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Recession-scarred Millennials fuel growing interest in tiny homes

Chapter OneLIVING TINY: A RECESSION LESSON There are apartments, condos, mansions and now, increasingly — tiny houses.Millennials, some of whom watched their parents struggle to pay mortgages or hold onto their homes and jobs — or lose them — during the Great Recession, often relish the chance to funnel money toward paying off student loans and to live debt free. A small, but growing number of them are opting for a pared-down way of life residing in structures no bigger than roughly 400 square feet. There are now an estimated 10,000 tiny houses as people look to take on less financial risk. This has become especially popular for millenials who are looking for cheaper options as they deal with an inconsistent job market and student lone debt. The number of people living in tiny homes is still, well, small. There are now an estimated 10,000 tiny houses in the U.S. But that's up from just a couple hundred less than five years ago, according to Ryan Mitchell, a tiny house dweller, blogger and author. The tiny-house life is particularly popular with those under the age of 35 and Baby Boomers, and has sparked a wave of TV shows, blogs and even an annual conference dedicated to this alternative way of living.“Millennials saw their parents and friends lose their homes and work in jobs that they didn’t really like," says Mitchell, who founded an annual tiny house conference that held its third-annual gathering in April in Asheville, N.C. For Baby Boomers who saw their retirement savings take a hit during the recession, “Tiny houses give them the option to still retire, and they can live where they like. ... It’s an elegant solution to a lot of problems that a lot of people are facing today. It’s not for everyone, but…
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4 marijuana stats that will blow you away

Austin Smith, for Motley Fool 9:38 a.m. EDT May 17, 2016 You should get to know the world’s most high-profile plant.(Photo: Pixabay)Cannabis is enjoying a major public-image improvement. After all, we've learned that the THC in marijuana has medicinal uses, while the plant fibers in hemp have countless uses in manufacturing. The legitimacy of marijuana is growing as states legalize it and corporations invest substantial resources in cannabinoid research and development.No matter your stance on cannabis, you should get to know the world's most high-profile plant. So here are some facts and figures on marijuana that may surprise or impress you:In Colorado, (legal) sales of recreational and medical marijuana totaled nearly $1 billion in 2015Marijuana is a bigger business than many people realize. Although some are worried about the long-term health effects of marijuana use, it's clear that legalization comes with some benefits to society -- namely, more jobs and tax revenue. In 2014, Colorado collected $76 million in total marijuana-related taxes, and it had collected an additional $87 million from January through August of 2015 -- and much of that revenue went to schools. Indeed, the state collects more from marijuana taxes than from alcohol taxes. Personal-finance website NerdWallet estimated that full nationwide legalization could bring in more than $3 billion in annual tax revenue to our 50 states.About 700,000 people are arrested annually on marijuana-related chargesThat's a lot of people -- and most of them are not dangerous drug kingpins or even local distributors. Fully 88% of those arrested in 2014 were arrested for possession of marijuana, often in small amounts. In fact, a whopping 40% of all drug-related arrests in 2014 were for marijuana possession and not production or sale. That's a huge drain on our criminal justice and penal systems, suggesting that there could be substantial…
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More than 500,000 boycott Target over transgender bathroom policy

Target said customers should use the restroom of the gender they identify with, and everyone seems to have an opinion about the decision. Video provided by Newsy Newslook A petition boycotting Target over its policy to allow transgender people to use the bathroom of their choice in its stores has gained nearly half a million signatures.(Photo: Damian Dovarganes, AP)A conservative Christian activist group has gained more than half a million signatures and counting from people pledging to boycott Target over its transgender bathroom policy.The petition started by the American Family Association on Wednesday raises concerns that Target's inclusive stance on transgender rights encourages sexual predators and puts women and young girls in danger, because "a man can simply say he 'feels like a woman today' and enter the women's restroom."The boycott has more than 517,000 signatures as of Monday afternoon, marking it as one of AFA's most popular campaigns."This is the best response we’ve ever had this quick," says AFA President Tim Wildmon, attributing the protest's viral nature to the fact that "everybody knows who Target is, and it’s an easy-to-understand issue."Wildmon says Target stands "to lose a lot of customers who won't come back." But Target is standing by its policy."We certainly respect that there are a wide variety of perspectives and opinions," says Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder. "As a company that firmly stands behind what it means to offer our team an inclusive place to work — and our guests an inclusive place to shop — we continue to believe that this is the right thing for Target."She added that hundreds of Target stores "have single-stall, family restrooms for those who may be more comfortable with that option."Target made its position public in a blog post last week, stating that the company welcomes "transgender team members and guests…
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5 companies eat profit forecasts for breakfast

Investors are hungry for hot profit reports.(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto) Despite some high-profile misses, The quarter is actually off to a better start than usual, although it's still early. Big surprises are part of every earnings season. Investors can only hope they get more positive ones than negative.Investors will eye companies with track records for regularly eating analysts' earnings estimates for breakfast to see if they can keep it up. There are five companies in the Standard & Poor's 500, including design software maker Autodesk (ADSK[1]), video-game maker Electronic Arts (EA) and oil explorer Transocean (RIG[2]), that have beaten earnings expectations the past four straight quarters by an average of 50% or more, according to a USA TODAY analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence.The quarter is actually off to a better start than usual, although it's still early. So far, 77% of companies that have reported have beaten expectations, which is higher than the 66% that normally do. It's been pretty common for companies to routinely beat expectations lately: 132 companies in the S&P 500 have beaten earnings estimates over the previous four straight quarters.Investors could use some major beats now. Expectations for earnings growth in the first quarter are so low companies could have an easier time surpassing such a low bar. Analysts are calling for a nearly 8% decline in adjusted profit in the first quarter from companies in the S&P 500, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. But slow global growth continues to dog companies, says Mike Thompson, chairman of S&P Investment Advisory Services. There is "a really anemic economic growth scenario, and the rest of the world is providing little in terms of growth," he says.Some investors might wonder which companies have had a strong track record of topping expectations. Take Autodesk, which makes a variety of…
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Saudi Arabia reveals post-oil vision

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman's vision for the future of the nation is to be unveiled today, setting the path forward for the kingdom to reduce its reliance on crude exports. Bloomberg Saudi Defence Minister and Deputy Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, is pictured, right, beside U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashland Carter, left, during during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Defence Ministrial summit in Riyadh, on April 20, 2016. He said he plans to introduce a strategic, 15-year economic plan for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Monday.(Photo: Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)Saudi Arabian officials on Monday laid out a sweeping plan to transform the kingdom from its heavy reliance on oil to a more diverse economy.King Salman announced on television that the country’s cabinet approved the blueprint, called “Vision 2030,” which is aimed at creating more jobs and stimulating foreign investment. He urged Saudis to work together toward its success.The king’s 30-year-old son, Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, expanded on the plan in a prerecorded interview aired shortly after his father’s appearance on Al-Arabiya, a Saudi owned network. Saudi stocks have been vulnerable to the whims of crude oil prices, which fell this year to their lowest levels in a decade. The prince, who is second in line to the throne, leads the Council for Economic and Development Affairs, which oversees the country's finance, oil and economic agencies.The prince said the reforms are aimed at addressing housing and unemployment problems and ensuring that water and energy subsidies go to those most in need. He has said he would release details on the budget and economic policies in six weeks in the form of his National Transformation Plan.The long-term plan involves changes to the kingdom's oil company, Saudi Aramco, to revamp it into an energy and industrial conglomerate—in line…
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Fed may leave door open to June hike -- barely

Nicholas Gartside, chief investment officer of international fixed income at JPMorgan Chase Bank, and Bloomberg's Guy Johnson discuss U.S. interest rates, the impact of a rate hike on the dollar and when we could see the next hike. Bloomberg Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen leads a two-day Fed meeting this week.(Photo: JASON SZENES, EPA)With U.S. economic growth stalling and global risks still looming, the odds of the Federal Reserve raising interest rates this spring are dwindling and Fed policymakers are likely to convey that message after a meeting this week, economists say.While there’s virtually no chance of a rate hike at a two-day meeting that begins Tuesday, many economists had maintained their call of a June move even after a surprisingly cautious speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen late last month.Since then, however, economic growth has slowed and an upward drift in inflation toward the Fed’s 2% annual target has lost steam.“They need to see evidence that the growth slowdown in the first quarter is transitory and inflation is actually firming,” Barclays Chief U.S. economist Michael Gapen, a former Fed staffer, says.The Fed raised its benchmark rate from near zero to about 0.4% in December, the first hike in nine years. But it has stood pat since.The economy grew just 1.4% at an annual rate in the fourth quarter amid a pullback in business stockpiling and a downturn in exports due to the global weakness and a strong dollar.A surge in consumption was expected to drive growth in the first quarter. Instead, retail sales and consumer spending reports disappointed, compounding the ongoing headwinds of feeble exports and a oil-price slump that has hammered energy investment. Many economists expect growth of less than 1% in the Jan.-March period.“Any way you slice it, the economy is falling short of the Fed’s growth…
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