In 2010, a programmer named Laszlo Hanyecz made what would become one of the most iconic transactions in cryptocurrency history: he paid 10,000 bitcoins for two pizzas. At that time, the value of those bitcoins was nominal, but fast forward to today, and those pizzas would be worth hundreds
The author of the book is an Italian economist with plenty of experience in innovative monetary and fiscal policy practices. She worked at the IMF, universities and even the Department of the Treasury (in Italy). The book takes the reader through a journey, that often feels academic, to cover all
Wings of Wealth is a series of interviews with the Wealthy Parrot readers, focusing on their experiences and insights regarding financial freedom. If you want to tell your story, feel free to write me to info@wealthyparrot.com. Hi Peter and welcome to Wealthy Parrot! Can you start by briefly
Over the summer, one of the main battles unfolded at box offices worldwide: Barbie vs. Oppenheimer. The movies delve into vastly different topics, with Barbie, unsurprisingly, exploring the world of the iconic doll, and Oppenheimer focusing on the story behind the atomic bomb. However, both films received rave reviews, grossed
Hello, financial aficionados! By now, you've likely heard about the GameStop drama that took place in early 2021. If you haven't (were you living under a rock?), get ready for a deep dive into one of the stock market's wildest tales. But before we dig into it, I thought it
As many people around the world have just finished their summer vacations, I thought reflecting a bit on summer spending habits could be useful. This is because summer, with its sunlit days and beckoning beaches, tends to tease out the spender in many of us. The unexpected cost of warmer
Welcome to your one-stop resource for understanding the complex world of central banking, where we'll be peeling back the layers to examine the roles and functions of these financial titans. We're diving deep into what a central bank is, what function it performs and use examples from some of most
In the past couple years, Governments and Central banks have been busy adjusting their fiscal and monetary policies, to absorb the different financial and economic shocks caused by a plethora of global events (the COVID-19 pandemic, raw material shortages, geopolitical issues, etc.). Therefore I thought it might be useful to
When we speak of the Great Recession, we recall a period of profound economic turmoil that spanned from December 2007 to June 2009. The markets plunged, unemployment soared, and many industries crumbled under the weight of financial collapse. The Dow Jones Industrial Average took a breathtaking nosedive, plummeting 53.78%
Did you know that during the Great Recession of 2008, the S&P 500 index plummeted by a staggering 57%? It was a scenario that caused sleepless nights and financial anxiety for many. In times of economic turmoil, protecting your investments becomes more critical than ever. That's where recession-proof industries
The global population is undergoing a significant transformation, characterized by a remarkable increase in the number of seniors. By 2050, it is projected that the world will be home to 2.1 billion seniors, a staggering figure that demands attention and understanding of the economics involved. In the past this
Wings of Wealth is a series of interviews with the Wealthy Parrot readers, focusing on their experiences and insights regarding financial freedom. If you want to tell your story, feel free to write me to info@wealthyparrot.com. Hi Ludwig and welcome to the Wealthy Parrot! As you know, we
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) are becoming increasingly popular as a means of going public for companies. SPACs, also known as "blank-check companies," are formed with the purpose of raising capital through an initial public offering (IPO) and then using that money to acquire or merge with a private company.
I am not sure about you, but it seems to me that the plethora of AI platforms recently had a big bang moment, to the point that we went from "Ok assistant X play some music" to "Do my job as today I don't feel like going to the office"
Are you looking to diversify your portfolio but not sure where to start? Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are a great way for novice and savvy investors alike to begin trading. With ETFs, you can easily access an array of asset classes without having to purchase thousands of individual stock shares.
When it comes to evaluating the performance of an investment portfolio, most people (and financial institutes) use the historical approach. This means to look at how the portfolio would (should) perform in the future if the market conditions were the same as in the past. This is normally wrong because
Understanding inflation, deflation and stagflation can be confusing - what is the difference between them? Why are they important? When it comes to the economy, knowing and understanding these concepts can be very helpful in making savvy financial decisions. This blog post will explain each term, why they're important and
Jumble
Have you ever wanted to get a better sense of how the economy is doing around the world, but found it hard to wrap your head around complex economic indicators like the Gross Domestic Product or consumer price inflation? If yes, then you’re in luck! In this blog post
Jumble
With e-commerce volumes jumping forward an estimated 4-6 years due to worldwide lockdowns, consumers and merchants have increasingly looked to “Buy now, pay later” solutions to alleviate financial pressure and to meet online shopping demand, respectively. Today, BNPL reflects a small portion of the overall spending on payment cards (including
Invest
Are you looking to expand your investment portfolio? Have you ever considered investing in bonds? Bonds are one of the most common investments and can provide a steady stream of income over time. If you're new to bonds or just want to brush up on some of the basics, then
Invest
Are you interested in investing in stocks but don't know where to start? If so, you’re not alone. Investing in the stock market can be a great way to create passive income and build wealth for your future, but it can also be intimidating if you are just getting
Jumble
Vaccines are one of the most important medical advancements in history. They have saved millions of lives, eradicated devastating diseases, and drastically improved public health. But creating a vaccine is no easy task - it requires years of research, development, clinical trials and production. So how much does it cost
Jumble
Do you ever feel like McDonald's is everywhere? From the city center to remote rural areas and even inside airports, it's incredibly hard to escape their iconic golden arches. But did you know that, alongside churning out Big Macs, this fast food giant has a lucrative real estate business empire?
Invest
The 家計簿 (kakeibo) - literally household finance ledger - is the essential tool used by any money-savvy Japanese to manage the household finances. She would diligently keep up her kakeibo every day, noting down items in each budget category. Kakeibo promises an automatic saving of 35% on the household finances
Invest
If you're like many people, you may think that investing in wine is only for the wealthy. However, this isn't necessarily true! There are a number of ways to get started with wine investing, and it can be a great way to add some diversity to your portfolio. Here are
Invest
When it comes to investing, there are two main schools of thought – technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis focuses on price movements and patterns, while fundamental analysis looks at a company's financials and underlying factors. Let's take a look at how you can use them - or don't use
Invest
Diamonds are a girl's best friend, or so says a famous jazz song by Carol Channing. Diamonds, the gems that have symbolized love and marriage for decades, are beginning to attract wealthy investors as a commodity investment with potentially high returns and have, even more than gold, always evoked a
Jumble
Even if we look only at the last 100 years or so, several nations have experimented with moving their capital cities around the globe for political or economical reasons: Brazil (1960), Nigeria (1991), Kazakhstan (1997), just to name a few. Most recently, Egypt (2023) and Jakarta (2024) have also built
Reviews
The author of this book, William J. Bernstein, is not your usual author. In fact, he hasn't only published financial books or founded an investment management firm, but before starting his finance career, he got a PhD in chemistry and MD (specialized in neurology). The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons
Reviews
For my first article of the book reviews section, I decided to pick one of the most famous and recommended book on personal finance: Rich dad, poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki. The book has been around for more than 20 years and after the success it had, it pushed Kiyosaki
Jumble
What is the first emotion that you feel when I say the word “money”? Why some of your friends are savers and some are spenders? Money has powerful emotional associations. Ask people what emotions are most frequently associated with money and research provides the following rank-ordered list: anxiety, depression, anger,
Invest
A (wrong) assumption is that kids don't and should not hear anything about money because "they are kids", "should just think about playing" and different variations of the statements. Well, this couldn't be more far from truth. In fact, kids hear about money basically since the moment they are born.