWbweQRJBTwitter: https://twitter.com/gnox_ioInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gnox.io
Disclaimer:This is a paid release. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider and do not necessarily represent those of Bitcoinist. Bitcoinist does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of information available in such content. Do your research and invest at your own risk.
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