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Reorder 5 Amazon Items and Save 10%


Reorder 5 Amazon Items and Save 10%

This article contains Amazon affiliate links.

Amazon is running a new Reorder 5, Save 10% promotion for Prime members, offering an extra discount when you reorder five qualifying items.

Eligible products show a label that says “Save 10% when you reorder 5 qualifying items with Prime.” Add five qualifying items to your order and the discount should be applied at checkout.

The promotion covers a wide range of everyday products, including groceries, household supplies, baby products, personal care items and more. Let’s see the details.

Offer Details

To use the promotion:

  • Add 5 qualifying items to your order.
  • Look for products marked with the Save 10% when you reorder 5 qualifying items with Prime label.
  • The 10% discount should be applied at checkout once the requirement is met.
  • The offer is valid for a limited time only.
  • Eligible items and availability can vary.

PROMO PAGE

Guru’s Wrap-Up

This can be a useful way to save a little extra on products you already buy regularly from Amazon. All five items need to qualify, so make sure each product has the promotional label before checking out. 

 

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases made through this article. Using links on the site for Amazon purchases is the best way you can support the site as you normally can’t earn cash back for these purchases. But, you should still check shopping portals such as Rakuten, TopCashback, RebatesMe, ShopBack and others for possible cashback. Your support is always greatly appreciated!

Uber drivers get paid instantly. Office workers want in.



Good morning!

For decades, employers have controlled when workers get paidand employees have largely accepted biweekly or monthly paychecks as a fact of working life. But now, a younger workforce is questioning the rationale.

The quiet justification for many employers has been concern over that workers might not manage their money responsibly if given faster access to it, said Andrew Brandman, COO of DailyPay, a tech company that gives employees access to their earned pay before payday. But in an economy built around immediacy, employers may be concerned with the wrong thing.

The rise of the gig economy has reset expectations around pay, with workers like Uber drivers able to access their earnings as soon as a job is completed rather than waiting until the end of a shift, Brandman said. “I hear this from employers all the time: they’re competing for a workforce now that’s looking for instant,” he said.

Currently, only 3% of employers offer this type of instant paycheck access, known as earned wage access, according to the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. 

But worker demand is already substantial. Roughly 10 million workers tapped some form of early wage access in 2022, moving nearly $32 billion, according to a 2024 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau study. Three million of them bypassed their employers entirely and used  consumer apps, though nearly all workers paid a fee for expedited access to their funds, the CFPB found. (Most employer-partnered earned wage providers offer both free and fee-based options for employees to receive wages).

It’s not just hourly workers demanding this benefit. Brandman says he’s seen an increase in higher-wage workers using his platform. “There’s this misnomer that if you’re salaried, you must not be living paycheck to paycheck,” he said.

The solution? More communication. Firstly, HR leaders should strive to talk to their employees about the benefits they need and understand the rationale behind it, Brandman said. But more importantly, they should be talking to their fellow CHROs or CPOs about pay and why it’s been a workplace category that hasn’t changed in decades.

“What we see is when employees feel like they’re covered, that the employer’s got their back, they feel a different connection,” Brandman said. “Suddenly you get a workforce that’s way more engaged.”

Kristin Stoller
Editorial Director, Fortune Live Media
kristin.stoller@fortune.com

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

투자는 선택이 아니라 생존 기술



이모부와 조카딸 – 일일조카딸 편

source

How Aaron Murphy Replaced His Income in 11 Years


Name

Aaron Murphy
Location Baltimore, Maryland
Occupation Full-time real estate investor
Assets 75 rental units, in-house construction, maintenance, and property management
Investment strategy House hacking, BRRRR, vertically integrated renovation and property management
Financing

FHA loan (3.5% down), hard money for purchase and rehab, DSCR refinancing, cash-out refinance

Aaron Murphy grew up doing free renovation labor on family flips that never quite worked out, and he walked away from real estate convinced it was a scam. 

Years later, sitting in a corporate sales meeting, a VP told the room they had to keep working weekends or they wouldn’t get paid, and something in Aaron snapped. He ran the numbers on dividend stocks, the 4% rule, and real estate, and real estate was the only path that looked mathematically achievable on a $30,000 salary. 

He bought his first house hack in 2016 with $11,900 down. Eleven years later, he and his wife have replaced both of their incomes, built a 75-unit portfolio with an in-house construction crew, and are currently traveling the world together while he runs the business remotely. 

Here’s how he built it.

Your first deal was an FHA house hack where you lived in the basement. How did that actually work?

D.C. home prices were around $700,000, which felt impossible on my salary, so I learned about FHA loans and found a more affordable area called Hyattsville just outside the city. 

I put down $11,900, about 3.5%, on a five-bedroom house, moved into the basement myself, and rented out the other four rooms for $700 each. My mortgage was about $2,000, so between the room rent and my mortgage, it basically broke even after utilities and maintenance. But it meant I stopped paying rent entirely, which let me save aggressively toward my next deal.

Your second deal, a $96,000 triplex, went sideways almost immediately. What happened, and how did it eventually help your growth?

The seller told me the property would be delivered with all three units occupied and paying rent. Two weeks before closing, they said only one unit was actually occupied and offered photos of the other two as proof they were livable. 

I insisted they honor the contract and deliver it occupied, since nothing specified how they had to screen tenants. They found people willing to move in immediately, and those tenants became my first two evictions. I put about 20% down, roughly $19,000, then put in another $20,000, turning over the vacant units after eviction. I eventually got total rent up to $1,900 a month across the three units.

I still own it, and years later, after it had appreciated significantly, I did a cash-out refinance and pulled out $50,000, which became half the seed money for my BRRRR portfolio.

Once you pivoted to BRRRR full time in 2022, what did a typical deal actually look like?

My wife and I moved into a $99,000 row house in Baltimore’s 21202 ZIP code to be closer to the deals. A typical BRRRR since then looks like buying for around $100,000, putting in $30,000 to $40,000 in renovations, and adding another $20,000 for closing costs on both ends of the deal, which people often underestimate in this price range. 

All in, I’m usually around $150,000 to $160,000, and I’m appraising properties between $200,000 and $220,000. I’ve kept at least one renovation going every four to six weeks since 2022. 

On my first two BRRRR deals, I went a combined $65,000 over budget using third-party contractors, which nearly wiped out my starting capital. On my third deal, I ended up working alongside day laborers myself for four to five months to finish it, learning construction hands-on, and that experience let me build an in-house crew that now works exclusively on my properties five days a week.

You’ve talked about a specific framework for getting mentors for free. Can you walk us through it?

The first step is reframing what a mentor even is. Most people want one person to hold their hand and absorb the emotional risk of a deal working out, but nobody actually wants that responsibility. Instead, treat a mentor as a network of people you can ask specific, practical questions to, people who are actually doing what you’re trying to do in your market. 

The second step is getting in proximity to those people at meetups, forums, or industry events and asking real questions tied to actions you’re already taking, like whether $1,500 sounds right for a two-bedroom in a specific ZIP code, instead of generic brain-picking questions. 

The third step, the one most people skip, is going back and telling them exactly how you used their advice and what happened. That feedback loop is what turns a casual contact into a real, ongoing relationship, and it’s worked for me in real estate, competitive debate, and software sales alike.

What does your portfolio look like today, and what convinced you to take an extended trip instead of continuing to scale?

We’re at 75 units now, mostly single-family and townhomes with some duplexes and triplexes mixed in, all long-term rentals across Baltimore and the surrounding counties. At the pace of one renovation every four to six weeks, I realized that in 10 years, I could have 200 to 250 of these properties, and I had to actually ask myself whether I wanted that

My wife and I built the portfolio’s cash flow specifically so we could take an extended trip around the world without derailing retirement savings or leaving us in a bad spot if we couldn’t find jobs again afterward. I’m still working daily during the trip, running property management and construction meetings remotely, but the portfolio is what made the trip possible without it feeling irresponsible.

American Express Announces U.S. Open Benefits 2026 (Two Lounges & $10 Off $100+)


American Express has announced a number of benefits and experiences for cardholders during the U.S. Open 2026.

  • Centurion Suite At Louis Armstrong Arena. Platinum cardholders can book a 60 minute dining experience and bring up to two guests.
  • American Express Card Member Lounge. Second floor of US Open American Express Fan Experience
  • American Express Radios. These will be distributed on site to cardmembers while supplies last and are complimentary.
  • $10 back $100+ at participating merchants

Bad News on 2027 Social Security COLA: Why the Number Just Dropped


For seniors on Social Security, the program’s annual cost-of-living adjustments are extremely important. They’re what allow benefits to keep pace with inflation as costs continue to rise.

In 2026, Social Security benefits received a 2.8% COLA. And many seniors are no doubt hoping for a larger raise in the new year.

Image source: Getty Images.

At one point, 2027 COLA estimates were coming in as high as 4.7%. But those estimates have since shifted downward. Here why — and what it means for Social Security recipients.

What the latest COLA numbers look like

Based on inflation data from the month of July, independent Social Security analyst Mary Johnson lowered her 2027 COLA forecast to 3.4%. Johnson’s forecast two months prior was 4.7%.

The Senior Citizens League, meanwhile, lowered its COLA forecast in August to 3.6%, down from the 3.8% projection it put out in both June and July.

The reason these numbers are shifting is simple — inflation has been cooling. Drops in energy and gas prices pulled inflation numbers lower in July. And since Social Security COLAs are linked to inflation data directly — specifically, the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) — it makes sense for COLA projections to get reduced as a result.

A smaller COLA isn’t necessarily a terrible thing

Seeing COLA projections in the mid 3%-range might read like a blow to seniors who were initially hoping for a larger boost in the new year. But one thing to remember is that a smaller COLA is indicative of less rampant inflation.

To put it another way, a 4.7% COLA would come at the expense of higher prices in the near term. A smaller COLA could mean relief at the pump and supermarket for retirees who are trying to make ends meet this year.

Remember, Social Security COLAs are backward facing. Inflation has been outpacing the 2.8% COLA that came through at the start of the year. A 3.4% COLA in 2027 would mean inflation didn’t outpace the current COLA by too much.

Of course, we won’t have an official COLA until mid-October, since that number is based on third quarter CPI-W data. August and September readings are part of the equation, so July’s cooler inflation report isn’t the only determining factor.

But all told, it may be time for seniors to start gearing up for a more modest 2027 COLA than initially expected. And they should also realize that while a smaller raise might seem like bad news at first, there’s a very clear silver lining.

Arada Sukuk extends consent fee deadline to August 31




Arada Sukuk extends consent fee deadline to August 31

CBRE: New York claims top US tech market as AI hiring surges


That in-person mandate, combined with average New York Metro tech wages of $130,538 annually in 2024 and Bay Area tech wages averaging $195,142, sustains strong homebuying demand in markets where origination volumes and mortgage activity remain elevated. 

Beyond the coastal hubs, emerging tech markets including Dallas-Ft. Worth, which added 37,230 tech workers between 2022 and 2025, along with Nashville (+12,540) and Charlotte (+8,420), are widening the geographic opportunity for originators to engage the next generation of AI-employed borrowers.

AI specialists earning average annual salaries of $130,538 in New York and $195,142 in the San Francisco Bay Area represent a concentrated pool of high-income, creditworthy borrowers whose geographic movement directly shapes origination opportunity.

When 30,640 net new tech workers land in the New York Metro and the finance sector absorbs the bulk of them, that is a measurable shift in where well-qualified buyers are house-hunting, where purchase loan demand is building, and where brokers should be deepening lender relationships and refining their product mix.

The same logic applies in reverse in San Francisco, where a net loss of 23,900 tech workers between 2022 and 2025 has cooled a market that once generated some of the country’s largest loan balances.

Bitcoin Holders Prepare For Matching ECash (ECX) Balances As Multi-Phase Hard Fork Begins


Bitcoin owners are getting ready to claim an equivalent amount of a new cryptocurrency known as eCash, or ECX, as a planned hard fork of the Bitcoin blockchain moves into its initial phase.

The project, developed by LayerTwo Labs under the leadership of longtime Bitcoin contributor Paul Sztorc, aims to create an independent network that mirrors Bitcoin’s transaction history at specific points without altering the original Bitcoin chain in any way.

Rather than launching as a single event, the ECX hard fork is proceeding through three deliberate stages to allow testing, infrastructure preparation, and community familiarization.

The alpha phase activates around Bitcoin block height 963,648, corresponding roughly to August 23, 2026.

During this period, participants can experiment with software, mining, wallet functionality, and trading of temporary practice tokens referred to as pECX or alpha ECX.

These practice units carry no permanent value on their own but can later be burned and redeemed for a portion of the official coins once the full network is live.

A beta stage follows around September 20 at block height approximately 967,680.

This intermediate step is expected to involve greater participation from exchanges, custodians, wallet providers, and miners, providing a more realistic environment for testing operational readiness.

The permanent mainnet release is scheduled for around October 31 at block height near 973,728.

That date coincides with the 18th anniversary of the publication of Satoshi Nakamoto’s original Bitcoin white paper, adding symbolic weight to the full launch.

At the mainnet snapshot, permanent ECX balances will be assigned on a one-to-one basis with Bitcoin holdings at that time for nearly all addresses.

Bitcoin itself remains completely unaffected; holders simply gain an additional asset on the new chain.

The core purpose of ECX is to enable drivechains—opt-in sidechains that support features such as enhanced scalability, privacy, and experimentation—while leaving Bitcoin’s base-layer rules intact.

The new network uses the same SHA-256 proof-of-work mechanism as Bitcoin, with a temporary difficulty reset at activation to facilitate early mining.

Replay protection is available on an opt-in basis through official software, which warns users before transactions; without intentional separation of assets, movements of Bitcoin could affect corresponding ECX holdings.

Most Bitcoin holders who control their private keys at the relevant snapshot heights will automatically receive matching ECX without needing to register or file claims.

A portion of early Satoshi-era coins on the new chain is handled differently to support development, but this applies only to ECX and leaves actual Bitcoin balances untouched.

Holders keeping assets on exchanges should monitor those platforms’ policies, as some may implement temporary freezes or decide independently whether and how to credit the new tokens.

The phased approach gives the ecosystem roughly twelve weeks between the alpha start and the permanent release to identify issues, build support, and prepare tools.

Practice coins earned in the earlier stages can be exchanged for official ECX after mainnet activation, creating incentives for early testing.

While adoption by major infrastructure providers remains an open question and community support has been limited so far, the project positions itself as a way to expand Bitcoin’s capabilities through a separate, compatible ledger.

As the alpha phase begins, attention turns to practical steps: verifying self-custody of keys, reviewing wallet compatibility, and watching for official software releases. The original Bitcoin network continues operating without interruption, and the success of ECX will ultimately depend on participation, liquidity, and the usefulness of its planned sidechains.



Universal Music Poland acquires the Kayax Records catalog and brand, home to recordings by Brodka, Nosowska and Zakopower


Universal Music Poland has acquired the catalog business of Kayax Records.

The agreement, announced on Thursday (August 20), covers global recording rights to the label’s catalog plus the rights to the Kayax Records brand, Universal said.

It also sees Universal Music Poland enter a strategic partnership with Kayax‘s separate management business, Kayax Management, which is not part of the acquisition.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed by Universal or Kayax.

Founded in 2001 and based in Warsaw, Kayax Records has a roster that includes Smolik, Zakopower, Nosowska, Krzysztof Zalewski, Natalia Przybysz, Maria Peszek, Brodka, Artur Rojek, Mery Spolsky and Karaś/Rogucki, according to the announcement.

Records issued under the Kayax banner also include albums by Hey, Urszula Dudziak, Reni Jusis, Skubas and The Dumplings.

Kayax lists among its releases Brodka‘s Clashes, Krzysztof Zalewski‘s Złoto, Nosowska‘s Basta, Zakopower‘s Boso, Maria Peszek‘s Maria Awaria and Artur Rojek‘s Składam się z ciągłych powtórzeń.

Kayax puts its catalog at close to 130 albums.

The label also lists singer Kayah‘s 2009 album Skała among its releases.

Kayah said in May 2025, however, that she had recovered master recording rights to her albums released after 2003, and was no longer under a recording contract with Kayax Production & Publishing.

On her account, that would place her post-2003 recordings outside the catalog Universal has acquired.

“This is an exciting transaction for Universal Music Poland. From the very beginning I have admired Kayax Records‘ ability to combine artistic integrity with commercial success, while consistently discovering and nurturing some of the most important voices in contemporary Polish music.

“Combining Universal Music‘s global expertise with the experience of the Kayax Management team will help create new opportunities for both established artists and the next generation of talent.

“Combining Universal Music‘s global expertise with the experience of the Kayax Management team will help create new opportunities for both established artists and the next generation of talent.”

Maciej Kutak, Universal Music Group

“This is another important step in delivering our mission of connecting Polish artists with fans around the world,” said Maciej Kutak, CEO, Universal Music Poland & SVP Central Eastern Europe, Universal Music Group.

Tomasz “Tomik” Grewiński co-founded Kayax Records with Kayah in 2001.

He became sole owner in April 2025 after buying out her stake in Kayax Production & Publishing, the company behind the label.

Grewiński is owner and Managing Director of Kayax Management, which remains an independent company.

“For more than twenty years, we built Kayax Records together with extraordinary artists, creating a catalog that has become an important part of the history of contemporary Polish music.

“I am confident that Universal Music Poland will provide this body of work with the best possible foundation for its continued growth,” said Grewiński.

Kayax Management is entering a new chapter. Together with my team, we want to focus even more on what we do best: developing the careers of the artists we represent and building their personal brands.

“We will continue strengthening our position by providing comprehensive artist management while expanding our roster with promising new talent and the next generation of artists,” Grewiński added.

“We will continue strengthening our position by providing comprehensive artist management while expanding our roster with promising new talent and the next generation of artists.”

Tomasz Grewiński, Kayax Records

Once the transaction completes, Kayax Records will keep its own identity as Universal Music Poland‘s fourth label.

Paweł Tetłak will take the role of Head of Kayax Records, while Jakub Barzak will oversee both Kayax Records and Polydor Recordings Poland.

Kayax said in its own announcement that it will no longer operate as a record label in its previous form, and is switching to a distribution and licensing model, with management and distribution as the pillars of the business.

The deal arrives during a run of Universal transactions in Europe.

UMG closed its USD $775 million acquisition of Downtown Music Holdings in February, after the European Commission cleared the deal on condition that Curve Royalty Systems was divested.

Before that, Universal acquired Netherlands-based music company 8Ball in 2025, having completed the full buyout of Belgium-founded [PIAS] the previous fall.

Universal Music Poland sits within Universal Music Central Europe.

Frank Briegmann is Chairman & CEO of that division and of Deutsche Grammophon.

Kutak was named CEO of Universal Music Poland and SVP, Central Eastern Europe in November 2021, with the role effective from January 1, 2022.

The role gave him responsibility for UMG operations in Greece, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

UMG Chief Operating Officer Boyd Muir told analysts on the company’s Q4 and FY 2025 earnings call on March 5 that UMG had bought 18 businesses in high-potential growth markets over the prior three years, describing the deals as “all relatively small” and focused on local-language repertoire.

On the same call, UMG Chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge named geographic expansion as one of four pillars of the company’s next phase of growth, alongside artist and label services, superfan initiatives and AI.

Poland‘s recorded music revenues grew 22.3% YoY in 2024, according to the IFPI‘s Music in the EU report, behind only Sweden, Romania and Hungary in the bloc.

Sweden‘s 30.2% was inflated by a one-off private copying levy payment covering multiple years, the report noted; excluding that levy, its growth was around 6.5%.

Strip out that distortion and Poland was the third fastest-growing recorded music market in the EU in 2024, behind only Romania and Hungary.

The IFPI said the fastest-growing markets tended to be those in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.

The same report found that domestic artists took an average 50.9% of the places on countrywide year-end top 10 lists across the EU.Music Business Worldwide