Grow Smart Income - week 15, 2024

What happened this week?

Good day valued readers,

We hope this week's carefully curated selection of news finds you well. In this edition, we cover the latest developments across investing, finance, crypto, AI, and other topics to help you stay informed.

As always, our goal is to provide you with a professional, unbiased roundup of noteworthy news to augment your understanding of what's happening in the world. We take pride in hand-selecting articles from trustworthy sources across a diverse range of industries.

Please enjoy this week's newsletter. We're grateful for the opportunity to share these insights with you and look forward to continuing to be a valuable resource.

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Investing and Finance

Brace yourselves for a mind-boggling journey through the realms of finance, tech, and the ever-evolving job market. This week's newsletter is a whirlwind of insights, ranging from the Federal Reserve's cryptic utterances about interest rates to the staggering job cuts in the tech industry. Buckle up as we delve into IBM's centennial celebration, the unexpected surge in job growth, and the millennial obsession with early retirement.

But that's not all! We'll explore the soaring fortunes of tech billionaires, Elon Musk's ambitious plans for a robotaxi, and Jamie Dimon's concerns about inflation. Prepare to be captivated by tales of lucrative side hustles and the remarkable dividend boost from GE Aerospace.

Get ready to embark on an exhilarating adventure through the latest financial and technological trends, where every headline promises an enthralling revelation. Dive in and let your curiosity run wild!

  1. What Recent Fed Official Comments Tell Us About the Future of Interest Rates - Read more

  2. Tech Industry Leads Q1 Job Cuts After Layoffs by Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Others - Read more

  3. 100 Years Ago, IBM Was Born - Read more

  4. Job growth zoomed in March as payrolls jumped by 303,000 and unemployment dropped to 3.8% - Read more

  5. Millennials want to retire early at 59. Here’s how to make that happen - Read more

  6. GE Aerospace Stock Surges as Jet Engine Maker Boosts Its Dividend 250% - Read more

  7. How I Make Over $10,000 Per Month With These 4 Side Hustles - Read more

  8. Tech Billionaires Have Added An Astonishing $750 Billion To Their Fortunes Over The Past Year - Read more

  9. Elon Musk Says Tesla Will Unveil Robotaxi in August - Here's What You Need To Know - Read more

  10. JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon is worried about ‘stickier inflation and higher rates’ - Read more

"You are in danger of living a life so comfortable and soft that you will die without ever realizing your true potential."

David Goggins

Crypto News

Brace yourselves, crypto enthusiasts! This week's newsletter is a whirlwind of groundbreaking developments and heated debates in the ever-evolving realm of digital assets. Buckle up as we explore the uncharted territories of asset tokenization with the Bank for International Settlements and seven central banks through Project Agora.

But that's not all! We'll delve into Galaxy Digital's ambitious $100 million fund for nurturing early-stage crypto companies, and unravel the motives behind Ripple's foray into stablecoin territory. Prepare to be captivated by PayPal's stablecoin-to-fiat option for international money transfers, and the surging investor appetite for Bitcoin ETFs.

Brace yourselves for some heavyweight news as BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF gains backing from the Wall Street titan Goldman Sachs, and the FTX estate rakes in a staggering $1.9 billion from locked-up SOL tokens. We'll also delve into Genesis' strategic move to repay customers by purchasing 32,041 bitcoins after selling GBTC shares.

But wait, there's more! Explore the potential of blockchain technology to revolutionize digital securities management for stock exchanges, and witness the heated exchange between BitBoy Crypto and Cardano's founder over the latter's alleged demise.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the cutting-edge world of cryptocurrencies and blockchain, where every headline promises an exhilarating revelation. Dive in and let your curiosity run wild!

  1. BIS and 7 central banks to explore asset tokenization through Project Agora - Read more

  2. Galaxy Digital to launch $100 million fund for early-stage crypto companies - Read more

  3. Why Ripple Is Launching a Stablecoin - Read more

  4. PayPal Enables Stablecoin-To-Fiat Option for International Money Payments - Read more

  5. Bitcoin ETFs See 4-Day Inflow Surge as Investor Appetite Grows - Read more

  6. BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF Gets Backing From Wall Street Titan Goldman Sachs - Read more

  7. FTX estate sells $1.9 billion worth of locked up SOL for $64 per token - Read more

  8. Genesis purchased 32,041 bitcoins to repay customers after selling GBTC shares - Read more

  9. Can blockchain revolutionize digital securities management for stock exchanges? - Read more

  10. BitBoy Crypto declares Cardano dead; ADA founder responds with class - Read more

"Anti-social behavior is a trait of intelligence in a world full of conformists."

Nikola Tesla

Artificial Intelligence

Prepare to embark on a mind-bending journey through the intriguing realm of artificial intelligence! This week's newsletter promises to be a captivating exploration of AI's ever-expanding horizons, from its insatiable energy demands to its remarkable potential for transforming businesses.

Brace yourselves as we delve into the debate surrounding the viability of nuclear plants in addressing AI's energy conundrum. But fear not, for we'll also unveil practical strategies to harness the power of AI within your organization, empowering you to capitalize on this revolutionary technology.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the world of AI without the need for technical expertise, as we unravel 10 accessible ways to kickstart your AI journey. And if that's not enough to ignite your curiosity, OpenAI's trippy music video for Sora is sure to fan the flames of AI hype.

However, we'll also explore the limitations of AI through the lens of Amazon's no-checkout flop, reminding us that even the mightiest technologies have their boundaries. Prepare to be amazed as we reveal OpenAI's audacious feat of transcribing over a million hours of YouTube videos to train the formidable GPT-4.

But the AI extravaganza doesn't end there! Witness BMW's cutting-edge integration of humanoid robots into its factory operations, and brace yourselves for Elon Musk's thought-provoking assertion that AI carries a 20% risk of destroying humanity – yet he believes we should proceed nonetheless.

Get ready to immerse yourself in the exhilarating world of artificial intelligence, where every headline promises an enthralling revelation. Dive in and let your curiosity run wild!

  1. New Nuclear Plants Won’t Solve A.I.’s Energy Problem - Read more

  2. 6 Steps To Capitalize On AI In Your Business - Read more

  3. 10 Ways To Get Started In AI - Without Being Technical - Read more

  4. OpenAI's Sora just dropped a trippy music video to fan the AI hype flames - Read more

  5. Amazon's no-checkout flop shows AI's limits - Read more

  6. OpenAI transcribed over a million hours of YouTube videos to train GPT-4 - Read more

  7. BMW Putting Humanoid Robots to Work in Its Factory - Read more

  8. Elon Musk says there could be a 20% chance AI destroys humanity - but we should do it anyway - Read more

"Before you can make a dream come true, you must first have one."

Ronald McNair

Top Article Picks this week

Buckle up, dear readers, for a thought-provoking exploration of life's intricacies and societal norms! This week's newsletter promises to be a captivating journey through the realms of personal fulfillment, financial well-being, and the intricate workings of our world.

Prepare to delve into the phenomenon of millennials abandoning the rat race in pursuit of the elusive "soft life." But that's not all – we'll also take a candid look at how we're collectively feeling about money in 2024, a topic that resonates with us all.

Brace yourselves for an architectural marvel as we unravel the engineering marvels that enable Taiwan's tallest skyscraper to withstand the relentless forces of nature. And if that's not enough to pique your curiosity, we'll delve into the fascinating world of circadian rhythms and their impact on your workouts and overall health.

But wait, there's more! Discover the transformative power of the "Eisenhower matrix," a productivity hack that promises to revolutionize your approach to time management. And for those with a penchant for hard-hitting facts, we've got a visual feast of 9 charts that lay bare the staggering scale of US factory farming.

Prepare to have your perspectives challenged as we tackle profound questions about the origins of life and the delicate interplay between luck and skill in business endeavors. And because no intellectual journey would be complete without a touch of humor, we'll explore Larry David's unconventional rulebook for navigating the complexities of societal norms.

But that's not all! Brace yourselves for a comprehensive look at the limitations of ancestry DNA tests, a topic that has captivated the minds of many. We'll also delve into the often-overlooked truth that walking alone may not be enough when it comes to exercising for optimal health.

And if that's not enough to whet your intellectual appetite, we'll explore 3 powerful strategies to rewire your brain for financial abundance. Finally, we'll unravel the perplexing phenomenon of time seeming to accelerate as we age, through the lens of physics.

Get ready to embark on a thought-provoking odyssey that promises to challenge, enlighten, and entertain in equal measure. Dive in and let your curiosity run wild!

  1. The soft life: why millennials are quitting the rat race (Reading time: 10 min) - Read it here

  2. How Are We Feeling About Money in 2024? (Reading time: 6 min) - Read it here

  3. How Taiwan’s tallest skyscraper withstands earthquakes (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  4. Your muscles keep time too. How circadian rhythms affect your workout and your health (Reading time: 8 min) - Read it here

  5. Why the “Eisenhower matrix” is a fantastic productivity hack (Reading time: 8 min) - Read it here

  6. 9 charts that show US factory farming is even bigger than you realize (Reading time: 9 min) - Read it here

  7. How Did Life Begin? (Reading time: 4 min) - Read it here

  8. Untangling Luck and Skill in Business (Reading time: 12 min) - Read it here

  9. Larry David’s Rule Book for How (Not) to Live in Society (Reading time: 20 min) - Read it here

  10. The Limits of Ancestry DNA Tests, Explained (Reading time: 9 min) - Read it here

  11. Why Walking Isn’t Enough When It Comes to Exercise (Reading time: 4 min) - Read it here

  12. 3 Ways to Rewire Your Brain to Make More Money (Reading time: 4 min) - Read it here

  13. Physics Explains Why Time Passes Faster As You Age (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

Weekly YouTube videos

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"You don't have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream."

Michael Dell

Book of the week

"Propaganda" by Edward Bernays is a shocking and eye-opening look into the origins and mechanics of modern public relations and mass persuasion. First published in 1928, Bernays lays out his vision for using propaganda to shape public opinion and "engineer consent" across government, politics, business, and more. As a pioneer in the field, Bernays drew upon his experience helping shape U.S. public opinion during World War I as part of the Committee on Public Information.

He synthesized the ideas of his uncle Sigmund Freud on psychoanalysis with the writings of Walter Lippmann to create terrifyingly effective techniques for molding the minds of the masses. The book is remarkably prescient, foreshadowing the sophisticated methods of influence that have become ubiquitous today. Bernays is refreshingly candid about the powerful's ability and desire to control the public for what they judge to be wise purposes and objectives.

While the immorality of such large-scale manipulation is obvious from today's perspective, Bernays presents propaganda as a necessary tool for a smoothly functioning society. Whether you view it as a repulsive breach of ethics or an ingenious way to align the irrational public's desires with rational policies, "Propaganda" is indisputably influential. It pulls back the curtain on how the "invisible government" operating behind the scenes can regiment the public mind. This classic is a must-read to understand the modern propaganda that surrounds and shapes us all.

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives."

William Wallace

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