When people think about family law, they often picture courtrooms, legal filings, and difficult conversations. Those moments are certainly part of the job, but they do not tell the whole story.

For more than two decades, Nedda Ledgerwood, California,  has built her career around preparation, thoughtful decision-making, and helping people understand a complex legal process. Based in Campbell, California, she has developed an independent family law practice that includes divorce litigation, mediation, and representation of children in family law proceedings. Along the way, she has learned that no two families are the same, and no two cases should be approached the same way.

“My career has taught me that you have to be willing to listen and learn what someone wants before moving forward,” Nedda says. “Every family has its own story, and that story deserves careful attention.”

Building an Independent Practice from the Ground Up

In 2005, Nedda made a decision that would shape the rest of her career. Early in her career, she opened her own law practice.

The beginning was modest. She shared office space with other experienced attorneys in Sunnyvale while building her client base one case at a time. Starting her own firm also gave her something she valued personally: the flexibility to grow a career while she and her husband were starting a family.

“I wanted to work for myself,” she says. “It allowed me to build a practice that reflected my values while creating the flexibility that was important for my family.”

As the years passed, her practice expanded throughout the San Jose area. While her case load and experience grew, the principles behind the practice remained consistent. She wanted clients to receive straightforward advice, honest communication, and careful preparation.

Experience Is Built One Case at a Time

Success in family law rarely comes from treating every situation the same way.

For Nedda, every case has added another layer of experience. Every client has presented different challenges, different priorities, and different goals, but there are some cases that are just much more complicated than others.

“You can never assume that because you’ve handled one case, you’ve seen them all,” she says. “Every family brings its own circumstances, and asking questions teaches you what you need to know.”

That perspective has reinforced the importance of continual learning. People and laws evolve. Court procedures change. Families face new challenges. An attorney’s responsibility is to keep learning alongside them.

Preparation has become one of the habits that defines her work. Before important meetings or hearings, she carefully reviews case files and notes. She also values discussing complex issues with trusted colleagues when different perspectives can improve the outcome.

“I read my case files carefully and review my notes,” Nedda explains. “I also talk with colleagues. Good preparation gives you a stronger foundation for making sound decisions.”

Building Expertise Across Family Law

Over the course of her career, Nedda’s work has extended across several areas of family law.

She represents clients navigating divorce litigation. She helps families resolve disputes through mediation. She also serves as an attorney representing children, giving young people a voice during legal proceedings that can have a lasting impact on their lives.

Each role requires a different mindset.

Litigation calls for careful legal analysis and advocacy. Mediation requires neutrality and bridging  communication. Representing children demands thoughtful listening and an understanding that their experiences are often different from those of the adults involved. All require problem-solving.

Those responsibilities have broadened her perspective as an attorney.

“I’ve learned that education is incredibly important,” she says. “When people understand the process, they are better prepared to make informed decisions.”

Helping clients understand what to expect has become just as important as explaining the law itself.

Professional Lessons That Continue to Shape Her Work

After more than twenty years in family law, Nedda believes experience is less about having all the answers and more about asking better questions.

One lesson has remained consistent throughout her career: assumptions can create unnecessary problems.

“I encourage people to ask questions and stay open to different perspectives,” she says. “It’s important to realize you can be wrong and continue learning.”

She also believes professionalism depends on maintaining composure, even when emotions are running high.

“Stay even-tempered,” she says. “Don’t engage in unhealthy dynamics. Focus on understanding the situation before reacting.”

Those habits have become part of her professional routine because they help create better conversations and, ultimately, better legal representation.

Contributing to the Family Law Profession

For Nedda, practicing law has never been only about resolving individual cases.

She believes attorneys also have a responsibility to strengthen confidence in the legal profession through integrity, preparation, and consistent follow-through.

“My goal has always been to enjoy the work I do while helping people,” she says. “I also want to contribute positively to the reputation of the legal profession.”

That commitment continues to shape her practice today.

Whether she is preparing for litigation, guiding clients through mediation, or representing children, her focus remains the same: approaching every matter with careful preparation, honest communication, and a willingness to keep learning.

After more than two decades, those principles continue to define both her career and the practice she has built in California.

Every day, business leaders and investors are flooded with headlines, opinions, and predictions. New technologies emerge overnight, markets react in real time, and social media offers endless perspectives on what comes next.

While the volume of information has never been greater, Josh Koren Miami investor and former hedge fund manager, believes one skill has become even more valuable: the ability to think independently.

Over more than 15 years on Wall Street, Koren has built his career by focusing on research instead of reactions. From his start in investment banking to leading research teams and founding his own hedge fund, he has learned that long-term success comes from asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and staying committed to understanding the businesses behind the headlines.

“When information is everywhere, your advantage comes from understanding it better than everyone else,” Koren says. “Research gives you confidence. Headlines only give you opinions.”

Learning the Value of Preparation

Koren grew up in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where preparation became part of his mindset at an early age. He played ice hockey throughout his youth, an experience that taught him discipline, accountability, and the importance of putting in the work long before the game begins.

That same approach carried into the classroom. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance with a concentration in Financial Accounting from Penn State while also taking classes at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The combination gave him both a strong financial foundation and a broader perspective on business and global markets.

“I’ve always enjoyed understanding how businesses work,” Koren says. “Financial results matter, but they only tell part of the story. You have to understand the people, the strategy, and what makes a company different.”

Building a Foundation on Wall Street

Koren began his career in the Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Evercore Partners, where he worked on complex transactions and learned how experienced professionals evaluate businesses from every angle. The role reinforced the value of preparation and taught him that strong decisions are rarely made without careful analysis.

From there, he continued building his expertise through analyst roles at JAT Capital Management and Caxton Associates before becoming a Managing Director at Kavi Asset Management. Each stop introduced him to different investment philosophies and research processes, helping him refine his own approach over time.

Rather than searching for shortcuts, Koren learned that every business deserves to be evaluated on its own merits.

“Every company has its own story,” he says. “The challenge is separating temporary excitement from long-term business fundamentals.”

Developing an Independent Perspective

After years of working alongside respected investors, Koren founded Musketeer Capital Partners, a long and short equity hedge fund focused on technology, media, and telecommunications companies. Building his own firm allowed him to create an investment process centered on independent thinking and disciplined research.

He later became Head of Technology, Media and Telecommunications and Director of Research at Pleasant Lake Partners, where he continues analyzing companies operating in some of the fastest-changing sectors of the economy.

Throughout his career, Koren has found that meaningful insights often come from looking beyond conventional wisdom rather than simply following consensus.

“It’s easy to follow the crowd,” he says. “It’s much harder to develop conviction through your own work. That’s where experience becomes valuable.”

Make Better Decisions by Asking Better Questions

After spending years evaluating businesses, Koren believes one of the biggest mistakes people make is searching for quick answers instead of asking better questions. Whether someone is leading a company, building a business, or evaluating an opportunity, he says thoughtful decisions begin with curiosity.

“People naturally want certainty,” Koren says. “But in business, certainty is rare. The goal isn’t to know everything. It’s to understand enough to make a thoughtful decision.”

He encourages leaders to avoid making decisions based solely on headlines or popular opinion. Instead, he believes it is more valuable to understand why a company succeeds, what risks could change its direction, and whether its strengths can endure over time.

That mindset has guided him throughout his career. While industries evolve and technologies change, disciplined thinking remains one of the few competitive advantages that never goes out of style.

“The best decisions usually aren’t the fastest,” he says. “They’re the ones backed by preparation, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge your own assumptions.”

Explaining Complex Industries in a Changing World

Technology continues to reshape nearly every industry, creating both opportunities and uncertainty for businesses and investors. As someone who has spent much of his career focused on the technology, media, and telecommunications sectors, Koren has become a regular contributor on CNBC, where he shares perspectives on artificial intelligence, software, semiconductors, and many of the world’s largest technology companies.

Rather than focusing on short-term market movements, his commentary often centers on understanding the long-term business trends behind them. He believes that while technologies evolve quickly, the principles used to evaluate strong companies remain remarkably consistent.

“Technology changes quickly,” Koren says. “The questions don’t. Is the business improving? Can it continue creating value? Those are the things that matter.”

Staying Curious for the Long Term

Away from Wall Street, Koren enjoys surfing, kiteboarding, wake sports, boxing, and mixed martial arts. Each activity requires patience, focus, and the ability to stay composed under pressure, qualities that also influence how he approaches his professional life.

Looking back on his career, Koren believes that experience is valuable not because it provides all the answers, but because it teaches people how to keep asking the right questions.

In a world where information is unlimited, and opinions compete for attention every minute, he believes thoughtful research and independent thinking remain lasting advantages for leaders in every industry.

“There’s always another headline,” Koren says. “What lasts is your ability to think clearly and keep learning.”

SpaceX shares climbed nearly 6% Tuesday morning, trading at $121.28 as of 9:35 a.m. Eastern time, as investors positioned ahead of the company’s first quarterly earnings report as a publicly traded company, due after the closing bell.

Tuesday’s gains extend a rebound that began Monday, when SpaceX shares rose 5.7%, snapping a seven-session losing streak that had pushed the stock well below its June initial public offering price. Despite the two-day rally, shares remain down roughly 30% from SpaceX’s $135 IPO price and more than 45% below the $225.64 all-time high the stock reached on June 16, just days after it began trading on the Nasdaq.

A defining week for the newly public company

Tuesday’s earnings report marks SpaceX’s first financial disclosure as a public company since its record-setting $85.7 billion IPO in June, the largest in history. Management is scheduled to discuss the results on a live audio-only webcast at 4:30 p.m. Eastern time, giving investors their first detailed look at the company’s second-quarter performance across its three main business lines: space launch operations, Starlink connectivity, and a growing push into artificial-intelligence infrastructure.

The report also carries added significance because it triggers the first major release of insider-held shares under SpaceX’s staggered lock-up structure. Beginning Thursday, Aug. 6, roughly 911.5 million shares, representing up to 20% of eligible insider holdings, become eligible for sale, a pool of stock worth well over $100 billion at current prices. That looming supply increase has weighed heavily on investor sentiment in recent weeks, with some analysts warning that a wave of insider selling could pressure the stock further regardless of how Tuesday’s earnings are received.

Analysts remain broadly bullish despite the slide

Even as the stock has struggled since its debut, Wall Street’s overall outlook on SpaceX remains largely positive. Of 28 analysts covering the stock, 27 carry buy-equivalent ratings, with only one recommending a sell, according to data compiled by Benzinga. Consensus price targets sit in the range of $231 to $236, implying substantial potential upside from current levels, while Morgan Stanley has set a particularly bullish $300 price target. RBC Capital has maintained an Outperform rating with a $225 target heading into Tuesday’s results, and Bernstein has recommended buying the stock with a $239 price forecast.

Bernstein analysts told CNBC that Starship, SpaceX’s massive next-generation rocket system, remains the central factor investors should watch in justifying the company’s valuation, alongside its access to semiconductor supply, regulatory approvals and compute capacity for its expanding AI ambitions. The firm has argued that quarterly financial results matter less to the long-term investment case than management’s demonstrated confidence in the company’s broader growth trajectory.

A financial picture still defined by heavy losses

SpaceX’s underlying financials continue to show a company operating deep in the red even as revenue grows. The company posted a net loss of nearly $5 billion in 2025 on $18.7 billion in sales, followed by a first-quarter 2026 loss of about $4.28 billion. Within that overall picture, Starlink has emerged as the company’s lone clearly profitable segment, generating $1.19 billion in operating profit on $3.26 billion in first-quarter revenue, while SpaceX’s newer AI infrastructure segment posted a $2.47 billion operating loss over the same period.

Looking further ahead, SpaceX’s own capital expenditure projections point to a dramatic escalation in spending, growing from nearly $49 billion this year to as much as $118 billion by 2028, with total company debt projected to exceed $218 billion over that same stretch. That scale of planned investment, aimed largely at expanding launch capacity, Starlink infrastructure and AI computing power, has fueled ongoing debate among investors over whether SpaceX’s current valuation adequately accounts for the years of heavy spending still ahead.

Heavy short interest adds to the volatility

SpaceX has also become one of the most heavily shorted stocks on Wall Street since its debut, with bearish positions against the company valued at roughly $24.6 billion, a figure that exceeds the short interest built up against Tesla. Investors betting against the stock have accumulated an estimated $7.3 billion in mark-to-market gains since SpaceX began trading, reflecting the sharp decline in shares since their June peak. The options market is currently pricing an implied move of roughly 14% to 15% in either direction around Tuesday’s earnings release, underscoring just how much uncertainty remains heading into the report.

Broader market backdrop

SpaceX’s rally Tuesday came alongside broader strength across Wall Street, with Nasdaq futures up more than 0.6% and S&P 500 futures also higher in early trading, as investors digested a wave of strong corporate earnings from other major companies and continued optimism around easing tensions in the Middle East. That supportive backdrop has helped several beaten-down growth stocks, including SpaceX, find some footing in recent sessions even as company-specific concerns around valuation and share supply persist.

With earnings due after Tuesday’s close and the lock-up expiration following just two days later on Thursday, SpaceX faces a compressed window in which both its financial performance and the market’s appetite for a massive new supply of shares will be tested simultaneously. Analysts widely view the earnings report as the company’s best near-term opportunity to stabilize investor sentiment before insider selling potentially accelerates, though the scale of uncertainty reflected in the options market suggests Wall Street remains far from settled on how the results, and the days that follow, will ultimately play out for one of this year’s most closely watched newly public companies.

Crude oil price on August 5

Brent crude futures were down $1.1, or 1.34%, at $78.30 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude declined $1.43, or 2%, to trade at $74 a barrel.

Brent had settled more than 5% lower on Tuesday, extending Monday’s sharp decline after comments from Qatar fuelled hopes that an agreement could be reached soon. Before the conflict began, nearly 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the Strait of Hormuz, while oil prices had risen 50% in March alone.

Also read: Iran, Oman near Hormuz reopening deal as talks advance

Live Events

Speaking to CNBC, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington and Tehran could reach an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as early as Tuesday or Wednesday. According to him, such a deal would allow commercial vessels to move freely through the waterway.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was participating in talks involving Iran and Oman. While negotiations were moving forward, he noted that no final agreement had been reached.
Qatar, which is serving as a key mediator in the negotiations, said efforts were continuing to secure a short-term breakthrough that could pave the way for broader discussions between the U.S. and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump also spoke with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to discuss ways to de-escalate the situation. Separately, a Bloomberg report said Iran was considering allowing European countries to remove mines from the Strait of Hormuz, although Tehran has not officially confirmed the report.

A key hurdle in the negotiations remains whether Iran will continue to seek a degree of control over the strategic waterway and whether the U.S. will reject such a proposal.

Trump said on Monday that discussions with Tehran had begun and described the current situation as Iran’s “last chance” to strike a deal. Iranian officials, however, maintained that no negotiations with the U.S. were taking place.

Where is oil headed?

Read more: How the Iran war exposed cracks in the US-Israel partnership

Despite that risk, Goldman Sachs’ base case assumes tensions in the Middle East will eventually ease. Under that scenario, the bank expects Brent to average $80 a barrel in the fourth quarter and $75 a barrel next year. However, it said the risks to its forecast remain skewed to the upside, citing the possibility of continued disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

“The direction of our outlook is unchanged; the path and the timeline have shifted. We still expect oil to cool as we move into 2027, for three reasons: supply outside the conflict zone is expanding, with OPEC+ raising production targets, the UAE at record output and non-OPEC barrels responding to price,” said Anindya Banerjee, Head of Commodity Research at Kotak Securities.

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of Economic Times)

This article was written by

Follow

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of SLG, VNO either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

OpenAI and one of its subsidiaries will pay $3.2 million to settle allegations that they discriminated against U.S. workers by favoring foreign workers with temporary employment visas, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.

The Justice Department said the settlement resolves allegations that OpenAI and its subsidiary, Statsig Inc., violated the Immigration and Nationality Act through the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) process by discouraging qualified U.S. workers from applying for certain jobs.

According to the Justice Department, OpenAI and Statsig, which develops product software, recruited foreign workers for some positions while taking steps that discouraged U.S. applicants.

According to the DOJ, OpenAI did not advertise positions it sought to fill through the PERM program on its job website, even though its standard practice was to do so with other jobs.

CHINA NARROWS AMERICA’S AI LEAD AS HUAWEI EXPANDS ITS GLOBAL TECH FOOTPRINT, FORMER US OFFICIAL WARNS

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s company agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle Justice Department allegations involving its hiring practices while denying wrongdoing. (Reuters/Manuel Orbegozo / Reuters Photos)

Federal investigators alleged that OpenAI failed to advertise certain PERM positions on its careers website, required applicants to mail paper applications for those jobs while accepting electronic applications for other positions, and in some cases aired radio advertisements late at night, practices the Justice Department said discouraged U.S. workers from applying.

The settlement includes $1.2 million in civil penalties and $2 million to compensate alleged victims of discrimination. OpenAI also agreed to revise its employment policies, conduct training and submit to Justice Department monitoring.

OpenAI denied wrongdoing as part of the settlement agreement.

FED DISSENTERS WARN INFLATION COULD BECOME ENTRENCHED WITHOUT MONETARY POLICY TIGHTENING NOW

The Justice Department alleged OpenAI favored foreign workers with temporary employment visas for certain positions in violation of federal law. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“It is illegal to discriminate against U.S. workers by preferring temporary visa holders for jobs,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

“This substantial settlement ensures that OpenAI redresses harm and changes its recruitment practices so that U.S. workers receive a fair opportunity for highly sought-after technology positions,” Dhillon added.

President Donald Trump has previously argued that many companies abuse temporary employment visa programs and has sought to limit the hiring of foreign workers, including by proposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled workers. That proposal remains tied up in court.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

OpenAI will pay $3.2 million to settle Justice Department allegations involving its recruitment and hiring practices. (Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)

FOX Business has reached out to OpenAI for comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Most growing businesses hit the same wall with design. Demand for branding, websites and marketing collateral is rarely constant, so hiring a full-time designer can mean paying a salary that only earns its keep for part of the year.

Leaning on freelancers solves the cost problem but brings its own: variable availability, inconsistent quality and the time lost managing them. Increasingly, the businesses caught in the middle are turning to a third route, the white-label design studio.

The model has quietly become one of the more practical ways for agencies and busy companies to deliver design work without carrying the overheads. A white-label design studio such as VIVI Creative now runs a service built specifically for this, producing branding, websites and illustration that another business delivers under its own name. For business owners weighing it up, the useful question is not whether white-label is fashionable, but when it actually makes sense.

What White-Label Design Is

In a white-label arrangement, one business produces work that another sells under its own name. A studio designs the branding, website or marketing assets, and the agency or company presents the finished result to its own client as its own. The end client typically never knows a second team was involved.

The distinction from freelancing matters. A freelancer is usually a one-off hire for a single project. A white-label partner plugs into your workflow on an ongoing basis, works to your brand guidelines and operates under a confidentiality agreement, so the relationship stays behind the scenes, and the output stays consistent.

When It Makes Sense

Outsourcing design under your own brand tends to pay off in a few clear situations.

When demand is uneven. If design work comes in peaks and troughs, a white-label partner lets you scale production up and down without a fixed salary sitting idle in the quiet months.

When you want to widen what you offer. Agencies in particular use white-label studios to add branding, web or illustration to their service list without recruiting a specialist for each discipline.

When capacity is the bottleneck, if you are turning away work or straining to meet deadlines, an external partner absorbs the overflow while you keep the client relationship.

When consistency matters. A single ongoing partner who knows your brand delivers more predictable quality than a rotating cast of freelancers.

This flexibility is why the model has spread. It reflects a wider shift in how businesses source skills: Deloitte’s Global Outsourcing Survey found that agility and access to specialist talent now rank alongside cost as reasons to outsource, with most organisations planning to maintain or increase that investment.

When It Doesn’t

White-label is not always the answer. If design is core to what you sell and you need a team immersed in your product day to day, in-house may be worth the cost. If your needs are genuinely one-off, a freelancer or a traditional studio can be simpler. And the model only works with the right partner, one that communicates well, respects the confidentiality the arrangement depends on, and delivers to a standard you can put your name to.

How to Choose a Partner

A few questions separate a strong white-label partner from a risky one. Will they stay fully behind the scenes and never approach your client directly? Can they work to your brand guidelines rather than imposing their own house style? Is their turnaround reliable enough to build into your own deadlines? And can they show a portfolio and references that stand up to scrutiny?

Studios built around this model tend to be clear about how they work. VIVI Creative, for instance, runs its white-label service on exactly these terms, staying behind the scenes and working to the agency’s brand, an example of the more structured, partnership-led approach that has made the model viable for so many businesses.

The Bottom Line

For a business whose design needs rise and fall, or an agency that wants to offer more without building a creative department, white-label design has moved from a workaround to a legitimate strategy. The decision comes down to your own pattern of demand and the quality of the partner you choose. Get both right, and it becomes a way to grow the work you deliver without growing your fixed costs to match.