
Trump, Republicans Rush to Overcome Internal Clashes on One Big Beautiful Bill
By and Jamie Tarabay
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Republican party leaders are rushing to overcome lingering internal fights over President Donald Trump's massive tax and spending package as Democrats launch attacks to exploit the divisions.
Senate Republicans were still at odds Monday over how much to cut Medicaid and other social safety-net programs and how rapidly to end Biden-era clean energy tax breaks as Democrats gained the chance Monday to force votes on amendments to the package.
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8 Non-Obvious Reasons Startups Struggle To Fundraise
This article outlines eight less obvious but highly influential reasons startups fail to raise ... More capital — reasons investors notice even when founders don't. Most founders are familiar with the typical reasons why fundraising is challenging: a poor pitch, a small market, a weak team, or a lack of traction. But many funding struggles come from less visible issues - structural, strategic, or psychological problems that don't always show up in a pitch deck. In this article, we outline eight less obvious but highly influential reasons startups fail to raise capital. 1. The Vision Is Too Small Startups often describe what they're building today, not what it could become. A narrow, tactical story may be logical, but investors look for ambition. They want to know: if this works, how big could it be? The reason is simple - startup investors take a large number of high-risk bets. For their investment strategy to work, the successful investments need to be able to pay for multiple unsuccessful ones. In other words, for traditional startup investors, 1.5 ROI simply doesn't make economic sense. A product that solves a clear problem but doesn't hint at a broader market, ecosystem, or category-defining potential is easy to pass on. Founders need to cast a vision that stretches beyond their MVP without sounding delusional. For example, Zoom wasn't just 'video calls with better UI'. It pitched itself as the next platform for enterprise communication, and currently it's pitching itself as 'The AI-first work platform for human connection'. As noted in our startup fundraising checklist, articulating a compelling long-term vision is one of the most important elements of a successful early-stage fundraising strategy. Founders need to help investors imagine what happens if everything goes right — and what the business could become at scale. 2. No Clear 'Why Now' Timing matters. Investors often ask: Why hasn't this worked before, and why will it work now? If your pitch doesn't answer that, it feels like a stale idea. Sometimes, a startup idea is too early - or worse, not early enough. Founders who explain the shift (tech, regulation, behavior, distribution) that now makes their idea viable tend to stand out. For example, Uber only became viable when smartphones and GPS were widely adopted. That was their 'why now.' 3. Lack Of A Founder-Problem Fit Even if the idea is good, investors want to see why you are the person to build it. Founders often fail to show authentic founder-problem fit - a personal connection to the problem, or an unfair advantage in solving it. Generic motivations or vague enthusiasm can undermine otherwise strong pitches. Investors fund people more than ideas. For example, Brex's founders had previously built a fintech company in Brazil ( That experience gave them credibility and insight into building financial products. 4. No Clear Wedge Into the Market A huge market is good. But a startup that tries to tackle the entire market at once often fails to show how it gets its first 1,000 users. A 'wedge' is a focused, practical entry point into a larger opportunity. Without it, founders sound like they're boiling the ocean. For example, Slack started as an internal chat tool for the team that built it, which at the same time was working on a video game. After focusing on Slack, they provided the service to teams with similar profiles to theirs. That was their wedge. 5. Too Many Assumptions Without Evidence Many early-stage startups pitch ideas based on logic, but without proof. If you haven't talked to enough customers, tested demand, or shown willingness to kill assumptions, it shows. Investors don't need traction to write early checks, but they do need evidence of rigor: signals that you're testing, learning, and adapting. 6. The Team Doesn't Look Fundable Investors will rarely say this out loud, but team dynamics matter, especially in early rounds. Red flags include unclear roles between co-founders, a lack of technical depth for a technical product, or no one with go-to-market experience. Teams that look too homogeneous (e.g., all engineers or all generalists) raise concerns. The best early teams balance strong execution with learning speed and a sense of complementary skills. Consider adding a technical advisor, domain expert, or experienced operator if your team has a visible gap. 7. The Deck Doesn't Show А Business Many decks describe a product, but not a company. There's a big difference. Investors want to see how the product becomes a business: acquisition channels, pricing strategy, retention drivers, and competitive advantage. Especially in founder-led seed rounds, it's easy to underplay these topics. But smart investors will dig, and if your unit economics or GTM strategy is vague, you'll lose momentum. A basic revenue model, even if it's mostly assumptions, shows you're thinking like a builder and an operator. 8. Fundraising Looks Like a Backup Plan If it feels like you're fundraising only because other options failed - e.g., you couldn't bootstrap or get acquired - it signals a lack of confidence. Investors want to back people who are raising because they believe funding accelerates their vision, not because they ran out of cash.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
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Daytona 500 Winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Parts With His Charlotte-Area Equestrian Estate for a Record-Setting $12 Million
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. just set a record — and we're not talking about his NASCAR career. The American professional stock car racing driver has sold his Mooresville, North Carolina home for $12 million, a record for the Charlotte area, according to The Wall Street Journal. The previous record was for a Lake Norman home sold for $11.5 million last year, as detailed in records. Stenhouse, the 2023 Daytona 500 winner, purchased the home for $3.8 million in 2013, according to Zillow. It was put on the market less than a decade later in July 2022 for $15.995 million. The listing was removed, but then popped again in September 2023 for $12.995 million. Three months later, the listing was removed again. A year and a half later in June 2025, an all-cash buyer from South Florida made a $12 million offer, according to the Journal. The home wasn't on the market at the time, though Stenhouse and his wife, Madyson Stenhouse, were planning to relist it. Don't Miss: GoSun's breakthrough rooftop EV charger already has 2,000+ units reserved — become an investor in this $41.3M clean energy brand today. Invest early in CancerVax's breakthrough tech aiming to disrupt a $231B market. Back a bold new approach to cancer treatment with high-growth potential. Although the sale price is nearly $4 million less than what it was originally listed for, the Stenhouses are still going to make a pretty penny on it. After all, it was bought for three times less than that in 2013. The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom and two-half-bathroom property has about 9,115 square feet of living space. An equestrian will particularly love this home, as it has 18 custom arch 10-foot by 14-foot stalls with self-waterers and rubber matting, a 136-foot by 240-foot lighted and enclosed covered arena with a viewing area, a 60-foot covered solid wall round pen, a 1,650-square-foot pole barn and a stable lounge with an attached climate-controlled 18 locker tack room. Trending: This Jeff Bezos-backed startup will allow you to become a landlord in just 10 minutes, with minimum investments as low as $100. "World-class equestrian estate situated on 140 acres offering the ultimate in luxury living," says the Corcoran HM Properties listing that's held by Josh Tucker and Joey Adams. "Make this your premier equestrian private residence; could be a future potential development possibility for additional homesites as road infrastructure and underground power have been run." The property has been called Slide Job Ranch, which refers to a move in motor sports. That's especially fitting, as two other race car drivers, Ernie Irvan and Joe Nemecheck, used to own the home. Tucker told the Journal that the latest buyer isn't a NASCAR driver, though. Slide Job Ranch was only built in 2000, but Stenhouse still put nearly $1 million into the property, specifically on backyard renovations. That's why it features two swimming pools, a cabana and a putting green, as well as a separate garage/gym structure. Other highlights of the Mooresville property are various outdoor seating areas, a theater room, thick beams in the living room and a huge wine closet. See Next: $100k in assets? Maximize your retirement and cut down on taxes: Book your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation. Warren Buffett once said, "If you don't find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die." Here's how you can earn passive income with just $100. This article Daytona 500 Winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Parts With His Charlotte-Area Equestrian Estate for a Record-Setting $12 Million originally appeared on
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
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Mortgage and refinance interest rates today for June 30, 2025: Rates hold steady
Today marks the last day of Q2 2025, and current mortgage rates are about on par with where they were at the end of Q1. Compared to the end of March, the average 30-year mortgage rate is down just two basis points to 6.53%. The 15-year fixed interest rate has decreased a bit more significantly: 12 basis points to 5.71%. Most economists don't expect mortgage rates to drop significantly in 2025 or even 2026. If you're waiting to buy a house until rates plummet, you could be waiting a while. If you can afford a house, it might be better to buy sooner rather than later so you can start building equity. And remember — you can always refinance into a lower rate in a few years. Dig deeper: The best time of year to buy a house Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.53% 20-year fixed: 6.08% 15-year fixed: 5.71% 5/1 ARM: 7.00% 7/1 ARM: 7.08% 30-year VA: 6.12% 15-year VA: 5.45% 5/1 VA: 6.16% Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth. These are today's mortgage refinance rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.61% 20-year fixed: 6.21% 15-year fixed: 5.86% 5/1 ARM: 7.19% 7/1 ARM: 7.22% 30-year VA: 6.17% 15-year VA: 5.89% 5/1 VA: 5.90% Again, the numbers provided are national averages rounded to the nearest hundredth. Although it's not always the case, mortgage refinance rates tend to be a little higher than purchase rates. Read more: The best mortgage refinance lenders right now You can use the free Yahoo Finance mortgage calculator to play around with how different terms and rates will affect your monthly payment. Our calculator considers factors like property taxes and homeowners insurance when estimating your monthly mortgage payment. This gives you a better idea of your total monthly payment than if you just looked at mortgage principal and interest. But if you want a quick, simple way to see how today's rates would impact your monthly mortgage payment, try out the calculator below: Today's average 30-year mortgage rate is 6.53%. A 30-year term is the most popular type of mortgage because by spreading out your payments over 360 months, your monthly payment is relatively low. If you had a $300,000 mortgage with a 30-year term and a 6.53% rate, your monthly payment toward the principal and interest would be about $1,902, and you'd pay $384,766 in interest over the life of your loan — on top of that original $300,000. The average 15-year mortgage rate is 5.71% today. Several factors must be considered when deciding between a 15-year and 30-year mortgage. A 15-year mortgage comes with a lower interest rate than a 30-year term. This is great in the long run because you'll pay off your loan 15 years sooner, and that's 15 fewer years for interest to compound. However, your monthly payments will be higher because you're squeezing the same debt payoff into half the time. If you get that same $300,000 mortgage but with a 15-year term and a 5.71% rate, your monthly payment would jump up to $2,485— but you'd only pay $147,266 in interest over the years. Dig deeper: How much house can I afford? Use our home affordability calculator. With an adjustable-rate mortgage, your rate is locked in for a set period of time and then increases or decreases periodically. For example, with a 5/1 ARM, your rate stays the same for the first five years, then changes every year. Adjustable rates usually start lower than fixed rates, but you run the risk that your rate goes up once the introductory rate-lock period is over. But an ARM could be a good fit if you plan to sell the home before your rate-lock period ends — that way, you pay a lower rate without worrying about it rising later. Lately, ARM rates have occasionally been similar to or higher than fixed rates. Before dedicating yourself to a fixed or adjustable mortgage rate, be sure to shop around for the best lenders and rates. Some will offer more competitive adjustable rates than others. Mortgage lenders typically give the lowest mortgage rates to people with higher down payments, excellent credit scores, and low debt-to-income ratios. So if you want a lower rate, try saving more, improving your credit score, or paying down some debt before you start shopping for homes. You can also buy down your interest rate permanently by paying for discount points at closing. A temporary interest rate buydown is also an option — for example, maybe you get a 6.5% rate with a 2-1 buydown. Your rate would start at 4.5% for year one, increase to 5.5% for year two, then settle in at 6.5% for the remainder of your term. Just consider whether these buydowns are worth the extra money at closing. Ask yourself whether you'll stay in the home long enough that the amount you save with a lower rate offsets the cost of buying down your rate before making your decision. Here are interest rates for some of the most popular mortgage terms: According to Zillow data, the national average 30-year fixed rate is 6.53%, the 15-year fixed rate is 5.71%, and the 5/1 ARM rate is 7%. A normal mortgage rate on a 30-year fixed loan is 6.53%. However, keep in mind that's the national average based on Zillow data. The average might be higher or lower depending on where you live in the U.S. Mortgage rates probably won't drop significantly in 2025 — especially over the next several weeks while economists keep an eye on inflation and Middle East unrest.