Ege Aksu, an economist at Revelio Labs, analyzed data on entrepreneurship and hiring.
Lighthouse Films/Getty Images
Ege Aksu, an economist at Revelio Labs, looked at data on transitions into entrepreneurship.
Hiring has cooled from a 2022 peak, while moves into entrepreneurship have risen.
People looking to run a business should think about their finances and skills.
Instead of sending out résumés and job applications during the Great Freeze, it could be a good time to get a business plan in order.
Ege Aksu, an economist at workforce intelligence company Revelio Labs, analyzed shifts in US entrepreneurship and hiring over the past few years, using data from public professional profiles on platforms like LinkedIn posted between 2019 and this past June. Clear patterns emerged: when hiring fell, the share of job switchers transitioning into entrepreneurship tended to heat up.
window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}});
Aksu told Business Insider that people may be starting businesses out of necessity. Despite better-than-expected job growth in September, job gains were pretty concentrated, and Indeed Hiring Lab economist Cory Stahle said the US still has a cooling job market. Job-search platform ZipRecruiter described the labor market's prolonged period of both employers and employees staying put as a "Great Freeze." Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed that quits, layoffs, and hiring have remained low.
"We're seeing employers and job seekers both trying to wait out any of the uncertainty," Nicole Bachaud, labor economist at ZipRecruiter, previously told Business Insider.
Self-employment in many different forms is on the rise. ADP Research found that the number of independent contractors — which can include a range of workers, from delivery work to gig economy freelancers — surged by 50% between 2019 and 2024.
"This growth accelerated in the second half of 2020 and first half of 2021, driven by pandemic-driven labor shifts, remote work, and the expansion of online platform-based services," economist Łukasz Below wrote.
Aksu expects the share of job switchers transitioning into entrepreneurship to continue increasing because she doesn't expect the hiring slowdown to quickly fade next year. Aksu expects more graduates to turn to business ventures because of the tough job market, too.
What to do before starting a business or pursuing self-employment
Sharon Miller, president of Business Banking at Bank of America, said aspiring business owners should consider whether their idea matches their skills and passion, and if there's demand for it. She suggested researching the potential competition and identifying the target audience. She said they also need to be ready to resolve problems, pivot when need be, and already have a business plan.
"What is your operation going to look like? What is the competition? What is your mission of the company? All of those things are important to lay out," Miller said. "You've got to revisit those often because things do change, whether it be the economy or trends."
You could give your idea a go as a side hustle, depending on your workplace's rules.
"You have to be careful that you're not doing anything competitive or anything that would concern your primary employer," Ted Rossman, senior industry analyst at Bankrate, previously told Business Insider.
Meghan Lim, who pivoted from a financial analyst job to self-employment, previously told Business Insider that people should start with just one side hustle. She also suggested having an emergency fund and waiting until your side earnings exceed your day job's income for a few consecutive months.
"It's also important to ask yourself why you're doing it. Are you fulfilled with doing it? And do you see yourself doing this for the next few years?" Lim said.
Aksu said it may be easier for people to start their own businesses than in the past, with the help of AI tools and flexible work options.
"It's maybe speaking to work culture and autonomy, flexibility that are more talked about in today's job market," Aksu said.
Did you make a career pivot into starting your own business? Reach out to this reporter to share at mhoff@businessinsider.com.
The stereotypical millennial plight goes something like this: A guy or gal staring down 40 is trapped in a perpetual struggle to launch. They've finally moved out of their parents' homes, but later than their judgmental relatives expected. They're getting around to marriage and kids, but they're forever screwed on housing, still trying to shake the ghosts of the post-Great Recession job market, and drowning in student debt. They've developed a strange animosity toward their baby boomer parents, who seemingly had it all and won't let go.
Much of this stereotype, however, is more feeling than fact, especially when it's repeated by frustrated millennials themselves. Despite their gripes, the generation born between 1981 and 1996 is doing quite a bit better financially than their parents. It's just that they're not outpacing them as much as they expected, especially millennials on the wealthier end of the scale, who are accustomed to everything being extra great. That's a marked shift, since it was wealthier baby boomers who were the biggest winners of their generation. Poorer millennials are actually doing better than Americans at the lower end of the income scale in previous generations, but poor in America is still pretty bad, and for the rich, the narrowing of the income gap can be uncomfortable.
That's one of the takeaways from a recent paper out of the Federal Reserve Board comparing how Gen X and millennials are faring on their economic journeys. The findings: When Gen Xers and millennials hit their late 30s they had a median household real (aka inflation-adjusted) income 16% and 18% higher, respectively, compared to the generation before them at the same age, whereas the Silent Generation and baby boomers had increases of 34% and 27%, respectively.
"It's taking longer to launch, there is some more debt, but in the long run, millennials are actually doing better than Generation X and baby boomers," says Kevin Corinth, a senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Opportunity and Social Mobility at the American Enterprise Institute and one of the paper's authors. "It's just taking them a longer time."
Nobody likes to hear, "You'll be OK … eventually," or face the reality of life not working out quite as expected, and so it tracks that millennials would be vocal about the economy not being a bang-up time. The issue isn't necessarily struggling, it's recalibrating expectations.
Blame women for millennials not doing as well as their parents — or, rather, their moms. I'm kidding, but women in the workforce do explain much of what's going on. Many more baby boomer women launched careers compared to their mothers, which boosted household incomes and drove the outsize gains in generation-to-generation wellbeing. Chances are, if you're a millennial woman or Gen X, your mom had a job, so any gains you make are going to come from fighting for a raise.
"There wasn't more juice to squeeze to get additional income growth out of that, so now we're really relying on increased wages," Corinth says.
People who have always had access to social mobility no longer having such easy access to social mobility does have implications for the general sort of malaise about the economy.
Wage growth can be a slow process, and thanks to the recovery from the Great Recession and pandemic-related labor market pressures, people at the bottom of the income distribution have seen bigger gains than people at the top. From January 2020 to June 2023, real hourly earnings for people in the 10th percentile of the wage distribution rose by 7.8%, while they fell by 6% and 8% for those in the 50th and 90th percentiles, according to a paper from researchers David Autor, Arindrajit Dube, and Annie McGrew, meaning wage gains were concentrated among lower-income workers while higher-income workers lost ground.
At the same time, millennials higher up the income distribution are feeling squeezed. Yes, the jobs market is always pretty good for higher-income, college-educated people — the unemployment rate for college-educated workers in the US is persistently well under 3% — but things for the typically comfortable are feeling a little uncomfortable right now. Many white-collar workers are having a hard time getting hired, and the headlines about mass layoffs at big companies are unnerving, as is the threat posed by AI. Even if you are doing fairly well, you may not love that people at lower incomes are catching up, while at the same time, the peak of the income scale doesn't feel any closer.
"The people who I call the lower-rich, they have never felt poor before. Now, they're not poor, either, but there is such a wide gap between what you earn as a young lawyer in a firm in New York compared to someone that works in private equity or that works at a hedge fund," says A. Mechele Dickerson, the author of the forthcoming book "The Middle-Class New Deal Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream." "For the lower rich, they've never been in a space where the number that they are earning doesn't actually make them rich in their mind. It makes them poor."
I do not want to dump on the plight of more well-off millennials, given that I am probably one of them. Obviously, everyone's personal situations are different, problems are problems, and the supposed American dream dictates that you're supposed to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, be upwardly mobile, and outdo your parents.
The country is in the midst of an affordability crisis that hits everyone. The housing market is a complete drag — the typical age of a first-time homebuyer is 40, which doesn't feel good as an age to have finally "made it." A college education still pays off, but many students are saddled with debt that makes it feel like it doesn't. Younger millennials who are doing well may not internalize it because they're still living off their parents' money.
The confluence of these elements "really creates the condition for dissatisfaction for folks who thought they could have it all," says Rakeen Mabud, an associate fellow at Common Wealth, an economic think tank. "People who have always had access to social mobility no longer having such easy access to social mobility does have implications for the general sort of malaise about the economy."
This not only creates a sense of unease among millennials, but also triggers a lot of the generational animus millennials have toward boomers — though thinking your parents had it easier isn't particularly unique to the avocado toast cohort. "Almost every generation is like this," says Matt Darling, a senior research associate at MEF Associates, a social policy research firm. People tend to downplay the tribulations that plagued previous generations — after all, they weren't around for them. Millennials frustrated by post-pandemic inflation could probably stand to talk to boomers about how they dealt with it in the 1970s and '80s. "Every generation has its own unique challenges, and every generation forgets about what happened previously," Darling says.
As big-ticket items have become increasingly expensive — housing, healthcare, childcare, education — it's become easy to overlook the smaller-ticket items that have gotten cheaper. Yes, sending your kid to preschool is going to hit you where it hurts, but at least the toys you buy them and the clothes you put them in nowadays are super inexpensive. The same goes for that iPad you let them play with more than you should.
They feel so vulnerable because they're looking at what the ultra-elite rich are doing and can afford to do, and, in comparison, they feel poor.
"As these items become a less big part of our spending, they also sort of drop out of our memory," Darling says. They're also all that's left of whatever the American dream is.
Consumers are wired to want more more more, and while baby boomers are often knocked as a hyper-materialist generation, millennials and Gen X are not exactly living light, stuff-wise. The thing is, getting more doesn't necessarily make you happier. The hedonic treadmill says that people generally revert to their normal level of happiness relatively quickly after they acquire the new fun thing. Finally closing on that house at 40 will feel good for a while, but eventually, it'll become the new norm, and you're suddenly itching for a place with one more bedroom.
Many millennials near the top (but not at the tip-top) feel a sense of precarity and scarcity. They feel the need to optimize their children's education and extracurriculars in order to ensure they get into the best schools. They're hyper-focused on their investments since their retirement depends on their own savings and 401(k)s, rather than a defined pension. They work extra-long hours in hopes that their boss might feel a twinge of guilt before putting them on the layoff list.
"They feel so vulnerable because they're looking at what the ultra-elite rich are doing and can afford to do, and, in comparison, they feel poor," Dickerson says.
They also don't feel very rich, comparatively, looking below them. As much as many wealthier people might not admit it, or even recognize it, wage compression — the shrinking of the pay gap up and down the income spectrum — can be discomforting for people at the top. If you spend a bunch of money on a college education and run into your cousin who just graduated from high school and realize they're making the same money as you, there's an understandable sense of, "Wait, what was all that for?"
As workers at the bottom earn more, it can also push up prices for the better-off. Part of the reason people are annoyed by the high cost of their DoorDash orders is that delivery drivers may have a minimum amount they need to earn. That tip you're angry at at the coffee counter is supplementing the barista's pay, whose wages have gone up anyway in recent years and are making your fancy coffee pricier. Most people would agree it's good for home health aides to be paid more — until they try to hire one to take care of their parents. What's more, that aide's pay bump probably isn't bumping them into the middle class, so they're still struggling, even if it's to a comparatively lesser degree.
Despite some of the vibes (a word I hate to employ given how overused it's become), millennials are generally fine. Life's just moving a little slower, and fine often doesn't feel especially good.
Emily Stewart is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, writing about business and the economy.
Maor Shlomo sold his vibe-coding startup for $80 million. He warns that these tools are easy to copy, making them risky bets.
credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
A vibe coding startup founder says vibe coding tools are easy to clone.
Startups built only on prompting an LLM or light fine-tuning could struggle to defend their business.
Maor Shlomo's comments come as vibe coding platforms continue to gain traction.
Maor Shlomo, who built a vibe coding startup and sold it for about $80 million, has a warning for the fast-growing vibe coding market: These tools are easy to clone, and that makes them fragile businesses.
The founder and CEO of Base44 said in an episode of "20VC" podcast published Monday that "it's relatively easy to create a vibe coding tool."
Vibe coding tools enable anyone to build software by simply prompting AI. But Shlomo said the part users see — the magic moment when an interface appears — is the easiest piece to replicate.
"Every feature that we put out, we know that's going to take either a few weeks or a few months for competitor to copy," he added.
Shlomo founded Base44 as a bootstrapped project that quickly hit hundreds of thousands of users. In June, it was acquired by Wix, a web development company, for about $80 million.
Wix said in its second-quarter results in August that Base44 was on track to reach $40 to $50 million in annual recurring revenue by the end of 2025.
Shlomo said on the podcast that startups that rely on clever prompting or fine-tuning an existing LLM could struggle to defend their business. "It's going to be hard to have a moat," he said.
What is difficult to replicate is the underlying infrastructure behind a tool, such as a built-in database, authentication system, user management, and analytics, he added.
"It's very, very, very hard to create a platform that could help people build products they'll actually use, that are functional, that are complex enough for real-world use cases," Shlomo said.
"For that, you need many layers of integrations. You need to adapt and tune the agent to handle very complex projects," he added. "It's going to take you, like, hundreds or thousands of prompts to get to something that you're going to use day-to-day."
The rise of vibecoding tools
Shlomo's comments come as vibecoding tools continue to gain traction in the tech world, with startups and investors pouring serious money into them.
A recent a16z analysis of startup spending shows a noticeable shift toward vibecoding platforms. According to the October report, Replit, Cursor, Loveable, and Emergent were among the top 50 AI-native applications based on spending data. Replit ranked third in total spend, behind OpenAI and Anthropic.
"Vibe coding is no mere consumer trend — it has landed in workplaces," wrote the three a16z staff who authored the report.
The findings came from an a16z partnership with Mercury, a fintech that provides banking and payment tools to startups. The analysis draws on transaction data from more than 200,000 Mercury customers between June and August.
Investors are also betting big on vibecoding. Replit announced in September that it raised a $250 million round at a $3 billion valuation, nearly tripling its valuation since its last round in 2023. Lovable closed a $200 million Series A in July that valued it at $1.8 billion, according to PitchBook. Cursor, one of the biggest players in the vibe coding space, announced earlier this month that it had raised a $2.3 billion round at a $29.3 billion valuation.
If you are wanting exposure to the beaten down tech sector, then it could be worth looking at the ASX tech stock in this article.
That’s because analysts at Bell Potter see potential for its shares to rise strongly from current levels.
Which ASX tech stock?
The stock in question is airports and utilities software provider Gentrack Group Ltd (ASX: GTK).
Bell Potter was pleased with the company’s FY 2025 results, noting that they were largely in line with expectations. It said:
GTK’s FY25 was largely in-line with consensus revenue/EBITDA at $230.2m/$27.8m respectively (-4% vs. BPe EBITDA). Positive pipeline commentary drove a strong share price reaction, which provided improved visibility on near-term project win/growth outlook.
Group revenue grew 8% to $230.2m, in-line with guidance/consensus (- 1% vs. BPe); Utility revenue increased 7% to $193.4m, which was underpinned by 12% recurring revenue growth somewhat offset by a -5% decline in project revenues (reflecting strong pcp); 2H25 was a record half for Utility project revs. Veovo revenue increased +15% to $36.8m on both ARR/NRR growth (+27% ex. Hardware sales)
Another positive for the broker was its outlook commentary. It highlights that the ASX tech stock’s sales pipeline has improved significantly in recent months. Bell Potter adds:
GTK’s pipeline has developed considerably since it’s last update; it is currently a “preferred” vendor at 3 prospects, shortlisted at 3 others, and well placed at 4 others for 2026 counterparty decisions. These opportunities represent ~30m meter points in total; winning 3-4 would set up strong FY27 growth according to GTK. EPS changes in following the result are -1%/+2%/+8% through FY26e-28e respectively on a broad mix of mix shift across segments and increased amortisation.
Time to buy
According to the note, the broker has responded to the update by reiterating its buy rating with an improved price target of $11.00 (from $9.80).
Based on its current share price of $8.49, this implies potential upside of almost 30% for investors from current levels.
Commenting on its buy recommendation, Bell Potter said:
Our TP rebounds to A$11.00 on roll fwd of DCF and earnings upgrades following pipeline commentary which has provided greater visibility on potential project revenue growth as well as go-live proof-points for GTK to reference in g2.0 discussions. A positive growth outlook for GTK is underpinned by rapidly shifting energy consumption and production trends, driving increased complexity in energy grids which is meeting technical debt within legacy billing platforms.
Should you invest $1,000 in Gentrack Group right now?
Before you buy Gentrack Group shares, consider this:
Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Gentrack Group wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…
Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Gentrack Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
The first ASX 200 share to get an upgrade from Morgans is fashion jewellery retailer Lovisa.
While the company’s trading update was a touch softer than it was expecting, it acknowledges that its sales growth has been very strong so far in FY 2026. Especially in such a tough economic environment.
So, with its shares taking a tumble, the broker has upgraded them to a buy rating with a trimmed price target of $40.00. Based on its current share price, this suggests that upside of approximately 30% is possible.
Commenting on its recommendation, Morgans said:
LOV provided a trading update for the first 20 weeks of FY26 which was slightly below expectations. LFL sales have slowed in the last 12 weeks and store rollout was a little bit slower than expectations, but total sales growth remains strong (over 20%). We see very few Australian retailers able to deliver +20% sales growth in light of the ongoing challenging retail trading conditions. Given the share price weakness, we have upgraded to a BUY from an ACCUMULATE.
We see this as a great opportunity to buy this high quality retailer with a global store rollout opportunity trading back around its average 10-year 1-year forward PE multiple (~31x), offering ~20% EPS growth CAGR over the next 3 years. We have lowered our price target to $40 (from $44.50) driven by moving back to 50/50 weighting EV/EBIT and DCF valuation.
Morgans was pleased with this network-as-a-service provider’s performance so far in FY 2026, highlighting that its net revenue retention (NRR) and annual recurring revenue (ARR) have grown strongly since the end of the last financial year.
In addition, it has updated its forecasts to reflect the acquisition of Latitude.sh and its network expansion into the India market.
This has led to Morgans upgrading its shares to a buy rating with a $17.00 price target. This implies potential upside of 22% for investors over the next 12 months.
Commenting on its upgrade, the broker said:
We update our forecasts to include MP1 recent capital raising, acquisition of “Compute-as-a-Service” provider Latitude.sh and network expansion into India. The acquisitions accelerate revenue and EBITDA growth while the core MP1 business keeps improving. Since June 2025 NRR (net revenue retention) has lifted 2 ppts to 109%. Revenue and ARR (annual recurring revenue) growth is strong. We upgrade to a BUY recommendation and our target price moves to $17.
Should you invest $1,000 in Lovisa Holdings Limited right now?
Before you buy Lovisa Holdings Limited shares, consider this:
Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Lovisa Holdings Limited wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…
Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in Lovisa and Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Lovisa and Megaport. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Lovisa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
Felix Gold Ltd (ASX: FXG) has become one of the ASX’s standout performers over the past twelve months.
Shares in this mineral explorer have ballooned by nearly 500% in just one year, climbing to $0.41 per share at the time of writing.
Not surprisingly, this surge has outperformed the broader market handsomely, with the All Ordinaries Index (ASX: XAO) rising by 1.64% during the same period.
This rally has been fuelled by progress at the group’s Treasure Creek antimony and gold project in Alaska.
In essence, this ASX mining stock has been reporting a swathe of rich antimony intercepts from exploration drilling.
These outcomes could pave the way for Felix to become the first antimony producer in the US in more than three decades.
Strategic mineral
Antimony is traditionally used in flame-retardant materials and several other products, like lead storage batteries, munitions, and ceramics.
However, it is also utilised in various modern-day technologies such as solar panels.
Supply of antimony is heavily concentrated, with about 95% of global output coming from China, Russia, and Tajikistan.
And late last year, China implemented a total ban on antimony exports to the US.
This geopolitical setting could create a strategic opportunity for Felix.
More specifically, the antimony from Treasure Creek could potentially become a supply source for the US market.
However, the project also holds a sizeable 831,000-ounce gold resource.
And an extensive drilling campaign just delivered further significant gold hits.
What happened?
Felix recently completed more than 120 drill holes at Treasure Creek, with results from 10 holes announced this morning revealing shallow and high-grade gold intercepts.
One hole returned a 13.75 metre interval grading 7.69 grams per tonne gold, including a richer 4.89m zone grading 20.42 g/t gold.
Another hole served up a broad 47.25m intercept at 1.08 g/t gold.
Management noted that the gold mineralisation is strongly linked to structures that also host high-grade antimony, with the gold shaping a broader halo around the antimony.
Felix Gold Executive Director, Joe Webb, commented:
The geology is particularly encouraging. We’re seeing high-grade gold within the same structures that host our antimony mineralisation, with gold forming broader halos around these zones. The 13.75m @ 7.69 g/t intersection in hole 001, including 4.89m @ 20.42 g/t, demonstrates the grade potential within these weathered breccia structures.
What next for this ASX mining stock?
Treasure Creek sits within the Fairbanks mining district of Alaska.
This prolific geological region is renowned for producing over 16 million ounces of gold historically.
And Felix is the largest landholder in this infrastructure-rich district.
The ASX mining stock now plans to incorporate the gold and antimony results from 2025 into an expanded resource database.
Samples from the recently concluded drilling program have been submitted to the lab for multi-element analysis, including antimony.
Gold results from 113 drill holes also remain pending.
Should you invest $1,000 in Felix Gold Limited right now?
Before you buy Felix Gold Limited shares, consider this:
Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Felix Gold Limited wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…
Motley Fool contributor Bart Bogacz has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
Michelle Obama says it's time to stop treating 35 as the age when everything should be figured out.
"I would just say there are no 'shoulds'. There are so many ways to live a happy, fulfilling life," she said.
Moreover, much of what shapes the future comes down to circumstances beyond one's control, she added.
Michelle Obama wants people to stop stressing about turning 35.
In a clip released on Tuesday from her podcast "The Look," Obama sat down with guests Jane Fonda and Bethann Hardison to reflect on the advice she'd give her 35-year-old self.
"I would tell myself to enjoy this age, the struggles that you feel like you have at this age," Obama said. "Because mid-30s are when you may think that your career should be further along than it should be, because now you think you are starting to feel old, and you think that the time is starting to tick."
Many people begin to feel a sense of urgency at that age, thinking they should have already reached milestones like marriage or starting a family, she said.
"I would just say there are no 'shoulds'. There are so many ways to live a happy, fulfilling life," she said.
There are both positives and negatives to being married or to being a parent, and "none of that makes you who you are," Obama said.
Moreover, much of what shapes the future comes down to luck and circumstances beyond one's control, she added.
"Will you find love if you haven't found it? Who knows? You could hook up and marry somebody. That is the worst mistake you'll make. You just have to keep learning how to adapt," she said.
Despite the pressure many feel at that age, 35 is still "really, really young," Obama said.
"You have so many more chapters, and they will look completely different. So don't get caught up on what is or isn't happening now because the future has so much waiting in store," she said.
Obama joins a growing group of women in Hollywood who are pushing back against age-related expectations.
Speaking to Porter magazine in November 2023, Anne Hathaway said she was once told her career "would fall off a cliff at the age of 35."
During a "Today" show interview in November 2024, Lauren Sánchez Bezos said she never expected to have so much to look forward to in life after turning 50.
"When I was 20, I thought, 'Oh my gosh, life is over at 50.' Let me tell you: It is not, ladies. It is not over," she said.
The Protector UGV is seen with a mounted M2 Browning machine gun firing on a target at a range.
Screenshot via Facebook/Ukrainian Armored Vehicles
Ukrainians are experimenting with ground drones to make a remotely piloted attack truck.
Ukrainian Armored Vehicles released test footage of its Protector drone with an M2 Browning turret.
It's a combination of two emerging technologies on Ukraine's battlefield.
A Ukrainian company is creating a drone truck that can remotely drive up to the battlefield and rain .50 caliber rounds on its target, all without needing a human driver or gun operator on board.
Ukrainian Armored Vehicles, based in Kyiv, released footage on Monday of the Protector, its uncrewed ground vehicle, conducting firing range tests with a Tavria-12.7 turret.
The Tavria-12.7 is a remotely controlled turret that uses the M2 Browning machine gun. Like most remote-controlled gun turrets, it's typically mounted on armored carriers with human operators inside, allowing them to shoot from the safety of the vehicle's interior.
But by combining the two uncrewed technologies, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles said it's turned its drone truck into a "full-fledged combat unit."
"We got good results both in static shooting and in moving shooting from different distances," Vladyslav Belbas, the firm's general director, said in the company's statement.
Both the Protector and Tavria-12.7 have already been codified, or approved for military use, by Ukraine's defense ministry. The measure allows Ukrainian units and developers to officially acquire and integrate these weapons and platforms into active combat.
According to the defense ministry, the Protector can be remotely driven for up to 400 km, or about 250 miles, and carry a payload of 700 kg, or 1,543 pounds.
Without the need for a driver's cabin, there's enough space for roughly eight people to sit on the Protector's bed.
When the truck was unveiled in September 2024, Ukrainian Armored Vehicles said it featured NATO-standard Level 1 ballistic protection, which means it can withstand fire from rifles or smaller caliber guns, but not armor-piercing or heavy machine gun rounds.
The company added at the time that the Protector's 190-horsepower engine can bring the truck to a top speed of 37 miles per hour.
As for the Tavria-12.7, Ukraine's defense ministry said in November 2024 that the turret can operate at night or during the day, and is protected by armor that can withstand small arms fire and shrapnel.
The Protector was initially presented as a logistics drone, allowing Ukrainians to evacuate the wounded or carry vital equipment in areas that would be dangerous for human soldiers.
But Ukrainian Armored Vehicles also hinted at the time that the truck could be used as a combat vehicle, releasing renderings of the Protector mounted with machine guns or anti-tank missiles.
A rendering of the Protector with mounted missile launchers.
Ukrainian Armored Vehicles
Uncrewed ground vehicles, or UGVs, have proliferated on Ukraine's battlefield as the war remains largely stagnant, with slow, grinding fights over small pieces of territory along the front lines.
Both sides are now increasingly turning to automation and cheap, remotely controlled tech to reduce attrition among their resources and troops. Russian soldiers have also been deploying their own UGVs.
In the last two years, Ukrainian developers have debuted combat UGVs that are typically tracked or smaller, wheeled platforms carrying rifles, gun turrets, or missile launchers.
A truck-based platform should be faster than most of its competitors and allow the ground drone to carry significantly more weight, although its larger profile may make it easier to spot and hit.
If you have space in your portfolio for some new additions, it could be worth hearing what analysts are saying about the ASX shares in this article, courtesy of The Bull.
Let’s see if they are buys, holds, or sells right now:
The team at MPC Markets rates this biotechnology giant as a hold despite its significant pullback. However, it thinks investors should be keeping a close eye on CSL’s progress as it does have a strong track record. It explains:
Uncertainty continues to surround this biopharmaceutical giant after the share price plunged following its 2025 results. It recently cut revenue and profit growth forecasts for fiscal year 2026. Its Seqirus influenza vaccines division is under pressure from a decline in vaccination rates in the US. However, plans to reduce fixed costs and enhance efficiencies were initially earmarked to save more than $500 million by fiscal year 2028.
The company is undertaking a buy-back program of up to $750 million in fiscal year 2026. CSL shares have fallen from $271.32 on August 18 to trade at $178.82 on November 19. At these levels, we suggest holding CSL and monitor performance of a company that has a solid track record of performance over the longer term.
Over at Ord Minnett, its analysts think this rare earths producer’s shares are expensive and that investors should be hitting the sell button. They said:
Lynas is the only significant producer of separated rare earths materials outside of China. Gross sales revenue of $200.2 million in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 was up on the prior quarter and the prior corresponding period, but missed consensus. The shares have fallen from $21.64 on October 15 to trade at $15.51 on November 19. In our view, the shares remain overvalued, so investors may want to consider cashing in some gains.
One ASX share that Ord Minnett is positive on its Sigma Healthcare. It has put a buy rating on the Chemist Warehouse owner’s shares.
The broker is very positive on the company’s outlook due to its international expansion and private label strategy. It explains:
The healthcare giant reported normalised earnings before interest and tax of $834.5 million in fiscal year 2025, up 41.4 per cent on the prior corresponding period. Beyond the strong earnings, SIG’s result was underpinned by operating cashflow of $599 million, better than expected net debt of $752 million and a positive outlook. SIG has started strongly in fiscal year 2026, with Chemist Warehouse posting double-digit network sales growth and an upgraded synergies target. Furthermore, we continue to expect upside via the international rollout and private label strategies.
Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and CSL wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…
Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has recommended Lynas Rare Earths Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
Australian dividend shares are a great way for investors to earn a reliable passive income. Here are two dividend giants that I think belong in every Aussie portfolio.
Soul Patts is frequently referred to as Australian dividend royalty. It’s easy to see why, too.
The company has the longest streak of annual dividend increases on the index. It has also increased its dividend payout for its shareholders every year since 1998.Â
The best part is that Soul Patts is an investment house that holds a diverse portfolio of investments across listed equities, private equity, property, and loans. While its origins were in pharmacies, the company now has a very broad portfolio across multiple sectors.Â
It gives its investors exposure to assets across a range of industries, including natural resources, building materials, telecommunications, retail, agriculture, property equity, and corporate advisory. It is invested in a number of well-known ASX shares such as TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPG), New Hope Corporation Ltd (ASX: NHC), and Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW). This means the dividend share is able to generate cash flow from a variety of sources.Â
It’s this defensive quality and consistent dividend growth that make it a fantastic option for income-seeking investors.Â
There’s no forecast for what the Soul Patts dividend is expected to climb to in FY26, but the company expects growth to continue going forward. In FY25, the company paid a total $1.03 per share, 100% fully franked.Â
At the time of writing on Tuesday afternoon, the Soul Patts share price is 1.21% higher for the day at $37.51 a piece. Over the year, the shares have climbed 6.99%.
Mining giant and ASX 200 heavyweight BHP is another must for any savvy investor’s portfolio.
The mining and metals giant is a diversified natural resources company that is among the world’s top producers of major commodities, including iron ore, copper, and metallurgical coal. The company is headquartered in Melbourne and is one of the largest and most-established companies on the ASX with a strong balance sheet and low debt, even during volatile markets.
In FY25, BHP paid an interim dividend of 79.1 cents per share on 27 March and a final dividend of 91.9 cents per share on 25 September, both fully franked. That brings the full-year passive income payout to $1.71 a share.Â
Unfortunately, in FY25, BHP’s dividend payouts were lower than what investors received in FY24. This was mostly due to shifts in commodity prices throughout the 12-month period. But the miner continues to be a great provider of passive income.Â
UBS has forecast BHP will pay its shareholders US$1.09 per share in FY26, with a potential dividend yield of 5.7%, including franking credits.Â
But Macquarie is forecasting that the miner’s dividend will be a little lower in FY26, at around US$1.05 fully franked. This is due to an expected decline in the company’s EBITDA earnings for the year, reflecting softer commodity prices.
At the time of writing, BHP shares are 0.76% higher for the day at $40.93 a piece. Over the year, the shares are trading 1.82% higher.
Motley Fool investing expert Scott Phillips just revealed what he believes are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and BHP Group wasn’t one of them.
The online investing service he’s run for over a decade, Motley Fool Share Advisor, has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*
And right now, Scott thinks there are 5 stocks that may be better buys…
Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended Macquarie Group and Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.
