#High Yield CD

[quaranmine]

Happy 1 year of having credit to me! Now I need to go research getting a new credit card this week.

[roseband]

i mean this in all seriousness.....

every bonus and raise i get at work is cuz i taught myself adobe automation tools and javascript for adobe (even though i took cs in hs like, i could not find a class in what i wanted so i just had to self teach it)

but the only reason i self taught that was cuz i was overly obsessed with kpop

so as long as all my savings accounts are where they should be (percentage of income-wise)... so like 401k, emergency fund, down-payment fund.......(which.....are all invested and/or in high yield 4.5% monthly compounding interest accts and are making their own money)

i can just dump all my disposable income into kpop because if i wasn't unhinged about kpop, i would not have this much disposable income lol

i feel like this is 100% an original meaning of girlmath moment tbh

[kc22invesmentsblog]

Unlocking Passive Income: High-Yield Savings Accounts and CDs

Written By Delvin In today’s fast-paced world, financial independence is a dream for many. The idea of generating passive income and achieving financial freedom is a beacon of hope for those looking to escape the rat race and live life on their terms. Generating passive income can be achieved through conventional methods such as investing in stocks or real estate, but there are also often…

[drdemonprince]

Generally speaking, here are the order of financial priorities:

Build an emergency savings of at least 3 months worth of living expenses

Pay down all high-interest debts, such as credit card debts

Build an emergency savings of 6 months - year worth of expenses.

Place some of your savings in a high-yield savings account (or money market fund) that you can still access easily without penalty if you need that money.

Start considering investing in something that yields a higher rate of return, but requires that you let money just *sit* in that investment for months or years at a time (CDs/bonds/index funds/a 401k [which is really just a type of index fund usually]).

Learn how to let your investments just sit without constantly looking at them or worrying about them! This is a skill that requires time, practice, and sometimes research to develop.

As your circumstances change and your familiarity and comfort with investing grows, tweak your exact investment strategy as needed. (For example, shift some money from index funds to bonds as you get older, or move CD investments to stocks as interest rates go down).

[smugraccoon137]

Trying to be a good adult today and do some banking stuff 😞

[femmefatalevibe]

Any tips on saving money?

Track your income/expenses. Knowing your monthly cash flow + essential and discretionary spending is the only sound starting point toward setting your financial goals.

Evaluate your non-essential spending habits. Consider where this money is going, and whether these expenses add value/are necessary to your life (pleasure or peace of mind is an acceptable "necessity" if you're living within your means to be clear!).

Determine the money you have left over after you cover your essential expenses and most fulfill discretionary expenses. This amount is your "saving/investment" money.

Divide your leftover amount into 3 categories: Emergency fund, goal-oriented savings (like buying a desired luxury item/furniture, a down payment on a house, a vacation, etc.), and investments.

Put your savings in a high-yield savings account. If possible, have different accounts for each purpose, especially your emergency fund and savings for future purposes. You can also get a CD for a long-term savings goal.

Put your investments (in the USA at least) in the following buckets: Roth IRA (max it out), ALWAYS take your employer's full 401k match, HSA (if you have a high-deductible health insurance plan), and S&P 500 index funds/other evergreen mutual funds + blue-chip stocks.

Purchase fewer, higher-quality items. Know the sales seasons for each product category and shop around this calendar (down to the produce items in season). If possible, rent items when it makes sense.

Only say "yes" to plans/financial obligations that add value/pleasure to your life. Don't let yourself feel shortchanged financially or emotionally. It's never worth it, honestly.

Invest in your physical, mental, and financial health first. This can mean something different for everyone but it's important!

**I'm not a professional, just another young woman on the internet, so please take this advice accordingly. Please meet with a financial advisor/CPA for formal advice and personal financial planning.

Hope this helps xx

[bitchesgetriches]

My lovely aunties,

I was advised to put in 10k(half of my savings) in a money market account so I can have an income while in grad school about $400 dollars. Do you think this is wise? wanted to get your opinion. Thank you :)

Are you sure they advised you to put it in money market? Because this sounds more like you were advised to put $10k into a CD (certificate of deposit) or HYSA (high yield savings account). Either way both are solid options, but you should make sure you fully understand what you'd be agreeing to before putting your money there.

Fortunately, your auntie Bitches are here for you, sweet pea! We wrote this just for you:

From HYSAs to CDs, Here's How to Level Up Your Financial Savings 

What’s the Difference Between Savings and Checking Accounts, and How Should I Be Using Them? 

Did we just help you out? Join our Patreon!

[notfinancialadvice]

How I Built an Emergency Fund, inspiration I deeply hope is helpful

As the blog URL says, this is not financial advice. This is how I did this thing, and I am posting it here, publicly, in hopes that it helps you should you need this information.

In short: Remix this advice to what fits your life + do not sue me if this goes poorly for you. This is for Americans, if you do not live in America and/or your money is not in America, I hope this is a useful base.

None of these links are affiliate links.

I write these things as a mental shift. I like to ramble and I wish I had someone tell me this stuff 20+ years ago. I'm hoping this helps you.

This is an incredibly long post so I'm putting it under a KEEP READING.

This post goes over two stages: "short term + not life-or-death" and "long term + actual life or death"

Part 01: SHORT TERM + NOT LIFE-OR-DEATH FUND

You need to find a high yield savings account that is FDIC insured. Ally is a popular bank for this.

Functionally, the only difference between a "high yield savings account" and "savings account" from the giant conglomerate bank down the street is the interest rate.

I do not know why non-high-yield savings accounts exist. I'm guessing because legally they can, and I hate it.

Moving away from my personal socioeconomic views to return to advice.

"FDIC insured" is not something you pay for. It is nearly universal on savings accounts. If a savings account, or a checking account, does NOT have it, then you should not put your money there. Something is wrong with that bank.

FDIC means if your bank goes out of business, your account is insured up to $250,000, per account, by the government. So if your bank goes out of business, the government makes sure you still have your cash (up to $250k).

A high-yield savings account means your cash is available whenever you need it.

Other products, like CDs, exist, but this ramble is designed to be as simple and starter as possible. Begin with a high yield savings account, build up from there as you do your own research + compare this to your needs.

Do not accept an account that has minimum balances. Do not open an account with monthly fees.

Touch this account as little as possible.

For every $1 you put in, every month, a few pennies will materialize. It's not much, but the main point is at every level, your money works for you.

Rich people do this. You can too.

Touch this account as little as possible.

You can have multiple savings accounts.

I personally have a savings account in the above structure designed for "oh hell I am kinda screwed, but will be okay, just need a buffer."

"How much should I have in there?" you might ask. Common advice says "3-6 months expenses" which is a lot. I say "start with literally $1 and continue as you can until comfortable with what is possible, for you, at this time."

Will $1 make you rich? No.

Will it save your life in a bad situation? Probably not.

Does this $1 essentially become a tiny robot that is making you money for as long as it is docked into its cargo bay? ...weird metaphor but we'll go with it, sure.

Ultimately is it a start? Yes.

You can have multiple savings accounts. You can have a savings account "this is for short term emergencies" and "this is for... slightly less short term" etc.

It costs you nothing to have multiple. They all operate in the same way. It's handy to have them all at the same bank because it can make transferring cash easier.

Part 02: LONG TERM + ACTUAL LIFE-OR-DEATH FUND WITH RISK SO BE CAREFUL

Once you have your savings account set up, and it's being funded on a regular basis (every week, every paycheck, every month, every quarter -- whatever works for you), look into creating a second, bigger, more dangerous-term cash reserve.

I like my Roth IRA. This is a link to a proper finance blog that has a lot of details. I am trying to make this handy/simple to get started.

401ks and (non-Roth) IRAs are funded with pre-tax dollars, frequently in conjunction with your job.

Normally, cash goes from job -> government takes a slice -> you.

Pre-tax retirement accounts, cash goes from job -> retirement takes the percentage you decide -> government takes a slice of what is left -> you

Roth IRAs, job -> government takes a slice -> you -> Roth IRA

The benefit to pre-tax retirement accounts being, because the cash going in is pre-tax, there is more of it.

It can grow faster in the stock market or other places your particular fund allows you to put cash into.

The taxes come out when you withdraw -- usually retirement -- because if you withdraw before you retire, you are heavily penalized with extra fees.

That's why Part 02 is a ROTH IRA. Your money has already been taxed -- job -> government's slice -> you -> Roth IRA.

This means the money is yours, already taxed. If you withdraw the gains, those get taxed, but the base, that's yours.

If you invest $100 and it grows to $105, you can withdraw $100 without paying fees or taxes. If you withdraw that extra $5, that is when taxes start to come into play. If you withdraw $100, and leave the $5, the $5 continues to grow, and that extra growth is taxed if withdrawn. So try not to touch it (ideally you leave all of it until retirement).

This is why this is an emergency, life-or-death only, account. You tap it only when you need to when all other choices are wretched and ruinous.

There is an annual limit as to how much money you can put into a Roth IRA (several thousand bucks).

You can start them very small. Like $20 or maybe less.

Look for a bank or institution that does not charge fees to open and maintain one.

AT EVERY STEP YOU SHOULD BE AVOIDING FEES

Here are smart people talking about ideas on how to get started.

Okay, so, what do we do now with this fancy roth thing.

Here is where things get... uncomfortable.

A Roth IRA is an account type.

You need to do something with your money.

The reason you have this in addition to, and secondary to, your high-yield savings account is because this is an investment vehicle, the balance is going to go up and down, and may reach $0.00.

For my Roth IRA, I like "exchange traded funds" -- ETFs.

There are a lot of options -- you can invest in most anything

Because my Roth IRA is built for "help me I'm dying" emergencies, I invest in a mix of S&P 500 index funds and small-cap funds.

SO MANY WORDS.

Let's break this down what this means.

S&P 500 index funds: This is an index fund of giant, giant, giant companies.

An index fund is like a stock. But instead of a single company, it tracks (owns shares of) an index -- like the DOW or Nasdaq. Or countries. Or... the entire market for oil. Etc.

The metaphor isn't completely accurate, but I like to think of it as "an index fund is a company that owns tiny bits of other companies."

Like, okay, say you have SlimeIndexFund and a share price is $40.

In this example, SlimeIndexFund owns $10 worth of "BardCo" and $10 of "ThiefCo" and $10 of "MermaidCo" and $10 of "EvilCo".

Let's say EvilCo does a lot of evil and is now worth $15, and MermaidCo does a lot of mermaid stuff and is now worth $15, and BardCo sings out of tune so is now worth $5. ThiefCo is oddly at the same $10 but we're scared so we're leaving ThiefCo to stay at $10.

A share in SlimeIndexFund is now worth $45. ($5 BardCo + $10 ThiefCo + $15 EvilCo + $15 MermaidCo)

This is diversification

Because I bought an index fund, instead of just buying BardCo, my risk is less.

Had I bought all MermaidCo, my return would be higher -- but this is a much bigger risk.

The entire purpose of this set up of a Roth IRA is TO MINIMIZE RISK.

Your Roth IRA should allow you to buy "fractional shares" and if it doesn't fuck that bank, go somewhere that does.

In the above example, SlimeIndexFund is $40/share and at that price you are getting the full benefit of 1 share.

Let's say you have $10.

You buy a fractional share of SlimeIndexFund for $10, which is 25% of 1 share.

So when SlimeIndexFund shares raise from $40 -> $45, your fractional share goes from $10 -> $12.50.

Not all funds and stock shares (etc) have fractional shares, most do.

It's a great way to start and build.

Small-cap funds: These operate in literally the same way. The difference is the companies are (in comparison) much smaller. They tend to be more nimble.

So I am diversifying between "here is a fund, it has a lot of large companies" and "here is a fund, it has a lot of small companies."

Let's say Big Office Building real estate goes down, but the sale of Small Company Making waffles goes up. This mixes together and I'm less in danger of losing money, or losing much money.

You can pick individual stocks.

The reason it is not recommended, by nearly everyone, is because the market has incredible tools and power over individual stocks.

By using any kind of fund that bundles things together, you are thereby automatically using these tools by proxy

It is critical to understand this is the stock market. Your account will go up and down. It may go down A LOT, like 25%, and take years to recover. Maybe it goes down 100% to literally $0.00.

That's why this is the LAST RESORT EMERGENCY FUND.

So why are we doing this.

This feels... wrong?

The potential for growth is significantly higher than a savings account. Adjusted for inflation, somewhere in between 6-7%.

At this rate, if you can leave your initial deposit alone for somewhere between 10 - 13 years, it has doubled.

This equation recalculates every time you make a deposit. So if you can deposit $20 every pay check, it has the potential to grow very quickly.

As above, this is the stock market, so it can also get wiped out.

But given the stock market has historically always recovered, though it may take several years, the risk is worth it to me + a lot of other people.

The reason this is built as a last-resort cash bucket is because of this risk. Before moving into this arena, you should have other cash buckets as a buffer.

Your RISK is it goes down. Which it will frequently.

Your REWARD is if it goes up. Which historically it has far more than it went down.

The PURPOSE of using funds as described above is so you don't have try to guess who the next Amazon is and wind up picking the next Pets.com (which went out of business, like, a long... long time ago).

The people making the funds figure out who is Amazon and who is Pets.com and work, day and night, to make your money grow and/or protect it when outside influences are hurting the market.

They are incredibly equipped to do this and their literal livelihood is on the line when they do it poorly.

Which is a polite way of saying, they are continuously incentivized above all else to work for the fund you're investing in.

The reason you're doing this in a Roth IRA specifically is you're hoping to keep as much of it intact, as possible, until you retire, at which point -- if you've followed fairly simple rules -- you withdraw the base and gains tax-free.

Whereas money in a normal stock account? Those gains are taxable every year.

"I have literally $20 I can save per pay check! Can I put in $15 into a high-yield savings account and $5 into a Roth IRA to get started?!"

Yes!

Also, congrats! You're diversifying already!

Your Roth IRA broker should allow you to invest a minimum of $1 at a time, and buy fractional shares. If they don't, don't sign up with them!

Lean heavily into your high-yield savings account until that is very comfortable and thick, then push money into the Roth IRA.

Your goal is to build a system that works for you -- both literally (money working for you) and emotionally ("this is comfortable")

"Should I pay off debt before proceeding? A lot of people say to pay off excess debt first."

This is up to you.

Most financial blogs etc. do say "focus on paying off debt first" -- it's good advice, your returns are risk-free and permanent, since the lower your debt is, the less you have to pay over time.

Interest -- working for you or against you -- is continuous and eternal.

Personally, I like to diversify everything, so I not-financial-advice ramble "do all three -- pay down debt, throw a little cash into a high-yield savings, throw a little cash into a Roth IRA"

The problem with "pay off debt first" is that it misses out any occasional giant gains the stock market makes (Roth IRA) and introduces the risk of "I have paid this credit card on time for 5 years, I'm short on change for 3 months due to a situation that gets resolved quickly, and now I have a late payment fee, and a higher interest rate."

Look at your life, finances, and potential future and make decisions!

And also:

Always be on the look out for deals with banks. Sign up bonuses, referral links from friends, etc. Think of it as a money sale.

If you are not comfortable with the idea of a Roth IRA hitting $0.00 potentially, do not do step 02. These are ideas, not directives.

All financial tools can be used for different purposes. All of them. Thus -- these are ideas, not directives.

I am listing a few examples of banks, funds, etc. These are not recommendations nor are they affiliate links. They are listed because I want to maximize your start on this path, but caution, in strongest possible terms, you must do your own research and figure out what makes sense for you.

There are a lot of nuances I am paving over for the sake of simplicity, which is why I am continually saying...

...c'mon say it with me...

...you must do your own research before continuing

Smart, free sites that cover this + a lot of other stuff:

NerdWallet

Bank Rate

One final note about Roth IRAs:

Robinhood currently is offering a 1% match on an IRA. Considering the strict limits of how much an IRA can intake per year, it's not much, but it doesn't cost you anything. Money on sale!

As a final note -- always feel comfortable asking people handling your money for help. They are working for you. Your money works FOR YOU.

If you are uncomfortable, leave, immediately, without concern.

At the retail level, there are hundreds of banks and financial institutions clamoring for your business. If someone makes you uncomfortable for not knowing something, or getting a term wrong, or asking "too many" questions -- go somewhere else.

It doesn't matter if your account is literally worth $20.

They are working for you.

This is a business transaction, and if they make you feel like your time isn't worth their business, I promise you there is someone else who will gladly take care of you.

I end with -- whenever someone is giving you financial advice, always ask why. It helps ensure they aren't scamming you, it's just a good business practice.

I like to ramble, it helps me mentally

I like to be useful, I want the world to be significantly more balanced in terms of who is doing okay

I like to write, this is all good practice for me in doing Various Other Things I do

I fucking hate predatory financial practices. I was gatekept out of financial literacy for decades and so every time I help someone else figure out how to set up their own life and protect themselves it is a giant "fuck you" to the systems and directly to the people who stood in my way.

[brattylikestoeat]

You are in his WILL???

Yes. We’ve been together 8 years.

I was really struggling to finish college not because I was dumb but because I had a lot going on in my family at the time. My grandfather died and my family was literally crumbling before my eyes. All the lies, manipulation, gaslighting had finally caught up to my mom and grandma. Going to Ohio and coming back really broke me.

Donald pushed me to finish and I literally mean pushed. I called him one day after meeting with my advisor and told him I was done. I wasn’t doing college anymore.

He drove across town meet with my advisor with me, got that settled, paid my tuition on the spot. Education is very important to him which is why he pushing me to get my Masters.

Two weeks later we sat down and told me when I finished he could promise two things, he’ll pay my rent and money.

I’m always money motivated. So I finished. Took two more years but I did.

He always paid my rent. And he gave me 10k the week I graduated. He also put me in his will. If and when he pass I get a percentage of his liquid cash.

Has he kept his word? Idk I only saw the paperwork after it was done and his lawyer and a notary had signed it. It could have been changed for all I know. But for the most part I trust him and his word. He has never lied or try to play with me.

And I also think it’s important to know it’s liquid cash. That doesn’t count investments, home, cars, ect. Whatever money is currently sitting in accounts I get a part of that. If his kids choose to sell his houses I don’t get a part of that. I don’t get a part of his military pension either.

So me being the business minded woman I am, put the 10k up. I never touched it. half went into a high yield savings account and the other went into a CD account.

I can touch the savings if I want to. The CD can’t be touched without penalty. But I don’t have a need to touch either. Donald pays rent and gives me money all the time. Ted pays “rent” he doesn’t but he think he does but I use that for utilities and groceries.

I also have a very good job on my own. 75% of my paycheck doesn’t touch my account it goes straight to my retirement which is matched by my company.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Finely regulated luminescent Ag-In-Ga-S quantum dots with green-red dual emission toward white LEDs

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) materials have shown great potential for applications in lighting and display fields due to their wide color gamut, adjustable emission wavelength, high quantum efficiency, high color saturation, and low processing cost. For example, QD materials based on cadmium and perovskite have made remarkable progress, but the use of toxic Cd and Pb has limited their further application. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) regulation clearly limits the use of Cd and Pb in electronic products to less than 100 ppm and 1,000 ppm, respectively. Therefore, developing new environmentally friendly quantum dot material systems is of great significance. In recent years, eco-friendly I-III-VI2 QDs, such as Ag-In-Ga-S (AIGS) QDs, have attracted widespread attention due to their large Stokes shift, controllable emission over the entire visible spectrum, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY).

Read more.

[financeprincess]

advice for people just wanting to be educated in the finance field?

I would start dipping your toe in the finance sections of reputable sources (i.e. Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Harvard business review, MarketWatch, etc.) and start researching terms and companies you don’t know. I treat myself with a Bloomberg Businessweek subscription sent to my home because I love their design team and it’s actually very informative. You can also sign up for the Morning Brew finance newsletter, it’s free and I read it every morning to get a brief overview of what’s going on. Even just being informed of current events is helpful in learning about finance because all major events effect the market and businesses. Look at stock performance charts. Learn about different types of investment accounts and different kinds of investments. There are a lot of really great courses on platforms like Coursera as well, I just took one called Private Equity & Venture Capital from Università Bocconi. Flirt with equity crowdfunding platforms (I accidentally made a lot of money on one of these as an early investor with less than $1k). If you live in the US start looking into personal and business tax deductions. Even credit card rewards can actually get you a lot, I’ve gotten free hotel rooms and free flights from money I would have spent anyway. Investments also mean more than just individual stocks: could be index funds, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, REITs, forex, precious gems & metals, real estate, even some designer goods retain and increase in value if bought strategically and handled correctly. Even just having the fundamentals of a maxed out retirement account (a Roth IRA or a backdoor Roth IRA is my personal preference) full of index funds and mutual funds that are balanced well, a fully funded emergency fund of 3-12 months personal expenses, any debt above 7% interest paid off, and sinking funds for various expenses automatically set up in a high yield savings account will have you very well off. When you have a foundation like that you have the breathing room to change careers, take time off, buy investment properties, invest in volatile but potentially profitable ventures, start businesses, and set up additional streams of income.

[cazort]

I see a disturbing number of people, mostly millennials, these days, who have significant incomes and are starting to amass significant savings, who have terrible financial management skills. People who live at home with parents and get a full time job can accumulate money really fast. A lot of people are letting huge amounts of money, like sometimes as much as $20,000 or more, accumulate in checking accounts where it is earning either no interest or negligible interest.

Because inflation is high (over 3% these days), you are effectively losing money when it sits there. Also you're allowing the bank to profit off it; it's lending your money out to other people, often at interest rates as high as 6-7% or more, and it's not paying you for it.

If you have more than maybe around $3000 dollars in an account, you want that money earning interest. Here are things you can do to earn more from your money:

Open a savings account at a higher yield. Go to a different bank if necessary. CIT Bank has rates around 5% these days.

Pay off high interest rate debt but not low-interest rate debt. If the interest rate is above about 7-8% definitely make it a priority to pay it off ASAP. If it is above 5% it is still better to pay it off than to sit on your money. If it is much below 5%, pay it off as slowly as possible (minimum payment only) because there are risk-free ways to earn more interest on your money.

If you don't need the money in the short-term, consider a CD (Certificate of Deposit) which offers a fixed interest rate over a certain time. Often you can get a slightly higher rate by tying your money up for 3 months or 6 months or sometimes even longer. These are good options if you have a specific expenditure in your future, like perhaps moving or buying a home, but you know it won't happen until after a certain date.

Open a brokerage account. Brokerage accounts allow you to buy and sell investments such as stocks, mutual funds, or bonds, which include CD's from banks as well as treasury and municipal bonds and corporate bonds. You get more options for buying CD's (i.e. you can compare many different banks side-by-side, buy CD with the best rate, and manage multiple CD's within a single interface.) Most brokerage accounts have no fees and typically no or very low minimum investments. There is no reason not to have one if you have a few thousand dollars.

In a brokerage account, buy a money market mutual fund. Look for one with no load and no transaction fee, a high yield, and a low expense ratio, and a fixed share price of $1 per share. My two favorite are SWVXX and SNSXX. SWVXX has a higher yield (about 5.19%) whereas SNSXX has a lower yield (just over 5%) but is non-taxable on state income taxes, so SNSXX is a better choice if you have a high state tax rate, otherwise SWVXX is better.

Consider opening a Roth IRA if you haven't, and then, if able, contribute the maximum amount each year. You are allowed to make a contribution that counts towards the previous year, up until the tax filing deadline of the current year. So for example today it is Mar. 14th, 2024, so you can open a Roth IRA today and contribute the max ($6,500) for the 2023 year and also the max ($7,000) for 2024, for a total of $13,500. The main advantage of a Roth IRA is that the money in them can grow tax-free. Roth IRA's benefit anyone able to have one (the richest people are not allowed to contribute to them) and are especially important for people who are self-employed, change jobs a lot, or never work full-time, so they don't have a consistent employee-provided retirement plan.

Consider investing in stocks. Stocks are riskier (in that their price changes, and you can lose money when investing in them), but tend to have a higher yield than savings and money market accounts and funds. The simplest way to buy stocks is to buy an ETF (exchange-traded-fund). I recommend buying one that follows the S&P 500 and has a low expense ratio like SPY or VOO. Whatever you buy, reinvest the dividends and let it grow, contribute a little money every year so are putting in money even in years the market is down. On average you get about a 10% return in the market but it is unpredictable and you will lose in some years, but that's okay, you're not retiring for many decades and the money will have grown a lot by then.

There are options regardless of your risk profile. It is throwing your money away to let a lot of money sit in a checking account. At a bare minimum, go for a high-yield savings account, CD, or better yet get a brokerage account, put it in high-yield money market funds like SWVXX, shop around for CD's or other bonds with the highest rates, and if you are able to tolerate some risk and want a higher return, consider putting some money in more aggressive investments like stocks.

I am 100% for tax reform and other reform to curb the extreme concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, but it's also important to take your financial situation into your own hands. Get financially comfortable. Get a stake in the US economy. Empower yourself so you can live better and help your family, friends, and the causes you care about.

[randomvarious]

Today's compilation:

Clicks & Cuts 2 2001 Glitch / Experimental / Minimal Techno / IDM

I really should've known what I was getting myself into when I started reading the liner notes of this triple-disc from German experimental label Mille Plateaux. The first installment in their critically acclaimed Clicks & Cuts series from 2000 had made some noise among the stuffy indie critics who kept tabs on these sorts of scenes, but this follow-up volume, as demonstrated by its *tripling* in size as compared to the first one, was just way too overly self-indulgent. And the eyeroll-inducing and alienatingly academic way in which they wrote essays that took up *multiple* CD booklet pages, long-windedly pontificating about things as simple as the sounds of 'clicks' and 'cuts' and the truly deep meaning behind them, really just tells you all you need to know about an album like this one: this shit is so fucking insufferable 😒.

And I'm not trying to cast aspersions upon the genre of glitch as a whole here, because some of the stuff from that IDM successor genre that rhythmically employs the resultant sounds of digital-technological failure like CD skips has yielded some very cool music. But this album in particular really seems to be far more concerned with being experimentally weird than anything else. It sort of feels like that well-worn, musically equivalent trope of going to one of those expensive Michelin restaurants whose creative courses can be consumed in just two small bites; both extremely pretentious and off-putting to a vast majority of folks who happen to find the whole premise to be patently absurd on its face!

And there is a broad range of music that encompassed Mille Plateaux's expanding vision for their Clicks & Cuts philosophy in 2001 on this album—from exercises in combinations of discordant and arrhythmic noises to abstract techno minimalism—but almost all of it's coated in this high-falutin sheen of deliberate, beard-scratching smugness. It's bad to give any genre of music the 'intelligent' label, because when taken to its logical conclusion, it ends up breeding 35 out of this album's 36 songs. And still, it's fine for this stuff to exist in its own quiet, secluded, and tiny, self-sustaining corners of the music world where most people will never know about it, but when it somehow manages to leak out onto the pages of AllMusic and Pitchfork, that's when I really feel like I gotta start beating it back with my broomstick, because these publications are helping to make charitable mountains out of what should remain mole hills. And on top of all of that, and perhaps most importantly, the music's also excruciatingly, soullessly boring! 😴

The only song on here that I think's well worth a listen comes courtesy of the underground electronic king of California abstract himself, Kid606, who supplies "While You Were Sleeping," a song that I unfortunately can't find available to stream anywhere at the moment—so you'll have to just take my word for it—does a pretty neat job of building itself up from scratch, with a beginning that's filled with absolute silence, to a full-on viscously glitchy, needly, clicky, and cutty dance beat that even ends up incorporating a little vocal sample from the likes of Guru, of legendary rap duo GangStarr fame.

Lyrics.

Other than that, though, I really wouldn't recommend a single song from this exceedingly lengthy album to anyone. On one end of the electronic music spectrum, there's unlistenably stupid and goofy commercial shit like The Chainsmokers, and on the other opposite end, there's the type of music that takes up most of this Mille Plateaux album here. And I think I dislike both of them pretty equally 🚫.

Highlights:

CD2:

KID606 - "While You Were Sleeping"

[drdemonprince]

How to be anti capitalist and still invest in the stock market?

The Socially Conscious Mustachians group on Facebook is a great place to turn to, if you want to speak with other people contemplating these questions. There are some forums on the Mr Money Mustache site where people explore alternate options too.And I suppose I should mention that there are index funds that purposefully exclude stock in firearms, tobacco, fossil fuels, and other especially morally galling industries.

Personally, I wouldn't pretend that any investment method can be moral. Holding onto any resources within the imperial core is arguably immoral. I think if you've been around here a while, you might have noticed that my lens of analysis is not one of personal moralization. If someone thinks that me saving for an early retirement is immoral, I can't necessarily disagree with their value judgement, I certainly see the basis of it. My viewpoint is that not being dependent upon an employer for a wage means I can be far more selective in how I spend my time, and not take work that I view as morally compromising, and live more in alignment with my values in a variety of other ways while surviving as a disabled person and supporting my friends from time to time, none of which would be possible if I was dependent upon a full-time wage. But I can see why others would disagree. I would certainly welcome the collapse of capitalist society and lose all my savings if it meant not having to make these awful choices.

If you wish to invest without putting money in the stock market for moral reasons, then investing in a money market is really the only way to go. Bonds and CDs loan money to a genocidal government; investing in the stock market fuels (and allows you to profit from) capitalism. If you can find a banking institution or credit union that does not invest in oil pipelines and political lobbies and keep your money in a high-yield savings with them, that's the simplest, best, and likely more secure way to go.

[kubato-87]

Four Investments That Are Very Profitable Right Now in 2023

The most profitable investments in 2023 are a matter of opinion, but some of the top contenders include:

1. High yield savings accounts offer much higher interest rates than traditional savings accounts. This makes them a good choice for investors who want to get a higher return on their money, but also want to keep their money safe and accessible.

2. Short-term certificates of deposit (CDs) offer similar interest rates to high-yield savings accounts, but they come with the added benefit of locking in your interest rate for a set period of time. It can be a good choice for investors looking to protect their money from market volatility.

3. Series I bonds, government bonds that offer variable interest rates linked to inflation. This makes it a good choice for investors looking to protect their money from the effects of inflation.

3. Short-term corporate bond funds invest in corporate bonds with maturities of less than one year. These funds offer higher yields than traditional bonds, but also carry more risk.

4. Dividend stock funds invest in stocks that pay dividends to their shareholders. Dividends are a way for companies to share their profits with their shareholders, and they can provide a steady stream of income for investors.

It is important to note that all investments carry a certain level of risk. Investors should carefully consider their investment objectives and risk tolerance before making any investment decisions.

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