Your Money

Investor interest in opportunistic private real estate is growing, especially as the broader real estate market seeks stability. Higher interest rates have driven capitalization rates up, leading to falling valuations and stalled transaction activity. (A higher capitalization rate, or cap rate, implies a riskier investment.) The market faces a wave of maturities, with many real estate loans approaching maturity in 2024. Opportunistic real estate funds may step in to fund assets with solid fundamentals but shaky debt structures. In a survey, industry participants ranked opportunistic real estate as the most popular investment strategy for new funds in 2024. Banks, once major lenders, have tightened standards, leaving room for these funds to fill the void.

Opportunistic real estate managers can fill the void left by banks who shifted their focus to address pre-existing loans in their balance sheets. Lenders are seizing control of distressed commercial properties at the highest rate in nearly a decade, a sign that the sector’s punishing downturn is entering its next phase and approaching...and arguably exiting...a bottom.

Surge in Commercial-Property Foreclosures Suggests Bottom Is Near
by Peter Grant

Your Life

Your gut microbiome is a microscopic world within the world of your larger body, containing trillions of microorganisms that include over a thousand species of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Like a thumbprint, it is unique to you. Most microorganisms in the gut have a symbiotic relationship with you as the host in that they break down food, absorb nutrients, and eliminate waste. It is important to maintain a healthy gut microbiome by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet—adding more fiber as needed, eliminating foods that irritate you, paying attention to your bowel pattern, adding prebiotics and probiotics, and checking in with your doctors as problems arise.

What doctors wish patients knew about improving gut health
by Sara Berg

Complexity Simplified

Currently making the rounds in social media is the idea of washing fruits and vegetables in the dishwasher. It certainly makes the job easier, but is it safe? Medical and research experts, including the FDA, chime in and agree that the dishwasher method for cleaning fruits and vegetables is not a great way to clean. Washing fruits and vegetables by hand is the science-backed method still recommended by the FDA, NSF, and medical/research professionals.

Why So Many People Are Washing Vegetables in Their Dishwashers on TikTok
by Kiersten Hickman

Trivia