Grow Smart Income - week 15 ver.2, 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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Kaloian’s article of the week

The Simple Path to Generating Passive Income Streams

In today's newsletter, we'll tackle the challenge of creating multiple passive income streams to grow your wealth over time.

Why It Matters:

Having diversified income sources beyond your main job or business is crucial for building long-term financial security and freedom. With passive income streams in place, you won't be as vulnerable to potential job loss, income dips or economic volatility impacting your primary earnings. Passive income allows your money to compound and grow on autopilot, setting you up to achieve lofty financial goals like an early retirement or simply more breathing room in your finances.

However, without purposefully establishing these passive cash flows, you'll remain overly dependent on active work to generate earnings. This can lead to financial stress, fatigue from overwork, and difficulty ever truly getting ahead.

Common Pitfalls:

Many people have heard of passive income's potential benefits but struggle to actually create legitimate passive income sources that provide meaningfully recurring revenue. Some common mistakes include:

  • Chasing get-rich-quick schemes or overly complex investment strategies that are really just financial gambling

  • Starting too many income streams at once without focusing efforts

  • Failing to reinvest profits to grow income streams over time

  • Not properly accounting for time investments, expenses and taxes related to passive activities

A Straightforward Approach:

Rather than seeking overnight millions or buying into "passive income guru" hype, I recommend taking a systematic, patient approach to build what I call the "Passive Income Palace" - a balanced portfolio of income streams based on:

1) Investing Wisely (25%)

Put a portion of your income into simple, mainstream investment vehicles like low-cost index funds, rental real estate, and basic lending products. This provides stock market participation and relatively passive rental/interest income.

2) Monetizing Your Expertise (50%)

Leverage skills or knowledge you already possess to create digital products like eBooks, courses, templates, or tools that can be sold indefinitely with little continuing effort. For services like consulting or coaching, put processes in place to "productize" your offerings for more passive revenue.

3) Earning Royalties (25%)

Develop creative works like books, photos, videos, music, apps, or inventions that generate royalties when others license, stream or purchase them. Royalty income can compound rapidly once an asset starts selling well.

Here's a more in-depth look at building out this multi-stream passive income model:

Investing Wisely (25%):

  • Max out tax-advantaged retirement accounts invested in index funds tracking the total stock market

  • Research and invest in 1-2 rental properties locally for steady rental income (can hire property managers)

  • Use peer-to-peer lending services to earn interest passively lending to entrepreneurs and consumers

  • Reinvest earnings, minimizing taxes with strategies like residing in rental properties temporarily

Monetizing Your Expertise (50%):

  • Film a high-quality video course teaching skills related to your career field or hobbies and upload to markets like Udemy or Skillshare

  • Create downloadable templates, worksheets or tools and sell them on marketplaces like Coach.me

  • Publish eBooks through Amazon KDP or your own website

  • For service professionals, create continuity programs, memberships or packaged offerings that generate recurring revenue

  • Build a personal affiliate marketing brand by creating content about products you use and love

  • Become an online coach, consultant, or freelancer in your area of expertise

Earning Royalties (25%):

  • Write a book or e-book and earn royalties by self-publishing or traditionally publishing

  • Create digital art, photography, graphic designs or videos and license them on sites like Shutterstock

  • Record music, comedy or other audio entertainment and distribute it through streaming platforms

  • Develop software, mobile apps or productivity tools and sell them with automatic updates

  • Get into influencer marketing by building a social media presence and working with brands as an affiliate

  • Patent any unique inventions or innovations you create and license them to manufacturers

The Advantages:

While building these passive income engines does require upfront effort, the long-term benefits are immense. By establishing multiple income streams using this model, you'll enjoy:

  • Diversified wealth generation from numerous sources, reducing financial risk

  • Tax advantages for different types of income like investments and royalties

  • Unlimited income scaling potential since most passive profits recur with little extra workload

  • Pride from monetizing your skills and creativity in leveraged ways

  • The freedom and flexibility that financial independence provides

And the income keeps compounding over time! As your various passive income streams build upon themselves, you'll eventually reach a point where your investment and business income surpass even a large salary. That's true financial freedom.

I hope this breakdown gives you a straightforward game plan for engineering passive income generation as a path to prosperity. Let me know if you need any other tips for starting your own Passive Income Palace!

Investing and Finance

In this weekly newsletter, we bring you a curated selection of the most captivating financial and business stories from around the globe. Dive into Jamie Dimon's annual shareholder letter and uncover the key takeaways that shed light on JPMorgan Chase's strategic direction. Explore Walmart-backed Ibotta's IPO plan and what it means for the fast-growing consumer rewards industry. Get ready for Google's Cloud Next Conference and find out what groundbreaking announcements are on the horizon. Witness the power shift as Mark Zuckerberg surpasses Elon Musk to become the world's third-richest person.

HSBC makes a strategic move by selling its Argentine operations for $550M, focusing on higher-growth markets. Hedge funds are selling stocks at an unprecedented pace and ramping up short bets, signaling a potential market shift. Finance guru Dave Ramsey's controversial remarks about Gen Z and millennials living with their parents stir up a heated debate. Discover why silver is outshining gold in April, offering a glimmer of hope for precious metal investors. Richard Branson's wealth takes a nosedive, plummeting by more than half since 2021 to a mere $3 billion.

The world's richest man, Elon Musk, surpasses an astounding $200 billion fortune, solidifying his position at the top. Stubborn inflation persists, forcing central banks to maintain higher interest rates for an extended period. Analysts remain confident in Nvidia despite the stock's recent correction, citing its potential for continued growth and innovation.

  1. 4 Key Takeaways From Jamie Dimon's Annual Shareholder Letter - Read more

  2. What You Need To Know About Walmart-Backed Ibotta's IPO Plan - Read more

  3. What To Expect From Google's Cloud Next Conference - Read more

  4. Mark Zuckerberg tops Elon Musk to become world’s 3rd-richest person - Read more

  5. HSBC Sells Argentina Operations for $550M Amid Focus on Higher-Growth Markets - Read more

  6. Hedge funds are selling stocks at the fastest pace in three months and stepping up short bets - Read more

  7. Finance guru Dave Ramsey slams ‘awful’ Gen Z and millennials who live with their parents: ‘They suck. They can’t buy a house because they don’t work’ - Read more

  8. Why Silver is Outshining Gold in April - Read more

  9. Billionaire and Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson’s wealth has tumbled by more than half since 2021 to $3bn - Read more

  10. The World's Richest Man Just Surpassed a $200 Billion Fortune - Read more

  11. Stubborn Inflation Means Higher Interest Rates for Longer - Read more

  12. Why Analysts Are Confident in Nvidia Despite Stock's Recent Correction - Read more

  13. 4 Key Takeaways From CEO Andy Jassy's Letter to Amazon Shareholders - Read more

  14. Nike Stock Rises Following Upgrade From Bank of America - Read more

  15. The Rock’ scores a $9 million payday from WWE after his Wrestlemania appearance - Read more

"With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose."

Wayne Dyer

Crypto News

In this week's crypto-focused newsletter, we delve into the soaring heights of the digital asset market as Bitcoin tops $72,000, with the highly anticipated 'halving' event on the horizon. Embrace the frenzy as SHIB tackles sell walls and a Crypto.com whale acquires a staggering 692 billion SHIB tokens. Witness China's largest funds applying for spot Bitcoin ETFs in Hong Kong, a testament to the growing institutional adoption.

Explore the launch of Solana and Blast memecoin's trading platform, pump.fun, which has already hit a remarkable $5 million in revenue. Witness the meteoric rise of a Japanese investment firm's stock price after embracing Bitcoin. However, amid the euphoria, a supply shock warning looms as Bitcoin hits record low reserves.

In the Philippines, the SEC's ban on Binance has left Filipino crypto users grappling with uncertainty. XRP enthusiasts are abuzz with the potential for a $3 price explosion as Ripple positions itself as the new 'Goliath of Stablecoins.' BlackRock's potential foray into US-regulated stablecoins could open new doors for the industry.

Lastly, the memecoin craze intensifies as Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, and WIF are poised for 'never-before-seen' utility, captivating investors worldwide with their viral appeal and potential for disruption.

  1. Crypto stocks are soaring as Bitcoin tops $72,000 — with the big 'halving' event in sight - Read more

  2. SHIB Tackles Sell Wall as Crypto.com Whale Acquires 692B SHIB - Read more

  3. China's Largest Funds Apply for Spot Bitcoin ETF in Hong Kong - Read more

  4. Solana and Blast memecoin launch and trading platform pump.fun hits $5 million in revenue - Read more

  5. Japanese investment firm sees stock price soar after adopting Bitcoin - Read more

  6. Bitcoin Hits Record Low Reserves, Sparks Supply Shock Warning - Read more

  7. Philippines SEC Bans Binance, Affects Filipino Crypto Users - Read more

  8. $3 XRP Price Explosion In The Offing As Ripple Moves To Become The New Goliath Of Stablecoins - Read more

  9. BlackRock could open the door to US-regulated stablecoins - Read more

  10. Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, WIF Poised For ‘Never-Before-Seen’ Utility As Memecoin Craze Gets Intense - Read more

"There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else."

Sam Walton

Artificial Intelligence

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  1. SAIC lands Pentagon contract for AI-powered small satellite, partnering with GomSpace - Read more

  2. A 'summarize this email' button is coming to the Gmail app - Read more

  3. New Google Vids product helps create a customized video with an AI assist - Read more

  4. Amazon invests $25 million in a 10-year research collaboration to advance AI - Read more

  5. Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro can now hear - Read more

  6. 5 charts revealing how marketers use AI right now - Read more

  7. Google Cloud and Mercedes-Benz Deepen Partnership to Power New Customer Experiences with AI - Read more

  8. AI Coding Is Going From Copilot to Autopilot - Read more

  9. Sam Altman enters 'Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024' but fails to beat rival Elon Musk - Read more

  10. Air Force secretary plans to ride in AI-operated F-16 fighter aircraft this spring - Read more

  11. AI Can Pretend To Be Stupider Than It Really Is, Scientists Find - Read more

  12. Microsoft to invest US$2.9 billion in AI and cloud infrastructure in Japan while boosting the nation’s skills, research and cybersecurity - Read more

  13. How do Americans feel about Generative AI? It’s complicated. - Read more

  14. Texas is replacing thousands of human exam graders with AI - Read more

  15. AI makes retinal imaging 100 times faster, compared to manual method - Read more

  16. AI editing tools are coming to all Google Photos users - Read more

"If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking."

General George S. Patton

Top Article Picks this week

In this thought-provoking newsletter, we explore a diverse range of topics that challenge our perspectives and shed light on intriguing societal phenomena. Brace yourselves as we delve into the sudden rise of AuDHD, a life-changing diagnosis that's seen a meteoric rise, unraveling the factors behind this remarkable trend.

Ever wondered about the soaring costs of food delivery? We unpack the intricate dynamics that have led to this perplexing situation, providing valuable insights for consumers and industry watchers alike. From personal finance to investing, we offer guidance on where you should allocate your money and when, empowering you to make informed decisions.

Delving into the realm of economics, we present a simple theory of the stock market, demystifying the complexities that often shroud this vital engine of wealth creation. In a philosophical exploration, we challenge the notion that unhappiness is an inevitable state, suggesting that it is, in fact, a choice we make.

For those captivated by the enigmas of the wealthy, we shed light on the allure of endurance sports among the affluent, uncovering the motivations that drive their pursuit of physical challenges. Venturing into the realms of theoretical physics, we examine why M-Theory stands as the leading candidate for a Theory of Everything, unifying our understanding of the cosmos.

Shifting gears, we explore the fascinating world of human memory, offering insights into how you, too, can acquire a super memory, unlocking new realms of cognitive potential. The future of work is rapidly evolving, and we examine the compelling case for a 4-day workweek, a paradigm shift that could soon become a reality.

In the realm of education, we debunk 3 common myths about learning, equipping teachers with practical strategies to enhance their craft. Delving into the realm of interpersonal dynamics, we uncover the secrets of incredibly likable people, revealing the subtle behaviors that make them so endearing.

Finally, we differentiate between luck and repeatable success, a crucial distinction for those seeking sustainable achievements. And for those plagued by incessant overthinking, we offer 11 mental tricks to help you break free from this debilitating cycle, fostering a more tranquil and focused mindset.

Source: Shane Parrish

  1. The sudden rise of AuDHD: what is behind the rocketing rates of this life-changing diagnosis? (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  2. How did the cost of food delivery get so high? (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  3. Where You Should Put Your Money (And When) (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  4. A simple theory of the stock market (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  5. Unhappiness is a choice (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  6. Why Do Rich People Love Endurance Sports? (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  7. Why Is M-Theory the Leading Candidate for Theory of Everything? (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  8. Don’t Forget: You, Too, Can Acquire a Super Memory (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  9. The 4-day workweek could be here sooner than you think (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  10. 3 Common Myths About Learning - and What Teachers Can Do Instead (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  11. 10 Things Incredibly Likable People Never, Ever Do (and Why You Love Them for It) (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  12. Lucky vs. Repeatable (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

  13. 11 Mental Tricks to Stop Overthinking Everything (Reading time: 5 min) - Read it here

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"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."

Marcus Tullius Cicero

Source: Entrepreneur

Book of the week

Viktor Frankl's memoir "Man's Search for Meaning" is a riveting and profound exploration of life in Nazi death camps and the lessons for spiritual survival. Based on his own experiences in four different camps including Auschwitz, Frankl argues that while we cannot avoid suffering, we can choose how to cope with it and find meaning in the midst of tragedy. His logotherapy theory posits that our primary drive is the pursuit of what we personally find meaningful, not just pleasure.

With descriptive power, Frankl depicts the harsh realities and inhumane conditions of the camps, while analyzing how even there, individuals could find purpose through shifting their inner lives. The book delves into themes of responsibility, dignity, and the human potential for good even amid evil. Frankl's life-affirming message that forces beyond our control can break our bodies but not our spirit has resonated across generations.

An enduring work of philosophical literature as well as an important WWII testimony, "Man's Search for Meaning" has sold over 10 million copies and was ranked one of the most influential books in America. Profound, moving, and insightful, it is a must-read exploration of life's deepest questions.

"It's always better to be at the bottom of a ladder you want to climb than at the top of the one you don't."

Martin Freeman

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