Money & Economy on Facts

What is Who Gives A Crap?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 18:04:13 +0000

How it started

The company was founded in Melbourne by Simon Griffiths, Jehan Ratnatunga and Danny Alexander. To raise money for the first production run in 2012, Griffiths famously sat on a toilet in a warehouse, livestreaming, and promised not to get up until crowdfunding reached its goal. It took about 50 hours.

What is Start With Why?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:48:51 +0000

The Golden Circle

Picture three circles, one inside the other:

Circle	Question	Example
Why (center)	What’s your purpose? Why does your organization exist?	“We believe in challenging the status quo.”
How	What makes you different?	“Our products are beautifully designed and easy to use.”
What (outer)	What do you sell or do?	“We make computers.”

Sinek says most organizations communicate from the outside in: “We make great computers. Want to buy one?” Inspiring ones go inside out, starting with the belief, because “people don’t buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”

Why is the stock market down today?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:48:51 +0000

The usual suspects

Trigger	Why it pushes stocks down
Interest rates	Higher rates make borrowing costlier and make safer investments like bonds more attractive
Inflation data	Hotter-than-expected inflation raises fears of higher rates
Jobs and economic data	Signs of a slowdown can mean lower profits ahead
Earnings reports	When big companies miss forecasts or give weak guidance, their shares, and sometimes the whole market, fall
A few giant stocks	Indexes like the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are heavily weighted toward large tech companies, so their moves drag the whole index
Global events	Wars, trade disputes, tariffs, elections or a crisis abroad
Oil prices	Sharp rises increase costs for businesses and consumers

Index or single stock?

If one company’s stock is down, such as Google’s parent Alphabet, look first at company news: earnings, a lawsuit, regulation, or an analyst downgrade. If the whole market is down, look at the economic and global news above.

What is the 5 Whys analysis?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:48:44 +0000

A classic example

Problem: The car won’t start.

Why?	Answer
1. Why won’t the car start?	The battery is dead.
2. Why is the battery dead?	The alternator isn’t working.
3. Why isn’t the alternator working?	Its belt has broken.
4. Why did the belt break?	It was past its service life and never replaced.
5. Why wasn’t it replaced?	The car wasn’t serviced on schedule.

Root cause: No maintenance schedule. Replacing the battery would only fix the symptom; following a service schedule prevents it happening again.

Why is gold dropping?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:46:48 +0000

What pushes gold down

Factor	Why it matters
Stronger US dollar	Gold is priced in dollars, so a stronger dollar makes it more expensive for buyers using other currencies
Higher real interest rates	Gold pays no interest, so it looks less attractive when bonds and savings pay more after inflation
Risk-on mood	When investors feel confident, they move from “safe havens” like gold into stocks
Profit-taking	After a big run-up, traders often sell to lock in gains, causing sharp short-term drops
Central bank buying slows	Central banks have been major buyers; any slowdown can weigh on prices
Calmer world events	Gold often rises in crises and can fall when tensions ease

Why silver moves differently

Silver is both a precious metal and an industrial metal, used in solar panels, electronics and electric vehicles. So it reacts to the same forces as gold plus the outlook for factories and the economy. It’s a smaller market, which makes its moves bigger in both directions. Read how solar panels work to see one place silver goes.

What is Kalshi?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:23:33 +0000

How event contracts work

Every market asks a yes-or-no question, such as “Will it snow in New York on Christmas Day?”

Contracts trade between 1¢ and 99¢.
The price roughly reflects how likely traders think the event is: a price of 70¢ suggests a 70% chance.
If the event happens, each “yes” contract pays $1. If not, it pays $0.

Example: You buy 10 “yes” contracts at 40¢ each, spending $4. If the event happens, you receive $10. If it doesn’t, you lose your $4.

What is my council tax band?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:23:23 +0000

Where to check

Country	Where to look	Bands
England	GOV.UK band checker	A–H
Wales	GOV.UK band checker	A–I
Scotland	Scottish Assessors (saa.gov.uk)	A–H
Northern Ireland	No council tax; homes pay domestic rates instead	—

Checking is free. Be wary of websites that charge to check or challenge your band.

What is hospital indemnity insurance?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:23:14 +0000

Health insurance pays a share of your medical bills. Hospital indemnity insurance works differently: it pays a set amount based on an event, no matter how much the hospital charges.

What is coinsurance?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 17:23:05 +0000

An example step by step

Say your plan has a $1,500 deductible, 20% coinsurance and a $6,000 out-of-pocket maximum, and you have a covered $10,000 hospital bill:

Step	You pay	Plan pays
First $1,500 (deductible)	$1,500	$0
Remaining $8,500 at 20% / 80%	$1,700	$6,800
Total	$3,200	$6,800

If more bills arrive later in the year, you keep paying 20% until your total spending reaches $6,000. After that, the plan pays 100% of covered care for the rest of the plan year.

How to find out how much something is worth

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:41:36 +0000

Free ways to check value

Item	Where to look
Most everyday items, collectibles, electronics	eBay Sold items filter; Facebook Marketplace and other resale apps
Cars	Kelley Blue Book, Edmunds or similar guides, using exact mileage and condition
Books and records	Completed sales on eBay, AbeBooks and Discogs
Gold and silver	The current metal price times the weight and purity
Coins and stamps	Recent auction results and established price guides

How to search sold listings on eBay

Search for the item using the brand, model and key details.
Under filters, tick Sold items (or Completed items).
Compare listings in the same condition as yours.
Take the typical price, not the highest outlier.

What changes the value

Condition: Scratches, missing parts or repairs can cut value sharply.
Rarity and demand: Old doesn’t always mean valuable. Popular, hard-to-find items sell best.
Original packaging and papers: Boxes, receipts and certificates often add value.
Provenance: Proof of where something came from matters a lot for art and antiques.

When to get a professional appraisal

For anything that might be worth a lot, such as fine jewelry, paintings, antique furniture or insurance claims, use an appraiser accredited by a recognized professional association. A proper appraiser charges a flat or hourly fee, not a percentage of the item’s value.

How much is a stamp?

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:40:10 +0000

US postage prices usually change once or twice a year, so it helps to know which stamp you need and what it costs right now.

Current US stamp prices

Stamp	Price (since July 12, 2026)
Forever stamp (1 oz letter)	82¢
Postcard stamp	65¢
International letter or postcard (Global Forever)	$1.75

A standard Forever stamp covers a regular letter weighing up to 1 ounce. Heavier letters, large envelopes and odd shapes cost more, so check the price at a post office or on usps.com if you’re unsure.

How to make money online

Thu, 05 Nov 2026 16:32:14 +0000

Making money online works the same way as making money offline: someone pays you because you saved them time, solved a problem or sold them something they wanted. Anything promising money for almost no effort deserves suspicion.