Finance

  Essential success tips for entrepreneurs. This article first appeared on Ayi Post . “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary .” -   Steve Jobs. The idea of quitting a 9-5 to follow the entrepreneurial path, that seems to promise financial freedom, can be tempting. However, you could be forced to discard the idea quickly when you realize that about 45% new businesses fail within the first 5 years. Why does almost a half of new businesses fail within the first 5 years? Research has found two common reasons.  These are; 1. Failure to carry out a thorough pre-launch research to understand the market and, 2. Failure to raise sufficie...

Investing in Gold. Gold futures prices are currently 36% higher compared to the price a year ago, cnbc reported. The article said: Gold futures prices are also up about 10% year-to-date and currently 36% higher compared to the price a year ago.  What is behind the rising prices of gold? Two reasons stand out: 1. The rising global inflation rate. It’s a common practice by many investors to buy gold and use it as a good inflation hedge. 2. U.S. sanctions on Russia. U.S. sanctions on Russia date back to 2022. These sanctions have been the boost for higher returns on gold for at least a year now. Would global headline inflation continue to rise or would it fall in 2025?   IMF said that it is expected to decline. The bank said: Global headline inflation is expected to decline to 4.2 percent in 2025 and to 3.5 percent in 2026, converging back to target earlier in advanced economies than in emerging market and developing economies. Would US lift sanctions on Russia? U.S. President...