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Instagram consultants share secrets and techniques to changing into an influencer, rising your fan base, and getting cash

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Online social media influencers often come across as interesting, exciting, and glamorous, and those who work hard to build a loyal follower base can also find a great way to make money.

Georgia Kelly, Strategic Partner Manager at Instagram, says she loves seeing people grow their brands and business.

“Creators are at the center of culture on Instagram, setting trends and signaling what’s next,” says Kelly.

“It’s so exciting to see and we want Instagram to be a place where you can both grow your personal brand and make money.

“It’s difficult for YouTubers to begin with – not least during a pandemic – so we’ve worked very closely with them and tried to put ourselves in their shoes so we can develop products and features that can be really useful,” she added added.

Those with a loyal following on Instagram make money from their profiles

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Instagram has several initiatives to aid its creators, such as recently testing the use of IGTV video ads. It enables Instagram to support YouTubers who use IGTV by offering them payments for ads shown.

Kelly said there has been positive feedback from content creators and advertisers.

The website also offers enhanced access to a “paid partnership with” tool that clearly shows when a business relationship exists. According to the platform, this allows people to be upfront and build trust with their fans when they get paid to post content.

In October, it also launched Badges for Instagram Live for more than 50,000 YouTubers worldwide, opening up additional monetization options.

Badges can be purchased by viewers during a live video and appear next to a person’s name.

Fans who buy them will be noticed in the comments and unlock additional features, says Instagram. It has also tested purchasing initiatives in the United States and hopes to bring this to more markets soon.

If you introduce yourself as an influencer, the filmmaker duo TOPJAW (@topjaw), who create food and travel content, have shared their top tips for success.

TOPJAW is directed by Will Warr (@willwarr), 31, and Jesse Burgess (@ jesse-burgess), 29, both from London.

What Instagram Features Do You Use To Make Money?

“We’re primarily a long format (longer and more detailed) content creator. With branded content, we work hard to make ads as natural and humorous as possible while maintaining the same energy and charm as the other content. “

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How can you get started and encourage people to follow you?

The couple advises to be as authentic as possible. “When we talk to our audience as we do to our friends, we see the greatest engagement and growth.”

It’s also important to keep content “real”, as if you’re giving others a glimpse into your life “behind the scenes,” they add. “There’s nothing wrong with making your Instagram feed look smooth and cohesive, but don’t strip it of character entirely.”

Is there certain content that you find piquing people’s interest?

“The tone of voice is the key to TOPJAW. We write the way we speak, with all the exaggeration, the sarcasm and of course the jokes at the other’s expense. All of this is part of the TOPJAW brand and one of our USPs.”
Posts with close-up shots of faces, action, and food – and possibly all three together – can really get attention too, they add.

How do you keep a fan base after you’ve built it and keep people from getting bored?

“Our long format content is just food and travel. Sure, our personalities and relationships shine through, but they’re heavily embedded between fast-paced cinematic informative content that is like a fast-forward Netflix show.

“Instagram enables followers to have a clearer view of our lives, interests, other relationships and a wider circle of friends.”

They also say consistency is important and warn against the temptation to “post too much,” adding, “Quality and relevance are key. Before we post anything, do we think about whether our followers really want to see this? “

Most read money stories today

How do you work with companies. Are they coming up to you or are you going up to them?

“We rarely approach companies. We are constantly planning and working on self-produced and self-financed content, as we are still growing.”

They have a list of ‘dream companies’ they would like to work with, but note,’ We find that we are in a much better position for creative control and fee negotiation when the brand approaches us than the other way around around so we tend to play the waiting game. “

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5 issues you must know earlier than the inventory market opens on Monday June seventh

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Here are the key news, trends, and analysis investors need to start their trading day:

1. Dow, S&P 500 stand less than 1% of record closing highs

A trader on the New York Stock Exchange, June 4, 2021.

Source: NYSE

2. Jeff Bezos will fly Blue Origin’s first passenger space flight in July

Jeff Bezos drives a Rivian R1T electric truck through the Blue Origin launch facility in Texas.

Blue origin

Jeff Bezos will fly on the first passenger flight of his space company Blue Origin. The company plans to launch the mission on July 20, the Amazon billionaire announced on Monday. Bezos and his brother Mark will join the winner in a public auction held for one of the seats. The bid for the auction was $ 2.8 million before Bezos announced he would be on board. Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX are two of the largest commercial space companies.

3. Elon Musk Says Tesla has officially canceled the Model S Plaid Plus

Musk, also co-founder and CEO of Tesla, tweeted on Sunday that the electric automaker canceled the most expensive variant of its flagship sedan, the $ 150,000 Model S Plaid Plus.

Tesla had promised that a Plaid Plus version of its new Model S would give drivers 1,100 horsepower, 520 miles of range on a fully charged battery, and zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds. The remaining high-end version of the Model S Plaid for $ 119,900 has a 390-mile battery with 1,020 horsepower and similar acceleration.

4. AMC stocks subdued after skyrocketing in a wild week of trading

Pedestrians pass an AMC theater in New York.

Scott Mlyn | CNBC

AMC Entertainment’s shares were subdued in the premarket on Monday after a wild week in which the stock was up more than 80% despite declines on Thursday and Friday. The cinema chain sold additional shares in two tranches last week, raising around $ 817 million. CEO Adam Aron told YouTube host and AMC shareholder Trey Collins that the company plans to issue an additional 25 million shares.

Emily Blunt, Millicent Simmonds and Noah Jupe star in “A Quiet Place Part II”.

Parent

The cinema business, decimated by the Covid pandemic, showed further signs of a return to normal. “A Quiet Place Part II” fell 59% to $ 19.5 million after a stellar opening weekend. However, the Paramount sequel has raised $ 88.6 million in the US and Canada so far. Warner Bros.’s “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It” topped the weekend box office and debuted with a profit of $ 24 million.

5. G-7 agrees on global tax reform; Yellen talks about the Biden agenda, tariffs

British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (center), US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen (right) attends the first day of the G-7 Finance Ministers’ Meeting on June 4, 2021 at Lancaster House in London.

Stefan Rousseau | AFP | Getty Images

The Treasury Ministers of the most advanced economies, known as the Group of Seven, have backed a US proposal requiring companies around the world to pay at least 15% tax. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tweeted that a “global minimum tax would end the race to the bottom in corporate taxation and ensure fairness for the middle class and working people in the US and around the world.”

Former Federal Reserve chairman Yellen said in a Bloomberg interview that President Joe Biden’s $ 4 trillion spending agenda would be positive for the country even if it led to a surge in interest rates. “If we had a slightly higher interest rate environment at the end, this would actually be a plus for the perspective of society and the Fed,” said Yellen.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report. Follow the whole market like a pro on CNBC Pro. Get the latest on the pandemic with coronavirus coverage from CNBC.

France fined Google for abuse of internet marketing place

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Sundar Pichai, Chief Executive Officer of Google LLC, speaks during the Google Cloud Next ’19 event in San Francisco, California, the United States, on Tuesday, April 9, 2019.

Michael Kurz | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The French competition authority has fined Google € 220 million (US $ 267 million) for abusing its market power in the online advertising industry.

The French competition authority said Monday that Google had unfairly sent business to its own services and discriminated against competition. Google has agreed to pay the fine and stop some of its self-preferential practices, the watchdog said.

The investigation found that Google has its DFP ad server, which enables website and application publishers to sell their ad space, and its SSP-AdX listing platform, which organizes auction processes and allows publishers to sell their “impressions” or ad inventory , given preferential treatment to advertisers. Google’s competitors and publishers suffered, the regulator said.

Isabelle de Silva, president of the French competition authority, said in a statement that the decision was the first in the world to “examine the complex algorithmic auction processes by which online ‘display’ advertising works”.

She added that the investigation uncovered processes by which Google favored itself over its competitors on both ad servers and supply-side platforms, which are pieces of software used by publishers to manage, sell and optimize ad space on theirs Websites and mobile apps.

“These very serious practices have put competition at a disadvantage in the emerging online advertising market and have enabled Google not only to maintain its dominant position, but also to expand,” said de Silva.

“This sanction and these obligations will make it possible to restore a level playing field for all players and to give publishers the opportunity to make optimal use of their advertising space.”

Google announced on a blog on Monday that it would make a number of changes to its advertising technology.

“We understand the role advertising technology plays in helping access to content and information, and we are committed to working with regulators and investing in new products and technologies that will give publishers more choice and better results when using our platforms.” wrote Maria Gomri, Legal Director of Google France.

The investigation comes after US News Corp, French newspaper Le Figaro and Belgian press group Rossel filed a complaint against Google.

Regulators across Europe are cracking down on the big US tech giants, fearing they wield too much power over the bloc’s more than 700 million citizens.

Last week, Facebook was hit by two antitrust investigations by regulators in the UK and Europe.

The European Commission has been investigating Amazon, Google and Microsoft in recent years, while the UK’s competition and market regulator has also been investigating Google and Apple since it opened in January after the UK left the EU.

Use this device to search out unlisted bank card promotions

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Illustration for the article, titled Use This Tool to Find Unlisted Credit Card PromotionsPhoto: leungchopan (Shutterstock)

If you’re looking for a new credit card but don’t want to waste time looking up pre-approved deals on credit card company websites, this is the place to be CardMatch– a tool that can reveal higher sign-up bonuses than what is otherwise publicly available. And while the tool isn’t a comprehensive credit card one-stop shop, it’s a good place to start shopping. This is how it works.

What is CardMatch?

CardMatch is an online tool that matches you with credit card offers based on your credit score (you can find it Here). If your credit score is higher, you may see offers for sign-up bonuses (in award points or airline miles) higher than those normally available on public channels.

With CardMatch, for example, I am pre-approved for the AmEx EveryDay credit card with a registration bonus of 15,000 reward points. Without the tool, a web search only yields an offer of 10,000 reward points, a difference of 5,000 points – which, according to the American Express points calculator, is worth around 30 to 50 US dollars.

What’s the catch with using CardMatch?

The tradeoff with CardMatch is that you have to provide personal information, some of which may be used for marketing spam emails and texts. You will need to provide an email, address, phone number, salary and the last four digits of your social security number as the tool does a “gentle request”Credit check to create offers (unlike a hard request, a soft request does not affect your creditworthiness). Of course, you can unsubscribe from these marketing texts and emails as soon as they arrive, but they are still annoying.

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In terms of security, the tool is powered by Bankrate, a consumer financial services company that uses bank-level security to ensure that your personal information is safe. according to The Points Guy. Again, it’s fine if you don’t want to risk the spam or share so much personal information. But what if you are already shopping? It’s not much different than applying for pre-authorization directly on credit card sites.

The other consideration is that the tool isn’t comprehensive – since the tool is based on partnerships with credit card companies, you won’t see every card on the market. Using CardMatch is a great way to start shopping, but you may want to do some research outside of the tool as well.

Pre-approval does not mean actual approval

CardMatch just tells you which cards you are likely to qualify for based on a gentle query of your balance. If you actually apply for the credit card, the lender runs out hard request on your creditworthiness, which provides a deeper insight into your credit history and can temporarily lower your creditworthiness by a few points. If so, it is possible that the tool may recommend a card that you do not actually qualify for. However, aside from any hidden surprises in your credit history, you should be able to qualify for a pre-approved card.

Logan Paul responds to those memes about his struggle with Floyd Mayweather

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A number of people posted memes indicating that the two fighters spent part of the fight leaning against each other and hugging. Logan obviously noticed these memes.

Just before the fight, he posted an illustration on his Instagram story showing him and Floyd kissing. Then after the fight was over, Logan posted a screenshot of Barstool Sports from the match showing him resting his head on Floyd’s shoulder with his eyes closed while both boys had their arms wrapped around each other.

“Having a heart for heart with your boy at 3am after you’ve had all the beers,” read the caption from Barstool Sports. Logan shared the post but didn’t add a message of his own.

Earlier in the day, the social media character tweeted that it was his dream to become the world’s greatest entertainer when he moved to LA five years ago. “I had no idea HOW or WHEN it was going to happen, but after 6 years of manifestation it happens,” Logan wrote. “Life is a wild ride.”

30 of crucial queer movies ever made throughout Pleasure

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An illustration of two women snuggling up on a couch, looking at a laptop with a rainbow flag sticker on the back, and sitting on a pile of books on the history of LGBTQIllustration: Vicky Leta

There are as many ways to explore queer history as there are people who have lived it and many legends that we have almost forgotten that would be known in a fairer world. History can provide inspiration and it can also help us avoid making the same damn mistakes over and over again – mistakes like forgetting that trans people were at the forefront of homosexual liberation.

Pride is a time to celebrate, honor, and remember all of this, whether you are trans, bi, ass, poly, pan, intersex, non-binary, or anywhere else on the gender and sexual identity and expression spectrum are … or just proud to support your queer friends.

These 30 films reflect elements of modern queer (LBGTQ) history – sometimes dramatized, sometimes documentary, and sometimes because the film itself made history. They reflect decades of love, sex, activism, and artistry. Some demand tolerance, others raise their middle finger in response to narrow-minded bigotry. Many ask us to love one another, others demand that we pick up the rallying cry: Be gay, commit crimes.

Or just put on your cha-cha heels and watch some good movies. You do you. (And feel free to let us know your own favorites in the comments.)

Why are the TikTok beekeepers combating?

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When beekeepers get into beef on TikTok, I’m here to tell you about it.

Biggest internet fight of the week: BeeKeeper brawl on TikTok

Like any sane person, I think we should kill all bees and the rest of nature as soon as possible, but apparently there are people out here who actually like bees, and nobody likes bees as much as Erika Thompson. But there is serious drama buzzing around TikTok’s favorite beekeeper.

Thompson is the undisputed queen of online video content all about bees. She regularly collects tens of millions of views from fans who love to watch her dive right into colonies full of stinging monsters, relocating bees to new hives, playing around with swarms, and probably pollinating flowers themselves. And all of this without safety equipment – without a bee mask, bee suit or even gloves.

However, many TikTok beekeepers are not fans, especially one nameless beekeeper at LA honey bee rescue who posted a series of videos calling on Thompson to set a dangerous precedent, cover up her husband’s help, and misrepresent the worse side of bee life.

“I don’t see them with power tools. I don’t see them with ladders … we all know that you are pretending. It looks really pretty because it’s fake, ”the beekeeper said pungently in the takedown video.

“I had bees coming through my hood and stinging my whole face when I was 10 feet tall in this tree,” she added.

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I’m not a beekeeper, but honey, maybe the bees keep stinging you in the face because you have so few TikTok followers? Maybe they smell your jealousy? Anyway, let’s hope the drama catches the full attention of all bees in the world and distracts them from pollinating our plants so that nothing can grow back and we can end this sad farce once and for all.

This Week in Celebrity You’ve Never Heard Of: Khabane Lame

As far as I know, TikTok’s newest instant sensation, Khabane Lame, didn’t give an opinion on the beekeeping protocol, but his channel is the funniest on the internet anyway. Lames Schtick is simple and ingenious: He reacts to overly complicated and / or ridiculous “lifehack” videos with a perfect, expressionless headshake and demonstrates how easy it is not to chop something – for example peel a banana and eat it. (It’s easier to see than to describe so check it out.)

Before Lame took up his position last year, he was an unemployed factory worker in Italy; now he has more than 65 million followers, and that without fancy productions, brand sponsorships or Hollywood money to support him – just a solid idea, a cheap camera and perfect facial expressions.

Viral Video of the Week: Army of the Dead Pitch Meeting

A a few weeks ago, I was disgusted with the upcoming zombie heist flick Army of the Dead. This week I’m offering my apologies in the form of an imaginary pitch meeting for the film by YouTubers Screen Rant.

(Heavy spoilers ahead!) The video reveals every logical leap, bad decision, subplot abandoned, and failure of this plump, stupid movie, including the fact that the casino owner hires a crew to steal money he already owns by turning into one Safe breaks in, rather than just combining with the safe, the neat fact that helicopters can fly out of Las Vegas but not into it, and the characters’ tendency to have long heart-to-heart conversations as their impending death by zombies is looming just moments away. The only thing they missed, however, is how graceful the Army of the Dead zombies are. I can handle fast zombies, strong zombies, and even zombies with baby zombies, but as my brother-in-law Dana pointed out, some of the attack scenes look like the cast of Jesus Christ: Superstar has risen from the grave, and that’s a step too far.

This Week In Pride: Internet Mocks Company Pride Gear

It’s June, Pride month, and that means the annual internet tradition of taunting the LBGTQ community for the deaf way multinational corporations market the market.

From Nike’s brand new “Be true” kicks to WalMarts “Born like this” Rainbow shirts, everyone gets into the “We love gays – this month” mind and the internet fires back with memes and jokes. Here is a funny collection of buzzfeed, and check out the Chris Thorburn Photoshops from Twitter Rainbow logos of evil corporations in dystopian science fiction films.

While most of it seems fun, some people on the internet are really pissed off (angry people online? I can’t believe it!). I understand how companies notice what you do and try to sell it back to you in a ridiculous and outrageous way – but then again, it seems like progress to me when brands realize that LGBTQ people are just another segment of the market to capitalize on .

The first TikToker in space

What I can only hope for will be a widespread trend, a TikToker being shot into space. However, it is not the next evolution of abandonment culture; Space tourism company Virgin Galactic sends bioastronautics researchers / online influencers Kelly Gerardi into space to carry out weightless experiments.

Gerardi, who has more than 400,000 followers on TikTok, said her dream was to “spend uninterrupted consecutive minutes in space in zero gravity to do my research.” And the dream will come true.

“We’re sending them into space, but there are no plans for their return,” said a Virgin spokesman. “Ideally, your body will forever float in a black and silent void,” they did not add.

What to do with airline factors Use them now, says Report

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Passengers who are ready to fly again may prefer to redeem their airline miles rather than trying to earn new miles.

A spate of unused award miles could lead airlines to change their frequent flyer programs in a way that puts some customers at a disadvantage, warns ValuePenguin, one of LendingTree’s financial research websites.

A review of annual submissions from five U.S. airlines – Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and JetBlue – shows that rewards program liabilities rose to a total of $ 27.5 billion over the past year, a Increase of 11.6% compared to the previous year, according to WertPinguin.

In addition, a rush to redeem miles is to be expected if the ailing airline industry needs cash-paying customers at the ticket counter.

Miles earned but not redeemed

Flying was one of the industries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, but the customers of the five programs analyzed still managed to earn around half (46.2%) the amount of miles they earned in 2020 in 2020 We made credit card spending in 2019, said Matt Schulz, senior credit analyst at LendingTree.

The value of the miles earned

2020 2019 2018 2019 to 2020% change
SkyMiles from Delta Air Lines $ 1.4 billion $ 3.2 billion $ 3.1 billion -54.5%
AAdvantage from American Airlines $ 1.8 billion $ 3.4 billion $ 3.1 billion -47.3%
MileagePlus from United Airlines $ 1.3 billion $ 2.6 billion $ 2.5 billion -49.0%
Rapid Rewards from Southwest Airlines Airlines $ 2.0 billion $ 2.9 billion $ 2.7 billion -33.4%
JetBlues TrueBlue $ 0.3 billion $ 0.5 billion $ 0.4 billion – $ 46.2
total $ 6.8 billion $ 12.6 billion $ 11.8 billion – $ 46.2
Source: ValuePenguin

Only a small fraction of those miles have been redeemed.

“Americans only redeemed about a tenth of their available miles last year,” said Schulz. “There were undoubtedly a lot of people redeeming … rewards points for statements for groceries and other necessities, but a lot of people just held onto their miles and waited longingly for the day they could travel again.”

Percentage of miles redeemed

2020 2019 2018
SkyMiles from Delta Air Lines 10.8% 29.3% 27.1%
AAdvantage from American Airlines 9.6% 26.4% 27.7%
MileagePlus from United Airlines 8.7% 29.8% 29.9%
Rapid Rewards from Southwest Airlines Airlines 16.6% 40.6% 41.4%
JetBlues TrueBlue 18.4% 34.5% 32.7%
total 11.3% 30.5% 30.3%
Source: ValuePenguin

According to ValuePenguin, JetBlue customers redeemed the most miles (18.4%) last year, around half of the miles their customers redeemed in 2019. United members have redeemed the least, at less than 9%, up from nearly 30% in 2018 and 2019.

An increase in reward liabilities

As award miles accumulate without being used, that 11.6% increase in liabilities represents a total increase of $ 2.9 billion last year, roughly three times the previous year, according to ValuePenguin.

Liabilities from the bonus program

2020 2019 2018 2019 to 2020% change
SkyMiles from Delta Air Lines $ 7.2 billion $ 6.7 billion $ 6.6 billion 6.7%
AAdvantage from American Airlines $ 9.2 billion $ 8.6 billion $ 8.5 billion 6.7%
MileagePlus from United Airlines $ 6.0 billion $ 5.3 billion $ 5.0 billion 13.2%
Rapid Rewards from Southwest Airlines Airlines $ 4.4 billion $ 3.4 billion $ 3.0 billion 31.4%
JetBlues TrueBlue $ 0.7 billion $ 0.7 billion $ 0.6 billion 10.9%
total $ 27.5 billion $ 24.7 billion $ 23.8 billion 11.6%
Source: ValuePenguin

Note: Due to rounding, the liabilities cannot add up.

Southwest’s Rapid Rewards liabilities rose $ 1.1 billion, the largest value of any airline we analyzed. Its customers have redeemed the most miles of all programs, but also earned the most miles.

JetBlue’s TrueBlue program – the smallest of the five – was the only airline whose loyalty commitments grew less in 2020 than in 2019.

More points, less value

Delta, United and Southwest all devalued their reward points during the pandemic, which means members will now have to pay more points for the same flights, said Sophia Mendel, travel specialist at ValuePenguin. And more changes may be pending.

“Southwest in particular is getting very hot for changing its points program without warning its members,” she said, adding that several international airlines like Qatar Airways have done the same.

CNBC asked the airlines analyzed by ValuePenguin on Wednesday if they plan to change their award programs this year. Delta said it has no plans to change its loyalty program. Southwest confirmed to CNBC that as of April 14th, it needed more Rapid Rewards points to redeem flights for all types of fares.

United and JetBlue did not respond to CNBC’s inquiries.

Mendel said she believes devaluing miles or limiting award redemption is a response to airlines having too many unused miles on their books.

With the pandemic behind us, we can already see airlines reducing the number of award seats available.

Spencer Howard

Founder, straight to the point

But Spencer Howard, founder of the loyalty points website Straight to the Points, isn’t so sure. He said the risk of devaluation is always there, regardless of economic or global health conditions.

“Airlines devalued before and during the pandemic and will do so after we get out of the pandemic,” he said. “Devaluations are inevitable.”

Howard agrees that customers now have more miles, but he said airlines can have control over when they are redeemed.

Read more about summer travel

“If an airline believes it is selling a seat for cash, it will not give up the seat,” he said. “While we are out of the pandemic, we are already seeing airlines reducing the number of award seats available.”

But not every airline works like that, warned Mendel.

“Southwest and United do not limit their award inventories, so it is fair game to book every available seat with points or miles,” she said, noting that both airlines “use dynamic pricing, which means that the cost of their award seats will rise “. when the demand increases. “

“Overwhelming trend”

While the “overwhelming trend” over the years has been towards devaluation, Schulz said, not every airline is going this way – at least not yet.

Korean Air postponed planned points devaluation from 2021 to 2023 in January, demonstrating the airline’s commitment to immediate revenue for its members, Mendel said.

British Airways’ new policy aims to make it easier to book award seats, according to the airline.

Steve Parsons – PA Pictures | PA pictures | Getty Images

Last month, British Airways announced that it would double the minimum number of award seats on every flight. For example, the number of guaranteed award seats on Euro Traveler flights – the airline’s economy short-haul flights – will be increased from four to at least eight seats. The new policy begins on July 28th, although these flights can now be booked.

American Airlines, one of the airlines surveyed by ValuePenguin, announced changes to its AAdvantage program last week to make it easier for members to get benefits, said Andrea Koos, a company spokeswoman. Members can earn 250 to 1,000 bonus “Elite Qualifying Miles” on flights flown for up to 10 flight segments through August 31st, CNBC told CNBC via email.

Notes on protecting points

Schulz said passengers shouldn’t feel rushed to use their points, but neither should they sit on a pile of unused miles for years.

His advice: “Use points sooner rather than later.”

Miles and points can be redeemed for a lot of different things, although most people redeem them for flights, Schulz said, adding, “that’s usually the way to get the most reward points.”

Howard agrees that air travelers should not hoard miles, but prefers a different method to protect themselves from changes in reward programs.

“I recommend people use credit cards that earn transferable points, such as Amex Membership Rewards,” he said. “This protects you from devaluations, as you have the option of transferring points to various airline loyalty programs.”

Simone Biles’ newest report second might be her most breathtaking

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Simone Biles looks unstoppable ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

The 24-year-old gymnast won her seventh all-around title in a row at the US Gymnastics Championships in Ft. Worth, Texas on Sunday June 6th.

She has remained undefeated at the national championships since 2013 and became the first American to win the title seven times, breaking her draw Clara Schroth Lombardywho competed in the late 1940s and early 50s. Alfred Jochim (1925-30, 1933) is the only other American gymnast to accumulate seven titles.

During the weekend event, Simone collected a total of 119,650 points and, in addition to the all-around competition, also won the jump, balance beam and floor titles.

Suni Lee ended up in second place with 114,950 while Jordan Chile, who is Simone’s training partner, came in third with 114,450.

All three athletes are more likely to occupy three of the four places on the US team, which will fight for its third Olympic gold medal in a row at the 2020 Tokyo Games, which have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Olympic trials for the team will take place from June 24th to 27th.

The lockdown in Malaysia is placing a pressure on state funds, Minister says

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Malaysia’s public finances will be “severely constrained” as a surge in Covid-19 infections has forced the country into lockdown again, Minister of International Trade and Industry Mohamed Azmin Ali told CNBC on Friday.

The Malaysian government has announced a new stimulus package worth 40 billion Malaysian ringgit (approximately $ 9.68 billion) to help businesses and households tackle yet another round of “total lockdown” that began Tuesday.

This latest stimulus came on top of six previous packages worth a total of 340 billion Malaysian ringgit (around $ 82.31 billion) launched last year. The government said the additional spending could push the budget deficit above its target of 6% of gross domestic product in 2021.

People wearing face masks walk in front of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on January 29, 2021.

Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images

“Of course this puts a heavy strain on our fiscal space, but here too … we have no other options than to examine different options to support industry, SMEs and also the informal sector so that they can continue their economic activities”, Azmin told CNBC’s Squawk Box Asia.

During the “total lockdown” from June 1st to 14th, companies offering essential services will remain open, while certain segments of manufacturing will be able to operate at reduced capacity.

Azmin and his ministry have been criticized by opposition politicians and the Malaysian public for allowing them to run some non-essential businesses – such as a furniture company and a brewery – during the lockdown, according to media reports.

In a statement Thursday, Azmin said his ministry is not the only one issuing permits to companies that have requested to stay open during the lockdown. He added that according to the statement translated in Malay by CNBC, only 128,150 companies – with 1.57 million employees – had received approval, out of 586,308 that applied for approval.

The Covid-19 outbreak in Malaysia has worsened significantly, despite varying degrees of lockdowns by the government over the past year.

Last week, the Southeast Asian country reported record infections five days in a row and on Wednesday recorded the highest daily death toll since early 2020. In total, Malaysia has confirmed more than 595,000 Covid cases and 3,096 deaths, data from the Ministry of Health showed on Thursday.

The Malaysian Director General for Health, Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah has urged people to stay home to break the chain of transmission. Noor Hisham, a leading figure in the country’s fight against Covid, warned that the health system could be crippled if cases continue to increase.

Azmin said the government is accelerating its national vaccination campaign. He explained that the strategy is to give more than 200,000 doses a day by the end of this month and double that amount over the next month.

“We assume that the vaccination target of 80% will be achieved by August 2021,” said the minister.

But Malaysia’s vaccination progress has been slow. Only 6.2% of the country’s 32 million inhabitants have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine, according to the statistics page Our World in Data.

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