#cash loans convert cash

[davidson-eric]

The dollar collapse is happening NOW!"

The Storm is coming sooner than expected. All financial systems controlled by the corrupt government will collapse.

This crash will be felt on a global level, and many currencies, especially the USD, will be worthless.

Fiat accounts, savings and retirement accounts, mortgage, e.t.c will crash down and wipe off from the system once this event happens, Quantum Financial System is the savior.!!!

Convert every money in your possession to digital gold & silver backed coins and move them into the QFS ledger for safety . There will be a Global Reset. All banks and fiat exchanges will be closed, and there will be a lot of uncertainty & confusion. Cash will be worthless and outdated, and all bank accounts will be closed and crash to zero .

All cabal public banks will be confiscated, and foreclosures will be frozen, as will all public and private dept(mortgage,loans, credit, and debit cards).

[bluecollarmcandtf]

Cash Slave, reporting in...

Good morning, master. State Trooper Hernandez reporting!

I hope you're doing well since the last time we saw each other. Again, I can't apologize enough for pulling you over on the highway. I had no idea you were such an amazing hypnotist. Thank you again for letting me get off easy and only making me taze myself twice! I was paralyzed in that muddy ditch for awhile, but you could've given me a helluva worse punishment!

Your instructions aren't negotiable, so I made sure to snap a photo before I started my shift today. As you suggested, I've been eating a box of donuts every morning, and I've packed on a hefty 30 lbs since I've started. My wife has complained, but I know you want me to look more like a cliche of law enforcement!

I'll stop by your house to drop off my paycheck tonight after work. I won't forget to pick up some pizza for you and your friends on the way: extra sausage, just like you said!

See you tonight, master!

Hello sir.

It's been a week since you came into my shop, and I've followed everything you said. I didn't agree with it at first, but you convinced me with that little pendant.

You were right! I really am beneath powerful men like you. Filthy blue-collar workers aren't worthy to lick the dirt off your shoes. You were right to point that out, and you were right to tell me to embrace it. When the world looks at me, they shouldn't see a man. They should see a grease monkey at the bottom of society.

That's why I haven't showered or changed in seven days. My BO is uncomfortable to work in, but I know it's just a reminder of what I am. I used to be proud of my job. Ha! I used to look down on suits like you, but I'm nothing in comparison; just a tool at your disposal.

Anyways, I cleaned and waxed your old car as fast as I could. I know I lent you my convertible, but you're welcome to keep it. I put a lot of sweat and blood in fixing her up, but like you said, fancy cars are meant for you to drive and me to maintain.

Stop back in my garage anytime. White-collar men like you get free service here! It's not the place of any lowly laborer to get in the way of what you want.

Thank you again, sir.

Hello boss.

Just started another long day of window washing! It's another hot one, but I'll keep my head down and sweat through it like usual.

I've gotta say, it's days like this that make me miss the comforts of my old corporate desk job. I'd kill for some AC right now, but I remember how much you made me realize I hated that career. Like you said, I'm much better suited to a life of mindless cleaning.

It turns out you're the real one with a knack for business strategy because all of your advice has been genius! The income is dependent on the hours I put in, and since I'm working for half the price of all competitors, I've gotten a monopoly on the market! I've fully booked all seven days for the next five or so weeks, so I'll be washing windows non-stop!

The business is already booming! I've been billing customers to your bank account, so you should already see all the profit in there!

Later today, I'll make a note of the minimum I need to replenish the cleaning supplies I'm running through. I'd also be grateful if you loaned me a bit for personal use, but it's understandable if you can't spare any! We agreed that I wasn't working for a salary, and I'm fine with that! I've been sleeping in the company van the last few weeks and it's more than good enough for me!

Don't worry, boss. I'll get back to work!

Tell my wife hello for me, master!

Working on a rig has been isolating. The job is brutal, the days are long, and every night I head back to our bunks covered in oil. I thought I'd at least get to bond with the other guys, but most of us are too tired to do anything but eat and sleep after our shift.

The only thing that's getting me through it is thinking about you. I know I also have a girl at home, but you were the one that gave my life purpose. I was never going to make money as an actor, and you helped me see that! You were the one that convinced me to go for this ridiculous job in the middle of the ocean, and now I'm making a ton of money!

You deserve it all.

I wouldn't have seen any of this cash if I hadn't stuck around after your stage hypnosis show. I still remember the wild look in your eyes when you came up with this idea for me. I also remember that hungry look you had when you saw my wife. It was impossible to say no.

Oh, and thanks for keeping my wife company while I'm gone. A man like you deserves her attention more than I do. Like you said, I doubt I was pleasing her to begin with. The only thing I'm good for is earning money, and I hope you're enjoying it because it sure isn't easy to earn!

I gotta get back, but I wanted to let you know that I signed up for another six months like you suggested. It's lonely, but I'm happy to do it, master!

Son, or should I still call you 'sir'?

I'm not sure if I your new title applies through text as well? Being your dad and your servant can be a bit confusing, but I don't mean disrespect you! Just let me know.

My workout is done and I'm headed back to your house. I signed the deed over to you this morning, so you officially own it now! Like usual, I'll clean the place from top to bottom. I've got all the mops and cleaning supplies in my van and ready to go. Since it's Friday, I'll start on the weekly yard work; mowing, weeding, etc... I don't want to bore you with the details, but it'll take the majority of the day to keep your place in tip top shape!

As I understand it, you are having friends over tonight, so I'll prepare a three course meal for eight. I ironed my apron this morning so I should look like a more presentable waiter than last night when I served your food!

As always, please let me know if there's any other way I can be of service today or tonight.

I'll be awaiting your return, sir.

Hey little bro,

I just finished my workout at the gym with dad. We're both hitting PRs and we're really starting to see some results! Still can't believe you hypnotized his dumb ass to think he's your butler! That man looks so stupid changing from gym clothes into a bowtie and gloves. He's constantly calling you 'sir' too, even when you're not around.

He's such an idiot.

Anyways, I'm all dressed and ready for my new job. You were totally right. I'm going to be so much happier as a clown instead of a wrestler. I'm about to head out to my first gig; a ten year old's birthday party. I think he's the kid of someone I used to compete with. It might be a little awkward, but it won't affect my routine. I've got an afternoon of pies in the face and self-deprecating humor ahead of me.

I made sure to tell the guy who hired me that I'm willing to stay after and clean up. Kids make a huge mess after all. I just hope he won't be too weird about me being a clown at his son's party. We may have been rivals in the past, but that was back when I wrestled. Now I'm just a joke for hire. He's technically my boss for the day, so I'll have to get used to taking orders from him.

Wish me luck, bro. I'll give you the money after the dad dismisses me. Let's hope I make a good clown!

[cityof2morrow]

CDK/MoneyMAT: Cashpointe Set

Published: 9-14-2024 | Updated: N/A SUMMARY MoneyMAT is a collection of modified objects for financial operations and storytelling in your game. The series includes functional cash clutter, as well as tools for banking, loans, and investments. #CO2MONEYMAT This is a crossover with the #CO2CDKSERIES. Cubic Dynamics by John B. Cube and Marcel Dusims forged the future with furnishings that were minimalist in design and maximalist in erudite pretension. Generations later, the company continues to produce edge-of-cutting-edge designs. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sims 2 (EA/Maxis, 2004) by adding various currencies from the simsverse to your game – simoleons, magicoin, simoles, OMEGA, neo simoleons, simoleon sprouts, war simoleons, and more. Canon currencies and extra recolors allow you to create a color-coded banking/investment system. All items are grabbable, sellable and available in the catalog as well. Watch out for robbers!

The newly enhanced Cashpointe ATM (Honeywell, 2019; Katy76/PC-Sims, 2007) can be used for small loans, currency exchanges, and investments: (1) LOANS of §250, §500, §1K, §5K, §10K, §20K, or §30K with no payment schedule! After repaying in full, sims can take out new loans, (2) GET CASH by converting household funds to individual cash notes, coins, rolls, stacks, cards, or palettes, and (3) INVEST in virtual currencies which increase/decrease in value over time. Children can do everything except take/repay loans.

Collector’s coins can be sold and make great gifts for investors. Simoleon, Magicoin and Simoleon Sprout coins always increase in value over time while NeoSimoleons and other CryptoCoins increase AND decrease daily (sometimes they fluctuate twice in one day). DETAILS Requires Sims2 and all EPs/SPs. §1 - §30K | Buy > Electronics/Misc You need the Company Expo (Mesh Pack) set (Simmons, 2024) for TXTRs to show properly in game. ALL files in the CASHPOINTE set with “MESH” in their name are REQUIRED. Apply a recolor of your choice to cards or cryptocoin piles AFTER purchasing them from the ATM (or select directly from the catalog). Investment objects will NOT change in value while stored in a sim’s inventory – they must be placed on a surface for that effect. IMPORTANT: The individual cash notes (§1, §5, §10, §20, §50, §100, §500, and §1000) share the same GUIDs as those in Honeywell’s Money Jar (2019). The money Jar will use the notes from this set instead. Remove the originals. ITEMS Notes (§1, §5, §10, §20, §50, §100, §500, and §1000) (4-6 poly) Rolls (§1000, §2K, §5K, and §10K) (168-170 poly) Stacks (§1000, §2K, §5K, and §10K) (20-62 poly) Coin Piles (§100, §500, §1000, §5K, §10K) (660-1904 poly) Cards (§100, §500, §1000, §5K, §10K) (4 poly) Palettes (§10K, §20K, §30K) (286-710 poly) Collector Coins (§300, §500, §1000, §2K, §5K, §10K, §20K, §30K) (76-732 poly) Signs (332-376 poly) Card Shelf (9 slots) (104 poly) DOWNLOAD (choose one) CASHPOINTE OBJECTS from SFS | from MEGA RECOLORS from SFS | from MEGA MoneyMAT COLLECTION FILE from SFS | from MEGA

CREDITS Thanks: SimCrafters, Chocolate City, and Sim Shenanigans Discord communities. Testers/TXTR Help - @logansimmingwolverine @gayars @ch4rmsing @chocolatecitysim @crispsandkerosene Sources: Beyno (Korn via BBFonts), EA/Maxis, Offuturistic Infographic (Freepik). Other Sources: Pierre, G. via Jovan, 2014); Applesee, 2023; Cgoodw, 2024; Iamsosha 2024; Kalagoglu, 2023; Olena_Skrypka, 2024; Oliveira, 2023a-b; Sam, 2024; Solsnare, 2024; Katy76/PC-Sims, 2007; D_dgjdhh, 2019/2011; THe Ninth Wave, 2019; Tvickiesims, 2019, Honeywell, 2019.

[phoebejaysims]

Social Clubs Mod - DOWNLOAD

Tired of your sims walking aimlessly through town? No friends, no hobbies, no purpose? Put an end to their lack of a fulfilling social life by creating a million and one clubs for them to join and/or get kicked out of! 

With 50+ activities for you to push, including activities from over 10 different mods, and 4 specialised club types, you can create almost any club you can think of: book clubs, invite-only hangouts, afterschool clubs and more! Grow memberships, take part in tournaments and ship cute little subscription gifts straight to your sim’s door.

Note: This mod is very extensive, so please thoroughly read the documentation in the download that I’ve painstakingly written up.

Compatibility: Should be base game compatible however expansion packs, store content and mods add more content.

7 New Objects: Credit to @aroundthesims who has generously allowed me to use her items as well as @twinsimming who converted 2 items for me. Full credit in the documentation.

Testers: @desiree-uk who not only tested the mod, but contributed ideas for club activities, the banking system and the subscription gift system. @simsdeogloria who kindly offered to test the mod and caught some bugs that I had completely missed.

Credits: Full credit in documentation. However, thank you to @olomayasims​, IcarusAllsorts, Arsil, Buzzler & @zoeoe-sims​, @anitmb​, @greenplumbboblover​, @flotheory​ as I push some of their mods as activities.

Club Types

Custom Club: Push specific activities (or no activity at all) and watch your active and inactive club members congregate and do said activities. Push bowling, swimming, rumba, nectar drinking, collecting, studying, music lessons, among many other things. 

Subscription-Only Club: While members won’t meet up, force them to pay a subscription fee to the club owner for your own purposes. Consider: food subscription service, council-tax payments, school fees.

Book Club: Choose a book for the book club. Your sims will sit together, have discussions, and read said book.

Formal Gathering Club: Set musicians and/or a speaker (podium or pulpit). Have your club members sit down and act like they’re listening to said musicians and speaker. Choose a skill to increase while the club is in operation.

Club Vibes

Clubs can have different vibes depending on the cost and activities, attracting or repelling different types of sims. There are sports, games, intellectual, low-brow and high class clubs. Some personalities will be more inclined to join than others.

Customising Clubs

Set different open days, open hours, required club outfits, subscription fees, gender, age, career and trait requirements/restrictions, forbidden actions etc.

Autonomy

Allow or restrict autonomy in different ways. Make clubs open or closed invite, allowing or disallowing sims to join, leave, or be kicked out of clubs with or without your own input. Put club boards around town and let sims browse. Impress observers by having a great club session and watch them beg to join!

Tournaments

Win tournaments and gain club acclaim. Get cash prizes, find yourself in the newspaper, and find out if any of your fellow club members are playing for the opposing team. Your own sim isn’t exempt from the repercussions of being a club traitor!

Banking

Create Bronzo accounts for your sims. You can link these accounts to schedulers and have the club fee delivered straight into the account. Take out loans, find the best interest rates online and stay out of your overdraft. Try not to get your account details stolen at the all new ATMs that you can place around town and don’t leave your debit card laying around near strangers!

Download MTS: http://www.modthesims.info/d/677428

Conflicts: None.

If you would like to donate to say thank you, you can do that at my Ko-fi, here.

It’s been a long 8 months getting this mod done; thank you all for your patience and enjoy! @ me if you post any pictures of your clubs—I’d love to see your pictures.

[dreamlanddeluxe]

Time to e-beg once again, as my followers know my car was totaled in a hit and run a few months ago. Only just now I was finally in a secure place to buy another car. Guy that sold it to me said all it needed was new tires which I could do however after getting the car inspected it turns out it has a cracked catalytic converter which is a 1000$+ repair! What fun! I am by no means asking for people to cover the full cost I know many of us are in a pinch in today’s world, but if anyone could spare some cushion cash so I’m not completely broke afterwards it’d be much appreciated. I don’t have a lot of money I’m a full time college student on loans with a part time minimum wage job with sporadic hours and I’d really like to be able to drive home from work so I can stop being hit on by guys twice my age and being asked to get into strangers cars on my midnight ventures home after work. Help out a fellow lesbo please

Cshapp: $devbobsquarepants

Vnmo: @ Dev-Lax

[sopainterpeach]

The Storm is coming sooner than expected. All financial systems controlled by the corrupt government will collapse.

This crash will be felt on a global level, and many currencies, especially the USD, will be worthless.

Fiat accounts, savings and retirement accounts, mortgage, e.t.c will crash down and wipe off from the system once this event happens, Quantum Financial System is the savior.!!!

Convert every money in your possession to digital gold & silver backed coins and move them into the QFS ledger for safety . There will be a Global Reset. All banks and fiat exchanges will be closed, and there will be a lot of uncertainty & confusion. Cash will be worthless and outdated, and all bank accounts will be closed and crash to zero .

All cabal public banks will be confiscated, and foreclosures will be frozen, as will all public and private dept(mortgage,loans, credit, and debit cards).

[joyfulengineerperson]

The Storm is coming sooner than expected. All financial systems controlled by the corrupt government will collapse.

This crash will be felt on a global level, and many currencies, especially the USD, will be worthless.

Fiat accounts, savings and retirement accounts, mortgage, e.t.c will crash down and wipe off from the system once this event happens, Quantum Financial System is the savior.!!!

Convert every money in your possession to digital gold & silver backed coins and move them into the QFS ledger for safety . There will be a Global Reset. All banks and fiat exchanges will be closed, and there will be a lot of uncertainty & confusion. Cash will be worthless and outdated, and all bank accounts will be closed and crash to zero .

All cabal public banks will be confiscated, and foreclosures will be frozen, as will all public and private dept(mortgage,loans, credit, and debit cards).

[elegantgentlemenangel]

The Storm is coming sooner than expected. All financial systems controlled by the corrupt government will collapse.

This crash will be felt on a global level, and many currencies, especially the USD, will be worthless.

Fiat accounts, savings and retirement accounts, mortgage, e.t.c will crash down and wipe off from the system once this event happens, Quantum Financial System is the savior.!!!

Convert every money in your possession to digital gold & silver backed coins and move them into the QFS ledger for safety . There will be a Global Reset. All banks and fiat exchanges will be closed, and there will be a lot of uncertainty & confusion. Cash will be worthless and outdated, and all bank accounts will be closed and crash to zero .

All cabal public banks will be confiscated, and foreclosures will be frozen, as will all public and private dept(mortgage,loans, credit, and debit cards).

[todaysjewishholiday]

27 Tammuz 5784 (1-2 August 2024)

The centuries of the crusades were brutal for the Jewish population of Christian Europe, as both the Catholic Church and civil government whipped up a frenzy of xenophobia and antisemitism to promote their so-called holy wars in eretz yisroel and surrounding lands. Many of the central myths of European antisemitism, from that of the Jewish moneylender to the blood libel were developed in this era, and Christian monarchies often sought to fill their treasuries and boost their popularity and their favor with the church by forcibly expelling Jewish residents and seizing their property. When Jews were permitted to settle it was under onerous restrictions and exploitative taxation.

Between 4958 and 5155, the Jews of France were forcibly expelled four times, with the third expulsion taking place on the 27th of Tammuz 5082.

The first expulsion was announced near Pesach, and went into effect on the 24th of Tammuz 4958. The crown seized Jewish property and converted Frances’s synagogues into Catholic churches. When Jews were permitted to return, it was as serfs of the crown, with incredibly limited legal rights and freedom of movement. Despite Jewish moneylending (which was the result of legal prohibitions on Jewish involvement in numerous other trades) forming one of the French crown’s claimed justifications for their expulsion, the restrictions based on Jewish return to France even more deeply restricted Jews from engaging in other professions and very clearly tied their permission to return to the crown’s ability to extort revenue from Jewish banking activity.

While suffering significant discrimination, the Jews of France were at least not forced into exile for just over a century following their return from exile in 4958. Then, in 5066, the king of France ordered the entire Jewish population arrested and expelled on the 10th of Av. This was again a blatant cash-grab. Not only did the royal treasury once again seize Jewish property upon their expulsion, the crown claimed the right to collect all outstanding debts owed by his other subjects to Jewish moneylenders, insisting on repayment of loans that had been made by the very people he had forced out of his realm. A year later, he would repeat this successful strategy of extortion against the Knights Templar, arresting them on charges every bit as spurious as those he had leveled against his Jewish subjects and seizing the order’s wealth to fill his coffers.

This time the exile of the Jews lasted only nine years before another monarch, desperate for loans, allowed the Jews of France to return. But the return lasted only seven years before the third expulsion on the 27th of Tammuz 5082. The fourth expulsion, in 5155, was maintained for over two hundred years.

Now, France has the third largest Jewish population in the world, after Israel and the United States. But the legacy of antisemitism remains. French gentiles have not fully reckoned with the ways in which antisemitism still shapes French society.

The 27th of Tammuz this year is also Erev Shabbat. Shabbat HaMalka will join us eighteen minutes prior to sunset as we light the candles and welcome her. May you feel the peace of Shabbat.

[kelyon]

On the House 4

The only way for Gold to see Belle again is to go to a masquerade

Read on AO3

When Jefferson came through the door of the office, Gold cast aside the useless stack of papers in his hand. For the past quarter of an hour he hadn’t read anything or done any work whatsoever. He’d been too distracted, waiting for his secretary to come back with the morning post. 

“Well?” Gold asked by way of a greeting. Every day for the past week, he had given the same query, and every day for the past week, Jefferson had given the same answer.

“Nothing today.”

Of course not. 

Gold allowed himself a huff of irritation. 

It was a rare mission that Jefferson and his cohorts couldn’t accomplish to Gold’s satisfaction. The young man had a sharp mind and boundless energy, not to mention a certain cunning charm. He was a useful man on the street, keeping tabs on the goings-on of the city while Gold kept his hands clean in the quiet office above a pawn shop. 

Having taken off his coat, Jefferson exchanged the morning post for the bundle of papers that Gold had already read and remarked up on. One of Jefferson’s many duties was to take Gold’s brusque business decisions--loans denied, favors called in, collateral converted into cash--and pretty up the language before delivering the news to the recipient. 

“You have checked around the outside of the house, haven’t you?” Gold asked. “It’s possible she’d be hesitant to send anything by post. She might have dropped a note from a window in hopes that passers-by would pick it up.”

“That sounds like something from a cheap novel and you know it.” Jefferson shook his head. “Of course I planned for that possibility. I’ve had people skulking around every door, window and hedge of that house. It’s gotten so bad, some of them have gotten caught and had to pretend to be customers.” He sat down facing away from his small writing desk, his long legs stretched out in front of him. “There was a tight spot when young Tilly was pulled in, but apparently the house has a girl who caters to her own kind.” He chuckled. “That opened Tilly’s eyes considerably.”

Gold didn’t have time to dwell on his employee’s Sapphic epiphanies. He stood up from his desk. 

“So we’ve had our people inside the house and none of them have seen Miss French? There are no reports on her welfare?”

“None, and I have asked.” Jefferson pulled out a small notebook from his breast pocket and consulted it. “Our men--and Tilly--have enjoyed the company of a fancy blonde, a pregnant blonde, a confident girl with dark hair and brown eyes, and a timid girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Those last two were working in tandem. No one has mentioned curly brown hair and blue eyes. Not going to bed with her, nor even seeing her in the house.”

Gold gripped the handle of his cane. He had a powerful need to start smashing things. 

“What is Cora doing to her?” he muttered.

Jefferson got up to stand beside him. He leaned against the mantle of the fireplace.

“I could have someone go in and request Miss French specifically,” he offered. “Hell, I’d do it myself. Dress up like a gentleman, wave around enough of your money to match any price Cora set. My only hesitation is that such a maneuver might draw attention to the girl. Might make things worse for her.”

“We don’t know how bad things are,” Gold said mostly to himself. “How can we know how much worse they could get?” 

Jefferson looked to the side. He ran his tongue over his lips before he spoke. “Well if not me, then who? Hmm? If only there was a way to know for certain how your poor little Miss French was fairing. If only there was someone who could make Madame Cora sit up and beg. If only--”

“That’s quite enough,” Gold snapped. “As you said, we can’t draw attention to her. It will do Miss French no kindness to remind Cora of--of my involvement.” 

He did not name the specifics of what had happened between himself and Belle French. There was no name for the combination of pity and perversity the beautiful girl had stirred in him. No name for that quality which had drawn him to her--and which had upended Cora’s scheme to have him attached to one of her own daughters.

If there is any impulse of mercy in you, you won’t give Cora a reason to hate me. 

That night, while they were still entwined in her bed, Belle had begged him not to see her again. She had wanted nothing more than to live in peace with the madam who owned her home and her body, who controlled every aspect of her life. His desire had destroyed Belle’s peace, destroyed his own peace of mind along with it. For days, she had plagued his thoughts, the sweet girl who endured so much. Going to her again might ease his spirits, but it would only worsen her suffering. Cora would make sure of it.

He had written to Cora, the morning after his night with Belle. He had advised her not to take offense at his snub to her daughters and asked her to treat Miss French with kindness. After all, Cora had a rare and lovely bloom in her garden, it would be to her advantage to encourage such a blossom to flourish. He had sent a bouquet of white roses to illustrate the point, and requested her to convey his regard to Miss French. He would wait in expectation of a message.

Seven days later, no message had yet arrived. Nothing from Belle and nothing from Cora. In the many years of Gold’s association with Cora Mills, he had never been on the receiving end of her icy disdain. If this silence was a mark of her irritation toward him, he shuddered at the thought of what she was doing to someone entirely in her power.

“Have we seen her leave the house?” It was possible that Cora had secreted her away to some dank and foul prison.

“Night and day we’re watching and we haven’t seen a thing.” Jefferson checked his notebook again. “I’ve asked the neighbors and it seems Miss French has always been a homebody, even before the nature of the house changed. It’s not unusual for her to stay sequestered unless she’s going out on business. Word around town is when the daughters Mills first started attending society functions last year, they had a little shadow who would hold their belongings and quietly correct their etiquette.”

“Teaching whores to be ladies and ladies to be whores,” Gold muttered. 

“Both parties seem to have gotten the knack of their trades by now.” Jefferson closed his notebook. “Miss French hasn’t been seen with them in several months, except for larger occasions when the whole house is out in force.”

“She deserves so much better,” Gold said quietly.

He looked out the window, to the dingy street below him. Ragged children ran through the alleys and young girls sold oranges to passers-by. Weary mothers hung up washing and men took nips of gin while they waited for work to present itself. None of them were evil, but nothing in Gold’s sight had any glow of goodness either. Nothing soft or lovely or refined. This was one of the more respectable streets in the city, and it was worlds apart from the life Miss French had been promised. 

“A young lady spends her whole life sheltered from the world. She grows up knowing she’ll be cared for by her father, her husband. Then tragedy strikes and she finds herself alone. Destitute, with nothing to her name save other people’s debts…” Gold shook his head. “It isn’t right, what happened to her. It isn’t just.”

Jefferson regarded him quizzically. His head tilted at an angle, exaggerated by his signature oversized top-hat. 

“I thought I knew you,” he said soberly. “I’ve never heard you speak of justice as a desirable force in the world. Typically, I’d call you to be on the side of injustice, assuming it benefited you.”

Sinking into his chair, Gold considered that. Jefferson was correct. In his long career there had been plenty of injustices that he had turned a blind eye to, or even assisted. People came to him when they were desperate and he only bothered to help if they agreed to pay his price. There had been girls before Belle--pretty girls, sad girls, girls who had begged him for pity that he never gave.

Mr. Gold never gave anything to anyone. He had never bothered with kindness or mercy. The world was cruel, life was cruel. Success would only come to men who were every bit as heartless and unyielding.  

“Perhaps she changed me.” He shrugged off the possibility even as he named it. “Perhaps she makes me want to be a better man.”

“A good woman can do that,” Jefferson nodded. “Which makes losing them ever more the blow.” 

Gold looked at Jefferson, but said nothing. He never knew how to react when his friend broached the subject of his late wife. Losing her had been such a blow that Jefferson had almost run after her into the arms of death. 

The poor boy had lost a year or more to the madness of grief. It was only the thought of his young daughter being abandoned, raised by strangers, that had drawn him back to health and sanity. Gold had seen Jefferson through all of it, and had helped in all the meager ways he could. He couldn’t bring back the dead, but he could provide material goods. He put Jefferson to work, gave him an occupation for his time and his intellect. Young Grace was cared for and educated, and she had her father.

She, at least, would be spared the fate Belle suffered. If Gold did nothing else in his life, at least he had done that.

With a sigh, Gold turned to his correspondence. He opened the envelopes, read pleas for funds or for extensions on rent payments. He wrote brief notes for how Jefferson was to answer each. 

“I thought I had you decline the invitation to Cruella’s masquerade?”

Jefferson turned in his chair. “You did, and I did. Why?”

Between two fingers, Gold held up a small postal card. It reeked of cigarette smoke and gin. “She sent a note reminding me to attend tonight.”

The other man shrugged. “It’s not every day a widow comes out of mourning.”

“It is when you’re Cruella de Vil Reitherman Luske Geronimi Fineberg.” 

“Perhaps that’s why she wants you to come: She’s searching for husband number five.”

Gold scoffed. As if he didn’t have enough problems in that regard. He tossed the note into the rubbish bin and picked up his next letter. 

That match would never work. Cruella liked her men stupid, and Gold knew where too many of her bodies were buried--both figuratively and literally. If he knew Cruella’s parties, there would be plenty of men there who would suit her better. Those events attracted all types: Landed gentry, cash-rich businessmen, foreign dilettantes. Plenty of men for bloodthirsty women to get their claws into.

Gold dropped his pen. 

“Jefferson,” he said. “Did you mention that for certain events Cora’s whole house will go out to do business?” 

He grinned. He seemed to know what Gold was thinking. “I surely did.”

Hastily, he scrawled out a note. When the ink was dry, he sealed it and handed it to Jefferson. “Deliver this to Cruella yourself,” he instructed. “And while you’re out, you’d better see about getting me a mask.”

****

The costume was, Gold thought, a bit garish for his taste. Jefferson had stopped by a theater company and picked up a frock coat that appeared to be made of crocodile leather. Ridges down the spine and spikes around the neck added to the reptilian appearance. The inside was lined with cloth patterned to look like golden scales and there was painted gold lace at the sleeves. The coat was cut closer to the body than Gold usually wore, though not so tight as to prohibit movement. Jefferson hinted that there were leather trousers that completed the costume, but Gold insisted on wearing his regular suit underneath the coat and mask.

The mask was more or less a dragon, with horns and fangs and frilled ears. It seemed fashioned from the same brown, scaled leather as the coat, but decorated with glass beads strung on golden thread. The mask had a long, pointed nose with the upper lip curled into an impish grin. The lower half of the mouth and jaw were exposed. Nothing impeded the eyes from view once another person was close enough for conversation.

How effective a disguise would this actually be? How effective did it need to be? The goal was to see Miss French again, without rousing Cora’s ire. As his carriage made its way through the streets, Gold contemplated his own intentions. Would it be enough to merely see Miss French? Would he be able to determine her welfare from sight alone? Would he know from a simple conversation? Did he dare to ask her for more?

He licked his lips as his mind went back to the night he had spent with her. That closet of a room, cluttered with broken furniture and lit with candle-stubs. Her body like a delicate flame, pale and lovely and wavering as he touched her--as he brought her pleasure she had never sought before. Belle was a light, flickering in an ocean of darkness. She drew him in like a lure, a beacon. Her goodness, her sincerity--the honesty of her nature. Belle alone felt real, in a house that was built on artifice. 

Could he possibly leave her alone, after the rapture of being in her presence? Could a man in the desert walk away from an oasis?

The carriage stopped in front of Cruella’s mansion. Gold put his questions aside and tied a mask over his true face.

****  

In celebration of her fourth time coming out of widow’s mourning, Cruella de Vil had pulled out all the stops. Music poured out onto the street, along with excess revelers. Wine flowed and platters of food towered on sturdy tables. The city house she had inherited from her second husband was packed with masked faces and costumed bodies.

 Normally in a society occasion, it was a parlor trick to look at a person’s clothes and determine their status and station. This was how a discerning lady or gentleman knew who it was to their advantage to speak to, or who they could safely snub.

A masquerade upended such normalities. At an event like this, a king could be disguised as a beggar or a paid musician look like a bishop. This was a world of glass gems and painted gold, of wool tufts decorated to look like ermine fur. Monsters and goddesses walked freely among barbarians and milk maids, all of them drinking and dancing and making merry together.

In the midst of this riot of color and noise, Gold had to find a girl whose greatest skill seemed to be going unnoticed. 

He scanned the walls as he walked through the mansion, looking for anyone too timid to join in the fray. What would she be dressed as? How would he know her? He had no promise that she would even attend the ball, only a hunch that Cora wouldn’t let anyone in her employ pass up the opportunities of connections and coin that this event would bring to her enterprise.

It didn’t help that most of the women here had taken the masquerade as license to dress in a manner that made them indistinguishable from prostitutes. Cruella’s friends were known for being free-spirited under the best of circumstances. With inhibitions lowered even more, there was no telling if a woman was a married mother or a renowned courtesan. 

Certainly there was no telling if the men who leered down ladies’ necklines were suitors or customers. Did the men know what they were doing? Would they be stunned when the women they’d been having such ease flirting with insisted on coin before they allowed themselves to be charmed any further? All the flesh on display here was for sale, but respectable women didn’t demand payment until after marriage.

Under his mask, Gold frowned. He was having no luck wandering the halls. He should have brought Jefferson along with him. Jefferson and Tilly and all the others he’d had scouting Cora’s house for news of Miss French. Lacking any of those resources, he was reduced to asking for assistance from the least reliable source.

****

“Rochester, darling!”

Cruella held court on a balcony overlooking the main ballroom. She could see everything from up there and--more importantly--everyone could see her. Out of some kind of skewed respect for her supposed mourning, her gown was half-black and half-while. The bodice and long sleeves were white silk, with onyx--or black beads--sewn in as spots. The voluminous black skirt had pearls--or white beads--in the same pattern. She wore a red domino mask and a wig that split down the middle with black hair on one side and white on the other. There were red stones at her neck--certainly not rubies--and red opera gloves that went up into her sleeves. As was her custom, she smoked tobacco from a long cigarette holder and waved the thing animatedly as she shouted instead of spoke. 

“Darling, I was so thrilled to get your note that you were coming to my little soiree. It’s been ages since we’ve had a chance to chat!”

Gold gave Cruella a performative kiss on both cheeks. “You haven’t needed anything from me lately.”

She gave him a wide, red-lipped smile and led him to a couch where they could sit. A uniformed servant handed Cruella a small glass of gin. Gold smirked at that. Out of the gutter for years, yet Cruella had never lost the taste for her first love.

“Yes, I’ve done quite well for myself,” she said as she looked out at her party. “But you’re here anyway, aren’t you, darling? Is it possible this time you need something from me?” 

He took a moment to adjust his mask. “It might be possible,” he said. “Do you know if Cora is expected to attend tonight?”

Cruella’s lip curled at the mention of Cora’s name. “Oh yes, that bitch is here somewhere, with her pimped-out daughters and her flock of frightened geese.” She drank down her gin in one gulp. “I wouldn’t have invited her if she hadn’t promised to bring her whole house. She’s so stuck-up, even though she came from nothing, same as all of us. Where does that cunt get off thinking she’s better than me? I have ten times the wealth she does! Marriage made me an actual lady, not just a grasping snob.”

“It’s because you’re rich enough that the upper classes don’t mind you acting like a guttersnipe,” Gold explained coolly. “You break the rules Cora has to follow and you break them with style. And you do the work she thinks she’s too good for: You seduce your husbands, you marry them and you do your wifely duties.”

“With some of them I even enjoyed it, for a while.” Cruella took a long drag of her cigarette.

“I’m sure Cora thinks enjoyment is a waste of effort. She makes her money off of men’s pleasure, not her own.”

“What man ever could pleasure her?”

He didn’t answer that. 

“I suppose that’s why she out-sources now. She sees herself as a manager of her employees’ labor, and she sees you as little better than them.”

Cruella snorted. “Like I said, a complete bitch.”

“Do you know where she is?”

She rose from the couch, looked out over the balcony onto her party. After a moment Cruella gave a languid wave of her hand. 

“Looks like she’s set up shop in the eastern corridor. She’s got all her girls dressed up like flowers and she’s the Queen of Hearts.” She snorted again, then gave in to a full-throated laugh. “The Queen of Hearts! What a disguise for someone who has no heart at all!”

Pushing himself up with his cane, Gold rose and looked down at where Cruella had gestured. Now that he knew what to look for, it was easy to spot the little garden of flowers for rent. A full-figured woman dressed as a royal purple clematis twisted and climbed around a man clearly identifiable as Leopold, Duke of Neigebury. A red tulip seemed caught between two men--a serpent in a turban and the Knave of Hearts. There was a blue cornflower who kept her arms folded over her stomach, as though such a posture might conceal her pregnancy instead of emphasizing it. A pink aster flitted about the area, under the watchful eye of a dark-haired poppy. Presiding in the center of them all was a woman in a crown, with a red and white dress and a heart-shaped mask.

And close to her side--a white rose.      

He didn’t think. His legs seemed to move of their own accord, taking his body where he needed to go without once stopping to confer with his head. It was her, he knew it was her, and he needed to see her more than he needed air. 

Pushing his way through the crowd, Gold dimly noticed the high population of men in this area. Old and young and in-between, alone or in close groups. Some talking to the women clustered around the marble columns, some hanging back and watching, envy combining with the lust in their eyes.  

Cora’s girls were not the only ones working tonight. There was no confusing the women in this corridor for what they were. From their costumes to their cosmetics to their bold, direct stares, they advertised what they had to offer any man who could pay for it. Their brash voices may have spoken the words of flirtation, but they held the clear tone of trade. 

“We could walk in the garden, sir. It’s so quiet and dark out there, we’re sure to be alone.”

“Tell me more of your estate, my lord. Is it very large?”

“It’s always so thrilling to meet a man who knows how to handle his weapon!” 

“They’re not my rules, but Madame Cora’s: If you come to the house it’s two guineas. For me to go home with you is five. Or, for just one shiny gold coin, you can have me here and now, sir.”

There was an edge to these conversations, a raw steel of desperation. After all, any man could be behind these masks. A girl might make herself the mistress of the prime minister if she offered her charms to the right disguise. The ravenous desire--the need these women had for security, for success, for another night of food in their bellies--was matched only by the hunger their clients had for their bodies. All of them--the buyers and the sellers--were garish and grasping, as heated as dogs in rut.

The only relief came from the white rose. She alone was serene in her beauty, as lovely as the moon. Modestly gowned in alabaster satin, she seemed to float above the animalistic throng. She was peace in the chaos, light in the darkness. 

Gold went to her. Brushing past Cora, he took the hand of the white rose. It was longer than he remembered, but perhaps that was due to her gloves. The heat of her crept into his skin--into his hands as he held her, then his lips as he pressed them to her fingers.

He opened his mouth to speak, unsure of what to say. His eyes traveled slowly up her body, taking in every inch of her graceful form. Why did he remember Belle being short? The woman in front of him was tall and strong-featured. The mask of white rose petals did little to disguise her sharp jaw and--

Gold dropped the hand he was holding.

Under the mask of the white rose, poison-green eyes looked out at him with triumph.

“Why Mr. Gold!” The voice had a well-taught accent, a practiced imitation of natural class and sophistication. “What a pleasure it is to see you again!”

Straightening, Gold gave a tight bow. “Zelena,” he said curtly.

Shamelessly brazen, Zelena Mills wrapped her arm around his, trapping him. Gold took a moment to be grateful for the thick hide of crocodile leather that separated his flesh from hers. She began to pull him towards the central ballroom, away from the other girls.

“Do you dance, Mr. Gold?”

With his free hand, he stomped his cane into the ground and wrested out of Zelena’s grasp. His blood boiled, but he fought to keep his composure. This wasn’t her fault.  Zelena Mills was just a pawn in this game. Her costume had been bait but it was his stupidity that had sprung the trap.

“I do not.” 

His teeth clicked against each other as he let out the clipped words. It was an effort not to snarl at the girl. He held up his cane as evidence of his inability to go with her. 

“I’m sure you will find another partner,” he said politely. “Quite soon.”

He had barely turned away from Zelena when Cora was in front of him. Her mask was on a stick and she had set it down to speak with him.

She was smiling. The warm, effortless smile was just as much a false face as every other mask on display tonight.

“I hoped Zelena’s disguise would tempt you to come out of hiding, Mr. Gold. If I had known of your affinity for white roses, I would have offered them to you years ago.”

He took a step forward. “Where is she? She is here, isn’t she?”

“Of course she’s here,” Cora said airily. “Little chit has to earn her keep, doesn’t she? And the cost of keeping her has gone sky-high in the past week or so. Poor thing has had to keep so busy--”

“Where?” Gold growled. “Where is Miss French?”

Cora raised her eyebrows in an expression that conveyed both surprise and amusement, but she allowed his passion to go otherwise unremarked. 

“Unless she’s closed the deal much more quickly than normal, the girl is behind the column there, speaking with Monsieur de Chasse. He seems quite smitten with her, though that may be because she’s the only woman here who can speak French. Or at least,” Cora smiled, “the cheapest woman here who can speak French.”

Without another word, Gold stalked again through the crowd.

****

This time, he was not fooled. This time, he saw what was in front of him, instead of what he wanted to see. This time, he looked at the shape of the woman he sought, at her small feet in red slippers, at the tumble of chestnut curls and the pert, pink lips that peeked out from under her red mask. He listened, and he knew her voice, even if he didn’t understand the language.  He was finally close enough to see her beautiful blue eyes.

For a moment, all Gold could feel was relief. He had found her at last. She was alive, she was well. Whatever horrors Miss French may have suffered, at least she was standing. His actions had not taken everything from her. The possibility existed that they could be together again.

Then Gold’s perception widened and his relief soured. Belle’s costume of a red rose was scandalous even for this company. All of Cora’s flowers wore green stockings, but Belle was the only one who displayed where the stockings ended--in garters halfway up her thighs, baring a full inch of creamy flesh before the hemline of her skirt. Some diabolism of corsetry hoisted her breasts so far up over her neckline that such a line might as well not exist. 

Two small rose petals clung to her skin in a desperate attempt to conceal her nipples. There were more petals, haphazardly glued over her bare arms and across her chest. A thorn vine wrapped around her neck and suddenly the petals looked like drops of blood.

Her skirt was circles of scarlet fabric, overlapping to resemble larger petals. The fabric gapped directly in front of her womanly places. It had to be deliberate, someone had done this to her. The scraps of material opened like curtains, inviting themselves to be parted and entered. The only gesture at decency was to affix a cloth rosette at the apex of the area--the shape of which only advertised the part of Belle’s body that it was supposed to be hiding. Glass beads were sewn onto the blooming flower, giving the impression of dew on the crimson petals--or wetness on a woman’s flesh.

Gold gripped the handle of his cane so hard it dented the silver. 

This was obscene. 

The man in front of Belle was dressed as Orion, the hunter of Greek myth. His costume left him bare-chested and bare-legged, displaying a physique suitable for a mighty god. Coarse, black hair covered every last inch of his muscled body. He loomed over Belle, who had backed herself into the column and seemed to want to make herself one with the stone. 

The brute had a club, a thick thing the size of his forearm. As he spoke, he kept using the club to part Belle’s cloth petals and play with her rosette. The club was so large it threatened to crush the flower if he pressed too hard. And this man seemed the sort to press hard.

“...dans mon château à Lyon…”

Gold’s French was best suited for business dealings, but he understood that the man was boasting about his country house and all the fine hunting that could be had there. Something about la lance piquer poulette. 

Belle nodded her understanding, but her smile was tight. Her naked shoulders shook, ever so slightly. When she brought a coupe of champagne up to her lips, her grip was so stiff Gold saw the tendons in her ungloved hand. He felt how badly she wanted to break the glass over this Orion’s face.

A single tear rolled out from under her mask.

That snapped Gold into action. He crossed the short distance that separated them and thrust himself bodily between Belle and the hunter. 

She gasped. Her eyes widened at the sight of him. 

Gold ripped off his mask, revealing himself to her. “Cora or no Cora, you’re not staying here another minute.”

Then he grabbed Belle by the wrist and pulled her away. He didn’t turn when the Frenchman started shouting, “Attendez! Arretez! Elle est à moi!” He only paused for a moment when they passed by Cora.

She didn’t speak. Her expression was as emotionless as stone. She was furious. 

Gold reached into his pocket and picked out five golden coins. With an exaggerated bow, he scattered them on the ground at Cora’s feet.

Then he turned on his heel and all but dragged Belle to his carriage. 

[diabolus1exmachina]

Range Rover Goodwood (tailor-made by Wood & Pickett). 

While the Range Rover has always been the 4x4 of choice for royals and industrials alike, sun-loving jetsetters were missing an open-top version for their tropical hideaways. Luckily, London-based coachbuilders Wood & Pickett solved that problem in bespoke quality and style. Luxury SUVs are common as muck these days, but if we were able to engage reverse gear and back-up 40-odd years there was really only one to choose from – the legendary original Range Rover now known as the ‘Classic’, and they don’t come much more ‘Classic’ – or rare – than this superbly restored and thoughtfully resto-modded convertible that, for our money, effortlessly outclasses anything similar being made today.It’s true that Mercedes-Benz had its G-Wagen and Jeep its Wagoneer back in the ‘80s, but the former was more utilitarian than the Range Rover and the latter simply far less chic. But while the Rangie might already have been widely regarded as truly ‘the best four by four by four by far’ there were plenty of people who wanted one that was more than a bit different from the regular production model.Solihull’s bosses discovered this for themselves in 1980, when a one-off prototype designed to test the viability of an ‘ultra luxe’ Range Rover was loaned to Vogue magazine as a prop for a Biarritz fashion shoot. When the images were published, as many enquiries were received about the car as about the Jaeger clothes and Lancome perfume that the shoot was intended to promote – and so an initial run of 1,000 ‘In Vogue’ special editions was produced.The prototype had been created by London’s Wood & Pickett which was established 20 years earlier by former Hooper coachworks craftsmen Bill Wood and Les Pickett. The firm initially made a name for itself by adding luxurious and expensive upgrades to Minis, work that initially attracted the attention of celebrities such as Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and later that of the Middle East’s super-wealthy oil sheiks. To them, however, small was not always beautiful. More often, they wanted large, and the larger and more expensive the better. So in their eyes,  the names ‘Wood & Pickett’ and ‘Range Rover’ went together like a horse and carriage.

Soon, W & P (along with similar outfits such as Vantagefield, Glenfrome, Monteverdi and Rapport) was doing a roaring trade in Range Rover upgrades, making the most of the cars’ boxy shape and separate chassis to create everything from stretched limousines to Rangies designed for going on shoots and safaris and  for carrying polo kit and elaborate picnic sets.The Wood and Pickett cars were among the most accomplished, and the firm’s managing director Eddie Collins (formerly the marketing boss of rival Mini customiser Radford) was a smooth talker who could probably sell sand to the Arabs. But instead he sold them convertible Range Rovers – capitalising nicely on the fact that cash-strapped British Leyland (the then owner of Land Rover) couldn’t afford to design and make a soft-top of its own. Most of the history of this Wood & Pickett Range Rover convertible has been lost in the mists of time, but if its early years were spent travelling through the desert in style it must have taken a wrong turn along the way – because it ended-up on a run-down housing estate in Poland where it was discovered by the current owner around a decade ago.Although still in its original coat of Range Rover ‘Masai Red’ , the car was in a decidedly sorry state. Its electric roof, torn and holed, had allowed rainwater to soak the interior, ruining everything from the plush velour seats to the once-gleaming wooden trim. Its original 3.5 litre, carburettor-fed engine had been replaced with a fuel injected lump that was running rough, and the prospect of the car ever taking to the road again seemed slim.Once acquired, the car was shipped to Germany where it was stripped to its bare bones in order for a ground-up restoration to commence – a project that turned out to be a considerably larger task than expected. In fact, it took more than eight years – plus the purchase of an additional, four-door donor car -  to transform the original, badly neglected relic into what you see here: a classic  Range Rover convertible like no other.

Although still instantly recognisable as one of Wood & Pickett’s two-door ‘Goodwood’ conversions, it has been given something of a safari look thanks to its immaculate coat of Rolls-Royce ‘Fenland Sedge’ paint, colour-coded Vogue wheels and the perfectly tailored fawn convertible roof (that once again retracts effortlessly at the touch of a button). All-new interior trim in biscuit leather continues the safari/desert theme, while freshly burnished woodwork and a Moto-Lita steering wheel enhance the overall feeling of quality.

[samiabadilah]

Financing GreenBlade Lawn Care: Exploring Future Financial Sources

Starting GreenBlade Lawn Care with $50 has been exciting. As we plan to expand, we need more funding. The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) article, “4 factors that could affect financing your start-up,” helps us understand our options.

Personal Investment and Bootstrapping

Reinvesting profits (bootstrapping) is great for early stages but might limit quick growth.

Angel Investors

Angel investors are individuals who fund start-ups in exchange for ownership equity or convertible debt. They offer:

Experience and Mentorship: Valuable guidance for business decisions.

Network Connections: Access to potential customers and partners.

Flexible Terms: More flexible than traditional lenders.

We’d have to give up some equity for their investment.

Bank Loans

Bank loans are another option. We need to consider:

Creditworthiness: Good credit and a solid business plan are essential.

Collateral: Banks often require assets to secure the loan.

Repayment Terms: We must ensure our cash flow can handle repayments and interest.

Government Grants and Subsidies

Government grants and subsidies offer non-repayable funds, especially for businesses with goals like ours:

Non-Repayable Funds: No need to repay, preserving cash flow.

Support for Sustainable Practices: Aligns with our eco-friendly mission.

Application Process: Competitive and time-consuming but worthwhile.

Factors to Consider

BDC highlights four factors affecting financing:

Industry Risk: Lawn care is stable but seasonal and weather-dependent.

Market Potential: Strong growth projections attract investors and lenders.

Business Plan: A comprehensive plan with strategy and financial projections is crucial.

Management Team: Skilled management increases credibility and funding chances.

By exploring these options and considering these factors, we can secure the necessary funding to grow GreenBlade Lawn Care and bring our eco-friendly services to more customers.

[batbeato]

How rich do you think the Ushiromiya Family is (at least, as a front)? From what I can tell by the power of the internet, one of the wealthiest men to exist in the 1980's (to '87) was Yoshiaki Tsutsumi with a net worth around $20 billion.

Considering Kinzo was renowned for both wealth and business acumen, it could be somewhere around there - not including the ten tons of gold, since that's a mere rumor for the public. I think at some point Eva mentioned several ten billion yen (so 20 billion or upwards) in assets, even if said money wasn't actually liquidized and just on hand to draw out of a bank (a.k.a Krauss probably hadn't gotten the chance to spend it all away yet). Not sure exactly how that converts to dollars, but Kinzo would be at the very least a millionaire?

I read somewhere that he made a lot of his money via investments in post-war industry and ferrying supplies to...someone(pretty sure it was the US, since Japan was still under occupation?) in preparation for the Korean War.

On wikipedia, this time period (1940's to the early 1990's when Japan's economic bubble popped) is known as the Japanese economic miracle. Wikipedia isn't the best source to look at, but it's a start on researching it and pondering the growth of Kinzo's wealth.

Likewise, how wealthy do you think the branches of the family (Eva, Rudolf, and Rosa) are, even in the face of their financial struggles?

Since, I don't think we ever get numbers on the money Rudolf needs for the lawsuit, or the amount Rosa needs to pay the loan and possible interest - I'm not sure about the other aspects of her business, since she did have the money to have vacations with various boyfriends, so it may have been doing well? Just not well enought to handle the loan?

And Eva + Hideyoshi really only need to worry about buying stocks back, not their finances. Similarly to Krauss and the embezzlement of Kinzo's money but not all the assets, they don't have the liquid cash / assets on hand to pay off the various issues they're dealing with.

Hm... To be honest, I've just never really thought about it much. Trying to fathom the level of wealth they have is tough. I feel like Kinzo's kids come off as millionaires, where they're very wealthy but not about to commission private jets for what would be 3 hour drives - that sort of super excessive expenditure you get when you're so wealthy money no longer has meaning. They're wealthy, but not so much that they can do whatever they want (as evidenced by all of them Needing Money Right Now).

Rosa in particular feels like someone who... doesn't have that much money on hand. Her business also isn't doing that well. She does spend a lot on Maria sometimes, and also spends for her getaways with boyfriends, but she's in debt. Also, she... doesn't hire someone to just, look after Maria? It could be a pride or secrecy thing more than a financial thing, though... But considering that Jessica probably had private tutoring, George had tons of tutoring and special programs, and Ange is also mentioned to be in cram school (she knows division. she is SIX.) and Maria seems to have none of that... It could reflect on Rosa trying to raise Maria as a "normal child" with less of the pressures that her siblings put on their children, but could, again, be financial hardship preventing her from doing that.

I guess when you add a bunch of millionaires together, plus the incredible amount of money and assets that Kinzo has put together over the years, you end up with billions. At the very least, post-1986 Eva comes off like a billionaire, especially with how she recklessly does the same stuff Kinzo did to put together vast amounts of money and wastes it on pretty much whatever she thinks will make her feel better (it's mentioned that she got into sketchy new religions/cults/whatever). I wouldn't know nearly enough about the Japanese economy to be able to put together any sort of ballpark estimate, though.

[longwindedbore]

Is this man undergoing a mental breakdown?

Converting yearly business income into immediate personal profit without consideration of paying overhead & expenses, taxes, bank loans?

Has he forgotten he owes bank loans of $1+ billion based on properties with a aggregate book value of $1- billion.

Earlier this year in a filing with the FEC he listed $500 million income from golf courses - IGNORING that most of them lose money. Sees Income - Not Profit/Loss.

But then we are talking about someone who ‘omitted’ 10 floor levels in order to be living on the “68th floor” of 58-story building in a 10,000 square foot penthouse he STILL claims is 30,000 square feet.

Absolutely cannot acknowledge any Reality in which he isn’t the GREATEST Mind/Entrepreneur/Politician/Wealthiest/Sexiest Man in the WORLD. For ALL of TIME!

But what do I know.?

Why is he fooling around with bonding companies? Why not post the $500 million as a bond and stop the seizure of properties? Mortgage the 20,000 sf of phantom penthouse for the remainder?

OR, why not take a mortgage out on Mar-A-Lago which in the last filing with the appeals court he claimed was worth “50 to 100 times” the $25 million the Judge (actually the Palm Beach assessor) valued it?

With that $2.5 Billion mortgage he could pay off his loans and run his campaign.

[salty-dracon]

ELI5: The Silicon Valley Bank Collapse

TL:DR SVB made a somewhat risky investment which went poorly in changing market conditions, and didn’t have the money to pay back their depositors. The FDIC has decided to fund the remaining bank accounts, but shareholders will realize a total loss on their stock.

If you haven’t been following the news, the second biggest bank collapse in American history just happened. But you probably have no idea what that means, so I’m going to explain it all in simple terms, with no frills, no biases, and no opinions.

Please let me know if I get anything wrong here. While I do work in finance, I’ve heard conflicting sources on some of the events.

The Basics of How Banks Work

Left to their own devices, people ordinarily wouldn’t just give their wealth to someone else for safekeeping. But these days there are many incentives for the average person to lend their money to a bank. Yes, there’s the matter of security (robbers can steal physical tender, such as physical bills and valuables), but there is also interest. By lending your money to a bank (like a loan!), the bank then uses your balance to invest in the stock market or major projects such as other peoples’ mortgages, with the promise that all of the money you’ve placed with them will be returned to you when you ask... with a little bit extra as interest. That’s your incentive for placing your money with them.

The point is, you placed your money with a bank, and in exchange for you lending them your money, they’ve promised to give it back to you when you ask, with a little bit extra. That’s important to understanding the next topic.

Investments, Reserves, and Insolvency

Okay, but how do banks generate the “little bit extra” that they promised to give you in exchange for borrowing your money? Through investments!

Investments can be a lot of things. Mortgages are investments- a bank can lend someone a big chunk of money, and in exchange the bank receives cash monthly that ends up being worth more than they loaned out. They can be investments into the stock market- buying stocks at low price, watching the price rise, and selling them high is a way to net profit. There are other types of investments too, like bonds (mini loans), CDs (low risk, long-term investments that guarantee profits that bank customers can take out), and options (very complicated). What they have in common is that you lend your money, and hopefully get more back (though there’s some risk of loss).

As an example, let’s pretend you’ve put $20,000 in a bank account. The bank could then take $10,000 and put it into a risk-free investment that returns at 2%. One year later, the return is $10,200, at least $10,000 of which must return to you. The bank may take $100 of that as their own profit and return the remaining $10,100 to your account- the remaining $100 is your interest. (This is a theoretical example. My own bank account hasn’t generated nearly that much in interest.)

But let’s say the investment isn’t risk-free. They’ve taken $10,000 of your money, invested in that 2% return project, and it flopped. Ouch. Now they’re out $10,000- of your money! That doesn’t seem fair!

That’s why banks have reserves. It’s a buffer/stockpile of cash or liquid assets (things that can be converted to cash really quickly) that covers a depositor’s finances should the bank’s own investments go south, OR if people need to pull out their money. Banks usually have a dedicated team of analysts that calculate the amount of reserves a bank can safely set aside to cover these sorts of events. This covers souring investments as well as times when a big customer is planning to pull out a ton of savings. That $10,000 is a drop in the bucket for them, but something like $1 million is more concerning.

So, even if the investment goes south, at least you’ve still got that guaranteed $20,000 on demand in case of, say, a medical emergency.

... At least, that’s how it should work.

If a bank doesn’t have enough reserves/quick money to fulfill its obligations of money on demand to everyone who lent it to them, it becomes insolvent- basically bankrupt unless they do a lot of stuff to get money fast really quickly. This can involve pulling money out of investments (which costs money to do, and is not something any investor would want to do unless they need a lot of money really really fast). This is the worst case scenario for any financial institution and one they want to prevent at all costs.

Understandably, the insolvency of the bank you’re keeping your money at is a terrifying situation for people who really need that money. And it was a common situation up until the 1930′s.

Bank Runs

You probably know someone who lived through the Great Depression who has a large stockpile of cash and refuses to use credit cards or banks. Some people probably even call them stupid for doing so. I’m not going to call your money hoarding grandparents stupid, since they’re operating off a very real fear- the fear that a bank won’t have the legal tender to give them their money when they ask. That situation was VERY COMMON before the FDIC was created in 1933 to insure the deposits of its member banks.

What would happen is that you’d hear that some news about how a certain bank was having financial trouble, and might close very, very soon. You freak out and realize that if they close, you’ve given your money to them, and now you’re not going to get it back! You go to a branch of the bank to withdraw all of your money, only to find that everyone else had the same thoughts as you, and the branch is already out of physical tender. As more and more people realize they’re about to lose all of their savings, the bank is drained at an exponentially increasing rate- and soon, the bank has become insolvent.

Banks have defenses for this- suspending withdrawals, limiting withdrawals, and asking their central bank for more liquid funds. But in the case of a bank run, or a bank panic, which is a bunch of banks experiencing bank runs at once, those defenses might fail entirely.

The FDIC, an American Government Corporation, was created as an insurance company for banks. Basically, banks pay dues to the FDIC, and in the case of the bank’s insolvency, the FDIC guarantees deposits up to about $250,000. It was created partially as a way to avoid future bank runs and protect consumers in the case of a bank collapse.

Interest Rates and Inflation

You’ve probably heard about the Federal Reserve hiking interest rates or keeping them low throughout the recent pandemic, but what does that actually mean, and why is it relevant here?

The Federal Reserve sets target interest rates- basically, setting the price at which major banks can borrow from the government. This ends up forming the basis for other types of loans you can get from banks- mortgages, car loans, etc.. Periodically these are revised with regards to economic conditions.

Basically, raising interest rates is used to encourage people to STOP borrowing money and START lending money- the return for lending is higher, and the price of borrowing is higher. Lowering interest rates is used to encourage people to START borrowing money and STOP lending money- the return for lending is lower, and the price of borrowing is lower.

(This is why you always want a loan with a low interest rate, btw!)

(And keep in mind that these are with regards to major economic decisions, and not necessarily the types of loans an ordinary person would get.)

Now, why is inflation relevant? Yes, it’s really high right now, and that means that the prices of everything are increasing a lot! The Federal Reserve’s answer to that is to increase interest rates- by making it more costly to borrow money, they’re hoping to stop an unsustainable level of price increases in everything else.

I think I get it. Now what’s going on?

Silicon Valley Bank was a fast-growing bank that, in recent years, held a lot of funds for entrepreneurs and tech startups- about 50% of all venture capital money in the US! What this means is a. a lot of large accounts in b. mainly one sector of the economy (technology).

That being said, the bank would most certainly not outpace inflation if they didn’t invest it. However, at the time, they couldn’t find any places they could loan money to.

Furthermore, the tech/crypto/startup sector of the economy has been going through hard times for a while. Many needed to slowly pull out funds from the bank, further straining the amount of liquid cash on hand.

In 2021, SVB instead decided to invest in mortgage-backed securities with the deposits placed with them. Mortgages are basically very long loans, but they can also be very risky. Mortgage-backed securities are based on mortgages. (The risk surrounding mortgage-backed securities is one reason for the housing crisis of 2008.) It should also be noted that they’re very susceptible to changes in interest rates- if interest rates increase, mortgage-backed securities lose their value.

In 2022, we got severe inflation.

And then, the Federal Reserve’s answer to severe inflation: raising interest rates.

And the mortgage-backed securities that SVB took out became unprofitable!

Now remember how I said that banks need to be able to not only provide customers their deposits on demand, but also give it back with interest? Because the investment in mortgage-backed securities failed, SVB didn’t have money for interest OR deposits, and not enough in reserves to fill the gap. They would be insolvent, if they didn’t come up with a lot of money really, really fast. 

Word spread fast- depositors had already realized that the bank had become insolvent, and they demanded their deposits back. In other words, SVB went through a bank run, losing their money over the course of three days.

The FDIC then stepped in. Now this is a bit of an unusual case, because the FDIC only insures accounts up to $250,000. Most venture capital startups have accounts that are many times that. However, the FDIC has decided (with their own member deposits, not taxpayer money) that all of the venture capital money will be paid. All of the bankers will get their deposits back.

SVB is still closing, however, and shareholders and stockholders will not be compensated for the stock loss.

So while shareholders lose out, every creditor/depositor who invested will be getting their money back. As for Silicon Valley Bank, it’s being administered by the FDIC up until it’s time for it to close down.

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