Category Archives: Financial Independence

NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / December 31, 2021 / Focus Financial Partners Inc. (NASDAQ:FOCS) ("Focus"), a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms, announced today that Provident Financial Management ("Provident"), a multi-family office and business management firm with offices in Santa Monica, Woodland Hills and San Francisco, CA, as well as in Nashville, TN, and London & Co., LLP ("London"), a tax, accounting and business management practice based in Los Angeles, CA have entered into definitive agreements to join the Focus partnership as a new Focus partner firm, which will be called Provident Financial Management. These transactions are expected to close simultaneously this year, subject to customary closing conditions.

Founded in 1982 by Barry Siegel and Bill Vuylsteke, Provident offers comprehensive, concierge family office and business management services to a diverse client base, including musicians, entertainers, actors and high net worth individuals. London, which is led by Philip London and Scott Adair, provides a full range of accountancy services including tax and tour accounting, as well as business management services to an array of entertainer and non-entertainer clients and businesses. London's service offerings will complement and enhance those of Provident, while further diversifying Provident's client base. Joining with Provident will provide continuity for London's team and clients.

The combined firm will be led by Barry, Bill, Philip and Scott, together with a group of managing directors from Provident including Ivan Axelrod, Pamula Johnson Solar, Bo Gardner, Jeffrey Turner, Joni Soekotjo, Dawn Nepp, Lisa Ferguson, Shelley Venemann, Larry Eibund, Barbara Karol, and Debra ("Debbie") Dez.

"Our main goals in finding a strategic partner were to ensure the continuity of our well-established brand, while also gaining access to additional resources to help us better serve our clients and grow our business," said Barry Siegel, Partner of Provident. "Focus' deep understanding of the multi-family office and business management space made them a clear choice," added Bill Vuylsteke, Partner of Provident. "We also greatly valued Focus' M&A expertise in helping us identify a firm of London's caliber."

"Scott and I are very pleased to be joining forces with Barry, Bill and the entire Provident team," said Philip London, Co-Managing Member of London. "We are confident that our clients will benefit from our ability to leverage Provident's platform and to promote continuity of client service."

"We are excited to welcome Provident and London to Focus together as a new partner firm. The Provident and London teams exemplify the dynamic, entrepreneurial mind-set we look for in partners," said Rudy Adolf, Founder, CEO and Chairman of Focus. "As we have watched these firms build their businesses through the years, their well-established client relationships and focus on exceptional levels of service are clear differentiators. The combined Provident and London firm further expands our presence in the multi-family office and business management sector, while adding complementary expertise to the Focus partnership. These transactions are also an example of our ability to think creatively and identify opportunities for firms even before they join us, positioning them to grow and better serve their clients.

We are concluding a record year of M&A activity, underscoring the attractiveness of our value proposition and the scale benefits we offer our partner firms globally. In 2021, we added 14 new partners and 24 mergers, including 8 mergers for Connectus, for a total of 38 transactions. We are entering 2022 with excellent momentum and are very excited about the future growth prospects of our business."

About Focus Financial Partners Inc.

Focus Financial Partners Inc. is a leading partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Focus provides access to best practices, resources, and continuity planning for its partner firms who serve individuals, families, employers and institutions with comprehensive wealth management services. Focus partner firms maintain their operational independence, while they benefit from the synergies, scale, economics and best practices offered by Focus to achieve their business objectives. For more information about Focus, please visit http://www.focusfinancialpartners.com.

About Provident Financial Management

Provident Financial Management is a preeminent business management firm with a well-established brand and has a strong presence in key markets with three offices in California and an office in Nashville, TN. The firm provides concierge family office services including business management, comprehensive tax planning and tour accounting to musicians, entertainers, actors and high net worth individuals. For more information about Provident, please visit http://www.providentfm.com/.

About London & Co., LLP

London & Co., LLP is a premier business management and family office firm that provides a full range of business management and accountancy services including tax and tour accounting. The firm provides services to entertainers, recording artists, producers, business owners, record labels and a variety of businesses. For more information about London, please visit http://www.londonco.com/.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect Focus' current views with respect to certain current and future events. These forward-looking statements are and will be, subject to many risks, uncertainties and factors relating to Focus' operations and business environment, including, without limitation, uncertainty surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic, which may cause future events to be materially different from these forward-looking statements or anything implied therein. Any forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Focus on the date of this release. Focus does not undertake to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements even if experience or future changes make it clear that any statements expressed or implied therein will not be realized. Additional information on risk factors that could affect Focus may be found in Focus' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor and Media Contacts

Tina MadonSenior Vice PresidentHead of Investor Relations & Corporate CommunicationsFocus Financial PartnersP: +1-646-813-2909tmadon@focuspartners.com

Charlie ArestiaVice PresidentInvestor Relations & Corporate CommunicationsFocus Financial PartnersP: +1-646-560-3999carestia@focuspartners.com

SOURCE: Focus Financial Partners Inc.

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Provident Financial Management and London & Co., both Multi-Family Office and Business Management Firms, - Benzinga

Does the upcoming new year have you rethinking your life and priorities? If so, you're not the only one.

The pandemic has caused many individuals to make decisions about their values and often analyze and change their values. Roughly two million more people unexpectedly retired during the pandemic, according to the New School's Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis.

Choosing to retire when you're closer to 60 may require you to make a completely different set of actions compared to what you'll have to do by age 40. Let's take a look at how you may approach retiring by 40. Taking action now is important because you have a smaller time frame on your hands, whether you're 30 or 35 at this point.

What is FIRE? It stands for Financial Independence, Retire Early, and it means achieving financial independence so you can achieve the right retirement for you. The Trinity Study initially suggested the 4% rule, which stated that if you withdraw 4% of your initial portfolio every year in retirement, you can sustain your retirement lifestyle and adjust for inflation every year thereafter. You may need to consider withdrawing less to last up to 50 years consider withdrawing 3% of your portfolio value. It can help you conserve the money in your accounts.

However, people have become FIRE doesn't refer to one set of circumstances that fit everyone's needs.

Which option works best for you? You can see that some, like Boat FIRE, don't necessarily allow you to quit working for the rest of your life. Some may not seem like "true retirement" to you, but it's important to identify whether you really want to quit working for the next 20 years or not.

This could be the most profitable event in crypto history. And it only happens once. If you miss it, there are no second chances.

If you want to truly retire, you'll need to save 50% or more of your income. How much will you need to save to support yourself to live throughout old age? Consider that you also won't have access to Social Security or Medicare in the early years of your retirement, which means that you need to consider how you'll provide yourself with health insurance or supplement your income.

Spend some serious time considering how much money you'll need in retirement, also called your FIRE goal. You can use a calculator to determine your FIRE age, and run different scenarios through a calculator. You may learn that you need to submit more money to your investment and retirement accounts or adjust your FIRE age.

What retirement vehicles make the most sense for you? It's a great idea to invest in a 401(k) to get the employer match. However, note that you cannot access certain investments until age 59 .

Employees can contribute up to $20,500 to a 401(k) in 2022. Those 50 or older can add in an additional $6,500 catch-up contribution. It's a great idea to max out your retirement even though you may not be able to access the money without paying penalties by age 59 .

According to Vanguard research, almost 90% of your investment portfolios performance is the result of your asset allocation. Vanguard recommends investing about 40% of your stock allocation in international stocks and about 30% of your bond allocation in international bonds for FIRE retirees.

When you spend money on investment fees, this means that those dollars don't go into your pocket when you retire.

For example, let's say you invest in mutual funds that have an expense ratio of 2% to manage your money, that leaves you with only 2% to spend in retirement if you stick to the 4% withdrawal rule. It's a good idea to keep your expense ratios at 0.1% or lower.

If working for 45 years doesn't appeal to you, you may want to consider FIRE. Note that the traditional view of FIRE (of living on basically nothing) is no longer the only option. These days, FIRE can mean just about anything you want it to. You can choose from various lifestyle choices instead.

If you want to take a half-and-half approach (half work, half play) you can make that work under FIRE anything is possible!

E-commerce is being identified as a prime contributor to our current supply chain difficulties. Flush with cash during the pandemic, many Americans took to shopping online as part of their new normal. Demand quickly outpaced supply, particularly as many factories were dealing with labor shortages due to Covid-19 restrictions.

While that may oversimplify the problem with the global supply chain, theres little doubt that e-commerce transactions have made an impact. In fact, e-commerce was one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Its part of the continuing digitization of the economy. And that makes it a segment that investors cant afford to ignore.

Just how much of an impact does e-commerce make? In 2020 alone, there were 454 billion transactions worldwide totaling $4.2 trillion in sales. But that only tells part of the story. As big as that number is, it makes up less than 20% (17.8%) of all retail sales worldwide. A large number of those transactions go through Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN).

However, if you missed out on buying Amazon when it was still just an online bookseller, you may find a share price of over $3,000 per share a little tough to swallow. Thats why weve put together this special presentation. Weve identified seven companies that are likely to perform well despite the current supply chain crisis and have business models that will be sustainable even when supply and demand get back into balance.

View the "7 E-Commerce Stocks That Arent Tangled in the Supply Chain".

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Want to Retire by 40? Take a Look at These 4 Tips - MarketBeat

The blockchain market has experienced a meteoric rise in the past 24 months and is valued at more than $2 trillion. Yet, for an industry that prides itself in developing innovative solutions for the greater good, philanthropy is often not prioritized by many blockchain projects.

Many people have put in their resources and efforts towards achieving financial independence, and there remains a downward trend towards funding charitable giving. However, regardless of peoples motivation for giving, theres a massive opportunity for charitable efforts to thrive in crypto.

Blockchain technologys transparent and decentralized nature means that funds dedicated to charity can be monitored in contrast to the traditional corporate social responsibility system. Therefore blockchain projects must contribute their quota towards charity projects and donations.

One of the blockchain projects that has introduced charity programs is the gaming metaverse Polker. Polker recently

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Polker launches community-based charity fund in hope other projects will follow lead. By CoinQuora - Investing.com

Everybody wants financial freedom. Financial independence happens with the right focus and commitment. Financial independence is a life of no debt and the ability to spend on anything you want. While one feels exuberant to be able to live life on his/her terms, there is also a feeling of unsurety on the way ahead. Should one leave the job or continue working is the biggest dilemma that people face.

Take the case of Aarav (45), who has accumulated wealth from exiting Esops (employee stock ownership plan). He decided to quit his job to spend more time with his family. Within a couple of months, he started questioning his decision. His wife and kids had their own schedules and while they did get some quality time together, Aarav felt restless with his life. His friends and colleagues were too busy with work and people actually mocked him for doing nothing. Extended family members even branded him as a house husband. All this took a toll on Aarav and he desperately started looking for a job. Life after achieving financial freedom did not turn out to be a good experience for Aarav.

Through the working years, one has a goal to reach financial freedom but after achieving that goal, what next? How can you use your money to build a better life? That is the question that needs to be delved upon. The best way is to evaluate what you can do better in life and at the same time be mentally engaged. At each stage of life, new goals need to be created. The same applies for life after financial independence.

In Aaravs case, I advised him to start by listing down the things he wants to do to make his life betterhobbies, get fitter, reading etc. Remember, you have the money and time, you need to give yourself direction and take the first step.

Next, think about how you would like to spend your time. Are hobbies enough or would you like to do something more stimulating? Would you prefer to get back to work or can figure out something to keep yourself busy?

It is always going to be a tussle between what gives satisfaction versus what passes your time. I recently met two relatives at a wedding who have chosen different paths. One has bought a farmland and spends mornings at the farm and the balance time in hobbies. The other gentleman has taken up a job and is working as hard as ever. Both are financially independent and happy with their decision.

The key is to set your goal and remain focused. In Aaravs case, he decided to use his money to build something new that can improve other peoples lives instead of getting back to a full-time job. He felt this would be meaningful and he could work on his own terms. The concept of living life on your terms and doing what suits you is still very alien in India. People around revere job titles in well-known firms and even though startups are in vogue, unless your firm is in the media, friends, family and former collogues tend to deride your work. Do not let this upset you. Aarav told me that he often feels like a nobody even after having an illustrious career and now working on something that is so useful to people. Keep reminding yourself that it is your life that you are improving and thats what matters.

There will be times when things dont work out and hence it is good to have a couple of other ideas. The gentleman who went back to a full-time job had tried consultancy work and teaching a technical course at a college, but did not feel respected by the people he was working with. Remember, in life after financial independence, you have the ability to walk away if what you are experiencing doesnt resonate with your values.

Life will not always work out perfectly, but having core pursuits and a purpose that drives you daily, in the good and bad times, will improve your happiness and well-being in life after financial independence. Have you thought whats yours? As we end 2021, think about it when you take stock of your financial life.

Mrin Agarwal is financial educator and founder of Finsafe India.

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Heres how you can navigate your life after achieving financial freedom - Mint

The idea behind FIRE, or Financial Independence Retire Early, is to try to save as much money as you can now and retire at an early age.

NORFOLK, Va. How does retiring early and being financially independent sound? Well, it's happening for many millennials who are a part of the FIRE movement.

Like many of us, Vincent Montoro was taught the importance of saving money.

"From a very early age my dad said, hey save as much as you can early on," he said.

Now, that way of life is becoming increasingly popular among millennials.

"My goal is to be able to retire probably in my 40s but actually stop working in my mid-50s."

That movement is known as FIRE.

FIRE stands for Financial Independence Retire Early. Basically, FIRE investors, like Montoro, are trying to save as much money as they can now and retire at an early age.

"What stuck in my mind was millionaire by 40," says Montoro.

Dr. Andrew Cohen, a finance lecturer at Old Dominion University, says the FIRE movement first popped up in a book in the early 90s. Then gained popularity as more people got online.

"The pandemic kind of further accelerated the movement by people enjoying having the freedom to do what they want and not be stuck in an office from 9 to 5," said Cohen.

He says the theory is to try to save 50% to 70% of your income.

"People realize, you know, whats the point of working so hard all your life to then wait until you get really old when you dont have the energy to enjoy your money and wealth."

34-year-old Montoro has worked with ships for most of his career. He says he loves what he does, but that doesnt mean hes not working towards retirement now.

"Im saving as much as I can, as early as I can, to be financially free before the average age of retirement, 62, 67," he said. "My plan for me is I want to retire and enjoy life way before that."

He says if you have the means to start saving, its simple.

"All you need is time and a plan."

Cohen says its all about being smart with your money and investing.

"When you work, its important to put as much money as you can in your 401K, in your retirement savings," he said. "You want to save aggressively. You need to cut down your expenses and be frugal."

Cohen says a big part of it is living a simpler life.

"Not to be extravagant, so a lot of it depends on your personality."

Montoro says hes on the right track with half a million dollars in his retirement fund already.

"I like to splurge too, dont get me wrong. I like my pumpkin spice lattes, I love my Starbucks," he said. "I think there has to be a balance where you can enjoy that, but also see where your money is going."

Of course, being able to save a lot of money is not a reality for everyone, but Cohen says setting yourself up for success is still an option.

"As soon as possible start saving, putting it in a retirement fund, whatever you can afford. Obviously, take care of your needs. Make sure you have enough money to pay your rent and get your food."

Both Cohen and Montoro say having that financial independence is freeing.

"So, if you start in your early 20s, by the time youre in mid-late 30s, 40s, that will have doubled and doubled again," Cohen advised.

"If youre just patient, stay the course, adjust your lifestyle to that to the mentality of saving every penny that you can at that moment, I think that will definitely be better for the long run," said Montoro.

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'Millionaire by 40' | Why more millennials are joining the FIRE movement - 13newsnow.com WVEC

HOUSTON, TX, Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - AIRO.LIFE founded in 2018 by Doug Mochrie has announced a name change to OHANA Inc. ("the Company") in Canada and OHANA OATH Inc. ("the Company") in the United States. Trademark applications are pending. The Company has already successfully trademarked "Be Free."

OHANA's Be Free enabled devices are Free smartphones and data plans: the world's first quality smartphone and data plan free for the end-user.

Founder Mochrie says the reason for the official name change, which has been in the works for over a year, is two-fold "The primary driver is the word OHANA is more on-brand for us. OHANA is a Hawaiian word that means extended family, which speaks to the interconnected nature of what we, as a company are doing and speaks to our four pillars people, planet, passion, and profit. The secondary driver is that we were finding the AIRO.LIFE brand was not resonating in international markets, which is where we see a great amount of potential for growth in the coming years."

The Company's logo and foundational principles remain the same, as does its commitment to disrupting the telecommunications, fintech and content marketing verticals, with its Be Free Enabled devices. Its Be Free Enabled devices represent the democratization of data and a breaking down of the digital divide, with free access of information with a means to education with the hopes of less consumption and more environmental awareness. Mochrie believes strongly that "If people no longer have to spend money on phones and phone plans, that will help foster financial independence, and combined with free access to information, people become more aware of the world around them, enabling the potential for further education."

Illustrating the Company's commitment to the planet, OHANA has partnered with a major tree-planting entity in the US and to date has planted 66,472 trees through this partnership.

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Mochrie is excited about what the future has in store for the Company, as the team at OHANA plans to launch his Seed funding in the US with Vedaslabs.io in Q1 2022. For a limited time you can sign up to learn more about the upcoming investment round: https://ohanaoath.com/pages/investor-relations

About OHAHA Inc.OHANA Inc. based in Hamilton, ON, and Houston, TX has a mission to create economic transformation by flipping the script on who pays for smartphones and data plans. Founded in 2018 by Doug Mochrie, whose vision for OHANA and the Be Free device is to advance the lives of our Community and the Planet Free smartphones and data plans with the commoditization of data and providing content makers and brands with the highest visibility in the worldthe world's first quality smartphone and data plan free for the end-user. https://ohanaoath.com/

New OHANA Name (CNW Group/OHANA Inc.)

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AIRO.LIFE Announces Name Change & More in the New Year - Yahoo Finance

Shawna Hodgson speaks at a Texas Senate Committee on State Affairs meeting.

Every year on her birthday, Shawna Hodgson and her brother drive out to East Texas, and they visit her grave.

Hodgson was adopted soon after birth. Her biological brother is older than she is, and when their pregnant mother didn't come home from the hospital with a baby one day, he asked questions. Their grandmother took him out to their family cemetery plot, and showed him a grave marked "(Infant) Marshall."

That's your sister's grave, she told him.

"They told my brother that I had died," she said. "He grew up 40-something years of his life believing he had a little sister that had died, so imagine his surprise when I showed up."

The "Marshall" grave in the East Texas cemetery is next to generations of Texans. But Hodgson didn't connect with her roots or birth mother until much later.

It's something she said her adoptive parents haven't been thrilled about.

"They were told at the time she's never going to know her birth family,'" Hodgson said. "'They're never going to come back in the picture. She's yours. She's a blank slate. Make her your own.'"

Like many states, Texas adoptees are issued a new birth certificate with their adoptive parents' names. Their original birth certificate, which lists their birth parents, is sealed. And Texas born adoptees can't access their original birth certificates until they're 18. Even then, they have to already know the names of both of their birth parents. Otherwise, the adoptee will have to petition the court.

And adoptees say that creates confusion and sets up roadblocks later in life.

Hodgson, who grew up in Cypress, said it took years for her to access her birth records. Her birth mother was 24 years old and recently divorced when she was pregnant with Hodgson in the 1970s. Because Hodgson's maternal grandmother refused to help care for both Hodgson and her then three-year-old brother, Hodgson's birth mother gave her up for adoption. Feeling pressured by her family, her mother later told her she would have raised her if she had more of a choice.

Not knowing where she came from made Hodgson feel less grounded in her identity. When she turned 18, she expected that gaining access to her original birth certificate to get answers about her history would be easy.

Instead, she had to wait decades to find her birth family through DNA testing.

Struggling to access birth records isn't uncommon for adoptees. Gregory Luce, an adoptee who founded the Adoptee Rights Law Center, had to go through a five-year court case to access his original birth certificate. Luce, an attorney based in Minnesota, said he finally felt tethered to the earth when the story of his birth was no longer a secret.

"The idea that your birth is secret and can not be known is something that many adoptees internalize," Luce said. "They feel that they should be ashamed about their birth."

According to the Adoptee Rights Law Center website, Texas is one of 17 states that restricts adoptees' access to original birth certificates. Hodgson who now works with a number of Texas adoptee organizations, including the Texas Adoptee Rights Coalition has tried and failed since 2015 to to lobby the Texas Legislature to get a bill passed that would make original birth certificates more accessible in Texas.

In the 87th Legislative Session, Texas House republican Cody Harris, R-Palestine who is also an adoptive father wrote House Bill 1386 to provide adult adoptees access to their birth records without restrictions. The bill had bipartisan support, but failed to make it out of committee in the Texas Senate.Hodgson said state Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, is a key reason for that. Campbell has blocked the bill in the senate since 2015.

"We come back year after year," Hodgson said. "We work so hard for this, and we got this one person with so much power."

Campbell, herself a mother of an adopted child, did not comment for this story. But she has previously cited concerns about birth parents' privacy as her reason for not supporting the bill.

Hodgson, meanwhile, said the bill would allow adult adoptees private access to the information and would not make the birth records public.

Even if the state Legislature made it easier to access birth records, adoptees would still not have any legal relationship with their birth family, according to Karlos Dillard, an adoptee advocate and author of the memoir "Ward of the State."

That's common in states across the country. Dillard said he was abandoned by his adoptive family at 15, and spent two years on his own.

"We all think adoption as this wonderful thing, and this life-changing thing, but what about the adoptions that go bad?" Dillard said.

When he decided to go to college, Dillard hit a roadblock: in order to get financial aid, the federal student aid application required his adoptive parents' tax information. He had to go through a lengthy process to prove his financial independence.

Later, as an adult, Dillard reunited with his birth mother and siblings. When his birth mother and sister died in a car accident, Dillard said he couldn't be listed on their death certificates or help plan their funerals. Legally, his adoptive parents are still his parents.

Having his adoptive mother instead of the woman who gave birth to him listed as a parent on his birth certificate is hurtful, Dillard said. Changing an adoptees birth certificate, he said, can impact their sense of self.

Dillard has now made it his mission to annul his adoption, to remove his adoptive parents from his birth certificate and to restore his original birth certificate. But not every adoptee is able to do so, and the legal process is lengthy.

In Texas, adoption annulments have to be petitioned for through the courts. The court clerk forwards the information to the state registrar. If the Texas Department of Health and Safety determines the petition has merit, it will mail it to an attorney of record, who will return the corrected birth certificate to the department.

Jacob Cohen, an attorney at the Rainwater Firm in Houston, said he hasnt seen an adoption annulment case in his ten years of practicing law, nor had he ever heard of his firm handling an adoption termination case in its 25 years.

As a family law practitioner, Cohen said there are certain laws he references in almost every case involving a child.

Then theres the other set, the rarely used, rarely cited statutes that dont really come up because theyre for situations that are just so rare, Cohen said.

Some child advocates argue that birth certificates shouldnt be reissued when a child is adopted; In some cases, the process can essentially erase an adoptee's origins, said Will Francis, the Texas chapter executive director of the National Association of Social Workers. Reissuing a child's birth certificate with the adoptive parents' names, he said, is a misguided attempt to create a new family.

"I think an adoptive family is a beautiful, wonderful entity by itself," Francis said. "But it does not need to erase history to exist."

If an adoptee wants to annul their adoption, Francis said, it should be an option.

Children adopted out of the foster care system in Texas retain access to their benefits as wards of the state even after they're adopted. These benefits include access to Medicaid until age 26 and state college and trade school tuition assistance.

However, those benefits only apply to youth adopted from foster care. Children who are adopted privately or internationally who weren't wards of the state prior to their adoption must have their adoptions annulled in order to receive those benefits, or their adoptive parents would have to terminate their parental rights and relinquish the adoptive child to the state.

Even though there are resources for current and former foster children, few of them use those resources. Francis said the foster care system doesn't prepare them to take advantage of free college or trade school tuition, or other resources.

"We have all these things that are no cost, and yet we don't give them the guidance, knowledge or resources to actually obtain those," Francis said. "Just because you have free access to school doesn't mean you have anyone teaching you how to write an application. It doesn't mean you know where you're going to live and stay on campus."

Child advocates say it should be easier for adoptees, foster youth and their families to access resources without having to jump through the systems hoops. Resources for families in poverty whose children are removed for neglect would ease the strain on the system, making adoption and foster care a rare resource for more serious cases of abuse, they argue.

If Hodgsons birth mother had more resources, she wouldnt have given her up for adoption.

Now Hodgson, who today has a close relationship with both her birth family and her adoptive family, believes people should take all of these factors into consideration.

Its the big question," Hodgson said. "Who deserves to be a mother?'

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Texas adoptees lose access to their original birth records. Getting them back is a challenge Houston Public Media - Houston Public Media

This week, Gastro Obscura is looking at wondrous wintertime cocktails. Yesterdays recipe was Moose Milk, the sweet, potent eggnog of the Canadian military.

In addition to being an accomplished poet, playwright, and royal spy for King Charles II, Aphra Behn threw a hell of a party. A cultural maverick in 17th-century England, Behn didnt care much for the norms imposed on the women of her day. She was married just long enough to snatch her husbands last name and relied on her blistering wit for financial independence, writing plays every bit as bawdy as her male counterparts. She also loved a good drink. When entertaining her fellow London literati, Behn didnt serve just any kind of punch. Rather, she opted for a concoction of brandy, lemon juice, and dairy that would be miraculously transformed into a glass-clear cocktail.

Clarified milk punch is the kind of scientific sleight of hand that feels far too contemporary to be centuries old. Despite what its ingredient list might imply, the end result is not only glass clear but dangerously easy to drink. Slightly sweet, full of spices, and velvety-smooth on the palate, the punch made an impression on Behns guests.

One of her contemporaries wrote about consuming this delicious milk punch made by Aphra Behn in the 1600s, says Eamon Rockey, who helped introduce a new generation to clarified milk punch while he was bartending at New Yorks Eleven Madison Park in 2008. Since then, hes gone on to become something of a clarified-milk cocktail evangelist, making versions with everything from goats milk to beet juice and, in 2018, launching his own line of bottled milk punch called Rockeys Botanical Liqueur.

Given that the earliest written record of the drink belongs to Behn, she may have come up with the idea, although it could also simply have been a popular drink of the times. According to David Wondrich, who writes about the history of the cocktail in his book Punch, the oldest surviving recipe belongs to another woman: Mary Rockett, a housewife who wrote down her clarified milk punch recipe in 1711. Benjamin Franklin, who enclosed a recipe in a 1763 letter, was a fan, as was Charles Dickens, who left a few bottles of the stuff in his cellar after his death. Queen Victoria liked Nathaniel Whissons version so much that in 1838 she made his company the official purveyors of milk punch to Her Majesty and President Grover Cleveland most likely served it to guests, if the 1887 edition of The White House Cookbook is any indication.

Unlike New Orleansstyle brandy milk puncha creamy, nog-adjacent cocktail that came along much laterthe clarified cocktail is shelf-stable. You can pop a cork in it, put it in your cellar, and age it like wine, Rockey says. Its a quality that would have made the punch especially appealing during the lean winter months prior to the invention of refrigeration. This ensured that you could drink it all year long. Until you get the next seasons fruits and whatnot, you would still have milk punch. Many [milk punches] actually get better in time.

Even before Behns wild soires, the English were already sipping curdled-milk cocktails called syllabubs and possets. The latter would have been poured from a special tea kettle or ornate porcelain glass with a straw, so that the drinker could sip the boozy whey below, then spoon up the curds as a dessert. Both drinks were popular enough among wealthy Brits to make cameos in works by Jane Austen and William Shakespeare. Im near certain those are the precursors [to clarified milk punch], Rockey says. If you look at how possets and syllabubs are made, its the same. Theres acid, theres sweetener, theres spices, and theres milk.

Rockey first encountered clarified milk punch in the early aughts when Cameron Brogue, then head bartender at Bar Pleiades, stumbled across the recipe in The Bartenders Guide, an 1862 classic by Jerry Thomas (also sometimes called The Bon-Vivants Companion). On paper, the recipe had all the hallmarks of a terrible idea: a literal hot mess of curdled dairy, citric acid, pineapple juice, tea, and booze. When milk comes in contact with acid and alcohol, it curdles. The magic happens when the revolting-looking mixture passes through a filter. The curds settle to the bottom, forming a nest, and the milk proteins, called casein, strip the liquid of both its color and harsh tannins.

As a former chef, I looked at it from a technique perspective and thought there was something very special about this recipe that could be adapted and riffed on, Rockey says. Nowadays, variations ranging from milk-clarified mezcal Old Fashioneds to ube-tinted numbers with yuzu have become so widespread that some wonder if the trend has jumped the shark.

Yet for something that looks so unmistakably chef-y, clarified milk punch requires zero centrifuges or other molecular-gastro contraptions. All amateur mixologists need to make it at home is a loose-mesh filtera jelly strainer used for making preserves works great, as does a clean pillowcase or T-shirtand enough faith to trust the process.

Milk punch is always stressful, Rockey says. Ive probably made more milk punch than anybody alive at this point and every time I see all these ingredients, Im like, Theres no way this shits going to work. Youre looking at dark black tea and brown liquor. The milk is completely opaque. But if you do it right, it will come through perfectly clear.

If made using his and other modern-day bartenders suggestions, milk punch is a two-day, multi-step, many-dish affair. Why go to all the fuss? Because milk punch is undeniably festive, not to mention a visual show-stopper. Plus, as Behn knew, its ideal for entertaining. Make it a day, a week, or a month in advance, then pop it out of the fridge and leave your guests wondering just how you did it.

Adapted from How to Mix Drinks, or The Bon-Vivants Companion by Jerry Thomas

Serves 1216

Ingredients

6 lemons juiced, 2 zested2 cups granulated sugar1 pineapple, juiced (or 500 milliliters pineapple juice)6 cloves20 coriander seeds1 stick cinnamon2 cups cognac2 cups rum cup Arrack1 cup of strong, brewed green tea1 quart boiling water1 quart whole milk (preferably organic and not ultra-pasteurized)Freshly grated nutmeg for garnish (optional)Instructions

The finished cocktail. AARON JOEL SANTOS FOR ATLAS OBSCURA

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Make the Crystal-Clear Milk Cocktail Loved by a Spy and a Founding Father - Atlas Obscura

PHILADELPHIA & IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Independence Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: IRT) (IRT) and Steadfast Apartment REIT, Inc. (STAR) today announced the completion of the merger transaction between the two companies, forming a combined company with an equity market capitalization of approximately $5.6 billion and a total enterprise value of approximately $8.3 billion, as of market close on December 15, 2021. The transaction was previously approved by both companies stockholders at their respective special meetings held on December 13, 2021. The combined company, headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will retain the Independence Realty Trust name and will trade under the existing ticker symbol IRT on the New York Stock Exchange.

We are excited to announce the successful completion of our merger with STAR, together forming a leading public multifamily REIT focused on the high-growth U.S. Sunbelt region, said Scott F. Schaeffer, IRTs Chairman and CEO. Our combined company creates a best-in-class operating platform, further redevelopment opportunities and notable economies of scale in markets where we expect to benefit from strong growth fundamentals. We remain on-track to generate approximately $28 million in annual synergies and realize the immediate accretion to Core FFO per share. Our future is bright as we unite two high-quality portfolios in attractive non-gateway markets, and look to strengthen and expand our business, while delivering long-term value for our stakeholders.

Leadership and Organization

Concurrently with the completion of the merger, the number of directors on IRTs Board of Directors was increased to 10, and five incumbent directors of the STAR Board of Directors, Stephen R. Bowie, Ned W. Brines, Ana Marie del Rio, Ella S. Neyland and Thomas H. Purcell, joined the following five incumbent directors of the IRT Board of Directors, Scott F. Schaeffer, Richard D. Gebert, Melinda H. McClure, DeForest Blake Soaries Jr., and Lisa Washington. Scott F. Schaeffer continues to serve as CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors.

James J. Sebra continues to serve as Chief Financial Officer of the combined company. Farrell Ender continues to serve as President of the combined company. Jessica Norman, formerly IRTs Executive Vice President and General Counsel, serves as Chief Legal Officer of the combined company. Ella S. Neyland, formerly STARs President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, joined the combined company as its Chief Operating Officer.

The Merger

As a result of the merger, each former share of STAR common stock has been converted into 0.905 shares of newly issued IRT common stock, and cash in lieu of fractional shares. On a pro forma basis former STAR common stockholders hold approximately 47% of the combined companys common equity, with continuing IRT common stockholders holding approximately 53% of the combined company.

Portfolio Optimization and Capital Allocation Update

As part of the merger, IRT identified nine assets to sell in order to manage market concentrations. In the fourth quarter of 2021, five assets were sold, two from the legacy IRT portfolio and three from STAR, while the remaining four legacy IRT assets are expected to be disposed of during the first quarter of 2022. IRT expects to receive total gross proceeds of approximately $404 million for the nine assets sold, representing an economic cap rate of approximately 3.8%. Proceeds from these non-core asset sales, along with proceeds received from IRTs July forward equity offering totaling approximately $271.8 million will be used to pay down debt of the combined company.

Advisors

Barclays is acting as lead financial advisor and BMO Capital Markets is acting as financial advisor, and Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP is acting as legal advisor to IRT. RBC Capital Markets and Robert A. Stanger & Co. are acting as financial advisors, and Morrison & Foerster LLP is acting as legal advisor to STAR.

About IRT

Independence Realty Trust (NYSE: IRT) is a real estate investment trust that owns and operates multifamily apartment properties across non-gateway U.S. markets, including Atlanta, Dallas, Louisville, Memphis, Raleigh and Tampa. IRTs investment strategy is focused on gaining scale within key amenity rich submarkets that offer good school districts, high-quality retail and major employment centers. IRT aims to provide stockholders attractive risk-adjusted returns through diligent portfolio management, strong operational performance, and a consistent return on capital through distributions and capital appreciation. More information may be found on IRTs website http://www.irtliving.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which the combined company operates and beliefs of and assumptions made by IRT management, involve uncertainties that could significantly affect the financial results of the combined company. Words such as expects, anticipates, intends, plans, believes, seeks, estimates, and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, which generally are not historical in nature. Such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about the anticipated benefits of the merger, including future financial and operating results, and the combined companys plans, objectives, expectations and intentions. All statements that address financial and operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur or be achieved in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Although we believe the expectations reflected in any forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained and therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that may affect outcomes and results include, but are not limited to: risks related to the impact of COVID-19 and other potential future outbreaks of infectious diseases on our financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and performance and those of our residents as well as on the economy and real estate and financial markets; changes in market demand for rental apartment homes and pricing pressures, including from competitors, that could limit our ability to lease units or increase rents or that could lead to declines in occupancy and rent levels; uncertainty and volatility in capital and credit markets, including changes that reduce availability, and increase costs, of capital; inability of tenants to meet their rent and other lease obligations and charge-offs in excess of our allowance for bad debt; legislative restrictions that may delay or limit collections of past due rents; risks endemic to real estate and the real estate industry generally; impairment charges; the effects of natural and other disasters; delays in completing, and cost overruns incurred in connection with, our value add initiatives and failure to achieve projected rent increases and occupancy levels on account of the initiatives; any effects of the completion of the merger, including failure to realize the cost savings, synergies and other benefits expected to result from the merger; the ability to successfully integrate the IRT and STAR businesses; unexpected costs of REIT qualification compliance; unexpected changes in our intention or ability to repay certain debt prior to maturity; inability to sell certain assets within the time frames or at the pricing levels expected; costs and disruptions as the result of a cybersecurity incident or other technology disruption; and share price fluctuations those additional risks and factors discussed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by IRT from time to time, including those discussed under the heading Risk Factors in our most recently filed reports on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. We undertake no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required by law.

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Independence Realty Trust and Steadfast Apartment REIT Complete Strategic Merger - Business Wire

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If youve Googled how to become a millionaire, even in half jest, youre one of tens of millions who dream of becoming financially independent, yet may not be sure where to start or whether you have the capacity. I was at that place doubting my ability to break through the mental barriers that kept me from my goals. In early days of becoming financially independent, one of the things I had to work hardest at was creating a better mindset quieting that negative voice in my head (or the voices of those around me) that injected doubt.

The simple and happy truth is that we are all capable of becoming rich in our own way, and its not as daunting a task as many are raised to believe. But first, its vital to develop the mindset of a millionaire and to start thinking about financial independence as something already created all thats needed is the time and focus required to get there.

Here are a few tips to help you train your brain to that end.

The majority of people live in the now. World-changing traumas such as the pandemic added fuel to this outlook as billions shifted into survival mode, but if you want to become wealthy, its vital to consider where you need to be five, 10, 30 years from now. A 2017 Institute for the Future survey found that a staggering 53% of respondents didnt think at all about what will happen to them in 30 years, and that 60% thought only about the close future (one month). Such an approach makes building wealth virtually impossible.

There are a number of assumed prerequisites about becoming wealthy, including that the process must feature a formal education (a Ph.D. or Masters in Business, say). But a significant percentage of worlds wealthiest people taught themselves how to earn moneywithout the assistance of a textbook, or via avenues that had nothing to do with prior schooling. Jeff Bezos graduated with degrees in electrical engineering and computer science, yet grew a giant online retail business from his garage and became the worlds wealthiest man. Steve Jobs, meanwhile, was a university dropout who often said that leaving higher learning was one of the best decisions he ever made.

If you want to learn more about business or investing, you dont need to go to school for it. Buy books, take online courses and otherwise teach yourself the skills needed to succeed, so theres no time spent learning things youre never going to apply.

Related: 11 Mindset Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs

A micro-percentage of students are taught how to invest as a part of high school or college curriculum, but one thing we'recertainly shown is how to spend. The consumerism lifestyle is ubiquitous in North America, and relentlessly advances the idea that having more is a marker of being rich. If you can save up to buy a Tesla, then you must be wealthy, right?

Actually, if you want to be financially independent, its critical to resist the temptation to spend money on materialistic things at the expense of savings and investments. A corollary of that mindset is investing any spare cash in stocks, property, etc anything that will pay you in the future.On average, the stock market provides about a 10% return each year. Even a buy-in as modest as $500 or $1,000 a month can quickly turn into significant returns, but remember to choose stocks that will pay out in the long term, and dont be afraid to take a little risk. If you choose to invest money you would have spent at McDonalds on a volatile stock without the fear of losing it, youre likely to see bigger returns.

Buy a notebook and carry it everywhere. While sitting on the bus, having lunch, or wherever and whenever an idea strikes, grab that little volume and write it down. (Deciding to do so later almost certainly means forgetting it). Then take each idea and consider how you could make money applying it.Perhaps one involves starting a side hustle that could generate enough money to invest say an online tutoring gig, freelance graphic design, writing or photography.An average side job like these earns about $200 per month, but can easily ascend to $500 and up with focus and time all the while training your brain to think like an entrepreneur.

Related: Examples of Writing Business Ideas

Odds are, if you think $500 million is a lot, then $1 million will be, too. Both are significant, of course, but if weve decided that its impossible to attain $500 million, its far more likely the same outlook will apply to $1 million. These roadblocks in our minds might then keep us from earning even $200,000. Believe me, once you break through any invisible ceilings youve kept yourself under, youll start seeing change. If you never thought earning $100,000 was possible, then suddenly broke through the barrier and saw it sitting there in an account, suddenly $200,000 doesnt look that hard. Soon enough, youll be in the millions, and look back thinking how much you could have earned during the time you didnt believe you could.

Most of the worlds wealthiest people dont credit a set of skills or mechanics to how they became self-made. Instead, theyll likely report that it had more to do with the mindset and values they chose to focus on. They saw what most people dont that there is a way to become rich while doing what you love.

You dont need to stick to a tolerable 9-to-5 job in order to make yourself financially independent. In fact, thats one of the worst ways, because theres no ability to move above and beyond unless someone higher up decides to allow you to do so. Its time to take your money into your own hands and start seeing yourself as someone ready and able to shake the belief that there are only a select few able to grow in prosperity.

Related: This Is Why You Should Start Setting 'Unrealistic' Goals

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If You Want to Be a Millionaire, Start Thinking Like One - Entrepreneur