Finance
At G-7, Biden and European leaders agree to finance Ukraine using Russian assets
Key details of the financing arrangement still need to be agreed, but the leaders, meeting at a summit of the Group of Seven major advanced economies, hope it will shore up Ukraine’s finances as it fights against the two-year-old Russian invasion.
Separately, Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are expected to unveil a bilateral security agreement that seeks to establish a long-term U.S. commitment to military aid for the embattled country.
The steps by G-7 leaders at the summit in southern Italy represent the latest effort by Western allies to signal their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s defense with arms and funding, despite political divisions within the U.S. and Europe creating uncertainty about the longevity of that support.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has redoubled the military pressure on Ukraine in recent months, exploiting the sputtering flow of Western military aid to badly damage Ukraine’s energy grid with missile attacks and expanding Russia’s ground offensive in eastern Ukraine.
G-7 leaders aimed to announce the framework of an agreement to use the investment returns, mainly interest payments, generated from roughly $300 billion in Russian sovereign assets that the U.S. and Europe froze after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Most of the Russian central bank assets are held in Europe.
The plan seeks to create a new financial instrument to provide Kyiv with years’ worth of expected profits on Russian assets.
U.S. and French officials said they hope the disbursements can start flowing to Ukraine by the end of the year.
A senior Biden administration official said G-7 leaders had a “political agreement at the highest levels for this deal. And it is $50 billion…that will be committed.”
Zelensky, one of several world leaders invited to join the three-day summit at a luxury resort in the Italian region of Puglia, was due to hold a joint news conference with Biden late on Thursday.
The U.S.-Ukraine security pact seeks to commit future administrations to work with Congress to provide funding and military support for Kyiv. It makes no new promises regarding Ukraine’s bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. White House officials acknowledge that future U.S. presidents could withdraw from the bilateral agreement, which isn’t a treaty and doesn’t require congressional approval. It also has no dollar amount of military funding attached.
Ukraine has already signed a series of similar pacts with European and other countries, some of which have spelled out specific future support.
Former President Donald Trump, who faces Biden in November’s rematch election, has said he believes he could persuade Putin to negotiate an end to the war and has questioned why the U.S. has been sending billions of dollars worth of military and financial aid to Ukraine.
But Trump quietly consented to the passage of a short-term military-aid package for Ukraine and endorsed proposals by some Republicans to support Ukraine in the form of a loan.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters Thursday that the security agreement with Ukraine was a “real marker of our commitment, not just for this month, this year, but for many years to support Ukraine, both in defending against Russian aggression and in deterring future aggression so that Ukraine can be a sovereign, viable, thriving democracy.”
Sullivan told reporters traveling aboard Air Force One Wednesday that it would send Russia “a signal of our resolve. If Vladimir Putin thinks that he can outlast the coalition supporting Ukraine, he’s wrong. He just cannot wait us out.”
Ukraine desperately needs continued financial support. A separate loan package from the European Union worth 50 billion euros, equivalent to around $54 billion, is intended to help shore up Kviv’s ability to pay for basic government services, salaries and pensions through 2027.
In addition, the World Bank estimated in February that Ukraine’s reconstruction costs after the war will total close to $500 billion.
The planned $50 billion in financing for Kyiv backed by Russian assets must still overcome differences between Washington and European capitals on the technical details of how to structure the funding and how the risk on the loans should be shared.
European officials have said in recent days they envisage much of the funding would flow via existing EU programs for Ukraine. They also want the U.S. to help guarantee the loan so that if profits from the Russian assets stop flowing in, Europe won’t have to foot the bill alone.
The EU wants the loan to pay mainly for military aid for Ukraine, in line with a previous agreement it made on how to use the windfall profits, which are expected to total around $3 billion to $4 billion a year. The EU also wants to make sure their companies win some of the contracts for the civilian or military work that Ukraine spends the money on.
Washington had been pushing for a loan to be made by a special purpose vehicle managed by the World Bank, with the U.S. and its G-7 partners supplying the money upfront. The U.S. is concerned that the flow of profits from frozen Russian assets could be halted in Europe if Hungary, whose leader Viktor Orban has long had close relations with Moscow, vetoes the continued EU sanctioning of Russian assets. Authorization for the asset freeze and other EU sanctions must be renewed every six months.
European officials have said resolving the technical details could take many weeks. Sullivan said G-7 leaders planned to set a clear timetable for experts to agree on details.
Noemie Bisserbe contributed to this article.
Write to Ken Thomas at ken.thomas@wsj.com and Laurence Norman at laurence.norman@wsj.com
Finance
St. Augustine's says it will eliminate 50% university employees ahead of accreditation meeting
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) announced Saturday it will eliminate several positions, including non-faculty and vacant, this month ahead of its significant accreditation meeting.
Last December, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissioner on Colleges (SACSCOC) voted to remove SAU from membership due to its financial status. The university’s appeal was denied in February and then in July, the SACSCOC arbitration committee reversed the decision and reinstated SAU’s accreditation.
The SACSCOC board will vote on the next step for the university in December.
In a news release, SAU said to ensure compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commissioner on Colleges and keep its accreditation, the school has reduced its expenses by approximately $17 million in fiscal year 2024 compared to 2023. Reductions, totaling 50% of university employees, include 67 staff positions (41% reduction); 37 full-time faculty positions (67% reduction); 32 adjunct faculty positions (57% reduction); and stopping several under-enrolled programs.
SEE ALSO | St. Augustine’s alumni hosts celebration amid canceled on-campus homecoming
The university also said it will be actively settling outstanding balances with vendors and adjusting various contrasts.
SAU also reported completing four financial audits for fiscal years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024, and restoring employee payroll and health insurance benefits.
The HBCU university — remaining millions of dollars in debt — secured a $7 million loan from Gothiuc Ventures with a high-interest rate. To get the loan, St. Aug’s put up much of the university’s main campus and off-campus properties as collateral.
Gothic Ventures tells ABC11 that the interest rate offered was determined by the financial difficulties faced by the university, which included a recent audit, historical revenue losses, and outstanding debt.
SEE ALSO | Saint Augustine’s University’s high-rate $7 million loan puts HBCU in jeopardy, finance experts say
Many, including SAU alumni and finance experts, are concerned about this loan.
“We are concerned about the partnership between Gothic Ventures and Saint Augustine University because if for any reason Saint Augustine is unable to repay Gothic ventures, the land will be lost and the university as we know it will cease to be,” alum Bishop Clarence Laney said.
The lawsuit against the board of trustees by the SaveSAU Coalition was also recently dismissed.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The featured video is from a previous report.
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Finance
Assess your financial risk before new policies affect the economy
I’ve been thinking about financial risk lately.
Should I change my asset allocation in my retirement portfolio, considering Donald Trump’s successful bid for the White House? Stock market valuations have risen smartly in recent years, which real income growth, productivity improvements, technological innovation, low unemployment rates and healthy corporate profits have largely powered. Yet with the election of Trump, voters have approved a massive economic experiment.
The Trump administration comes into power with many policy goals, but four economic initiatives stand out: Enacting significant tax cuts; imposing broad-based and significant tariffs; sweeping raids, mass deportations and tighter immigration controls; and slashing federal government regulations. The extent that these plans turn into reality and how each policy will interact with the others is uncertain. The risks are obvious. The outcome isn’t.
Enter risk management, a critical concept in finance. Professionals often associate risk with volatility. The tight link makes sense, since owning assets with high volatility hikes the odds of losses if there is a pressing need to sell the asset to raise money.
However, for the typical individual and household, risk means the odds money decisions made today don’t pan out. Managing risk means lowering the negative financial impact on your desired standard of living from decisions gone wrong and when circumstances take an untoward turn.
“Anything that makes reaching or maintaining that more likely reduces your risk, and anything that makes this less likely increases your risk,” writes Bob French, the investment expert at Retirement Researcher. “Everything else is just details.”
The key risk management concept is a margin of safety, a bedrock personal finance idea broader than investment portfolios. It can include having an emergency savings fund, owning life insurance to protect your family and investing in your network of friends and colleagues to hedge against the risk of losing your job. The right mix depends on the particulars of your situation.
In my case, after studying my portfolio, running household money numbers and reviewing lifestyle goals, I’m comfortable with the asset allocation in my retirement portfolio. There is too much noise in the markets for comfort, and market timing is always tricky. The prudent approach with my individual situation is to stay the course.
Finance
Shannon Bernacchia Appointed Interim Finance Director for Regional Schools – Amherst Indy
At a Zoom meeting on Friday, November 22, School Superintendent Dr. E. Xiomara Herman recommended to the Regional School Committee and Union 26 School Committee that Shannon Bernacchia be appointed interim Finance Director for the schools, replacing Doug Slaughter who had served in that position since 2019. Bernacchia has served as Assistant Finance Director under Slaughter. Her appointment was approved unanimously by both school committees.
In recommending Bernacchia for the interim director position, Herman cited her “impressive career, dedication, and accomplishments during this transitional period [to a new administration],” adding, “Since joining our district, she has demonstrated exceptional proficiency in managing complex financial operations, including preparing budgets, overseeing audits, and providing detailed financial reporting to the school committee.”
Bernacchia holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Bay Path University and professional training in school fund accounting. She currently holds an emergency School Business Administrator license valid through 2025 and has completed all requirements for her initial license, except for the 300 hours of mentorship. She anticipates completing that requirement in January, 2025. Former Amherst Regional Public Schools and Town of Amherst Finance Director Sean Mangano is serving as her mentor.
Herman expressed confidence in Bernacchia’s ability to head the district’s financial operations.
In acknowledging her appointment, Bernacchia thanked the school committee members and said that she was excited to work with superintendent who is woman.
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