Author: admin

Jane Birkin’s Original Birkin on sale at Sotheby’s ParisCourtesy of Sotheby’s Few items are as iconic as the Hermès Birkin handbag, which has become the ultimate symbol of luxury and exclusivity. It has been immortalized in popular culture across various disciplines—films, music, literature—and is loved by celebrities who proudly carry it on their arms for us all to admire. There is even a coveted dupe, the Wirkin, sold at Walmart, which has sparked much debate. Until today, the most expensive handbag ever sold at auction was a White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Returnee Kelly 28, which fetched $513,040 in 2021—but…

WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 02: (L to R) U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as his nominee for the … More chairman of the Federal Reserve Jerome Powell takes to the podium during a press event in the Rose Garden at the White House, November 2, 2017 in Washington, DC. Current Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen’s term expires in February. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)Getty Images President Trump continues to aggressively criticize Jerome Powell, the Federal Reserve Chair, whom he nominated to succeed Janet Yellen in 2018. However, despite Trump’s repeated push for lower interest rates, it’s unclear that it…

NTT DC REIT is part of NTT Group, one of the world’s largest data center operators.Akio Kon/Bloomberg NTT DC REIT, the global data center real estate investment trust of Japanese telecoms giant NTT Group, made a muted debut on the Singapore stock exchange Monday, despite growing investor interests in data centers amid the AI boom. NTT DC REIT finished its first trading day unchanged at $1, giving it a market cap of roughly $1 billion. The investment trust raised $773 million in its IPO, the largest in Singapore since 2017, when Singtel’s broadband unit NetLink NBN Trust launched a $1.7…

FILE – Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell listens during an open meeting of the Board of … More Governors at the Federal Reserve on June 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The Federal Open Market Committee will set short-term interest rates next Wednesday, July 30. The Fed has held rates steady at 4.25% to 4.5% for the year so far, and markets do not expect an interest rate cut in July. However, a rate cut may be reasonably likely at the conclusion of the next meeting on Sept. 17. That’s according…

Blackstone is partnering with Wellington and Vanguard to bring private assets to the masses. The Trump administration is getting on board and Main Street investors could benefit, so long as they know the risks. Jack Bogle became a legend by popularizing low-cost passive index funds at the Vanguard Group, which he founded in 1975 after spending the first 23 years of his career at Wellington Management. “Don’t look for the needle in the haystack. Just buy the haystack,” he famously mused. That philosophy—be the market, don’t try to beat it—spawned generations of index fund-loving, buy-and-hold “Bogleheads” who have made Vanguard…

Wealthfront beats out Fidelity, Schwab and Vanguard when it comes to direct indexing and tax loss harvesting. You make money in the market but tell the IRS you’re losing money. Yes, this works—for a while. Direct indexing with loss harvesting looks like a bonanza, for both providers and customers. Is it? Short answer: Yes, but. Yes, you can do nicely with this scheme, more than covering the fees charged. The two buts: (1) Before getting in, think about what’s going to happen on the way out. Below I will present a cautionary tale about the resulting mess. (2) Take any…

Passengers walk through the entrance of a TSA PreCheck in Terminal One at O’Hare International Airport Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)Armando L. Sanchez | Chicago Tribune | Getty ImagesAs airport security checkpoints undergo changes that may help travelers get through faster and with less hassle, experts say paid services offering modified security screenings — like TSA PreCheck, Global Entry and Clear — may still be worth the cost. Earlier this month, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that in certain airports, families will have their own dedicated screening lanes…

A dog in its cage, accompanied by a kennel card, awaits adoption at the Animal Care Center in New York City. Deb Cohn-Orbach | Universal Images Group | Getty ImagesNew York City’s largest animal shelter hit a sad milestone.Rocky, an 11-year-old senior dog surrendered by his owner, became the 1,000th animal at the Animal Care Centers of New York City, which announced on July 18 that its three shelters stopped accepting dogs, cats, bunnies and other critters, except in emergencies.The graying pup stood in a cage in a peaceful side office inside the Brooklyn location — VIP treatment considering hundreds of other…

PARIS: Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, cementing his status as the most dominant rider of his generation and joining Britain’s Chris Froome on the all-time winners’ list. The 26-year-old Slov­enian, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021 and 2024, delivered a near-flawless performance over three weeks, excelling in every department, even coming close to prevailing on a spectacular final stage on the Champs Elysees after an epic duel with Belgian Wout van Aert. Pogacar attacked relentlessly in the ascents of the Butte Montmartre but eventually suffered a brutal counterpunch from Van Aert, who went solo…

SINGAPORE: World record holder Summer McIntosh stormed to the women’s 400 metres freestyle world title on Sunday, making a flying start to her bid for five individual crowns at the Sing­apore meet as American great Katie Ledecky finished with the bronze. The highly anticipated battle between McIntosh and Ledecky failed to materialize as the Canadian led from start to finish and claimed the win in three minutes and 56.26 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Chinese silver medallist Li Bingjie. Ledecky was 2.23 seconds behind McIntosh, who had only a small break before returning to qualify fastest for the 200…