A “For Rent” sign is posted near a home in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 7, 2022.
Brandon Bell | Getty Images
Many Americans are sitting on low-interest-rate mortgages and could face a decision when it is time to move: sell or rent out their existing property. That choice could be tricky, especially for those eager to buy another home.
Roughly 6 in 10 existing fixed-rate U.S. mortgage holders had an interest rate below 4% during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the latest figures from the Federal Housing Finance Agency. By comparison, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was around 7% in May.
However, renting out your old home while buying another “gets very, very complicated, which is why most people don’t do it,” said Keith Gumbinger, vice president of mortgage website HSH.
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Homeownership has become increasingly unaffordable amid higher interest rates and soaring home values. That makes qualifying for a second mortgage harder, especially without tapping equity from your original property, Gumbinger said.
The typical down payment for first-time homebuyers was 8% in 2023, compared to 19% for repeat buyers, based on transactions from July 2022 to June 2023, according to a survey from the National Association of Realtors.
Plus, if you are using rental income to qualify for the second mortgage, lenders typically only consider 75% of your proceeds, Gumbinger said.
You also need to consider whether you have the time or desire to manage a rental property, said certified financial planner Kashif Ahmed, president of American Private Wealth in Bedford, Massachusetts.
“Be careful about wanting to be a landlord,” he said. “It’s not the panacea you think it is.”
Be careful about wanting to be a landlord. It’s not the panacea you think it is.
Kashif Ahmed
President of American Private Wealth
Ahmed, who owns rental property in Austin, Texas, warned that some first-time landlords do not consider the costs of ongoing maintenance, lower rents or vacancies, among other expenses.
Plus, you will typically pay about 25% more for insurance as a landlord compared to your standard homeowners policy, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
“It’s not easy money” after factoring in the stress and added costs, Ahmed said.
If your original home has significant equity, you will also need to consider the capital gains exemption for primary residences.
Married couples filing together can earn up to $500,000 on the sale without owing capital gains taxes and single filers can make $250,000.
But there are strict IRS rules to qualify.
Renting your home starts the clock for the “residence test,” which says the home must be your primary residence for 24 months of the five years before the sale. The 24 months do not need to be consecutive.
“It’s a huge factor,” said CFP David Flores Wilson, managing partner at Sincerus Advisory in New York. “Those numbers go into projections.”
Of course, the choice to sell your first home or rent it out ultimately hinges on your financial plan, and cash flow changes can affect retirement and other goals, he said.
China’s top securities regulator, the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC), is set to crack down on listed companies hiring consulting firms to circumvent information disclosure obligations, a practice that has avoided regulatory scrutiny but can lead to regulatory arbitrage and insider trading. This new investigation might subject information disclosure services to CSRC regulation[para. 1][para. 2].
In April, the CSRC sent out surveys to companies listed on Chinese mainland stock markets, inquiring about their use of consultancies for information disclosure over the past three years. These surveys asked for details about the consultancies hired, including their names and the services provided[para. 3].
Many newly listed companies, unfamiliar with information disclosure rules, rely on consultancies to draft or review documents, such as earnings reports and regulatory announcements[para. 4]. This need is highlighted by the fact that company leaders often ask if they will face jail time for disclosure mistakes, pointing to a lack of understanding among these companies[para. 5].
The main reasons for hiring consultancy services are to avoid disclosure violations, reduce internal workload, enhance the professionalism of information disclosure, and stay informed about regulatory developments and policy directions[para. 6].
Despite encouragement from stock exchanges for companies to directly seek their guidance on information disclosure, many firms prefer using third-party consultancies. They seek compliance guidance and advice on exploiting regulatory loopholes[para. 7]. Consultancies founded by former securities regulators are highly favored due to their familiarity with policies and good contacts within regulatory bodies. For instance, leading firms like Shanghai Infaith Group and Shenzhen Value Online Information Technology were established by former securities regulatory employees[para. 8][para. 9].
These consultancies are expected to leverage their connections to provide additional regulatory insights and help companies navigate regulatory inspections[para. 10]. Listed companies might also seek advice on controversial business opportunities that appear compliant but might not pass direct scrutiny from stock exchanges[para. 11].
Another risk associated with outsourcing disclosure work is insider trading, as consultancy staff gain early access to companies’ financial information. Unlike accounting firms, information disclosure consultancies often lack effective internal governance to prevent insider trading. Additionally, not all consultancies prohibit employees from trading stocks, and even those with such bans can have staff bypass them by having others trade on their behalf[para. 12][para. 13].
In September 2021, the CSRC imposed restrictions on its former employees, implementing a 10-year regulatory review on all departing personnel, with special scrutiny on those setting up consulting or securities technology firms. The higher the former employee’s position at the CSRC, the longer the mandatory waiting period before they can assume roles related to their previous regulatory work[para. 14][para. 15].
AI generated, for reference only
The Guelph Police Service has implemented our first Buy & Sell Zone to provide some peace of mind for those buying, selling or trading property online.
There is now a dedicated space on Fountain Street, outside our police headquarters, which can be used for this purpose.
Those meeting new people while finalizing online transactions are encouraged to use the dedicated space to lessen the risk of becoming victims of robbery, theft or fraud while attempting to buy or sell property. Please note the Guelph Police Service does not assume responsibility for the transactions and will not be monitoring use of the space.
Buyers or sellers unable to utilize the Buy & Sell Zone are encouraged to complete transactions in public, well-lit areas.
To protect yourself from becoming a victim, we recommend the following precautions:
- Complete the transaction during daytime hours only
- Bring someone with you, or if this is not possible let a trusted friend or relative know who you will be meeting with as well as the time and location of the meeting
- Never complete a transaction by mail
- Inspect any property you are planning to buy before providing payment
- Limit the amount of personal information you provide to someone you don’t know
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The external fund manager backed by Berkshire Hathaway’s Charlie Munger, Li Lu, makes no bones about it when he says ‘The biggest investment risk is not the volatility of prices, but whether you will suffer a permanent loss of capital.’ So it might be obvious that you need to consider debt, when you think about how risky any given stock is, because too much debt can sink a company. We note that Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) does have debt on its balance sheet. But the more important question is: how much risk is that debt creating?
What Risk Does Debt Bring?
Generally speaking, debt only becomes a real problem when a company can’t easily pay it off, either by raising capital or with its own cash flow. In the worst case scenario, a company can go bankrupt if it cannot pay its creditors. While that is not too common, we often do see indebted companies permanently diluting shareholders because lenders force them to raise capital at a distressed price. By replacing dilution, though, debt can be an extremely good tool for businesses that need capital to invest in growth at high rates of return. The first thing to do when considering how much debt a business uses is to look at its cash and debt together.
Check out our latest analysis for Danaher
What Is Danaher’s Debt?
You can click the graphic below for the historical numbers, but it shows that Danaher had US$18.2b of debt in March 2024, down from US$19.8b, one year before. However, because it has a cash reserve of US$7.03b, its net debt is less, at about US$11.1b.
How Healthy Is Danaher’s Balance Sheet?
According to the last reported balance sheet, Danaher had liabilities of US$7.78b due within 12 months, and liabilities of US$22.2b due beyond 12 months. On the other hand, it had cash of US$7.03b and US$3.38b worth of receivables due within a year. So its liabilities outweigh the sum of its cash and (near-term) receivables by US$19.5b.
Of course, Danaher has a titanic market capitalization of US$196.9b, so these liabilities are probably manageable. But there are sufficient liabilities that we would certainly recommend shareholders continue to monitor the balance sheet, going forward.
We use two main ratios to inform us about debt levels relative to earnings. The first is net debt divided by earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), while the second is how many times its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) covers its interest expense (or its interest cover, for short). The advantage of this approach is that we take into account both the absolute quantum of debt (with net debt to EBITDA) and the actual interest expenses associated with that debt (with its interest cover ratio).
We’d say that Danaher’s moderate net debt to EBITDA ratio ( being 1.5), indicates prudence when it comes to debt. And its strong interest cover of 1k times, makes us even more comfortable. In fact Danaher’s saving grace is its low debt levels, because its EBIT has tanked 25% in the last twelve months. When it comes to paying off debt, falling earnings are no more useful than sugary sodas are for your health. When analysing debt levels, the balance sheet is the obvious place to start. But ultimately the future profitability of the business will decide if Danaher can strengthen its balance sheet over time. So if you want to see what the professionals think, you might find this free report on analyst profit forecasts to be interesting.
Finally, while the tax-man may adore accounting profits, lenders only accept cold hard cash. So it’s worth checking how much of that EBIT is backed by free cash flow. During the last three years, Danaher generated free cash flow amounting to a very robust 98% of its EBIT, more than we’d expect. That positions it well to pay down debt if desirable to do so.
Our View
Danaher’s interest cover suggests it can handle its debt as easily as Cristiano Ronaldo could score a goal against an under 14’s goalkeeper. But we must concede we find its EBIT growth rate has the opposite effect. All these things considered, it appears that Danaher can comfortably handle its current debt levels. On the plus side, this leverage can boost shareholder returns, but the potential downside is more risk of loss, so it’s worth monitoring the balance sheet. There’s no doubt that we learn most about debt from the balance sheet. But ultimately, every company can contain risks that exist outside of the balance sheet. We’ve identified 1 warning sign with Danaher , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.
If, after all that, you’re more interested in a fast growing company with a rock-solid balance sheet, then check out our list of net cash growth stocks without delay.
Valuation is complex, but we’re helping make it simple.
Find out whether Danaher is potentially over or undervalued by checking out our comprehensive analysis, which includes fair value estimates, risks and warnings, dividends, insider transactions and financial health.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Elvis Presley pictured with then-girlfriend Yvonne Lime at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee around 1957.
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Elvis Presley pictured with then-girlfriend Yvonne Lime at his home Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee around 1957.
AP
Elvis Presley’s granddaughter is suing to stop the planned foreclosure sale of his compound Graceland, alleging that the company involved not only forged documents, but doesn’t actually exist.
Actress Danielle Riley Keough became the owner of the Memphis property following the death of her mother — and Elvis’ only child — Lisa Marie Presley in January 2023.
The 14-acre compound is a popular tourist destination as well as the final resting place of several of Keough’s family members, including Elvis and his parents, as well as her own mother and brother.
Keough, who goes by Riley, filed a complaint last week in a Tennessee civil court seeking to block the sale, which she says a company called Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC has advertised and scheduled for Thursday.
The 61-page document says that in September 2023, the company “presented documents purporting to show that Lisa Marie Presley had borrowed $3.8 million from Naussany Investments and gave a deed of trust encumbering Graceland as security.”
But Keough says Presley never borrowed money from or gave a deed of trust — for Graceland or any other property — to Naussany Investments, alleging “these documents are fraudulent.” Moreover, the lawsuit argues that Naussany Investments “is not a real entity” at all.
“Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC appears to be a false entity created for the purpose of defrauding the Promenade Trust, the heirs of Lisa Marie Presley, or any purchaser of Graceland at a non-judicial sale,” it reads.
The lawsuit names as defendants both the LLC and an individual identified as Kurt Naussany, whom it says has acted on the company’s behalf by sending Keough’s lawyers “numerous emails seeking to collect the purported $3.8 million debt and threatening to conduct a non-judicial sale of Graceland.”
Emails NPR sent to several addresses linked to the company have not been returned, and a Naussany phone number listed in the legal filing is out of service.
Adding to the intrigue, Kurt Naussany told NBC News via email that “he left the firm in 2015 and should not be named in the filing” — though one of the exhibits attached to the complaint shows a signed email he purportedly sent in 2023.
A lawyer for Keough told NPR he could not comment on pending litigation. But Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that manages the late singer’s estate, said via email that “these claims are fraudulent.”
“There is no foreclosure sale,” it said. “Simply put, the counter lawsuit [that] has been filed is to stop the fraud.”
Priscilla Presley — Elvis’ ex-wife and Lisa Marie’s mother — also refuted claims of a foreclosure sale on her social media accounts on Monday. She shared a picture of the front of the Graceland mansion, covered by animated red text reading: “It’s a scam!”
Court documents obtained by NPR show that the Shelby County Chancery Court will hold a hearing on the injunction at 9 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
It also issued a restraining order that prohibits Naussany Investments, Kurt Naussany “or any party acting in concert with either of them” from conducting any such sale of the property in the meantime.
Keough is accusing the company of forging documents
Riley Keough, pictured at the Met Gala earlier this month, is fighting a foreclosure sale of Graceland.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
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Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
Riley Keough, pictured at the Met Gala earlier this month, is fighting a foreclosure sale of Graceland.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
The lawsuit alleges that the documents purporting to show the loan and deed of trust at issue are “forgeries.”
“While the documents bear signatures that look like the signatures of Lisa Marie Presley, Lisa Marie Presley did not in fact sign the documents,” it says.
And it points to two clues that further suggest they are fake.
The documents were supposedly acknowledged before a notary public — an officer appointed by the state to witness such transactions — named Kimberly Philbrick in Duval County, Fla., in May 2018, according to the lawsuit.
The notarial acknowledgment on one of the documents includes language saying it was acknowledged before the notary “by means of ( ) physical presence or ( ) online notarization,” with the option to check either. But online notarization — and therefore, the language mentioning it — wasn’t authorized in Florida until 2020.
Secondly, Philbrick herself says she did not notarize either of the documents. She swore as much in an affidavit signed earlier this month, which was submitted alongside the complaint.
“I have never met Lisa Marie Presley, nor have I ever notarized a document signed by Lisa Marie Presley,” she wrote. “I do not know why my signature appears on this document.”
Another attachment shows Naussany Investment’s notice of the foreclosure sale, published online on May 12, on the grounds that the loan using Graceland as collateral was not repaid.
It says it is authorized — and plans — to hold a public auction outside the Shelby County Courthouse at 11 a.m. on May 23, and sell the property to the “highest and best bidder for cash.”
Keough argues that Naussany Investments has “no right whatsoever” to conduct that sale.
She is asking the court to issue an injunction permanently blocking the sale, declare that the note and deed of trust are fraudulent (and therefore unenforceable) and grant her “such other relief” to which she might be entitled.
Elvis’ home base is now a major tourist draw
Visitors line up to enter the Graceland mansion in 2017, 40 years after Elvis’ death.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
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Visitors line up to enter the Graceland mansion in 2017, 40 years after Elvis’ death.
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Graceland started as part of a cattle farm. Elvis bought the grounds and existing mansion for $102,500 in March 1957. Its worth was estimated between $400 million and $500 million as of 2020.
Elvis moved in later in 1957, after he finished filming “Jailhouse Rock.” He would go on to expand the mansion to 17,552 square feet, adding fixtures like the kidney-shaped swimming pool and sheet music-styled gates.
Graceland remained his home base for the next two decades, until he died there in August 1977.
The estate then went to Elvis’ dad, Vernon Presley, and subsequently to Lisa Marie upon her 25th birthday in 1993. Keough officially became the owner in August 2023, after a months-long legal dispute with her grandmother over her mother’s will.
Graceland has been open to the public since 1982, and has expanded over the years to include a hotel, several museums, restaurants and an entertainment complex, among other attractions.
It employs hundreds of workers and draws upwards of 500,000 visitors annually, according to the venue, which calls itself the “most famous home in America after the White House.”
Graceland joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006, becoming the first rock-n-roll site to be named to both lists.
With Americans feeling “highly pessimistic” about the housing market going into the 2024 election, home prices appear to be tied to whether states are “red” or “blue,” according to new data from Realtor.com.
What the data shows
“Home prices and housing affordability are emerging as hot issues in the swing states that will decide the election,” as affordability has plummeted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the site. Gallup polling from earlier this month found that 68% of Americans predict higher prices for homes and that 76% said it is a bad time to buy a house.
Realtor.com’s affordability score data showed that “red” states where voters lean Republican are more affordable than “blue” states where voters lean Democrat. This data covers home purchases, not home rentals.
To rank affordability, Realtor.com used the Cook Political Report as a guide for which states are expected to vote Republican or Democrat. It also analyzed where families making the median local income could afford to buy at least half of the homes for sale under current mortgage rates.
Those rates were expected to drop this year, but still increased in March. As of that month, the national average affordability score per Realtor.com sat at 0.65. Iowa had the highest state score at 0.93.
“The 24 red states had an average home affordability score of 0.70 in March, while the 19 blue states plus Washington, DC, averaged 0.59,” Realtor.com said.
Why are “red” states more affordable?
Since states that vote Republican tend to be more rural, the lower population density could contribute to lower mortgage costs. They are also more concentrated in the South, where incomes have historically been lower, according to Kenneth Chilton, an associate professor of public administration at Tennessee State University.
During the first quarter of this year, single-family home prices in 93% of metro areas in the U.S. increased, according to the National Association of Realtors.
“In the blue states, you’re going to capture California and New York, and some of the states that have the highest housing prices in the country,” Chilton added.
Alex F. Schwartz, a professor of urban policy at The New School in Manhattan and chair of the master’s program in public and urban policy at the Milano School of Policy, Management, also said that “blue” states tend to be more economically vibrant. Therefore, there’s more demand for housing there.
However, this isn’t always the case.
“In fact, the states with the worst affordability scores in March were the ruby-red Mountain West states of Montana and Idaho, which are both grappling with an influx of wealthy newcomers competing for limited housing units,” said Realtor.com.
What about swing states?
Realtor.com identified housing price trends in seven swing states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.
“The swing state average sits in the middle, slightly more affordable than the national average. Those relative trends have held even as affordability declined across the board,” said the site. Swing states had an average affordability score of 0.66.
Among the swing states, there seems to be an opposite trend compared to the national market, with Southern states faring better. That’s because the Rust Belt swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin have been impacted by deindustrialization leading to lower than average population growth.
On the other hand, “Sun Belt swing states have experienced years of higher-than-average population growth, potentially straining the available housing inventory,” said Realtor.com.
What are the candidates saying?
Democrat President Joe Biden has proposed tax credits for some buyers and sellers and measures to boost construction.
“We know affordable housing has been a challenge for a long time. To solve it long term, we have to increase supply,” Biden said in a March speech in Las Vegas.
However, his GOP rival – former President Donald Trump – has accused Biden of attacking “the suburban lifestyle,” and said his policies could reduce home values.
“Our affordability data shows that, in a sense, the two candidates are speaking to two different worlds of voters,” said Realtor.com. “But in November, what will matter most is how they are received by voters in the toss-up states that will decide the election.”
For all Americans, affording a home became much more challenging in 2021 due to high mortgage rates that outpaced wage growth. Overall, the median national list price for homes was $409,500 in January, up 37% compared to January 2020.
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Chanel plans to increase its investments in its retail network and real estate by at least 50 per cent this year, as the French design house competes with other luxury groups in a hot market for prime locations.
The company, which is owned by the billionaire Wertheimer family and headquartered in London, also plans to continue to make acquisitions to further integrate its supply chain after a dozen such deals last year, according to its top executives.
“We are seizing opportunities in real estate which the current environment is offering. So we will be on the offensive,” Chanel’s global chief financial officer Philippe Blondiaux told the Financial Times.
“We are also expanding our capacity [and] we are accelerating the vertical integration of our supply chain because we believe this is key to controlling our manufacturing and materials.”
Chanel will be competing in a crowded real estate market as top luxury groups spend billions to secure the most exclusive retail locations for their brands.
Gucci owner Kering last month bought a retail block on Milan’s top shopping street for €1.3bn from Blackstone — Europe’s biggest property deal for two years — as demand from luxury groups helps high-end retail real estate defy a wider downturn.
LVMH, the world’s biggest luxury group by sales, spent roughly €2.5bn on real estate investments last year, including for prize assets on Paris’ Champs Elysées.
Chanel has also recently splashed out on buildings on New York’s Fifth Avenue and Avenue Montaigne in Paris.
The company, made famous by the pioneering designs of its founder Coco Chanel, has been growing rapidly. Sales hit $19.7bn last year, up 16 per cent against 2022 on a like-for-like basis, while operating profits rose 10.9 per cent to $6.4bn.
The expansion in recent years has come during a luxury boom that has brought record sales and profits for the sector. Chanel has more than doubled both its revenues and headcount in the past decade, according to chief executive Leena Nair.
“My priority . . . is to protect what we cherish and what differentiates us while continuing to have the drive of a scaled business. We have tripled the number of countries we are in [and] our distribution network has doubled in the last five years,” Nair said.
As the industry’s growth slows from the giddy highs of recent years, Chanel is emerging as one of the most resilient brands alongside other top tier players such as Hermès and Brunello Cucinelli, which benefit from their high-end positioning and wealthy client base.
Chanel said sales growth was in the double digits across all its categories from fashion to handbags to beauty. Europe and Asia grew respectively in the high teens and low 20s, bucking industry concerns about Chinese shoppers as Asia’s powerhouse economy slows, but the Americas remained softer at 2.4 per cent growth.
After already increasing its investment in the business by a hefty 83 per cent last year to $1.23bn, Chanel plans to do even more in 2024.
“I don’t think there is a single market, including the US, which we see as saturated,” Blondiaux said. “The US for us is still an under-developed market for luxury if you look at certain [indicators] on wealth.”
In China, Blondiaux believes Chanel is “under-distributed”, with only about 18 boutiques in the world’s second-biggest economy, far fewer than some of its rivals.
“We have plans to continue to invest in China even though Chinese consumers have resumed travelling” abroad to shop, he said, a trend that was slow to pick up following the country’s draconian lockdowns at the end of the pandemic.
However, gripes about steep price increases have emerged among some of Chanel’s clients. The average price of luxury goods tracked by HSBC has risen 50 per cent since 2019, while the cost of a classic Chanel flap bag has more than doubled to top €10,000.
Chanel says its price increases reflect higher costs of materials as well as inflation and will maintain its current policies. Pricing contributed 9 per cent to its sales growth in 2023 and 7 per cent from an increase in volume, Blondiaux said.
Launching with a Generative AI Optimization Solution, GAIO.tech, to Offer Clients Transparency and Influence with AI Chatbots
SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Hotwire, the global communications and marketing consultancy, today launched its global AI Innovation team and first proprietary AI tool, GAIO.tech, that delivers unique insight into brand reputation, influence and recommendations by AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. GAIO.tech is the first in a series of AI technology and consulting solutions Hotwire will launch in the coming months to help global brands use AI as part of their marketing and communications strategies to better meet business goals. Hotwire has appointed Sven Winnefeld as Vice President, AI Innovation to lead the AI team across Hotwire’s global organization. This team will consult clients on their AI strategies and communications programs in addition to developing the suite of proprietary AI powered solutions.
“According to MuckRack’s State of AI in PR 2024 report, 64% of PR pros now use generative AI tools, compared to just 28% a year ago. This rapid adoption will shape how AI is used in PR and marketing to engage target audiences and stakeholders. By launching a team dedicated to AI innovation for communications and marketing, we can set our clients ahead of competitors through unique AI insights and technologies, done responsibly. Working with and understanding how best to deploy AI will allow global brands to build stronger reputations and relationships that boost customer retention and revenues,” said Heather Kernahan, Global Chief Executive Officer at Hotwire.
With Hotwire’s GAIO.tech, marketing and communications professionals in technology and innovation companies will better understand how their brand and products show up in AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity as well as the opportunities to influence these answers. While search engine optimization (SEO) measures and focuses on keywords and backlinks, GAIO.tech will allow brands to use Generative Artificial Intelligence Optimization (GAIO) to understand brand mentions on these AI chatbots and identify the most prominent answers and sources to recognize which media outlets, channels and influencers are leveraged and prioritized. This will better inform PR and marketing strategies as clients navigate how Generative AI powered research and responses are impacting brand reputation and visibility.
“As consumers and B2B buyers increasingly turn to Generative AI for research it will only become more important that marketing and communications teams understand how consumers are using these tools and develop strategies to best position their company and products. GAIO.tech delivers insights into the answers of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots, including the identification of the most cited products, brands and sources. This tool is just the start from Hotwire on working with AI to give our clients the insights they need to create the most effective marketing and communications programs for the future,” said Sven Winnefeld, VP, AI Innovation at Hotwire.
GAIO.tech, available immediately to Hotwire clients, allows brands to:
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Gain insight into what AI chatbots say about your brand or products
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Compare brand visibility against competitor brands across AI chatbots
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Identify key publications, influencers and channels that are most frequently sourced by AI chatbots
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Create strategies to influence AI chatbot answers, message delivery and brand perception
As part of Hotwire’s continued AI consultancy, earlier this year, Hotwire launched a report titled Brand Narratives in the Age of AI in partnership with think tank House of Beautiful Business. The report features input from experts at the forefront of AI including journalists, cyber-psychologists, designers, and brand leaders to unravel the AI trends and narratives shaping the business landscape and societal perceptions, and developed a new brand positioning framework that comms and marketing leaders can use to benchmark and craft their own AI narratives.
Hotwire will be discussing Generative AI Optimization and demoing GAIO.tech during Sven Winnefeld’s keynote presentation at the AMEC Global Summit, alongside a discussion around navigating the future of comms measurement in the world of AI from Matt Oakley, Hotwire’s Global Head of Data & Analytics and MuckRack’s Chief Partnerships Officer Natan Edelsburg.
To check out more about Hotwire’s AI consultancy or learn more about the AI team, technology and capabilities, visit the website here.
About Hotwire
Hotwire is the tech PR, communications, and marketing consultancy. Globally, top technology brands partner with us for expert consultancy to scale and support their businesses. Found at the intersection of technology and humanity, our 400+ people in 11 countries weave global experience and local expertise to define, measure, and repeat success across reputation, relationship, and revenue campaigns.
Follow us here to see how 20+ years at the forefront of communications and marketing help Hotwire make the technical, irresistible.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240521624499/en/
Contacts
Hotwire
Whitney Wells
whitney.wells@hotwireglobal.com
If there’s pandemonium coming from Pearl River this football season, pay no mind.
It’ll likely just be another happy — and, no doubt, loud — gathering at Ryan Major’s new place.
“Man, I can’t wait,” Major said recently. “The Saints, baby.”
For now, Major is still unpacking and getting settled into the ranch-style house with gray-blue siding and a lush, green lawn framed on three sides by towering pines. A retired U.S. Army staff sergeant, Major says he can’t believe his good fortune.
The house, and a move back to Louisiana, is a dream come true, he says.
Major received the new home through a nonprofit called A Soldier’s Journey Home, which builds a house each year and hands over the keys to an injured military veteran.
Major’s new 2,300-square-foot home, designed over several months but largely built during a marathon volunteer build-out session over a couple weeks in April, is the 10th that the group has funded and built, said Sharon Holland, a Soldier’s Home spokesperson.
The home was designed with Major specifically in mind, Holland said. It’s wheelchair-accessible and, perhaps best of all, comes without the burden of a mortgage.
“We only build a house one time a year,” Holland said of the group, which was created after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, D.C. Each year, the group, which relies on a vast network of volunteers as well as donations of money and materials, seeks a military veteran injured during combat to donate the home to.
“We work with them (the injured veterans) very closely on the design,” Holland said, adding that the homes are typically in the $350,000-$450,000 range.
While the mortgage is taken care of, the recipients do cover other expenses.
Overcoming dark days
Major, 39, has endured some dark days.
As an infantryman, Major suffered horrendous injuries in a bomb blast in Tal Afar, Iraq, in 2005. The blast and medical complications would eventually claim both legs, several fingers and force him to endure “80-something surgeries.”
A New Orleans native who grew up in Baltimore, Major joined the Army after high school in 2003. He was stationed in Germany before being deployed to Iraq. While on a night mission, a bomb was detonated remotely, leaving Major with life-threatening wounds.
Loaded into an armored Bradley Fighting Vehicle, Major, still conscious, knew his wounds were serious. “Read me my Last Rites. Tell my mom I love her,” he told the soldier assisting him, according to a 2019 story in the VA News.
He was flown back to Germany, to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, where he placed into an induced coma. Weeks later he awoke at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
“That’s where the journey began,” Major said.
As he recovered from his injuries, depression set in and he struggled to cope with his new reality.
“There were a lot of woe-is-me times,” he said.
But while at Walter Reed, Major discovered that sports could be a vital cog in his future.
An athlete all through high school, where he played football and wrestled, he relished the thought of once again competing.
“Sports saved me,” Major said. “I went in big.”
Kayaking and hand cycling were first up, followed by numerous other sports and, most recently, wheelchair rugby. He’s hand cycled in the New York Marathon and competed in the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
Through those activities, he found another reason to keep moving forward.
“I still love being an athlete,” he said.
A new home
Major wanted to move back to New Orleans to be closer to family. He learned about A Soldier’s Journey Home and wanted to be a part of it.
Last year the nonprofit chose Major as the recipient of its 2024 home. Design work began, volunteers were gathered, and April 15-27 was set for the marathon build session.
Holland said many of the group’s regular volunteers are military personnel or firefighters. They come from across the U.S., using leave time, to work on the houses. Other volunteers set up food operations to help feed the volunteers.
Typically, the builds are in June, Holland said. But, given south Louisiana’s less-than-hospitable June climate, the group settled on April this year.
Chief Chris Kaufmann of St. Tammany Fire District No. 1 based in Slidell, said several of the department’s firefighters volunteer for the builds, including the one in Pearl River for Major’s home.
“It’s paying it forward,” Kaufmann said of the volunteer work, noting the homebuilding for the military veterans was an outgrowth of efforts to help firefighters and others after the Sept. 11 attacks. Also, he said, firefighters from across the U.S. were among the multitude of volunteers that helped south Louisiana dig out of the mess that Hurricane Katrina left in 2005.
“To be able to be part of something like this … that’s special,” Kaufmann said.
Major said he was stunned to learn that the group had chosen him.
“I’ve just been so excited for more than a year now,” he said. “I can’t believe a house has been put together for me and my family.”
Major, the oldest of three brothers, expects the new house to be the center of countless family gatherings. His mother, Lorrie Knight-Major, has been helping him get settled.
A new home, soon to be filled with family and friends. It’s a blessing Major says he couldn’t have fathomed in those awful days after his injuries.
“It’s a long road, and I’m still learning,” he said. “The healing never ends.”
Buying London takes the beloved drama-filled property-selling show to the heart of England with a brand new cast, including a Made in Chelsea alumni.
The Netflix official description shares: “Follow high-end agent Daniel Daggers and team as they navigate London’s luxury property market, where the drama is as jaw-dropping as the price tags.”
The glamourous estate agents are set to visit some of the most expensive properties on the market in London, from mansions to penthouses and more.
Before you hit play on Buying London, find out all you need to know about the new cast of estate agents and what you can expect from the new Netflix show.
Meet the cast of Netflix’s Buying London
Daniel Daggers
At the head of the show is DDRE boss Daniel Daggers who began in the property business more than 25 years ago.
Starting out selling studio flats, Daniel has since sold homes worth £5 billion to the rich and famous and expects his agents to be just as good as him.
Rasa Bagdonaviciute
Not afraid to speak her mind, Rasa Bagdonaviciute has been at DDRE for over a year and has been living in London for 11 years.
She has previously worked as a property consultant in Dubai and spent time working at Genting Casinos UK.
Rosi Walden
Familiar with reality TV, Rosi Walden previously starred in Made In Chelsea when she joined the show in 2019 and is best known for her fling with Jamie Laing.
Now hoping to focus on property, Rosi has previously worked at Strutt & Parker before joining DDRE.
Reme Nicole
Reme Nicole has been with the DDRE team for three years and at just 21, she’s the youngest in the office and is keen to impress her boss.
Oli Hamilton
Self-described ‘posho’ Oli Hamilton grew up in Chelsea and Kensington and has more than 15 years of experience in the property industry but has only been with DDRE for around a year.
Juliana Ardenius
Swedish-born Juliana Ardenius won Miss Teen Universe when she was 19 which saw her travel the world.
Now settled in London, Juliana is ready to sell and transform the London property market.
Lauren Christy
As the top agent of DDRE Lauren Christy has a long-term friendship with Daniel and has more than seven years’ worth of industry experience.
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Olivia Wayne
As the content creator of DDRE, Olivia Wayne is known for being the voice of reason and has a close-knit relationship with Juliana.
How many episodes are there of Buying London?
Netflix will be dropping seven episodes of Buying London, all of which are expected to arrive on the streaming service on Wednesday, May 22.