The Art of Diversification

The Meaning of Diversification

Written by R. A. Stewart

Diversification is a word that you will hear in investment circles, particularly when investing in the share market, but what exactly does it mean?

To put it in plain language, Diversification is when you divide all of your money between different asset classes and companies. Your total portfolio may be x amount of dollars; an astute investor will invest a certain amount in power companies, a certain amount in banks, a certain amount in insurance companies, and so on.

We often hear of horror stories whenever a company folds and the one that crops up is that investors lost their entire savings in the one company. Big mistake!

That is leaving all of your eggs in the one basket because you do not know what kind of misfortune will hit any particular company.

Government regulations and the economic cycle are out of the control of the company. 

Then there are trends which will have some influence over the bottom line.

There is no guarantee that whatever occurred in the past will repeat itself in the future.

Investment platforms such as Sharesies, Hatch, and Kernel Wealth in New Zealand and Robin Hood in the US enable the ordinary man and woman in the street to invest with a minimum amount of money. This provides an excellent education tool for people who are willing to increase their financial literacy by taking part in the share market.

There is another method of diversification and that is by investing in managed funds or as they are described in the US, Mutual Funds. This is where your money is combined with that of other investors. It is a case of safety in numbers.

Managed Funds provide investors with three options, Growth Funds, Balanced Funds, and Conservative Funds.

Growth Funds are higher risk, higher growth stocks aimed at long term investors. That is investors who are investing for 10 years or more. The reason why they are more suitable for long term investors is because they have more time to recover from a market meltdown, which is more liable to happen with growth funds. The young ones are more suited to Growth Funds because they have more time to recover from a share market crash.

Conservative Funds are safer with investors unlikely to see the kind of falls occurring in the growth funds but the flip side is that an investment in conservative funds will not grow as fast.

Financial advisors in New Zealand have often stated that young people should invest their retirement savings in growth funds to maximise returns. 

Balanced Funds are a combination of Growth and Conservative Funds. They basically give you the best of both worlds.

Diversification does not mean that you should choose an online investment platform such as Sharesies or Robinhood and invest your whole life savings there. The reason is because there have been instances in the US when these types of online platforms have folded.

Some readers may say, “I know/read about an investor who put all of their money in one company and made a killing.”

My answer to that is, “Greed gets the better of people such as this in the end,”

What is likely to happen is that they will try the same thing again and again and give all of their previous gains back plus a whole lot more.

When you hear stories of so and so making a killing, what you do not hear about are those who tried the same thing and lost all of their money.

Be sensible with your money and you will reap a harvest in the end.

About this article

The contents of this article is of the writer’s own experience and opinion and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances, therefore, discretion is advised. You may use this article as content for your blog/website or ebook.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

My Thoughts about BItcoin

Written by R. A. Stewart

Bitcoin is an alternative investment for those investors who do not mind the roller coaster nature of cryptocurrency. If you have the risk profile to be able to stomach the prospect of losses and are sensible in how you approach this form of investing then you can make money from Bitcoin as others have done.

Here are some things you should keep in mind:

1 Bitcoin has a short history

The disadvantage of a short history is there is less data to work with for making future predictions, but it should be kept in mind that past performance is no predictor of the future. Using the share market as an example, one can find companies that have made it through the 1987 sharemarket crash. This is a sign of resilience. No one knows how a future share market meltdown will affect the price of Bitcoin because it has not had to deal with such an event.

2 Something is only worth what others are prepared to pay

Bitcoin is only worth what others are prepared to pay, in other words, it is demand that determines its price. This rule also applies to other forms of investing such as gold, art, property, and the share market.

3 Only invest discretionary spending money in Bitcoin

Only discretionary spending money should be invested in Bitcoin. This is money you can fully afford to lose. Money in this category is money you spend on entertainment and hobbies. If you can transfer some of this spending money into Bitcoin, you may just make a bit of money. What I am saying is, you should never spend what you cannot afford to lose in Bitcoin. There is a saying,”Scared money rarely wins”.

4 Diversify

It is important to diversify with cryptocurrency investing as it is with investing in the share market, but just how does one do this when Bitcoin is the main player in cryptocurrency with Ethereum coming in a distant second. I am talking about investing with different crypto exchanges such as Coinbase, Blockchain, and Kraken. There  are a lot of others. A few have gone under which have caused investors to lose a lot of money.

5 Don’t get greedy

Greed is the downfall of a lot of investors. It is tempting to think, “If I invest my life savings in Bitcoin, I will make a killing by xxx date. You could also lose it all. Always remember that for every person who made such a killing there are others who lost their shirt. What usually happens is the one who made the killing will usually try the same thing over and over and give back those gains.

6 If there is an opportunity for capital gain

There is also the chance that you may lose. If you expect to never lose any money at some stage then Bitcoin is not for you. Bitcoin investing requires you to have the kind of mindset that can cope with the roller coaster ride which characterizes cryptocurrency otherwise you will panic when things don’t go as expected. Investing requires a cool head at all times, even when the newspaper reports tell you that you have lost your money. The truth of the matter is that newspapers do not always give you the full story.

I remember when the price of Bitcoin peaked in November 2021 then halved a year later. One newspaper article said, “Investors in Bitcoin have lost half their money.”

That is only true if you had invested in Bitcoin at its peak because if I had sold Bitcoin when the paper was saying, “Investors have lost half of their money,” I would still have received more money than my original investment.

About this article

The content in this article is of the writer’s own opinion and experience and may not be applicable to your own circumstances, therefore discretion is advised. You may use this article as content for your website, blog, or ebook.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

What does your Financial Future look like?

Written by R. A. Stewart

Your future is fully dependent on today’s actions. As far as finance is concerned, it is important to know where you are going and decide on a strategy to get ahead in life. You may be working at a minimum wage job doing menial tasks but you can still develop a plan for your financial future. It is not how much you make but what you do with what you receive in your paypacket that counts.

Look at everything you spend and take a long term view of it. I know some people who take lottery tickets every week. If you are just taking the basic ticket for a power ball, it costs $12. That is around $600 per annum.Think of what can be done with that.

Take a moment to think, “What can I do today that my future self will thank me for?

I can tell you now, that there will be no one who will reach the retirement age and regret that they contributed to a retirement scheme all their lives.

It is the same with financial education. It will enable you to make the best choices for your money. Financially illiterate people tend to fritter their money away on things and then when the car breaks down there is nothing in the kitty to fix it. No one is going to regret that they gained a financial education.

You don’t have to be rich to invest, but you have to invest to become rich. Most people think, “I will do this or that when my ship comes in,” but that day never arrives. 

Building a solid financial base requires planning. Joining a retirement scheme is a must. Developing the saving habit is important. The sooner the better. It will then make life easier further on down the track.

Young people have the advantage of time on their side. This means that there is more time for them to recover from a financial hiccup such as a share market meltdown. Financial experts advise the older generation, particularly, the retired ones to be more conservative with their investments. This means taking on less risk. New Zealand financial advisor Frances Cook has a formula for working out how much investors should have in the share market. She says, “Subtract your age from 100”, so a 65 year old, according to her formula should only have 35% of their savings in the share market.

I do know of older people who have a much higher percentage of money in the markets than they should do according to Ms Cook’s formula. I am one of them.

As long as one knows the risks that they are taking on and will take responsibility for any losses that may occur instead of pointing the finger at others when something goes wrong, then why not go for it?

The main thing to remember is that if the loss of your money is not going to cause you any hardship, then by all means take some calculated risks.

Everyone has their own personal circumstances as far as finances go; there is no one size fits all. It is a matter of deciding what your priorities are and what you are going to sacrifice. 

About this article: This article is of the experience and opinion of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised. You may use the article as content for your ebook or blog.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

People who should never buy Bitcoin

Written by R. A. Stewart

Bitcoin is the currency of the twenty-first century according to those who are passionate about this type of investing. People who get involved in crypto currency such as Bitcoin or one of the others must understand the risks involved. It is a volatile form of investing. Because of the risks involved there are some people who should never invest in crypto currency. 

Here they are:

1.People who are in debt

If you have a debt to pay then your responsibility is paying off that debt, and the sooner, the better. It makes no sense to be investing in something in order to grow your money yet be paying interest on your debts. People who have debts to pay have no discretionary spending money until their debts are paid.

  1. People who are saving up for a house deposit

The best investment for your house deposit money is something which is more conservative such as balanced managed funds or conservative managed funds. Bitcoin is not the place for your house deposit money because if you did go ahead, invest all of your house deposit money in Bitcoin, most of it could disappear at the drop of a hat, such is the volatility of Bitcoin.

  1. People with Children

I believe that people who have children should not invest in Bitcoin, unless they are wealthy, and that any losses are not going to affect their lifestyle. People with children have the young one’s future to consider when making plans for the future.

  1. People who are Timid

People who cannot stomach the thought of losing money whether it be betting on the horses, investing in cryptocurrency, or playing the share market should definitely leave Bitcoin alone. Investing in crypto-currency is certainly not for the faint-hearted.

  1. People who have a mortgage

For the same reason as those with consumer debt. Paying off any debt means you will have less interest to pay.

  1. People with a student loan

If you have a student loan, then you are responsible for paying that back and should never invest in Bitcoin until that debt is paid. 

Never begrudge having a student loan to pay because investing in future education is an investment in the future. The key is to choose a course which will lead to a career you really want to do.

Investing in Bitcoin should only be done with discretionary spending money and not with money which is needed for a purpose such as a car or overseas travel. 

Here is a question for you, “Should retired people invest in Bitcoin?”

My answer to that question is, “If they can afford to lose it!”

If a retired person spent a grand or so on an overseas holiday, that is considered cool by some, yet, if they lost a grand on Crypto currency, these same folk would think that’s foolish.

Whether Bitcoin has risen or fallen, it is on paper only. It is only a profit or loss when it is sold. Always remember, something is only worth what others are prepared to pay for.

About this article: You may use this article as content for your blog or website. The information contained here is of the writer’s opinion and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

Checkout my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

 

Have some spare cash to invest in Bitcoin?

Then check out the Coinbase, a well-established crypto exchange. Coinbase makes it easy to buy and sell bitcoin. Check it out here:

https://coinbase.com/join/gochwv

 

Disclaimer: I may earn a small commission if you sign up with Coinbase.

www.robertastewart.com

Pros and Cons of Mature Dating

The Pros and Cons of forming a new relationship late in life

Written by R. A. Stewart

A guy in a backpacking hostel asked me if I was married, and I said, “I don’t see the point at my age”. He said, “Some people get married in their nineties.”. 

I told him, “I just don’t see the point in that”.

Honestly, why would one ever consider it at that stage of life?

I have heard it said, “Everyone deserves happiness in their life”.

That seems to suggest that the couple were unhappy being single and if that is the case then they have a problem.

There is a saying, “love is blind,” and that is an apt summary of these late in life marriages because there are financial implications for these relationships. The main one being property ownership because each partner in the relationship is now entitled to half of all assets owned by them both. That may be fair enough but that inheritance which was intended for children or grandchildren may not be legally binding. As I understand it, when a couple enters into a new relationship, (marriage) then it means their previous will is now null and void and that they have to write a new one.

It is likely that when one of the partner’s passes on then the relatives of the remaining partner will get everything.

That means nothing for the family of the deceased.

Now, this may sound morbid or selfish when one speaks about money and relationships, but all of this has to be thought through. 

It is rather naive to think that there are no gold diggers out there who are willing to take vulnerable men to the cleaners, and these women will hang out on the same dating websites as their prey.

As for who gets what when someone passes; here is the order of priority.

  1. The spouse or partner 
  2. Children of the deceased
  3. Parents of the deceased
  4. Siblings of the deceased

Note: In New Zealand, if a couple have been living together in a de facto relationship for at least three years then everything they own is considered matrimonial property. 

This includes Kiwisaver, New Zealand’s retirement scheme, but only those contributions made during the term of the relationship.

It is no secret that there are men of an older generation who have been the victims of dating scams. The number one red flag in these scams is that a woman half your age contacts you out of the blue.

The number two red flag is that she wants to hasten the relationship, and the number three red flag is that she sends you some revealing photographs of herself. 

If someone can tap into your ego, and make you feel good about yourself they are on their way to taking advantage of you. 

Another method scammers will use is to manipulate your emotions. She will come up with a hard luck story and tell you that she needs money or this or that will happen. This strategy is called “manipulation by guilt.”

It is when someone tries to get you to do something by making you feel guilty.

You would think that men in their later years have acquired enough experience of human character, but then, you know what they say, “Love is blind!”

A lot of romance scam victims are too embarrassed to come forward and go to their bank or the police, but if you know someone in this situation, let them know that it has happened to a lot of others too.It is also important to know what your grandparents are doing behind a computer screen because it could mean that your inheritance is being sent to some stranger in a far flung part of the globe. 

About this article:

This article is of the opinion and experience of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances, therefore discretion is advised. You are welcome to use this article as content for your blog or website.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

Your Financial Risk Profile

Your risk profile is your tolerance to risk when you are investing your money. Your personal circumstances are what determines your risk profile.

To boil it all down to one factor, your timeline is the big factor to consider. If you are young, in your twenties or thirties then you have more time to recover from a market meltdown than someone in their sixties.

This does not necessarily mean that the young ones should invest all of their money in high-risk high return stocks because you could be in your twenties and have a short to medium timeframe with your investments.

It all depends on what you are going to use the money for.

Split it up in three categories:

Short term money is when you need the money for emergencies and everyday living expenses.

Medium term money is when you need the money within 5 years

Long term money is when you do not need the money for more than 5 years

Short term money

Rainy day account

Every day expenses

School fees

Medium term money

Saving for a car

Saving for an overseas holiday

Long term money

Saving for a mortgage

Contributions to your retirement fund

There has never been so many opportunities for the ordinary man and woman

 in the street to get involved in the markets with so many investing apps available.

You can invest in direct companies or in managed funds.

The latter is recommended.

Managed funds come in three categories:

Growth Funds (long term)

Balanced Funds (medium term)

Conservative Funds (short term)

Growth Funds have the most potential to increase your wealth but you have to be patient because investing in the share market is a long-term game.

Balanced funds are a combination of Growth and Conservative Funds.

Conservative funds are less volatile than growth or balanced funds but they have less potential to increase your wealth apart from just keeping ahead of inflation.

Once you have established your timeline for when you need the money then you can choose the appropriate investment.

One thing to add here is that if you have a rainy day or emergency account then this money is best left in an ordinary savings account at your local bank rather than invested in a conservative managed fund and the reason for this is that fees are higher with managed funds than at your local high street bank.

As already mentioned, your age is a factor in your risk profile but does that mean retired people should not invest in growth funds? Not at all, as long as you’re prepared to stomach any market meltdowns which could see your nest egg dwindle. People are living longer these days so a person retiring at 65 may have another 20 years of life ahead of them.

That being said; it is important to enjoy all of the things which money can buy such as life experiences and not just hoard your money for the sake of it.

Every one’s personal situation is unique, and a strategy needs to take all of this into account. Setting goals which are your own is important and not just trying to follow what others are doing. They have their own life to live, and you have yours. 

I am not saying that you should ignore sound wise advice, but rather listen and use your own sound judgment.

Taking responsibility for your own choices in life applies to your finances as well. Obtaining advice on where to invest is not a license to use your advisor as a scapegoat if your investments are not doing as well as you had hoped. Investing requires patience and time.

About this article: You may use this article as content for your blog, website or eBook. This article is of the writer’s opinion and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

Finance Jargon and their meanings

Written by R. A. Stewart

There are terms you will come across regularly whenever you read an article on personal finance and unless you are an experienced investor you may not understand their meaning. I noted some which need explaining which will give you a greater understanding on how they will affect you.

The first one is ‘Risk Profile’

The basically is the level of risk which you are willing to take with your investments. There are several factors which determine your risk profile: they are your health, age, responsibilities, debt level, and your tolerance to risk.

The worst thing which can happen is for your retirement to be just around the corner and you have travel on your mind and then what happens? The markets tumble and because you invested in high risk stuff on the share market you have lost half of your money. A young person can easily recover from such setbacks because they have time on their side, but not so, the oldies.

If your health is in such a state that you are unlikely to make it to retirement age then your strategy needs to be on the conservative side.

New Zealand financial advisor Frances Cook has a formula for working out what percentage of your savings should be in the share market. It is, subtract your age from 100, so if you are aged 60 then just 40% of your savings should be in the share market.  I do know of people whose percentage of exposure to the share market is well above the formula which Frances Cook uses and I am one of them. It is a case of, “I will deal with it if there is a market slump.”

Dividend yield is another terminology I am going to talk about. This is basically the ratio of dividends paid out by the company to its share price. The dividend yield can go up when the stock price goes down. I don’t pay any notice of the dividend yield when choosing which company to invest in. That does not mean that you should ignore the dividend yield, but it is something to consider.

Diversification is an important word in investing circles. This means spreading your money around different companies and different industries to minimize your risk. Investing all of your life savings in just one company is dumb and some people who are considered intelligent let greed get the better of them and lost a lot during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC)..

Compound interest is another one to note. This is when profits on your investment are reinvested and left to compound enabling investors to earn off the profits. Compound interest can increase your wealth considerably. It also works with shares.

Captain Gains is the increase of your capital. Most investments offer the opportunity of capital gains, property, shares, gold, and even art. The factor which drives up price is demand; something is only worth what others are prepared to pay for.

Assets are anything of value which you own such as stocks and shares, property, gold, and anything which produces an income for you. 

Net Worth is the end result of your life’s choices. It is the value of your assets minus any debts you may have. 

On that last point, your financial position can be the result of your stewardship of money. If you want to change any outcomes in your life, then make different choices.

About this article: This article is of the writer’s own opinion and experience and may not be applicable to your personal situation therefore discretion is advised.

Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

Factors which determine your Financial Priorities

Written by R. A. Stewart

Everyone has their own life to live and what this means is that everyone has their own unique set of circumstances which determines how they spend their money.

It is called setting priorities and there is no one size fits all when it comes to designing a life. As far as money is concerned, setting priorities is what we all do even if we are not consciously aware of it.

There are several factors which determine how you are going to spend your money:

The main ones being:

Your income level

The cost of living

Your health

Your age

Your marital status

Whether you have children

Your debt level

Your money goals

Your risk profile

The choices you make will have a major influence on your financial priorities. It is no secret that many people are simply broke because they have made wrong choices in life, not only how they spend their money but made some major mistakes such as getting involved with the wrong person or having kids out of wedlock. Having to pay child maintenance if your ex-partner or ex-wife is the one taking care of the children is going to kill off any chances you have of getting ahead financially.

If you are young, single, and smart, you will afford this kind of a life and live a prosperous life.

Age is a major factor in determining your priorities. Someone aged in their 60s will have different priorities than a person in their 20s.The young ones will be able to take more risks with their money because they have more time to recover from  a financial setback such as a share market tumble. A 65 year old is not going to set goals with a 30 year deadline but the twenty and thirty somethings do this all the time when they take out a mortgage.

There are several factors which will hinder your chances of any kind of financial success. Smoking, drugs, alcohol, and debt are the main ones. It is sad that some folk will prioritize their spending on cigarettes rather than buying good wholesome food for their children.

As far as these things are concerned it is important for the young ones in particular to make decisions which their future self will thank them for. I mean, honestly, I can thank my younger self for not taking up this disgusting habit. Another decision which I can thank my younger self for was my decision to join and contribute to a retirement savings scheme. In New Zealand it is called Kiwisaver.

About this article: This article is of the opinion and experience of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion advised. You may use this article as content for your blog or website.

Read my other articles at www.robertastewart.com

Giving your money a job to do

Written by R. A. Stewart

It is one thing to earn money, it is another thing altogether to ask your money to do likewise. Most people know how to earn money from whatever job or career they have but fewer people know how to invest their money in order for their money to work for them. 

It is not just a matter of investing in this or that and expecting your wealth to increase, there are factors which must be considered and this will determine where you should invest your money.

It all boils down to your timeline. If you are investing for the long term, that is 10 years or more then growth funds may be your best option. The reason for this is that if there is a major market downturn then there is more time to recover from such a setback. If it is the short term you are investing for then you need to be more conservative otherwise, you may find that a major market plunge may reduce your savings just when you need the money.

Your investing strategy is dependent on your priorities and everyone’s priorities are different, therefore, don’t be talked into investing in something by well meaning friends who may not be on the same page as you are as far as investing for the future goes.

Saving and investing are good habits to develop and the earlier you start the better off you will be, not just in terms of increasing your wealth but also increasing your financial literacy. There is no substitute for experience and this can only be acquired by getting involved in the markets.

Fortunately, in this day and age, investing in the share market has been made easier for the man and woman in the street with all of these online investing platforms such as sharesies in New Zealand and Australia and Hatch in the US. There are a lot of others such as robin hood in the US.

A person who has their head screwed on the right way will have established clear financial goals and a job for their money. Here are some of the money goals which are quite common:

An emergency (rainy day fund)

Saving for a car fund

Saving for a house deposit fund

Saving for your retirement fund

Saving for an overseas holiday fund

Saving for an investment portfolio fund

On that last one. If you are building an investment portfolio .you are able to drip feed money into an investment rather than saving until you have say, a grand, before investing a lump sum into an account.

The advantage of investing a little bit into the markets regularly, whether that is every week or two weeks is that you will purchase shares or units at a lower price when the markets are down.

This is all some food for thought for those just starting out on their investment journey.

About this article: This is of the opinion and experience of the writer and may not be applicable to your own personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised.

You may use this article as content for your blog/website, or ebook.

Check out my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

10 Oldest Public Listed Companies in the World

Written by R. A. Stewart

I have seen the list of the world’s oldest publicly listed companies on the stock exchange, and it makes interesting reading and there may be some kind of lesson and conclusions which we can draw from the list. 

Here are the top ten on that list.

1 GSK Plc

GSK is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London. It was established in 2000 as the result of a merger of two other companies, Glaxo Wellcome and Beecham PLC. They were also the result of a merger of a number of pharmaceutical companies.

2 NatWest Group Pl

NatWest Holdings is based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Services provided are personal, business, and investment banking, insurance, corporate finance, and more. Subsidiaries include the Royal Bank of Scotland and the Ulster Bank.

3 Birkenstock Holding Plc

Birkenstock is a footwear manufacturer. They invented the footbed. The company was founded in 1774 and has its headquarters in the United Kingdom.

4 Inter-Continental Hotels Group

Inter-Continental Hotels Group is a British Multinational hospitality company with its headquarters in Windsor. It is listed on both the London and New York Stock exchange. Inter-Continental’s subsidiaries include Holiday Inn, Hotel Indigo, and Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants.

5 Takeda Pharmaceutical Company

Takeda is a Japanese Multinational Pharmaceutical company. It is among the top 20 Pharmaceutical companies in the world. It was founded in Osaka in 1781 and has its headquarters in Tokyo.

6 Bank of America Corporation

Bank of America is a multinational investment bank and financial services holding company which is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It also has headquarters in Manhattan. The company was formed in 1998 as the result of Nation Bank’s acquisition of Bank of America. Its roots date back to 1904 when the Bank of Italy opened in San Francisco and eventually became the Bank of America.

7 The Bank of New York Mellon

BNY is an investment management and services company. They help individuals and institutions invest in America and worldwide. Bank of New York was originally founded in 1704.

8 Cushman and Wakefield PLC

Cushman and Wakefield PLC is a real estate services firm. It is among the world’s leading real estate firms. It is based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in 1917.

9 Cigna Corporation

The Cigna Group is a multinational managed healthcare and insurance company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, USA. It was founded by the Insurance company of North America in 1982.

 

10 State Street Corporation

State Street Corporation is a global financial services company with headquarters in Boston, USA. It was previously called the Union Bank which originated in 1792 making it the second oldest continually operating bank in America.

Banking/finance companies feature four times on this list. It is an industry which is considered recession proof. Pharmaceutical companies feature twice on this list while shoe manufacturing and a hotel chain have also made it on the list. It is important to realize that industries which rely on discretionary spending money for their revenue are always going to be vulnerable during downturns in the economy. This all provides some food for thought with these companies having stood the test of time.

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