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Five years on from the beginning of lockdown and the world of work is not what it used to be. Apart from the rise of remote working, the pandemic years brought about a rate of technological advancement in a few years that is equivalent to the previous 50. While many in-person businesses closed, the gig economy exploded with 2.1 million workers going into freelancing in 2020 alone. In South Africa, while this migration was motivated by unavoidable retrenchments and widespread economic instability, across the world, another mass exodus from traditional work occurred in 2021 when workers voluntarily left their jobs…

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Gold (GC=F) futures opened at $3,226.10 an ounce on Tuesday, up slightly from Monday’s closing price of $3,204.80. Gold prices remain near record highs after the White House announced temporary tariff exemptions for certain consumer electronics on Monday. The S&P 500 dipped about 35 points on Monday to show relative stability after stocks moved lower last week amid changing tariff policies. Gold remains attractive as a safe-haven asset as triple-digit tariffs for China remain in place and the Trump administration negotiates trade deals with other countries. Gold’s opening price of $3,226.10 on Tuesday is up less than 1% from Monday’s…

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April 15, 2025 Photo: DepositphotosThe number of people closing down their company rose by 37% in the first quarter of this year, compared with the same period last year, according to Chamber of Commerce figures.In total, almost 61,000 firms were closed, around 75% of which were one-person businesses.The number of freelancers shutting down their operations has soared since the tax office announced stricter checks on sham self-employment at the start of the year.In the first three months, the number of self-employed people working in farming and market gardening who closed their businesses rose by 90%. Among healthcare workers the increase…

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2025 Retirement Payouts Revealed: Understanding 2025 retirement payouts is more important than ever as millions of Americans plan their financial future. Whether you’re nearing retirement, in your mid-career, or just starting out, understanding how Social Security fits into your long-term financial plan can have a significant impact. Knowing if you’ll receive $2,831, $4,018, or $5,108 each month—and what you can do to influence that number—can help you make smart, informed decisions for a more secure future. These figures represent the maximum monthly Social Security benefits for retirees in 2025, depending on the age at which you begin collecting benefits.2025 Retirement…

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Freelancer Ltd. ( (AU:FLN) ) has shared an announcement. In the first quarter of 2025, Freelancer Limited reported a Gross Marketplace Value (GMV) of $231 million, marking a 1.7% increase from the previous year, and a revenue of $14.1 million, up 11.7%. The company achieved an operating profit, driven by revenue growth and cost management, and maintained strong cash flow with $3.5 million in operating cash. The strategic focus on AI is enhancing marketplace liquidity and quality, supporting future growth as small and medium enterprises increasingly adopt AI solutions. With positive cash flow and increased cash reserves, Freelancer Limited is…

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The size of the crypto lending market has fallen by over 43% from its 2021 high of $64.4 billion, dropping to $36.5 billion by the end of the fourth quarter of 2024, according to a report from Galaxy Digital published on April 14. This decline began in 2022, following the collapse of several major centralized finance (CeFi) lenders including Genesis, Celsius Network, BlockFi, and Voyager. These firms filed for bankruptcy as crypto prices fell, leading to a significant reduction in both the supply and demand for crypto loans. The impact on CeFi lending was severe. At its peak in 2022,…

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We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more › You don’t need to be a finance wizard to know that software subscriptions aren’t easy on the wallet. Whether you’re starting your own business or a freelancer side hustling your way through a modern economy, it’s important to make sure you know what’s happening in the bank. That means keeping some good accounting software on hand, and is there anything better than QuickBooks for the job? Intuit QuickBooks is an all-in-one accounting tool that actually just went on sale. Instead of…

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