From the Editor: We disregard conventional asset allocation models, because we make much more money by focusing our investments. All of the 100%-plus gains in the Money Map Report, for instance, are the result of "concentration," not "diversification." And today, it's time to abandon yet another classic money rule...
The "Rule of 100" is simple.
To determine the amount of money you should put into bonds and equities, just subtract your age from 100. The resulting sum is how much of your portfolio you should have allocated to equities. The rest is what you should have in bonds.
By that logic, if you were, say, 60 years old, then 40% of your money should be in equities, and 60% should be in bonds.
That's the "Rule of 100." And, unfortunately, it's worthless now, as you'll see.
That's why these unconventional shares are about to get white-hot...
You'll Get Plenty of Sleep, TooWe're living through a transition, an inevitable march toward rising interest rates - and falling bond prices. The "old rule" would have investors over-allocated in one of the worst-performing market segments at precisely the time when income is needed most.
Top Semiconductor Companies For 2015: Harbinger Group Inc (HRG)
Harbinger Group Inc. (HGI), incorporated on November 3, 2009, is a holding company. The Company's operations are conducted through Spectrum Brands, the Company's subsidiary, which provides branded consumer products, such as batteries, personal care products, small household appliances, pet supplies, and home and garden pest control products, and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Holdings, Inc. (FGL), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary, which provides life insurance and annuity products. In addition, Salus Capital Partners, LLC (Salus), the Company's wholly owned indirect subsidiary, is engaged in the business of providing secured asset-based loans across a range of industries, and Front Street Re Ltd (Front Street), its wholly owned indirect subsidiary provide reinsurance to the specialty insurance sector of fixed, deferred and payout annuities. The Company also own 97.9% of Zap.Com Corporation (Zap.Com), a public shell company, which may seek assets or businesses to acquire or may sell assets and/or liquidate. On November 8, 2012, Spectrum Brands completed acquisition of 56% interest in Shaser Biosciences, Inc.
Spectrum Brands
Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. is a global branded consumer products company. As of September 30, 2012, HGI owns approximately 57.4% of Spectrum Brands. Spectrum Brands manufactures and markets alkaline, zinc carbon and hearing aid batteries, herbicides, insecticides and repellents and specialty pet supplies. Spectrum Brands also designs and markets rechargeable batteries, battery-powered lighting products, electric shavers and accessories, grooming products and hair care household appliances. In addition, Spectrum Brands designs, markets and distributes a broad range of branded small appliances and personal care products. Spectrum Brands' manufacturing and product development facilities are located in the United States, Europe, Latin America and Asia. Spectrum Brands' rechargeable batteries and chargers, shaving and grooming products, small household applian! ces, personal care products and portable lighting products are manufactured by third-party suppliers, located in Asia.
Spectrum Brands sells products in approximately 140 countries through a range of trade channels, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors, hearing aid professionals, industrial distributors and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Spectrum Brands' branded consumer products have positions in six product categories: consumer batteries; small appliances; pet supplies; home and garden control products; electric shaving and grooming products, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands competes in six product categories: consumer batteries, small appliances, pet supplies, home and garden control products, electric shaving and grooming, and electric personal care products. Spectrum Brands' range of products include consumer batteries, including alkaline and zinc carbon batteries, rechargeable batteries and chargers and hearing aid batteries, other specialty batteries and portable lighting products; small appliances, including small kitchen appliances and home product appliances; pet supplies, including aquatic equipment and supplies, dog and cat treats, small animal foods, clean up and training aids, health and grooming products and bedding; home and garden control products, including household insect controls, insect repellents and herbicides; electric shaving and grooming devices, and electric and wet personal care and styling devices.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of alkaline batteries to both retail and industrial customers. Spectrum Brands' alkaline batteries are marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands also manufactures alkaline batteries for third parties who sell the batteries under their own private labels. Spectrum Brands' zinc carbon batteries are also marketed and sold under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands sells its hearing aid batteries through retail trade channels and directl! y to prof! essional audiologists under brand names and private labels, including Beltone, Miracle Ear and Starkey. Spectrum Brands also sells Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) rechargeable batteries and a range of battery chargers under the Rayovac and VARTA brands. Spectrum Brands' other specialty battery products include camera batteries, lithium batteries, silver oxide batteries, keyless entry batteries and coin cells for use in watches, cameras, calculators, communications equipment and medical instruments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of battery-powered, portable lighting products, including flashlights and lanterns for both retail and industrial markets. Spectrum Brands sells its portable lighting products under the Rayovac and VARTA brand names, under other brand names and pursuant to licensing arrangements with third parties.
Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of products in the branded small household appliances category under the George Foreman, Black & Decker, Russell Hobbs, Farberware, Juiceman, Breadman and Toastmaster brands, including grills, bread makers, sandwich makers, kettles, toaster ovens, toasters, blenders, juicers, can openers, coffee grinders, coffeemakers, electric knives, deep fryers, food choppers, food processors, hand mixers, rice cookers and steamers. Spectrum Brands also markets small home product appliances, including hand-held irons, vacuum cleaners, air purifiers, clothes shavers and heaters, primarily under the Black & Decker and Russell Hobbs brands.
In the pet supplies product category Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of branded pet supplies for fish, dogs, cats, birds and other small domestic animals. Spectrum Brands has a range of consumer and commercial aquatics products, including integrated aquarium kits, standalone tanks and stands, filtration systems, heaters, pumps, and other equipment, fish food and water treatment products. Spectrum Brands' aquatics brands are Tetra, Marineland, Whisper, Jungle and Instant Ocean. Spectrum Brand! s also se! lls a range of specialty pet products, including dog and cat treats, small animal food and treats, clean up and training aid products, health and grooming aids, bedding products and consumable accessories including privacy tents, litter carpets, crystal litter cartridges, charcoal filters, corn-based litter and replaceable waste receptacles. Spectrum Brands' specialty pet brands include FURminator, 8-in-1, Dingo, Firstrax, Nature's Miracle, Wild Harvest and Littermaid.
In the home and garden control products category Spectrum Brands markets and sells home and garden care products, including household insecticides, insect repellent, herbicides, garden and indoor plant foods and plant care treatments. Spectrum Brands offers a range of household insecticides, such as spider, roach and ant killer, flying insect killer, insect foggers, wasp and hornet killer, flea and tick control products and roach and ant baits. Spectrum Brands also manufactures and markets a range of insect repellent products, which provide protection from insects, especially mosquitoes. These products include both personal repellents, such as aerosols, pump sprays and wipes, as well as area repellents, such as yard sprays, citronella candles and torches. Spectrum Brands' brands in the insect control category include Hot Shot, Cutter, Repel, Black Flag and TAT. Spectrum Brands' herbicides brands include Spectracide, Real-Kill and Garden Safe. Spectrum Brands markets and sells a range of electric shaving and grooming products under the Remington brand name, including men's rotary and foil shavers, beard and mustache trimmers, body trimmers and nose and ear trimmers, women's shavers and haircut kits. Spectrum Brands' electric personal care products, marketed and sold under the Remington, Russell Hobbs, Carmen and Andrew Collinge brand names, include hand-held dryers, curling irons, straightening irons, brush irons, hair setters, facial brushes, skin appliances and electric toothbrushes.
FGL
FGL is an i! ndirectly! wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of annuity and life insurance products in the United States. Based in Baltimore, Maryland, FGL operates its annuity and life insurance operations in the United States through its subsidiaries FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance. FGL's products are annuities, deferred annuities and life insurance products (including fixed indexed universal life), which it sells, as of September 30, 2012, through a network of approximately 200 insurance marketing organizations (IMOs) representing approximately 19,000 independent agents and managing general agents. As of September 30, 2012, FGL had over 713,000 policyholders nationwide and distributes its products throughout the United States.
FGL's deferred annuities include fixed index annuities and fixed rate annuities. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. FGL, through its insurance subsidiaries, issues a range of deferred annuities (fixed indexed and fixed rate annuities) and immediate annuities. Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company's (FGL Insurance's) fixed indexed annuities allow contract owners the possibility of earning credits based on the performance of a specified market index without risk to principal. The contracts include a provision for a minimum guaranteed surrender value calculated in accordance with applicable law. During the year ended September 30, 2012 (fiscal 2012), approximately 96% of the fixed indexed annuity sales involved premium bonuses. Fixed rate annuities include annual reset and multi-year rate guaranteed policies. Fixed rate annual reset annuities issued by FGL Insurance and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (FGL NY Insurance) have an annual interest rate. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance also sell single premium immediate annuities (SPIAs), which provide a series of periodic payments for a fixed period of time or for the life of the policyholder. FGL Insurance and FGL NY Insurance offer indexed universal lif! e insuran! ce policies. Holders of universal life insurance policies earn returns on their policies which are credited to the policyholder's cash value account.
In addition to services provided by third-party asset managers, FGL outsources the following functions to third-party service providers, including investment accounting and custody, and underwriting administration of life insurance applications. FGL manages its outsourcing partners and integrates their services into its operations. FGL outsources its new business and existing policy administration for fixed indexed annuity and life products to Transaction Applications Group, Inc., a subsidiary at Dell Inc. (Transaction Group). Under this arrangement, Transaction Group manages all of FGL's call center and processing requirements. FGL has partnered with Hooper Holmes, Inc. (Hooper Holmes) to outsource its life insurance underwriting function. FGL, through its subsidiary FGL Insurance, both cedes reinsurance to other insurance companies and assumes reinsurance from other insurance companies. FGL Insurance provides reinsurance as the reinsurer to four non-affiliate insurance companies.
Salus
Salus, an indirectly wholly owned subsidiary of HGI, is a provider of secured asset-based loans to the middle market across a range of industries with financing throughout the capital structure. The Salus platform also serves as an asset manager to certain institutional investors, such as community and regional banks, insurance companies, family offices, private equity funds and hedge funds who may lack the infrastructure and dedicated competency within senior secured lending. Salus provides secured asset-based loans to the middle market. Salus focuses its credit analysis on the value of accounts receivable and inventory (or other assets) and estimates how much liquidity it can provide against those assets. Salus' loans are used across a range of industries for general working capital or seasonal needs, acquisitions or opportunisti! c situati! ons, trade finance, turnarounds, dividend recaps, refinancing and debtor-in-possession financing.
The Company competes with Energizer Holdings, Inc. (Energizer), The Procter & Gamble Company, Matsushita , Energizer and Mag Instrument, Inc., Mars Corporation, The Hartz Mountain Corporation, Central Garden & Pet Company, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Bayer A.G., S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc., Scotts Company, Henkel KGaA, Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, Jarden Corporation, DeLonghi America, Euro-Pro Operating LLC, Metro Thebe, Inc., d/b/a HWI Breville, NACCO Industries, Inc., SEB S.A., Conair Corporation, Wahl Clipper Corporation and Helen of Troy Limited.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Harbinger Group (NYSE: HRG ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Nuveen Insured California Premium Income Municipal Fund II In (NCL)
Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., through its subsidiaries, operates as a cruise line operator, offering cruise experiences for travelers with various itineraries in North America, the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Central America, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. The company offers cruises ranging in length from 1 day to 3 weeks. As of December 31, 2012, it operated 11 ships offering cruises in Alaska, the Bahamas, Bermuda, the Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, New England, Central and South America, North Africa, and Scandinavia. The company was formerly known as NCL Corporation Ltd. and changed its name on January 24, 2013. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. was founded in 1966 and is headquartered in Miami, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rick Munarriz]
Carnival stock is trading closer to its 52-week low than its high, and the same can't be said of rivals Royal Caribbean (NYSE: RCL ) and NCL (NYSE: NCL ) .�
- [By Rick Munarriz]
Royal Caribbean,�NCL (NYSE: NCL ) , and ship spa services provider Steiner Leisure (NASDAQ: STNR ) all hit new 52-week highs earlier this month. Unlike Carnival (NYSE: CCL ) -- which has been sluggish in light of several mishaps at sea since last year -- everyone seemed to view the negative instances as Carnival-specific events. Now Royal Caribbean's fire may lead folks to question booking on any cruise line in the near future.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: United Fire & Casualty Company(UFCS)
United Fire Group, Inc. engages in the writing of property, casualty, and life insurances. It sells annuities through a network of independent agencies. The company?s property and casualty insurance segment comprises commercial lines insurance products, including surety bonds, personal lines insurance, and assumed insurance. Its life insurance segment consists of deferred and immediate annuities, universal life insurance products, and traditional life insurance products. The company was founded in 1946 and is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Meanwhile, top decliners in the sector included United Fire Group (NASDAQ: UFCS), down 4.9 percent, and Hilltop Holdings (NYSE: HTH), off 3.7 percent.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: MAKO Surgical Corp.(MAKO)
MAKO Surgical Corp., a medical device company, markets its advanced robotic arm solution and orthopedic implants for orthopedic procedures in the United States and internationally. The company offers MAKOplasty, a restorative surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to treat patient specific osteoarthritic disease. It also provides robotic arm interactive orthopedic system (RIO) consisting of a tactile robotic arm utilizing an integrated bone cutting instrument; and a patient specific visualization component, which offers pre-operative and intra-operative guidance to the orthopedic surgeon, enabling tissue sparing bone removal, and accurate implant insertion and alignment. The company?s MAKOplasty partial knee arthroplasty solution enables resurfacing of one or two specific diseased compartments of the joint, preserving more soft tissue and healthy bone of the knee; and MAKOplasty Total Hip Arthroplasty, a surgical solution that enables orthopedic surgeons to pe rform total hip arthroplasty. In addition, it offers tactile guidance system, which allows orthopedic surgeons to treat degenerative knee osteoarthritis from early-stage unicompartmental degeneration through mid-stage multicompartmental degeneration with a modular knee implant system; and RESTORIS family of implants for use in single and bicompartmental knee resurfacing procedures. The company markets its products through direct sales force, as well as through independent orthopedic product agents and distributors. MAKO Surgical Corp. was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jake L'Ecuyer]
Equities Trading UP
MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO) shot up 82.38 percent to $29.49 after the company agreed to be acquired by Stryker (NYSE: SYK) for $30 per share in cash. Shares of Ascena Retail Group (NASDAQ: ASNA) got a boost, shooting up 16.34 percent to $20.17 after the company reported upbeat fiscal fourth-quarter results. - [By Dan Burrows]
A 2.3% sales tax is indeed tough to swallow. Even an unprofitable medical device company like Mako Surgical (MAKO) — which recently was bought by Stryker (SYK) — would have to pay the tax. Eesh.
- [By Steve Symington]
It seems an understatement to say�MAKO Surgical� (NASDAQ: MAKO ) has fallen hard from its March 2012 high of nearly $44 per share. To be sure, from MAKO's current price of around $11.50 per share, the stock would need to nearly quadruple for investors who bought at the peak to recoup their losses:
- [By Dan Caplinger]
The companies that are hit hardest by the tax are those that are already unprofitable even before paying the new levy. For up-and-coming robotics-maker MAKO Surgical (NASDAQ: MAKO ) , which has already lost $32.5 million on revenue of slightly more than $100 million over the past 12 months, imposing what could be up to $2.3 million in additional medical-device taxes not only adds insult to injury but threatens MAKO's ability to keep growing.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Spartan Motors Inc (SPAR)
Spartan Motors, Inc. is an engineer and manufacturer in the heavy-duty, custom vehicles marketplace. The Company has five wholly owned operating subsidiaries: Spartan Motors Chassis, Inc. (Spartan Chassis), Crimson Fire, Inc. (Crimson), Crimson Fire Aerials, Inc. (Crimson Aerials), Utilimaster Corporation (Utilimaster) and Classic Fire LLC (Classic Fire). Spartan Chassis is a designer, engineer and manufacturer of custom heavy-duty chassis. The chassis consist of a frame assembly, engine, transmission, electrical system, running gear (wheels, tires, axles, suspension and brakes) and, for fire trucks and some specialty chassis applications, a cab. Crimson engineers and manufactures fire trucks built on chassis platforms purchased from either Spartan Chassis or outside sources. Crimson Aerials engineers and manufactures aerial ladder components for fire trucks. Classic Fire engineers and manufactures fire trucks that are built on commercial chassis. Utilimaster is a manufacturer of specialty vehicles made to customer specifications in the delivery and service market, including walk-in vans and hi-cube vans, as well as truck bodies. The Company is organized into two segments: Specialty Vehicles, which consists of the Company's emergency response chassis, motor home chassis, specialty vehicle chassis, emergency response bodies and related aftermarket parts and assemblies operations, and Delivery and Service Vehicles, consisting of delivery and service vehicles. On April 1, 2011, the Company acquired Classic Fire LLC (Classic Fire). In January 2013, the Company sold majority of its Wakarusa, Indiana facility to Forest River, Inc. On December 31, 2013, the Company sold its residual 35% interest in Folkestone SI 1 Pty Ltd to Folkestone Limited.
Specialty Vehicles
The Company's Specialty Vehicles segment consists of four wholly owned subsidiaries, Spartan Chassis, Crimson, Crimson Aerials, and Classic Fire. Spartan Chassis designs and manufactures custom chassis for emergency respons! e vehicles, motor homes and other specialty vehicles. Crimson and Classic Fire specialize in the manufacture of emergency response bodies, while Crimson Aerials specializes in the engineering and manufacture of aerial ladders and emergency response vehicle bodies. Sales from the Specialty Vehicles segment represented 61.1% during the year ended December 31, 2011.
The Company manufactures emergency response chassis and cabs to exact customer specifications. The Company has four fire truck models: Gladiator chassis, Metro Star chassis, Spartan Force chassis and Metro Star RT (rescue transport). The Company engineers and manufactures bodies for custom and commercial emergency response vehicles and apparatus. The Company engineers, manufactures and markets aerial ladder components for fire trucks. The Company manufactures chassis to the individual specifications of its motor home chassis original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Motor home chassis are into three models: Mountain Master series chassis, K2 series chassis and K3 series chassis.
Through its Spartan Chassis subsidiary, the Company develops specialized chassis to unique customer requirements. The Company also assembles the Isuzu N-Series Gasoline Cab-Forward Trucks.
Delivery and Service Vehicles
The Company manufactures delivery and service vehicles. The Company designs, develops, and manufactures products to customer specifications for use in the package delivery, one-way truck rental, bakery/snack delivery, utility, and linen/uniform rental businesses. The majority of its revenues are in the delivery and service market, which includes walk-in vans for the package delivery, bakery/snack delivery and linen/uniform rental markets. Its remaining revenues are from commercial truck bodies, along with aftermarket parts and assemblies. Sales from the Delivery and Service Vehicles segment represented 48.9% for the year ended December 31, 2011. The principal types of commercial vehicles are walk-in vans,! cutaway ! vans and truck bodies. Walk-in vans are sold under the Aeromaster brand. Cutaway vans are installed on cutaway van chassis, and are sold under the Utilimaster, Utilivan, Metromaster and Trademaster brand names. Cutaway bodies are primarily used for local delivery of parcels, freight and perishable food.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Spartan Motors (Nasdaq: SPAR ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below. - [By John Seward]
Timken Steel Corp. will replace Greenhill & Co. (NYSE: GHL), and Greenhill replaces Spartan Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: SPAR) in the SmallCap 600 June 30. Timken Co. (NYSE: TKR) is spinning off TimkenSteel to shareholders.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Northstar Realty Finance Corp. (NRF)
NorthStar Realty Finance Corp. operates as a real estate investment trust in the United States. It invests in real estate debt business, which acquires, originates, and structures debt investments secured primarily by income-producing real estate properties; real estate securities business that invests in commercial real estate debt securities, including commercial mortgage backed securities, REIT unsecured debt, and credit tenant loans; and net lease properties business, which acquires properties that are primarily net leased to corporate tenants. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT and it would not be subject to federal income tax, provided it distributes at least 90% of its taxable income to its shareholders. NorthStar Realty Finance was founded in 1997 and is based in New York City.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Lauren Pollock]
NorthStar Realty Finance Corp.(NRF) disclosed a plan to spin off its asset-management business into a separate publicly traded company, a move investors praised. NorthStar’s shares rose 17% to $11.60 premarket.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Not only will following the north star help you find your way when lost, but it will lead you to riches, too. NorthStar Realty Finance� (NYSE: NRF ) �announced yesterday it�will pay a�regular quarterly dividend�of $0.19 per share on May 17 to the holders of record at the close of business on May 13.�
- [By alicet236]
Northstar Realty Finance Corporation (NRF): Chairman and CEO David T. Hamamoto Sold 639,182 Shares
Chairman and CEO of Northstar Realty Finance Corporation (NRF) David T. Hamamoto sold 639,182 shares on 01/13/2014 at an average price of $14.14. NorthStar Realty Finance Corporation is a Maryland corporation formed in October 2003. Northstar Realty Finance Corporation has a market cap of $4.16 billion; its shares were traded at around $14.00 with and P/S ratio of 4.15. The dividend yield of Northstar Realty Finance Corporation stocks is 5.57%.
- [By Lisa Levin]
NorthStar Realty Finance (NYSE: NRF) surged 8.86% to $17.45. The volume of NorthStar Realty Finance shares traded was 419% higher than normal. American Realty Capital Properties (NASDAQ: ARCP) is in talks for a takeover of NorthStar Realty Finance, Financial Times' Ed Hammond said on Twitter.
Top 10 Performing Stocks To Own For 2014: Woodside Petroleum Ltd (WPL)
Woodside Petroleum Ltd (Woodside) is an Australia-based oil and gas company. Woodside, along with its subsidiaries is engaged in hydrocarbon exploration, evaluation, development, production and marketing. As of December 31, 2011, the Company produced around 700,000 barrels of oil equivalent each day from a portfolio of facilities, which it operates on behalf of some of the major oil and gas companies. It operating facilities include six liquefied natural gas (LNG) trains, five offshore platforms and four oil floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels. It is one of the non-government operators LNG plants. The Company operates six segments: North West Shelf Business Unit, Australia Oil Business Unit, Pluto Business Unit, Browse Business Unit, United States Business Unit and Other. In September 2012, it sold a minority portion of its equity in the proposed Browse LNG Development to Japan Australia LNG (MIMI Browse) Pty Ltd. Advisors' Opinion:- [By Yoshiaki Nohara]
Australia�� S&P/ASX 200 Index retreated 0.7 percent, led by energy and financial shares. Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (WPL), Australia�� second-biggest oil and gas producer, dropped 2 percent to A$34.67. Westpac Banking Corp. (WBC), Australia�� No. 2 lender by market value, shed 1.2 percent to A$27.47.
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