February 2017. A short, yet interesting month. There is still much going on across the political spectrum both in the USA and in Europe. An exhausting month for many, thus let's look at some more fun news. If you have invested in Bitcoins, you're probably enjoying some great times with Bitcoins hitting historical highs.
With success comes competition: a number of major global corporations are working on their own Ethereum blockchain systems to speed up transactions between them. Even the Winkevoss brothers (those twins in the facebook movie) are getting in on the action planning to role out the first Bitcoin ETF. In the meantime, India has seen some startups that are creating a self-regulatory body for Bitcoins.
And while both Bitcoins, millennials, and the stock market are enjoying great times, this doesn't prove true for France that is losing an increasing number of millionaires with 12,000 leaving France in 2016. Staying in France, some insight into Alexandre Mars who went from young teenager to successful entrepreneur to traveling the world and building a charity.
Ever looked at your portfolio or savings account and thought, why not invest in something different? You no longer just need to smoke it, you can now invest in cannabis. Since we are talking about vices, how about using sexually flirting techniques for your business (don't worry, nothing dodgy here). Finally, some positive news on millennials: millennials are rich and financially savvy. They, and anyone else can now use Facebook for more than just sharing photos and communicating. You can use Facebook to transfer money.
So here you have it, the eleven stories of February 2017:
1. Bitcoin set the stage and is now receiving competition in the form of Ethereum. Almost thirty major companies are working on building systems that allow using blockchains for their transactions.
2. France is proving to unpopular amongst millionaires with an increasing number leaving the country for new shores. 2016 saw 12,000 millionaires leave France.
3. News out of India: A number of startups have decided to create a self-regulatory bitcoin body to allow for more transparency and credibility. Meanwhile Bitcoins have just hit another record and the Winklevoss brothers (remember facebook) are waiting on a ruling on their first bitcoin ETF.
4. This is a significant issue for millennials across the globe (but likely for any generation trying to get on the property ladder): there are simply not enough properties to choose from that aren't extremely overpriced.
5. Apparently bitcoins have transformed from an alternative safe haven to an indicator of where the stock market might move. And as with any investment, tax authorities want a slice of it.
6. Bored of traditional investments? How about buying some cannabis companies? Apparently some are even thinking about creating a cannabis ETF.
7. Talking about vices: An intriguing article on using sexually charged techniques to sell to your customers.
8. Thinking about becoming an entrepreneur? This is an interesting insight into the journey of Alexandre Mars from young kid to successful and wealthy entrepreneur, who went on a "gap year" to travel the world.
9. Although this article is about the wealthy, it is quite motivational for most of us. It's a reminder that we are, for the most part, in charge of our own lives and that thinking different will produce great results.
10. It's slowly becoming the platform for an ever increasing number of activities, even money transfers. Facebook has teamed up with TransferWise to allow international money transfers on facebook.
And this month, as it's been a special month for me, an extra news snippet:
11. If this is true, then this is great news: Millennials who have managed to save $ 100,000 and more despite some tough years since 2008. Frankly I am actually not too surprised by how many millennials are extremely financially savvy.
