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Investment

Investment

How much should you increase your SIPs each year?

A systematic investment plan i.e., (SIP) is an investment mode through which you can invest in mutual funds. As the term indicates, they are a systematic method of investing fixed amounts of money periodically. Investments can be made either monthly, quarterly or semi-annually etc.  When you invest steadily in this manner, it can become easier to meet your financial goals.

How do SIPs work?

When an investor invests through a SIP, they allocate a fixed sum of money in a given period. This amount helps the investors to purchase a certain number of fund units. If this continues for a long time, one gets to invest in the fund during the highs and lows, i.e., investors don’t need to time the market to make their investments. Market timing can be a risky proposition as one can invest at the wrong time. A SIP investment can remove this factor of unpredictability. After deciding on the investment tenure and frequency, investors can choose to automate their investments by giving standing instructions to their banks. While an investor will start small while making the first investment, it does not mean that the invested amount will remain the same until the time of redemption. Sometimes, an investor might opt to increase their contributions to the SIP as their financial state improves. If you are not sure by how much you should increase your investments, listed below are the ways by which you can determine how much you can increase your investments:

  • Align the current affordability with your desired financial goals:

Consider this. You aim to accumulate ₹3 crore retirement corpus in the next 30 years. If you were to start investing immediately, you will need to set up a monthly SIP mutual fund investment of ₹13,271 to achieve this assuming that the interest rate is 10%. But you may fall short of affording this amount thanks to several shorter-term responsibilities like high monthly expenses, kids’ education, loan EMIs or SIP payments for shorter-term goals. That’s where the step-up feature comes in. By taking a 10% annual increase in your annual SIPs, you can achieve the target corpus of nearly ₹7,400. It is possible to use a simple reverse SIP calculator (with top-up) to work this out. All you will need to input is the required corpus amount, the number of years, annual top-up percentage and expected rate of return.

  • Check your expected income increments and planned expenses:

Most investors can gauge their income increments to some extent. Especially if you are employed, an annual increment is almost a given. If you were to expect an annual increment of 8-10%, would you limit your SIP increments to make it easy for your personal expenses? Mostly not. Most of the times, a rise in income does not result in a commensurate hike in expenses. Most of the fixed expenses tend to remain broadly the same (subject to inflation of course). This means an investor is left with more surplus to divert to their investments and that means they can increase their SIP investments.

Top-ups in a systematic investment plan are like a bonus for investments. Stepping up SIPs can help with things like covering inflation. Therefore, instead of fixing SIPs and forgetting about them, try topping them up each year to compound your investment. Please keep in mind that to reach your financial goals, the key is to be consistent with your SIPs. Even if an unplanned contingency prevents you from topping up in a certain year, you can always make up for that in subsequent years by re-working your calculations.

Mutual Fund Investments are subject to market risks, read all scheme related documents carefully.

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Investment

How to Use a Cryptocurrency ATM Machine

Cryptocurrency ATM machines are becoming more mainstream and are starting to pop up at more and more locations. One of the questions you may have about this is where to find bitcoin ATMs near me, but before you ponder this question, one of the first questions you should be asking is how exactly you cause a cryptocurrency ATM machine. While these machines are fairly similar to traditional ATMs, they are also slightly different. Here is the information you need to know about using this type of machine.

Setting Up a Mobile or Paper Wallet

Once you are standing in front of bitcoin ATMs near me, the very first thing that you will need to do is to create a mobile or paper wallet. This wallet is either on your phone or on a piece of paper. It includes your personal information, such as your name, your ID information, and any information about any Bitcoin or cryptocurrency you may already own. This wallet is where any cryptocurrency you buy is going to be placed and where any cryptocurrency you sell is going to be pulled from. It is important to know that the account does need to be created at an ATM machine and cannot be created ahead of time.

Processing a Transaction

After setting up a mobile or paper wallet, bitcoin ATMs near me will ask you to scan a QR code with your phone or input your paper information into the system. The system will then ask you if you are purchasing cryptocurrency or selling. If you are selling, the machine will ask you how much you are selling and dispense money to you. If you are buying, you will be asked to input money into the machine to cover the cost of the transaction. It is important to note that ATM machines take cash, not credit card or debit card, so come prepared.

Finishing Your Transaction

Once your transaction has been processed, you will receive a paper receipt jus like you would from a normal ATM machine. It is important that you hold on to this receipt in case there is a discrepancy with your account. Being able to show that you bought cryptocurrency that never showed up in your account can be invaluable. It is recommended that you hold on to the receipts until the transaction posts in your mobile wallet.

Now that you know how to use a cryptocurrency ATM machine, you can now figure out where bitcoin ATMs near me exist. One of the easiest ways to determine where a cryptocurrency ATM machine is located is to click on the above link and input your information. This will help you see whether any cryptocurrency ATM machines exist near you or whether any are coming soon. It is important to note that ATMs are still relatively new, and are still being placed. As such, continue checking the link if there is not an ATM located close to your current location.

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Investment

A Small Guide to Investing in Property

Investing in property can be a tricky time, as there’s lots to understand. Here at We Buy Any House we have compiled a small guide on how to invest in property.

One of the items to consider when purchasing a property as a charity is not for profit public liability insurance.

Why do People Invest in Property?

The concept of investing in property has become increasingly popular over the last decade or so, with people looking at investing in property as a way to fund their lifestyle instead of choosing a typical ‘9-5’ job. Here are some of the main reasons people choose to invest in property:

  • To use as rental income. This is especially useful for those who are self-employed, retired or those who have a predictable income which they aren’t satisfied with. Having a rental income gives them more freedom to be financially independent.
  • If they are trying to build a diverse portfolio for their business, then investing in property is a great way to achieve this.
  • They may invest in property to improve their capital growth, as property prices often rise which can be beneficial for investors.
  • The property market is extremely tangible, so therefore it’s easy to understand how it works and where you can gain or potentially lose leads.

How to Begin:

Think About Renting a Room Out:

To get a small taste for property investment, a great place to start is by renting out a room in your home. By making part of your home to work like an Airbnb, you can see the various things that go into being a property investor and manager.

Look at REIGs:

A great place to start is by investing in Real Estate Investment Groups (REIGs), which is ideal for those who want to own real estate in the rental market- and without the hassle of running your own real estate company. Collectively, a group of people manage the units of for example, an apartment complex- and in exchange for looking after the management of a building, the company will take a percentage of the monthly rent.

Flipping Investment Properties:

Another great place to begin your property investment journey is to begin by flipping houses. If you can find a cheap property that is in need of some TLC, you could begin doing a renovation on it, and redecorate the entire place and see how it sells on the property market. This would be a great way to see how you get on with a renovation strategy, coming up with an interior design idea and marketing the property.

Rent Out a Rented Property:

Renting out a property by yourself can seem ridiculously hard, therefore, renting out a property and delegating the other remaining bedrooms to others who want to live there is a great way to get your foot in the investor door. Firstly, it means that you are essentially occupying an investment property and will help you build up enough credit to qualify for a loan.

This article was written by a quick house sale company We Buy Any House. If you’re wondering “how can I sell my house fast?” or “how can I get someone to buy my house?”, head to the We Buy Any House website for more information relating to all property related enquiries

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Investment

ESG Investing — What it means and why it matters.

One of the most hotly debated topics in boardrooms and among investors is ESG investing, or investing in companies with strong environmental, social, and governance profiles.

What Is ESG and What Does It Mean?

Many investors consider a company’s ethics and environmental impact before investing. When looking into a company’s culture and overall goals, social and governance considerations are more important to these investors. When determining whether or not to invest their hard-earned money in a firm, these factors are just as significant to some investors as financial factors. ESG investment entails taking into account a company’s strategies and achievements in the following areas:

  • Environmental: Future investors want to know what actions corporations are taking to protect the Earth’s resources while still operating in a profitable manner. What is the environmental policy of the company?
  • Social: Some investors believe that understanding a company’s connections with its employees and vendors is just as important as knowing its financials. Do they provide equal opportunities to everyone? Are they nice and approachable to other businesses, consumers, and the community in which they work? What role does the company play in the community’s growth and prosperity?
  • Governance: ESG investors are also interested in how a company’s board of directors and management team are monitored. What policies and procedures are in place to ensure that the business is operated properly and fairly, and that all employees, regardless of their demographics, have an equal opportunity?

In this case, the infographic comes in handy. Companies with high ESG scores are less likely to face regulatory fines, disgruntled shareholders, public humiliation, and other potentially negative, value-destroying occurrences. Additionally, companies that are socially responsible have reduced employee turnover and a more engaged and productive workforce. Because of these and other characteristics, high-scoring ESG companies are strong long-term investment options. Continue reading to find out more.

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Investment

All That You Need To Learn About DST

In investment, DST revolves around a particular type of investment that is in a position to increase your capital for you without requiring much effort on your part. It means that DST investors tend to have an easier time investing the money they have because all the stress and hassles involved when working with other forms of investments are entirely out of their way.

What is a DST?

To put things as simple as they could be, DST is a business that offers financial services to its clients with the help of networks. One of their most popular products is bonds and fixed-rate notes, which large companies use for financing their projects.

However, before you decide to invest your money into such an opportunity, it would be best if you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. It is because the majority of such services are not regulated, and therefore investors stand the chance of losing their funds to fraudsters.

So whenever someone offers you an opportunity to invest money in a project outside the stock market, it would be best if you did your research on whatever they have to offer before you go ahead and hand over your money.

What do you need to know about DST?

You need to know several critical things about DST before putting your money into any of its projects.

  1. DST is entirely unregulated when investing in businesses outside of the stock market.
  2. Any government agency will not insure any money you put into DST.
  3. Several reports suggest that DST brokers tend to generate higher than average returns on investments for their clients because they do not work with their money directly.
  4. They also tend to use at least some of the investor’s money when they are trading on their behalf, which means that if their broker is fraudulent, they might lose more than 50 percent of their investment in a short time.
  5. DST brokers tend to use high-pressure sales techniques when trying to convince potential investors to put their money into such projects.
  6. They also try and trick investors by explaining how the company works in a not completely clear or straightforward manner and leaving out certain essential information that they think would put them off from investing with them.
  7. There are several cases where large amounts of customer funds go missing, and there is nowhere to report as an agency does not regulate the DST broker.
  8. There have been cases where investors have lost a large percentage of their investments within a few months of putting them into projects offered by DST brokers.
  9. DST brokers tend to only target people with large amounts of cash to invest.
  10. The majority of DST brokers tend not to explain the risks involved in investing in their projects which means that you need to do your research before you go ahead and hand over your money for any project they might offer you.

Conclusion

You need to know several critical things about DST if you want to invest your money with them. The first thing you have to remember is that it operates in a completely unregulated manner which means that if their brokers were fraudulent, the chances of investors getting their money back are slim.

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Investment

Learn to Trade With a Forex Demo Account

To some people, forex trading might seem like an impossible task. Any individual investor has the potential to make money in the forex market. The key is to open forex demo accounts first and learn how to use them effectively. A demo account lets you practice your strategies without any risk.

What you have to do first:

– Decide what sort of trader you want to be

– Define your goals for trading

– Develop a trading plan

– Choose which forex broker to work with

If you want to learn how to trade currencies effectively using a forex demo account, then you need to keep a few things in mind.

First, make sure that you have all of the necessary information available before trading any real money. You will need to know what type of trader you wish to be—news, technical or fundamentals-based, and what your entry and exit strategies will entail. Set some short-term, medium-term and long-term goals for yourself and determine the best ways to reach them.

Develop a trading plan based on these factors and ensure that you have everything recorded in a spreadsheet or some other easily accessible piece of paper. Find out how CPI affects your trading strategy.

Finally, choose a broker with low commission rates, deposit minimums, competitive spreads and reliable customer service.

Higher success rates for traders who use a demo account

Once you have all of your ducks in a row, then you are ready to open your forex demo account. Start by using just one currency pair until you feel comfortable with how it works. It is important not to spread yourself too thin by learning all of the trading pairs at once.

The success rate for new forex traders who use a demo account is much higher than those who choose to trade with real money right away. It allows them to learn their way around the charts and graphs before investing in this volatile market. Forex demo accounts also allow people time to practice executing trades based on their own decisions without being forced into making rash moves due to sudden news announcements or fluctuations in value that result from economic data releases.

Rest assured that if you practice patience, discipline and sound money management skills, then sooner or later, your hard work will pay off in the form of profits.

Get comfortable with different tools

Using demo accounts is one of the best ways to learn how to trade currencies online because it allows people with limited experience to get familiar with the software they will be using before any real money changes hands. A new trader can comfortably contact the various tools available on his platform before placing actual trades, saving him time and frustration. It also allows traders to experiment with different strategies without risking their capital.

Learn without losing capital

A basic understanding of forex trading can prevent costly blunders in the future if you learn as much as possible about it before making your first deposit with a broker. The global forex market is one of the most popular, so now is an excellent time to learn how it works.

Practice

As you begin your journey as a currency trader, remember that it takes plenty of practice and dedication to become a successful trader. Develop a plan with specific goals and objectives in mind to get started. Make sure your plan reflects what you want from your trading career and includes incentives for good performance. Setting realistic expectations and clearly defined standards will help keep you focused daily.

Bottom line

When it comes to determining which techniques work best for them, there are a plethora of options. It is crucial to learn as much as possible about forex trading before making your first deposit with a broker so that you don’t make costly errors in the future since you have nothing invested. Because the foreign exchange market is one of the most popular financial markets in the world, there is no better time to learn how it works.

Next, make sure you avoid these common trading mistakes.

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Investment

How do Mutual Funds Work Online?

A mutual fund house pools investments from different sources with common investment goals. Then it invests this collective amount in securities like money market instruments, bonds, stocks, commodities including valuable metals and similar other assets.

Financial experts known as fund managers manage investments in these funds. For that, the fund house charges a nominal annual maintenance fee called the expense ratio.

Investors can earn through regular interest or dividends in capital gains. They can even reinvest the capital gains using a growth option.

When it comes to investing in mutual funds, you can do it fast and most easily online. Then you can also use smart digital tools associated with the management of funds, like a mutual funds SIP calculator that shows your estimated returns.

That being said, here’s how mutual funds work online.

Top Ways to Invest in Mutual Funds Online

By opening an account on a fund house’s official website

On the official website of an asset management company (AMC) or fund house, you can choose from several mutual funds of different categories to invest in.

To create your account on the site, simply go by the given instructions, fill in all the necessary information and submit the same.

You can even complete the mutual fund KYC procedure on the website (e-KYC). For that, only your PAN and Aadhar number are required. Once your information is successfully verified online, you can begin investing.

If you prefer investing offline, see whether the AMC offers this facility.

Via the app of the AMC

A fund house lets you invest in mutual funds online through its own mobile application as well. This makes the process fast and hassle-free.

The app allows you to:

  • View account statements
  • Check other important details relevant to your investment portfolio
  • Purchase or sell units
  • Invest in various fund schemes

How to Start SIP Investment Online?

After signing up with the AMC website/app, you can select the investment mode, lump sum or Systematic Investment Plan (SIP). In the first case, you need to deposit the whole amount in one go. In the second case, you can deposit a fixed amount at specific regular intervals (monthly, quarterly or every 6 months) on a certain day. Since SIP investments are systematic and help beat inflation by averaging out your savings, investors often prefer this mode.

If you wonder how to start SIP investments online, follow these steps:

  • Decide the amount of investment, a suitable scheme plan and option.
  • Choose the mode and date of payment.
  • Submit your transaction.

Then you can use the mutual fund SIP calculator offered by the AMC to auto-calculate your estimated returns from your investments. For that, you simply need to enter:

  • The investment amount
  • The annual rate of returns
  • The investment tenure

There are certain associated charges when you invest in mutual funds online on the app/site of an AMC. Usually, these include expense ratio, one-time transaction fee, exit load, securities transaction tax, and stamp duty. Make sure to learn about all the applicable charges before beginning your investments.

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Investment

Make the Best Use of SIP Calculator

What is a SIP Calculator?

Be it a scientific calculator, or a normal calculator, or any other type of calculator. The goal is to make life easy for the user and to compute the results way faster and save the time of the user. Similar is the case with the SIP calculator. An online SIP calculator is an easy-to-use tool that computes results in a jiffy. If you had to make these calculations which the SIP calculator does with a pen and paper, it would consume a lot of time. The SIP calculator computes such complex calculations using a predetermined formula and displays results within no time.

You may know a thing or two about the SIP calculator by now. But do you know what SIP stands for? Let us find that out as well.

A Systematic Investment Plan or SIP as it is commonly referred to as is one of the two ways to invest in a mutual fund scheme (the other being lump sum investment). A lot of young investors take the SIP route instead of lump sum investing as this way they can save and invest a fixed sum from their monthly income and make it a habit. To inculcate investment discipline, SIP is a must.

Coming back to the SIP calculator. This free online calculator is based on the following formula –

M = P × ({[1 + i] n – 1} / i) × (1 + i)

In the above mentioned formula  –

  • M’ stands for the total sum that you receive upon maturity
  • P’ represents the sum you invest at periodic intervals
  • n’ stands for the number of monthly SIPs you have made during your investment journey
  • i’ is the periodic rate of interest

How to make the best use of the online SIP calculator?

There are two primary ways in which the online SIP calculator works. Say you want to know how much returns your current SIP investments in a particular scheme might help you fetch over the course of the next few years. You can put these details in the SIP calculator to derive the necessary.

Let us assume you want to invest Rs. 10000 every month in a mutual fund scheme for the next five years to build a corpus for your medium term financial goal.

In the SIP calculator, enter –

  • Monthly SIP sum – Rs 10000
  • Investment horizon – 5 years / 60 months
  • Assumed rate of return – 10%

The SIP calculator will compute and show the following –

Total amount invested over the course of the investment horizon – Rs 6 lakhs

Total corpus earned (invested sum + interest earned) – Rs 7.74 lakhs

There’s another way in which the SIP calculator works as well. So if you have a figure in mind but you do not know how much your monthly investment should be, the SIP calculator can help you with that as well.

Let us assume that you want to build a retirement corpus of Rs. 1 crore. The expected rate of return is 8 percent, and you have 150 months in hand before you retire.

In the SIP calculator, enter –

  • Total corpus needed – Rs 1 crore
  • Investment horizon – 150 months
  • Assumed rate of return – 8%

The SIP calculator will compute and show the following –

  • Monthly SIP sum needed to achieve the corpus – Rs 39003
  • Total invested sum – 58.50 Lacs

Investors can do multiple calculations with the SIP calculator to derive to multiple results and can easily plan their investments accordingly.

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Investment

5 Benefits of Investing in Equity Mutual Fund Schemes

If you are investing your hard earned money by making some sacrifices now, you are doing so, so that in the near future you are able to improve your existing financial condition. People want to create wealth but aren’t ready to commit to a disciplined investment approach. It is possible to achieve a noticeable corpus if you choose the right type of investment scheme whose investment objective, risk profile, and investment time horizon aligns with that of yours.

One of the simplest ways to create long term wealth is by investing in market linked schemes like equity mutual funds. Equity mutual funds have the potential to generate far better returns as they predominantly invest in the equity market. Some claim equity funds to be a risky investment, but they are far less volatile than direct stock market investments as equity mutual funds invest in a diversified portfolio of stocks and invest in securities spread across market capitalizations.

Let us find out more about equity mutual funds and understand the five primary benefits of investing in them.

What is an equity mutual fund scheme?

An equity mutual fund is an open ended mutual fund scheme that invests the majority of its investible corpus in equity and equity related instruments of publicly listed companies. As per market regulator SEBI guidelines, an equity mutual fund invest a minimum of 65% to 80% of its total assets in stocks and other equity related instruments. These funds may carry high investment risk, but also have the potential to generate returns like no other mutual fund scheme.

Five primary benefits of investing in equity mutual funds

Diversification and risk mitigation

If you had to take exposure to the equity market through stocks, you would have to invest thousands of rupees to buy single quality stock. Plus there would be concentration risk as you would end up losing your invested sum in case the stock value goes down. In the case of equity mutual funds, they invest in a basket of such credible stocks that have growth potential. So even if one stock collapses, the overall equity mutual fund portfolio should be able to reduce risk and create stable returns. Through a single equity mutual fund investment, you get exposure to several expensive stocks.

Professionally managed

Equity mutual funds are managed by a team of professional fund managers who ensure that they maintain a portfolio that keeps generating decent returns. Hence, even if you do not have a deeper knowledge about equity funds, you can still invest and let the fund managers handle the portfolio and help you generate returns.

Avail tax benefit

Equity Linked Savings Scheme (ELSS) is an equity mutual fund scheme that comes with a tax benefit. You can invest up to Rs 1.5 Lacs in ELSS every fiscal year and bring down your tax liability.

Systematic Investment Plan

Investors can invest an amount as low as Rs 500 every month in equity funds through a Systematic Investment Plan. SIP is a simple and convenient way to save and invest a fixed sum at regular intervals. Investors can create long term wealth through systematic and regular SIP investments.

Regulated

Equity mutual funds are well regulated and under the governance of SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). Investors do not have to worry about getting cheated as all equity funds must be transparent with their investors as per the norms set by SEBI.

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Investment

Here’s all you need to know before choosing debt funds

When Indians think of investing a majority of them think of putting their money in conservative instruments like banked fixed deposit, public provident fund, post office, or any such similar fixed income avenues. However, the Indian debt market has witnessed a drastic fall in interest rates which is why investors are now reconsidering their choice of investments. Most investors are now turning to mutual funds as an alternative and there isn’t a reason why they shouldn’t.

Mutual funds today are only of the most sought after market linked schemes. Investors prefer mutual funds over direct stock market investments because mutual funds offer diversification through a single investment. But a lot of investors refrain from investing their hard earned money in mutual funds because they believe that all mutual funds invest in the equity market. The truth remains that under the mutual fund gamut, there are multiple subcategories as well. Some of the most common categories of mutual funds are equity, debt, and hybrid. Investors who do not wish to invest in equity mutual funds simply because of the scheme’s volatile nature, such individuals may consider debt mutual funds.

Let us find out what debt mutual funds are and some of the things which investors must emphasize while choosing a debt scheme.

What is a debt fund?

A debt fund is an open ended mutual fund scheme whose main objective is to generate stable returns and protect the investor’s capital. Unlike equity funds that have a high risk returns trade-off, debt funds do not invest in equity markets and have a portfolio comprising of fixed income securities and debt related instruments. A debt fund’s portfolio usually comprises government and corporate bonds, commercial papers, debentures, CBLO, certificates of deposits, etc.

Things to know before investing in debt funds

Debt fund returns are not linked to equity markets

Debt mutual funds invest the majority of their portfolio in debt related instruments and fixed income securities depending on the nature of the scheme and its investment objective. They invest the majority of their investible corpus in debt securities like commercial papers, government back securities, debentures, etc. Since they have a minimum of almost zero exposure to the equity market, any upheavals in the equity market are less likely to create any impact on the performance of the debt fund portfolio.

Debt schemes have high flexibility

Debt funds are considered as diversification by a large number of equity heavy investors as these funds offer immense liquidity. Investors can redeem their debt fund units at any given time and the money is transferred to their registered savings account. Some debt funds like liquid funds even offer instant redemption options whereupon withdrawal, the money is transferred to their registered savings account within 24 hours. This is also the reason why investors use debt funds with a low maturity period for building an emergency fund.

Debt funds have SIP and lumpsum option

Retail investors can either make a one-time investment or opt for the Systematic Investment Plan while investing in debt funds. A lump sum investment can be considered by those who have surplus money sitting idle with them. On the other hand, investors can even start a SIP (Systematic Investment Plan), in any debt scheme of their choice. SIPs come in monthly, weekly, quarterly, biannually, and yearly forms. Investors can even use an online SIP calculator, to compute the total returns that their SIP investment might fetch. However, the SIP calculator can only display assumed returns as it does not consider other factors like expense ratio or exit load while computing returns.

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