Latest news with #Covey
New Straits Times
01-06-2025
- General
- New Straits Times
MONEY THOUGHTS: Quit stalling – Just get it done!
"EAT your vegetables. Save your money. Exercise. Stop procrastinating. Read more. Learn to invest." Do some of those pointed pieces of advice sound familiar? Do people who care for you nag about your diet, finances, weight, and life in general? What about, "Work harder; work longer; work smarter?" Interestingly, those career-centric exhortations are probably not hurled at you from the outside, but are internally generated as you "talk" to yourself — silently, I hope — while toiling from morning till evening or, as is increasingly the norm, from dawn till after nightfall. Each bit of advice, be it externally or internally generated, is solid. Unfortunately, sheer willpower won't permit us to internalise beneficial behaviour. We aren't wired that way. Qualitatively, the way to weave good behaviour into the fabric of our lives is, ironically, the same way we overlay bad behaviour onto our personalities. The late Stephen Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, taught his readers, students and clients this lesson: "Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny." Mull upon Covey's five-part sequence: Thought to action to habit to character to destiny. The third and middle link in that five-part life journey from thought to destiny is "habit". And all of us grow up with a unique blend of good and bad habits. GOOD HABIT, BAD HABIT Our good habits, taken together, help us rise in life. (Consider a poor hardworking student in, say, India who excels at school, wins scholarships, attends a top-notch university, joins a Silicon Valley tech company in the United States, and eventually is elevated to the position of chief executive officer within a healthy ecosystem that rewards meritocracy) Conversely, our bad habits, collectively, drag us down into the figurative muck and mud of a sorry existence. (Countless stories have been written and shown on screen of ne'er do well children from privileged and wealthy families who destroy themselves through habitual alcohol and drug misuse, and end up in the gutter.) Let's face it: We're all human, which means we are, without exception, mosaics of different habits — good, neutral and bad. Within the financial sphere of our lives, regular readers of Money Thoughts know that I've recently focused on a money-centric: 1. Principle — buy-low-sell-high; 2. Strategy — Dollar-Cost-Averaging or DCA; and 3. System — using a bank's standing instruction- or SI-based facility. (Bookmark if you'd like to read those specific columns, and others.) Today, we will explore the centrality of emotionless, automated saving and investing using a bank SI. MAKING THE SHIFT Most people I know have more than one bank account, typically three or four, spanning different banks. Having said that, we all use one specific bank more frequently than the others. Our preference may be based on the availability of helpful bank staff, ATM (automated teller machine) network coverage, proximity to our home or workplace, savings and fixed deposit interest rates, and relative ease of using online banking systems. At the start of this column, I mentioned the self-talk we indulge in regarding work. As much as we may love our work, we all must make the shift — across our lifespans — of merely working for money to having our money work for us. We begin the process by setting aside money to work for us by saving it and investing it. The more consistently we carry out both of those core life disciplines, the better our financial lives will be: today and tomorrow. As Stephen Covey wrote, "The key is not to prioritise what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities." Within the context of saving and investing steadily and emotionlessly, regardless of how we feel and how tumultuous capital markets may be, there is no better bank-based service than the SI. Confession: I rely heavily on my established bank SIs. Therefore, I recommend you establish a realistic written budget which integrates a reasonable degree of delayed gratification into it to help you generate a consistent cash flow surplus. This can work whether you earn RM2,000, RM20,000 or RM200,000 a month. (While most of us inhabit the lower end of that scale, what is important is not how much we earn but how much we save.) QUIT STALLING When it comes to nurturing the crucially good habit of saving regularly, which will then lead to the even better habit of investing regularly, the best system I know is harnessing a monthly bank SI to fuel a long-term savings and investment programme. To learn how to set up your first SI you might chat with your friendly neighbourhood banker, a trusted unit trust consultant, a licensed financial planner, or a family member or friend with a compelling mix of great financial habits and relevant experience. I hope you choose to act on this. When you begin, start "low" and go "slow". Over time — as this wonderfully good habit embeds itself within your psyche — you can ramp up the amounts you extract from today's cashflow to balloon your capital pile to fund tomorrow's needs, wants and dreams. So, quit stalling. Get it done! © 2025 Rajen Devadason
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
6 takeaways about Alex Fairly's journey into Texas GOP politics
Alex Fairly, an Amarillo businessman, is the newest Republican megadonor making waves in the Texas capitol. Last week, The Texas Tribune published a story about his sudden rise as a major powerbroker and one of the most prolific donors to GOP legislative candidates. The story details Fairly's involvement in last year's turbulent Republican primaries through this year's contentious race for House Speaker. Initially, Fairly aligned with ultraconservatives in an ongoing GOP civil war challenging more establishment Republicans. Fairly spent heavily to try and oust former House Speaker Dade Phelan — who critics labeled a Republican in Name Only, or a RINO — from the Legislature. Fairly also advocated against current Speaker Dustin Burrows in the race for House leader and spent millions supporting hardline conservative candidates for 19 House seats across the state. [Texas megadonor Alex Fairly joined forces with the GOP's ultraconservative wing. He didn't like what he saw.] But Fairly told The Texas Tribune in an interview that once he started digging into the speaker race, he didn't like what he saw. He concluded that he had been misled about much of Texas Republican politics by the well-organized political operation funded largely by oil billionaire Tim Dunn, one of the most feared and influential conservative figures in Texas politics. Here are six takeaways from our coverage: Fairly spent most of his life being apolitical. He didn't register to vote in Texas until he was 37. Before 2024, Fairly's political contributions included only a few big checks to statewide officials, including Attorney General Ken Paxton and Lt. Gov Dan Patrick. He was also a major supporter of U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Amarillo. By the end of that year, Fairly would be the 10th biggest donor in legislative races, giving $2.2 million to 19 House candidates and one Senate candidate across the state, according to a Tribune analysis. Fairly gave the most money to Phelan's primary challenger David Covey, funnelling $700,000 to Covey's campaign, most of which was sent after Covey pushed Phelan into a primary runoff. Overall, Fairly's giving made up more than a quarter of all of the money Covey raised. The majority of other donations were between $50,000 and $100,000. However, in local House races, that could be a significant contribution. For instance, Fairly's $150,000 donation to Rep. Denise Villalobos, R-Corpus Christi, accounted for 12% of her total haul. His donations to his daughter's race — $525,600 — accounted for 43% of her contributions. As Fairly's support for hardliners became more prolific, he got an invitation to meet Dunn at his political headquarters outside Fort Worth. Fairly said he got a tour of Dunn's operation, including the network of consulting, fundraising and campaign operations. For years, this operation has worked to support extremely conservative candidates and target those who they deem too centrist in an effort to shift the state further to the right. Dunn asked Fairly if he'd be willing to partner with him. At the time, Fairly seemed well positioned to be a second Dunn-like figure, who could add pressure and funding to Dunn's political aims. Fairly eventually turned down Dunn, saying it wasn't the right time. He would later come to the conclusion that he opposed what he called dishonest and bigoted attacks used by Dunn's network, entirely. A few months later, Fairly went back to Dunn in an effort to try and get him to change the way they try to achieve their common conservative goals. A few months after Phelan hung onto his House seat by 389 votes, Fairly asked him to meet. Fairly said it wasn't a peace offering, but if Phelan was going to remain House speaker, he wanted to see if he would run the House in a different way. During the tense meeting last August, Phelan and Fairly discussed the best way to manage the lower chamber. Phelan told Fairly was naive about Texas politics. At one point, Phelan accused Fairly of paying for the ugly tactics used in the campaign against him — including accusing him of supporting Sharia law because he supported a resolution commemorating a Muslim holiday. Fairly ended up apologizing. After the party's far-right flank continued to attack Phelan in his quest to be speaker for a third session, he eventually dropped out of the leadership race. A new battle would emerge between Phelan-ally, Dustin Burrows of Lubbock, and Rep. David Cook of Mansfield, who would challenge the establishment Republicans in the House. In mid-December, the Texas House was embroiled in an ugly fight over who Republicans should support to lead the lower chamber. The House Speaker is the leader of the lower chamber who plays a key role in what bills are passed. More establishment Republicans had aligned behind Burrows while many in the GOP caucus were behind Cook who campaigned on reforming the House to reduce the power of Democrats. The far-right groups behind Cook, including Dunn's PAC and the Republican Party of Texas — which is largely funded by Dunn's PACs — accused Burrows of being a secret liberal. Fairly believed this to be true, and felt Republicans needed to come together behind Cook. He announced he was pouring $20 million into a new PAC 'out of concern that the Texas House still lacks a united Republican majority.' 'These funds will be available to help expand a true Republican majority,' Fairly said. 'My strong hope is that we can focus them on expanding victories in the next general election." But after a series of meetings with lawmakers, including Burrows supporter and incoming freshman John McQueeney, Fairly started to see how lawmakers were being harassed and targeted by dishonest attacks. A few days before the start of the Legislature, he released a new statement reversing his stance on the speaker race. 'The vote for Speaker belongs to the members,' Fairly wrote in his statement. In the months leading up to the legislative session, Rep. Caroline Fairly was struggling with her own decision over who she would support for House speaker. She originally sided with Cook, but didn't agree with the characterizations of Burrows as a liberal, and thought it was hypocritical to attack Burrows for making deals with Democrats when Cook had openly courted Democrats for votes, too. But she felt she needed to stick with Cook at the risk of being attacked as a RINO. When her dad changed directions with his PAC, she felt she pressure to remain with Cook to avoid criticisms that her father, who was her campaign's top financial supporter, controlled her seat. But the morning of the speaker race, Caroline Fairly woke up and said she couldn't stick with Cook. 'I won't start my tenure as your representative capitulating to outside pressures to place a vote I disagree with,' she wrote in her statement announcing her decision to switch sides. Once the legislative session was underway, Fairly went back to Dunn to see if he would consider changing how his operation works. Over a span of a few months, the two men met multiple times to discuss if there were better ways to achieve conservative goals in the state that didn't require eviscerating fellow Republicans. He commended Dunn for having a candid and difficult conversation, but wasn't optimistic anything would change. Last month, after Republican Party of Texas Chair Abraham George posted on social media a threat to primary Republican lawmakers who don't pass all GOP priority bills, Fairly called him and tried to get him to stop. '[Dunn's network] is the place where you can get money, whether it's their money or their friends' money,' Fairly said he told George. 'But … the thing that you live on is choking the life out of you.' Fairly still hasn't spent his PAC money. He remains a deeply conservative Republican and is still aligning with hardliners like Paxton. As Fairly considers his next move on the state stage, he says he's intent to remain his own person, rather than committing to join any specific political faction. 'Everyone puts people in a camp, and because I don't really just fit in one, it feels it doesn't make that much sense to people,' Fairly said. 'That's just who I am, and I think I'm really comfortable with it.' First round of TribFest speakers announced! Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Maureen Dowd; U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio; Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker; U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California; and U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas are taking the stage Nov. 13–15 in Austin. Get your tickets today!
CBS News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Rams sign former Eagles kick returner Britain Covey to a 1-year deal
Kick returner and receiver Britain Covey agreed to a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. Covey spent the past three seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, who signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Utah. Covey returned two punts for the Eagles in the Super Bowl as a rookie in February 2023, and he led the NFL in punt return yardage during the 2023 season after being released and fighting his way back onto the roster from the Eagles' practice squad. He missed all but five games last season because of a shoulder injury that was followed by a neck injury. He went on injured reserve in late December, sidelining him for Philadelphia's Super Bowl championship run. Covey averaged 11.3 yards per punt return over the past three seasons, the fourth-highest mark in the NFL during that stretch. He also had 11 receptions for 76 yards while playing in 38 games during his Eagles tenure. Receiver Xavier Smith was the Rams' primary punt returner last season, returning 16 punts for 149 yards. Los Angeles returned just 18 punts last season, the fewest in the NFL, while its 161 yards of punt returns were the third fewest. Covey was a prolific receiver and one of the nation's top kick returners during his five collegiate seasons with the Utes. He made a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the Rose Bowl against Ohio State.
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
New Rams WR Britain Covey's high school highlight reel is absolutely electric
New Rams WR Britain Covey's high school highlight reel is absolutely electric Britain Covey is the newest member of the Los Angeles Rams after signing a one-year deal with the defending NFC West champions on Monday. He's an electric return specialist who led the NFL in punt return yards in 2023, consistently making defenders miss in the open field. It's something he's been doing since he was a high school quarterback at Timpview in Utah. Covey was only a starter for two years but he put up some eye-popping numbers. He had nearly 7,400 yards of total offense, throwing for 4,492 yards with 56 touchdown passes and rushing for 2,904 yards with another 44 touchdowns on the ground. He led Timpview to a perfect 26-0 record in those two years as a starter, scoring a total of 111 touchdowns in two years, fourth-most in Utah high school history. The only thing more impressive than those numbers is his highlight reel. These are just his rushing highlights, but they show how elusive he was in high school. There wasn't anyone who could tackle him, making anyone and everyone miss in the open field. It's easy to see why Covey is such a talented returner because when he has the ball in his hands, he's tough to get on the ground. It almost wasn't fair to opposing defenders in high school because he was on a different level agility-wise. He also showed good toughness and strength to fight through some of those tackles, but jukes were his bread and butter.
USA Today
05-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
6 things to know about new Rams WR Britain Covey, the NFL's top punt returner in 2023
6 things to know about new Rams WR Britain Covey, the NFL's top punt returner in 2023 The Los Angeles Rams added another return specialist and wide receiver to their roster on Monday when they signed Britain Covey to a one-year deal. Covey spent the last three years with the Eagles, primarily contributing as a returner in Philadelphia. He'll now try to make the Rams' roster this offseason, potentially helping out on offense and special teams. Here are six things to know about the Rams' newest addition to the roster. He grew up in the same city as Puka Nacua Covey and Nacua have one thing in common: They're both from Provo, Utah. Covey is 5 years older than Nacua and attended a different high school (Timpview) but they both have ties to Provo. While Nacua was actually born in Las Vegas and grew up in Provo, Covey was born and raised in the city. He attended the University of Utah after graduating high school, staying close to home. He was an outstanding high school QB, going 26-0 as a starter Covey was only a starter in high school for two years but he certainly made them count. As Timpview's starting QB, he went a perfect 26-0, won back-to-back state championships, threw 56 touchdown passes and had 4,492 passing yards and was named Utah Valley Football Player of the Year twice. He did a lot of his damage on the ground, too, rushing for 2,904 yards and 44 touchdowns. In his career, he scored 111 total touchdowns. He was a first-team All-American returner in 2021 Covey had an instant impact at Utah, earning Freshman All-American honors in his first year when he led the Utes in receiving with 519 yards on 43 catches. He was also an honorable mention All-Pac 12 and had a 77-yard punt return for a touchdown as a freshman. After missing two years for an LDS religious mission in Chile, he returned to Utah in 2018 and picked up right where he left off. He was first-team All-Pac 12 as a returner in 2018, 2020 and 2021, also earning first-team All-American honors in his final season in 2021. He had three return touchdowns that year, all from at least 78 yards out. He's Utah's all-time leading punt returner As good as Covey was on offense, he was especially impactful as a returner. He finished his career at Utah as the school's all-time leader with 1,092 punt return yards, scoring five total return touchdowns. His best season came in 2021 when he had 29 punt returns for 427 yards and two touchdowns, also returning a kickoff 97 yards for a score. He led the NFL in punt return yards in 2023 Covey earned a spot on the Eagles' roster after going undrafted in 2022 because of his return skills. He returned 33 punts as a rookie in 2022, along with 10 kickoffs, totaling 514 all-purpose yards in his first year. He came back in 2023 and was even better, returning 29 punts for an NFL-leading 417 yards with a long of 54 yards. He's still waiting to score his first NFL touchdown but with his elusiveness, he could return a kick to the house at some point soon. He won Super Bowl LIX last season with the Eagles Covey didn't play in the Super Bowl and was limited to just five games, but he was still a member of the Eagles' championship squad. He caught seven passes for 34 yards in 2024 and returned six punts for 46 yards. He had two stints on the injured reserve list, which limited his availability significantly.
