One in 22 properties in regional Victoria sold at a loss in past quarterMoney Research Collective’s editorial team solely created this content. Opinions are their own, but compensation and in-depth research determine where and how companies may appear. Many featured companies advertise with us. How we make money . By Marc Guberti MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE December 10, 2024 Diversification helps investors protect wealth, and alternative assets can help safeguard your portfolio while producing outsized returns. ***Money is not a client of any investment adviser featured on this page. The information provided on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended as investment advice. Money does not offer advisory services.*** Alternative assets offer tremendous opportunities for patient investors. These investments aren’t correlated with stock market returns and can continue to rally higher even if stocks experience a pullback, correction or enter a bear market. However, you also don’t want to get stuck with the wrong alternative assets, since most of them aren’t as liquid as stocks. Whereas you can trade your favorite stocks in seconds, it can take much longer — in some instances, several months — to buy or sell an alternative asset, such as real estate, collectibles or private debt. So if you are wondering which alternative assets are worth considering, the following discusses the three top choices that have delighted investors so far. Bitcoin It’s hard to think of any alternative asset or stock that has outperformed bitcoin over the past five years. While investors can choose from many cryptocurrencies, bitcoin is the most reliable and the foremost example of digital assets. The world’s largest cryptocurrency has soared by 1,200% over the past five years and last week, it broke past $100,000 for the first time this year. Bitcoin’s returns can receive a further boost from the crypto-friendly incoming Trump administration . The president-elect’s proposal to set up a strategic bitcoin reserve can prompt other countries to follow suit, and with numerous governments buying bitcoin, it will increase demand for the asset, fundamentally propelling the price further. Even though bitcoin has become a household name at this point, there’s still plenty of potential for the leader of crypto, as adoption rates are still growing. The digital currency has rallied by 121% year-to-date, including a 40% surge in the month following the election. Bitcoin has now surpassed silver as the eighth largest asset in the world, and at the time of writing, it boasts a market cap of $1.893 trillion — or more than 53% of the total market cap of all cryptocurrencies. Real Estate Real estate is another popular alternative asset that can generate lofty returns. Returns vary greatly based on the location, property type and several other factors. While capital and the amount of time required can deter some investors, there are numerous ways to invest in real estate that can lower those barriers to entry. Examples include real estate investment trusts (REITs), real estate investment groups and crowdfunded real estate. There are also exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that make this alternative asset more accessible. The Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ), for example, has delivered an annualized 9.48% return over the past 15 years. However, this annualized return doesn’t offer the best perspective of how much you can earn with real estate. As an asset class, real estate’s greatest strength is the ability to leverage with mortgages . As long as investors keep up with predictable monthly payments, they can continue to acquire real estate. It’s more predictable and less risky than using margin to trade stocks, and it increases your potential returns. For instance, you can buy a $1 million property with only $30,000 if you qualify for a 3% down payment. If you want to avoid private mortgage insurance , you have to put down $200,000 for a 20% down payment. The down payment and mortgages represent your current investment, not the mortgage’s remaining balance. If you put $30,000 into a $1 million property and net $10,000 in rental income in one year, you have realized a 33% cash-on-cash return. Meanwhile, if you compare the rental income to the property’s $1 million valuation, it only shows up as a 1% return. That’s just an example, and your returns may look different depending on several factors. However, investors can get a deeper appreciation for real estate’s total returns if they focus on cash-on-cash returns and leverage the tax benefits that come with owning property. Gold Gold has withstood the test of time. It’s been a medium of exchange for thousands of years, and it’s more liquid than real estate. Furthermore, gold is easier to carry and transport, but what about its annualized returns? The SPDR Gold Trust ETF (GLD) has delivered an annualized return of 7.8% over the past decade, but gains have been heating up as gold prices continue to rise. Gold, as a physical asset , has an annualized 11.9% return over the past five years and a three-year annualized return of 13.4%. It’s also gained roughly 30% over the past year. Gold benefits from trends that would hurt other investments, such as inflation and geopolitical unrest. Economic and global uncertainties can reduce the supply of gold as more individuals and governments accumulate the precious metal . Gold prices can also remain steady or gain ground during economic cycles that result in hardships for equity securities like stocks. For instance, during 2022’s bear market, gold remained relatively flat as the Nasdaq Composite fell by 33%. Diversify Your Portfolio with Alternative Assets Each of these three alternative assets can help increase your net worth and provide more diversification to your investment portfolio. Of the three, bitcoin has been the top performer; however, it comes with significant risk and elevated volatility, making it a better option for younger investors who have longer time horizons to recover from dramatic dips in price. Real estate is a timeless investment that is always in demand. However, investors will have to analyze additional metrics, such as an area’s population growth, new amenities, rent growth rates, maintenance and appreciation — as well as depreciation — over time. There’s more to do when investing in real estate, and it can take several months to complete a transaction. Gold is the least risky of the three options. As a store of value, the precious won’t crash like crypto did in 2018 and 2022, and it’s more liquid than real estate. Gold gains value as inflation increases and interest rates go down. It also benefits from economic and geopolitical uncertainty, a characteristic that separates it from most asset classes. Stocks can still deliver enticing returns, and historically, they provide the strongest gains over the long term. But for investors, diversification is a safeguard against overconcentration. Spreading your capital across traditional and alternative assets can reduce your risk and lead to more opportunities. More from Money: Best Gold IRA Companies Best Online Gold Dealers Beginner’s Guide to Investing in Precious Metals
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The end is nigh for the Staten Island vampire roommates Nandor ( Kayvan Novak ), Nadja ( Natasia Demetriou ), Laszlo ( Matt Berry ), and Colin Robinson ( Mark Proskch ) and their human pal Guillermo ( Harvey Guillén ) as FX ‘s What We Do in the Shadows prepares to present its series finale episode on Monday, December 16th. In anticipation of the show’s ending, TV Insider caught up with stars Novak, Guillén, Berry, and Proksch alongside creatives Paul Simms , Sarah Naftalis, and Sam Johnson in our studio at New York Comic Con to discuss the final season. So, do they stick the landing? It’s a question that looms over the show as we anticipate the finale episode, but according to Proksch, they do indeed. @Mattdoylephoto “I think it’s hard on a comedy, based on history, to stick the landing,” Proksch says in the video interview, above. “But I feel like we accomplish that.” It’s definitely something to consider as series executive producer Taika Waititi , who co-wrote and co-directed the 2014 film What We Do in the Shadows as well as starred as Viago in both the film and show, tells TV Insider, “It’s time for it to end... If there was another season, there’d be vampires jumping sharks.” While he couldn’t say anything about the finale itself, there’s plenty of love for the series on Waititi’s end as he notes, “I can’t believe this five-minute idea of vampire flatmates has lasted this many years. And I’m really... I’m proud of it.” As Simms points out, Season 6 has been filled with so many funny plotlines, “there’s nothing really sad about it.” When it comes to fans facing the finale he adds, “They’ll love it. They won’t realize till the very end that it’s that there’s any reason to be [sad].” While Johnson jokes that “I pushed for self-importance,” within the final season, Novak jokes, “I pushed for Season 7.” See what else the team had to share about Season 6’s funnier storylines including Guillermo’s gig in the corporate business industry as well as Laszlo’s scientific experiments in the full video interview, above, and let us know what you hope to see in the series finale of What We Do in the Shadows before it airs on FX. What We Do in the Shadows , Series Finale, Monday, December 16th, 10/9c, FX More Headlines: ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Stars & Creatives Tease Series Finale ‘Sticks the Landing’ (VIDEO) New Year’s Eve: How to Ring in 2025 With Your Favorite TV Hosts Christian Slater Reacts to That ‘Dexter: Original Sin’ Death & Creator Explains New Intro College Football Playoff & Bowl Game TV Schedule 2024 How Will ‘Blue Bloods’ End for Each Character? Our Theories
CHANDLER, Ariz., Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microchip Technology Incorporated, a leading provider of smart, connected, and secure embedded control solutions, provided lower updated revenue guidance for the December 2024 quarter and announced manufacturing restructuring plans. "In the first two weeks of my newly appointed role as Interim CEO and President, I have done a deep dive into the operations of the Company and determined that certain actions are necessary. I want to clarify for investors that I plan to stay in this role, even though the title is interim, for as long as it is necessary, so there is no definitive timeline for my successor," said Steve Sanghi, Microchip's CEO, President and Chair of the Board. Mr. Sanghi continued, "We indicated in our November 2, 2024 earnings call that significant turns orders were required to achieve the midpoint of our December 2024 quarter revenue guidance. Those turns orders have been slower than anticipated and we now expect our December 2024 revenue to be close to the low end of our original guidance which is $1.025 billion." Mr. Sanghi added, "With inventory levels high and having ample capacity in place, we have decided to shut down our Tempe wafer fabrication facility that we refer to as Fab 2. Many of the process technologies that run in Fab 2 also run in our Oregon and Colorado factories, which both have ample clean room space for expansion. We expect to be able to shut down Fab 2 in the September 2025 quarter at which time we expect that it will generate annual cash savings of approximately $90 million. Due to the high inventory of the products which are manufactured in Fab 2, we do not expect to see P&L savings from the shutdown until the start of the June 2026 quarter based on a First-In First-Out basis. We expect that the Fab 2 closure will begin to help us moderate our inventory levels beginning in the March 2025 quarter. We anticipate near-term restructuring costs to be between $3 million and $8 million from these actions, and it is possible that we could incur other restructuring and shut-down costs in the future of up to an additional $15 million. The estimates of the restructuring costs will be refined over time as more information becomes available." Mr. Sanghi concluded, "I want to ensure investors of my confidence in the long-term growth and profitability of Microchip. Our design-in momentum continues to remain strong, driven by our Total System Solutions strategy and key market megatrends. The fab restructuring is a big step in right-sizing our manufacturing footprint, and we will continue to evaluate any further actions that are required to position Microchip for outsized growth and financial performance." Microchip will be participating in and presenting at the UBS Global Technology and AI Conference on December 3 and 4, 2024. Cautionary Statement: The statements in this release relating to Mr. Sanghi planning to stay in the CEO and President role for as long as it is necessary, no definitive timeline for his successor, that turns orders have been slower than anticipated and that we now expect our December 2024 revenue to be close to the low end of our original guidance which is $1.025 billion, that we have ample capacity in place, that our Oregon and Colorado factories both have ample clean room space for expansion, that we expect to be able to shut down Fab 2 in the September 2025 quarter at which time it is expected to generate annual cash savings of approximately $90 million, that we do not expect to see P&L savings from the shutdown until the start of the June 2026 quarter, that we expect that the Fab 2 closure will begin to help us moderate our inventory levels beginning in the March 2025 quarter, that we anticipate near-term restructuring costs to be between $3 million and $8 million, that is is possible that we could incur other restructuring and shut-down costs of up to an additional $15 million, ensuring investors of my confidence in the long-term growth and profitability of Microchip, that our design-in momentum continues to remain strong driven by our Total System Solutions strategy and key market megatrends, that the fab restructuring is a big step in right sizing our manufacturing footprint, that we will continue to evaluate any further actions that are required to position Microchip for outsized growth and financial performance are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially, including, but not limited to: any continued uncertainty, fluctuations or weakness in the U.S. and world economies (including China and Europe) due to changes in interest rates, high inflation, actions taken or which may be taken by the Biden administration or the U.S. Congress or by the incoming Trump administration and the incoming U.S. Congress, monetary policy, political, geopolitical, trade or other issues in the U.S. or internationally (including the military conflicts in Ukraine-Russia and the Middle East), further changes in demand or market acceptance of our products and the products of our customers and our ability to respond to any increases or decreases in market demand or customer requests to reschedule or cancel orders; the mix of inventory we hold, our ability to satisfy any short-term orders from our inventory and our ability to effectively manage our inventory levels; the impact that the CHIPS Act will have on increasing manufacturing capacity in our industry by providing incentives for us, our competitors and foundries to build new wafer manufacturing facilities or expand existing facilities; the amount and timing of any incentives we may receive under the CHIPS Act, the impact of current and future changes in U.S. corporate tax laws (including the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017), foreign currency effects on our business; changes in utilization of our manufacturing capacity and our ability to effectively manage our production levels to meet any increases or decreases in market demand or any customer requests to reschedule or cancel orders; the impact of inflation on our business; competitive developments including pricing pressures; the level of orders that are received and can be shipped in a quarter; our ability to realize the expected benefits of our long-term supply assurance program; changes or fluctuations in customer order patterns and seasonality; our ability to effectively manage our supply of wafers from third party wafer foundries to meet any decreases or increases in our needs and the cost of such wafers, our ability to obtain additional capacity from our suppliers to increase production to meet any future increases in market demand; our ability to successfully integrate the operations and employees, retain key employees and customers and otherwise realize the expected synergies and benefits of our acquisitions; the impact of any future significant acquisitions or strategic transactions we may make; the costs and outcome of any current or future litigation or other matters involving our acquisitions (including the acquired business, intellectual property, customers, or other issues); the costs and outcome of any current or future tax audit or investigation regarding our business or our acquired businesses; fluctuations in our stock price and trading volume which could impact the number of shares we acquire under our share repurchase program and the timing of such repurchases; disruptions in our business or the businesses of our customers or suppliers due to natural disasters (including any floods in Thailand), terrorist activity, armed conflict, war, worldwide oil prices and supply, public health concerns or disruptions in the transportation system; and general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally. For a detailed discussion of these and other risk factors, please refer to Microchip's filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q. You can obtain copies of Forms 10-K and 10-Q and other relevant documents for free at Microchip's website ( www.microchip.com ) or the SEC's website ( www.sec.gov ) or from commercial document retrieval services. Stockholders of Microchip are cautioned not to place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date such statements are made. Microchip does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances or new information after this December 2, 2024 press release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. About Microchip: Microchip Technology Incorporated is a leading provider of smart, connected and secure embedded control solutions. Its easy-to-use development tools and comprehensive product portfolio enable customers to create optimal designs, which reduce risk while lowering total system cost and time to market. Our solutions serve approximately 116,000 customers across the industrial, automotive, consumer, aerospace and defense, communications and computing markets. Headquartered in Chandler, Arizona, Microchip offers outstanding technical support along with dependable delivery and quality. For more information, visit the Microchip website at www.microchip.com . Note: The Microchip name and logo are registered trademarks of Microchip Technology Incorporated in the U.S.A. and other countries. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective companies. INVESTOR RELATIONS CONTACT: J. Eric Bjornholt, Senior Vice President and CFO (480) 792-7804