Finance

Bypassing Financial Gatekeepers With Bitcoin

Published

11 months ago

February 14, 2024

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Bypassing Financial Gatekeepers With Bitcoin

Photo by Jens Kalaene

picture alliance via Getty Images

In a world where large financial institutions influence the global economy, bitcoin stands out as a force for change, driving forward inclusion and diversity in the financial sector.

At its core, bitcoin represents more than just digital currency; it symbolizes a departure from the age-old financial structures dominated by a few large entities and families. These gatekeepers, often criticized for consolidating wealth among the elite, have perpetuated a cycle that extracts wealth from the economically disadvantaged.

Contrary to the centralized control of traditional banking, bitcoin enables direct financial exchanges without intermediaries. It reduces transaction costs and opens up access to financial services, especially for the unbanked populations worldwide. This is not just theoretical; it’s observable in real-world applications and initiatives that illustrates bitcoin’s potential to revolutionize how we think about and interact with money.

Enter Fedimint and Cashu, innovative projects that reveal bitcoin’s capacity to strengthen communities by equipping them with the tools to establish their own decentralized banks.

Fedimint leverages bitcoin to create a community custody and financial inclusion protocol, enhancing privacy and security for its users. By pooling their bitcoin holdings, communities can form a federated mint, operating on collective consensus. This model not only bolsters security and privacy but also instills a sense of community ownership and financial autonomy, a contrast to the hierarchical nature of traditional banking.

Similarly, Cashu builds on bitcoin’s technology to further decentralize financial power. It provides a secure and private platform for individuals to manage and transact in digital currencies, challenging the longstanding dominance of overbearing financial institutions. Cashu and Fedimint show the move towards financial self-sovereignty, filling the void left by traditional banks that have failed to cater to the masses’ needs.

Unlike traditional cooperative bank setups, where bureaucratic hurdles and regulatory gatekeeping can limit establishment and access, Mints like Fedimint and Cashu offer a groundbreaking approach. They remove barriers imposed by paperwork, governments, or traditional banks, democratizing finance in a way that allows anyone to participate. In this model, the community itself becomes the bank, representing the principles of decentralization and collective ownership.

These initiatives stand at the forefront of a broader movement to challenge big banks and the conventional financial establishment. This signals a redistribution of power within the global economy, marking a step towards a decentralized and equitable financial future.

The impact of bitcoin extends beyond the philosophical and into the practical, especially in emerging economies plagued by financial instability and inequality. In Venezuela, for instance, bitcoin has emerged as a critical tool for citizens battling hyperinflation, offering a more stable and accessible means to preserve their savings.

Across Africa, bitcoin facilitates cross-border transactions without high fees or the necessity for traditional banking infrastructure, enabling businesses and individuals to partake in the global economy. In Lebanon, amidst severe economic distress, bitcoin provides a lifeline for individuals seeking to avoid financial restrictions and safeguard their wealth from currency devaluation.

Fedimint and Cashu represent a move away from the reliance on large corporations and towards community empowerment. Projects are driven by a desire to see the unmet needs of the people. It’s a testament to the power of bitcoin and its underlying technology to effect change, not through confrontation but by creating alternatives that cater to the unbanked and underserved.

As projects like Fedimint and Cashu thrive, they don’t just challenge the status quo; they lay the groundwork for a future where financial liberation and access are not privileges but rights accessible to all. The rest of the world may follow, recognizing that the path to true financial inclusivity lies not within the walls of towering banks but in the collective hands of empowered communities.

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Finance

The Secret to Making Successful Financial New Year’s Resolutions – NerdWallet

Published

10 hours ago

December 25, 2024

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The Secret to Making Successful Financial New Year’s Resolutions – NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

The start of a new year can bring a surge of motivation around setting new goals, including financial resolutions.

One way to help those goals become reality, financial experts say, is to make them as specific as possible. Then, track your progress, while allowing flexibility for unexpected challenges.

“It’s easier to track progress when we know where we are going,” says Sylvie Scowcroft, a certified financial planner and founder of The Financial Grove in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

That’s why she encourages her clients to set clearly defined goals, often related to paying off a specific debt, saving a certain amount per month or improving their credit score.

Here are more tips from financial experts about crafting 2025 financial goals:

Pick your top priorities

Trying to accomplish too much can feel overwhelming. Instead, pick your priorities, says Cathleen Tobin, CFP and owner of Moonbridge Financial Design in Rhinebeck, New York.

She suggests focusing on those big, often emotionally-driven goals to find motivation.

“It’s more compelling than just a number,” she says. For example, do you want to make sure you’re on track for retirement or save money for a house? “Start there.”

Be as specific as possible

Scowcroft says she sees clients get tripped up by selecting overly broad goals, such as “get better with money.” Instead, she encourages people to select specific action items, such as “sign up for a budgeting tool and set aside time each month to learn where my money is going.”

That level of specificity provides direction so you know what steps to take next, she adds. For example, if your top priority is to become debt-free, then your specific goal might be to pay off an extra $200 of your debt balance each month.

Tobin says labeling savings accounts so they correspond with goals can also help. An emergency fund could be named something like “Peace of mind in 2025,” so you remember why you’re saving every time you make a transfer.

“It’s more motivating than just ‘emergency fund,’” Tobin says.

Get more financial clarity with NerdWallet

Monitor your credit, track your spending and see all of your finances together in a single place.

Track your progress

Measuring your progress as the year unfolds is also a critical component of successful goal setting, Tobin says.

She compares it to weight loss. If you want to lose 20 pounds by June, then you need to lose about a pound a week for the first six months of the year. Similarly, she says it helps to break savings goals into microsteps that specify what you need to do each week.

Schedule a weekly or monthly check-in with yourself to make sure you are meeting those smaller goals along the way. You might want to review your debt payoff progress or check your credit score, for example.

“Being able to break it down into steps that can be done each week or twice a month really helps,” Tobin says.

Automate where you can

If your goal is to save more money, then setting up an automatic transfer each month can help turn that goal into reality, as long as you know you have the money in your checking account to spare.

“It reduces the mental load,” says Mike Hunsberger, CFP and owner of Next Mission Financial Planning in St. Charles, Missouri, where he primarily supports veterans and current members of the military.

He recommends starting small to ease into the change.

“I wouldn’t jump to double what you’re currently saving,” he says. For example, when it comes to saving in a retirement account, if you’re starting with a 3% contribution, you might want to bump it up to 4%, then slowly increase it from there.

“My number one piece of advice is to start small, but make sure you scale over time,” Hunsberger adds. “Because it’s gradual, you probably won’t notice it impacting your lifestyle.”

Adjust as needed

“Stay flexible,” Scowcroft says. “Part of it is just being kind to yourself and not being too rigid.”

When unexpected challenges come up, such as a big unplanned expense, you might have to pause making progress on your goal and reset.

You might even need to change your goal. Scowcroft says that doesn’t mean you “failed,” just that life changed your plans. Dwelling on any negativity won’t help your forward progress.

Team up with a friend

Sharing your goals with a friend can also make it easier to reach them, Scowcroft says.

“It really helps to have an accountability buddy,” she says.

She suggests putting a regular “money date” with your friend on the calendar so you can ask each other how you’re doing, brainstorm any challenges or even budget together side-by-side.

“It’s a fun excuse to meet up with a friend.”

Get more financial clarity with NerdWallet

Monitor your credit, track your spending and see all of your finances together in a single place.

Finance

I’m not financially literate. Here’s how I could be. – The Boston Globe

Published

19 hours ago

December 25, 2024

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I’m not financially literate. Here’s how I could be. – The Boston Globe

If you asked me what the process for setting up a Roth IRA looked like, I doubt I could offer you a thorough response. The same goes for mortgages and loans and interest. When I had to fill out my first W-9 form, I was admittedly more than a bit confused.

In short, financial literacy isn’t my forte. And that’s because, like many Massachusetts public school students, I’ve never had to take any sort of personal finance class.

Indeed, throughout the debates over eliminating MCAS as a graduation requirement for high schoolers, we heard quite a bit about the state’s educational gold standard. So is it not the least bit shameful, or at least embarrassing, that our state does not require high school students to take a financial literacy class when a majority of states do?

Absolutely. And it needs to change.

Twenty-six states, including Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut, have passed legislation making a personal finance course mandatory for high school students. Meanwhile, Massachusetts received an “F” from the Champlain College Center for Financial Literacy, which released a report card in 2023 evaluating how each “state delivers personal finance education in its public high schools.” In addition, a 2023 report card(link?) from the American Public Education Foundation gave the state a “C” for its financial literacy requirements — a score worse than or equal to all but six states.

Meanwhile, across the state, credit card and student loan debt have spiked to eye-popping levels. As of the second quarter of this year, the average Massachusetts resident had a credit card balance of $8,556 and $33,710.38 in student loan debt. The latter is particularly troubling for young people like myself. For the next four years, countless high school seniors throughout the Commonwealth will be attending college, paying tens of thousands of dollars on top of day-to-day expenses.

The need for personal finance courses in Massachusetts is tremendous — a need that, as per a 2021 report from the state’s Office of Economic Empowerment, is recognized almost universally among teachers and, importantly, students.

Yet, as a result of being taught next to nothing about personal finances, many of us are left ill-prepared for these new circumstances. Our understanding of credit cards is limited to, as State Treasurer Deb Goldberg so eloquently articulated to GBH, “The parent puts a plastic card into the wallet and boom: out comes money.” And so the cycle of taking out loans, accumulating massive debt, and working for years before being able to pay it off persists.

Why perpetuate the cycle when it is so clear that these classes work? According to a 2021 Ramsey Solutions survey, among the teenagers who have completed a personal finance class, nearly 80 percent said that they’ve created a monthly budget for themselves, 94 percent felt confident about saving money, and 87 percent understood how to pay income taxes. And, as noted in the OEE’s report, personal finance courses are tools that “increase social mobility for low-income or immigrant students.” Requiring such classes really couldn’t make much more sense.

At my own high school, Brookline High School, financial literacy is offered in the form of a popular elective, “The World of Money: Practical Studies in Finance and Investment,” which “integrates the basic principles of economics, money management, investing, and technology,” according to the course catalog. Every spring, as course selection rolls around, hundreds of students eye this semester-long course, but with only so many spots, most cannot take it — and, consequently, miss out on an opportunity to learn about financial literacy.

Recognizing the imminent need to educate ourselves on matters of taxes, loans, investments, and more, several members of Brookline High School’s Student Council, including myself, have proposed amendments to our student handbook that would incorporate a financial literacy component in our graduation requirements and incorporate personal finance lessons into our weekly advisory classes. Our work would ensure that such important life skills are accessible to all students, not merely for those lucky enough to find a place in the class.

But while such efforts are certainly a step in the right direction on this issue, they are not enough. Financial literacy should not be a privilege for schools with a proactive student body; it is a fundamental aspect of our lives, and our state’s education system must begin reflecting that. The state must require personal finance courses for graduation — it’s the smartest investment we can make.

Ravin Bhatia is a senior at Brookline High School.

Finance

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. Announces Series A Preferred Stock Dividend

Published

1 day ago

December 24, 2024

Press Room

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. Announces Series A Preferred Stock Dividend

DALLAS, Dec. 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc. (NYSE: NREF) (the “Company”) today announced a dividend for its 8.50% Series A Cumulative Redeemable Preferred Stock (NYSE: NREF PRA) of $0.53125 per share. The dividend will be payable on January 27, 2025, to stockholders of record at the close of business on January 15, 2025.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance (PRNewsfoto/NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc.)

About NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc.

NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc., is a publicly traded REIT, with its common stock and Series A Preferred Stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “NREF” and “NREF PRA,” respectively, primarily focused on originating, structuring and investing in first-lien mortgage loans, mezzanine loans, preferred equity, convertible notes, multifamily properties and common equity investments, as well as multifamily and single-family rental commercial mortgage-backed securities securitizations, promissory notes and mortgage-backed securities. More information about the Company is available at nref.nexpoint.com.

CONTACTS
Investor Relations
Kristen Griffith
IR@nexpoint.com

Media Relations
Prosek Partners for NexPoint
pro-nexpoint@prosek.com

Cision

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SOURCE NexPoint Real Estate Finance, Inc.