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The cost of energy has climbed by 29.4% since January 2021.
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While lower rates would fuel housing markets more than anything, a growing economy is equally important: US GDP Growth has outperformed expectations, based on a combination of government spending, increased immigration and resilient consumer demand. Recent estimates point towards slowing growth in 2024, but above 1%. Economists now believe inflation will dip to 2,54% by the end of this year. (WSJ)
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Cloud seeding? Yup, recently in Dubai using a technique that involves implanting chemicals and tiny particles — often natural salts such as potassium chloride — into the atmosphere to coax more rain from clouds.....resulted in massive downpours, the largest since records were kept in the 1940's, that caused flooding of homes and roads, virtually shutting down the city. (Bloomberg)
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In a transportation revolution, bicyclists now outnumber motorists in Paris. Using GPS trackers, Europe’s largest urban planning and environmental agency recorded the movements of 3,337 Parisians between the ages of 16 and 80 years old. Whereas transportation in the suburbs happens primarily by car, the number of people traveling by bike into the city center “far exceeds” the number of motorists. That’s a massive change from even just five years ago.
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The IRS recently announced that nearly a million people nationwide haven't claimed their refunds for the 2020 tax year. That includes 88,200 California residents owed $94.2 million, according to the IRS. taxpayers now have until May 17 to claim their 2020 refunds, according to the IRS.
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According to a Wall Street Journal article yesterday, even though families have struggled with inflation, the median net worth of the US population has grown notably in the past few years. This increase has mostly been weathered well by assets in stocks and real estate/homes. Boomers had a median net worth, defined as assets like homes minus liabilities like mortgages, of nearly $411,000 as of 2022. That was higher than any other age group.
Here’s a breakdown of the U.S. Median Net Worth:
Silent Generation: 2019: $284,059 | 2022: $309,620 Up 9%
Baby Boomers: 2019: $279,624 | 2022: $410,830 Up 47%
GEN X: 2019: $170,547 | 2022: $234,200 Up 37%
Millennials: 2019: $28,090 | 2022: $96,505 Up 243%!
While some decry the wealth of older generations, they forget/omit the asset growth factor of compounding value over time: older generations have had more time to reap the benefits of compounding. With kids moved on, often their expenses go down. Many work later in life. Notably, nearly 80% of boomers own their primary residence and about 25% own an investment property. More than 50% have retirement accounts like 401(k)s, with a median balance of $191,200. About 27% own stocks & bonds outside of retirement accounts, with a median amount of $201,800.
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At TED 2024, a physician and an engineer presented their solution: the PillBot. It’s a small, remotely controlled wireless robot that can swim around in a water-filled human stomach. It’s small enough to swallow (which they demonstrated live on stage), inexpensive to make, there’s (thankfully!) no retrieval needed, and gives physicians an immediate view of the stomach.
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Australia could generate 10,000 times more than its total energy consumption solely using the sun, according to government research agency Geoscience Australia. And now entrepreneurs are working on a 2,500 mile-plus transmission line to export this energy..... Australia will install more than 200 gigawatts of utility-scale and rooftop solar capacity by 2050.(Bloomberg)
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