At his Feb. 24 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump promoted his newly launched “Trump accounts.”
The accounts are seeded with a $1,000 head start from the federal government, and Trump said accountholders, with “modest additional contributions,” could see their investment “grow to over $100,000 or more by the time they turn 18.”
The White House said before the Super Bowl that 1 million people had already signed up in one week.
But this growth is not guaranteed over decades, and it almost certainly wouldn’t happen in 18 years. The estimate doesn’t factor in inflation, the risk of lower investment returns in the future, and the taxes upon withdrawal.
For the “Trump accounts,” babies born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028, will receive $1,000 from the federal government. Parents can make additional deposits but aren’t required to.
An investment calculator maintained by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission shows that $1,000 could grow to about $6,000 after 18 years — far less than the $100,000 Trump cited.
Even if accountholders added a total of $9,000 during that time to that starting $1,000 — something many Americans couldn’t afford to do — it would produce about $60,000 in 18 years, at a 10% rate of growth.
The historical annual average gain for the U.S. stock market is about 10%, but that rate of gain is not assured. Management fees also could eat into any gains.
Even a modest 2% inflation rate would take a big bite out of the final amount.
Finally, the amount in the account would decline further upon withdrawal because of taxes.
Imagine trying to teach a student how to navigate the city of New York in 2026 using a map from 1950. The streets have changed names, new bridges have been built, and the traffic patterns have completely changed and are unrecognizable. The student fails not because they lack intelligence, but because the data provided is obsolete.
Sadly, that’s exactly how we teach kids about money in American high schools today.
In high schools across the country, we give students older resources like textbooks printed three years ago or PDFs from 2022, and we expect them to navigate a financial landscape that is dynamic and always changing. We teach them about 2 percent mortgage rates when they are really around 6-7 percent and talk about tax rules that haven’t been valid for years.
We are not teaching financial literacy–rather we are teaching financial history. The latency is costing the next generation their economic future. This must change.
The latency problem
The fundamental flaw in traditional edtech is that it treats finance like literature or a history class where things do not change. For example, the American revolution in 1776 is the same whether you learn it in 2001 or 2025–but in finance and money, things like interest rates, contribution limits and rules are always changing.
When the Federal Reserve changes the federal funds rate, rates on student loans or savings accounts also changes. A paper textbook can’t keep up with that, nor can a pre-recorded video module capture this change. By the time an old-fashioned curriculum is approved, printed, and distributed, things might even change again, which leads to outdated information regarding financial realities.
This delay gap creates a disconnect between the classroom and the real world. Students learn definitions for a test, but when they open a real brokerage app or apply for their first credit card, they realize what they learned in class doesn’t match what’s happening, which makes them find connecting the classroom to the real world difficult.
The Live-State solution
Some might argue that the solution is better or fancier textbooks, but I say we retire the static finance textbook completely and move to the future of money education: something called Live-State Logic. This is a big change from old, static content to systems that use live data.
With Live-State Logic, school curriculum will function like a living thing. Instead of fixed printed lessons, the educational platform will act like a bridge that connects the classroom to the real world. For example, updated financial info would feed straight to the software, so that when the IRS changes the standard deduction, the platform receives that data and automatically updates the lesson on tax filing for our young students. Also, if the Fed hints at a rate hike, the ‘Buying Your First Car’ module and the interest rate part instantly adjust the monthly payment calculations for students. I truly believe this is a necessary evolution of education, especially personal finance education for young students. We see this technology in high-frequency trading and institutional accounting, so why isn’t it in our classrooms?
From memorization to simulation
When we link real-word data with education, we unlock a very powerful pedagogical tool I call “True Simulation.” No one has been able to learn to swim by reading a book about water or without getting into the water. You must get wet. Similarly, you cannot learn to manage risk by reading a definition of “volatility”–you must experience it to really understand it.
Live-State architecture lets us build safe practice areas where students can deal with today’s reality. They can build or wreck their credit using live credit simulation. They can manage a budget against current inflation numbers and make critical decisions before they use their own money. They can even try out a sample investment portfolio against live market conditions.
This way, they see the results of their choices right away, in a safe place, before making mistakes that cost them real money later.
The equity imperative
Critics might say this technology is too complex for high schoolers. I say we have a moral duty to provide it
As a professional who also works in finance, I know wealthy families have always had access to Live-State logic–it’s called a private wealth manager or a CPA who navigates the changing rules for them. Low-income students rely entirely on the school system. If the school system gives them old info, we’re putting these students, who need high-quality financial tools the most to succeed today, at a disadvantage.
Democratizing financial intelligence means democratizing the technology that delivers it. We must stop giving our students maps from the 1950s if we want them to succeed in 2026. It’s time to build a bridge to the present and give our future leaders the tools they need in our modern, tech-driven world.
MY BIO:
Isaac Lamptey, Piggy Investors
Isaac Lamptey is an Investment Accountant and the Founder/Chief Architect of Piggy Investors, an edtech company. He holds a patent-pending status for the “Regulatory Bridge,” an AI-driven architecture designed to integrate real-time financial compliance into educational simulations for financial education for middle and high schools in the United States.
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I own over 100 stocks. I like to have a well-diversified portfolio. I also often take a basket approach to investing in a specific theme rather than attempting to uncover the one company that will deliver the best returns in a given trend.
However, if I could only buy and hold a single stock, it would be Brookfield Corporation(NYSE: BN). The global investment manager sits at the intersection of several of my highest conviction investment themes. That puts it in a strong position to produce robust returns in the coming years.
Image source Getty Images.
Brookfield Corporation is one of the world’s leading global investment firms. It has three distinct businesses, each of which will benefit from strong growth drivers in the coming years:
Operating businesses: The company has a portfolio built around four operating businesses. It has a 26% interest in Brookfield Infrastructure, a 46% stake in Brookfield Renewable, a 68% interest in Brookfield Business, and owns 100% of Brookfield Property.
The company is at the forefront of several global investment megatrends. Its businesses are capitalizing on AI infrastructure, decarbonization, increased investor allocations to alternatives, the expansion of private credit, and the commercial real estate recovery.These catalysts position Brookfield Corporation to grow its earnings significantly in the coming years, supporting its long-term target of delivering total annualized returns above 15% for its shareholders.
Brookfield believes AI could become the most impactful general-purpose technology in history. To reach its full potential, the world will need to invest in building out the necessary physical infrastructure to support its adoption, including data centers and clean power production capacity. The company estimates that total spending on AI-related infrastructure will exceed $1 trillion this decade and $7 trillion over the next 10 years.
The company’s ecosystem will create a virtuous cycle as it takes a multi-faceted approach to capitalize on this massive investment opportunity. Late last year, Brookfield Asset Management launched its inaugural Brookfield Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Fund, anchored by an investment from Brookfield Corporation. The fund aims to acquire up to $100 billion of AI infrastructure assets. The first seed investments in the fund included the launch of the Brookfield-owned cloud services company Radiant and up to $5 billion in advanced fuel cells developed by Bloom Energy. Its affiliate, Brookfield Infrastructure, is investing up to $140 million into one of those fuel cell projects. That entity is also investing in building out several global data centers and in two U.S. semiconductorfabrication facilities. Meanwhile, Brookfield Renewable is investing heavily to build out additional renewable energy capacity to support AI data center demand.
AI infrastructure is one of the many trends Brookfield Corporation has positioned its business to capitalize on in the coming years. Another massive trend is the rise in individuals seeking alternative investments. They hold $40 trillion in wealth, which is nearly double the size of the institutional investor capital pool ($22 trillion). Brookfield created its wealth solutions platform to provide individuals with solutions such as annuities. Additionally, Brookfield Asset Management is developing investment products designed to meet the needs of individual investors.
Add in other growth drivers such as the recovery of commercial real estate and the expansion of private credit, and Brookfield believes its core businesses will grow its distributable earnings at a 20% annualized rate over the next five years. Meanwhile, Brookfield Corporation’s three businesses generate robust and growing free cash flow, providing it with additional capital to allocate in creating value for its shareholders. The company believes its capital allocation strategy, which including share buybacks, fund investments, and acquisitions, will add another 5% to its annual earnings-per-share growth rate over the next five years, boosting the total to 25% annualized. That drives Brookfield’s view that its stock will be worth at least $140 a share by 2030.
Brookfield Corporation has a long history of growing shareholder value. It has delivered a 19% annualized total return over the last three decades, crushing the S&P 500‘s 11% annualized return. It’s in a strong position to deliver similar, if not better, returns over the next five-plus years. That high return potential, driven by its exposure to so many of my highest-conviction investment themes, is why I’d buy Brookfield’s stock if it were the only one I could invest in right now.
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Matt DiLallo has positions in Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Corporation, Brookfield Infrastructure, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable, and Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bloom Energy, Brookfield, Brookfield Asset Management, Brookfield Corporation, and Brookfield Wealth Solutions. The Motley Fool recommends Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, Brookfield Renewable, and Brookfield Renewable Partners. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to deliver his final State of the State address as the state’s governor this Thursday.Newsom will host the address at the state Capitol in front of a joint session of the Legislature, the first time he has done so since 2020. In recent years, he has opted for writing letters to the Legislature, releasing pre-recorded messages or touring across the state to issue new policies and initiatives.Ahead of the address, the governor’s office offered brief outlines of themes Newsom is expected to touch upon. One topic includes homelessness and California’s efforts to resolve the state’s mental health crisis.Housing affordability, education and investment in public schools are other topics outlined. The governor also plans on addressing public safety, violent crime, and theft across the state, and the various levels of law enforcement working to handle those issues.Another major topic Newsom is expected to address is climate initiatives and how California’s policies have implications both nationally and globally.Newsom’s office also shared that Newsom will convey that California is a stable democracy, an economic engine with conscience, and a “functioning alternative to Donald Trump’s federal dysfunction.” The State of the State address begins at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.Because there is a two-term limit on holding the office of California governor, Newsom will not be able to run for a third term.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Gov. Gavin Newsom is set to deliver his final State of the State address as the state’s governor this Thursday.
Newsom will host the address at the state Capitol in front of a joint session of the Legislature, the first time he has done so since 2020. In recent years, he has opted for writing letters to the Legislature, releasing pre-recorded messages or touring across the state to issue new policies and initiatives.
Ahead of the address, the governor’s office offered brief outlines of themes Newsom is expected to touch upon. One topic includes homelessness and California’s efforts to resolve the state’s mental health crisis.
Housing affordability, education and investment in public schools are other topics outlined. The governor also plans on addressing public safety, violent crime, and theft across the state, and the various levels of law enforcement working to handle those issues.
Another major topic Newsom is expected to address is climate initiatives and how California’s policies have implications both nationally and globally.
Newsom’s office also shared that Newsom will convey that California is a stable democracy, an economic engine with conscience, and a “functioning alternative to Donald Trump’s federal dysfunction.”
The State of the State address begins at 10:30 a.m. Thursday.
Because there is a two-term limit on holding the office of California governor, Newsom will not be able to run for a third term.
Fancy grocer Erewhon will return to Pacific Palisades in an entirely rebuilt store, as the neighborhood’s luxury mall, owned by developer Rick Caruso, undergoes renovations for a reopening next August.
Palisades Village has been closed since the Jan. 7 wildfire destroyed much of the neighborhood. The outdoor mall survived the blaze but needed to be refurbished to eliminate contaminants that the fire could have spread, Caruso said.
The developer is spending $60 million to bring back Palisades Village, removing and replacing drywall from stores and restaurants. Dirt from the outdoor areas is also being replaced.
Demolition is complete and the tenants’ spaces are now being restored, Caruso said.
“It was not a requirement to do that from a scientific standpoint,” he said. “But it was important to me to be able to tell guests that the property is safe and clean.”
Erewhon’s store was taken down to the studs and is being reconfigured with a larger outdoor seating area for dining and events.
When it opens its doors sometime next year, it will be the only grocer in the heart of the fire-ravaged neighborhood.
The announcement of Erewhon’s comeback marks a milestone in the recovery of Pacific Palisades and signals renewed investment in restoring essential neighborhood services and supporting the community’s long-term economic health, Caruso said.
A photograph of the exterior of Erewhon in Pacific Palisades in 2024.
(Kailyn Brown/Los Angeles Times)
“They are one of the sexiest supermarkets in the world now and they are in high demand,” he said. “Their committing to reopening is a big statement on the future of the Palisades and their belief that it’s going to be back stronger than ever.”
Caruso previously attributed the mall’s survival to the hard work of private firefighters and the fire-resistant materials used in the mall’s construction. The $200-million shopping and dining center opened in 2018 with a movie theater and a roster of upmarket tenants, including Erewhon.
“We’re honored to join the incredible effort underway at Palisades Village,” Erewhon Chief Executive Tony Antoci said in a statement. “Reopening is a meaningful way for us to contribute to the healing and renewal of this neighborhood.”
Erewhon has cultivated a following of shoppers who visit daily to grab a prepared meal or one of its celebrity-backed $20 smoothies.
The privately held company doesn’t share financial figures, but has said its all-day cafes occupy roughly 30% of its floor space and serve 100,000 customers each week.
Erewhon has also branched out beyond selling groceries.
Its fast-growing private-label line now includes Erewhon-branded apparel, bags, candles, nutritional supplements and bath and body products.
Erewhon will also open new stores in West Hollywood in February, in Glendale in May and at Caruso’s The Lakes at Thousand Oaks mall in July 2026.
About 90% of the tenants are expected to return to the mall when it reopens, Caruso said, including restaurants Angelini Ristorante & Bar and Hank’s. Local chef Nancy Silverton has agreed to move in with a new Italian steakhouse called Spacca Tutto.
In May, Pacific Palisades-based fashion designer Elyse Walker said she would reopen her eponymous store in Palisades Village after losing her 25-year flagship location on Antioch Street in the inferno.
Fashion designer Elyse Walker announced the reopening of her flagship store at the Palisades Village in May.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
“People who live in the Palisades don’t want to leave,” Walker said at the time. “It’s a magical place.”
Caruso carried on annual holiday traditions at Palisades Village this year, including the lighting of a 50-foot Christmas tree for hundreds of celebrants Dec. 5. On Sunday evening, leaders from the Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades gathered at the mall to light a towering menorah.
A total of 6,822 structures were destroyed in the Palisades fire, including more than 5,500 residences and 100 commercial businesses, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Caruso said he hopes the shopping center’s revival will inspire residents to return. His investment “shows my belief that the community is coming back,” he said. “Next year is going to be huge.”
A former investment advisor who lived in a Coconut Grove luxury high-rise condo has pleaded guilty to directing a Ponzi scheme that fleeced $94 million from Venezuelan investors and Catholic dioceses in the South American country over the past two decades.
Andrew H. Jacobus, 64, pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and money laundering this month. He now faces 15 years or more in prison at his sentencing in early February in Miami federal court after admitting that he bilked dozens of Venezuelans living in South Florida and abroad, according to his plea agreement and other court records.
Jacobus, who was granted a bond after his arrest in July and now lives in a Fort Lauderdale apartment, must repay the victims of his investment scheme and assist federal investigators in tracking down their stolen funds, but it’s unclear from court records how much the former investment advisor still has available in assets.
Jacobus induced the various Venezuelans — including a nonprofit group that supports the retirement and healthcare of Catholic priests — to invest tens of millions of dollars by promising them high-yield returns on fixed-income funds under his companies’ control, says a factual statement filed with his plea agreement. Jacobus admitted that he used those funds to pay off some investors while stealing from others to enrich himself between 2004 and 2024, the statement says.
Jacobus, who operated two Coral Gables-based businesses, Finser International Corp. and Kronus Financial Corp., promised yearly investment returns of 12% to 15% on certificates of deposit and other fixed-income securities as he secretly swindled investors until some learned of his theft in 2022 and complained to federal authorities, leading to an Internal Revenue Service criminal investigation and grand jury indictment filed in Miami this year.
Fictitious account statements
The factual statement, underscoring Jacobus’ guilty pleas to two counts in the indictment, notes that one Venezuelan investor transferred $1 million to a Kronus bank account in July 2020 “based on the defendant’s false representations that the money would be used for investment purposes.” Instead, Jacobus moved $120,000 from that account to another so that he could pay other investors to perpetuate his international Ponzi scheme.
“To conceal his fraud, Jacobus would create and provide to the victims fictitious account statements or balances purporting to show the investment portfolio and related balances, when in fact the victims’ accounts had significantly smaller balances,” Jacobus admitted in the factual statement signed by him, his defense attorney, Bruce Lehr, and federal prosecutor Robert Moore.
In addition to the indictment, the Securities and Exchange Commission also sued Jacobus and his companies, alleging he committed the same fraud scheme in a civil lawsuit.
The Venezuelan investors — 10 people are listed by their initials and two others as faith-based organizations in the indictment — turned to the United States as a safe haven to protect their money as their country collapsed economically during the administrations of the late President Hugo Chavez and current leader Nicolas Maduro.
At least five lawsuits in Miami-Dade
In recent years, several investors sued Jacobus and his firm, accusing them of fraud and civil theft involving tens of millions of dollars, according to civil court filings. They also notified the SEC, which had sanctioned Jacobus over pocketing exorbitant fees in a cease-and-desist order in 2020 when he and his firm, Finser International Corp., managed about $79 million in investment funds.
Among Jacobus’ investment victims: a wealthy businessman who owns a crane business, a plastic surgeon and a renowned sculptor, all from Venezuela, according to court records.
Jacobus’ investors accused the investment advisor of withholding and misappropriating their funds after they demanded he return their money, according to at least five lawsuits filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
Miami attorney Michael Padula, who filed three of those suits against the former investment advisor, said Jacobus “preyed on churches and hard-working entrepreneurs and investors and cost people their life savings.”
The first two cases accusing Jacobus of fraud and other civil violations were brought in 2022 by Padula, a former prosecutor at the Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Office who had focused on white-collar crime. Padula accused Jacobus of running a “Ponzi scheme” by using newer investors’ money to pay off older ones — an allegation that caught the attention of other Venezuelans who invested millions of dollars with Jacobus.
Padula’s clients, Fermin Suarez, a wealthy Venezuelan crane business owner, and Tubalcain Morales, who lives in Venezuela and Spain, reached respective settlements with Jacobus totaling about $18.5 million and $650,000, according to court records. Jacobus made a few payments to both men, then defaulted, Padula said.
Padula’s third client, Manuel Egea, a plastic surgeon residing in Venezuela, also filed suit in Miami, claiming he invested his “life savings” of about $9.5 million with Jacobus. The surgeon’s money was mostly placed in fixed-income investment funds that regularly yielded substantial monthly returns for years, his lawsuit states. But in 2023, Egea claims in his suit, the payments stopped, despite “several written requests to withdraw portions of [his] investment.”
Egea received a final judgment for his loss against Jacobus’ entities for $30 million, Padula said. But recovering funds from Jacobus or his companies has proven difficult, he said.
‘Jacobus had cleaned out her account’
Court records show other victims: Beatriz Aleman, an investment manager herself, and her husband, James Mathison, a sculptor whose work has been exhibited at shows in Miami, Venezuela and Europe, had an investment relationship with Jacobus dating back to 2012.
In their lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court, the couple said they invested about $2 million with Jacobus through the fall of 2022 and Aleman herself referred more than 20 investors to him over the past decade.
The couple’s lawyer, Clarissa Rodriguez, said that before filing suit, she sent a letter to Jacobus demanding that he return the couple’s money — but he refused. The couple pursued legal action against Jacobus after they initially asked him to turn over about $760,000 in savings that he invested with the discount online firm, Interactive Brokers.
According to the couple’s suit, Aleman grew suspicious of Jacobus when she asked him to transfer $200,000 from her Interactive account to her bank in May 2023.
In an email, Aleman gave him instructions on where to wire the money, but Jacobus gave her excuses about transferring it, according to the suit. She then asked for a conference call with Jacobus, and he responded in an email that he was tired of repeating himself “ad nauseum” on the phone about the reasons for the delay. But they had never talked on the phone about the money transfer, leading Aleman to believe Jacobus “gaslighted” her, according to the couple’s suit.
Aleman learned from Interactive that her log-in credentials no longer existed and that the email address on file for her account had been changed to Jacobus’, the suit states. She found out that “Jacobus had cleaned out her account,” leaving Aleman with only $15,000 in savings at Interactive. A representative told Aleman that the monthly statements Jacobus had sent her showing her savings intact were “fake.”
On June 21, 2023, Jacobus admitted that he took her money for his own personal needs.
“I want to begin this note by asking for your forgiveness,” Jacobus emailed Aleman in Spanish, which was translated in the couple’s court filing. “I needed to make an urgent payment and without consulting you first, I boldly borrowed funds in your account at Interactive, with all the intention of returning them to you with a 15% return and without causing you any loss.”
But Aleman and her husband, Mathison, never got back their money, according to their lawyer.
Jay Weaver writes about federal crime at the crossroads of South Florida and Latin America. Since joining the Miami Herald in 1999, he’s covered the federal courts nonstop, from Elian Gonzalez’s custody battle to Alex Rodriguez’s steroid abuse. He was part of the Herald teams that won the 2001 and 2022 Pulitzer Prizes for breaking news on Elian’s seizure by federal agents and the collapse of a Surfside condo building killing 98 people. He and three Herald colleagues were 2019 Pulitzer Prize finalists for explanatory reporting on gold smuggling between South America and Miami.
OpenAI has committed more than $1.4 trillion that it will spend on building out its data center infrastructure to power the development and deployment of its AI models over the next eight years. Notably, OpenAI does not have $1.4 trillion. Also notable is the fact that the company doesn’t make that much money. That means it’ll remain reliant primarily on fundraising rounds to pay the bills as they come due. According to a report from the Financial Times, all OpenAI has to do is raise $207 billion by 2030 in order to keep operating at a deep loss. Easy peasy!
The report cites a recent analysis of OpenAI’s finances from HSBC, the British multinational financial services giant, which has taken into account the AI startup’s planned spending on infrastructure, compute, and energy costs, as well as its projected revenue to offset all those costs.
The bank estimates that OpenAI will run up a bill of $620 billion per year on data center costs, with a caveat that it has signed contracts for more computing power than is actually available at the moment. Then it created an estimate for the company’s customer reach, which is currently reported to be 800 million by OpenAI’s count and will reach three billion by 2030 under HSBC’s model. The bank generously estimates that OpenAI will convert 10% of that reach into paying customers, double its current rate of 5%. Those estimates are more generous than OpenAI’s reported internal ones, which have the company reaching 2.6 billion and converting 8.5% of them to paying subscribers by the end of the decade. HSBC also tosses OpenAI some advertising revenue under the assumption that LLM firms will take about 2% of the total digital ad market in the coming years.
With all that, HSBC projects that OpenAI will hit about $215 billion in annual revenue by 2030. That, once again, tops OpenAI’s own projections, which reportedly put it at about $200 billion annually by the end of the decade. Both models are calling for what is basically unprecedented growth, but let’s roll with it. Taking into account OpenAI’s current cash flow plus its projected expectation-busting growth projections would still leave the company with a funding deficit of $207 billion. Per HSBC, the company will need to raise that much just to continue operating in the red.
OpenAI has options to shrink that funding gap, though none of them are all that appealing. The company could back out of some of its data center commitments to shrink its expenditures, though it might not provide much comfort to investors who are counting on something closer to infinite growth. It could also blow past even the generous revenue projections made by HSBC, which seems unlikely and not really something it can just manufacture. If generating revenue were easy, the company would be doing it.
Then there’s the other option that OpenAI execs started floating before immediately getting push back: get a government bailout. Contingency plans usually aren’t a bad idea, but it probably doesn’t instill a whole lot of confidence that you’re planning on the possibility of failing so hard that you might drag the entire economy down with you.
In October of 2018, U.S.-based journalist and Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Istanbul, Turkey. The CIA concluded that the assassination was carried out by Saudi operatives, on order of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The prince denied the accusations, although other U.S. intelligence agencies later made the same formal assessment.
Tuesday, President Trump showered the Saudi leader with praise during his first invitation to the White House since the killing. “We’ve been really good friends for a long period of time,” said Trump. “We’ve always been on the same side of every issue.”
Clearly. Their shared disdain — and fear — of a free press was evident, from downplaying the killing of Khashoggi to snapping at ABC News reporter Mary Bruce when she asked about his murder.
“You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question like that,” Trump said, then he proceeded to debase a journalist who wasn’t there to report on the event because he’d been silenced, forever. Referring to Khashoggi, he said, “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happen.”
Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Jamal Khashoggi.
(Associated Press / Tribune News Service)
Fender-benders happen. Spilled milk happens. But the orchestrated assassination of a journalist by a regime that he covers is not one of those “things” that just happen. It’s an orchestrated hit meant to silence critics, control the narrative and bury whatever corruption, human rights abuses or malfeasance that a healthy free press is meant to expose.
Bruce did what a competent reporter is supposed to do. She deviated from Tuesday’s up-with-Saudi-Arabia! agenda to ask the hard questions of powerful men not used to being questioned about anything, let alone murder. The meeting was meant to highlight the oil-rich country’s investment in the U.S. economy, and at Trump’s prompting, Prince Mohammed said those investments could total $1 trillion.
Prince Mohammed addressed the death of Khashoggi by saying his country hopes to do better in the future, whatever that means. “It’s painful and it’s a huge mistake, and we are doing our best that this doesn’t happen again.”
And just in case the two men hadn’t made clear how little they cared about the slain journalist, and how much they disdain the news media, Trump drove those points home when he referred to Bruce’s query as “a horrible, insubordinate, and just a terrible question.” He suggesting that ABC should lose its broadcasting license.
Trump confirmed Tuesday that he intends to sell “top of the line” F-35 stealth fighter jets to Riyadh. It’s worth noting that the team of 15 Saudi agents allegedly involved in Khashoggi’s murder flew to Istanbul on government aircraft. The reporter was lured to the Saudi embassy to pick up documents that were needed for his planned marriage to a Turkish woman.
The prince knew nothing about it, said Trump on Tuesday, despite the findings of a 2021 report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that cited “the direct involvement of a key adviser and members of Mohammad bin Salman’s protective detail.” It concluded that it was “highly unlikely that Saudi officials would have carried out an operation of this nature without the Crown Prince’s authorization.”
To no one’s surprise, the Saudi government had tried to dodge the issue before claiming Khashoggi had been killed by rogue officials, insisting that the slaying and dismemberment was not premeditated. They offered no explanation of how a bonesaw just happened to be available inside the embassy.
President Trump shakes hands with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House in 2018.
(MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Five men were sentenced to death, but one of Khashoggi’s sons later announced that the family had forgiven the killers, which, in accordance with Islamic law, spared them from execution.
The president’s castigation of ABC’s Bruce was the second time in a week that he has ripped into a female journalist when she asked a “tough” question (i.e. anything Newsmax won’t ask). Trump was speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One last Friday when Bloomberg News’ Catherine Lucey asked him follow-up question about the Epstein files. The president replied, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
Trump’s contempt for the press was clear, but so was something else he shares with the crown prince, Hungary’s Victor Orban and Vladimir Putin: The president doesn’t just hate the press. He fears it.
Apple’s board of directors and senior executives have been accelerating succession plans for Tim Cook, sources told the Financial Times.
After serving as CEO for 14 years, Cook may step down as early as next year, the report said.
Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, 50-year-old John Ternus, is widely seen as the most likely successor, but no final decisions have been made yet, sources told the FT.
The engineer joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and has overseen hardware engineering for most major products the tech company has launched ever since, according to Ternus’ LinkedIn profile.
He has also played a prominent role during Apple’s most recent keynotes, introducing products like the new iPhone Air. Ternus had been rumored to be Cook’s potential successor, according to previous reports.
The company is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, and an early-year announcement would allow a new leadership team time to settle in before its annual events, the FT said.
The succession preparations have been long-planned and are not related to the company’s current performance, which is expecting strong end-of-year sales, people close to Apple told the FT.
Apple did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment and declined to provide a comment to the FT.
The $4 trillion company is expecting year-on-year revenue growth of 10% to 12% for its holiday quarter ending in December, fueled by the release of the iPhone 17 model in September.
Ternus would take the helm of the tech giant at an important time in its evolution. Although Apple has seen sales success with iPhones and new products like Airpods over the past couple of decades, it has struggled to break into AI and keep up with rivals.
Apple has been criticized by analysts this year for not having a clear AI strategy. And despite approving a multibillion-dollar budget to run its own models via the cloud in 2026, it was reported in June that Apple is even considering using models from OpenAI and Anthropic to power its updated version of Siri, rather than using technology the company has built in-house.
Its AI-enabled Siri, originally slated for 2025, will be delayed until 2026 or later due to a series of technical challenges, the company announced earlier this year.
Apple has also lost a number of senior AI team members since January, many of whom have joined Meta’s AI and Superintelligence Labs during talent poaching wars this year. The exodus of Apple’s AI execs included Ruoming Pang, former head of Apple’s foundation models and core generative AI team, who joined Meta with a compensation package reportedly worth $200 million.
The company is also dealing with increased competition from one of its most influential former employees.
In May, Sam Altman’s OpenAI acquired startup io for about $6.5 billion, bringing in former Apple chief designer Jony Ive to build AI devices. The 58-year-old designer was instrumental in creating the iPhone, iPod, and iPad.
Cook, Apple’s former operations chief, turned 65 this month. He has grown the company’s market capitalization to $4 trillion from $350 billion in 2011, when he took over the CEO role from company co-founder Steve Jobs.
Under Cook, Apple became the first publicly traded company to reach $1 trillion in market capitalization in 2018—then it became the first company to reach $3 trillion in market cap in 2022.
But more recently, its stock price has been lagging behind Big Tech rivals Alphabet, Nvidia, and Microsoft, though Apple is trading close to an all-time high after strong earnings were reported in October.
Apple has also dealt with tariff complications as U.S.-China trade tensions have disrupted its supply chain.
Cook has previously said he’d prefer an internal candidate to replace him, adding that the company has “very detailed succession plans.”
“I really want the person to come from within Apple,” Cook told singer Dua Lipa last year on her podcastAt Your Service.
When Joe A. from Shelton, Connecticut, received a text about a crypto investment opportunity, he thought it was his chance to rebuild after a divorce. Instead, he lost every dollar he had. Joe’s story is a heartbreaking reminder of how easy it is to fall for an online investment scam that promises quick success and easy money.
Joe has allowed Cyberguy to tell his powerful story so that others can learn from his experience and protect themselves from similar scams. Here is how it all went down and how you can protect yourself from falling into the same trap.
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After his account access vanished, scammers allegedly demanded more cash to “reactivate” it. By then, Joe’s retirement savings were wiped out.(Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
How the online investment scam began
In August, Joe got a message from a company calling itself “ZAP Solutions.” It promised that if he invested $30,000, he’d soon have $368,000 in returns. It sounded like a smart move. Like many victims, Joe believed the pitch because it seemed professional and legitimate.
But soon he was led deeper into a trap. Each “short-term investment” required another wire transfer. Before he knew it, Joe had sent every penny, his 401K, IRA and other investments.
When the investment scam fell apart
The moment Joe was locked out of his account, panic set in. The scammers demanded more money to “reactivate” it. By the end, Joe had lost $228,000.
His mother, Carol, was devastated when she found out.
“I was shocked,” she said. “He showed us the screenshots, the messages. He emptied everything.”
Joe and his family filed a police report with local authorities and contacted the FBI. But, according to officers, recovery is unlikely.
“They told us there’s no way to get it back,” Carol said. “These cyberstalkers move the money too fast.”
The bigger picture: Online investment scams are rising
Joe’s story isn’t unique. The FBI reports that cybercriminals have stolen more than $50 billion from Americans in just five years. Scammers prey on emotion, targeting people who are hopeful, lonely or in transition.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is,” Joe said, stating a phrase we all should remember.
How to protect yourself from online investment scams
Staying safe starts with awareness and consistent action. Cybercriminals are getting more creative, so protecting your finances means staying alert every step of the way. Follow these proven steps to safeguard your accounts and identity.
1) Research before you invest
Always verify any investment opportunity before sending money. Look up the company through official government or financial websites, such as the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database or FINRA’s BrokerCheck. Read reviews, confirm licenses and search for scam alerts online.
2) Be suspicious of unsolicited messages and use strong antivirus software
If a text, email or social media message promises high returns, stop and think. Legitimate firms never cold-contact people about investment offers. Delete suspicious messages immediately and never click on links from unknown sources. Install and regularly update strong antivirus software on all your devices. This can block phishing attempts, malicious downloads, and fake investment platforms designed to steal your data.
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.
Joe’s mother says the family filed police and FBI reports, but recovery is unlikely as criminals move money fast across borders and accounts.(Silas Stein/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android and iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.
3) Check email addresses and website domains
Scammers often use domains that look almost identical to real ones. Double-check for misspellings, extra letters or unusual web extensions like “.co” or “.biz.” If you’re unsure, search for the official company site separately in your browser.
4) Never wire money to strangers
Once you wire money to a scammer, recovery is nearly impossible. Never send money to someone you’ve only met online, even if they claim to represent a reputable company. Always confirm payment details through verified sources.
5) Talk to a trusted financial advisor
Before you invest large sums, get a second opinion from a licensed financial advisor. A professional can spot red flags and unrealistic promises that you might overlook.
6) Use a data removal service
Protect your personal information by using a data removal or privacy service that scrubs your phone number, address and other details from people search sites. This reduces the chance of scammers finding and targeting you.
While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the Internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.
Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.
Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.
7) Enroll in an identity theft protection service
If scammers have your personal details, they could try to open credit cards or loans in your name. Enrolling in a reputable identity theft protection service adds another layer of security by monitoring your credit and alerting you to suspicious activity.
Identity theft companies can monitor personal information like your Social Security number, phone number and email address and alert you if it is being sold on the dark web or being used to open an account. They can also assist you in freezing your bank and credit card accounts to prevent further unauthorized use by criminals.
From antivirus and data-removal services to identity theft monitoring, CyberGuy shares concrete steps to block phishing, verify firms and protect your money.(Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.
8) Report suspicious activity immediately
If you believe you’ve been targeted or scammed, act fast. Contact your local police department and your bank and file a report with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). Quick action can sometimes limit further loss or help investigators trace the fraud.
Kurt’s key takeaways
Joe’s story is painful, but it’s also powerful. His honesty may stop someone else from losing everything. Online scams thrive when people stay silent, but sharing stories like Joe’s helps others stay alert. So, before you trust anyone promising quick profits online, take a pause, verify everything and remember Joe’s story because one moment of caution could save you from a lifetime of regret.
Have you ever received an investment offer that seemed too good to be true? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.
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Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved.
Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.
A revolution quietly underway in American education: the rise of homeschooling. In the past decade, there’s been a 61 percent increase in homeschool students across the United States, making it the fastest growing form of education in the country. You might not have noticed (I didn’t, at first), because only about 6 percent of students are homeschooled nationally. But that number is nearly double what it was just two years ago.
Then I noticed something that made me take a closer look closer to home. At Starglow Media, the podcast company I founded in 2023, nearly 20 percent of our listenership comes from homeschool families. That substantially overindexes against the national population. In other words, podcasts were particularly popular in the homeschool community.
I was curious, for my business and in general. We make podcasts for kids (and their parents) without any specific content for homeschool families. Why was audio resonating so well with this audience? I did some digging, and the answers surprised me.
First, I wanted to find out why homeschooling was booming. According to the Washington Post, the explosive growth is consistent across “every measurable line of politics, geography, and demographics.” Experts have offered multiple explanations. Some families started homeschooling during COVID and never went back, others want greater say in what their children learn. Some families feel their kids are safer from violence and discrimination at home, others think it’s a better environment for children with disabilities. All these reasons collectively suggest a broader motivation: people are dissatisfied with the traditional education system and are taking it into their own hands.
None of these factors, however, explained why podcasts were popular among homeschool families. So I decided to ask the question myself. I reached out to some Starglow listeners in the Starglow community to hear what about the format was appealing to them. Three main themes emerged.
Many people told me that podcasts are uniquely well-suited to address educational hurdles facing homeschool families. When you’re a homeschool parent, it can be difficult to navigate all the resources that inform lesson planning while ensuring that the content is age- and subject-appropriate. Parents have found podcasts to be an intuitive way to elevate their curricula. They can search for subjects, filter by age group, and trust that the content is suitable for their kids. Ads on the network add another layer of value–because parents can trust the content, they tend to trust further educational materials promoted via the same channels. Simply put, the podcast ecosystem offers a reliable means to supplement lesson plans.
They also offer a clear financial benefit. Homeschooling can be expensive, especially in STEM, but the majority of states don’t offer government subsidies for homeschool education. Podcasts have proven to be a cost-effective way to supplement at-home learning modules. Parents appreciate that it’s free to listen.
Lastly–and this came up in nearly every conversation–they fit in well to homeschool life. Routine is a critical part of any educational context, and podcasts are useful anchors in the school day. Parents can easily pair podcasts with lessons at any point in their day, whether it’s a current events primer paired with a news podcast over breakfast or a specific episode of “Who Smarted” (our most popular educational podcast) about how snow forms worked into a science lesson. In this way, podcasts are becoming an integral part of family life in the homeschool community. Educational content like “Who Smarted” or an age-appropriate audiobook of “Moby Dick” may be the gateway, but families tend to co-listen throughout the day, whether it’s to KidsNuz over coffee or a Koala Moon story at night.
What does all this mean? Homeschooling is growing, and with it is the need for flexible, affordable, and trustworthy educational content. To meet that demand, families are turning to audio, which offers age-appropriate solutions that can be worked into family life through regular co-listening.
I expect that the homeschool movement will continue to grow, because new formats and strategies are offering families new opportunities. That’s good news, because we need innovation in education right now. Test scores are falling, literacy is in decline, and school absenteeism hasn’t fully bounced back from the pandemic. The homeschool surge is just one indicator of our increased dissatisfaction with the status quo. If we want to course correct, we all need to embrace new resources, podcasts or otherwise, to enhance education at home and in the classroom. New media has the potential to transform how people teach–we should embrace the opportunity.
AUSTIN, Texas, November 5, 2025 (Newswire.com)
– VVater, the world’s premier innovator in advanced water treatment solutions, has been awarded a multi-million-dollar contract to provide its groundbreaking advanced water treatment solutions for Pura Vida, a multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development redefining sustainability and lifestyle in Greater South Austin.
The project, led by SonWest Developments, has awarded VVater a highly lucrative water deal as its preferred water-technology partner for one of the largest and most visionary developments in Texas, designed to serve as a model of resilience, circular water use, and environmental innovation.
“Pura Vida is a massive development with various water requirements, and this contract illustrates why VVater has been the natural ‘Go-To’ partner for many property developers,” said Kevin Gast, CEO of VVater. “Real Estate Developers are realizing that sustainable infrastructure isn’t optional anymore. Pura Vida chose VVater to future-proof its community from drought, scarcity, and rising costs with award winning state of the art technology that ensures our communities have an abundance of water.”
Spanning hundreds of acres and anchored by high-end residential, hospitality, retail, and recreation, Pura Vida is envisioned as a beacon of sustainable design, where every core system, including water, reflects the future of urban development. VVater’s modular, on-site water treatment platform will supply clean, reused, and potable drinking water while dramatically reducing reliance on external water sources and traditional infrastructure.
This achievement, known as the Triple Crown of Innovation, makes VVater the only company in history to win all three honors in the same year. The Farady Reactor’s proprietary, chemical-free process delivers safer, cleaner, and more energy-efficient water treatment, becoming the standard for sustainable communities of tomorrow and a beacon for Texas innovation.
The Pura Vida project marks one of several major engagements VVater has secured with SonWest. For developers across Texas and beyond, the message is clear: communities equipped with VVater systems will set the benchmark for sustainability, brand value, and water resilience. Developer Shawn Breedlove said, “The city of Mustang Ridge has no infrastructure, and in order for us to have a project here, we’re having to bring millions of dollars of water and wastewater infrastructure into their community. We are delighted to be able to work with probably one of the most award-winning & technologically advanced water companies in the world, and it’s a bonus that VVater is based out of Austin!”
This contract also validates VVater’s commercial traction and scalability, demonstrating the company’s ability to execute multi-million-dollar deployments within multi-billion-dollar developments, including real estate, data centers, industrial applications, and wastewater and drinking water applications.
“Due to the significant demand in the water industry, including technologies that can handle PFAS, endocrine disruptors, trace pharmaceuticals, and other contaminants, VVater is America’s Next Water Company,” said Gast. “As an Austin, Texas-based company, we are proud of our capabilities to reindustrialize America, being one of the very few true advanced water companies left that manufactures in the USA.”
About VVater:
VVater is America’s Next Water Company, delivering the future of purification through its award-winning Farady Reactor (Time Best Invention Award 2025, CES Best of Innovation 2025, World Future Award 2025. The first company in history to win all 3 in 1 year achieving a Triple Crown), proprietary ALTEP (Advanced Low Tension Electroporation Process), Advanced Dissolved Air Flotation, and Micro & Nano Bubble technologies. Unlike outdated chemical, filtration, and membrane systems, VVater’s electric-field breakthroughs eliminate PFAS, microplastics, microorganisms, and other contaminants with record retention times, without producing toxic byproducts or requiring costly consumables. With over 4.3B gallons treated and validation from global leaders, VVater is scaling into municipal drinking water and wastewater, DPR/IPR, onsite reuse for data centers, commercial buildings, and resorts, residential purification, and consumer health water, delivering a 60% smaller footprint, 40% CapEx savings, 80% OpEx savings, and 40% less energy use. For more information, please visit www.vvater.com
Forward Looking Statements
All statements in this press release, other than statements of present or historical fact, regarding VVater and its future financial and operational performance, as well as its strategy, future operations, prospects, plans, and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. When used in this press release, including any oral statements made in connection therewith, the words “could,” “should,” “will,” “may,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” the negative of such terms and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain such identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions about future events and are based on currently available information as to the outcome and timing of future events. Except as otherwise required by applicable law, VVater expressly disclaims any duty to update any forward-looking statements, all of which are expressly qualified by the statements herein, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this press release. VVater cautions you that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond the control of VVater. These risks include, but are not limited to, our status as an early-stage Company; our expectation of incurring significant expenses and continuing losses for the foreseeable future; and our ability to develop key commercial relationships with suppliers and customers; Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Should one or more of the risks or uncertainties described in this press release occur, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results and plans could differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statements.
Today’s school IT teams juggle endless demands–secure systems, manageable devices, and tight budgets–all while supporting teachers who need tech that just works.
That’s where interactive displays come in. Modern, OS-agnostic solutions like Promethean’s ActivPanel 10 Premium simplify IT management, integrate seamlessly with existing systems, and cut down on maintenance headaches. For schools, that means fewer compatibility issues, stronger security, and happier teachers.
But these tools do more than make IT’s job easier–they transform teaching and learning. Touch-enabled collaboration, instant feedback, and multimedia integration turn passive lessons into dynamic, inclusive experiences that keep students engaged and help teachers do their best work.
Built to last, interactive displays also support long-term sustainability goals and digital fluency–skills that carry from classroom to career.
Download the full report and see how interactive solutions can help your district simplify IT, elevate instruction, and create future-ready classrooms.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill College of Journalism.
Many American workers want to use GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, to meet their weight loss goals. The trouble is, most employee health plans don’t cover them — but a new company hopes to change that.
A prescription drug employee benefit company, called Andel, announced its debut at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas on Monday. Early next year, Andel will help reduce the cost of providing GLP-1 medications in employee benefits packages by forming an employer co-op. Under this setup, Andel is able to buy the medication in bulk directly from drug manufacturers instead of negotiating prices from pharmacy benefit managers, which are usually owned by insurers. Employers can reduce the cost even further by adding subsidies.
“Instead of asking [employers] to sign up to a fully-funded insurance plan, which is really expensive and unpredictable and challenging, all we would ask for is a small 50 to $100 per claim subsidy, which we pass directly to reduce the cost of the drugs,” Andel CEO and Co-founder Jay Bregman says.
Employers are legally required to cover GLP-1 medication for diabetes, but not for weight loss. The injectable version of the drugs typically costs between $1,000 and $1,500 a month — which isn’t doable for most employers, especially with premiums projected to spike by 9 percent next year. Currently, 64 percent of employers do not cover GLP-1 medication to help workers shed pounds — but boy, do they wish they did. Up to 35 percent of Americans say they “are interested” in using the drug to lose weight, according to a PwC survey.
An Inc.com Featured Presentation
Lesley Grady, senior vice president of enterprise marketing at Sequoia — a benefits brokerage known for serving Silicon Valley tech startups and large companies — confirms strong interest in GLP-1 coverage. She says their clients are looking for creative solutions to make the medication more affordable for employers. The brokerage plans to start offering Andel to clients who are looking to beef up their benefit plans.
“Employees in tech have high expectations of their benefits, but I think employers obviously know that if they include it with unchecked access, it will blow up their budget,” Grady says. “So they’re really under pressure to find solutions right now that don’t just open up their floodgates — we see that strategy with Andel.”
Andel doesn’t plan to stop with weight loss drugs — in the coming years, the company hopes to apply the same cooperative, subsidy model to preventative Alzheimer’s drugs and potentially gene therapy, the co-founders told Inc.
“Expanding access to healthcare is the cornerstone of our mission,” says Andel Co-founder Ritu Malhotra. “Andel gives employers an innovative new pharmacy-benefit solution that fills the coverage gap.”
Andel was co-founded by Bregman, who successfully exited three companies — including the ridesharing network Hailo, rebranded to Lyft Europe — and Malhotra, who’s also a pharmacist and former CVS Health executive. At the conference, the founders announced they raised $4.5 million in capital to launch the platform. Investors include Lightbank, Seedcamp, Bertelsmann Investments, Houghton Street Ventures, and Springboard.
Eric Ong, partner at Lightbank — a venture capital firm that invests heavily in benefit tech companies — told Inc. that Malhotra’s PBM experience and Bregman’s entrepreneurial success is uniquely positioned to help tackle the high cost of in-demand prescription drugs. The firm invested in the company because they haven’t seen any other solutions addressing this challenge, he says.
“There’s a disconnect between employers wanting to offer good benefits and health benefits and keeping their employees healthy — at the same time, they can’t afford it. So, we just found that really interesting and sort of novel in the market today,” Ong says.
Investing in foreign soccer clubs is an increasingly well-worn page in the entrepreneur playbook. Movie star turned business mogul Ryan Reynolds made the move trendy with his 2021 acquisition of the Welsh team Wrexham AFC, but he’s far from the only businessperson to see the beloved sports institutions as a worthwhile investment.
Earlier this year, for instance, Inc. spoke with the husband-and-wife co-founders of the staffing company Belay and the Inc. 5000-charting beer company NoFo Brew Co—and they, too, had taken stakes in European soccer clubs.
But if you’re turning to pro soccer as a place to park your money (or build your personal brand), make sure you don’t get the investor equivalent of a red card pulled on you. That’s one lesson from the story of Josh Wander, an American businessman who, according to multiplereports and a statement by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, is now being charged with fraud by U.S. prosecutors.
Miami-based 777 was once “one of the biggest accumulators of European soccer clubs,” the Times reports, but a lender accused it of fraudulent behavior last year and the firm subsequently saw its British business go bankrupt and American business enter limited receivership.
Starting in 2018, the FBI says in its statement, Wander began investing money from 777’s primary line of business—in which it underwrote and financed structured settlements related to lawsuits or personal injury claims—into other, less reliable sectors, “including streaming platforms, airlines, and professional sports teams such as Sevilla FC and Genoa CFC.”
“Despite warnings from employees … and contrary to the terms of the credit facilities, Wander directed that restricted funds from 777 Partners’ lenders be used to cover the firm’s acquisitions and expenses,” the FBI continues. That spending led the investment firm to face “significant cash and collateral shortfalls,” which Wander allegedly tried to conceal “by pledging more than $350 million in assets as collateral to certain lenders, knowing that 777 Partners either did not own the collateral or had already pledged the collateral to other lenders.”
Wander is also accused of telling 777 employees to alter bank statements to reflect “millions of dollars in cash on hand that the firm did not have.”
Wander’s lawyer called the charges “a business dispute dressed up as a criminal case” in an email to the Times, adding: “We look forward to setting the record straight.”
The American economy is little more than a big bet on AI. Morgan Stanley investor Ruchir Sharma recently noted that money poured into AI investments now accounts for about 40% of the United States’ GDP growth in 2025, and AI companies are responsible for 80% of growth in American stocks. So how bad is it that the most recent major deal among AI giants, agreements that have driven up stock prices dramatically, look like a snake eating its own tail?
In recent months, Nvidia announced that it would invest $100 billion into OpenAI, OpenAI announced that it would pay $300 billion to Oracle for computing power, and Oracle announced it would buy $40 billion worth of chips from Nvidia. It doesn’t take a flow chart to get the feeling that these firms are just moving money around between each other. But surely that’s not happening…right?
It’s a little harder to get assurances of that than you might think.
Artur Widak/Anadolu via Getty Images
Is it all round-tripping?
Many of these agreements are, on their face, mutually beneficial. If everything is on the level, while these deals might be circular, they should be moving everything forward. Rishi Jaluria, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, told Gizmodo that deals like these could result in a “less capacity-constrained world,” which would allow for faster development of models that could produce higher returns on investment.
“The better models we have, the more we can realize a lot of these AI use cases that are on hold just because the technology isn’t powerful enough yet to handle it,” he said. “If that happens, and that can generate real [return on investment] for customers … that results in real cost savings, potentially new revenue generation opportunities, and that creates net benefits from a GDP perspective.”
So as long as we keep having AI breakthroughs and these companies figure out how to monetize their products, everything should be fine. On the off chance that doesn’t happen, though?
“If that doesn’t happen, if there is no real enterprise AI adoption, then it’s all round-tripping,” Jaluria said.
Round-tripping, generally speaking, refers to the unethical and typically illegal practice of making trades or transactions to artificially prop up a particular asset or company, making it look like it’s more valuable and in demand than it actually is. In this case, it would be tech companies that are trying to make it appear like they are more valuable than they actually are by announcing big deals with each other that move the stock price.
So what might suggest whether this money is actually accomplishing anything other than serving as hot air in a rapidly inflating bubble? Jaluria said he’s watching for faster developments of models, advancements in performance, and overall AI adoption. “If this leads to a step function change in the way enterprise is adopting and utilizing AI, that creates a benefit,” he said.
Whether that is happening currently or not is kind of in the eye of the beholder. OpenAI has certainly shown advancements in its technology. The release of its Sora 2 video generation model has unleashed a fresh hell upon the world, used to generate significant amounts of copyright violations and misinformation. But the latest version of the company’s flagship model, GPT-5, underwhelmed and failed to live up to expectations when it was released in August.
Adoption rates of the technology are also a bit of a Rorschach test. The company boasts that 10% of the world is using ChatGPT, and nearly 80% of the business world says that it’s looking into how to utilize the technology. But the early adopters aren’t finding much utility. According to a survey from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 95% of companies that have tried to integrate generative AI tools into their operations have produced zero return on investment.
Where these investments are generating a return is in the stock market. Which, frankly, does not quell concerns about these firms simply boosting one another’s bottom line.
Take Oracle, for example. Last month, the cloud provider had arough quarter by all traditional indicators. It missed on both its revenue and earnings projections, and its net income was flat year-over-year. And yet, thestock price soared. The reason: the company’s plump list of remaining performance obligations—financial agreements that will provide revenue that have not yet been fulfilled. There, the company showed a massive amount of growth, a 359% increase from the year prior, with a projected $455 billion coming in.
That money is not real yet. Nor is thegrowth the company has promised, claiming that its Oracle Cloud Infrastructure revenue would grow from under $20 billion to nearly $150 billion before the start of the 2030s. But all of it was sufficient for investors to drive up Oracle’s share price enough to slingshot CEO Larry Ellison into thetop spot on the world’s richest person list, briefly leapfrogging Elon Musk.
OpenAI is either the nexus point or the void at the center
Most of this promised revenue will come from OpenAI, which made a commitment to purchase $300 billion worth of computing power from the company over five years. The clock on that contract doesn’t start until 2027, but assuming it actually happens, it would be one of thelargest cloud computing deals in history.
It’s also one of the most unlikely, just based on where the companies involved currently stand. In order to provide the compute that it has promised to OpenAI, Oracle will reportedly need to generate 4.5 gigawatts of power capacity, more than two Hoover Dams’ worth of power. On the other side of the deal, OpenAI will have to pay about $60 billion per year to fit the bill for the agreement. It currentlygenerates about $10 billion in revenue, which, statistically speaking, is less than $60 billion.
You can see a similar circular shape to OpenAI’s recent deal with Nvidia rival AMD, too. The exact details of the agreement weren’t reported, but chipmaker AMD expects to generate tens of billions of dollars over the next half-decade as it sells its AI chips to OpenAI. As part of the agreement, OpenAI gets a swath of shares in AMD, with options to buy up to 10% of the company. Lucky for OpenAI, there’s really no better time to get your hands on some AMD shares than right before it announces a big AI-related deal. The company’s stock price surged by about 35% following the announcement.
With those two most recent deals on the books, OpenAI has agreed to more than $1 trillion worth of computing deals so far this year. That’s a lot for any company to spend, but it’s especially a lot for a still-private company that reports just $10 billion in projected revenue through 2025. Even by its most recent funding rounds, the company as a whole is currently valued at about $500 billion.
Most of those deals have contingencies attached. For instance, Nvidia’s investment in OpenAI isn’t actually $100 billion, but an initial $10 billion for one gigawatt of data center capacity with the potential for $100 billion if 10 gigawatts are ultimately achieved. But the stock prices and valuations certainly seem to treat these deals as if they are set in stone. And OpenAI seems to be operating that way, too. The company claims that it’ll more than 10x its revenue in the next few years, and projects it’ll hit $129 billion annually by 2029.
Conveyor belts of capital
That type of potentially inflated revenue figure is the kind of thing that makes some people think of the Dot Com bubble of the early 2000s, where we saw companies like Commerce One receive a $21 billion valuation despite barely having any revenue. But Peter Atwater, Adjunct Professor of Economics at William and Mary and President of consulting firm Financial Insyghts, sees a different reflection in the AI bubble: the housing market collapse.
“What we saw at the top of the mortgage market was all of these conveyor belts of capital, money flowing from one party to another party to another party. And what you started to see was that there were multiple points of relationship so that any participant in the system was then dependent on every other conveyor belt in the system working simultaneously to keep the system going,” he told Gizmodo. “In many ways, we’re seeing the same developing web of capital flows across the AI space.”
This creates some obvious problems. The circular deals that, in theory, are wheels moving the whole thing forward all have to keep turning. If any of them stop, the whole thing stops, because they are all so interconnected that no failure is truly isolated.
Atwater said that the types of major, metric-contingent deals that have been dominating headlines in the AI space aren’t all that different from some of what was happening in the mortgage industry back in 2007, where some of the financial commitments required mortgages to meet certain conditions.
“In the frenzy of a bubble, everyone overcommits. The purpose of overcommitting is to stake a claim in what you believe will be an intensely scarce commodity in the future. So you have buyers overcommit and you have sellers agreeing to overprovide as a result,” he explained. “What we find over and over is that commitments are among the first obligations to be cut off once conditions change, once confidence begins to fall.”
Right now, there’s a stomach for those commitments. That isn’t guaranteed to be there in the future if all of these promised returns on investment don’t materialize. Atwater said that the market requires credit markets being willing to continue to extend massive sums of money to cover the agreements made, equity markets that value these transactions at “an extraordinary multiple,” and suppliers capable of delivering the promised products. There’s no guarantee that all of those factors will hold.
The math is already pretty tricky. As tech commentator Ed Zitron has pointed out, major firms like Microsoft, Meta, Tesla, Amazon, and Google have invested about $560 billion in AI infrastructure over the last two years. They’ve brought in a combined $35 billion in AI-related revenue. OpenAI’s commitments are even bigger, with returns that are arguably even smaller.
The company’s development and expansion of its services will rely in no small part on massive data center projects, which will require the same amount of energy to operate as New York City and San Diego combined—energy that currently isn’t even available. And, once again, there is no guarantee that the end product, once all of that energy is spent and data centers are built, will actually generate revenue.
“Ultimately, if you do not have a consumer for the product, there will be no AI space because these companies can’t continue to do this for nothing. Listening to a lot of the calls in the last couple of weeks, there’s a clear open question as to how these companies are going to make money at this,” Atwater said.
For the moment, everyone is seeing green, and hope springs eternal. As long as that is the case, no one will ask where the revenue is coming from. “Right now, the AI sector is operating in a forever mindset. They are acting as if they have a very long period of time under which they can figure this out and make money,” Atwater said. “As long as confidence is high, this entire ecosystem can offer fantasy. When confidence falls, they’re going to be expected to deliver real-term performance in a very short time frame.”
Unfortunately, should that happen, it won’t just be these companies that bear the brunt of the failure. “You have to look at this as a larger ecosystem. To talk about AI today, it means we have to talk about the credit market, we have to talk about the credit market. Wall Street and AI are a single beast,” Atwater said, warning that a very small number of firms currently have a major grasp on the whole of the American economy.
Lots of investors are piling into the AI space, fearful of missing out on a market that seems like it can only go up. But few of them are looking at why those valuations and stock prices keep climbing, showing little curiosity as to what might happen if all of this money is just getting shifted around, artificially inflating the actual value of the companies they are betting on.
“‘Why?’,” Atwater said, “is the last question asked in a bull market.”
Deloitte’s member firm in Australia will pay the government a partial refund for a $290,000 report that contained alleged AI-generated errors, including references to non-existent academic research papers and a fabricated quote from a federal court judgment.
The report was originally published on the Australian government’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website in July. A revised version was quietly published on Friday after Sydney University researcher of health and welfare law Chris Rudge said he alerted media outlets that the report was “full of fabricated references.”
Deloitte reviewed the 237-page report and “confirmed some footnotes and references were incorrect,” the department said in a statement Tuesday.
Deloitte did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
The revised version of the report includes a disclosure that a generative AI language system, Azure OpenAI, was used in its creation. It also removes the fabricated quotes attributed to a federal court judge and references to nonexistent reports attributed to law and software engineering experts. Deloitte noted in a “Report Update” section that the updated version, dated September 26, replaced the report published in July.
“The updates made in no way impact or affect the substantive content, findings and recommendations in the report,” Deloitte wrote.
In late August the Australian Financial Review first reported that the document contained multiple errors, citing Rudge as the researcher who identified the apparent AI-generated inaccuracies.
Rudge discovered the report’s mistakes when he read a portion incorrectly stating Lisa Burton Crawford, a Sydney University professor of public and constitutional law, had authored a non-existent book with a title outside her field of expertise.
“I instantaneously knew it was either hallucinated by AI or the world’s best kept secret because I’d never heard of the book and it sounded preposterous,” Rudge toldThe Associated Press on Tuesday.
The Big Four consulting firms and global management firms such as McKinsey have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into AI initiatives to develop proprietary models and increase efficiency. In September, Deloitte said it would invest $3 billion in generative AI development through fiscal year 2030.
Anthropic also announced a Deloitte partnership on Monday that includes making Claude available to more than 470,000 Deloitte professionals.
In June, the UK Financial Reporting Council, an accountancy regulator, warned that the Big Four firms were failing to monitor how AI and automated technologies affected the quality of their audits.
Though the firm will refund its last payment installment to the Australian government, Senator Barbara Pocock, the Australian Greens party’s spokesperson on the public sector, said Deloitte should refund the entire $290,000.
Deloitte “misused AI and used it very inappropriately: misquoted a judge, used references that are non-existent,” Pocock told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “I mean, the kinds of things that a first-year university student would be in deep trouble for.”“The matter has been resolved directly with the client,” a spokesperson from Deloitte Australia told TheAssociated Press.
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Climate focused investment continues its rise and is attracting increasing attention across financial markets. A recent analysis by BCG confirms this trend.
In 2024, private equity transactions linked to the climate sector reached $73 billion. At the same time, fundraising for climate funds grew by 20 percent compared to the previous year. This happened in a context where global private equity overall fell by 18 percent.
This contrast signals a shift in direction. Capital is increasingly flowing toward projects and technologies that provide solutions to climate change. And large institutional investors are also joining this movement.
A survey by S2G Investments revealed that nearly half of investors plan to expand their positions in climate related initiatives. Among them is CalPERS, which recently decided to double the size of its mitigation, adaptation, and transition fund to 100 billion dollars.
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What is driving this growth?
The main driver is economic. More than half of low carbon technologies are already cost competitive with conventional alternatives, and a significant group is on the verge of achieving that benchmark. Technological advances have lowered risks and opened the door to investments supported by solid fundamentals.
At the same time, pressure to manage climate risk is rising. Supply chains exposed to extreme weather, tightening regulations, and rising societal expectations are all creating a more favorable position for companies with credible transition plans.
The breadth of sectors involved also adds momentum. It is not just about renewable power generation but also smart grids, charging infrastructure, energy efficiency services, storage, advanced recycling, bioenergy, alternative proteins, carbon capture, and financial solutions adapted to the transition. This diversification multiplies investment opportunities and reduces dependence on any single segment.
Opportunities taking shape
In energy infrastructure, smart grids and digitalization stand out as highly attractive areas. A clear example is Suma Capital’s SC Net Zero Ventures I fund, which reached 210 million euros and is already investing in companies like Corinex, focused on grid digitalization, and V2C, specialized in electric vehicle charging solutions.
Energy efficiency is another fast-growing front. Companies offering guaranteed savings contracts and energy as a service models are gaining traction in various markets. Sapphire Technologies fits this approach with its turboexpander technology, which converts residual energy into clean electricity. Its recent 18-million-dollar Series C round will expand production capacity and diversify applications across industry.
Direct air capture is another technology beginning to consolidate. Brineworks secured 6.8 million dollars to scale its air capture solution designed for e fuel production. The company’s goal is to bring capture costs below 100 dollars per ton, a milestone that could transform the economics of hard to electrify sectors.
These are only a few examples of how the opportunities highlighted by BCG are taking shape. The climate investment landscape is much broader, spanning advanced storage, flexibility management in power grids, biofuel development, low emission industrial heating, and the expansion of sustainable finance platforms, among many others.
The integration of tangible projects with new opportunities indicates that climate investment is moving into a more mature phase.
This momentum is unfolding at multiple levels. Large investors are channeling resources into strategic sectors, while emerging ventures are demonstrating the technical and financial viability of innovative solutions. It is this convergence that sustains growth.
The years ahead will be decisive in consolidating this trajectory.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
(AP) – Nvidia, the world’s leading chipmaker, announced on Thursday that it’s investing $5 billion in Intel and will collaborate with the struggling semiconductor company.
Nvidia said it will spend $5 billion to buy Intel common stock at $23.28 a share. The investment, which is subject to regulatory approvals, comes a month after the U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called it “a fusion of two world-class platforms” that combines Intel’s strength in making conventional computer chips, known as CPUs, that power most laptops, with Nvidia’s focus on the specialized graphics chips that are critical for artificial intelligence.
“This partnership is a recognition that computing has fundamentally changed,” Huang told reporters Thursday. “The era of accelerated and AI computing has arrived.”
Intel shares jumped nearly 23%, its biggest one-day percentage gain since 1987. Nvidia shares added more than 3%.
For data centers, Intel will make custom chips that Nvidia will use in its AI infrastructure platforms. For personal computer products, Intel will build chips that integrate Nvidia technology.
The agreement provides a lifeline for Intel, which was a Silicon Valley pioneer that enjoyed decades of growth as its processors powered the personal computer boom, but fell into a slump after missing the shift to the mobile computing era unleashed by the iPhone’s 2007 debut.
Intel fell even farther behind in recent years amid the AI boom that’s propelled Nvidia into the world’s most valuable company. Intel lost nearly $19 billion last year and another $3.7 billion in the first six months of this year, and expects to slash its workforce by a quarter by the end of 2025.
The U.S. government stepped in last month to secure a 10% stake — 433.3 million shares of non-voting stock priced at $20.47 apiece — making it one of Intel’s biggest shareholders. Federal officials said they invested in Intel in order to bolster U.S. technology and domestic manufacturing. The total value of the U.S. government’s stake in Intel now stands at $13.2 billion, a $2.5 billion increase from what it stood before the Nvidia investment was announced.
Huang said Nvidia has been in talks with Intel for about a year. Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan, who joined the press call with Huang on Thursday, said he’s been talking to Nvidia since he was named Intel’s new leader in March.
“This is a very big, important milestone,” Tan said. “I call it a game-changing opportunity that we can work together.”
The deal is “bullish for U.S. tech,” Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives said in a client note.
Ives said it brings Intel “front and center into the AI game” and, combined with the U.S. government stake, adds to “a golden few weeks for Intel after years of pain and frustration for investors.”
Nvidia, meanwhile, has soared because its specialized chips are underpinning the AI boom. The chips, known as graphics processing units, or GPUs, are highly effective at developing powerful AI systems.
The deal between the two chipmakers comes as China moves to be less dependent on U.S. semiconductor technology. This week, Chinese officials reportedly forbade several large domestic technology companies from purchasing Nvidia chips, and China-based Huawei announced that it was expanding its development of AI chips and manufacturing.
While Nvidia and Intel, both headquartered in Santa Clara, California, will work together to develop new chips, a manufacturing deal has yet to be struck between the two. The potential access to Intel’s chip foundries by Nvidia poses a risk to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, which currently manufactures the tech giant’s flagship processors. Huang emphasized Thursday that both his company and Intel remain “very successful customers” of TSMC.
Of Nvidia’s own Intel stake, Huang said “the Trump administration had no involvement in this partnership at all,” though “would have been very supportive, of course.”
Huang has been in Britain on a visit that coincides with Trump’s trip to the country, and he has been attending events with the president along with other Silicon Valley bigwigs.
At a signing ceremony for a trans-Atlantic tech partnership on Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump mused that AI was “taking over the world.”
“I’m looking at you guys. You’re taking over the world, Jensen,” Trump said.
Huang and Trump also both attended a royal banquet, prompting the tech mogul to dish about the Windsor Castle event to Intel’s CEO in the seconds before their press event.
“The cognac was excellent, but just not enough of it,” Huang told Tan. “I guess the cognac was from 1912.”
From swim lessons to tutoring, today’s most successful children’s franchises are finding innovative ways to support kids’ growth, learning and confidence — while also providing strong opportunities for entrepreneurs. Based on the 2025 Franchise 500, these brands represent the best in their categories, combining proven systems, trusted reputations and scalable business models.
Whether it’s early education, enrichment programs or adventure-filled activities, these companies are shaping the future for the next generation. Here, we take a look at the top children’s franchises in 2025 — and why they stand out for families and franchisees alike.
For more than 70 years, Kumon has empowered children to become confident, independent learners through a daily routine of self-paced practice in math and reading. What began as a father’s effort to help his son excel in school has grown into one of the world’s largest after-school enrichment programs, with over 25,000 learning centers worldwide. Kumon’s model nurtures academic growth, discipline and self-motivation — key skills that extend far beyond the classroom. Ranked in the top 10 of the Franchise 500 and led by CEO Yusuke Nakamura, Kumon offers a low-cost, high-impact franchise opportunity for those passionate about unlocking the full potential of every child.
2. The Learning Experience Academy of Early Education
Founded: 2001
Franchising since: 2003
Overall rank: 25
Number of units: 433
Change in units: +36.6% over 3 years
Initial investment: $780,799 – $5,608,799
Leadership: Richard Weissman, CEO
Parent company: N/A
The Learning Experience has spent more than two decades helping young children build a foundation for lifelong learning. With over 400 centers nationwide and a top-25 spot on the 2025 Franchise 500, the brand blends imaginative, character-based curriculum with research-driven early education. Its growth — more than 36% in the past three years — reflects rising demand from families seeking nurturing, high-quality care. Designed for purpose-driven owners, The Learning Experience offers a full suite of support and systems to ensure every child — and every franchisee — has the tools to thrive.
The Goddard School offers a nurturing, play-based learning environment that helps children build confidence, creativity and a love of discovery. With a research-backed curriculum, highly trained teachers and a focus on social-emotional growth, Goddard prepares students for success in school and beyond while keeping safety and fun at the center.
Parent company: Goldfish Swim School Franchising LLC
Goldfish Swim School equips children ages four months to 12 years with essential water safety and swimming skills in warm, clean pools using its proprietary “Science of SwimPlay” curriculum. With small class sizes, caring instructors and a vibrant, child-friendly atmosphere, Goldfish nurtures confidence, growth and joy in every splash. Today, with nearly 200 locations across the U.S. and Canada, it stands out as a trusted leader in swim education.
Kiddie Academy offers academic and social enrichment for children ages six weeks to 12 years in a caring, year-round child care center. Founded in 1981, it combines education-based child care with a nurturing environment, supported by a strong brand with over 350 locations. Kiddie Academy prepares little ones for school and life with trust, consistency and community.
Since 1991, Aqua-Tots Swim Schools has taught children ages four months to 12 years safe, year-round swim lessons in indoor pools. With a proven curriculum, programs for all abilities and a presence in over 150 communities globally, Aqua-Tots combines expert instruction with a commitment to water safety and confidence.
Mathnasium was founded in 2002 to help children build a strong foundation in math using the proprietary “Mathnasium Method,” developed by educator Larry Martinek. With over 1,200 centers worldwide, it offers both in-center and online tutoring, a membership-style model and comprehensive training and support. Startup investment ranges from about $113,000 to $150,000.
Founded in 2011, Urban Air Adventure Park has become the world’s largest indoor adventure-park franchise, with more than 200 locations open and more in development. Parks feature trampolines, ropes courses, ninja-style obstacles, go-karts, laser tag and more, creating a go-to destination for family fun, parties and community events.
Sylvan Learning is a trusted provider of personalized education and enrichment for K-12 students. Since 1979, it has offered tutoring in reading, math, writing, test prep, STEM camps and study skills. With over 600 units in North America and ranked #115 in Entrepreneur’s 2025 Franchise 500, Sylvan is known for its proprietary adaptive technology, strong franchisee support and flexible learning formats.
School of Rock delivers performance-based music education through franchised and company-owned schools, combining one-on-one instruction with group rehearsals and live concerts. Founded in 1998, it now has over 400 locations in 16 countries. Franchisees benefit from a proven curriculum, strong brand recognition, ongoing support and flexible programs that serve beginners through seasoned musicians.
