Bitcoin Dan Kitwood/ Getty Images Stefan Qin was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York said Wednesday. Qin pleaded guilty in February after prosecutors said he ran a three-year Ponzi scheme through his crypto hedge fund. The US Attorney's office said over 100 investors in Qin's fund were scammed. Sign up here for our daily newsletter, 10 Things Before the Opening Bell. A former cryptocurrency hedge fund manager who pleaded guilty to securities fraud after prosecutors said he ran a Ponzi scheme was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, the US attorney's office for the Southern District of New York said Wednesday. From 2017 to 2020, 24-year old Stefan Qin stole and dissipated nearly all of the assets of...

Democrats are ready to raise taxes. They want more revenue, in part to fund an out-of-this-world amount of new spending. Some simply want to soak the rich, as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, plainly signaled at the Met Gala by wearing a white dress with “TAX THE RICH” scrawled across it in red paint. While the public may be more receptive to the idea because of concerns over high budget deficits, let’s not be naive — many voters believe that these tax hikes won’t hit them. There’s so much wrong about this assumption. Writing for The Dispatch, the Manhattan Institute’s Brian Riedl documents President Joe Biden’s spending plan, which would expand federal government spending by $11 trillion over the next decade. This spending would help fund a cradle-to-grave new world in which gov

Interest in secondhand items has expanded beyond Poshmark. Brendan McDermid/Reuters Secondhand retail is expected to grow by 69% from 2019 to 2021, a World Resources Institute report said. A ThredUp report said a secondhand clothing item had an 82% smaller carbon footprint than a new one. Several startups have raised lots of funding for specialized platforms and support services. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, Insider Sustainability When I want to buy something fancy or moderately expensive from a brand like Tumi or Patagonia, I don't just look for sales - I also check out websites like eBay and Goodwill Auctions, as well as listings on platforms like ThredUp, Poshmark, Grailed, and The RealReal, for secondhand items to see if I can save a few bucks. Sometimes the secondhand items h

The best mortgage lenders for first-time homebuyers are user friendly and have special programs. Alyssa Powell/Insider Table of Contents: Masthead StickyBest mortgage lenders for first-time buyers of September 2021 Mortgage lender Min. credit score Standout feature Next steps Bank of America 640 Down payment/closing cost assistance Bank of America Mortgage Chase 640 DreaMaker mortgage program Chase Mortgage Guild Mortgage 620 Down payment assistance Guild Mortgage Navy Federal Credit Union 660 HomeBuyers Choice mortgage Navy Federal Credit Union Mortgage NBKC Bank 640 Live online chat NBKC Bank Mortgage New American Funding 640 I CAN mortgage New American Funding PNC Bank 620 $1,500 grant PNC Bank Mortgage Quicken Loans 620 Customer satisfaction Rocket Mortgage by

Shilpa Yarlagadda Courtesy of Shilpa Yarlagadda; Taken by Shoji Van Kuzumi Shilpa Yarlagadda, 24, is the founder of fine jewelry line Shiffon. The brand is known for its spiral pinky rings, which represent the pinky promise to support and empower women. Meghan Markle wore the pink ring on the cover of Time for its 100 'most influential' people list. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. This article was originally published on November 4th, 2020. On September 14th, 2021 Meghan Markle wore Shiffon jewelry on the cover of Times' 100 Most Influential List. This article has been updated to reflect that. When Shilpa Yarlagadda was in between her freshman and sophomore years at Harvard, she had an idea. At the time, she was a computer science major with no experience in jewelr

There’s a ridiculous amount of cool stuff to do around the Bay Area this weekend, from music festivals and an edgy play about video gamers to new restaurants to check out and a dream trip to Carmel, so let’s get right down to the serious business of having fun, shall we? And if you are headed to a live performance or exhibit, please check the venue or production’s website for the latest COVID safety precautions before you go. (Psst, if you want to get this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.) 1 SEE & HEAR: Amazing shows and festivals As the Bay Area adjusts to the latest COVID conditions, there are a LOT of live and streaming shows to see this weekend, from major ...

US airmen cut off the wing of a condemned F-35A Lightning II and prep it for transport at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. US Air Force courtesy photo A botched landing in May 2020 left an F-35 a mess of scorched metal that would never fly again. Rather than scrap the burnt remains, the Air Force decided to give the F-35 a second life. Airmen with the 372nd Training Squadron at Hill Air Force Base have repurposed the jet to train maintainers. See more stories on Insider's business page. Last year, it was an F-35A Lightning II fighter jet - one of the most advanced aircraft the world has ever seen. Now, after a crash that cost an estimated $176 million, it's being cut into pieces for training aids. The Air Force jet was left a mess of scorched metal that would never fly again after a botch

High-earning millennials are stretching their paychecks. Edward Berthelot/Getty Images In a survey this June, 60% of millennials earning over $100,000 said they live paycheck to paycheck. Some of these millennials - known as HENRYs - prefer a comfortable, expensive lifestyle. In today's economy, $100,000 is considered middle class in the US. See more stories on Insider's business page. High-earning millennials feel broke. Sixty percent of millennials raking in over $100,000 a year said they're living paycheck to paycheck, found a survey this June by PYMNTS and LendingClub, which analyzed economic data and census-balanced surveys of over 28,000 Americans. It found that about 54% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. And nearly 40% of high earners - those making more than $100,000 annua