On Friday, June 3, 2023, $FISV opened at $112.75 per share. The company’s debt-to-equity ratio is currently at 0.71; with a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.08. Its 52-week low as $87.03 and its high was $122.39, with a market cap of $70.82 billion.
Fiserv has been receiving increasing attention from equities analysts in recent months, with several raising their price targets on the company’s stock. Tigress Financial increased theirs to $160 from $154 while Truist Financial raised theirs to $130 from $105, and finally, Credit Suisse Group raised theirs to $130 from $115.
Royal Bank of Canada also upped their price target but only slightly from $123 to $131 but still gave the stock an “outperform” rating alongside Raymond James and Credit Suisse Group.
Fiserv presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” with the current average price target standing at $132.16.
Among institutional investors and hedge funds who made changes to their positions in FISV are ST Germain D J Co., Atlas Capital Advisors LLC, Sunbelt Securities Inc., Colonial Trust Advisors, and Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp; all totaling 88.79% of the company’s stock.
Fiserv recently issued its quarterly earnings report on April 25th with business services achieving revenue upwards of $4.55 billion during that time frame as compared to last year’s same quarter ending in April where they earned EPS (earnings per share) of about 1.40 versus this year’s Q1 earning them approximately EPS amounting to around 1.58 beating consensus estimates of $1.56 by two cents.
Investors are continuing to keep a watchful eye on Fiserv as it continues to grow and expand with an increasing focus on nurturing strategic partnerships with other financial industry players. Despite the ongoing pattern from the pandemic, investors continue to see growth in fintech industries and authorities indicate that they have no signs of stopping any time soon.

[M]/Doing retro coz reddit has apparently locked my account before 2024 expired, and I just realised this hasn't been published /[M]

Canadian Federal Elections 101

Canada has inherited its political system from the United Kingdom, sticking to Westminster parliamentary system ever since. This means, that unlike in the United States, the outcome of Canadian elections are won by whichever party manages to elect the greatest number on Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of Canada, allowing the leader of this party to assume the office of Prime Minister.

The Senate of Canada provides for a stark contrast, since despite being originally designed to ensure provincial representation, the upper house remains unelected and is largely subjected to the politics in the House of Commons.

When no party is able to secure more than 50 per cent of seats in the House, a leader of a political party that is able to command more than 50 per cent of MPs, for example through singing supply and confidence or coalition agreements with other parties, becomes Prime Minister instead. Historically, however, the largest party in the House of Commons tends to form a monitory government, when it commands a plurality of MPs, rather than an outright majority. This allows the largest party to remain in power, but it has to rely on MPs from other political factions to pass crucial pieces of legislation, especially when it comes to votes that indicate parliamentary confidence, such as federal budgets. Losing those votes, would effectively mean that the current government has to either be completely re-staffed with new Cabinet Ministers, or call a snap election.
However, minority governments remained fairly uncommon in Canada, since the current voting system, called First-Past-the-Post (FPTP), allows for individual MPs to win their respective ridings - also known as constituencies - to be elected into the House of Commons with a simple plurality of votes. Thus, a political party can win most seats in the House of Commons through strategically placing their bets on ridings with very tight margins, where just one extra vote may allow their nominee to win a permanently seat, effectively making all votes for the opposition candidate in that riding meaningless.

General Backgrounder

For example, the Liberal Party of Canada has won the last two federal elections with a plurality of seats in the House of Commons, despite coming only 2nd to the Conservative Party of Canada during popular vote. The Liberals, despite becoming the largest party in the House still fell short of winning the majority of seats, being forced to rely on the New Democratic Party, that represented are more progressive social democratic part of the electorate, for crucial votes. Later, the Government has called a snap election aiming to get their desired majority, but failed, and had to sign a formal Supply and Confidence Agreement with the NDP, that included a massive package of social programmes, such as the recently implemented national dental care and prescription drug insurance.
However, while enjoying a steady lead in polls vis-a-vis, the federal Conservatives during the pandemic, the Liberals had experienced persistent slump as post-pandemic recovered coupled with sticky inflation and rapidly deteriorating housing crisis. As the Federal Conservatives have moved to the right following the election of a new leader, they have utilised concurrent economic challenges and liberal economic policy, blaming the current government's pandemic related emergency spending coupled with expansion of social programs as the root cause for inflation into collapsing housing affordability.
As Canada had to respond to America's Inflation Reduction Act with a new public investment into green transition, conservative criticism of the Trudeau government has become ever more vocal, with fiscal deficits presumably exacerbating, concurrent inflationary pressures.
Liberal policies, especially introducing the federal backstop mechanism for carbon pricing, has also spurred, vicious opposition, among Conservatives, especially those living in the Western Canada, that culminated in the razor-thin re-election of the United Conservatives in the oil-producing province of Alberta. The federal response to the freedom, convoy protest, as well as the general push, forever wider collective community during the pandemic, has created some fertile soil for the opposition, Conservatives to capitalise on, especially as the more moderate leader of the party had been ousted shortly after the convoy protest.
After more than eight years in government, the liberal party has also been embroiled in several corruption and ethics candles, including the SNC-Lavallin affair, the pandemic-era ArriveCan App scandal, and, most recently, the accusations of Chinese electoral interference, and Chinese police stations operating in Canada.
In fact, the situation for the current government has become so dire. It's a point, but more than 80% of forecasters projected a Conservative minority government has the most probable outcome for the next election. According to some polls, the Liberals would be unable to form a government, even with the support of the New Democratic Party. The liberal convention in late spring 2023, didn't provide much of a relief either, how's the party continued to lack a comprehensive platform to combat the issue of housing and affordability - something that steadily climbed the rate of priorities for many Canadians, to become the most pressing issue, when deciding who to vote for. If anything, the Conservative party has become the most popular political force, among younger Canadians, with their laser, sharp focus on the issue of inflation and housing affordability.
The issue of housing affordability has become central to the Conservative Convention, where the Party has committed to "restoring" home ownership across the country, through planning laws deregulation and "removing resections on the supply of housing". This would see the federal government to tie federal spending on housing to municipalities shortening approval times, waive HST/GST for housing, as well as allow landlords to re-invest their profits into new housing tax-free. The Conservative convention also proposed federal infrastructure funding to be linked to higher-density housing construction.
What did, however, play in favour of the current government, what is the time. Within Canadian Parliamentary system, the Prime Minister can call an election effectively anytime, so long their term doesn't exceed the four year threshold, that was approaching at Fall 2025, supported by the Supply and Confidence Agreement with New Democrats.
As inflation in North America has started slowly subsiding toreturn to the 2% target in early fall 2024, Trudeau has managed to re-gain some the economic credibility his government has seemingly lost. The Liberals have also continued their tilt to make some inroads into the NDP camp, with the Federal Budget 2024 going heavily on Net Zero and Green Transition.
However, the Liberals also had to deal with a political deadline, whether to call and election before or after the Budget 2025 would've been published. The former might allow the LPC to avoid the criticism of "buying up votes" that the party received after calling the snap election shortly after introducing their Federal Budget in 2021. However, Trudeau also had a stake at deferring the election for long as possible, hoping that waiving inflationary pressure might open up more space for the Liberals to re-gain the economic ground over the Conservatives.

Federal Election 2025

After long deliberation, the federal Cabinet has opened to hold an election in late March 2025, right at the time when a government would have normally tabled their budget. The election that both the Liberals and the Conservatives have approached after almost a year or neck-and-neck perforce in the polls, with Trudeau having a minuscule advantage in personal ratings.
The economy, especially housing affordability, have become two main issues during this election, closely followed by healthcare - namely access to family physicians and waiting times for selected procedures - and the issue of inflation still lingering at the back of the public debate.
Trudeau himself because a matter for the debate, with the Liberals banking on his personal likability, while Federal Conservatives continuously pressed with corruption and ethical scandals and corruption allegations, combined with the Liberal campaign continuously bringing up the "electability issue" of their opponents.

Housing

With the Tories enjoying slight lead on the matter of economic competence, the Liberals opted to treat the housing crisis as a matter of social policy, while banking heavily on personal popularity of Trudeau himself. From the policy-standpoint, LPC Election Platform has effectively copied the proposal originally voiced during the Conservative Convention. Namely, waiving GST/HST for housing construction, allowing landlords to re-invest their profits into constructing more units tax-free, as well as linking federal spending to new housing development and liberalising permitting process. The difference with the Conservatives was the focusing on new federal spending to combat housing affordability.
Liberal election promises involved the commitment for new federal housing construction to exceed population growth by the end of the first term, through the government directly contracting private developers to build more affordable housing, and task the Canada Infrastructure Development Corporation to provide funding to non-market housing in numbers meeting or exceeding population growth in larger metropolitan areas on Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and across Atlantic Canada.
Unlike the Tories, Trudeau also went further, promising the government would cover development charges for projects that included affordable housing. The Liberals have also committed to conducting of affordable rental housing, aimed at younger Canadians and those who are yet to start cloning the property ladder. Conservatives on the other hand emphasised Trudeau's poor track on housing affordability, combined focusing on making home ownership more affable through market-driven construction of new units for sale.
Both Team Blue and Team Red have committed to expediting the arrival of new skilled trades professionals, especially those working in the housing sector, including interest-free loans to have their qualifications recognised or to up-skill their existing credentials. Liberals however, took a step further, promising automatic Permanent Residency who has worked in residential construction after 1 year, as well issuing Open Work Permits - exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment - to anyone with construction work experience willing to come to Canada, so long they continue working in the construction sector for the majority of their time before obtaining permanent residency. The Tories on their part suggested granting PR automatically after they've worked in construction for at least 5 years.
On the matter of banning foreign buyers, both parties have committed to banning home purchases in Canada for those who do not hold Canadian citizenship or are not Permanent Residents of Canada, with Liberals maintaining existing exemptions, so long the person buying has invested an equivalent amount in affordable housing construction.
Rhetorically, the Liberals have echoed the National Housing Act 1938, suggesting their government would run fiscal deficits to finance nation-wide home construction, especially affordable rental units. CPC has openly accused Trudeau of "policy stealing" choosing to emphasis permitting deregulation, subsidies for new units, and investing more construction professionals.

Healthcare & Social Care

Federal Conservatives have focused their attack in increasing waiting times, as well as increasing shortage of medical professionals across the country. Liberals, however, aimed to conservative proposals to introduce more private providers into the system, while emphasising their expansion of public health insurance that now covers both dental care and prescription drugs. Both parties suggested increasing the immigration intake for doctors, nurses, medical researches, providing financial support to have their credentials recognised in Canada as well as to update their skills.
The Liberals have however suggested lowering tuition rates international students who come to study health, social care, and eduction, granted them access to domestic rates of tuition, as well as a designated pathway to Permanent Residency for health, eduction, and social care who have obtained at least 1560 hours of Canadian work experience, and received at least part of their eduction in Canada. This would come as a supplementary measure, with domestic students becoming eligible for federal student loan write off if they have accumulated at least 1 year of post-graduation work experience in health, social care, or education - so long their degree is in the same field.
The Liberals have also committed to covering a Royal Commission to introduce a national social care insurance programme for seniors and people with disabilities.

The Economy

The Conservatives suggest introducing "full expensing" allowing companies to deduct up 120 per cent of their expenses on machinery, equipment, and non-residential property, akin to UK's Super Deduction, to combat Canada's low investment levels. They also propose to introduce tax credits for Canadian companies to up-skill their workers, as well as increased federal funding to provinces to support job training and second career programmes and labour market integration.
The Liberals suggest increasing the minimum wage in federally-regulated institutions, linking as a proportion of executive pay. LPC also pledged to introduce at least 4 weeks of paid vacation after 1 year on employment, with additional increases in line with employee tenure, as outlined in their Convention 2023, while brining paid leave of up to 6 weeks a year, allowing recipients to tradition onto disability payments after that.
Both parties have committed to supporting Employee Ownership Trusts, as well as introduction of worker representation on corporate boards in federally-regulated industries. Team Red however to it a step further, suggesting they will employee ownership mandatory for large corporations , with the only exemption provided for profit-sharing schemes.
Both parties have also supported reforming Canada's Employment Insurance Program:
The Conservatives suggest introducing Individual EI Savings Accounts that any Canadian can access whenever they are let go of their job or decide to quit. The proposed accounts would be funded through mandatory employer and employee contributions and could also be used to pay for labour training and re-skilling, with means-tested federal assistance available for those who's exhausted their accounts. Tories also suggest expanding current marginal earnings projection to apply to both individual and household income. The party also suggests waiving EI Premiums and provide rebates for C/QPP Contribution rebates to those not paying federal income tax, to guarantee every Canadian can earn at least $1000 a month free of payroll deductions.
Trudeau on the other hand suggested making EI coverage universal, and providing up to 90 per cent wage replacement in the first month of claim, while also introducing EI Benefit Floor, where every Canadian would be entitled to a minimum benefit equal to federal minimum wage regardless of their original earnings, for as long as they have enough insurable hours. The Liberal plan also introduces expands "working while on claim" provision, allowing people collecting EI benefits to have their wages supplemented through the program so their total paycheque reaches at least 90 per cent of their average 5-year earnings at all times, regardless whether the claimant is eligible for EI Regular Benefits. EI Parental Benefits are set to be fixed at at least 60 per cent of the family's income, subject o the benefit floor. Liberals suggest paying for the programme through waiving maximum insurable earnings to levy EI Premiums on all income of an individual, while introducing cap on benefits linked to median regional wages. However, the basic exemption shall be aligned to the federal income tax minimum threshold. Surpluses generated should be used to pay for expanded WWoC provisions and putting EI Operating Account back into surplus.
Both parties also committed to brining in a Canada Savers' Creditthat mirrors both the amounts and eligibly criteria of the GST/HST tax credit, but is instead deposited in people's Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSAs) and automatically invested into corporate equity. Tories and Liberals also support introducing automatic enrolment for Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs), Registered Eduction Savings Plans (RESPs), Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSP), First Homebuyer Savings Accounts (FHSAs) and TFSAs upon either birth of obtaining Canadian tax residency for eligible non-Canadians. While the Conservative proposal would new accounts automatically linked to existing financial institutions the individual already has an account in, the Liberals instant new accounts should be automatically assigned to a new independent crown corporation, so long the primary account holder haven't decided to the move their registered accounts to an eligible financial institution.
Both parties pitch the policy as a potential interim solution to address Canada's sky-high household debt, through increased asset ownership and participation in stock markets.
When it comes to fiscal policy, the Liberal Government suggests they'll keep their "structural deficit" - as defined by tax revenues versus programme expedites - bellow the rate of economic growth over the 10 year period. LPC however is open they'll not restrain their spending on new housing construction, Ottawa set to absorb almost all the costs of housing under the liberal plan. The Conservatives on the other hand suggest introducing the $1 for $1 rule for federal expenditure, where every dollar of new spending has to be offset by a dollar in spending cuts or increased taxes, suggesting to balance the budget in their first 5 years in the office.
Somewhat comically, the Liberals seem to be attacking Conservative proposals on the grounds it may bring back the pain on the nighties - referring to the Chretien austerity era - especially in Atlantic Canada and the Regions of Quebec where benefit dependency ratios have traditionally been elevated.
The Liberals have also committed to expand existing childcare agreements, to make childcare services and spare available to anyone, and drastically reduce wait times for subsidised spots.

Energy & Environment

The issue has surprisingly played a somewhat muted role during this election, as CPC has contained to opposed federal price on carbon, pressuring the idea of turning Canada into a "natural resource superpower". Liberals on the other hand boasted about their massive investment into Net Zero Transition, while also attacking the Tories one potential fiscal penalties that the government would assume after cancelling the carbon tax. Team Red had also opened to cling to previous commitments of the Conserve Leader to ban overseas oil, which Ontario, and Quebec, as well as Atlantic Canada remain fairly dependent on, due to lack of oil transportation infrastructure from western oil production facilities. Considering the fact Quebec has remained one of Liberal strongholds even at the lowest, as well as the party's perceived electability in the province, CPC would've had even harder to fight for the votes in Quebec.

Tipping the Scales

However, what truly decided this election, was something that may in the future divide the country even more, namely the issue of the French language. Something that has been present in Canadian politics for generations, but something that this time brought a party over the finish line, while completely tanking their opponents.
While both leaders fluent in French, having French Canadian roots, combined with an almost unchallenged dominance of the local Bloc Québécois, it seemed quite unlikely either party would be able to gain any meaningful advantage in Quebec, until both parties have revealed their election manifestos.
Here was the moment the Liberals played their cards best. Namely, the party has committed to supplying French language both within and outside Quebec, through drastically bolstering access to Francophone eduction across the country. The Liberals has committed to introducing a brand-new federal agency tasked with facilitating access to French eduction and integration services - Francisation Canada.
The agency was set to provide free-at-use eduction in French, while also providing up to $1000 a month in finical assistance to immigrants who were willing to learn French. On top of that, the Liberals have committed to make existing Explore and Odyssey Programmes more universal, integrating them into school curriculums across the country. The Party has also committed to negotiating bilateral agreements with all provinces to provide additional funding and guarantee access to services, including eduction in French across Canada, while making French a mandatory subject for Early Learning & Childcare, as well as in secondary education. LPC would also waive tuition fees for post-secondary eduction in French, and negotiate agreements with other francophone countries, to facilitate French-speaking immigration into Canada and Quebec.

Conclusion

Thus, on the night of the election, the sudden realisation waived through the country. The Liberal Party managed to protect their urban ridings, even in West, as their pledge to "spend whether it takes to make houses and rents affordable for everyone" managed to persuade swing urban voters across the country, combined with their massive investment in green transition. The Tories has also lost their lead in Atlantic Canada, where an idea of a massive EI expansion has resonated with voters much more than the concept of individual accounts. Massive subsidies in battery production have also helped the Liberals to protect their seats across Ontario, especially in former industrial towns. However, what actually brought Trudeau over the finish line, was Quebec. The Combination of absolutely massive investments into green tech, coupled with new social programs, and proposed childcare expansion, on top of the Liberal pledge to "protect and promote the French language from Coast to Coast to Coast" allowed the party to make some significant inroads across the province, despite loosing some suburban ridings, Central Canada gave Trudeau yet another chance to form yet another minority Liberal government.

Party Name	Popular Vote	Number of Seats
Liberal Party of Canada (LPC_	33.8%	158
Conservative Party of Canada (CPC)	35.8%	140
New Democratic Party (NDP)	19%	20

Bloc Québécois (BQ)6.2%21 People's Party of Canada1,5%0
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Acknowledgements

• https://energynow.ca/2022/04/energy-east-will-not-live-again-heres-why-jean-francois-thibault/
• https://2023.liberal.ca/policy/
• https://macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/erin-otoole-socialist-crusade
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/grenier-election-results-1.5330105
• https://tnc.news/2022/03/25/pierre-poilievre-proposes-ban-on-foreign-oil-within-five-years/
• https://nationalpost.com/news/why-does-pierre-poilievre-appeal-to-young-canadians-its-all-about-economics-2
• https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-conservatives-more-trusted-than-liberals-to-manage-federal-finances/
• https://centre.irpp.org/research-studies/amending-the-official-languages-act-a-new-vision-of-bilingualism/
• https://energynow.ca/2022/04/energy-east-will-not-live-again-heres-why-jean-francois-thibault/
• https://tnc.news/2022/06/22/poilievre-pay-as-you-go/
• https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/where-the-six-conservative-leadership-candidates-stand-on-key-policy-issues-1.5888530
• https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/elections/federal/2021/party-platforms/
• https://338canada.com/sim.htm

Hi peeps. I have ~165k in index funds and have ~40k saved up for an investment rental property. It would be my first RE purchase.
My parents are in real estate and have been encouraging me to get a rental property for some time. They have offered to manage my first property for me. This would include: Reno and repairs (labor, they are both very handy, I would cover costs), screening, ops, admin, etc. (ETA: they have 8 rental properties, all 1BR condos in south Florida and their plan is to cap at 10. They’re all self-managed).
They are in south Florida and so mine would also be here. It would be a ~200k 1BR.
I have been maxing out my 401k, Roth IRA, HSA, etc accounts for some time now and I’m proud and happy with how far I’ve come.
They don’t really “get” funds investing and I don’t really “get” real estate investing so it’s hard for us to come together, talk the same language, and device a real strategy that makes sense for me.
I want to “”diversify”” just because it seems like the right move but I really don’t know if it is. Should I just put the 40k in a brokerage account instead? What should I consider and look into before I make this move to invest in real estate, and in Florida in particular? Would you do it?

Hello, kpopthoughts! Originally this was posted in twice but one of my friends said I should crosspost it here — so here this album review is.
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Intro

To preface the review, I just need to say that this is going to be a very long read. Going through it myself for the fun of it takes around 30 minutes — it's almost 7k words, including lyrical references. So for the best experience, listen to the album beforehand to understand what the hell I was thinking when I wrote this, play the album while reading, and set a good amount of time aside.
And yes, this is 9 months late 😭 I'm not sorry — when I find an album review online it's always around a paragraph per song or even shorter. It makes sense from a journalistic perspective, but I want to do this album justice, hence taking 7 months to write out all my thoughts.
This shit is comprehensive and definitely overanalyzed, especially in Talk that Talk and Trouble. Each song review will compose of my commentary, noting the details I noticed through months of listening, then a conclusion. Also, mild swearing warning, I like implementing a touch of "French" when I'm very emotional about something. Anyway, onto the review!
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Between 1&2 💞

Album Review
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TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT
TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED
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Talk that Talk 🎙

Producers by collapsedone and MRCH
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One of the most perfect TWICE songs.
I think this is one of TWICE’s best-sounding title tracks. Warm modulated synths, a thrumming bass line, distant bells, shimmering synths — the purpose of this song is to be fun and my god is it excellent at it, like, Sana and Chaeyoung are saying knock-knock-knock and beep-beep-beep as if they’re some kind of car. So much fun.
Further along in the verse, Dahyun’s voice sounds so full and smooth with that layered harmony. Tzuyu coming with the Yes or Yes, Push & Pull, and 1 to 10 references — these are 5 years of song references. And Jeongyeon closes the pre-chorus accompanied by a rising synth to drop into chorus one. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
The drums accelerate, the synths start blasting, and Jihyo opens to that party of a chorus with her godly vocals,
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Tell me what you want
Tell me what you need
A to Z da malhaebwa
But shijageun ireoke have
Talk that Talk ttak han madi
Talk that Talk L-O-V-E
deullyeojweo ooh
Now now now now now yeah~

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During Sana's Talk that Talk~ lines there’s this gentle ascending synth bell that rings with the descending melody and it sounds absolutely gorgeous. And the choreography during that part of the chorus is so so so so fun: the talking hands bit, spelling L-O-V-E, concluding with the deullyeojweo ooh! Oh my Jihyo the deullyeojweo ooh…
Have I mentioned this song is fun?
Speeding through verse 2; Chaeyoung’s part with the cat ears popping in the music video is adorable; Momo her stretching her arms out looks so damn cool; and Dahyun with her replay part sounds so lovely — although I think it sonically sounds a touch random, it makes sense thematically.
And now for this pre-chorus. Mina and Jihyo leading into it sound great BUT JEONGYEON… Now, she is my ult bias, and this pre-chorus sounds almost identical to the first one, but the way she holds that final note, inflecting and holding that now~ for one more beat before the chorus drops sounds so perfect — the song teeters on a cliff edge. Jeongyeon slays pre-choruses.
Dropping into the second chorus and man the way Nayeon delivers it just hits different. She has this indescribable “pop” voice (I promise this wasn't on purpose) that shouts out loud that this is THE chorus. This is especially apparent in how both lead their choruses where Jihyo starts at 120% power while Nayeon waits until [Tell me] WHAT YOU WANT to full-send it. The production also helps with this effect, cutting out during what you to emphasize Nayeon's voice before crashing back down, double the pause at Jihyo's intro.
Another deullyeojweo ooh! Nayeon travels to Narnia, and Mina the engineer strikes again in this heavenly, underwater-esque bridge,
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The simple words “I love you”
That’s all I wanna hear
Without hesitation, I’ll go up to you
I’ll make it simple
And just tell you I love you

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The word “love” is said for the first time in the song. There’s a funky keyboard instrument behind Chaeyoung’s part. Jihyo, Chaeyoung, and Nayeon take the initiative in their lyrics, professing their love before closing the bridge.
And now for the pièce-de-résistance: this final double chorus is exceptional — 40 seconds of crack-laced euphoria; Jihyo switches up the chorus and the choreo, Dahyun chimes in with her fluttery Talk that Talk, Momo comes out of nowhere with oh yeah it sounds so good! — you’re damn right it does, and this is where the song SOARS.
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han beon deo~ haejweo
geurae banggeum geu mal~

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Nayeon outright shouts Tell me what you need and then Jeongyeon sings the above lines in such an ethereal, warm way where the first line ascends while the second descends, causing a lull in the song before the finale with Tzuyu and Nayeon, finishing off the song with the final deullyeojweo ooh!
What a party. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• The synths of all time
• The chimes during Talk-that-talk~
• Jeongyeon’s pre-chorus going into Nayeon’s chorus
• Rich harmonies and fun ad-libs
• The entirety of that magical final chorus and outro

Needs Work

• The opening hook (Tell me what you want) and accompanying choreography could be “catchier”

Core Memory

• Singing (and dancing) my heart out when this song played at a K-pop club

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Lyrics and theme-wise, if this were to have been TWICE’s last comeback, they’ve once again built upon the theme they've been doing since debut: a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age story.
This song’s chorus is honest yet simple; it asks the listener, in this case, the other half of the relationship, to be more upfront and open with their love (never be scared of love), that before the relationship can continue and flourish, there has to be a foundation and commitment of love between each other.
TWICE debuted with a song about making your crush go ooh ahh. Years later, they started pondering What is Love? and imagining their crush responding with Yes when asking them out — and now concluding with the phrase Talk that Talk, [Talk that] L-O-V-E, being upfront with the relationship, wishing their partner to also be happy, to commit to them, to feel the love that they want to impart on them. From gawking like ooh-ahh to talking out your shared love like adults — to having a true relationship between (one and) two.
And can I just say before finishing off Talk that Talk's review that this is such a fun and repeatable song with many little intricacies hidden in the nonet’s vocals and the song's production. This is the third draft I’m writing about Talk that Talk and its original word count pretty much quadrupled.
Harkening back to TWICE’s roots by combining mature thinking with youthful character, an incredible ending to look forward to, and just simply being a club-banger that’s easy to listen to, TTT is an easy 10/10.
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WATCH ME GO WATCH ME GO
RULE THE WORLD
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Queen of Hearts 👑

Produced by LDN Noise
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If there was one B-side to promote in a live clip, this was a solid choice.
Helmed by LDN Noise going headlong into the Western boy-group rock-band aesthetic, Queen of Hearts is a boom-boom-clap song through and through. The drums are very prominent throughout the song, only giving room to riffs of electric guitar in the chorus to drive and continue the momentum of the music.
And speaking of the chorus, vocal line each got a chorus to flex and they did not fuck around,
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You ain’t ready for it
Watch me go~ watch me go~
Rule the world
Know you never doubted baby
I’mma go run the whole universe~

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Cymbals crashing, drums booming, and 3MIX belting all just so sound so good.
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Baby I was born to rule~~
Yeah I’m the Queen, I’m the Queen
And it’s all because of you~~
That I’m the Queen of Hearts

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These long, held-out notes performed by Jihyo and Nayeon are simply exquisite. Along with the shredding guitar, the drum set coming in full, and the interludes by Dahyun, Momo, and Chaeyoung, this is the part of the song that always, always, gives me goosebumps — it sounds so visceral, so energetic, so fun, so triumphant. Boom-boom-clap songs can be hit or miss with people, but there's no denying the payoff from the first part of the chorus to the second part is worth the wait.
The theme of the song so far has been kind of spread around the song. The chorus alludes to it with the line And it’s all because of you. But Mina shows more sides of it in the second verse, especially with the phrase,
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And now that I’m surrounded by all my girls
We be shining bright like diamonds and pearls

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It sounds really lovely — in a very cheesy and affectionate kind of way, as it rightfully should — the song is about the girls and their fans. But the bridge is where the song indeed shows its colours
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Screaming out my name
See it in the stage lights
Feel so lucky just to have ya
Cause I know deep down I was meant for something bigger! Greater!
I know you’re seeing what I see
Yeah I’ll be everything you need
I know I’m gonna walk the walk
And talk the talk to be~ [the Queen of Hearts]

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This is a song CONCEIVED TO BE PERFORMED FOR THE FANS. It’s meant to be loud. It’s meant to be unapologetic. It’s meant to be sappy. And it’s all the more wonderful for it.
This is the TWICEiest shit ever.
Like Talk that Talk, Queen of Hearts also has a killer closer. The production already started to grow from the bridge, but now the guitarist finally went Super Saiyan and instead of supporting the drums, they both take the centre stage in tandem.
Then finally, the closing moments of the song even manage to squeeze in some more sappiness.
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So thank you for the memories
You’re all the ones who made me~
So thank you for the memories
That I’m the Queen of Hearts

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I still can’t believe that this banger is a FAN SONG out of all things. Truly, the TWICEiest shit ever.
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THE GOOD

• Adorable fucking lyrics
• Unrelenting, roaring chorus
• English and vocal flex
• Intoxicating guitar riffs

Needs Work

• Chaeyoung rapping in English in their Korean songs somehow slaps harder than her English rapping in their English songs, nonetheless, in QoH, it fits with the sound of the song

Core Memory

• Walking home from a K-pop festival with this song playing, felt like a Queen of Hearts

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I love these types of rock songs with how grunge and head-bang-able they are, there is just a certain nostalgic and cheesy quality to them that feels so cozy. I don’t love putting them on repeat, because in this case, I do believe there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. Perhaps more shredding, maybe a guitar solo to rock out to, or an accompaniment(!) of ad-libs from 3MIX to support Jihyo’s final chorus? A ONCE can dream of a truly bombastic rock song from TWICE. But then again that distracts from the core of what this song is: a fan song disguised as a rock song.
Queen of Hearts has so much sweetness in its lyrics and message that it's overflowing. The drums, guitar, and vocals can be as loud and intricate as they can, but the theme of this song is what makes it special from TWICE’s other rock songs — it’s a 9/10 for me.
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I WANNA WANNA WANNA
TAKE YOU TO THE BASICS
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Basics 🌈

Lyrics by Chaeyoung
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Quite possibly the jammiest (pun intended) song of the album.
A song written by the Strawberry Princess herself — an event similar in frequency to other artists' releases with her last song being 2020’s silky Handle It — Basics first starts with an understated and dreamy delivery. After the first stanza, however, a bouncy Miami bass line emerges, revealing the true nature of the song: this is a classic summer bop! Especially in the first rap,
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dareun aedeulgwaneun dalla
Ain’t beggin’ for love
nappeun geon anijana ige naraseo
eodiro twilji molla
Like rainbow bubble gum
geureoni nal kkwak butjabadweo

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Syllables are pronounced in a relaxed nature, bars often starting with an "ah" sound, flirty lines in English — this rap features a production full of pop with R&B flourishes and, in my opinion, this is Chaeyoung’s bag. Also, the line rainbow bubblegum is so adorable and so Chaeyoung.
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I wanna wanna wanna take it to the Basics
da weonhae weonhae weonhae? seodureuji ma Baby
ppeonhae ppeonhae malhae mweohae da al tende
Ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah ah yeah

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That chorus is pure pop with a Miami bass backing; you better be bopping your head to the melody, if not booty poppin' to the bassline. Chaeyoung loves rhyming in the first half of the chorus to enhance its catchiness and it's damn incredible: wanna, weonhae, and ppeonhae all create these imperfect rhymes that continue momentum without feeling repetitive.
After the very Boy With Luv-sounding ah yeah ah yeah, ah yeah ah yeah comes an 8-bar split half and half between Chaeyoung and Momo. Coming from the chorus, the production completely cuts out for the first 2 bars. This adds tension; the song yearns to have that bass beat thumping again and all we have in the audio space in those 2 bars is Chaeyoung spittin' and she delivered.
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taneun deut tteugeoun samak wie
yeppeuge pieonan jangmi gata
joshimseure naege dagaol ttae
nado moreuge jjilleobeoril tende

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Translating to:
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Above the hot, burning desert
It’s like a rose that bloomed beautifully
When you come to me slowly
I will prick you unconsciously

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The rap feels slick, effortless, and confident. Her diction remains sharp when enunciating each syllable but she doesn’t let the flow of her rap waver or build as her 4 bars go by, it’s just smooth consistency throughout. Even the lyrics possess an aura of laid-back collectedness that is just so her. The things Chaeyoung can do when given her pen.
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THE GOOD

• That sweet summer vibe of a chorus
• The spaceship post-chorus is killer
• Chaeyoung devoured this song
• Sure-footed, confident lyrics

Needs Work

• Perhaps an alteration of that ah yeah ah yeah line
• The way Jihyo did her pre-chorus line is good, but Mina’s is great

Core Memory

• After donating my hair, walking down the rainbow-coloured areas of downtown Toronto with this song playing was very… fitting

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This song is summer bliss distilled into 2:56. It’s dreamy, the raps are satisfying, and the ending is charming. I will say that although the second half of the song adds the stunning spaceship post-choruses and a floaty bridge with an incredible drumbeat drop into the final chorus, the raps of the song make it feel a bit front-loaded. And in an album stacked with awesome finishers, it feels more apparent.
With that said, it’s an 8/10 bop for me. This song is so easy to put on and it feels exactly what Chaeyoung would make if given the reins to produce a pop song all on her own. The lyrics are nonchalant but full of conviction, the wordplay is intricate, and the production playful but not too bombastic — it's just a nice vibe. Songs like Basics are the standard for good, simple, repeatable pop music and I’m happy that Chaeyoung got to test her pen in this genre.
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BABY WE’RE IN
TROUBLE TROUBLE
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Trouble 💃

Lyrics, vocal direction, and background vocals by Jihyo
Produced by Jihyo and earattack
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One of the most enjoyable songs I’ve heard in a while.
There is an underlying tension within the first 4 bars of the song, Jihyo and Nayeon confidently open it to a nondescript array of synths and then the stanza ends, Momo announces Let’s go, the beat drops and it hits you: this is a club song.
Dahyun's relaxed delivery contrasting with Jeongyeon's staccato flow, the wobbly synth beat mixed with a sprinkle of house piano, Sana dramatically slowing down the song only for Tzuyu to build it back up until the chorus drops,
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• Nayeon opens it using a breathy tone, with vocal chops serving as harmonies
• The blooming of the house piano takes centre stage and the song ascends into euphoria
• A random drum roll capped off by a cymbal crash
• Jeongyeon’s growling pronunciation of the word Trouble
• Chaeyoung slyly admitting I like this Trouble
• The entirety of Tzuyu’s tro~oh~oh~ouble yeah~
• Sana using her deep voice for the na~na~na~na
• Jihyo leading the vocals during the synchronized T W I C E chant

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This chorus is perfect. Toronto’s residential market needs this song injected into its veins because god damn this song has SO much house in it. And then, ANOTHER KILLING PART: this rap fucking slaps.
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gamchweo bwatja geugeon Fake
ppajin hamjeongeun Sweet cake

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During the first 2 bars, Chaeyoung is keeping it calm because that trip of a chorus just ended and the song needs a breather, but I don't think anyone expected her to SNAP this hard afterwards:
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You cannot resist this
Cannot miss this, such a bliss
Ima put it down down
Oh yeah, better kiss kiss

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Below is the structure of her this portion of the rap, I’m not that well versed in this technical aspect of music theory but I digress, this is all in the span of around 5 seconds where it’s:
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Triplet-triplet
Quadruplet-triplet
Quadruplet-doublet
Doublet-quadruplet

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Now, 25/5 = 5 syllables per second isn’t groundbreaking, but goddamn it these 2 bars sound so nice — if there is one part in this album that I always repeat, it’s this. The addition of that first quadruplet for cannot miss this in the midst of the triplets sticks out and accelerates the flow of the rap while the following doublets and quadruplets destabilize and slow the rap down as the verse closes. And can I just point out:
THE MAIN VOCALIST WROTE, DIRECTED, AND COMPOSED THIS SONG ‼
Chaeyoung of course delivered the fuck out of her verse but THIS is what you get when you have a member not only write the words they’re saying but also the melody and flow with which they sing it, when that member knows the others so well that when they write a song they know how to make the group exceed. This is what you get when the artists you stan love doing artist shit.
And. AND. That's not all — with how much I mentioned I love a good outro to close a song, this outro slaps as well:
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Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble be-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble bay-be
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trouble bay-beh
Woo wee woo wee woo
I like this Trou-ble

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Like, come on, Nayeon’s imitating a police siren for crying out loud. And this is all after her ad-libs in the final post-chorus; after the pianist going full tilt and playing that piano as if it was their last chance to ever play; after that final T W I C E chant by all the members come these blissful 20 seconds at the very end. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• The theme of relishing in an uncontrolled love
• Sana and Mina’s melody in the pre-chorus
• Whole neighbourhoods full of house
• You cannot resist this, cannot miss this, such a bliss
• Wees and woos

Needs Work

• Mina’s line of falling down, falling down, falling down low in verse 2 feels a bit too abrupt of a change

Core Memory

• While writing Trouble's review I had this song on repeat for my whole subway commute and I must've been so distracting, just head-bopping and being so invested in my enjoyment

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Need I say more, easy 9/10. The only reason I place Talk that Talk above Trouble is because of what that song represents but besides that, this is one of the best “international” sounds they’ve put out. Actually, I haven’t listened to Eyes wide open in a while but this song is up there with one of the most sonically pleasing pieces of work they’ve done.
Clubbing TWICE has always been a thing since TT was birthed in 2016, and has been a staple of their discography since 2019’s Fancy You and Feel Special mini albums, but Trouble unapologetically dives into and fits the house genre so well you’d think that this is TWICE’s bread and butter sound.
Trouble is Jihyo’s magnum opus. What a song.
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BRAVE BRAVE BRAVE
FOR YOU
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Brave 💖

Produced by Slow Rabbit
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I first thought this was just a good song, then I read the lyrics.
Gentle guitar plucks, shimmering synths, a distant keyboard in the right ear, in the left a glockenspiel, the melodic oohs from the members — this song is PRETTY.
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The night that was unusually dark
Above this terrifying world, felt so lonely
The world has grown in the time of wandering
So hard to breathe

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Mina and Chaeyoung open the song with how they feel lonely, that it's hard to breathe and now suddenly the song feels bittersweet — I was not expecting the song to become this emotional. Brave describes a situation where the singer is in a darker place in life and it isn't until another person gives them hope by calling them Brave that they find the drive to keep going.
Once the chorus hits, the melodies pick up, more guitars get added — there’s even an electric guitar hidden in the mix somewhere, and the song drops the emotional front to reveal a mid-tempo pop song to dance to while crying in the club. The song as a whole still carries this melancholy feeling, but now with the added support of the chorus, acting as a light amongst the gloom.
Continuing on in the second verse there's this gorgeous, well-placed break in the song that just lets it settle after that chorus. Only a seasoned producer would risk this much empty space in a song and Slow Rabbit went to fill those shoes.
Back to the chorus, I'll take this moment to once again commend Slow Rabbit with the mixing of the song, because 4MIX undoubtedly sounds good in the chorus, and the interludes from Dahyun, Chaeyoung, and Mina also sound really good, but the clear highlight of the choruses are these lines:
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Oh na na na neon nal naige hae
On and on and on
Brave Brave Brave for ya
Oh na na na neon nal sum shwige hae
On and on and on oh trust me babe

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Momo, Sana, and Tzuyu form this beautiful, surprisingly catchy, second half of the chorus accompanied by a guitar drop. It should not turn out this well with how conflicting the "na"s are with the guitar melody but it creates this gentle bopping ebb and flow that feels so lush and mellow.
Diving into the bridge reveals that the listener of the song is revealed not only capable of supporting the singer through direct words but also through their thoughts and dreams. As can be discerned, this can be a song interpreted to be about ONCEs, about how they push TWICE to be their best selves despite the breathless hardships they face. It's a very sweet and touching song.
​
THE GOOD

• Special lyrics
• Pleasant sound to vibe out to
• That gentle break after the first chorus
• 3MIX poppin' off at the end
• Just very pretty vocals throughout

Needs Work

• Potentially hard to comprehend without translating the Korean lyrics

Core Memory

• Form of Therapy’s life motto revolves around the word “brave” — I don’t know where I got that from, but I remembered it right before watching his album reaction (yes, this is very random)

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I’m actually spoiled with the TWICE members’ easy-to-understand songwriting that when a song like this pops up where it's not written by a member and the thematic bits are mostly in Korean, I tend to put it aside in favour of the other songs on the album. And, especially for a song focusing on a theme like this where the English phrases don’t do the Korean lyrics enough justice, it does place a bit of a barrier on the listening experience, dropping it down to a 7/10 from an 8/10.
With that anecdote out of the way, this song is just such a vibe, man. I know that sounds super hippy to say but Brave is so mellow and smooth that I can’t help but sway a little when that chorus hits. And then I remember what the lyrics say and I tear up a bit on the inside. This song is so pure, raw, and full of heart — we need more songs like these where they just reminisce about life while putting up an upbeat front. Don't mind me just crying while dancing the night away.
With that said, this isn't the first time this theme has been sung by TWICE either, they've long trodden this path of supportive, confiding, up-lifting songs with Young & Wild, Rainbow, Queen, Go Hard, Depend on You, even this album's Queen of Hearts, and, of course, Feel Special. Brave just adds another on top of an already stacked lineup, unique with its mellow somberness.
Also now feels like a good time to get into my rating system:

• 7/10s are songs are ones that are simply good throughout or great songs with apparent flaws
• 8/10s are great songs with distinct killing parts
• 9/10s are borderline perfect songs where I sometimes can't comprehend how great they are
• And 10/10s are the best of an artist's discography, songs that encapsulate their ethos perfectly or expand upon them in a meaningful way

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I SEE THE LIES
ON THE TIP OF YOUR TONGUE
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Gone 💨

Lyrics by Dahyun
​
Who the fuck pissed off Dubu this time??
It’s getting quite rare to see TWICE pull off brand new sounds because, with now 190 original songs under their belt as of this review, they’ve done so many genres and sub-genres varying from hyper pop, to bossa nova, to whatever 2020’s Go Hard is. So it’s surprising to see they’ve still got tricks up their sleeves and Gone is one of them.
The song starts with strings swinging back and forth and vocal chops dancing from ear to ear, teasing what’s yet to come. Jihyo enters the song with a whisper and the song sets its pace. A stagnant drum pad moves the song along and typical song progression would have Mina continue the build, but — it doesn’t. The song simmers, adding a hint of high hat to the pot. And then Sana and Tzuyu come on and surely the buildup must boil over right?
Silence, until…
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I see the LIES on the top of your tongue

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The strings emerge again on full blast, the simmer rolls to a boil, and the anger of the song is revealed,
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All the fate I had towards you
Fades like a fog, Gone, Gone
Your flipping mind of doing this and that
I’m tired of it, it’s meaningless
In the beginning, it was hard to believe
With that, hatred increases

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The singer is so scorned and burned from this relationship that they reminisce about all the effort they’ve put in since the beginning, but their “partner” is so unconcerned that they’ve just about had enough of the relationship altogether.
This has been Dahyun’s thing since 2020’s Bring It Back, 2021’s Cruel, 2022’s That’s all I’m saying, and even 2023's Don't Blame It On Me — emotionally charged breakup songs that make you feel as if she’s survived through a dozen bad relationships. Dispatch, do try to do your job better.
Another highlight of the song is the post-chorus going into the bridge. This segment reiterates the structure from the first post-chorus — a barrage of drums supported by the rhythmic strumming of a bass guitar along with a consistent synth filling out the soundscape. But this time, it’s Dahyun and Chaeyoung on the rap:
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I can’t stand it anymore
My patience, invisible
I can’t find it, it’s all Gone
Even if I try to turn back, it’s too late
There’s no use anymore
It has left, it’s long Gone
You, with flipping mind, you are out
I know that you know what I’m talking about
Nothing you could say that could turn this around
I’m Gone

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Building upon the disrespected theme of the song, Dahyun notes that she’s finally had enough with Chaeyoung adding that there’s no point salvaging what love was once there. Momo and Dahyun round it off by telling the listener that there’s no point trying to reason with them or playing naive, they fucked up and there’s no coming back.
Can I just say, it's a bit of a shame that Chaeyoung’s rapping popped off in this album while Dahyun only has this one verse that she shares with Chaeyoung, but it just sounds so good how Dahyun eases in after the chorus with her light rapping tone transitioning into her singing. She even holds the Gone in a little crescendo for some added pizzazz.
And, there’s no way I’m not going to talk about Momo’s vocals in this bridge. Damned if she only got 1 line to use it in, her lower register is incredible. She sounds so smooth singing in this tone. All of TWICE do in particular and there is nary a weak vocal performance in this album.
To close the song off, a wash of synths gets to have their shine in the spotlight, showered with Nayeon’s belting, signifying the dramatic and drawn-out conclusion of this partnership.
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THE GOOD

• They’ve still got their surprises
• Thundering chorus
• 2nd rap and bridge combo
• A bitter, crumbling relationship theme

Needs Work

• I’m not a huge fan of the mixing during the first post-chorus, where Momo's vocals were fighting with the production, which is disappointing because Momo is capable of an insane flow
• The post-chorus in general, specifically the first one, can be a bit tiring on repeat listens

Core Memory

• Actually, I think this song sounds like a mix between GOT7's Not By The Moon, BLACKPINK’s Love To Hate Me, and Dahyun’s Bring It Back. I don’t know where I got this thought came from, but it stuck

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Going back to that point about the first post-chorus as a whole; songs that have the production continue unchanged into the post-chorus/2nd verse are very hit or miss for me — see TWICE's Don't Call Me Again for an overbearing example. The post-chorus going into the bridge contrasts Dahyun’s light tone nicely with the hard-hitting production, continuing the energy until it slowly fades into silence at the end of the bridge.
Back to the song as a whole, as much as TWICE has been experimenting with their sound for the past 4 years now, I’m happy they’re still finding new ways to explore what they’re capable of. And for that alone, even though I’m not a big fan of songs like these where they rely on sounding “big”, Dahyun’s lyricism and the thrill I receive every time I indulge myself in this song elevates it to an 8/10. Keep on breaking hearts, Dubu.
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INVINCIBLE
SUPERHEROES
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When We Were Kids 🧸

Lyrics by Dahyun
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Press play to reminisce, pull up lyrics to cry.
This song is so beautiful. I’m totally not writing this song review, crying on the bus reminiscing about my childhood, while just having turned 21. I don’t know if these are happy or sad tears but this song is so beautiful either way.
Warm synths, muted piano, a gentle high hat, the younger members starting off the song — this has to be up there for one of the softest TWICE songs ever. And as it should, it’s one of the TWICEiest songs ever. And then Nayeon comes in:
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Invincible superheroes, we wanted to be adults
To the higher, clearer world

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The chords start swelling, the high hat keeps pace, and the harmonies pour in.
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Remember When We Were Kids
When We Were Kids, we didn’t know
If we could go back
I will love it even more
Remember When We Were Kids

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Jihyo takes up the second half of the chorus as it drops, trading the strings for an almost R&B synth production — if choir R&B takes off, this song started it. The song relishes in this cacophony of warm sounds until returning to its sparse and peaceful verses.
This time, the hints of piano are louder, little twinkling synths begin to shimmer, the drum buildup comes and Jeongyeon drives the song straight into the chorus. No time for the strings to build like in Nayeon’s — this song loves its chorus so much.
And I'll just take this time to appreciate the amount and range of Jeongyeon vocals in this album. Her voice is so textured, stable, and projected — but also more tender and soft compared to the more pronounced tones of Nayeon and Jihyo.
The bridge comes in, repeating the phrase:
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I wish that I could meet
Could meet the younger me

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Giving the song time to rest, before building back up to the last chorus — this time led by Jihyo, completing the 3MIX trifecta. And interestingly enough, Chaeyoung follows up in the second half of the chorus, rather than another member of the vocal line. She really did pop off in this album.
As the last chorus begins to close, the percussion at its strongest, the harmonies on blast, the background vocals cranked up to their Sunday best, is the song going to end? Of course not! This is an album full of banger endings as if the songs don’t want to end, and When We Were Kids being the album closer very much indulges in that feeling.
After a brief refrain, accented by Nayeon’s high note with a touch of vibrato, the song almost dives back into a fourth chorus. Nayeon and Jeongyeon harmonize — a rare and heavenly moment. And the song repeats the bridge, reiterating that they want to meet their younger selves, this time with the lush chorus production before closing with silence, a few piano notes, and Tzuyu singing the last line of the song:
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Oh, we were kids

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Reflection, acceptance, hope. What a song.
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THE GOOD

• Heavenly vocals throughout
• Relatable, heartfelt lyrics
• Euphoric chorus
• Great closer to the album

Needs Work

• Refrain after the last chorus, Back When We Were Kids, could’ve been executed better

Core Memory

• For an album titled Between 1&2, I don’t think anything hits harder than finishing the song reviews, with this song in particular, during your 21st birthday

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I wrote the first part of this review in November 2022. Then university, life, and other things got in the way of my headspace for me to feel confident about wrapping all of this up. In a way, I felt like I just didn’t want this review to end because of the joy that writing gives me — I didn’t want the happiness to end. And then it hit me, after watching a YouTuber rank animated movies and them placing Spirited Away at the top and explaining 'why' reminded me of just how important growing up is, and by extension this song.
This theme is important for both the rookie TWICE members in 2015 and the teenagers who would follow their journey and grow up with them, facing life’s obstacles along the way. Hardships that used to only involve family, crushes, and social media, evolve into work, commitments and all the struggles that adult life brings. Being a kid and enjoying the simple things in life is one of the most sought-after moments we want to relive because we took growing up for granted. The only thing we can do now is look back on ourselves with fondness and rose-tinted lenses.
TWICE’s original meaning was to resonate with people through their senses and their hearts. That was during their debut, and I think it still holds up today. In my opinion, touching people through their emotions is what TWICE does best and makes them one of K-pop’s all-time greats. It was never about having the best numbers — it was about being the best idols. And to think that this journey of maturation and growth would occur from 2015 all the way to this song, being a fitting nod to TWICE’s 7th anniversary, I don’t think anyone at the company nor the group would ever imagine that they would get this far. It’s these nine women or none — 9/10.
This song honestly deserves a 10/10 with how much I noticed other people reminiscing their childhoods after I heard this song, it is such a widely-relatable message, but I am determined to limit myself to one 10/10 song per album and if I were to pick between TTT and WWWK, I'd give it to the one's that's more repeatable — Talk that Talk just has this electric energy about it.
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Epilogue

And finally here is the end. If you made it in one sitting then I commend you, because I could not write this mess in one sitting. As alluded to, I started writing this album review sometime in October, after a series of edits the first draft was finished in March, and now here's the final draft in June.
I love this album. It got me through some important parts of my life, both good and bad, and it's just a wonderful listen throughout. Reliving this album again before finally completing the review has been an exciting journey. Brave hit me harder this time, after being overshadowed by the other gems of this album, and WWWK finally got me to tear up and not just be emotionally satisfied.
I feel like there's something for everyone on this album. From the exhilarating thrills of TTT to the anthemic euphoria of QoH, the clubbing dichotomy of Trouble and Brave to the blissful glee of Basics, and the sweet reminiscence of WWWK to the thundering anger that is Gone. Like Eyes wide open, I liken Between 1&2 to a pop music taste platter — there's such an eclectic mix of pop music in this album that there's bound to be a song that someone will love, like, and dislike.
Is this album perfect? I don't think so, but it's close — it was certainly my 2022 AOTY. Was this review biased? Absolutely. I've been a fan since 2019 and with the themes in this album, I also feel like it was biased towards me as a ONCE. And how would I rank the album in TWICE's catalogue? It's honestly at the top, at least with EPs — I also felt that way towards Feel Special but then this album was birthed so I'm excited for TWICE's future.
Ready To Be was also a stunning album and Eyes wide open frankly also deserved the spotlight that Formula of Love received so I might hit those next but no promises; this album took long enough to bake.
As for the performances, I've only seen Twitter clips (no fancams to not spoil myself) and I am SO EXCITED to finally see them in July. QoH was as glorious as expected, Brave was a delightful surprise, and WWWK, while not being the concert closer everyone expected it to be, paired up nicely with Crazy Stupid Love. And of course the bombastic addition of the dance break to TTT. But, this is not a concert review, and here is where this album review ends.
Feel free to comment with any thoughts regarding the album, other TWICE albums, and any suggestions for my writing in general. Congrats again on making it this far!
God, I love this album.

Recap On Last Weeks Market Action:

• SPY closed up 1.45%
• QQQ closed up 0.75%
• Dow Jones Industrial closed up 2.12%
• VIX closed down 6.59%

** For some reason images were not allowed to be posted, can be access through my website but not necessary**
Good evening everyone, I hope this past weekend has allowed you to relax and prepare for the upcoming week. Although this was only a 4 day week we still saw nice upward moves across the market. We are also beginning to see broader participation in the market rally. The only major schedule announcements for this week are jobless claims coming out Thursday morning.
SPY continued pushing above a long base and closed strongly on Friday. Even though this was a shorter week, volume on the weekly chart was only marginally below average. SPY also had larger weekly price gains than QQQ. This could be signalling that the market rally is finally broader and spreading to other industries and sectors. Price is approaching August 2022 highs which may act as an area of resistance.
QQQ has been much stronger than SPY over the past few weeks. This is largely due to a select few mega cap stocks making huge advances. QQQ is somewhat extended and it would not be surprising to see a pause soon. Sideways action here would be constructive as it would give underlying stocks the chance to form new bases. With that in mind, there are still plenty of ETFs that have broken out of bases as well as those that are currently approaching base breakouts.
ARKG is an ETF that focuses on genomics companies and has a trigger price of $33.70. There are two things that catch my eye when examining this chart. First, in the last few weeks there is more heavy buying volume than selling volume. Second, there is a large tail bar that got rejected at the trigger price. Therefore, if price begins to breakout, it must be associated with heavy buying volume to get past the sellers at that price. If price is advancing on only average volume this would be a risky purchase.
CLOU is a cloud computing ETF that is approaching a long downward trendline that began forming in August 2022. This is not the cleanest chart as it is clear that there is alot of variability in price. A push above Fridays buys could be an entry point. However, a safer entry would pushing above $19.50 with heavy buying volume.
FFTY is an ETF that tracks 50 stocks that match IBDs growth selection criteria. Friday saw a large pop in price that put FFTY within striking distance of a base breakout. This base breakout could be met with extra resistance as the base roughly coincides with the 200 day EMA (white).
IJH is an ETF that tracks mid-cap stocks. IJH is fastly approaching the trigger price of $251.60 as a result of Fridays price gains. We saw a sharp decline in price that coincided with several bank collapses. However, price found support and has been trading sideways since.
TNA is very similar to IJH except it tracks small-cap stocks instead of mid-caps. The price action is just below the trigger price of $33.00. However, TNA is sitting below the 200 day EMA (white) which may lead to some resistance.
While there are only a handful of ETFs that I found to be approaching base breakouts, there are many more that are currently beyond their price bases. This is a positive sign as is shows stocks that broke out are working and new setups are still forming. The most encouraging ETFs on this list are the mid-caps and small-caps. These demonstrate that there is finally a broader participation in the market rally. This is what is truly needed for the market to actually advance. The best way to capitalize on these bases is to look at the top ten holdings in each and exam the chart setups.
As always you should conduct your own research before making any sort of investment.
If you have any comments or question on what is discussed in the article or otherwise please feel free to reach out!

Welcome to CRUX Play-To-Earn with Ai - Already on CoinMarketCap - Ownership rennounced - BscScan Verified - Long Term vision - Anti Rug Pull - Roadmap being complete - Billion Dollar Industry - Utility already out and in constant update - Audit and KYC - Charts went down and they continue to build, few holders and a lot of upside potential
They launched a giveaway where you actually play their game to unlock a wallet containing 1000$, more info on their website
Game and Financial Platform: Powering the Future of Play-To-Earn CRUX combines the best of both worlds by offering an immersive survival MMORPG game on the Metaverse, where you can fight against the undead and trade valuable in-game items on their NFT marketplace. But that's not all! CRUX also provides a sophisticated financial platform that integrates market analysis, social sentiment, and on-chain data, all analyzed through state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence. With CRUX, you'll have the power to make informed trading decisions like never before!
Tokenomics and Revenue for Holders CRUX's tokenomics are designed to reward and incentivize holders. Every transaction incurs an 8% fee, with 2% reflections redistributed to all current holders, ensuring that your CRUX holdings grow over time. Additionally, 2% goes towards liquidity, strengthening the ecosystem, and 4% is allocated to ecosystem growth, including marketing and development efforts.
Early Stage Opportunity With a market capitalization of just 180k, CRUX is still at an early stage, presenting an excellent entry point for those looking to get involved. The project is backed by a dedicated community of 180 holders who are in it for the long term. This isn't a memecoin; it's a project with real potential and value.
Verified and Secure CRUX takes security seriously. The contract has been audited, and vesting locks and liquidity locks are in place to ensure the safety of your investments. KYC (Know Your Customer) procedures are also implemented, adding an extra layer of security and transparency.
Explore and Connect Ready to join the CRUX community? Check out their Telegram group (@CRUX_CRYPTOS) for engaging discussions and updates. You can also follow them on Twitter (@CRUX_CRYPTOS) to stay up to date with the latest news. CRUX is already listed on CoinMarketCap, and you can find more information about the project on their website and whitepaper.
Latest Updates on CRUX

• Influencer Collaborations: We're actively engaging with influential personalities on Telegram and Twitter to spread awareness about our groundbreaking project. Through these strategic partnerships, we aim to reach a wider audience and showcase the immense potential of CRUX.
  -AI Platform Progress: Our team has been hard at work, layering the foundation of our AI platform. We're excited to announce that the beta release of this game-changing technology is on the horizon. This release will allow investors, not just interested in our project but also in our cutting-edge technology, to dive deep into the world of CRUX.
  
• Marketing Power: As the volume on $CRUX will grow, the marketing funds will also grow. With this fund, we're planning a massive brand spread campaign that will create a wave of awareness across various platforms. We're just waiting for the perfect moment and right volume to unleash it, and it's going to be phenomenal.
  
• CEX Listing: The moment we've all been waiting for is almost here! We're proud to announce that we've finalized preparations for listing on major centralized exchanges (CEX). While we can't disclose the names just yet, rest assured that liquidity is already available. To make the most of this opportunity, we're aiming to reach 300-500 holders to generate significant traction. The listing will not only boost $CRUX but also grant us access to powerful Marketing Listing Services provided by these exchanges. Brace yourselves for the massive impact this will have!
  
• Our Collective Effort: We're committed to building a solid foundation for CRUX, but we can't do it alone. We rely on the support of our incredible community. We humbly request that you share our tweets, posts, and project information far and wide. Spread the word and help us ignite a wildfire of awareness. CRUX is a rock-solid project, designed with safety and utility at its core. We're already ahead of the curve, offering utility at such an early stage. Show us a memecoin that has achieved this level of progress. The time for CRUX to explode is just around the corner!
  
• Together, let's take CRUX to new heights and make our mark in the crypto world! Stay tuned for more exciting updates and remember, your actions are vital in making CRUX a resounding success.**
  

Stay tuned for more updates and announcements. Good luck, adventurers. Make sure to spread the ord.🎮💎
Website: https://cruxcryptos.com/ Whitepaper: https://crux-mmorpg.gitbook.io/ zCoinMarketCap: https://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/crux/

Hi all, just started getting into the market again and I'm focusing on long term growth rather than the get rich quick stuff I failed at before.
So far my portfolio is pretty small but I plan on expanding as much as I can at the right time.
My Fidelity Roth IRA has $3000 in it currently, with half in FXAIX and the other half in KSKAX.
I have a high yield savings account (4.85%) with CIT that has $16000 sitting in it.
I'm looking to invest in more index funds, mutual funds, and ETFs but I don't want a ton of overlap. I'm also not sure if I should wait until the market "crashes" to put more money in.
Any advice would be appreciated

I have contributed $8k in my Roth IRA on fidelity the past two years. I have not made any gains, my account is now at $7.8k. It says i have $0 to withdrawal. Does that mean If I want to withdrawal I have to sell my index funds when the market is open and then I can withdrawal?

1. Single. Florida. 82k Salary.

401k -- $61k

• 70% SSEYX (SS S&P 500 INDEX II 0.01% ER)
• 20% SSGVX (SS GACEQ EXUS IDX II 0.045% ER)
• 10% SS??? (SS US BOND INDX XIV 0.02% ER)
• All options: http://puu.sh/JImRO/dcf12db4d0.png

Roth IRA -- $31k

• VFFVX (VANGUARD TARGET RETIREMENT 2055 0.08% ER)

Brokerage -- $35k (VSMGX), $11k (VMRXX)

• VSMGX (VANGUARD LIFESTRTGY MODERATE GROWTH 0.10% ER)
• VMRXX (VANGUARD CASH RESERVES FEDL MONEY MARKET 0.13% ER)

Bonds -- $15k

• Series I Bonds

Cash -- $6k
Home -- ~$400k

• 100% paid off. Built myself.

Contributions:

• $2k/month into VSMGX
• 5% into 401k with 4% matching
• Yearly limit into Roth IRA

Current idea is to retire at age 45, which is why I'm contributing heavily in my Brokerage account.
I chose VSMGX because it's a single, globally diversified fund, and I can easily throw money into it with little effort and no management.
(Rationale and "tax drag" counterargument: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=287967)
The I Bonds were bought last year and this year when the interest rate was high, and I had the extra cash on hand.
I started building my home 4 years ago and it took 2 years to complete for ~$130k. The area since then has skyrocketed in valuations. Don't plan on selling.
​
Using 6% interest rate and current contribution amounts, projected 800k in brokerage at age 45.
At age 60 after stopping contributions at age 45, projected $950k in 401k and $680k in Roth IRA.

I would like to invest in a total market fund in my 401k. Unfortunately one is not offered. The target date funds offered focus on large cap as well it seems. Among others, these are the funds I can invest in with my company's 401k are

1. FXAIX: Large cap, S&P 500
2. FSMDX: Mid cap, Russell Midcap Index (smallest 800 in the Russell 1000)
3. FSSNX: Small cap, Russell 2000 index

It is a bummer that I can't invest in companies outside of the 3000 biggest companies in the US this way but because it is weighted by market cap it will be close. There is ~98% overlap between Russell 3000 and the total US market. Another bummer is there is no way to specifically invest in the top 200 companies in the Russell 1000, so I'm always going to be disproportionately invested in the bottom 300 companies of the S&P 500 lol.
My question is how do I go about mathematically getting the percentage to put into each of these funds to match a total US market fund as close as possible? I've found some stuff saying that VTI (which tracks the total US market) has about ~70% large cap, ~20% mid cap, and ~10% small cap but I am not sure how accurate that is. Nor am I sure how close 70% FXAIX, 20% FSMDX, 10% FSSNX is to total US market.

Does anyone here have an experience with "Capitalist Exploits" service ?
Lot of traditional advice amounts to investing every month in an index fund and not trying to time the market, but investing greats like Michael Burry and Jeremy Grantham are kind of against both . I don't know much about investing and making buy sell decision on stocks is both time consuming and emotionally draining. I started looking for advisory services, came across "Motley Fool", "I/O Fund", and "Capitalist Exploits". "Capitalist Exploits" seems to be more value oriented stock pickers. Should one stick to index funds, or trust services like these ?
I am the classic "Fooled by Randomness" investor who invested in lot of growth stocks towards the end of 2020, following "growth investors" like Puru Saxena on twitter. Now that the market is bearish, I am listening more to the bears like Grantham, Burry and Taleb. Silly me !
I'd appreciate any inputs from experienced folks

Hi all -- I've had this 403b account for the past several years (can no longer contribute) and have been using the automatic "GoalMaker" to handle fund selection, allocations, and rebalancing. I've started to take a more active role in my finances and would love to have some help ... do the funds and allocations make sense? The expense ratio seems too high! Thanks!
Current funds and allocations:

name	ticker	gross expense ratio (%)	allocation (%)
American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund Class R-5	RERFX	0.51	16
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Institutional Shares	VTSNX	0.08	15
ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund Class A	SASMX	1.18	13
JPMorgan Small Cap Value Fund Class R5	JSVRX	0.86	13
Fidelity Contrafund Fund	FCNTX	0.55	11
Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares	VIIIX	0.02	11
American Funds Washington Mutual Investors Fund Class R-5E	RWMHX	0.41	11
PGIM Total Return Bond Fund -Class R6	PTRQX	0.4	5
Guaranteed Interest Account	--	0 (-3%)	5

​
Which funds would you pick from this list? I'm debating between going VTSNX and VITSX (seems like these are equivalent to VXUS and VTI?). What are people's experience with BlackRock's target date fund? The guaranteed interest account seems interesting... would it be a bond equivalent?

available funds	ticker	gross expense ratio (%)	asset class
Guarenteed interest account	--	-3	stable value
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund Institutional Shares	VBTIX	0.035	Fixed Income - Intermediate Core Bond
PGIM Total Return Bond Fund -Class R6	PTRQX	0.4	Fixed Income - Intermediate Core-Plus Bond
BlackRock LifePath Index Retirement Fund Class K Shares	LIRKX	0.13	Allocation - Target-Date Retirement Income
BlackRock LifePath Index 2025 Fund Class K Shares	LIBKX	0.14	Allocation - Target-Date 2025
BlackRock LifePath Index 2030 Fund Class K Shares	LINKX	0.14	Allocation - Target-Date 2030
BlackRock LifePath Index 2035 Fund Class K Shares	LIJKX	0.14	Allocation - Target-Date 2035
BlackRock LifePath Index 2040 Fund Class K Shares	LIKKX	0.15	Allocation - Target-Date 2040
BlackRock LifePath Index 2045 Fund Class K Shares	LIHKX	0.15	Allocation - Target-Date 2045
BlackRock LifePath Index 2050 Fund Class K Shares	LIPKX	0.15	Allocation - Target-Date 2050
BlackRock LifePath Index 2055 Fund Class K Shares	LIVKX	0.15	Allocation - Target-Date 2055
BlackRock LifePath Index 2060 Fund Class K Shares	LIZKX	0.15	Allocation - Target-Date 2060
BlackRock LifePath Index 2065 Fund Class K Shares	LIWKX	0.17	Allocation - Target-Date 2065+
Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Institutional Shares	VBAIX	0.06	Allocation - Balanced Blend
American Funds Washington Mutual Investors Fund Class R-5E	RWMHX	0.41	Large Cap - Blend
Vanguard Institutional Index Fund Institutional Plus Shares	VIIIX	0.02	Large Cap - Blend
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Institutional Shares	VITSX	0.03	Large Cap - Blend
Fidelity Contrafund Fund	FCNTX	0.55	Large Cap - Growth
Columbia Select Mid Cap Value Fund Institutional Class	NAMAX	0.88	Mid Cap - Value
BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Portfolio Institutional Shares	CMGIX	0.81	Mid Cap - Growth
JPMorgan Small Cap Value Fund Class R5	JSVRX	0.86	Small Cap - Value
ClearBridge Small Cap Growth Fund Class A	SASMX	1.18	Small Cap - Growth
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Institutional Shares	VTSNX	0.08	International - Large Blend
American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund Class R-5	RERFX	0.51	International - Large Growth

Just a quick history on how I got to where I am...
For years I had my 401k rolling in a set of funds that were recommend by an adviser. It was a pretty typical mix about 60% US Large Cap, the rest spread across International, Small/Mid Cap, emerging markets.
About 5 years ago I started taking a more active roll in my finances and thanks to The Money Guys, started to learn about low cost index funds. So I looked at my current investment and saw most of the funds had expense ratios in the 0.10-0.15% ($1-1.50per 1000 invested)
So I reviewed my options at the time and selected a Vanguard 500 and Vanguard Rus 1000 Growth. Because they had great 10yr performance and low expense ratio, like .015%. Then honestly didn't look back for the past few years, they have done well, I have plenty of risk tolerance to not be bothered by the couple dips and I've enjoyed strong gains from these funds.
Brings us to today, my employer just changed fund options, full list pictured, I'm rolling over in to the two funds below:
Spartan 500 Index Pool Class G (.0055% ER) Spartan Large Cap Growth Index Pool Class G (.0165% ER)
First of all I don't know what the 'Class G' on these mean, is that a problem?
Secondly, now that I'm looking at my options again these two funds have a lot of overlap, is that an inefficient way to structure my portfolio? Am I missing a better option somewhere?
Thanks in advance for the advice!!

Hi guys, so this post is not a promotion and I am not affiliated with The5ers, it just happens to be one of the few programs that promote growth and actually want profitable traders. However, their programs vary considerably and I have often seen people confused on which to pick. I am starting 3 new prop challenges next week as I have been trading the same prop firms for a while, and looking for some new challenges. I decided to break down the differences and so I am sharing my breakdown. I will only be choosing one program from The5ers, so looking for suggestions for other prop firms that offer great account scaling. (if you know a better prop firm for scaling that is reputable please comment below to share it with us. Also if you have used The5ers and scaled, please feel free to share your experience there)
With the goal to start with $100,000 account.
Bootcamp:

• Entry cost: $95 + $205 for live account = $300. (not refundable if passed)
• Challenge: 3 stages, each requiring a 6% profit, with a maximum loss of 5%. This is the same ratio as 12/10% for reference when comparing with the other programs. (once funded the profit target and max loss drop by 1%. So you will have to risk smaller amounts like 0.10% or 0.25% per trade IMO)
• Leverage 1:10
• No minimum days or trades requirements. Stop loss IS required. 2% open risk max allowed.
• Time Limit: 12 months
• Account growth: Every 5% gain adds $25K to the account until $300K, then it scales up by $50k, $100k, and $500k, and account caps at $4 million. You could achieve a $1mil account after scaling about 12 times or after achieving 60% profit growth total.
• Profit split: 50/50 for first 5% earned, then 75/25 in favor of the trader. Remains at 75/25 until $2M and eventually becomes 100/0 at $2.5M becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $2.5 million.

The account growth possible here is fairly enticing. But it is important to remember that 4% max loss means you will have to be very strict to maintain your account.
Hyper Growth Program:

• Entry cost: $450 (not refunded)
• Challenge: One-step program requiring a 10% profit with a max loss of 6% and max daily loss of 3%. Profit target is both higher than Bootcamp and also a worse ratio.
• Leverage 1:30
• No minimum trades or days requirements for completing level 1
• Time Limit: 12 months
• Account growth: Account doubles with every 10% profit up to $4 million. For advanced traders who are hitting 10% months this represents the quickest path to a large funded account.
• Profit split: 50/50 for first 5% earned, then 75/25 in favor of the trader, becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $1.28 million. So the transition to 100% profit with no split happens at a lower account size compared to Bootcamp. You could achieve a $1mil account after scaling only 6 times, then max out at $4M, after the 7th scale-up. Interestingly enough while it takes less scale-ups, the total percentage required to reach $1M is still 60%, just like Bootcamp.

The account growth possible here is much quicker than Bootcamp. But it is important to note that while you get a 50% higher max loss with this program, the profit target is 100% higher. So the ratio is worse. Bootcamp gives you a profit target and max loss that are very close. Hyper growth requires a much higher profit ratio than risk.
High Stakes Program:

• Entry cost: $495, refunded upon passing. Essentially, the challenge is free if you succeed.
• Challenge: Two-step program requiring 8% profit in step 1 and 5% profit in step 2, with max loss of 10% and max daily loss of 5%. This offers more room for loss compared to the other options, but has a higher entry barrier due to the multi-step process. While Bootcamp has 3-stages, they have a 12-month time frame to complete.
• Leverage 1:100
• Trading days: Min 3 profitable days (must make at least 0.5% on 3 different days during each stage)
• Time Limit: 30 days for step 1, 60 days for step 2. 1 free 10-day extension to phase 1 if the account is at least 5% in profit and other targets are met. 1 free reset if the account is positive and has not violated any rules.
• Account growth: The5ers scales your account for every 10% made, up until $500,000 total account equity. This represents much slower growth than Hyper Growth and is also capped quite low, if your goal is a larger funded account. To compensate for this they offer a salary. However, it requires 100% profit growth to achieve a measly $500k account as opposed to the other programs where 60% gets you to $1M.
• Profit split: 80/20 in favor of the trader at first payout, becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $350,000, which is the lowest threshold for any of their programs. There's also a $4,000 monthly salary beyond this point, which is a unique advantage.

This program is very similar to FTMO, except the profit target is 2% lower, and the growth potential is much quicker with The5ers but caps out lower.
Summary:
If all things were equal:

1. The Bootcamp offers a reasonable starting point for traders with a relatively low cost and straightforward challenge structure. Account growth offers considerable potential but profit split remains on the lower end until $2M which kind of sucks.
2. The Hyper Growth Program requires a larger upfront cost but offers potentially the fastest account growth, as it doubles every time you hit 10%. Also, its profit split structure is more attractive, transitioning to 100% profits at a lower account size compared to Bootcamp. And with only 4 profit splits at 75%, whereas 13 will be at 75%, if you choose $100K Bootcamp account. This could be ideal for traders who are confident in achieving high profit targets consistently.
3. The High Stakes Program poses the most complex challenge but comes with unique advantages. Its profit split structure starts at 80% and transitions to 100% profits quicker than Bootcamp, and the additional monthly salary is a unique incentive. The potential for account growth is however capped which is a huge negative for me. However, account grows much quicker than FTMO, so still better than FTMO purely on the weight of account growth

Hi guys, so this post is not a promotion and I am not affiliated with The5ers, it just happens to be one of the few programs that promote growth and actually want profitable traders. However, their programs vary considerably and I have often seen people confused on which to pick. I am starting 3 new prop challenges next week as I have been trading the same prop firms for a while, and looking for some new challenges. I decided to break down the differences and so I am sharing my breakdown. I will only be choosing one program from The5ers, so looking for suggestions for other prop firms that offer great account scaling. (if you know a better prop firm for scaling that is reputable please comment below to share it with us. Also if you have used The5ers and scaled, please feel free to share your experience there)
With the goal to start with $100,000 account.
Bootcamp:

• Entry cost: $95 + $205 for live account = $300. (not refundable if passed)
• Challenge: 3 stages, each requiring a 6% profit, with a maximum loss of 5%. This is the same ratio as 12/10% for reference when comparing with the other programs. (once funded the profit target and max loss drop by 1%. So you will have to risk smaller amounts like 0.10% or 0.25% per trade IMO)
• Leverage 1:10
• No minimum days or trades requirements. Stop loss IS required. 2% open risk max allowed.
• Time Limit: 12 months
• Account growth: Every 5% gain adds $25K to the account until $300K, then it scales up by $50k, $100k, and $500k, and account caps at $4 million. You could achieve a $1mil account after scaling about 12 times or after achieving 60% profit growth total.
• Profit split: 50/50 for first 5% earned, then 75/25 in favor of the trader. Remains at 75/25 until $2M and eventually becomes 100/0 at $2.5M becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $2.5 million.

The account growth possible here is fairly enticing. But it is important to remember that 4% max loss means you will have to be very strict to maintain your account.
Hyper Growth Program:

• Entry cost: $450 (not refunded)
• Challenge: One-step program requiring a 10% profit with a max loss of 6% and max daily loss of 3%. Profit target is both higher than Bootcamp and also a worse ratio.
• Leverage 1:30
• No minimum trades or days requirements for completing level 1
• Time Limit: 12 months
• Account growth: Account doubles with every 10% profit up to $4 million. For advanced traders who are hitting 10% months this represents the quickest path to a large funded account.
• Profit split: 50/50 for first 5% earned, then 75/25 in favor of the trader, becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $1.28 million. So the transition to 100% profit with no split happens at a lower account size compared to Bootcamp. You could achieve a $1mil account after scaling only 6 times, then max out at $4M, after the 7th scale-up. Interestingly enough while it takes less scale-ups, the total percentage required to reach $1M is still 60%, just like Bootcamp.

The account growth possible here is much quicker than Bootcamp. But it is important to note that while you get a 50% higher max loss with this program, the profit target is 100% higher. So the ratio is worse. Bootcamp gives you a profit target and max loss that are very close. Hyper growth requires a much higher profit ratio than risk.
High Stakes Program:

• Entry cost: $495, refunded upon passing. Essentially, the challenge is free if you succeed.
• Challenge: Two-step program requiring 8% profit in step 1 and 5% profit in step 2, with max loss of 10% and max daily loss of 5%. This offers more room for loss compared to the other options, but has a higher entry barrier due to the multi-step process. While Bootcamp has 3-stages, they have a 12-month time frame to complete.
• Leverage 1:100
• Trading days: Min 3 profitable days (must make at least 0.5% on 3 different days during each stage)
• Time Limit: 30 days for step 1, 60 days for step 2. 1 free 10-day extension to phase 1 if the account is at least 5% in profit and other targets are met. 1 free reset if the account is positive and has not violated any rules.
• Account growth: The5ers scales your account for every 10% made, up until $500,000 total account equity. This represents much slower growth than Hyper Growth and is also capped quite low, if your goal is a larger funded account. To compensate for this they offer a salary. However, it requires 100% profit growth to achieve a measly $500k account as opposed to the other programs where 60% gets you to $1M.
• Profit split: 80/20 in favor of the trader at first payout, becoming 100/0 once the account reaches $350,000, which is the lowest threshold for any of their programs. There's also a $4,000 monthly salary beyond this point, which is a unique advantage.

This program is very similar to FTMO, except the profit target is 2% lower, and the growth potential is much quicker with The5ers but caps out lower.
Summary:
If all things were equal:

1. The Bootcamp offers a reasonable starting point for traders with a relatively low cost and straightforward challenge structure. Account growth offers considerable potential but profit split remains on the lower end until $2M which kind of sucks.
2. The Hyper Growth Program requires a larger upfront cost but offers potentially the fastest account growth, as it doubles every time you hit 10%. Also, its profit split structure is more attractive, transitioning to 100% profits at a lower account size compared to Bootcamp. And with only 4 profit splits at 75%, whereas 13 will be at 75%, if you choose $100K Bootcamp account. This could be ideal for traders who are confident in achieving high profit targets consistently.
3. The High Stakes Program poses the most complex challenge but comes with unique advantages. Its profit split structure starts at 80% and transitions to 100% profits quicker than Bootcamp, and the additional monthly salary is a unique incentive. The potential for account growth is however capped which is a huge negative for me. However, account grows much quicker than FTMO, so still better than FTMO purely on the weight of account growth

Apologies if this is a dumb question, but there seem to be no Schwab fund options in my Schwab workplace 401k or Roth 401k? Looking at it because I'd be perfectly happy with SWTSX over VTSAX or a Schwab TDF over a Vanguard due to the transaction fees, but they don't seem to be options?
List of the available options below. Any insights are appreciated!
-------------
694 - Aggressive Growth Model
693 - Growth Model
VTWNX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2020 Fund
VTTVX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2025 Fund
VTHRX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2030 Fund
VTTHX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 Fund
VFORX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund
VTIVX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2045 Fund
VFIFX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2050 Fund
VFFVX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2055 Fund
VTTSX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2060 Fund
VLXVX - Vanguard Target Retirement 2065 Fund
VTINX - Vanguard Target Retirement Income Fund
Stocks
Large Company
RFNGX - American Funds Fundamental Invs R6
MLAIX - MainStay Winslow Large Cap Growth I
MEIJX - MFS Value R4
VFIAX - Vanguard 500 Index Admiral
VTSAX - Vanguard Total Stock Mkt Idx Adm
Small/Mid Co.
BMGAX - BlackRock Mid-Cap Growth Equity Inv A
FLMVX - JPMorgan Mid Cap Value L
LSSNX - Loomis Sayles Small Cap Growth N
VIMAX - Vanguard Mid Cap Index Admiral
VSMAX - Vanguard Small Cap Index Adm
VSOIX - Victory Sycamore Small Company Opp I
Intl/Global
RERGX - American Funds Europacific Growth R6
MINHX - MFS International Intrinsic Value R4
VTIAX - Vanguard Total Intl Stock Index Admiral
Specialty
CSRSX - Cohen & Steers Realty Shares L
Balanced
692 - All Weather Model
RLBGX - American Funds American Balanced R6
PAAIX - PIMCO All Asset Instl
Bonds
EIGOX - Eaton Vance Government Opportunities I
JCBUX - JPMorgan Core Bond R6
MWTIX - Metropolitan West Total Return Bd I
VBTLX - Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Adm
Capital Preservation
WFVTZ - Galliard Stable Return Fund C
Other
690 - Capital Preservation Model