TRUMP WINS!

Former President Donald Trump the 45^th President of the United States declared victory Tuesday evening after winning a third swing state setting the stage to become the 47^th President after inauguration day January 20, 2025 at the U.S. Capital in Washington D.C.

Congratulations to President elect Donald Trump and Vice President elect JD Vance.

TECH TODAY

Find My Phone Apple is considering allowing users to us the “Find My” app on the iOS 18.2 developer beta as a new “Share Item Location” option. MacBook’s, iPhones, and other items with air tags will be able to use the feature to locate a missing device.

Perplexity AI The mantra from Web3 proponents the last couple of years has suggested that AI when developed would replace jobs. The strike by New York Times employees days before the election has Perplexity AI ready to become a scab and cross the picket line.

Throwing forks (and maybe knives too) Wordpress Vs WP Engine drama continues. Matt Mullenweg Co-Founder of Wordpress and CEO of Automaticc said that he’s not worried the drama between the two will cause a fork but said he would welcome it.

Google CEO says 25%+ of code is now generated by AI

HEADLINE NEWS 👀

Stocks Rise On Election Day

American took to the polls on Tuesday and the market pushed a broad market rally on news the economy appears to have landed on firm ground. The widely watched non-manufacturing purchase managers index, an index that reports the health of the U.S. service sector, was also on the rise to 56.0 above the 53.8 expected by economists (poll by Reuters).

The DJIA was up 1.04%, the Nasdaq up 1.43% and the S&P 500 up 1.23%. Market participants will be on the lookout for market volatility until the election results are known.

Bernard Marcus Co-Founder of Home Depot Dead At 95

Bernard Marcus better known to his associates as Bernie revolutionized the home improvement do-it-yourself retail landscape when he co-founded Home Depot with partners in 1979. The retailer has a touching anthology in Remembering Bernie Marcus.

Crypto Soars On Prospect Of Trump Win

Bitcoin soared to an all time high exceeding $75,000. In recent months former President Trump has assumed a pro-crypto stance while on the campaign trail calling for a national Bitcoin stockpile and openly threatened to fire SEC chairman Gary Gensler who has remained anti-crypto on his first day in office if elected.

Will Bitcoin get to $100,000 before year end? That’s a question on investors minds but if Trump engages in Bitcoin friendly policies the price of Bitcoin can rise higher.

Boeing Resolves Strike With Union Workers

Boeing machinists voted on Monday to approve a contract offer that includes pay raises of 38% over four years plus ratification and production bonuses. The agreement to end the strike affecting approximately 33,000 International Association of Machinists of Aerospace Workers. The agreement clears the way Boeing to resume production of its best selling airliner.

The beleaguered aerospace company is estimated to have lost $10 billion during the seven weeks of the strike. The end of the strike allows Boeing to start generating some desperately needed cash.

U.S. Economy Humming Along

Consumer spending helped the economy grow at a healthy 2.8% for the period July to September according to the Commerce Department report released on Wednesday. Consumer spending was up nearly 1% from the April-June period which accounts for 70% of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP).

The Commerce Department report said business investment fell significantly on reduced investment in housing and commercial real estate. The bright spot on business reporting showed a soaring increase in investment on equipment.

CYBER SECURITY

Password Security For Business Survival

Password Armageddon is a real threat for business email, operating systems, and bank accounts. One innocuous oversight can put a business or finances at great risk.

We have all read stories about cyberattacks, ransomware, and bank account hacks at large companies and institutions but these threats are also real threats to a Small Business. Cyber crooks roam the internet daily phishing for ways to raid a company’s treasures. Take these steps to improve security and avoid unnecessary hassle.

There are simple steps to help secure lines of communication and financial transactions like enrolling in two part authentication. This can be a pain in the butt, you would know if you’ve already enrolled accounts in this security measure, but it could also save a business countless hours of time and precious financial resources and or cash.

Below are three simple password management processes to help secure password security in your business.

i. Implement a password manager preferably one with password encryption.

ii. Enable multi-factor authentication. A royal pain but it helps reduce risk of unauthorized access.

iii. Enforce strict password policies including the requirement to use of complex passwords.  

Business owners go to great lengths to grow and increase revenue but often do not take small steps to protect the castle and leave the front door open for crooks to enter. Lock down a simple to use password protection SOP for the health of the business and its employee.

THE GRIND FACTORY ⚙️ 

Family Office Capital

Family offices are known to be opaque entities seldom seen in the public domain and rarely heard about as a source of investment capital. For Small Businesses seeking investment capital Family Offices (“FO”) could be a viable source of private investment capital.

Shielded by a labyrinth of private entities masking investments FO’s can be difficult to find. FO experts agree the best way to attract an FO investment is to find a point of alignment with the industry that created the FO’s wealth and or companies they are known to have a substantial investment interest. Family Offices can be more flexible that banks, private equity, and venture capitalists. When pitching an FO it is recommended by insiders that the pitch is based on projections based on known metrics instead of pi in the sky dreams and aspirations.  

WEALTH FACTOR

“You Like To Think Big”?

Masayoshi Son, CEO of SoftBank has been known to think big and place big bets like in Uber, Nvidia, Alibaba, Door Dash, WeWork, and ByteDance (TikTok). Son said it will require “200 Million chips” to build out AI with a cumulative CAPEX cost of 💰$9 Trillion which he suggests is “reasonable”. Son concluded that $9 Trillion per annum will be generated with a 50% net profit and four new GAFA companies will have split the bulk of it taking in $1 Trillion in profits. Talk about a 🔥🔥🔥 chat❗️

PIC OF THE DAY

REAL ESTATE CORNER

High real estate prices combined with high borrowing rates are anticipated to keep sales down at their lowest rate since 1995. “Home sales are stuck at low levels,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Americans are really not moving.”

UNIQUELY INTERESTING

💡 Epiphany Moments

Daylight Savings Rescue: With the days now running shorter after the time change here are ways to stay fit, sharp, and sane.

1. Get out in the sunlight. Mornings will help regulate mood.

2. Get into a good sleep schedule. Sleep will help keep your body in sync.

3. Stay active. Boosts mood and energy.

4. Eat well. Eat a healthy diet.

5. Stay connected to friends and family.

6. Relax. Keep stress to a minimum.

7. Shelve electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed.

8. Nest well. Create a cozy personal living space.

9. Light therapy. Void of natural sunlight use light therapy as a replacement.

10. Dial a friend, a family member, or a professional if help is needed. Don’t hesitate

 🍎 One Smart Apple

There are more ways to arrange a deck of cards than there are atoms on Earth

If a deck of 52 cards is shuffled properly, the number of possible permutations is a 69-digit number, which is an astronomically large number.