On this SlateCast episode, Nemo.money CEO Nicholas Scott joined CryptoSlate’s Liam “Akiba” Wright and Nate Whitehill to discuss AI-guided investing grounded in verified data. Scott outlined Nemo’s portfolio-insight engine, privacy safeguards, and thematic discovery features, while contrasting progressive UAE regulations with slower UK oversight and highlighting stablecoins’ promise for frictionless settlements. The conversation underscored guidance over advice and the future of personalized, compliant fintech innovation.

From slideware to a live, award-winning product

Nemo.money began life in 2021 in a crowded field of investing apps. Scott explained that the team quickly had to choose which core user problem to solve. Rather than building primarily for education, Nemo focused on surfacing actionable opportunities aligned to a user’s goals and risk appetite—helping people decide what to buy and when, without recommending a single security to any individual.

“We don’t have permission to give … advice,” Scott noted, emphasizing that Nemo presents options and context while leaving decisions to the user.

Guidance, not advice: how Nemo frames AI

A centerpiece is Nemo’s daily, AI-driven “portfolio insight.” With a tap, users receive a concise brief on what moved in their holdings over the last 24 hours—stitched together from relevant headlines and price action—plus ideas to improve diversification. The experience is designed to save time and surface “interesting stories,” not just the biggest movers, so users learn why their portfolio behaved the way it did and explore adjacent assets or ETFs that might rebalance risk.

Wright underscored the point that any AI summary must be grounded:

“And it’s amazing writing that back, but it needs the fact to begin with. You cannot get trust.”

Scott agreed, explaining Nemo’s strict separation between facts and language models: the team licenses fundamentals, volumes, and sentiment from tier‑one financial data vendors, then feeds that truth set into the LLM to generate user‑specific insights.

“We learned that early doors: buy from good data providers.”

Truth first: model strategy and privacy

Not every feature demands the latest, priciest model. For factual, template‑like updates (e.g., refreshed company health summaries generated from fundamentals), Nemo can rely on established models. For problem‑solving tasks—like suggesting diversification paths from a user’s current holdings—the company opts for newer models. Scott also stressed privacy: user portfolios are anonymized before being processed, and personally identifiable information isn’t passed to external AI tools.

Where regulation really leads: UAE vs. UK (and stablecoins)

Asked where the most forward‑thinking regulation is emerging for AI and crypto, Scott pointed to the UAE. Dubai’s willingness to pilot and fund innovation allows companies like Nemo to iterate faster, he said, contrasting that pace with the UK’s slower regulatory cadence. Stablecoins also featured: clearer frameworks promise to simplify the cross‑border payments that brokers wrestle with daily—an area where crypto’s original “value transfer” design can meaningfully reduce friction.

Beyond mega‑caps: discovery at the edges

Nemo lists thousands of instruments across asset classes, with crypto currently available via CFDs as the company explores deeper integrations. A key KPI for the team is breadth of engagement: users aren’t just piling into the same handful of names. Features that cluster securities around investment ideas (“AI infrastructure,” “carbon capture,” etc.) encourage discovery aligned with each user’s interests and objectives rather than simply amplifying the biggest tech stocks.

Wright captured a common research pain point—finding the less obvious picks around a theme (e.g., suppliers to chip manufacturers). Nemo’s forthcoming capability auto‑assembles thematic baskets on the fly from a user’s natural‑language query and explains the relevant sub‑sectors in plain English.

Personalization: from briefings to AI‑generated podcasts

The next step in Nemo’s portfolio brief is format flexibility. Scott revealed the team is piloting an AI‑generated audio version—essentially a personalized “mini‑podcast” that can inject timely context (upcoming macro events like FOMC, non‑farm payrolls, or crypto‑specific catalysts) and adapt depth or tone to the listener’s sophistication. The long‑term vision is content that meets users where they are—channel, language, and complexity—without condescension or data leakage.

Wright also pressed on availability. Nemo launched under Abu Dhabi regulation and is seeing traction across the Middle East and Africa with organic interest from Europe. The U.S. market remains on the roadmap, with the team watching regulatory movement closely.

Wright, on CFDs: “It’s a trade, not an investment, isn’t it?” — a reminder that product design and disclosures must match user intent and jurisdictional rules.

Closing

The SlateCast episode with Nicholas Scott offered a clear view of where AI‑guided investing is headed: truthful data first, models second; guidance over advice; and personalization without compromising privacy. From discovery tools that go beyond mega‑caps to AI‑generated portfolio briefings, Nemo’s approach shows how careful product choices can turn noise into signal.

As regulatory frameworks around AI and stablecoins mature—and more jurisdictions pilot pragmatic rules—the fusion of digital assets and traditional markets will only accelerate. The intersection of compliant innovation, user‑centric design, and trustworthy data is set to be one of the most consequential areas to watch in the coming years.

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If you invested $10,000 in Realty Income (O -0.21%) at the turn of the last century, it would be worth around $56,000 today. That is a long way off from $1 million, but don’t look at this result in a vacuum. The truth is, Realty Income has outperformed the S&P 500 index (^GSPC 0.40%) over that span. And even if Realty Income can’t repeat that feat, there’s still a very good reason to own this high-yield real estate investment trust (REIT). Here’s what you need to know.

Times have changed, but history is important

Back at the turn of the century, REITs were still a somewhat obscure asset class. In fact, they remained a niche segment of the financial sector until 2014, when real estate finally got its own sector designation. Ultimately, way back in 2000, REITs weren’t well followed and were largely the purview of small, income-oriented investors. A material portion of the growth over the past 25 or so years has come from the inclusion of REITs in the portfolios of larger investors.

Image source: Getty Images.

But the performance numbers are still interesting to consider. The growth of $10K noted above for Realty Income compares to the same investment increasing to roughly $43,000 for the S&P 500 index. That, however, is a price-only figure. That same amount with dividend reinvestment would have grown to nearly $68,000 in the S&P 500 and, hold your hat, over $230,000 for Realty Income.

O data by YCharts

How is that possible? The answer is that back in the 2000s, Realty Income’s yield was quite high. Compounding the dividend via dividend reinvestment supercharged the stock’s total returns. The S&P 500’s yield wasn’t nearly as high. So, Realty Income benefited from both the increase in price that came with the broader acceptance of the REIT asset class and its lofty, and steadily growing, dividend.

What’s the future going to look like?

Obviously, the future is unknowable. However, given the past, Realty Income is likely to be a reliable dividend stock. It has increased its dividend annually for 30 consecutive years. If it keeps that up, even though growth is generally fairly modest in any given year, it will be a solid foundation for a broader income portfolio.

But there’s another bit to consider here. While Realty Income’s dividend yield isn’t as high as it was back when REITs were less popular, it is still pretty high at roughly 5.6%. For comparison, the S&P 500’s yield is only about 1.2%. Compounding that dividend will still help to supercharge Realty Income’s return.

But that’s not the only thing worth noting. Realty Income’s stock price is down around 30% from the highs it reached prior to the coronavirus pandemic. That suggests that there is some recovery potential here to go along with the lofty dividend. Put the two together, and investors could see pretty attractive and reliable long-term returns over time.

Realty Income is a foundational investment

That said, Realty Income isn’t going to excite you. But that’s the point of buying this REIT. It is a boring and slow-growth business that will provide you with a lofty yield. You can pair it with lower-yielding but higher-growth investments to create a portfolio that will help turn you into a millionaire. That’s the value of a $10,000 or $100,000 investment in Realty Income. It can give you the emotional and financial strength to take on the kind of investment risks that will drive the value of your portfolio into seven figures. And yet, as history shows, this REIT, which has outperformed the S&P 500, is anything but dead money.

The state of Connecticut is barring itself and its local governments from being able to invest in digital assets.

Connecticut has passed House Bill 7082, which bans state and local governments from being able to invest in crypto assets as well as accept them as payments starting October.

“(Effective October 1, 2025) Neither the state nor any political subdivision of the state shall (1) accept or require payment in the form of virtual currency for an amount due to the state or the political subdivision, or (2) purchase, hold, invest in or establish a reserve of virtual currency.”

The bill also prohibits the state from establishing a crypto strategic reserve, a concept already signed off on by President Donald Trump at the federal level.

Though the number of bills attempting to follow the Federal government’s footsteps to establish a strategic Bitcoin (BTC) reserve has risen to 31, Connecticut joins a handful of states that have rejected the idea in one way or another, including Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Arizona, Utah, Florida and Pennsylvania.

House Bill 7082 – which received bipartisan support – was voted on by the State’s Congress on May 30th and received 148 votes in favor and zero votes against it from the House of Representatives and 36 votes in favor and zero votes against it from the Senate, according to state records.

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Warren Buffett’s incredible track record allocating capital for Berkshire Hathaway makes him a legend. For the average investor, following the conglomerate’s portfolio to find potential ideas is a smart use of time.

In Berkshire’s massive $277 billion portfolio, one well-known consumer brand is currently the third-largest position. There’s no doubt that investors are familiar with this business, as it’s been around for over a century.

If you invest $1,000 in this top dividend stock, could you become a millionaire one day?

Image source: Getty Images.

Generating sizable income for Berkshire

Berkshire has a stake in numerous companies. However, it owns a whopping 400 million shares in Coca-Cola (KO -0.04%), giving it control of 9.3% of the beverage giant. Berkshire has been a shareholder for decades, which highlights Buffett’s appreciation of Coca-Cola.

Coca-Cola currently pays a quarterly dividend of $0.51 that yields 2.84% on a yearly basis. The business deserves a lot of credit for raising the payout for an unbelievable 63 straight years, a track record that investors will probably struggle to find anywhere else. This demonstrates the company’s staying power.

This position generates a huge income stream for Buffett. Berkshire rakes in $816 million in annualized income from its stake in Coca-Cola. It’s no wonder shares aren’t being sold.

Coca-Cola is a high-quality business

It’s easy to understand why Buffett likes Coca-Cola’s business. For starters, it has one of the world’s most recognizable brands. Coca-Cola has a successful history of providing consumers with consistent products that satisfy their thirst. Add to this effective marketing, a truly global footprint with a presence in more than 200 countries, and 2.2 billion servings consumed daily, and it’s obvious that Coca-Cola’s high visibility is a key part of its success.

What’s more, the brand supports ongoing pricing power, a trait Buffett loves. Just in the latest quarter (Q1 2025, ended March 28), the company’s sales benefited from a 5% impact from favorable pricing and mix. The fact that customers are loyal to the brand means that Coca-Cola can likely continue to increase prices within reason and not deal with tapering demand.

Coca-Cola is also an extremely profitable enterprise. The company relies on third-party bottlers and distributors to get its products to consumers. This results in a more efficient operating model that helped drive a 32.9% operating margin in Q1.

Another important characteristic that Coca-Cola has that long-term investors should appreciate is its longevity. It seems that the economy is undergoing rapid change these days, thanks to the continuing impact of technology. Coca-Cola simply doesn’t invite much in the way of disruption, which means its profits and dividend payouts face minimal threats. This reduces risk.

What investors should expect

In the past 10 years, Coca-Cola has produced a total return of only 137%. This figure includes dividends. That performance is worse than the three stock market indexes, which is discouraging for investors looking to amass serious wealth.

Since the business is so mature with muted growth prospects, it’s a good idea to temper expectations. The share price isn’t going to skyrocket in the years ahead.

The valuation also isn’t cheap. As of this writing, the stock trades at a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.8, above its trailing-five-year average.

The lack of substantial growth prospects, coupled with the elevated valuation, means Coca-Cola won’t turn you into a millionaire. But dividend investors might still be interested in adding the stock to their portfolios.

May 21st Find clarity amidst the crisis: Investing in tokenized bond markets

By Jesse Knutson, Head of Operations at Bitfinex Securities

_{This article was originally posted on Alphaweek}.

Over the past few weeks, the market has witnessed volatility across asset classes, with gold continuing to increase, and uncertainty is generally at its highest point in years.

Traditionally, bonds, particularly the Treasury, have been the main safe haven during turbulence. However, the bond market we know is not always easy for them to access, given the uncertainty of the current market, nor has it been an absolute safe haven for the past few years. High entry thresholds, lack of liquidity and opaque structure keep many everyday investors on the sidelines. However, this is beginning to change.

Amidst the chaos, tokenized fixed yields and bond assets back a tendency to become clear to investors at least in times of chaos. At least those who know the new asset classes.

Why tokenize bond assets?

Tokenized bonds are a digital representation of traditional bonds issued and managed in blockchain infrastructure. These bonds retain all traditional bond characteristics, including principal, interest rates, and maturity dates, and utilize blockchain technology to ensure investors’ security, transparency and efficiency.

For example, the market has tokens that don’t offer fixed yields but less impact on current market disruptions, but invest in short-term US Treasury bills. In fact, as of April 1, 2025, the US Treasury’s total market capitalization was $5.12 billion. On May 6, 2025, the figure was at $6.59 billion, representing a 29% increase despite the tariff saga.

These tokens can attract investors who may normally struggle to access the US Treasury directly due to geographical restrictions. Because there are few minimum tickets to invest in the primary market, retail and institutional investors often have access to these assets: trade in the secondary market.

Meanwhile, small to medium-sized governments and businesses issue tokenized securities that are accessible to investors of all kinds, offering coupons with returns of 8% to 15%, typically maturities of less than five years.

Tokenized assets are recorded in blockchain, a secure ledger housed in multiple computer networks. This allows investors to see ownership, payment history and asset performance in real time. This level of transparency reduces information asymmetry. This is a key driver of fear and volatility for many dark market investors. Furthermore, intermediation allows investors seeking to reassign capital to do so through immediate settlements or transactions in liquid secondary markets that are important in an era of market fluidity.

Blockchain technology also ensures a record of immutable ownership that reduces counterparty risk, especially during periods of stress that traditional intermediaries may become unreliable. Smart contracts also encourage automatic profit payments and redemption, reducing the risk of investor settlement delays or failings.

Tokenization not only dismantles technically unnecessary counterparts, but also allows investors to have more control. As the industry grows and assets appear across the platform, investors can withdraw bonds, send them for other exchanges for arbitration, self-explanatory, and even exchange peer-to-peer within a whitelisted ecosystem.

Challenging legacy markets and financial institutions

We are clearly a time of great change for markets, geopolitics and more. Wider painting, blockchain technology, and even tokenization are the first real opportunities we have experienced in a generation to rethink funding and do things differently.

Many regulators around the world have adopted a progressive stance towards tokenization. Some of the most advanced approaches have emerged from small to medium-sized economies, such as Salvador and Kazakhstan, which are pushing down from the technically outdated class of intermediaries. These economies allow innovative governments and businesses to issue decommission assets that provide investors with alternatives to norms under current circumstances driven by policy uncertainty and market volatility.

Tokenized bonds bring traditional, safe havens to the digital age through increased accessibility, efficiency and transparency.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/find-clarity-amidst-the-crisis-investing-in-tokenized-bond-markets/feed/ 0 37622 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/introducing-kraken-our-premium-membership-program-designed-to-power-your-investing-experience/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/introducing-kraken-our-premium-membership-program-designed-to-power-your-investing-experience/#respond Tue, 08 Apr 2025 01:33:18 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/introducing-kraken-our-premium-membership-program-designed-to-power-your-investing-experience/

As crypto adoption continues to accelerate globally, Kraken is evolving to better serve our loyal clients and future investors. We recently revamped the Kraken app into an intuitive, streamlined wealth-building platform. Now, we’re leveling up even further by launching Kraken+. Our new, powerful opt-in subscription powers up your investing experience to maximize your returns.

Kraken+: A smarter way to trade

Kraken is (and will always be) free to download and use. But we know most investors seek every advantage to maximize their investment strategy while navigating crypto. That’s where Kraken+ comes in, delivering unmatched trading benefits at an affordable price point. 

Available to Kraken clients worldwide – and for the price of a single cup of coffee (just $4.99 per month)¹ – Kraken+ unlocks premium perks, such as:

• Trade up to $10,000 per month without incurring trading fees for instant transactions on the consumer app (instant buy, sell, convert, custom order or recurring buy)
• Earn boosted rewards — up to 4%+ APR — for holding USDG on Kraken²

Kraken+ is perfect for both dedicated traders and casual investors who want to simplify trading and maximize their returns. We’re offering a 30 day free trial of Kraken+ to let everyone explore this new offering for themselves^.3

With Kraken+, you earn more rewards

We’re redefining our rewards program today to help clients maximize effortless earnings. At the core of this rewards experience is Global Dollar (USDG), a token developed for Ethereum and Solana blockchains and issued by Paxos, in partnership with Kraken, Robinhood and Anchorage.

Unlike other stablecoins, USDG is fully backed by cash and cash equivalents in segregated accounts which are audited monthly. Paxos is also regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, one of the world’s top financial authorities.

Increase your earnings with free USD-to-USDG conversions

Simply by holding USDG in Kraken accounts, Kraken+ subscribers earn up to 4% APR on USDG balances automatically. This compares to non-subscribing Kraken clients who earn 2% APR. No extra steps; Kraken+ automatically provides boosted weekly payouts with no lockup periods.

To help you earn passive rewards faster, USD-to-USDG conversions are now completely free for all clients, making it seamless for everyone to move from fiat balances to stablecoins and start earning rewards instantly.

The no-hassle, bank-to-Bitcoin solution 

We’re also breaking down small but significant barriers to simplify investing, ensuring we’re consistently bringing value to our clients and saving them time. 

U.S. clients can now set recurring orders directly from their bank account, enabling them to automatically dollar-cost average (DCA) into their favorite assets without manually funding their accounts or to transact at all. Better yet, clients can seamlessly DCA from their bank account without incurring deposit or processing fees.  

We’re exploring how to expand this feature globally so everyone can steadily grow their portfolio over time and enjoy a simplified investing experience. 

Welcome to Kraken+, there’s more to come!

We’re just getting started, and we’re committed to ensuring our clients can invest their way – anytime, anywhere, however they prefer. 

Stay tuned for even more powerful product features, integrations and updates in the weeks ahead. 

Kraken+ is an automatically renewing subscription requiring recurring payments. Cancel at any time by going to your IOS/Google settings. Price is inclusive of applicable taxes (i.e., VAT) where required. In other regions, the price shown does not include taxes, which will be added at the time of purchase where applicable. Subscription benefits vary by region and may be modified by Kraken at any time upon notice. Zero-fee trading is subject to monthly trading-volume limits, which can be viewed in your account settings. Spread and payment processing fees still apply. Excludes Kraken Pro. See our Terms of Service for more info.

¹ Or local currency equivalent, based on location and app store.

² Boosted USDG Rewards, including the Rewards rate, is determined and paid out by Kraken in its sole discretion, is subject to change and is not available in all regions. See our Terms of Service for more info. Due to its partnership with Global Dollar Network, Kraken receives an economic benefit with respect to amounts of USDG minted, held on platform and received in onchain transfers.

³ Only one free trial available per user After the free trial, your subscription will renew automatically at $4.99/month unless canceled.

Costco Wholesale (COST -0.37%) is one of the most iconic and recognizable retailers in the world. Its massive warehouses are often packed with customers, and its treasure hunt experience inevitably leaves shoppers spending much more than they planned. That’s evident with the company’s strong and impressive growth over the years.

And with so much room to expand, especially in international markets, it’s hard to not like Costco as a long-term investment. But does it have enough upside to potentially turn a $25,000 investment into $1 million over the next 25 years?

Costco’s growth has been robust

What’s impressive about Costco’s business is that it always seems to do well. It generated fantastic numbers during the pandemic and even amid inflation. Whether consumers have been loading up on essentials, discretionary purchases, or trying to save money, there always seems to be plenty of traffic at its stores. The company has been able to consistently grow its top line over the past decade at a fairly high rate — close to double digits.

COST Operating Revenue (Quarterly YoY Growth) data by YCharts

The bulk of its warehouses, however, are still in North America; the United States, Canada, and Mexico account for 767 of its 897 warehouses. The company has been growing its presence in China, but with just seven warehouses there, it’s barely scratching the surface. And it’s the massive long-run opportunities in international markets that can make this a top growth stock to own for not only years, but decades.

Over the past 10 years, the stock has risen an impressive 520%. The one potential problem, however, is that its high valuation could make it difficult for it to replicate those types of returns in the years ahead.

The stock trades at a massive premium

Costco is a beloved business and stock, but to own a piece of it, you have to be prepared to pay a big premium. Today, it’s trading at more than 50 times trailing earnings. That’s expensive, given its single-digit growth rate. The danger when paying such a high multiple for the business is that sky-high expectations are priced in, and if the company doesn’t deliver, there could be a sharp drop in its share price.

COST PE Ratio data by YCharts

Investors have been paying an elevated multiple for the stock since the pandemic began and when its growth rate took off. But now as that growth rate is coming down and staying around more normal levels, I would expect to see the price-to-earnings multiple to also come down, which is why I wouldn’t be terribly optimistic that this can be a millionaire-making stock to hold, even over the long term.

Costco is a good buy, but investors should temper their expectations

While Costco has delivered some great gains for investors in recent years, for it to turn a $25,000 investment into $1 million, it would need to be a 40-bagger; its market cap would need to eventually reach $16.6 trillion. A lot can happen over 25 years, but I wouldn’t expect Costco to turn out to be 40 times more valuable than it is today, as it looks to be overdue for a sizable correction.

This is still a good stock to buy and hold, but investors should be careful not to assume that the stock’s impressive gains in recent years will continue for decades.