Technology has become the foundation of modern life, shaping the way we communicate, travel, learn, work, and even think. From smartphones to smart homes, artificial intelligence to robotics, the digital revolution has transformed every part of society. Today, technology is not just a tool we use—it is a partner in progress, helping humanity solve problems, explore new ideas, and build a smarter future. In the past century, technological advancement has accelerated rapidly. Early inventions…

Imagine it’s 2004 and I explain to you what a mortgage-backed security (MBS) is. I show you how they work and how banks are using them to sell groups of mortgages to investors. Even with this knowledge, it would’ve been difficult to foresee the financial crisis MBS would help create in just a few years time. After all, there’s nothing particularly dangerous about MBS. They weren’t new either. The first MBS was issued in 1968. But as lending standards loosened in the 2000s, riskier mortgages were underwritten, packaged, and sold (as AAA rated MBS) to unsuspecting investors. This once harmless structure became the catalyst for a financial meltdown. Well, the year is 2025 and I think I’ve found the MBS of our era. It’s called conduit debt financing. Conduit Debt Financing = The New MBS? I first heard of conduit debt financing through Matt Levine’s piece about how big tech companies are paying for their data center build outs. I’ve since read this excellent primer on the topic as well. Here’s a simplified version of how conduit debt financing works: A tech company wants to build a data center, but they don’t want to use their cash to pay for it. Instead of borrowing the money directly (which could harm their credit rating), the tech company creates a new company, called a special purpose vehicle (SPV). This SPV borrows the money from investors, builds the data center, and then leases the data center back to the tech company. If the tech company ever fails to pay the SPV, the SPV keeps the data center as collateral.  In short, the tech company gets its data center without the debt and investors get a highly productive asset. What’s not to like?  Like MBS, there’s nothing inherently dangerous about conduit debt financing. Similarly, it’s not new either. Municipalities and companies alike have used such structures since the 1980s. But, with the massive speculation around AI investments, such an arrangement could lead to problems. For example, what if the tech company decides to stop leasing the data center? In Meta’s recent $27 billion deal with Blue Owl Capital, they have the option to cancel the lease after only four years (but will need to pay a capped termination fee to do so). Technically, the SPV could just lease the data center to another tech company. But what if the specialized infrastructure or the chips inside the data center have become obsolete? What happens if the demand for compute falls dramatically? What will the SPV investors do then? The equity holders will obviously get wiped out, but who will pay back the debt holders? If the SPV debt holders were all hedge funds, this wouldn’t be a problem. But they’re not. Since the SPV will typically have a credit rating just below that of the tech company, institutional investors like pension funds and insurance companies are eligible to become debt holders. And, if some politicians had their way, retail investors would be eligible

The 1980s gave us unforgettable movies, TV shows, and pop culture moments that still resonate today. From teen dramas to blockbuster hits, the actresses of that era became household names and shaped the entertainment landscape. But time has a way of transforming even the most iconic faces, leaving fans stunned when they see their favorite stars today. This article highlights 10 ’80s actresses unrecognizable in 2025, showing how fame, lifestyle, and age have reshaped their […]

Save, invest, prosper with My Own Advisor. The Wealthy Barber Book Review and Giveaway From the book that started it all for me, in becoming a passionate, younger DIY investor to now a semi-retiree, the latest Wealthy Barber book is out with lots of good information for investors of all ages. Wealthy Barber Beginnings The first edition of The Wealthy Barber was… Join the million dollar portfolio journey. The article The Wealthy Barber Book Review […]

My Arizona “Christmas Cactus” that I had up last year by Thanksgiving. My Mom and Stepdad are coming out this year to visit for Thanksgiving. This is only the second time ever (in the nearly 20 years of living out of state) that they have come to visit for the holiday! I am thrilled to be hosting and beyond thrilled to be able to celebrate the holiday with family! That being said, the planner-inside started getting a little crazy with planning. Before I knew it, I had a mile-long menu of all the foods I wanted to make. Add to that the fact that Christmas keeps starting earlier and earlier. It feels like half our neighborhood already has lights and yard decor up and I was starting to stress myself out over the fact that we haven’t even started. When I was complaining to my husband over the weekend about all my stresses over my “must do’s” he pointed out that a lot of my stress was self-imposed. Yes, we’ll be “hosting”…. but there are only 6 of us in total. I don’t need to make enough food to feed an army! And there’s no need to decorate for Christmas this early. That might be a fun activity to start decorating together the Friday after Thanksgiving. I’ve lived away from home nearly my entire adult life, so it would be a special treat to do some of this together! And overall, I was just getting ahead of myself. Yes, it feels like the weeks have been flying by – I can’t believe Thanksgiving is almost upon us! But there’s no need to rush the holiday. It’s perfectly fine if we don’t put up Christmas decor until November 28-29th (or – GASP! – wait until December 6-7). I think sometimes social media creates this unnecessary pressure to do things earlier or to keep up with neighbor’s nearly perfect displays by doing more or bigger than previous years. But I don’t want to lose focus on what really matters most – the family time. I don’t want to spoil that by imposing all this pressure for things to be “perfect.” I’m just happy to be having the time together. How are you spending Thanksgiving this year? What’s on your Thanksgiving menu? The post Holidays: Back to the Basics appeared first on Blogging Away Debt.

Ever since we had a kid, my friends and family were like “well, I guess you’re going to have buy a house now!” After all, they reasoned, we couldn’t possibly raise a kid in a one-bedroom apartment, right? FIRECracker was determined to prove them wrong, and since room sharing with an infant is recommended for the entire first year of life to avoid SIDS, one bedroom was fine for at least the first year. And […]

Sammie Ellard-King I’m Sammie, a money expert and business owner passionate about helping you take control of your wallet. My mission with Up the Gains is to create a safe space to help improve your finances, cut your costs and make you feel good while doing it. Facebook State pensions are about to get a nice boost. If you’re one of the 13 million pensioners in the UK, you’ll see your retirement income jump by […]

I wondered what would happen if I asked ChatGPT to write a blog as me: Calm haha! 😀 For the AI draft post, scroll to the bottom but in the meantime, the following is written by the real me! Decumulation! … Continue reading → The post Decumulation and Derisking – some thoughts (and actions!) appeared first on Quietly Saving.