#smart tools for budgeting and saving

[mobileandapps]

10 Best Free Budgeting and Personal Finance Tools

Managing money doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated. In fact, with the right tools, it can be empowering and even a little fun. The key is finding the best free budgeting and personal finance tools that fit your lifestyle and goals. Whether you’re trying to save for a dream vacation, pay off debt, or just stop overspending on takeout. Best Free Budgeting and Personal Finance Tools There’s…

[realestateinvesting001]

How to Align Your Financial Goals with Your Lifestyle for Real Success 🌟

Living a life of purpose while achieving financial success might seem challenging, but it’s possible when your goals and lifestyle work hand in hand. Here’s a practical guide to help you align your financial ambitions with the life you truly desire. Why Aligning Your Financial Goals with Your Lifestyle Matters 🏡💰 When your financial goals align with the way you want to live, everything falls…

[olivergisttv]

How to Use AI for Personal Finance Management: Let Robots Handle Your Budget While You Relax

Tired of juggling spreadsheets, receipts, and the occasional heart attack when checking your bank balance? Well, it’s time to let artificial intelligence (AI) become your personal finance guru! AI-powered tools are revolutionizing how we manage money, helping us save, budget, and invest smarter without breaking a sweat—or a calculator. Let’s dive into how you can harness AI to take control of…

[champstorymedia]

Unlock Your Potential: Setting S.M.A.R.T. Financial Goals for Success

Introduction Setting financial goals is crucial for achieving success and realizing your full potential. By following the S.M.A.R.T. criteria – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound – you can create a roadmap to financial success. In this article, we will explore the importance of setting S.M.A.R.T. financial goals and how it can help you unlock your potential. Why Setting…

[curiousquill1]

Wealth Management for Millennials: Building Wealth in the Digital Era

Between paying off student loans, rising living costs, and trying to build some form of emergency fund, millennials have different financial hurdles that did not exist during their grandparents' or parents' lifetimes. This digitally-native generation, however, is at the head of the biggest wealth transfer ever—meaning prudent planning has never been more essential.

Understanding Contemporary Wealth Management

Those days when only gray-haired executives sat in mahogany-lined offices receiving wealth management services are bygone days. Modern wealth management companies now cater to millennials living in a digital space and have bridged the gaps between their traditional financial prowess and newer, high-tech abilities, allowing for a resonant experience with their tech-savvy audience.

To those millennials who are contemplating asking whether they really require a professional wealth management service for themselves, consider the fact that while investment apps would open trading to them, a trading strategy is not even synonymous with a comprehensive long-term wealth-building strategy. While a wealth management company delivers an asset far more valuable than mere strategies: a holistic strategy aimed at financial planning, looking toward career trajectories, lifestyle goals, and future aspirations.

The Digital Wealth Revolution

The wealth management firms has transformed to serve millennial clients. For example, leading companies in wealth management have recently introduced:

Portfolio tracking in real time via mobile-first platforms

AI-based investment analysis software that can track market patterns

Automated rebalancing systems for optimal asset allocation

Paperless models with digital document management

Instant messaging to provide immediate responses from advisors in safe and sound environments

These technological advancements make wealth management services more accessible and transparent than ever. No longer will millennials have to inquire about portfolio performance or wait for quarterly meetings; they can monitor their wealth-building process in real time.

Personalized Solutions for Millennial Investors

Each generation has unique financial needs, and millennials are no exception. Modern wealth management firms recognize these distinct requirements:

Student Loan Integration: Strategic planning that balances debt repayment with investment growth

Gig Economy Thinking: Flexible investment strategies to manage variable income streams

Sustainable Investing: ESG-focused portfolios that mirror the values of millennials

Real Estate Planning: Innovative strategies for breaking into the property market at high barriers

Retirement Revolution: Alternative approaches to retirement planning in an ever-changing workforce

The Power of Professional Expertise

Whereas robo-advisors and investment apps offer rudimentary services, a wealth management firm delivers broad expertise that algorithms simply cannot match. Professional wealth managers bring:

Personalized Strategy Development: Custom financial plans based on individual goals and risk tolerance

Tax Optimization: Sophisticated approaches to minimizing tax liability

Estate Planning: Forward-thinking strategies for building and protecting generational wealth

Risk Management: Balanced portfolios that protect against market volatility

Network Access: Connections to specialized professionals for complex financial needs

Making the Digital Transition

For millennials who want to take charge of their financial lives, modern wealth management is the perfect blend of experience and innovation through digital channels. The process generally begins with:

Digital Onboarding: Streamlined account opening and goal setting

Risk Assessment: Sophisticated online assessment tools that determine investment comfort

Strategy Development: Data-driven approach toward individualized financial planning

Regular Digital Check-ins: Virtual meetings and real-time tracking through secured platforms

The Future of Wealth Building

Now that millennials enter their prime earning years, the wealth management companies step in at a very crucial level. As digital-first partners to building sustainable wealth, wealth management companies are now where convenience meets professional expertise for the best combination.

The wealth management industry evolves as firms spend a tremendous amount on digital capabilities that do not forget the need for the human touch in any complex financial decision. For millennial individuals who want to create wealth that lasts a lifetime, partnering with such a forward-thinking wealth management firm will offer the perfect balance of innovative thinking and expertise needed for navigating this modern financial landscape.

[loansmee]

Explore comprehensive budgeting tips for managing your personal finances with confidence. This guide offers strategies for creating a budget, tracking expenses, and maximizing savings. Learn how to effectively reduce debt, plan for retirement, and invest wisely to secure your financial future. Take control of your finances today and achieve your financial goals with expert advice and practical tools.

[thriftx]

Budget-Friendly Travel Apps and Resources: Your Key to Affordable Adventures

Introduction :

In the age of technology, budget-friendly travel is more accessible than ever. This guide explores a variety of money-saving apps, travel communities, and planning tools that can enhance your travel experience without breaking the bank. From accommodations to transportation, discover the resources that make affordable adventures a reality.

Read More

[mostlysignssomeportents]

AI can’t do your job

I'm on a 20+ city book tour for my new novel PICKS AND SHOVELS. Catch me in SAN DIEGO at MYSTERIOUS GALAXY on Mar 24, and in CHICAGO with PETER SAGAL on Apr 2. More tour dates here.

AI can't do your job, but an AI salesman (Elon Musk) can convince your boss (the USA) to fire you and replace you (a federal worker) with a chatbot that can't do your job:

https://www.pcmag.com/news/amid-job-cuts-doge-accelerates-rollout-of-ai-tool-to-automate-government

If you pay attention to the hype, you'd think that all the action on "AI" (an incoherent grab-bag of only marginally related technologies) was in generating text and images. Man, is that ever wrong. The AI hype machine could put every commercial illustrator alive on the breadline and the savings wouldn't pay the kombucha budget for the million-dollar-a-year techies who oversaw Dall-E's training run. The commercial market for automated email summaries is likewise infinitesimal.

The fact that CEOs overestimate the size of this market is easy to understand, since "CEO" is the most laptop job of all laptop jobs. Having a chatbot summarize the boss's email is the 2025 equivalent of the 2000s gag about the boss whose secretary printed out the boss's email and put it in his in-tray so he could go over it with a red pen and then dictate his reply.

The smart AI money is long on "decision support," whereby a statistical inference engine suggests to a human being what decision they should make. There's bots that are supposed to diagnose tumors, bots that are supposed to make neutral bail and parole decisions, bots that are supposed to evaluate student essays, resumes and loan applications.

The narrative around these bots is that they are there to help humans. In this story, the hospital buys a radiology bot that offers a second opinion to the human radiologist. If they disagree, the human radiologist takes another look. In this tale, AI is a way for hospitals to make fewer mistakes by spending more money. An AI assisted radiologist is less productive (because they re-run some x-rays to resolve disagreements with the bot) but more accurate.

In automation theory jargon, this radiologist is a "centaur" – a human head grafted onto the tireless, ever-vigilant body of a robot

Of course, no one who invests in an AI company expects this to happen. Instead, they want reverse-centaurs: a human who acts as an assistant to a robot. The real pitch to hospital is, "Fire all but one of your radiologists and then put that poor bastard to work reviewing the judgments our robot makes at machine scale."

No one seriously thinks that the reverse-centaur radiologist will be able to maintain perfect vigilance over long shifts of supervising automated process that rarely go wrong, but when they do, the error must be caught:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/01/human-in-the-loop/#monkey-in-the-middle

The role of this "human in the loop" isn't to prevent errors. That human's is there to be blamed for errors:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/10/30/a-neck-in-a-noose/#is-also-a-human-in-the-loop

The human is there to be a "moral crumple zone":

https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/260

The human is there to be an "accountability sink":

https://profilebooks.com/work/the-unaccountability-machine/

But they're not there to be radiologists.

This is bad enough when we're talking about radiology, but it's even worse in government contexts, where the bots are deciding who gets Medicare, who gets food stamps, who gets VA benefits, who gets a visa, who gets indicted, who gets bail, and who gets parole.

That's because statistical inference is intrinsically conservative: an AI predicts the future by looking at its data about the past, and when that prediction is also an automated decision, fed to a Chaplinesque reverse-centaur trying to keep pace with a torrent of machine judgments, the prediction becomes a directive, and thus a self-fulfilling prophecy:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/09/autocomplete-worshippers/#the-real-ai-was-the-corporations-that-we-fought-along-the-way

AIs want the future to be like the past, and AIs make the future like the past. If the training data is full of human bias, then the predictions will also be full of human bias, and then the outcomes will be full of human bias, and when those outcomes are copraphagically fed back into the training data, you get new, highly concentrated human/machine bias:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/14/inhuman-centipede/#enshittibottification

By firing skilled human workers and replacing them with spicy autocomplete, Musk is assuming his final form as both the kind of boss who can be conned into replacing you with a defective chatbot and as the fast-talking sales rep who cons your boss. Musk is transforming key government functions into high-speed error-generating machines whose human minders are only the payroll to take the fall for the coming tsunami of robot fuckups.

This is the equivalent to filling the American government's walls with asbestos, turning agencies into hazmat zones that we can't touch without causing thousands to sicken and die:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/08/19/failure-cascades/#dirty-data

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2025/03/18/asbestos-in-the-walls/#government-by-spicy-autocomplete

Image: Krd (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DASA_01.jpg

CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

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Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

[theambitiouswoman]

Wealth Building: Money Topics You Should Learn About If You Want To Make More Money

Budgeting: This means keeping track of how much money you have and how you spend it. It helps you save money and plan for your needs.

Investing: This is like putting your money to work so it can grow over time. It's like planting seeds to grow a money tree.

Saving: Saving is when you put some money aside for later. It's like keeping some of your treats for another day.

Debt Management: This is about handling money you owe to others, like loans or credit cards. You want to pay it back without owing too much.

Credit Scores: Think of this like a report card for your money habits. It helps others decide if they can trust you with money.

Taxation: Taxes are like a fee you pay to the government. You need to understand how they work and how to pay them correctly.

Retirement Planning: This is making sure you have enough money to live comfortably when you're older and no longer working.

Estate Planning: This is like making a plan for your stuff and money after you're no longer here.

Insurance: It's like paying for protection. You give some money to an insurance company, and they help you if something bad happens.

Investment Options: These are different ways to make your money grow, like buying parts of companies or putting money in a savings account.

Financial Markets: These are places where people buy and sell things like stocks and bonds. It can affect your investments.

Risk Management: This is about being careful with your money and making smart choices to avoid losing it.

Passive Income: This is money you get without having to work for it, like rent from a property you own.

Entrepreneurship: It's like starting your own business. You create something and try to make money from it.

Behavioral Finance: This is about understanding how your feelings and thoughts can affect how you use money. You want to make good choices even when you feel worried or excited.

Financial Goals: These are like wishes for your money. You need a plan to make them come true.

Financial Tools and Apps: These are like helpers on your phone or computer that can make it easier to manage your money.

Real Estate: This is about buying and owning property, like a house or land, to make money.

Asset Protection: It's about keeping your money safe from problems or people who want to take it.

Philanthropy: This means giving money to help others, like donating to charities or causes you care about.

Compounding Interest: This is like a money snowball. When you save or invest your money, it can grow over time. As it grows, you earn even more money on the money you already earned.

Credit Cards: When you borrow money or use a credit card to buy things, you need to show you can pay it back on time. This helps you build a good reputation with money. The better your reputation, the easier it is to borrow more money when you need it.

Alternate Currencies: These are like different kinds of money that aren't like the coins and bills you're used to like Crypto. It's digital money that's not controlled by a government. Some people use it for online shopping, and others think of it as a way to invest, like buying special tokens for a game.

[goddessinnerglow]

Become Your Best Version Before 2025 - Day 13

Financial Planning and Budgeting

Hello Goddesses! I know that talking about money, can feel scary or boring, but after working on our stress management tools yesterday, it's perfect timing to address something that's often a huge source of stress for many of us: finances.

First things first: if thinking about money makes you want to hide under your blanket, you're not alone. But taking control of your finances isn't about becoming a math genius or never buying another coffee again. It's about making friends with your money so it can help you live your best life.

Let's break this down into bite-sized pieces that won't give you a headache:

Start Where You Are

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike? You didn't start by doing tricks, you started with training wheels. Money management is the same way! First step: just look at your current situation. Open those banking apps you've been avoiding. Take a deep breath and look at your statements. Knowledge is power, even if it's a bit scary at first.

The Money Map Exercise

Grab a piece of paper (or open your notes app) and let's do something simple:

Write down all your income sources

List your regular monthly expenses (yes, including those sneaky subscriptions!)

Don't forget those irregular expenses like annual fees or seasonal costs

Look at what's left (or what's missing)

Congratulations! You've just created your first basic budget outline.

The 50/30/20 Guideline

Here's a popular way to think about your money:

50% for needs (rent, groceries, utilities)

30% for wants (fun stuff, shopping, entertainment)

20% for future you (savings, debt payment, investments)

These numbers might not work for everyone, especially depending on where you live. The important thing is to have some kind of plan that works for YOU.

Smart Money Habits You Can Start Today

The 24-Hour Rule: For non-essential purchases over a certain amount (you decide the number!), wait 24 hours before buying. You'd be surprised how many "must-haves" become "maybe nots" overnight!

Bill Calendar: Set up a simple calendar with all your bill due dates. Future you will be so grateful!

Automate Your Savings: Even if it's just $5 a week, set up automatic transfers to a savings account. It's like hiding money from yourself!

Track Your Spending: For just one week, write down every single purchase. No judging, just observing. You might find some surprising patterns!

The Emergency Fund Challenge

Let's start building that safety net! Even $500 in savings can make a huge difference in an emergency. Start with a goal of saving just $25 this week. Too much? Start with $10. Too little? Make it $50. The amount isn't as important as getting started.

Money Goals That Make Sense

Instead of vague goals like "save more," try specific ones like:

Save enough for three months of basic expenses by December 2025

Pay off one credit card by summer

Create a "fun fund" for that hobby you've been wanting to try

Your financial journey is exactly that, YOURS. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone else. The person on Instagram showing off their investment portfolio might still be paying off massive debt. Focus on your own path!

Your mission for today:

Look at your bank statement (I know, scary, but you can do it!)

Pick ONE money habit from this post to try this week

Set ONE specific financial goal for 2025

See you tomorrow for Day 14! Remember, every financial decision you make today is a gift to your future self.

[thinkingisadangerouspastime]

good things about ep. 7:

this episode was by far the best at working with film as a medium. there were still issues, to be mentioned soon, but this ep did a lot of things that impressed me on a level of cinematic structure and format:

some actual tension!! simply showing the trio running from cerberus created investment and stakes for me in a way no monster fight or other obstacle had before (a matter definitely enhanced by the music)

the use of flashbacks!! now, i have some issues with the content of those flashbacks, but since im basically getting two degrees in assessing media i know how to give credit where credit is due lmao. these flashbacks were doing interesting things cinematically, creating parallels with percy's experiences in the present, especially that last flashback where they continued poseidon's voiceover into the present moment. fuck yes!! use the medium of cinema to your ADVANTAGE!!

related to the use of flashbacks, the match cuts!! they were so good, as they helped make visual those narrative and characterological parallels being constructed through the flashbacks. film is an inherently visual and auditory medium, and it was so refreshing to see the show experimenting and making effective choices with those tools

some issues with ep. 7 and the series as a whole:

i'll admit it. im tired of the trio already knowing everything about every obstacle they face (having to improvise in the fight with cerberus was so refreshing and retained more of the spirit of the book as opposed to uh. every other obstacle). and i think this connects with show's overall struggle with writing, adaptation, and the medium of film. these writers have committed the cardinal sin of assuming their audience always needs explanation. in any writing class (fiction and screenwriting are my personal expertise), you are told to assume your audience is smarter than you think, bc a writer's instinct is to assume they need to be clear about action and themes out of a fear of confusing their audience and the end result of that situation is a boring, overly explanatory piece of work. (an re the young viewers, kids are freaking smart!! i literally teach kids of the age range these books are directed for and they are so quick-witted. kids don't need stuff handed to them on a platter, they know how to put puzzle pieces together.)

example of the aforementioned "too much knowledge" issue: the pearls. (people have already explained the issues with medusa, the casino, procrustes, etc., so im going for a new one that's been bugging me a bit.) after percy received four pearls, the general conclusion people came to was that one pearl would break, forcing them to have to choose three people to go/one to stay and thus making the choice more "meaningful" (i.e. bc the opportunity to save everyone had been stripped). it's a fair choice, a fair reason, a fair analysis, and this is a change that bothers me but much more minimally than other changes to the show. here's the deal: the reason they had to give four pearls in the show was bc the trio already knew exactly what the pearls would do. there was no reason to give only three pearls bc that would force a character (probably percy) to raise the question of like "hey, that's not enough to save four people!" so where am i going with this?

in the books and the musical, we get the alluring line of what belongs to the sea can always return to the sea. percy gets three pearls in the book and a seashell in the musical, where he doesn't know right away the specifics of what this gift does (the seashell is an excellent example of adapting a story to a new medium, as a low-budget theatrical production can't afford the effects of smashing three pearls and causing people to vanish from the stage, so blowing the seashell to open a portal was a great move that worked for the new medium and retained the spirit of the source material - percy having an epiphany well after receiving the gift about what, exactly, the gift did and how it would help him). in the show, they issue is that they already know, thus creating the dilemma of there being no reason not to give four pearls. again, not the worst choice the show has made, but it's another example of how the show's most pervasive issue is over-explaining and giving too much information to its characters.

in short: the pjo show doesn't understand "show don't tell." they love telling even though "showing" is Most Important in film as a medium, like it's even more important to show what's going on in film than it is in prose because cinema is an inherently collaborative medium that generates a visually-dominated product. the show clearly lacks a fundamental understanding of the medium it is working with!! and that is bad!!

another issue: the lighting. this show suffers from the current trend in film to make dark scenes impossible to see in.

more characterological problems: the gods are not imposing. just to speak of ep. 7 alone, why was hades so... banter-y? in the book he literally makes percy's hand "move... against [his] will" to show him the pearls. there was none of that power and domineering energy in the show!! the pjo show keeps hammering us over the head with what should be a series-long revelation about the gods' flaws and pettiness and spite and misuse of their incredible power, and yet all of the gods seem almost like... caricatures. where is their ability to be charismatic and threatening. to be lax and powerful. to remind us that they can, have, and will kill demigods.

core thematic issue: the show lacks the humor and fun and adolescent spirit of the books. i've seen a lot of people insist the show is directed for young readers of the book, which i don't disagree with, but the lack of humor and energy and vitality is undoubtedly turning off a lot of younger viewers. in a lot of instances, everything feels so gritty and angsty, lowkey like the winx adaptation (but on a less severe scale). we have moments of sass/sarcasm, moments of levity, but it doesn't feel like a core trait of the show (much less of percy) like it does in the book. and honestly, i think that's a loss! if rick wanted a grim pjo adaptation, fine, but i wish the show hadn't been advertised as something perfectly attuned to the spirit of the book bc it's just not. if it was, i'd be laughing a lot more.

now, let's talk about sally...

i don't love how they've characterized sally in this show. i respect that they wanted to "modernize" her character and more accurately demonstrate the struggles of a single parent raising a child with learning (and in percy's case, also magical) difficulties. i genuinely do respect that choice, and i can follow the thorough-lines created in the show that illustrate this revamping of her character. similarly, i can respect that they didn't want sally to seem like a stereotypical "passive" victim of abuse re gabe, hence her explicitly pushing back at him. that said...

i still don't think these are effective or necessary changes, because i don't think sally was portrayed as overly passive or as a perfectly equipped parent in the book. i understand the argument that gabe is still presented as abusive, i.e. that he checks her phone without permission and controls access to the car, but those moments feel so technical. when i rewatch those scenes and examine the acting (both line delivery and bodily cues), sally is outwardly derisive toward gabe ("who's yancy?" / sally sighs and shakes her head, exasperated, has the long blink to give an extra beat before responding: "the school."), yet at the same time there's a banter between them, where sally insists that she's going to go to montauk no matter what, and if gabe disagrees then she won't bring back both their sandwiches for the knicks game that they apparently watch together often (implied by "you know i hate watching the knicks alone!" "so do i!"). sally holds herself confidently in this scene (hands on her hips). gabe is forced to actually ask politely for his sandwich order (and notably holds his shoulders slightly inward, visually closing himself off in a physical representation of surrender). two of my friends, diehard pjo fans who are not literature or film scholars, were both confused as to why sally and gabe seemed to be bantering within a seemingly standard relationship dynamic - not necessarily the happiest of couples, but a standard married couple (as opposed to clear imbalance of power between them in the book).

to be clear, it's not that sally needs to be a "passive victim of abuse," and it's certainly not that the show needs to explicitly depict gabe hitting sally or percy for us to understand that he is abusive. my issue is that the show seems to have not understood what made sally a strong character initially: her willingness to endure anything for her son, including marrying an abusive man who smelled so rankly human in order to prevent monsters from finding them. like, sally resisted gabe's abuse in the book! the reason blue food is a major motif in the first place is because sally and gabe had a fight where gabe insisted blue food wasn't a thing, and thus percy observes that "ever since, my mom went out of her way to eat blue."

in other words, verbally standing up to one's abuser is not the only way to demonstrate that a character is not a stereotypically weak, helpless, passive victim. it's definitely an easy choice with regard to cinematic staging (and the show has a pattern of taking the easy way out of conflicts and nuance), but i think the real issue is that sally's vocal protests come in tandem with the defanging of gabe. why does his body language and tone falter in arguments with sally? does he not have the upper hand? where is the evidence of an imbalanced power dynamic? there is no one way to write abuse bc the tragic reality is that abuse happens in an infinite number of ways, but nonetheless i am frustrated with the route the show went down in the first ep bc it feels reductive to the core of sally's character and her strengths: her endurance, her implicit but present rebelliousness, and her love for her son.

im also not a fan of some of the flashbacks we're getting with sally. it's not that sally shouldn't be "allowed" to get frustrated ever, but a major element of her characterization in the books is that she didn't take that frustration out on percy. i just don't see sally jackson getting upset that percy doesn't want to swim (beside that, i can't imagine percy not wanting to swim lmao). i just don't see sally jackson almost aggressively telling percy that he is the one making their goodbye ugly (because he's being a kid?? who doesn't want to leave his mom?? you're telling me sally wouldn't recognize the root of his anxiety immediately??). i just don't see sally speaking vaguely to percy about there being things she has to do that he doesn't understand instead of doing her best to meet percy where he's at with her explanation. if someone is coming to this show without having read the books, i genuinely think they might be starting to question sally's parenting, i.e. if she was really as wonderful a mom as percy insists or if he simply sees her through rose-tinted glasses. bc here's the thing: percy does see sally and his mom's struggles through rose-tinted glasses, and it's because sally bottles up and hides her struggles and frustrations from him. she doesn't let percy witness those frustrations. as such, there's an incongruity between book!sally and show!sally that doesn't mesh for me.

in short, show!sally feels like a new character to me. that's fine if that's the route they wanted to take, but again: why advertise it as a faithful adaptation if you're not going to be faithful to the core elements of central characters?

im also disappointed by how much the show has stripped annabeth of her character besides her intelligence. i have some thoughts about the adultification of young Black girls and the fact that annabeth is Black in the pjo show, mostly that i can't tell yet whether the show has the self-awareness to offer commentary on this reality for many Black girls through annabeth's character being seemingly defined by her intelligence and maturity or if they're simply unwittingly replicating this circumstance. i need more material before i can make a concrete assessment here, but all the same, i wish they were allowing these kids and especially annabeth to be kids - to make mistakes, to fall into traps, to have little crushes and get flustered, and to not know everything about every monster/obstacle before they come to face it.

people have talked to death the issue of the pacing so i won't belabor it but in general this show has terrible pacing. the first two eps are rushed (we got so little luke that im concerned his betrayal won't have much heart/meaning/oomph in the final ep), the constant unnecessary exposition creates periods of narrative drudgery, most of the fights lack tension bc the choreography is effectively nonexistent, them missing the solstice deadline has so far sucked the wind of the energy of their quest (of which there wasn't much in the first place bc the show did a poor job establishing the looming threat of a globally destructive war being on the horizon), and in general there's no sense of stakes. sigh.

i probably have more thoughts, but i'll stop for now bc i've got a shit ton of assignments to work on. in sum: the show lacks an understanding of how film operates as a medium, and while the merit of the show as an adaptation can be debated, it's simply a poorly constructed and lackluster piece of tv.

(but on the bright side? the trio is killing it even with the weak material they've been given, and their acting talent is the only reason i and many of my friends have kept watching)

[posttexasstressdisorder]

WhatMatters

Your guide to California policy and politics

By Lynn La

May 16, 2025

Presented by Child Care Providers UNITED, Climate-Smart Agricultural Partnership, California Alliance of Family-Owned Businesses and California Strawberry Commission

 

 

Good morning, California.

CA Democrats save face on sex trafficking bill

Assemblymember Maggy Krell during an Assembly floor session at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Jan. 6, 2025. Photo by Fred Greaves for CalMatters

From CalMatters politics reporter Yue Stella Yu: 

In the state Legislature, an open rebellion sometimes does wonders. 

Two weeks ago, Assemblymember Maggy Krell, a first-year Sacramento Democrat, publicly defied Democratic leaders in attempting to pass harsher penalties for soliciting sex from 16- and 17-year-olds. Joined by some moderate Democrats and Republicans, the fight laid bare the splinters among Democrats and forced Assembly leaders into damage control mode. 

The end result? An overwhelming Assembly vote on Thursday to raise penalties for teen sex solicitation, with no votes in opposition. 

The measure — amended after a weeklong negotiation between Krell and Assembly Democratic leaders — would allow prosecutors to charge someone soliciting sex from a child more than three years younger than them with a felony. It would also increase the fines on businesses and hotels for facilitating or shielding sex trafficking activities and require the Office of Emergency Services to fund up to 11 district attorneys’ efforts to prosecute human trafficking. 

It was a victory lap for Republicans, who have long fought to enhance punishments for child sex trafficking and solicitation. During a Thursday press conference, they urged Senate Democrats, who will consider the measure next, to leave it intact.

Assemblymember Carl DeMaio of San Diego: “Don’t you dare water down a word in AB 379 as passed today. We will not tolerate any weakening of the tools that law enforcement needs to protect these children.”

It is unclear how Senate Democrats will respond. Last year, Senate Democrats removed provisions from a Republican-backed proposal that would have applied harsher penalties to soliciting 16- and 17-year-olds — the same provisions that Krell unsuccessfully fought for this year. 

Krell, who was stripped off of the bill as a principal author after her defiance, told CalMatters she is “thankful” to others for cooperating. 

Her takeaway after all this drama? 

Krell: “I’m easy to work with, hard to f—k with.”

Join CalMatters and Evident in Bakersfield on May 21 for a screening of Operation: Return to Sender, a short documentary uncovering what really happened during a three-day Border Patrol raid in Bakersfield. After the film, CalMatters’ Sergio Olmos and others will discuss what the team uncovered and what it means for immigration enforcement. Register today or attend our Los Angeles screening on May 22.

Other Stories You Should Know

Support for Hollywood, not so much for news

Technicians work on a TV set the day before the Golden Globes at Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Jan. 4, 2025. Photo by Etienne Laurent, AFP via Getty Images

As California faces a $12 billion budget shortfall, Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing to expand support for one industry, while reducing support for another. 

In recent years California’s film industry has been struggling due to pandemic-era production shutdowns, labor strikes, deadly wildfires and competitive tax incentives offered by other states. 

The Legislature is considering a bill that would expand the state’s film and television tax credits and set aside as much as $750 million annually to film production. It would also raise the tax break applicants can receive, and extend the credit to live action and animated series. 

The bill is backed by motion picture studios, unions representing entertainment industry workers and Newsom, who told reporters on Wednesday, “we need to step things up,” when it comes to supporting the state’s film industry.

At the same time, the governor wants to reduce the first-year payment the state is required to provide to help fund local news outlets from $30 million to $10 million. H.D. Palmer, a spokesperson for the Department of Finance, said in an email the proposed cut is due to “fewer resources than projected in the January budget.”

The money stems from a deal lawmakers brokered with Google last year: To support California’s beleaguered journalism industry, the state and the tech giant agreed to put millions of dollars into a fund to be distributed to outlets over five years. In exchange, the Legislature pulled two bills that would have forced tech companies to pay outlets for their content. To date, no money has been distributed to news outlets.

Read more about the proposed film tax credits and cuts to the news fund from CalMatters’ Stella and Jeanne Kuang, respectively.

 

GOP wants to preempt state AI laws, including CA

The U.S. Capitol Building viewed from the National Mall in Washington, D.C. on April 4, 2025. Photo by Samuel Corum, AP

Though it’s unlikely that a congressional bill to implement a decade-long ban on state governments from regulating artificial intelligence will pass out of the U.S. Senate, proponents of AI regulation are still ringing alarm bells about the bill’s broad implications.

As CalMatters’ Khari Johnson explains, Republicans from the U.S. House of Representatives included the AI proposal in a sweeping budget reconciliation bill. On Wednesday the House approved that budget bill along party lines. Now sitting before the Senate, the AI proposal faces tough odds since federal rules require that budget reconciliation bills be strictly related to fiscal matters.

But if passed, the legislation would make enforcing over 20 laws California passed last year illegal. It would also jeopardize 30 bills the state Legislature is currently considering to regulate AI, including ones to protect consumers from AI-powered price gouging, or require reporting when health insurance companies use AI to deny care.

Proponents of the bill say a moratorium is necessary to resolve a patchwork of state regulation. But the proposal also aligns with efforts by the President Donald Trump administration to curb AI regulation, which it argues stifles innovation. A White House plan to advance the AI industry’s growth by lifting some regulations is expected this summer.

Read more here.

 

And lastly: Mental health crisis calls

A Sacramento County Sheriff's Department vehicle outside of a church where a man shot dead four people before turning the gun on himself on Feb. 28, 2022. Photo by Andri Tambunan, AFP via Getty Images

If you live in Sacramento County and you call the Sheriff’s Department because someone in your family is having a mental health crisis, there’s a chance they may not come. That’s because of a new policy that says deputies will only respond to those calls if a crime has already occurred, is in progress or the person in crisis is putting someone else in imminent danger. 

But this isn’t just a Sacramento issue. An investigation by CalMatters contributor Lee Romney has found that other police agencies are also backing away from mental health crisis calls. 

This week Lee joined the health policy podcast Tradeoffs to break down her findings. Listen here. 

California Voices

CalMatters columnist Dan Walters: Democratic candidates for California governor avoid giving direct answers about the potential negative consequences of the state weaning itself from fossil fuels and oil refineries closing.

Other things worth your time:

Some stories may require a subscription to read.

State worker payroll freezes in Newsom’s revised CA budget // The Sacramento Bee

CA likely to pay for Republican budget cuts // San Francisco Chronicle

Paying rent in CA? It could now help your credit score // KQED

The worst of avian flu outbreak may be over in CA, health officials say // San Francisco Chronicle

Waymo recalled 1,200 robotaxis after repeated crashes with road barriers, filings show // San Francisco Chronicle

Bags of cash from drug cartels flood teller windows across LA County // The Wall Street Journal 

Questions loom over Trump’s order to create housing for 6,000 homeless veterans in West LA // Los Angeles Times

LA council backs $30 minimum wage for hotels, despite warnings from tourism industry // Los Angeles Times

 

See you next time!

Tips, insight or feedback? Email whatmatters@calmatters.org. Subscribe to CalMatters newsletters here. Follow CalMatters on Facebook and Twitter.

 

     

 

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[ekaashasumit]

Types of Social Media Marketing

The Different Types of Social Media Marketing

So, you’ve heard that social media marketing is the key to growing your brand, building community, and “going viral”. Sounds great — but what does that actually mean?

Is it just posting memes and hoping someone shares them? Or boosting a few posts here and there? Or is it something more mysterious (and slightly terrifying) involving algorithms and analytics?

Let’s cut through the noise and break it down. Social media marketing isn’t one thing. It’s a bunch of different approaches — and knowing which type you need can save you time, money, and a lot of late-night Googling.

1. Content Marketing

This is all about creating valuable stuff your audience wants to see: posts, stories, videos, infographics, carousels — you name it. The goal? Build trust, give value, and slowly (but surely) convert viewers into customers.

Best for: Thought leaders, educators, creatives, brands that care about storytelling.

🛠 Tools used: Canva, Later, Buffer, Notion for planning.

2. Paid Social Ads

This is when you pay to put your content in front of specific people — based on interests, location, behaviour, even life events (yes, the internet knows a lot). Think Facebook Ads, Instagram promotions, YouTube pre-rolls, etc.

Best for: Brands with a budget, eCommerce shops, service businesses ready to scale.

💸 Quick tip: A small ad budget can still go a long way — if you know your audience.

3. Influencer Marketing

This is less about you talking about your product — and more about letting someone else talk about it. Influencers already have an audience that trusts them. A good match can make magic happen.

Best for: Lifestyle brands, fashion, fitness, beauty, or niche products with loyal communities.

🤝 Pro tip: Micro-influencers (under 50K followers) often bring better engagement than the mega-famous ones.

4. Community Management

Social media isn’t a billboard — it’s a two-way conversation. This type of marketing focuses on replying to DMs, comments, shoutouts, and building relationships with your audience.

Best for: Every business. If you’re on social, be social.

📣 Bonus: A strong community turns followers into superfans — the kind who promote you for free.

5. User-Generated Content (UGC)

This is when your customers or followers create content for you. Reviews, unboxing videos, “I love this product” selfies — it’s all gold. And it feels way more authentic than ads.

Best for: Brands with happy customers, events, or anything photogenic.

📸 Make it easy: Ask for tags, run contests, or feature fan content (with permission).

6. Social Listening & Trends

This isn’t so much about what you post — but about paying attention. What’s trending? What are people saying about your brand (or your competitors)? Where’s the vibe going?

Best for: Brands that want to stay relevant, avoid PR disasters, and hop on smart trends early.

🧠 Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and even just good old Twitter can help.

So... which type do you need?

That depends on:

Your goals (sales? awareness? loyalty?)

Your resources (budget? time? team?)

Your audience (where they are and what they care about)

But here’s a secret: the best social media strategy usually blends a few of these types. You don’t need to do it all at once — just start with one, get good at it, and layer in more as you grow.

TL;DR:

TypeGreat ForContent MarketingBuilding trust, storytellingPaid AdsFast growth, targetingInfluencer MarketingBrand awareness via othersCommunity ManagementCustomer loyalty, relationshipsUGCAuthentic promotionSocial ListeningStaying relevant

Marketing isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about showing up with purpose. And when you know the type of social media marketing that fits your brand, you’ll stop feeling overwhelmed — and start feeling in control.

[cgink]

From Clicks to Conversions: How Precision Marketing Drives Real Business Growth

Most marketing campaigns look good on paper. They have fancy creatives, clever taglines, and sometimes even decent reach. But at the end of the day, the real question is — Did it convert?

Because in today’s digital ecosystem, awareness alone doesn’t pay the bills. What matters is performance — and that’s where CG iNK leads the way.

Whether you’re an e-commerce startup, B2B service, or regional brand expanding online, you need an agency that doesn’t just promote — it performs. That’s why top brands choose CG iNK as their trusted partner and recognize it as the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India.

What is Performance Marketing, Really? (And Why Most Agencies Get It Wrong)

Performance marketing isn’t about spending money. It’s about making every rupee spent work harder.

At its core, performance marketing is results-first. You don’t just run ads — you optimize continuously. You don’t just boost content — you track every click, conversion, and scroll depth. It’s data-driven, ROI-focused, and brutally honest.

Here’s where many agencies fail: They confuse performance marketing with just “running ads.”

But at CG iNK, we know better.

Our campaigns are built on a tight integration of:

Paid media (Meta, Google, YouTube, LinkedIn)

Landing page optimization

High-converting ad copy

Behavioral targeting

Funnel structuring

Retargeting strategies

A/B testing at scale

And real-time performance audits

That’s how CG iNK delivers measurable, scalable results — making it the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India for brands serious about growth.

Why CG iNK Wins Where Others Waste Budget

Let’s be blunt — most performance campaigns leak money. The audience is too broad. The messaging is off. The landing page takes too long to load. The follow-up strategy is missing.

At CG iNK, we don’t let any of that slide.

Here’s how we do things differently:

Business Goals First, Platforms Second We don’t begin with “let’s run Meta ads.” We begin with: “What is your conversion worth? What’s your CAC goal? What does your customer actually need?” Platforms are tools. Strategy is king.

Creative That Converts, Not Just Looks Good Our team builds performance-ready visuals and copy. Every word, every button, every scroll is planned to reduce friction and improve results.

Live Monitoring, Real Optimization We don’t wait for weeks to change what’s not working. If an ad’s performance drops today, we adjust tomorrow. Speed = savings.

From First Click to Final Sale We track every part of the user journey — from ad impression to form submission, from site visit to WhatsApp chat. That’s how we deliver not just traffic, but action. This no-nonsense, ROI-centric approach is what sets CG iNK apart as the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India.

Real Campaigns. Real Conversions. Real Clients.

Let’s talk proof — not promises.

✅ A Luxury Pillow Brand scaled from ₹2.3 ROAS to ₹5.8 ROAS within 45 days of campaign optimization, by restructuring its funnel, targeting purchase-intent keywords, and using voiceover-led reels produced in-house by CG iNK.

✅ A Modular Kitchen Brand in Uttarakhand generated 80+ qualified leads in just 21 days by combining Meta lead forms with Hindi-English ad copy, CTAs, and customer trust-building carousels. This is not just “marketing.”

This is smart, performance-engineered storytelling. And it's the reason CG iNK is acknowledged as the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India by clients who track results, not just likes.

Full-Funnel Thinking: The Real Power of CG iNK

One of CG iNK’s biggest advantages? We don’t just run your ads — we fix your full funnel.

Is your landing page converting under 2%? We fix it.

Is your ad frequency high but CTR low? We test new creatives.

Is your lead quality weak? We refine targeting and pre-qualifiers.

Is your CRM response slow? We sync WhatsApp automation.

From cold traffic to closed sales, every part of the journey matters — and we’re the rare team that takes ownership of it all.

That’s the mindset you get when working with the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India — we’re in it for your results, not just the retainer.

What You Get When You Work With CG iNK

Let’s be crystal clear — CG iNK isn’t a vendor. We’re your growth partner.

Here’s what working with us looks like:

✍️ Performance-Focused Copywriting Every ad, email, and landing page is crafted to convert.

🎯 Precise Audience Targeting No wasted impressions. We go after intent, not guesswork.

📊 Weekly Dashboards + Action Plans You see what we see — and you see it in real numbers.

📽️ In-House Video Creatives Product demos, reels, testimonial-style ads — we script, shoot, edit.

📞 ROI, Not Excuses If it’s not working, we fix it. No blame game.

With this approach, CG iNK doesn’t just do performance marketing. We do outcome marketing — and that’s what earns us the title of the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India.

Conclusion: If It’s Not Measurable, It’s Not Marketing

In today’s economy, every click costs money. Every scroll matters. Every conversion counts. That’s why you need more than an agency — you need a results-obsessed team that works with speed, skill, and strategy.

You need CG iNK.

So if you’re done wasting budget on underperforming ads and are ready to invest in performance that pays off — the choice is obvious.

Choose results. Choose expertise. Choose CG iNK — the Best Performance Marketing Agency In India.

Want to grow your brand with expert digital marketing solutions? 📞 Call us: +91 9057137131 🌐 Website: www.cgink.in 📧 Email: cgink.in@gmail.com

[champstorymedia]

Secure Your Future: The Power of Setting Clear Financial Goals

Introduction In today’s fast-paced world, securing your financial future has become more important than ever. One of the most powerful tools at your disposal is setting clear financial goals. By defining your objectives and creating a plan to achieve them, you can pave the way for a stable and prosperous future. In this article, we will explore the importance of setting clear financial goals and…

[sujitchaulagainblogs]

How to Choose the Best CRM Software for Your Business

Choosing the right CRM software for your business is a big decision — and the right one can make a world of difference. Whether you’re running a small startup or managing a growing company, having an effective CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system helps you keep track of customers, boost sales, and improve overall productivity. Let’s walk through how you can choose the best CRM for your business without getting overwhelmed.

Why Your Business Needs a CRM

A CRM isn’t just a tool — it’s your business’s central hub for managing relationships. If you’re still relying on spreadsheets or scattered notes, you’re probably losing time (and leads). A good CRM helps you:

Keep customer data organized in one place

Track leads, sales, and follow-ups

Automate routine tasks

Get insights into sales performance

Improve customer service

The goal is simple: work smarter, not harder. And with an affordable CRM that fits your needs, you’ll see faster growth and smoother processes.

Define Your Business Goals

Before diving into features, figure out what you actually need. Ask yourself:

Are you trying to increase sales or improve customer service?

Do you need better lead tracking or marketing automation?

How big is your team, and how tech-savvy are they?

What’s your budget?

Knowing your goals upfront keeps you from wasting time on CRMs that might be packed with unnecessary features — or worse, missing key ones.

Must-Have Features to Look For

When comparing CRM options, focus on features that truly matter for your business. Here are some essentials:

Contact Management – Store customer details, interactions, and notes all in one place.

Lead Tracking – Follow leads through the sales funnel and never miss a follow-up.

Sales Pipeline Management – Visualize where your deals stand and what needs attention.

Automation – Save time by automating emails, reminders, and data entry.

Customization – Adjust fields, workflows, and dashboards to match your process.

Third-Party Integrations – Ensure your CRM connects with other software you rely on, like email marketing tools or accounting systems.

Reports & Analytics – Gain insights into sales, performance, and customer behavior.

User-Friendly Interface – If your team finds it clunky or confusing, they won’t use it.

Budget Matters — But Value Matters More

A CRM doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Plenty of affordable CRM options offer robust features without the hefty price tag. The key is balancing cost with value. Don’t just chase the cheapest option — pick a CRM that supports your business growth.

Take LeadHeed, for example. It’s an affordable CRM designed to give businesses the tools they need — like lead management, sales tracking, and automation — without stretching your budget. It’s a smart pick if you want to grow efficiently without overpaying for features you won’t use.

Test Before You Commit

Most CRMs offer a free trial — and you should absolutely use it. A CRM might look great on paper, but it’s a different story when you’re actually using it. During your trial period, focus on:

How easy it is to set up and start using

Whether it integrates with your existing tools

How fast you can access and update customer information

If your team finds it helpful (or frustrating)

A trial gives you a real feel for whether the CRM is a good fit — before you commit to a paid plan.

Think About Long-Term Growth

Your business might be small now, but what about next year? Choose a CRM that grows with you. Look for flexible pricing plans, scalable features, and the ability to add more users or advanced functions down the line.

It’s better to pick a CRM that can expand with your business than to go through the hassle of switching systems later.

Check Customer Support

Even the best software can hit a snag — and when that happens, you’ll want reliable support. Look for a CRM that offers responsive customer service, whether that’s live chat, email, or phone. A system is only as good as the help you get when you need it.

Read Reviews and Compare

Don’t just rely on the CRM’s website. Read reviews from other businesses — especially ones similar to yours. Sites like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot offer honest insights into what works (and what doesn’t). Comparing multiple CRMs ensures you make a well-rounded decision.

The Bottom Line

Choosing the best CRM software for your business doesn’t have to be complicated. By understanding your goals, focusing on essential features, and keeping scalability and budget in mind, you’ll find a CRM that fits like a glove.

If you’re looking for an affordable CRM Software that checks all the right boxes — without cutting corners — LeadHeed is worth exploring. It’s built to help businesses like yours manage leads, automate tasks, and gain valuable insights while staying within budget.

The right CRM can transform how you run your business. Take the time to find the one that supports your growth, keeps your team organized, and helps you deliver an even better experience to your customers.