Category Archives: Financial Independence

August is ABLE to Save Month, and Ohio Treasurer Robert Sprague is using the occasion to tout the importance of STABLE accounts and highlight the programs record-setting growth.

ABLE to Save Month is a national campaign that shines a light on ABLE programs across the nation and how they enhance financial independence for people living with disabilities.

Since January 2019, Ohios iteration of an ABLE program, STABLE Account, has seen overall participation grow three-fold, with total enrollment nearing 30,000 active accounts.

ABLE to Save Month is the perfect time to promote the financial empowerment and independence that STABLE accounts provide for people living with disabilities, said Sprague. These accounts are life-changing as they help individuals to save and invest money, while also staying in the workforce. Were proud to continue the growth of STABLE Account and look forward to empowering more Ohio families.

STABLE accounts are 529-like specialized savings and investment accounts for people living with disabilities. Accountholders can save up to $16,000 without losing federal assistance, and they can save an additional $12,880 each year if theyre employed. Earnings on STABLE accounts grow tax-free if they are spent on qualified expenses, which include housing, transportation, living expenses, healthcare, assistive technology and more.

The STABLE Account program was launched in 2016 following passage of the federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. Prior to the ABLE Act, individuals with disabilities could only save $2,000 before losing means-tested benefits, such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Additionally, asset limits hindered opportunities to join the workforce. These regulations made it difficult for many people to work, save and invest, creating barriers to financial independence.

In recent years, the treasurers office has partnered with several private and public sector employers across Ohio to enable eligible employees to make recurring deposits into STABLE accounts directly from their paychecks.

Through STABLE Account, Ohioans living with disabilities can enjoy a higher quality of life and build a strong financial future. Signing up for a STABLE account takes about 20 minutes and can be done online from home. For more information about STABLE accounts and to sign up, visitwww.stableaccount.com.

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Treasurer Sprague recognizes August as ABLE to Save Month - The Highland County Press

When thinking about a recession, the first thing that comes to mind for many is the thought of Americans losing their jobs. During a recession, GDP (measure of economic output) goes down and unemployment increases.

The model for a recession has been similar ever since the second world war. Typically, when production begins to slow down because of any reason among various, companies may start to reduce their workforce to compensate.

As businesses reduce their workforce, Americans begin to spend less, either for lack of income or in fear of losing their jobs. While the loss of employment is rarely a risk for federal employees, the overall economic health impacts everyone.

When people spend less, businesses make less money, and when they make less money, they begin to lay off more workers. The cycle repeats itself.

A recession can be caused by various factors, including being manufactured by the Federal Reserve through tightening of monetary policy in order to cool off the economy. Economies that run too hot for too long bring uncontrolled inflation. As difficult as a recession can be on people, long-term and unchecked inflation is much, much worse.

Historically, recessions have given an overheating economy the time it needed to regulate back to healthy levels again. Now lets look at 2022.

Domestic production has retracted, and economists have been on recession watch for quite some time. Jerome Powell, the Fed chairman, has also commented about the potential need for a recession. But the unemployment rate is actually falling. More people are getting jobs, not losing them, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Domestic production and unemployment have always been correlated because of the cyclical nature of how a free market economy worksit runs on supply and demand. But with more people being employed, what impact does this have on the potential for a recession?

Recessions can start with any of the three parts of the cycle in that graph. The consumer sentiment index measures how people are feeling about the economy, which tells us how people feel about spending money. Prior to recessions, weve historically had lower sentiment, which accelerated the progression of a recession.

In 2022, people are feeling extremely pessimistic. The cost of goods and services has rocketed, inflation is the highest it has been in 40 years, and the consumer sentiment index is measuring similar to what it did in 2008. If people are feeling negatively about where the economy is headed, then theyre less likely to spend money, which reduces corporate profits, and can worsen the cycle.

But 2022 is unlike any year weve seen before. Corporate profits are at the highest levels weve seen since the 1950s.

Heres another graph with data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. The vertical gray bars represent periods of a retracting economy.

Not only are profit margins high, the amount of cash that corporations currently have available to them is the highest its ever been, as shown in the graph below with data also from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is a significant hedge against a contracting economy with reduced profits. Many companies are well positioned for a period of slowing business.

This could mean that businesses feel good about their positions and decide not to cut back their workforce so heavily. This could mean that we could have a much milder recession if we do have one.

There is incentive for companies to retain employees. Even the federal government has not been insulated from the masses of people retiring from the labor force. Corporations across America are having trouble filling the positions they need.

With a generational change of the workforce, as well as expectations of wages and work environments, younger workers have become more selective in their job picks and perpetuated the problem. This helps us understand one reason why corporations may be wanting to hold so much cash. They simply need to retain their people. Could we see higher wage growth as a result?

While overall consumer sentiment is weak, demand continues to be strong, and companies keep scrambling to fill the demand of consumers. This, combined with the high cash and low unemployment has economists scratching their heads in trying to figure out why inflation continues to run so hot.

One simple reason is that the Fed was quite literally 1.5 years late to the party. They were significantly slower to begin reducing economic stimulus than they should have been and kept money cheap for businesses to keep their lights on during the global pandemic.

All of these factors have created a perfect storm, which leads many economists to believe that a recession in 2022 will be unlike any weve seen before. Its not sustainable for an economy to have reducing production levels while companies are still employing and offering tons of jobs. Its an imbalance in economic sciences which can only lead to one of two things.

The first is that the corporations could use the cash on hand to hedge against the reducing production while allowing them to hire workers to increase production again. The economy corrects itself, and were back to normal. The other is that a recession is necessary in order to curb the demand in the market, forcing inflation to drop.

As a financial planning firm, we analyze the activity in the overall markets, and weve seen money managers and large financial institutions begin placing their trades to hedge. The economy and the markets are correlated but they dont always react with proximity to one another. Markets trade ahead of economic news, which is why reacting to news is almost always too late.

Despite whether weve reached the bottom of the market or if theres more to fall, whether were in a recession or if it comes later or not at all, the single most important question federal employees should ask themselves is: will whatever happens impact my financial independence?

Money is a tool to help us accomplish our objectives, take care of our families, and enjoy a life of fulfillment. Having a plan to help you accomplish these things will give you the greatest chance of achieving them. The markets wont always cooperate, neither will the economy, and sometimes your life wont either. But having a good plan in place allows you to know what you need to do to help maintain your financial safety each time the variables work against your plans.

We view a familys greatest financial success as their ability to continue living their lives the way they want to live without being ruled by variables outside their controla life with financial dignity and independence.

That is true financial freedom, and it can be possible with good planning. So dont wait any longer to prioritize your economic well-being, because its not just your money, its your future.

2022 Thiago Glieger. All rights reserved. This article may not be reproduced without express written consent from Thiago Glieger.

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Why A Recession In 2022 Will Be Unlike Any Other - FedSmith.com

There's nothing Republicans love to do more than wax poetic about parenthood. Dip a toe into red state America and you'll be bombarded with cloying bumper stickers and Facebook memes about how motherhood is the "toughest job in the world." These sentiments aren't sincere, however. They are mostly meant to reassure women who have been sidelined from paid employment that they don't need that silly financial independence anyway. And in the last two years, things have grown worse as Republicans in an attempt to justify book banning and "don't say gay" laws have tried to rebrand themselves as a "Parents Party" that supposedly stands up for exhausted folks just trying to care for families.

Caring for and educating kidsis hard work. But this sentimental claptrap from Republicans has always been empty noise. Now that Republicans have achieved their goal of banning abortion and making motherhood mandatory, the mask is slipping away. They are now letting loose with their true belief: Child-rearing is dumb and easy, not even really work at all.

The Republican attitude towards child-rearing can be summed up as this: "If women do it, how hard can it be?"

Republicans have absolutely no respect for the people who actually do the hard work of bringing up kids, both in and out of the home. Despite the employment of gender-neutral terms like "parenting," the truth of the matter is child care and teaching are still largely relegated to the realm of "women's work." And there's no number of saccharine slogans that will change the baseline conservatives' assumption that women's work doesn't count as real work.

Thirteen is an "absolutely phenomenal" age to become a mother, according toJana Pinson, an anti-choice activist who has been granted millions of dollars to run a "crisis pregnancy center" meant to strongarm reluctant women into giving birth. Pinsongushed in a piece published Sunday in the Washington Post about how barely post-pubescentkids should embrace motherhood. "I've seen a lot of 13-year-olds do phenomenal" as mothers, Pinson insisted.

"It doesn't have to be a negative thing," she added, describing forced childbirth on middle school kids.

Her comments soon went viral on social media, obviously due to the widespread horror at the deep immorality of anti-choicers. There is nothing, of course, "pro-life" about this sadistic desire to re-traumatize child rape victims by stripping away their childhoods or forcing young children into motherhood. But Pinson's comment is also telling in another way. It serves as a reminder that conservatives don't treat child-rearing as a serious responsibility.

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Thirteen-year-olds aren't allowed to vote, drive, drink, or, in most cases, even attend high school. Hell, Republicans don't believe kids that young are mature enough even to receive sex education or told the truth about racism in American history. More importantly, outside of some odd jobs and very limited part-time employment, 13-year-olds aren't allowed to work for pay. They aren't allowed to live independently of adult supervision. Partially, this is because we're trying to protect kids from having to grow up too fast. But it's also because our society recognizes that kids this young don't possess the intellectual or emotional maturity to handle adult responsibilities. We don't want 13-year-olds driving cars not just for their own safety, but for everyone's safety.

That's why Republicans so often talk about forcing motherhood on women like it's no bigger deal than asking them to pay a traffic ticket.

Yet Pinson believes that these children are fully capable of raising other children. She isn't just some random weirdo, either, but a person with the full faith and credit of the entire GOP establishment. As the Post explains, due to huge infusions of cash from both GOP donors and the Republican-run Texas government, Pinson is building a "$10 million crisis pregnancy center," complete with a thrift store and cafe, all to "attract female undergraduates" in hopes of pressuring them into premature motherhood.

Pinson's attitude belies the larger and truer belief about motherhood that lurks under the GOP's sentimental exterior: It's just child's play, not real work. That's why Republicans so often talk about forcing motherhood on women like it's no bigger deal than asking them to pay a traffic ticket. They can't imagine that being a mother is actually hard work, as their bumper stickers always say.

That patronizing attitude isn't just limited to the work of rearing children, either, but also applies to educating them.

Despite all of the political dramatics around education being staged by Republicans, underneath it all they truly don't think of being a schoolteacher as a real job requiring real skills and training.That's always been evident from the GOP attitude towards teachers' unions, but it's only gotten more pronounced in recent months. The hysterics about fictional "critical race theory" lessons in public schools, as well as their book banning push, provide Republicans even more cover to push their belief that being a schoolteacher is just glorified babysitting. (Although even babysitting is harder work than conservatives will admit.)

Red states are now starting to get rid of the basic requirement that public school teachers have a college education. Under the guise of shoring up the teacher shortage, both Arizona and Florida have dropped the requirement that public school teachers need to graduate college before getting a license to teach. In Florida, having military experience is considered sufficient. Now Iowa's Republican-controlled legislature is moving forward with a similar billthat would allow high school students to run daycare classrooms. The bill would also increase the limit on the number of kids allowed in a class, serving as yet another reminder that conservatives don't think caring for children is real work. They can't imagine that overstuffed classrooms are legitimately overwhelming.

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The Republican contempt for childcare and education has never been far from the surface. We see this in the relentless red state "work requirements" put on mothers to receive financial assistance. The push is based on the assumption that the children of lower-income women can simply be put away on a shelf while their mother is at work. Or in the words of Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who recently dismissed families' need for childcare at all: "I've never really felt it was society's responsibility to take care of other people's children."

No doubt, like many rich male Republicans, Johnson is able to largely ignore how grueling the daily work of child-rearing and education is. Likely, someone else did it for him, and mostly where he didn't even have to see it. For rich male Republicans, children just show up when summoned, fed, groomed and taught to read as if by magic. The actual grunt work of turning children into functional adults has been concealed from such men by social structures that not only foist this work on women but guilt women into not bothering men with the details.It's just more misogyny.

Red states are now starting to get rid of the basic requirement that public school teachers have a college education.

The Republican attitude towards child-rearing can be summed up as this: "If women do it, how hard can it be?"

In reality, of course, bringing up children is hard work. It can't be done by one adult by herself, much less by those who are still children themselves. Every child needs a staggering amount of attention and care in order to grow into a functional adult. Little kids aren't houseplants or even cats, who can be left alone for hours without supervision. It does, no matter how much Republicans may scoff, take a village to raise a child.

No matter how much Republicans try to brand themselves as the "Parents Party," this derision for the actual work of caring for and educating children tells the true story. Republicans have absolutely no respect for this crucial form of labor at all.

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GOP's post-Roe reveal: Republicans don't think raising children is real work - Salon

The process of buying shares in a company is incredibly easy. Finding the right stocks that offer a good return on investment is a completely different story. So how can investors know which share is best to buy? For the answer, we asked some of the smartest investment minds aroundthree of our IU Einsteins.

Alexander Greens Oxford Communiqu newsletter has more than doubled the S&P 500 over the past 20+ years

Alexander Green is the Chief Investment Strategist of The Oxford Club, the worlds largest financial fellowship. For 16 years, Alex worked as an investment advisor, research analyst and portfolio manager on Wall Street. After developing his extensive knowledge and achieving financial independence, he retired at the age of 43. More on Alex

In my 36 years in the business, the three best methodsIve found for selecting stocks are momentum investing, value investing and riding the coattails of industry insiders.

Momentum stocksare companies that lead the market in sales and earnings growth, product innovation and price action. They tend to rise faster in a bull market and fall harder in a bear market or correction.

Value stocks are companies that are cheaper than most on the basis of price-to-sales, price-to-earnings and price-to-book value. They often pay bigger-than-average dividends too.

These stocks may rise less in a bull market but hold up better in a bear market. They are a fine example of why the tortoise beat the hare.

Andinsider stocksare ones where the officers, directors and beneficial owners are buying substantial amounts of their own companies shares with their own money at current market prices.

Given that these individuals have access to all sorts of material, nonpublic information about their companies business prospects, its no surprise that these stocks tend to outperform in good times and bad.

These arethree different approachesrequiring entirely different metrics. Yet they all work over time and none involve trying to outguess the market.

Of course, anyone can plunk for a few shares of stock. Successful investing also means knowing when to get the heck out.

The Dividend Kings thoughts on which share is best to buy

Marc Lichtenfeld is the Chief Income Strategist ofInvestment Us publisher, The Oxford Club. He has more than three decades of experience in the market and a dedicated following of more than 500,000 investors.

After getting his start on the trading desk at Carlin Equities, he moved over to Avalon Research Group as a senior analyst. Over the years, Marcs commentary has appeared inThe Wall Street Journal,Barrons and U.S. News & World Report, among other outlets. Prior to joining The Oxford Club, he was a senior columnist at Jim Cramers TheStreet. Today, he is a sought-after media guest who has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business and Yahoo Finance. More on Marc

The market has been brutal in 2022, especially over the past couple of months. But theres been a place to hide. Dividend stocks not only have given investors shelter from the raging storm but also have provided a hot meal and a comfortable bed for investors to rest their weary heads.

It shouldnt be a surprise that stocks that pay strong dividends not only are outperforming the market but are still positive for the year, despite the market being quite weak.

The dividends received act as a buffer. If youre collecting a 4% dividend yield and the stock falls 4%, you will break even. So when markets are bad, dividends can offset some of those losses.

That has led to all three of my stock portfolios inThe Oxford Income Letter being positive year-to-date and each beating the market by at least 10 percentage points in a year when the S&P 500 is down 16%.

Former CBOE trader weighs in on which share is best to buy

Whether it was selling the Star Wars figures he collected as a little boy for 50 times their value or using the $125 he made cutting grass to buy a Michael Jordan rookie card that he later sold for $1,500, it was always clear that Bryan Bottarelli was a born trader possessing the unique ability to identify opportunities and leverage his investments.

Graduating with a business degree from the highly rated Indiana University Kelley School of Business, Bryan got his first job out of college trading stock options on the floor of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE). There, he was mentored by one of the countrys top floor traders during the heart of the technology boom from 1999 to 2000 trading in the crowded and lively Apple computer pit. Executing his trades in real time, Bryan learned to identify and implement some of his most powerful trading secrets secrets that rarely find their way outside the CBOE to be used by individual traders. More on Bryan

Why is that? Because the market is forward thinking and stocks prices are based on future value, not present value. So you want to buy a stock now thats cheap and thats overlooked and thats undervalued. This is because Wall Street isnt paying attention to it. The present value is cheap. But in six months time when that stock recovers and comes back up, and everyone now agrees that it is a buy you bought it six months ago and now youre selling it to all those people for a much higher price.

When Covid-19 first started hitting the airways and people started realizing what the impact would be, stocks were getting hammered. Airlines, cruise lines, Disney, sports and sports betting closed down. But then what happened next was people started realizing that there was a vaccine coming. And just as quickly as all of those stocks moved down, all of them just blasted right back up. Now (many of them) didnt fully recover, but the stocks still moved up because of this principle. Because the market is forward thinking and in six months time the idea was sports betting would be back, Disney would be back, airlines would be back and so on.

Remember this quote: Successful investing is about having people agree with you later. For me, six months later. If you can do that, you can make a lot of money.

Whether its momentum stocks, value stocks, insider stocks, dividends or forward thinkingthere are many investment strategies to help figure out which share is best to buy.

Fortunately for you, Investment U has a variety of options when it comes to the best investment newsletters. Choose a newsletter that is best for you today and start profiting from our IU Einsteins years of experience.

Ben Broadwater is the Director of Investment U. He has more than 15 years of content creation experience. He has worked and written for numerous companies in the financial publishing space, including Charles Street Research, The Oxford Club and now Investment U. When Ben isnt busy running Investment U, you can usually find him with a pair of drumsticks or a guitar in his hand.

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Which Share Is Best to Buy? - Investment U

In the run-up tothe inaugural RIA IntelAwards in September, RIA Intel will publish Q&As and other short features highlighting the accomplishments of this yearsnominees and Rising Stars.

There are plenty of things that have slowed down in the wake of the pandemic, but spending money on tattoos isnt one of them.

Many artists I talk to are booked out for months, says Colton Etherton, who established his own RIA, Out of the Office Planning, a business that focuses entirely on tattoo artists and is based in Beaverton, Oregon with $1.9 million in assets under management. You would think its something people would forgo, but that hasnt been the case so far.

While business is currently booming for his clients, Etherton says that they never know what tomorrow will bring. Its those unknowns, says the father of two, that he loves to work with.

[Tattoo artists] really have control over their income because they can control how much theyre working, says Etherton, who helps his roughly ten clients with everything from their taxes to cash flow and retirement. It provides more flexibility for planning with the typical employee, its like, Okay, you have your 401k."

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Before he founded Out of the Office Planning, Etherton worked at Johnstone Financial Advisors, a Beaverton, Oregon-based wealth management firm, where he typically dealt with older clients who were approaching retirement age.

But now, he says, he finds excitement working with younger adults. You can make quite a big impact when you help them look at their finances over the long term, he explains.

Etherton is often helping them plan for the next twenty or thirty years and retirement isnt always their goal. Its more about financial independence, he says. A lot of my clients love tattooing, so they dont really see themselves stopping, like most people do in their regular jobs.

Along with planning where they want to be decades from now, these clients are often concerned with the financial planning that goes into opening their own shop, or perhaps taking time off to travel. For Etherton, near-term goals like these help make his job more rewarding.

Those kinds of opportunities are fun to plan around, he says.

The inaugural RIA Intel Awards is a celebration of financial advisors, wealth management firms, and industry leaders. Results will be revealed at a gala dinner and ceremony at the Metropolitan Club of New York, September 14, 2022.

Click here to sponsor or register for the event.

Caitlin Keating (@Caitkeating) is a freelancer at RIA Intel and based in New York City.

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At Out of the Office Planning, One Niche Business Takes Center Stage - RIAIntel.com

Some of the biggest disruptors in the tech economy - after transforming the way America does business - are now turning to a very old idea: a trade organization.

And Birminghams Shipt is one of its founding members.

Back in March, some of the heavy hitters in the app economy formed Flex, an organization advocating for workers, consumers, businesses, and other sectors of the app-based economy. Along with Shipt, other member companies include DoorDash, Gopuff, Grubhub, HopSkipDrive, Instacart, Lyft, Shipt, and Uber.

The leaders of Flex - CEO Kristin Sharp, and Board Chairman Steve Benjamin - were in Birmingham this week to meet with Shipt officials and shoppers. They came away with some definite impressions.

For Sharp, a policy figure with a background in technology, innovation, and national security, her main takeaway was enthusiasm.

People want control over when, where and how they work, Sharp said. But we are seeing how it impacts peoples lives.

That means conversations with Shipt shoppers who work around education schedules for their special needs children, or watch over parents with health conditions, or want more self-determination, she said.

Benjamin, the former mayor of Columbia, S.C., said one focus of Flex is maintaining independent work for shoppers, Uber drivers, and DoorDash deliverers. That includes people like three Shipt shoppers he came in contact with in Birmingham.

We spent time with some Shipt shoppers and met some really cool people, he said. That was probably the most enjoyable part of the day, just hearing from three ladies who are fundamentally entrepreneurs, who believe in hard work, in financial independence, but feel very strongly about flexible work.

The COVID-19 pandemic, with its emphasis on social distancing, prompted an explosion in platforms like Shipt. Flex represents roughly 52 million workers and a sector of the economy contributing about $348 billion a year. But more than that, Sharp said, the mass layoffs of the COVID lockdown drove many to seek work among the app-based firms.

That kind of flexibility, weve heard from our shoppers, is really something that people want to continue doing, even as the threat of the pandemic is dissipating a bit, Sharp said.

One of Flexs aims is preserving the legal classification of app-based workers as independent contractors, rather than employees. According to Flex, app-based workers spend about eight hours a week on average using their platforms for work.

The new cry, quite frankly, is people want flexible work, Benjamin said. They want the autonomy to set their own financial futures in these platforms. Shipt is in the lead of creating some amazing opportunities for men and women across Alabama who feel very strongly about creating their own economic futures for their families.

This post was modified at 1:55 p.m. CST July 28 to correct the city where Steve Benjamin served as mayor.

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What is the future of app-based work? Shipt is having a say in it - AL.com

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The "Direct Selling Establishments Global Market Report 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global direct selling establishments market is expected to grow from $449.79 billion in 2021 to $466.73 billion in 2022 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8%. The market is expected to grow to $510.39 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.3%.

Major players in the direct selling establishments market are Herbalife, Amway, Mary Kay Inc., Infinitus, Tupperware, Vorwerk, Natura, JoyMain, DXN, and Belcorp.

The direct selling establishments market consists of sales goods and services by entities (organizations, sole traders, and partnerships) that are engaged in non-store retailing of merchandise except e-commerce, mail-order, and vending machine sales. The entities operating in this industry go to the customer's location rather than the customer coming to them, such as door-to-door sales.

This includes home delivery of the newspaper, home delivery of heating oil, liquefied petroleum (LP) gas, and other fuels, locker meat provisions, frozen food and freezer meal plan providers, coffee-break supplies providers, and bottled water or water softener services. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.

The main types of direct selling establishments are single-level marketing and multi-level marketing. Single-level marketing refers to direct sales carried out by sales associates. The various products include wellness, services, home, and family care, personal care, clothing and accessories, leisure and education, and other products having the price range of premium, mid-range, and economy.

Asia Pacific was the largest region in the direct selling establishments market in 2021. North America was the second-largest region in the direct selling establishments market. The regions covered in this report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, and Africa.

The need for additional income opportunities in developing and underdeveloped countries has been a driving factor in the direct selling establishments market. According to The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham), the direct selling industry reached $2169 million by 2021 in India.

Direct selling could be a viable income source, even if someone wants to do it part-time. Direct selling in long term promotes self-employment and financial independence. ASSOCHAM paper also reveals the average sale of each participant in India is about $300 per year. The need for additional income opportunities is expected to drive the direct selling establishments market during the forecast period.

Increased demand for online shopping restrains the market for direct selling establishments. E-commerce platforms offer more discounts on products compared to direct selling encouraging consumers to switch from direct selling establishments to online shopping portals.

Direct selling platforms are now changing the business model so that they can survive in the market. For instance, in India, direct selling platforms such as Amway, Oriflame, and Tupperware started selling products through e-commerce portals such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, eBay, and Amazon which is a disruption in the direct-sales business model.

Few companies such as Hindustan Unilever have closed its direct-to-home model, HUL Network, and re-launched its Aviance beauty products and Ayush remedies on Amazon. According to Oberlo, by 2024, global online sales are expected to reach $6.4 trillion and this is reducing the revenue of most direct selling organizations.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a direct selling business is an emerging trend shaping the direct selling establishments market. AI in direct selling business is used to collect and analyze data about the customer, delivers highly intelligent automated customer service, and also helps to predict the re-stocking volume for product inventories.

For example, AI helps in personalized email marketing which is helpful for product recommendations and drip campaigns using the past behavioral data of the user. Chatbots are available at all hours and help in generating new leads and assisting customer service. For instance, Ventaforce is AI-powered direct selling software that simplifies product categorization, lowers the risk of downtimes or failures, and increases savings from operations.

The countries covered in the direct selling establishments market are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, and USA.

Companies Featured

Key Topics Covered:

1. Executive Summary

2. Direct Selling Establishments Market Characteristics

3. Direct Selling Establishments Market Trends And Strategies

4. Impact Of COVID-19 On Direct Selling Establishments

5. Direct Selling Establishments Market Size And Growth

5.1. Global Direct Selling Establishments Historic Market, 2016-2021, $ Billion

5.1.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.1.2. Restraints On The Market

5.2. Global Direct Selling Establishments Forecast Market, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

5.2.1. Drivers Of The Market

5.2.2. Restraints On the Market

6. Direct Selling Establishments Market Segmentation

6.1. Global Direct Selling Establishments Market, Segmentation By Type, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

6.2. Global Direct Selling Establishments Market, Segmentation By Product, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

6.3. Global Direct Selling Establishments Market, Segmentation By Price Range, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

7. Direct Selling Establishments Market Regional And Country Analysis

7.1. Global Direct Selling Establishments Market, Split By Region, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

7.2. Global Direct Selling Establishments Market, Split By Country, Historic and Forecast, 2016-2021, 2021-2026F, 2031F, $ Billion

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/g159ln

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Direct Selling Establishments Global Markets Report 2022: Focus on Wellness, Services, Home and Family Care, Personal Care, Clothing &...

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Global Cosmetic Preservatives Market

Global Cosmetic Preservatives Market

Dublin, Aug. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Cosmetic Preservatives Market by Type (Paraben Esters, Formaldehyde Donors, Phenol Derivatives, Alcohols, Inorganics, Quaternary Compounds, Organic Acids & Their Salts), Application and Region (North America, Europe, APAC, RoW) - Forecast to 2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The cosmetic preservatives market is estimated to be USD 410 million in 2022 and is projected to reach USD 562 million by 2027, at a CAGR of 6.5% between 2022 and 2027.

Increase in female working population will support the growth of cosmetic preservatives market

There is an increase in participation of women in workforces globally. According to Statista, India accounted for a total 36% share of the female population working in organized sectors in 2021. According to a report from the European Union Commission, the population of working women accounted for a 66.2% share in 2020. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the share of the population of working women in the US in 2020 was approximately 56.2%. The increase in the working population of women enables financial independence, allowing them to make their own decisions.

Globally, women are the major consumers of cosmetic products. Therefore, financial independence is expected to boost the consumption of cosmetics and skin care products, thereby increasing the consumption of cosmetic preservatives.

Stringent regulatory norms

Cosmetic products contain a range of ingredients. These ingredients cover cosmetic preservatives, cleansing agents, and unique fragrances. Regulatory bodies are continuously taking initiatives to prohibit or limit the use of ingredients that cause health issues. Stringent rules and regulations have been implemented by governments regarding the disclosure of product ingredients utilized in the manufacture of products.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US provides the legal framework and guidelines for the usage and prohibition of particular preservatives. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) passed by the FDA regulates the usage of cosmetic preservatives in cosmetic products in the US. In India, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) regulates the usage of preservative products in India. The Drugs and Cosmetics Act (1940) and rules (1945) and the Bureau of Indian Standards implement the laws and regulations for the manufacture of cosmetic products and preservatives.Increasing focus on male-specific cosmetics

It is a general belief that appearance and presentation matter. People are inclined to use products that make them look good. There is a significant demand for male-specific cosmetics ranging from moisturizers to anti-agers to mud masks. Numerous problems are faced by younger males in general related to oily skin, acne, hair fall, and wrinkles, among others. All these problems can be overcome with awareness about and the use of the proper cosmetics. Manufacturing companies, thus, have lucrative opportunities for the development of products specifically targeting the male segment.

Increasing awareness about the usage of cosmetic products among men offers major opportunities for cosmetic product manufacturers targeting individual issues faced by men. This opportunity widens the market share and helps penetrate the newer application segments of cosmetic products. This, in turn, increases the growth of the cosmetic preservatives market.

High prices of organic and natural cosmetic preservatives

The high costs of organic and natural cosmetic preservatives which are in demand from the market is a significant challenge. Organic preservatives are preferred over traditional preservatives such as parabens, formaldehyde donors, and others by manufacturers of personal care products. Organic or natural preservatives are preferred as they do not lead to skin problems. Costs of preservatives increased post the pandemic due to the shortages in the supply of high-quality products. Though there is high demand for natural and organic cosmetic preservatives, the high costs of preservatives pose a challenge for cosmetic manufacturers. The market for organic and natural cosmetic preservatives is expected to grow at a significant pace in the European and North American markets.Asia Pacific region is expected to grow with the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing market for cosmetic preservatives globally. Improved lifestyles, increasing cost of living, increasing population, and high economic growth of emerging economies such as China, Thailand, Indonesia, and India will led to the growth of the cosmetic preservatives market in the Asia Pacific. The increasing population and availability of affordable products will be primarily responsible for the high demand in the region. Increasing awareness among the population about the effects of the environment on skin and hair is another factor leading to high demand of the cosmetic preservatives during the forecast period.

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Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

2 Research Methodology

3 Executive Summary

4 Premium Insights4.1 Attractive Opportunities for Players in Cosmetic Preservatives Market4.2 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Type4.3 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Application4.4 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Key Countries

5 Market Overview5.1 Introduction5.2 Market Segmentation5.2.1 By Type5.2.2 By Application5.2.3 By Region5.3 Market Dynamics5.3.1 Drivers5.3.1.1 Increase in Purchasing Power of Consumers5.3.1.2 Increase in Female Working Population5.3.1.3 Shelf-Life Enhancement5.3.2 Restraints5.3.2.1 High Cost of Organic Products5.3.2.2 Stringent Regulatory Norms5.3.2.3 Possibilities of Skin Infections5.3.3 Opportunities5.3.3.1 Increasing Demand in Asia-Pacific Region5.3.3.2 Rising Demand for Natural and Organic Preservatives in Cosmetics5.3.3.3 Increasing Focus on Male-Specific Cosmetics5.3.4 Challenges5.3.4.1 Paraben-Free Preservatives in Cosmetics5.3.4.2 High Price of Organic and Natural Cosmetic Preservatives5.4 Industry Trends5.5 Key Stakeholders & Buying Criteria5.5.1 Key Stakeholders in Buying Process5.5.2 Buying Criteria5.6 Supply Chain Analysis5.7 Ecosystem: Cosmetic Preservatives Market5.8 Value Chain Analysis5.9 Technology Analysis5.10 Pricing Analysis5.10.1 Average Selling Price of Key Players, by Application5.10.2 Trends in Average Selling Price5.11 Cosmetic Preservatives Market: Optimistic, Pessimistic, and Realistic Scenarios5.11.1 Optimistic Scenario5.11.2 Pessimistic Scenario5.11.3 Realistic Scenario5.12 Key Markets for Import/Export5.13 Impact of COVID-19 on Cosmetic Preservatives Market5.14 Patent Analysis5.15 Key Conferences & Events in 2022-20235.16 Tariff and Regulatory Landscape5.16.1 Regulatory Bodies, Government Agencies, and Other Organizations5.16.2 Regulations in Cosmetic Preservatives Market5.17 Case Study Analysis5.18 Trends and Disruptions Impacting Customers

6 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Type6.1 Introduction6.2 Paraben Esters6.2.1 Widely Used in High Water Content Cosmetic Products6.2.2 Paraben Esters: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.3 Formaldehyde Donors6.3.1 Increased Lifespan of Water-Based Cosmetic Products6.3.2 Formaldehyde Donors: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.4 Phenol Derivatives6.4.1 Effective Against Wide Range of Microbes6.4.2 Phenol Derivatives: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.5 Alcohols6.5.1 Used due to Their Antiseptic Properties6.5.2 Alcohols: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.6 Inorganics6.6.1 Effective in Protection from Uv Rays6.6.2 Inorganics: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.7 Quaternary Compounds6.7.1 Prevent Reproduction of Microorganisms in Cosmetic Products6.7.2 Quaternary Compounds: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.8 Organic Acids & Their Salts6.8.1 High Demand for Organic Cosmetic Products6.8.2 Organic Acids & Their Salts: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region6.9 Other Types6.9.1 Other Types: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region

7 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Application7.1 Introduction7.2 Lotions, Facemasks, Sunscreens, & Scrubs7.2.1 Largest Application Segment7.2.2 Lotions, Facemasks, Sunscreens, & Scrubs: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region7.3 Shampoos & Conditioners7.3.1 High Water Content in Products Drives Demand for Preservatives7.3.2 Shampoos & Conditioners: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region7.4 Soaps, Shower Cleansers, & Shaving Gels7.4.1 Increasing Awareness About Personal Grooming7.4.2 Soaps, Shower Cleansers, & Shaving Gels: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region7.5 Face Powders & Powder Compacts7.5.1 Increasing Demand for Organic Preservatives7.5.2 Face Powders & Powder Compacts: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region7.6 Mouthwashes & Toothpastes7.6.1 Rising Awareness About Oral Hygiene7.6.2 Mouthwashes & Toothpastes: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region7.7 Other Applications7.7.1 Other Applications: Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region

8 Cosmetic Preservatives Market, by Region

9 Competitive Landscape9.1 Introduction9.2 Market Share Analysis9.3 Market Ranking9.4 Market Evaluation Framework9.5 Revenue Analysis of Top Market Players9.6 Company Evaluation Matrix9.6.1 Strength of Product Portfolio9.6.2 Business Strategy Excellence9.7 Company Evaluation Quadrant9.7.1 Stars9.7.2 Pervasive Players9.7.3 Participants9.7.4 Emerging Leaders9.7.5 Competitive Benchmarking of Key Startups/Smes9.8 Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Sme) Evaluation Matrix9.8.1 Progressive Companies9.8.2 Responsive Companies9.8.3 Dynamic Companies9.8.4 Starting Blocks

10 Company Profiles10.1 Key Companies10.1.1 Ashland Group Holdings Inc.10.1.2 Basf Se10.1.3 Akema S.R.L.10.1.4 Symrise Ag10.1.5 Clariant Ag10.1.6 Salicylates & Chemicals Pvt. Ltd10.1.7 Chemipol S.A.10.1.8 Evonik Industries Ag10.1.9 International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.10.1.10 Sharon Laboratories10.2 Other Players10.2.1 Brenntag Ag10.2.2 Thor Group Ltd.10.2.3 Dadia Chemical Industries10.2.4 Gujarat Organics Limited10.2.5 Isca UK Limited10.2.6 Lanxess10.2.7 Cisme Italy S.R.L10.2.8 Kumar Organic Products Limited10.2.9 Cobiosa10.2.10 Sachem Inc10.2.11 Ae Chemie Inc.10.2.12 Spectrum Chemical Mfg Corp.10.2.13 Struchem Co Ltd.10.2.14 Never Not Skincare10.2.15 The Dow Chemical Company

11 Appendix

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/j1cnps

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Cosmetic Preservatives Market by Type, Application and Region - Global Forecast to 2027 - Yahoo Finance

Because Kiersten and Julien Saunders met in 2012 while working for the same company, work had always been a "third wheel" in their relationship.

After getting married, they even pushed back their honeymoon to make room for their business travel plans. When they finally took that honeymoon, they still found themselves compulsively checking their work emails on their phones. Seeing how their corporate jobs were affecting their relationship, the Saunderses decided they needed a drastic change.

In their new book, "Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away," the Saunderses write that one of the reasons they wanted to retire early in the first place is to ensure a long, happy, and healthy marriage.

They write, "Building wealth was also a means to protect our marriage by insulating it from the leading cause of divorce (money) and giving us ample opportunity to nurture our love without distraction."

Here's their 15-year plan for leaving their corporate jobs for good, which they shared in a chapter of the book titled "The Fifteen-Year Career."

The first five years of the financial independence journey are about creating discipline and strong financial foundations, the write. The Saunderses used the snowball and avalanche debt-payoff methods to pay off over $200,000 of debt between 2013 and 2018, according to records reviewed by Insider.

"We were obsessed with debt payoff and wealth building, having completely immersed ourselves in the personal finance community churning through books, podcasts, documentaries, articles, and blogs," they write. They continued to modestly celebrate milestones along the way to help them sustain a minimal lifestyle to pay down debt.

The Saunderses also used this time to redefine their idea of wealth, shifting from a mindset of excess and glitz, to simply enjoying what they already have. "Most of the rich people we know live remarkably predictable lives," the couple adds.

At first, when the Saunderses were brainstorming how they'd increase their income, they would fantasize about higher salary ranges at other corporate jobs. After paying off $200,000 in debt, the allure of making an extra $30,000 a year on a job that might add more stress to their lives just wasn't as strong.

The couple instead spent years creating passive income streams. They maxed out their retirement account contributions. They invested in rental properties. They fired their financial advisor and started independently managing their own investments, putting most of their money in index funds.

Eventually, the Saunderses realized they were passionate about sharing financial freedom tools with the Black community. They started hosting events, traveling the country to meet more people, and writing blog posts. Soon, they started to generate a modest income from their creative pursuits.

At this point, the Saunderses say habits like maxing out your 401(k), IRA, and HSA contributions should feel like "muscle memory." Cultivating these habits will completely change your relationship to work, they write. You might even find you have favorite ways to earn money that are far more enjoyable than what you're doing full-time.

Without a clear vision for what you actually want to do with your time and energy after retiring early, it's difficult to know when to leave. You may ask, Is there a specific number I should have in my retirement account? But the Saunderses say there's no right or wrong answer.

They write, "In our case, we walked away from one job after having two positive cash-flowing rental properties, having paid off a mortgage and with years of living on half our household income under our belt."

They add, "Your title won't be on your tombstone. In your final years, you'll need to begin the process of decoupling who you are from what you do."

Original post:

How to Retire in 15 Years, From a Couple Who Retired in Their 40s - Business Insider

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You can pursue financial independence without giving up the finer things in life.

I have the ability to splurge on quality and luxury items and experiences including world travel, says Teri Ijeoma, founder of Trade & Travel, an online course that teaches an advanced form of stock market trading as a way to create supplementary income. Ijeoma is work-optional at age 38.

Back when I worked as an assistant principal, I hid in my office placing trades, she says. Unexpectedly, my boss strolled in at the moment my computer announced, Your trade is successful. That day, I made more in one trade than an entire month of my salary. At that moment, I knew trading was my exit strategy.

Teris lifestyle is an example of Fat FIRE, a beefed-up version of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) in which you anticipate more than $100,000/year in annual living expenses. If you want to pursue early retirement but dont want to live on a tight budget, the Fat FIRE approach may be what makes the most sense for you. With enough time and planning, some people can get there through low-cost, low-risk index fund investing.

Heres what you need to know about how to achieve Fat FIRE and reach financial independence.

The FIRE movement is about calculating your FIRE number the amount of invested assets you need to live off of investment income and retire early and then increasing your income and lowering your expenses to reach your net worth goals faster. A ballpark FIRE number can be calculated by multiplying your annual expenses by 25.

Annual expenses x 25 = FIRE number

This equation was popularized in the research paper Retirement Savings: Choosing a Withdrawal Rate That is Sustainable, written by three Trinity University professors and published in the American Association of Individual Investors Journal in 1998. Better known as the Trinity Study, the papers data set calculated that retirement plans over a certain net worth which had withdrawal rates of 4% per year or less had a 0% of running out of funds.

By keeping your expenses low, youll hit your FIRE number sooner, an approach known as traditional FIRE or Lean FIRE. But some people dont want to keep their expenses low, or they cant because of certain family circumstances. Enter Fat FIRE.

While we originally set our sights on Lean FIRE, we changed our goals after a few realizations, says Brian Davis, a real estate investor and founder of SparkRental, a company that helps middle-class people replace their salary with passive rental income. Davis and his wife live overseas to support her job as an international school counselor. First, I realized that my wife would never be content with a lean lifestyle, Davis says. But I also realized that, while we can live comfortably overseas on a relatively modest income, we could end up back in the U.S. at any time. Our parents are getting older, and their health will decline at some point. Or we may simply get sick of being so far away from our family and friends. Regardless, I cant count on a low cost of living forever.

Fat FIRE is typically classified as pursuing a FIRE number of $2.5 million or morewhich, with a 4% withdrawal rate, would yield income of $100,000 a year. The motivations of Fat FIRE enthusiasts may include:

I am a single woman with no children, so I am in a position to enjoy this wealth myself, says Ijeoma. But most importantly, I can offer these same experiences to the people I love and care for.

Fat FIRE is the same as regular FIRE, but the numbers are bigger across the board. You want a lifestyle that will require higher monthly expenses, which means your FIRE number and annual investment income will need to be higher and may take longer to achieve.

Davis and his wife are currently at about $600,000 in net worth, and on track to break the seven-figure mark in the next two years. Were still pretty far from some of our goals, he says. But its more about comfort and flexibility and reassurance as opposed to retirement itself.

The $2.5 million net work benchmark can feel steep; know that some people achieve FIRE and retire early with $1 million or less in their retirement savings.

Related: I Paid Off $50K in Student Loans On A $62,000 Salary and Set My Personal Finances Up to Retire At 45. Heres How I Did It

Lean FIRE, in contrast, is a net worth benchmark that assumes youll only have minimum expenses for food, housing, and transportation in retirement. Lean FIRE is sometimes defined as a lifestyle in which your current annual spending will remain under $40,000/year in retirement. Going by the Trinity study, such a lifestyle would require an investment portfolio worth $1 million. In contrast, Fat FIRE anticipates annual expenses of over $100,000/year in retirement, which requires a portfolio worth $2.5 million.

If youre pursuing your Fat FIRE number, youll reach and pass your Lean FIRE number along the way.

Here are some of the other popular interpretations of FIRE:

In Barista FIRE, you keep a part-time or low-stress job in retirement for residual income and health insurance to help offset annual spending costs. Many Americans aspire to Barista FIRE without even realizing it; they want to accumulate enough wealth to change or downshift their career.

Related: Is Your Starbucks Barista Secretly a Millionaire? Why Early Retirees Are Embracing Barista FIRE To Still Have Health Insurance

Coast FIRE is a retirement planning strategy in which your accounts have enough money invested to let compound interest get you the rest of the way to your FIRE number. When you hit your Coast FIRE number, you can stop contributing to your retirement accounts, freeing up monthly income, but your retirement timeline might be pushed back as a result.

You dont have to work full-blast all the way up until the day you retire. Consider checkpoints on your journey toward your Fat FIRE number in which you can downshift your workload and create more freedom.

A common theme among FIRE approaches is to aggressively pay down debt now so that youll be less burdened by expenses in retirement.

Related: Our Family Achieved FIRE at 39 and 41 on Salaries Of Under $100K a Year. Heres How We Did It

As my income grew, I became dogmatic about paying off all of my debt, says Ijeoma. Now Im debt-free even though I own multiple homes; I invested in some passive income [drivers], such as renting out my homes, Airbnb super hosting, and stablecoins, which give me interest each month.

For the entrepreneur, adopting a FIRE lifestyle is about stepping into who you truly want to become in life, says Ijeoma.

Now I purely work for fun and purpose. I feel like I still have a lot to give to the world.

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If You Want to Retire Early but Dont Want to Scrimp, Fat FIRE Might Be for You - NextAdvisor