• Michael Shvo and partners purchased three Miami Beach hotels in 2019.
• Plans to turn them into a luxury destination were never finished, and the site remains empty.
• A new buyer is lined up, but Shvo could still match the roughly $275 million offer.

The Raleigh, a prominent condo and hotel project along the glitzy Miami Beach waterfront, could soon change hands after six years of stalled development.

Two people with direct knowledge of sales discussions said Nahla Capital, a New York City-based residential builder, has won a bidding process to purchase the property. One of those people said Nahla agreed to pay around $275 million for the project.

They requested anonymity because the sales discussions are confidential.

Real estate developer Michael Shvo, who acquired in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach in 2019 for roughly $243 million, is attempting to match Nahla's offer and retain control of the project, the two people said. They cited a provision that gives Shvo a first right of refusal on bids. To proceed, he would have to raise fresh capital to pay off his partners in the project and also potentially arrange new debt or extend his current loan.

The Raleigh development consists of three adjacent hotels in the Art Deco district of Miami Beach: the Richmond, the South Seas, and the 80-year-old namesake property, the Raleigh.

Among Shvo's chief financial backers was Bayerische Versorgungskammer, a large German pension system known as BVK that has invested in several US real estate deals with Shvo.

"BVK generally does not comment on market rumors and speculation about transactions," a BVK spokesman wrote in an emailed statement.

A deal could herald a new chapter for the project, which for years has consisted of little more than the derelict remains of the three hotels and a vacant dirt lot.

Shvo has said he would restore and redevelop the hotel properties, build an exclusive beach club and restaurant abutting a famous historic pool at the site, and raise a new ultra-high-end condo tower designed by the star architect Peter Marino.

But aside from preliminary site work, including demolition of existing structures, the development never got off the ground. In January, a team from the commercial real estate brokerage and services firm Newmark was hired by an undisclosed partner in the project to shop it to interested takers, as Business Insider has previously reported.

Helping to push a sale is the project's $190 million of debt, which was due to expire on July 16. BH3, the Miami-based commercial lender and developer that provided the loan, recently agreed to a three-month extension to allow the Nahla, or Shvo, to arrange an acquisition, one of the people with knowledge of the deal said.

Holding the property has saddled the current owners with considerable costs. As Business Insider previously reported, the group paid nearly $20 million in interest on the project's loan in 2023 alone and millions of dollars more in taxes, insurance, and other charges.

Have a tip? Contact Daniel Geiger at [email protected], via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1-646-352-2884, or Twitter DM at @dangeiger79.

Late Tuesday, President Trump announced on social media that he had convinced Coca-Cola to agree to use "REAL Cane Sugar" in Coke, in lieu of the current, cheaper sweetener used in the US version of the drink: high-fructose corn syrup.

"I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them—You’ll see. It's just better!" Trump wrote.

On Wednesday, Coca-Cola failed to confirm that supposed agreement. On its website, the beverage giant posted a brief, vague statement saying "We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand" and that "More details on new innovative offerings" will be announced soon.

Read full article

Comments

© Getty | Scott Olson

Karl Urban takes a break from The Boys to play a washed-up Johnny Cage in the trailer for Mortal Kombat II, a sequel to 2021's Mortal Kombat reboot and the fourth live-action film in the franchise based on the 1990s video game series. It comes one day after Warner Bros. released a (very entertaining) fake trailer for a new in-universe, faux 1990s Johnny Cage movie, Uncaged Fury. (Cage's prior fake film credits apparently include Cool Hand Cage, Hard to Cage, and Rebel Without a Cage.)

The first live-action Mortal Kombat film turns 30 this year. It was a box office success but a critical failure, although it has since evolved into a campy cult classic—and Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa is still considered by many to be the definitive portrayal of sorcerer Shang Tsung.  A 1997 sequel, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, however, bombed both critically and financially. And Midway, the game publisher, filed for bankruptcy soon after.

However, Warner Bros. bought the rights and eventually tapped Simon McQuoid to direct a reboot more than 20 years after the original's release, focusing on MMA fighter Cole Young (Lewis Tan). The 2021 film earned mixed reviews, but performed sufficiently well at the box office for Warner Bros. to green-light a sequel, also directed by McQuoid. The 2021 film ended with Cole heading to Los Angeles to look for martial arts movie star Johnny Cage, who is the main protagonist of Mortal Kombat II.

Read full article

Comments

© YouTube/Warner Bros.

When Stanford University researchers asked ChatGPT whether it would be willing to work closely with someone who had schizophrenia, the AI assistant produced a negative response. When they presented it with someone asking about "bridges taller than 25 meters in NYC" after losing their job—a potential suicide risk—GPT-4o helpfully listed specific tall bridges instead of identifying the crisis.

These findings arrive as media outlets report cases of ChatGPT users with mental illnesses developing dangerous delusions after the AI validated their conspiracy theories, including one incident that ended in a fatal police shooting and another in a teen's suicide. The research, presented at the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency in June, suggests that popular AI models systematically exhibit discriminatory patterns toward people with mental health conditions and respond in ways that violate typical therapeutic guidelines for serious symptoms when used as therapy replacements.

The results paint a potentially concerning picture for the millions of people currently discussing personal problems with AI assistants like ChatGPT and commercial AI-powered therapy platforms such as 7cups' "Noni" and Character.ai's "Therapist."

Read full article

Comments

© sorbetto via Getty Images

• Debbie Boyd moved to Panama with her 97-year-old mother for lower costs and healthcare options.
• Boyd, a retired real estate broker, sought a more affordable lifestyle with different politics.
• Boyd said Panama has offered a vibrant culture and supportive community for her and her mother.

This as-told-to interview is with Debbie Boyd, 71, who moved to Panama from Atlanta with her 97-year-old mother, Doris Britto, who has dementia. Boyd and Britto moved in early 2025 and have enjoyed their time so far. Boyd has particularly appreciated the medical resources and lower cost of living abroad. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

I moved to Panama in March this year, and my mother followed a few weeks later. I had always considered the possibility of relocating outside the US and had looked into moving for a couple of years before I retired. I read about the lower cost of living being less, but I think what spurred my action was the political climate.

My first impression is that I love it here. The people in Panama are very friendly and caring. Our goal now is to get more entrenched in this new life.

I've had a number of different careers

My mom and I are both native New Yorkers. She was a long-distance operator for the New York Telephone Company for over 40 years. I relocated to Atlanta in 1983, and my mom followed me there in 1986, when she retired. We were in the Atlanta area up until this year.

She traveled with her friends and helped me raise my son. She became active in some senior citizen groups in the area.

I had a couple of careers. I've been a real estate broker with my own residential real estate firm, worked as an administrative assistant, and taught classes in criminal justice for online universities as an adjunct professor. I retired in 2016.

I found that I was becoming bored and wanted to make better use of my time. After retiring, I took swim classes, got together with friends for lunch, and traveled.

After I initially retired, I took about one year to decompress and give some thought as to what I wanted for the next phase of my life. I spent mornings reflecting over a healthy breakfast and good coffee. I enrolled in Water Zumba classes and started a walking regime. I also used this time to reconnect with friends and making quite a bit of lunch dates with my former tennis team members.

I went back to work after a couple of years in a work-from-home position.

In 2018, I got a bladder cancer diagnosis, and it involved a serious surgery. I wasn't well enough to take care of my mother, though she and I lived together. She moved into a nursing home and lived there for seven years.

Once I determined earlier this year that I was going to move to Panama, I asked my mom if she wanted to come. She said she did.

I decided that it was probably best for both of us. Otherwise, she would be in Atlanta, and I would be abroad. My son and grandchildren are grown up and have very active lives, so I knew she would be pretty much alone in the nursing home, which I didn't want for her. Panama checked a lot of the boxes. Healthcare seemed excellent, and I had a friend who retired there who answered my questions.

At the time, we were doing fine financially. We're not wealthy people, but we've worked our whole careers, paid bills on time, handled finances responsibly, and have good credit. But things have gotten so tight in the US; it's really hard to make ends meet as a retiree living off of Social Security and a small pension.

As an African American, I feel we are being targeted and knowledge of our proud heritage is constantly under assault.

The first few weeks abroad involved managing many logistics

I did three scouting trips. I wanted to come first to find a place that was suitable for us logistically. My mother's in a wheelchair, so I looked for a place that was more level. We got as much paperwork done as we could ahead of time so she could leave her facility.

My son made time to help me out by bringing my mother a few weeks later. I set up an appointment with a doctor, and he was able to see her within a week of her getting here, making sure we could transfer her medications and prescriptions.

My mom told me that since I'm here and I've handled everything, she's happy and has enjoyed it so far. She came down with a cold a few weeks ago and lost her appetite, but she started eating again and felt better. She's happier to not be in a nursing home environment. We're now looking to find more activities we can participate in together.

My friend who retired here introduced me to another person who had a sister with MS and who connected me with a home care agency. A young lady comes in six days a week to tend to my mom; she helps bathe her, prepare her meals, change her sheets, and do her laundry.

I get much more home for the same price here

Rental prices are a little higher than what I expected they'd be, but there's a gamut of price ranges. I've seen everything from $500 a month up to beyond $3,000 where I'm located. I have a four-bedroom house, an in-ground pool in the backyard, a very large living room, dining room, and kitchen.

The rent is $1,500 a month, a bit more than what I was paying for my mortgage on my house in the States, the mortgage on which is $777 a month. I still own my home. However, there have been recent property tax and home owner insurance increases and I estimate my mortgage will be approximately $250 more in 2026. I get so much more for the same amount of money.

The utilities aren't too bad. One month, I had a $70 bill, but the next month was $300. Each bedroom has its own individual air conditioning unit, so we're trying to figure out when to run it and for how long.

I'm still doing some paperwork and making phone calls to get things settled. A couple of friends have come to visit, and my son has come three times. I have a lot more company coming over the next two months.

I handle my business here like I would at home; I go to the grocery store, the bank, and the pharmacy. I take Ubers because I don't want to drive here; they drive really fast. An Uber one-way is about $2.20.

I'm still getting acclimated

I've discovered, though, that Panamanians love to party and love music. There are also always dogs barking early in the morning and late at night, so I'm trying to get used to the noise.

We don't live in an expat neighborhood. I wanted to be immersed in Panamanian culture. It's been about two months since we've been here, but I haven't had much of a chance to meet our neighbors yet. All of the houses are gated individually, so it's not like you can just walk up to your neighbor's front door.

But when I go to the mall, people talk with me. When they realize I only speak a little Spanish, everybody's helpful, pleasant, and willing to help me find things.

I haven't gotten to eat out much, but I've gotten really into going to the market and getting fresh fruit and vegetables. The hospital near me has a program where they will accept Medicare Advantage if you have an emergency situation and are hospitalized, which I'm applying for. I'm also applying to a program that's $220 a year to have any tests, blood work, or lab work done. I have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and I was on oxygen when I was back home. I haven't had to use it since I've been here.

My goal now is to get more involved with expat groups. I joined one recently and went to a very nice luncheon, where I met new people. I hope to continue expanding my social network. I plan to make this my new home and get more involved in volunteering.

• My grandmother always dreamed of going to Italy, but losing my grandfather put her plans on hold.
• My husband and I surprised her with a trip to Sicily for her 75th birthday.
• We found Sicily to be an accessible trip for an older relative, and can't wait to go back to Italy.

When she's not busy caring for everyone else, my grandmother loves to travel.

She's the one who really instilled a sense of wanderlust in our whole family. She's often embarking on a solo trip, or at least researching her next excursion across Europe.

For the longest time, her biggest dream was to visit Italy, and she spent years planning and saving up for a trip.

When my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, her travel plans were put on hold and she devoted herself entirely to his care. The last few years were extremely taxing on her physically and emotionally, leaving my grandmother burned out and in a state of grief after my grandfather died in the spring of last year.

For her 75th birthday, my husband and I decided to surprise her with a trip to Italy to fulfill her lifelong dream. We ended up going to Sicily and left with unforgettable memories.

We chose Sicily for a few reasons, including accessibility

With so many beautiful cities in Italy, it was difficult to choose the best place to go.

My grandmother had previously mentioned towns like Portofino and Cinque Terre, so we knew we had to stay coastal. Plus, since her birthday is in May, we wanted to go as far south as we could to enjoy some warm weather and the sea breeze.

We landed on Sicily and chose a quaint seafront hotel in Giardini Naxos, located just north of Catania. It turned out to be the perfect location and time of year to visit, especially with my grandmother's age, comfort, and needs in mind.

With two international airports located in Catania and Palermo, as well as a convenient railway system and a comprehensive bus network running across the island, Sicily is very easy to get to — and just as easy to navigate.

There was a direct bus from the airport to the town, giving my grandmother a chance to soak in the views and snap photos along the way.

May was the perfect time to enjoy warm weather with fewer crowds

The weather was warm enough to take a dip in the pool at our hotel, but we didn't have to deal with the sweltering Sicilian sun of the mid-summer months.

Since it wasn't peak season, the town had a relaxing feel with fewer tourists and crowds than we might've seen at a different time. We never had to wait in long lines, either.

From Giardini Naxos, we took a 15-minute bus ride to the iconic hilltop town of Taormina. The bus, running every 20 minutes, dropped us off right at the foot of the old town, which my grandmother greatly appreciated.

Although we skipped a "White Lotus" selfie at the Four Seasons in Taormina, we did meander down the side streets, indulge in gelato, and take in the panoramic views of Mt. Etna at Villa Comunale, the public gardens of Taormina.

I felt like we had an authentic Italian experience, complete with excellent hospitality and great food

Sicily taught me that the stereotype about Italian hospitality exists for a reason. Everywhere we went, we were greeted with "Ciao ragazzi" and warm smiles, making us feel right at home.

We ate fresh seafood dishes like pasta alle vongole (pasta with clams). Although she didn't partake, my grandmother admired my husband's adventurous appetite when he tried ricci di mare (sea urchins), a Sicilian delicacy.

All over the island, we saw the striking ceramic heads of a man and woman (teste di moro), often in the form of vases. Deeply rooted in Sicilian folklore, the heads have various stories explaining their origins, mostly involving themes of love and betrayal.

To remember our trip, my grandmother and I bought small ceramic pine cones, another powerful symbol in Sicilian culture, representing prosperity and good luck.

Making my grandmother smile on her birthday was the greatest gift of all

Although it was her first birthday without my grandfather, it was a beautiful experience for all of us.

For my grandmother, it meant not feeling alone in her grief and fulfilling a lifelong dream to visit Italy. For me, it meant making memories with my grandmother and seeing her smile.

Losing someone we love reminded us that we have to make the most of every moment. I'll always cherish this memory with my grandmother and am so grateful I was there for her first trip to Italy, though it certainly won't be our last.

Medical organizations are blasting the Senate's budget bill in the wake of its narrow passage Tuesday, warning of the dystopian health care system that will arise from the $1.1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs if it is passed into law. The bill has moved back to the House for a vote on the Senate's changes.

Over the weekend, an analysis from the Congressional Budget Office estimated that 11.8 million people would lose their health insurance over the next decade due to the cuts to Medicaid and other programs. Those cuts, which are deeper than the House's version of the bill, were maintained in the Senate's final version of the bill after amendments, with few concessions.

Organizations representing physicians, pediatricians, medical schools, and hospitals were quick to highlight the damage the proposal could cause.

Read full article

Comments

© KOMUnews

Apple is changing its App Store policies in the EU in a last-minute attempt to avoid a series of escalating fines from Brussels.

The $3 trillion iPhone maker will allow developers in the bloc to offer apps designed for the iOS operating system in places other than Apple’s App Store, the company said.

Apple has been negotiating for two months with the European Commission after being fined €500 million for breaching the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the landmark legislation designed to curtail the power of Big Tech groups.

Read full article

Comments

© Getty Images | SOPA Images

Now that Meta has largely beaten an AI training copyright lawsuit raised by 13 book authors—including comedian Sarah Silverman and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz—the only matter left to settle in that case is whether Meta violated copyright laws by torrenting books used to train Llama models.

In an order that partly grants Meta's motion for summary judgment, judge Vince Chhabria confirmed that Meta and the authors would meet on July 11 to "discuss how to proceed on the plaintiffs’ separate claim that Meta unlawfully distributed their protected works during the torrenting process."

Chhabria's order suggested that authors may struggle to win this part of the fight, too, due to a lack of evidence, as there has not yet been much discovery on this issue that was raised so late in the case. But he also warned that Meta was wrong to argue its torrenting was completely "irrelevant" to whether its copying of books was fair use.

Read full article

Comments

© VectorUp | iStock / Getty Images Plus

With a market cap of nearly $500 billion, Mastercard (NYSE: MA) is a true corporate giant. Indeed, it ranks as the 16th-largest American company by market cap, ahead of other financial behemoths like Bank of America, Wells Fargo, American Express, and Morgan Stanley.

But why? And perhaps more importantly, will Mastercard retain its place in the years to come? Let's find out.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

Mastercard's greatest asset is its business model

Like its chief rival Visa, Mastercard has a business model based on payment processing. The company operates a vast network that facilitates payment transactions between merchants, cardholders, and card-issuing institutions.

In other words, Mastercard is the classic middleman. It charges fees for the use of its network. And while -- broadly speaking -- each individual fee is tiny, they really add up.

Over the last 12 months, Mastercard generated $29 billion in revenue. That's up about 12% from a year earlier when the company generated $26 billion in revenue. The increase is thanks to growing global payment volumes as the world steadily moves closer to a cashless society. In particular, emerging market economies continue to transition away from cash and toward cards as living standards increase and internet access expands.

Moreover, Mastercard's network benefits from economies of scale. That is, as the network grows in size, Mastercard can derive more and more profit from it, as the benefits of the network grow faster than its costs.

Indeed, over the last 10 years, Mastercard's operating margin has increased from 53% to 58%, while its net income has soared from $3.7 billion to more than $13.1 billion.

MA Operating Margin (TTM) data by YCharts

How and why Mastercard's stock has thrived

After reviewing its business model, it's no wonder that Mastercard stock has advanced by leaps and bounds. In fact, Mastercard has been one of the best stocks to own over the last 10 years, with a 10-year total return of 518%, easily outpacing the S&P 500's total return of 246% over the same period.

Supporting this excellent performance is Mastercard's solid mix of dividend payments and share buybacks. The company currently pays a modest quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, generating a dividend yield of 0.55%. Mastercard also announced a $12 billion share repurchase plan in December of 2024, which will help drive shareholder value by reducing outstanding shares.

Mastercard can support these initiatives thanks to its strong free cash flow. Over the last 12 months, the company generated $14.3 billion in free cash flow, or $15.53 per share.

Is Mastercard stock a buy now?

Granted, there are risks to owning Mastercard stock.

For one, the company is subject to massive regulatory risks. Mastercard is subject to several ongoing lawsuits related to antitrust and consumer protection issues. As with any such litigation, legal fees, settlements, or monetary fines could take a bite out of its future profits.

In addition, competitive disruptions like crypto or emerging fintech companies could take market share from Mastercard going forward. Finally, there is the general risk of an economic downturn that would see global payment volumes slow.

However, while each of these risks is to be taken seriously, Mastercard's core business model is simply too good to ignore. Investors would be wise to buy and hold shares of Mastercard if they don't already own them.

Should you invest $1,000 in Mastercard right now?

Before you buy stock in Mastercard, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Mastercard wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $713,547!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $966,931!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,062% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 177% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 23, 2025

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Wells Fargo is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Bank of America is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Jake Lerch has positions in Visa. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bank of America, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

---

Learn how enterprises evaluate open versus closed AI models to optimize costs, security, and performance across different business use cases.Read More

The UK’s competition regulator is proposing to loosen Google’s control of its search engine in the first application of Britain’s tough new digital market rules.

The Competition and Markets Authority said on Tuesday that Google could be required to implement new “fair ranking” measures in its search results and give publishers more control over how it uses their content, including in output generated by artificial intelligence.

The CMA said it was minded to hand Google “strategic market status”—a label introduced under new digital market laws this year—in light of its dominant position in search and search advertising, which would require the tech giant to abide by a number of such conduct rules. A final decision will be made by October following a public consultation.

Read full article

Comments

© Getty Images | Josh Edelson

• Most commencement speeches tend to follow a similar formula.
• However, some are so inspiring that they are remembered long after graduation.
• Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, CEOs, and comedians have all inspired graduates with their words.

Commencement speeches have the ability to inspire and motivate.

They are often an opportunity for media moguls, celebrities, and CEOs to impart wisdom to the graduating classes of colleges and universities across the country. 

Presidents have also used commencement speeches as more casual environments to drive home the values of their administrations, such as John F. Kennedy's 1963 speech at American University that called for peace. 

Here are valuable pieces of advice from graduation speeches throughout history.

---

Mistral AI launches enterprise coding assistant with on-premise deployment to challenge GitHub Copilot, targeting corporate developers with data sovereignty and AI model customization.Read More

One of the things that makes Warren Buffett a widely admired investor is his willingness to share how he does it. Buffett has been a student of the market since his first stock purchase more than 80 years ago. He shares mistakes made and lessons learned every year in his letter to Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) (NYSE: BRK.B) shareholders and at the annual shareholder meeting.

Investors also gain insights into his and his team's investments through Securities and Exchange Commission filings disclosing Berkshire's portfolio changes.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

While Buffett has been a net seller of stocks the past few years, he still oversees a portfolio worth $281 billion as of this writing. And nearly half of that is invested in just three exceptional stocks.

1. Apple (22% of portfolio value)

Buffett first bought shares of Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) in 2016 when it traded at a valuation too low to ignore. Buffett saw the powerful moat created by the iPhone, locking hundreds of millions of consumers into the Apple ecosystem, and Berkshire Hathaway poured tens of billions of dollars into the stock duringthe next couple of years. At one point, Apple accounted for more than half of Berkshire's marketable equity portfolio. After selling a significant chunk in 2024, it now accounts for 22% of the portfolio.

As mentioned, Apple benefits from a wide competitive moat thanks to the success of its iPhone. Apple's iPhone sales topped $200 billion in each of the past three years, and sales are on track to grow in 2025. The iPhone is the center of Apple's growing ecosystem of devices and services, helping the rest of the business grow.

The services segment is a particularly bright spot for Apple, currently boasting a $100 billion annual run rate. Apple's services are significantly higher margin sources of revenue than its devices. As one of the fastest-growing segments of the business, Apple's overall profit margins are expanding as a result. When combined with Apple's huge share repurchase program, Apple is capable of producing meaningful growth in earnings per share.

Apple faces some headwinds, though. First of all, it's in the crosshairs of the tariffs planned by the Trump administration. Its supply chain relies heavily on China and Taiwan. As a result, its costs could increase and it may have to pass those expenses on to consumers. That could dent its device sales.

Additionally, Apple has been slow to develop competitive artificial intelligence services. It risks losing customers looking for more AI integrated capabilities from their phones and services. Apple customers tend to be locked into the ecosystem, which helps minimize that risk.

Apple stock has fallen from its late-2024 all-time high, trading more than 20% below its peak. At its current price, the stock's valuation is about 28 times forward earnings. While Apple isn't the fast grower it once was, it holds a lot of potential to unlock value with AI services in the future while its iPhone and services businesses remain rock solid today. As such, it looks like a fair price to pay for the tech giant.

2. American Express (16%)

American Express (NYSE: AXP) is a longtime holding for Buffett. He put about $1.3 billion into the stock in the 1990s and hasn't touched it since. Today, those shares are worth nearly $45 billion.

Amex separates itself from other credit card companies by operating as both the card issuer and as the payments network. Most issuing banks partner with Visa or Mastercard to remit payments to vendors from customer accounts. Doing both allows Amex to exercise more control over the business and capture more of the economics of card payments. To that end, it's done extremely well, commanding higher interchange fees from businesses by attracting affluent households to its high-fee products.

Amex has successfully raised the fees on its cards during the past few years. It reported an 18% year-over-year increase in net card fees during the first quarter, while its customers spent just 6% more compared to the first quarter of 2024. That said, the fees collected from processing payments is still its biggest source of revenue.

During the past few years, Amex has shifted strategies to offer more credit products to customers. Its charge cards historically required customers to pay their full balance each month, but Amex now lets customers pay over time with interest. Its interest income grew quickly from 2021 through 2024, but slowed to just 11% growth in the first quarter. That's mostly due to the law of large numbers, as interest income now accounts for nearly a quarter of its revenue.

Amex may be a bit more insulated from an economic slowdown compared to other banks and payment processors due to its focus on high-income households and lesser focus on interest income. As such, it's less susceptible to loan defaults. Amex trades for a significant premium relative to its most comparable competitor, Capital One Financial, but it arguably deserves a premium due to the strength of its customer base, its scale, and its ability to boost revenue through fee increases and more interest-bearing services.

3. Coca-Cola (10%)

Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) is another stock Buffett bought more than 30 years ago and has no plans to sell anytime soon. His original $1.3 billion investment in the company (yes, the same amount he invested in Amex) is now worth about $29 billion. Not to mention, Coke's paid out more and more each year in dividends. Berkshire shareholders will collect roughly $816 million in dividends from Coca-Cola this year.

The appeal of the company is two-fold.

First of all, it has one of the strongest global brands in history. The red Coca-Cola logo is known the world over transliterated into practically every language known to man. Its brand strength extends well beyond its flagship product, though, to include top-selling carbonated drinks, water, juice, and sports drinks. That gives it considerable pricing power, which it has used to help offset inflation in recent years.

The second factor is its huge scale, which has made it cost-effective to create localized supply chains for producing and packaging its products. That's come to the fore in recent months as global trade policies put pressure on other global companies. Coca-Cola has managed to avoid the impact of tariffs more than its competitors, enabling it to keep its costs down. During its first-quarter earnings call, management warned it's not immune to global trade dynamics, but it's better positioned than most businesses.

Both of those advantages helped Coke produce strong first-quarter results while reaffirming its forecast for the full year. Revenue grew 6% and earnings per share grew 1%. Those numbers might not seem impressive, but they look great compared to Coke's biggest rival PepsiCo, which saw revenue and earnings per share shrink in the first quarter.

Coke's relative strength hasn't gone unnoticed. The stock price has climbed 15% year to date as of this writing, and the shares trade at 24 times forward earnings. That's higher than its historic average, but not outrageously so. With its strong position in the current economic environment, it might be worth paying a premium for Coca-Cola stock. You'll also collect a nice 2.8% dividend yield at the current price.

Should you invest $1,000 in Berkshire Hathaway right now?

Before you buy stock in Berkshire Hathaway, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Berkshire Hathaway wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $828,224!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025

American Express is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Adam Levy has positions in Apple, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Mastercard, and Visa. The Motley Fool recommends Capital One Financial. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Are you fed up with overspending on your business phone system? Or maybe you’re a startup looking for a cost-effective solution that still has all the features you need?

RingCentral is a great option for many companies and entrepreneurs (in fact, we often recommend it to WPBeginner readers). However, it’s not the perfect solution for every single business.

That’s why I’ve done the research for you, testing a ton of business phone systems to find the best RingCentral alternatives. I looked at everything from pricing and ease of use to call quality and customer support, focusing on solutions suitable for all kinds of business owners.

Whether you’re looking for advanced features or just want something simple and affordable, I’m confident I’ve found a RingCentral alternative to fit your needs.

Quick Pick – The Best RingCentral Alternatives

In a hurry? No worries! Take a look at my top picks so you can quickly choose the right RingCentral alternative for your site.

Rank	RingCentral Alternative	Best For	Price per month
🥇	Nextiva	Businesses of all sizes, especially remote teams	$20 per user
🥈	Ooma	Small businesses on a tight budget	$19.95
🥉	Grasshopper	Solo entrepreneurs in the US and Canada	$14
4	Zoom Phone	Teams that require video conferencing and team messaging	$15 per user
5	Phone.com	Businesses that operate globally, especially healthcare	$15 per user
6	Vonage	Call centers and larger businesses	$13.99 per line

How I Tested & Reviewed Ring Central Alternatives

I know that finding the right communication platform can be daunting and high-stakes. Make the wrong decision, and your remote team may struggle to collaborate. Even worse, you might miss urgent customer queries, provide a terrible customer experience, or lose out on potential leads.

With so much at stake, I’m committed to giving you the best possible advice about RingCentral alternatives.

That said, here’s how I tested the different options in this article: 

• We have actually used them at WPBeginner: For instance, we have used Nextiva for our own business phone system for many years and Zoom for company meetings. This real-world experience means we understand how these tools perform in a real business, and not just in a perfect demo environment.
• I put the most popular ones to the test: I dug deep into these solutions, analyzing them based on the stuff that really matters: How easy are they to use? What features do they offer? Do they have any time-saving artificial intelligence tools? And of course, how much do they cost? 
• I tried customizing them: Your business is unique, so your communication system should be, too. With that in mind, I personally tested each RingCentral alternative to see whether you can customize the call flows, greetings, and overall experience. For example, do you have the flexibility to fine-tune the VoIP or communications solution to better suit your business, or are you stuck with the default settings?
• I categorized them: The truth is, there’s no single ‘best’ RingCentral alternative that’s perfect for everyone. I understand that a small startup has different needs than a large call center. With that in mind, I categorized each solution to help you find the right platform for your unique needs. 

6 Best RingCentral Alternatives

Now, let’s look at the best RingCentral alternatives you should consider for your business.

1. Nextiva – Best for Remote Teams

I can confidently say that Nextiva is an excellent business phone service, especially for remote teams. Since it’s a cloud-based platform, you can answer calls from anywhere using an app on your computer or phone.

We also use it across our own business. We ultimately chose Nextiva because it offered the best balance of features, ease of use, and affordability for a business phone system, especially for remote teams like ours.

You can check out our Nextiva review for more information.

Another standout feature is Nextiva’s ability to handle multiple communication channels, including phone, SMS, live chat, video, team messaging, and social media. 

This makes it particularly well-suited for customer support, as it allows for seamless customer interactions. 

Nexitva’s IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system is also incredibly useful. This automated phone menu allows callers to interact with Nextiva using their keyboard or voice.

If you’ve ever rang a phone number and heard a pre-recorded greeting say something like “Press 1 for…” then you’ve encountered an IVR system before.

This feature enables you to route callers to the right department or person automatically, allowing you to better handle high call volumes. By automating simple routine tasks like this, you’ll be free to focus on more complex customer issues.

Plus, Nextiva has some great call analytics and reports. These call metrics allow you to see how many calls your team can handle and improve your customer service and sales teams.

Overall, Nextiva’s feature set is very impressive and includes automated reminders, video calls, an auto-attendant, and screen sharing.

It also integrates smoothly with other business tools like HubSpot, Zendesk, Zoho, and Salesforce.

✅ Pros of Nextiva:

• Cloud-based business phone service that’s perfect for remote work
• Affordable VoIP phone service
• Automated call forwarding based on your schedule
• Built-in contact management features
• Supports video chat, including screen sharing and file sharing
• Handles multiple communication channels
• Email and text voicemail transcription
• Detailed call analytics 
• Easily connects with other business tools

❌ Cons of Nextiva:

• No matter what plan you buy, you’ll need to pay for each additional user. This may make Nextiva difficult to scale, especially if you’re a rapidly expanding company that regularly onboards new employees. 
• The desktop app uses many resources and can slow down your computer.

Why I recommend Nextiva: As remote work continues to grow, I’m hearing from more and more businesses that need a reliable cloud-based phone solution. If this sounds like you, then Nextiva may be your ideal solution.

It lets you answer calls from anywhere using an app on your computer or phone, so it’s perfect for remote teams. I can also see this being a good option if your employees regularly travel or work in the field.

Pricing: Plans start at $20 per user per month for the Digital Plan and go up to $60 per user per month for the advanced Power Suite plan. 

2. Ooma – Best for Small Businesses on a Tight Budget

For small businesses, every dollar counts. Luckily, Ooma offers advanced features like auto-attendant, call forwarding, and voicemail transcription at a surprisingly budget-friendly price.

One of Oooma’s standout features is its virtual receptionist, which lets you create custom messages with general information such as your business hours and locations. It will then read these messages to anyone who calls your business number.

This helps callers get essential information right away, even if you don’t have a huge support team available 24/7.

But here’s where Oooma gets really smart.

The Virtual Receptionist isn’t just some basic answering machine. It can actually figure out who the caller needs to speak with and automatically forward them to the right person or department. For example, the virtual receptionist can ask callers to press different buttons for specific extensions, such as “Press 1 to speak with our refunds department.”

This makes your business look incredibly efficient and organized, allowing you to compete with the big guys (even if you’re a small team behind the scenes).

I also appreciated the drag-and-drop call flow designer, making it easy to create custom call flows. Even if you don’t have a technical expert on staff, you can still create custom call routes in minutes.

During my testing, I found Ooma’s call quality to be consistently clear and reliable. The mobile app is also pretty handy, allowing you to make unlimited domestic calls.

Even better, you can save up to 90% on international call rates when you dial through the app. That’s a massive saving if you call overseas a lot!

The Ooma app also uses your phone’s Wi-Fi or data connection to make calls. That means you can chat away without worrying about using up all your mobile data or sacrificing call quality.

✅ Pros of Ooma:

• Toll-free number with 500 minutes of inbound calls each month.
• Assign multiple devices to the same user.
• Automated call forwarding based on a schedule.
• The Caller Info Match feature automatically fetches customer information from sources like LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, HubSpot, ServiceNow, or Zoho.
• Supports video chat, including noise suppression, host muting, and HD streams.
• Convenient ‘meet now’ link for instant virtual meetings.
• Automatic voicemail transcription, plus a voicemail-to-email option.
• Easily connects with other business tools, including Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho, FreshDesk, and Salesforce Lightning.

❌ Cons of Ooma:

• A few users have experienced issues setting up the mobile app.
• Some features, such as the IVR system, can be complex to set up and require technical expertise.

Why I recommend Ooma: If you’re a small business or have a limited budget, then Ooma Office Essentials is a great starting point. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to set up and manage your phone system, even if you don’t have a team of technical experts on staff.

Ooma is also designed to be affordable. It includes unlimited calling to the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, so it’s a great, budget-friendly solution if you regularly call these locations.

Pricing: Ooma Office Essentials is priced at $19.95 per month, and is our recommendation for startups, small business owners, and WordPress freelancers.

However, you can unlock additional features such as call recording and call blocking, voicemail transcriptions, and video conferencing by upgrading to either Ooma Office Pro ($24.95) or Ooma Office Pro Plus ($29.95).

3. Grasshopper – Best for Solo Entrepreneurs in the US/Canada

Setting up and maintaining a professional phone system can be overwhelming, especially when you’re flying solo. That’s where Grasshopper comes in.

This is a powerful virtual business phone service specifically designed to help solo entrepreneurs establish a strong brand image and communicate effectively with customers.

Solo entrepreneurs often work from home or remotely, which can make it difficult to establish a professional phone presence. Grasshopper solves this problem by allowing you to create a toll-free number, a vanity number, or a local number in any city of your choice.

I particularly like the option to create a local number, as it helps you appeal to customers outside of your immediate area. You could potentially take your solo business international!

Even better, the Grasshopper app lets customers and potential leads reach you at any time. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working from home, your local coffee shop, or on the go. The app helps you grow your business by ensuring you don’t miss important calls.

The best part? You don’t need to buy any additional phones or equipment—your existing smartphone or computer will do. This makes it an affordable solution for solo entrepreneurs who need to establish a reliable phone system on a limited budget.

It’s also a good option for startups or even some small businesses that may not have invested in professional equipment yet.

To make sure customers always get a response, Grasshopper can automatically send a text to new callers when you can’t answer them right away. This feature is especially useful when you’re flying solo – even the most dedicated solo entrepreneur can’t be available 24/7.

However, keep in mind that Grasshopper is only available to customers in the US or Canada.

✅ Pros of Grasshopper:

• Send and receive texts on your Grasshopper business number.
• Forward any incoming calls to multiple phones at once.
• Automatic voicemail transcriptions.
• Use your internet connection when cell reception is poor.
• Receive faxes as PDF attachments, sent straight to your email inbox.
• Monitor your business with detailed call reports and analytics.

❌ Cons of Grasshopper

• No advanced features like video conferencing or team messaging.
• Limited integrations with other software (Skype and Google Voice only).
• $500 deposit is required to enable international outgoing calls.
• Only available in the US and Canada.

Why I recommend Grasshopper: With Grasshopper, you don’t have to worry about complicated technical setup, maintenance, or equipment. This makes it a good option for startups and small businesses, but I particularly recommend it for solo entrepreneurs.

Grasshopper’s choice of toll-free, vanity, and local numbers helps you establish a professional phone presence, while the app allows you to answer calls from any location at any time.

The end result? Your business projects a more polished and professional image, which is essential for building trust and driving sales.

Pricing: Starts at $14/ month for the True Solo plan. This plan includes 1 user, 1 phone number, and 1 extension – basically, everything you need to support a solo-person business.

4. Zoom Phone – Best for Video Conferencing & Team Messaging

Managing calls, video conferencing, and team chat can be a challenge for any business. However, it’s particularly tricky for remote teams where most of the communication happens virtually.

Zoom Phone offers a solution to this problem by providing an all-in-one platform for managing all your communication needs. This includes answering customer calls, following up on leads, hosting video conferences, and chatting with team members.

As a 100% remote team, we use Zoom for some of our large company meetings.

We need a reliable and efficient platform with built-in team chat and video conferencing. This is essential for keeping our employees connected across different time zones.

With Zoom, we have hosted one-on-one reviews, town hall meetings, team chats, and even team-building social calls, all from the same platform.

Despite being a comprehensive all-in-one platform, Zoom Phone is incredibly easy to set up. Simply choose a cloud phone plan, and you can start making calls immediately using the Zoom mobile or desktop app.

Additionally, Zoom has an AI Companion that can streamline your workflows with advanced features like meeting and call summaries, real-time AI queries during meetings, and AI-powered whiteboard generation.

These features are ideal for video conferences in general, but they’re particularly useful for remote teams where most communication happens via video meetings. They let you keep everyone in the loop, including people who could not attend the video chat.

I also like the ability to switch between voice and video calls with one click. Once again, this is ideal if you need to handle a mix of customer calls, internal meetings, and remote collaboration.

✅ Pros of Zoom Phone:

• Unified interface for phone, video, and chat.
• One-click switch between voice and video calls.
• Convenient, centralized admin portal (monitor users, call quality, usage data, and more).
• Supports multiple devices and apps.
• Unlimited auto-attendants.
• Call queuing with automatic call distribution.
• Integrates seamlessly with Salesforce, Contact Center, Slack, and other popular solutions. 

❌ Cons of Zoom Phone:

• No free trial available (although there is a free version that’s limited to 40-minute call durations and 100 participants).
• The metered international calling fees are a bit expensive for small businesses.

Why I recommend Zoom Phone: With its advanced video conferencing and team chat features, Zoom Phone is a great option for teams that host regular virtual meetings. It’s particularly good for remote teams that rely on chat and video conferencing to work together effectively.

Pricing: Zoom plans start at $15 per user, per month for domestic US and Canada calling, with prices going up to $22.49.

5. Phone.com – Best for International Businesses

Do you have customers all over the globe? Phone.com offers competitive international calling rates to communicate with your existing customers and find new ones without breaking the bank.

Another feature that caught my attention was Phone.com’s AI-powered Answer Bot service. This service can pick up the phone using your company’s name and give a pre-written answer. This is a fantastic way to make your business appear more professional.

It’s also a great addition if you have customers in different time zones, but don’t have call center staff available 24/7. With Phone.com’s Answer Bot service, you can be confident that callers always get some form of response.

Do you work in the healthcare industry? Then I really recommend checking out Phone.com’s HIPAA compliance features.

Keeping patient data private is a huge deal, and Phone.com understands this. For example, if a patient tries to contact you via SMS, then Phone.com can automatically tell them to contact your office in a different way to discuss medical information. This is because text messaging usually isn’t HIPAA compliant.

Setting up Phone.com is also fairly straightforward. Their dashboard is user-friendly, so you can customize call routing, voicemail, and other settings without any hassle. They even have a smart call routing system where you can define custom rules based on the time of day, caller ID, and more.

Once again, these features can be particularly useful for international businesses that want to provide personalized service to customers in different locations. For example, you might route callers to a customer service agent who speaks their preferred language.

✅ Pros of Phone.com:

• Low rates for international calling.
• Connect to any traditional analog telephone.
• HIPAA compliance features.
• Track your top performers and busiest hours with built-in analytics.
• Get additional insights via call logs and call recording.

❌ Cons of Phone.com:

• Customer service response times can sometimes be slow.
• Only includes call analytics and CRM integrations in the most expensive plan.

Why I recommend Phone.com: While Phone.com has limitations, including slower customer service response times, it’s still an excellent option. Its competitive international calling rates, in particular, make it a really attractive platform for companies with customers all over the globe.

And here’s a little something extra that really stood out to me: if you work in the healthcare field, then Phone.com has dedicated HIPAA compliance features. This immediately makes it stand out from every other solution on this list.

If you’re willing to overlook some minor drawbacks, then Phone.com could be your perfect solution, especially for businesses that sell or operate globally.

Pricing: Users can choose between Basic ($15), Plus ($22.50), and Pro ($33.33), with all plans billed per user, per month. 

6. Vonage – Best for Call Centers

As a well-established name in VoIP, Vonage is an excellent option for call centers and larger businesses. After trying out their business phone service, I was impressed by its wide range of features and capabilities.

I was really surprised by how easy it was to manage company phone numbers from my admin dashboard. You can even generate local and toll-free numbers directly from the dashboard (although you will need to contact Vonage to generate international numbers). 

Vonage is a great option for call centers due to features such as team messaging, video conferencing (with up to 200 participants!), call recording, and auto-dialing.

It also supports VoIP desk phones, so you can use traditional office phones alongside the desktop and mobile apps.

However, it’s worth noting that Vonage is one of the more expensive options on this list. So, if you’re a startup or small business, then you may be better off with a different RingCentral alternative.

✅ Pros of Vonage:

• Capture more potential leads with Call Forwarding and Simultaneous Ring.
• Dedicated dial-in numbers from 60 countries.
• Record inbound and outbound calls for any or all users within your organization.
• Call center-specific features like call logs, call recordings, AI routing, and advanced call analytics.
• Admin portal for call management.
• Connects with Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and other tools.

❌ Cons of Vonage:

• Expensive for small businesses.
• Long contract periods.

Why I recommend Vonage: Vonage has some seriously advanced features built explicitly with call centers in mind. That makes it a fantastic pick if you need a rock-solid VoIP solution that can handle the demands of a busy customer service team.

However, while Vonage offers many powerful features, it is pricier than some other options. If budget is a major concern for your business, then I’d definitely recommend choosing one of the other RingCentral alternatives in this guide.

Pricing: Vonage’s base plan starts from $13.99 per month, per line, and goes all the way up to $27.99 per month, per line.

What Is the Best RingCentral Alternative? 

After thoroughly testing and comparing various business phone systems and platforms, I’m excited to share my top pick for the best RingCentral alternative: Nextiva.

It’s a reliable, flexible, and secure platform with an impressive feature set. It’s also a cloud-based solution, so your team can answer calls using any computer or phone. Overall, Nextiva is a perfect fit for remote teams or employees who travel a lot, or perhaps even work in the field.

Nextiva can also automatically forward calls based on each team member’s schedule. This can help remote team members work together more seamlessly, even when they’re spread across multiple time zones.

But what about other options?

If you’re a small business with a limited budget, then Ooma and Grasshopper are both great starting points. They both offer affordable plans, and they’re easy to use, making them ideal for solo entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses alike.

However, the best RingCentral alternative for your business will ultimately depend on your specific needs and requirements. I recommend considering factors like budget, scalability, features, and user interface to help you make the right decision for your business.

Best RingCentral Alternatives: Frequently Asked Questions

I’ve been part of the WPBeginner team for a while, so I’ve definitely heard my fair share of questions along the way.

To help you out, I’ve put together answers to some of the most common questions we get asked about RingCentral and potential alternatives. 

Why should I avoid RingCentral?

The main issue I hear from businesses is that RingCentral is considerably more expensive than other VoIP providers. Often, this means it simply isn’t an option for solo entrepreneurs, startups, and small businesses, since they typically have smaller budgets.

RingCentral also has many features, so its learning curve tends to be steeper than its competitors. Once again, this tends to be a problem for smaller businesses, as they’re less likely to have a technical expert who can help them set up and maintain RingCentral.

Don’t get me wrong: RingCentral is still a great platform. In fact, it has all the features you’d expect from an advanced communication tool, including call forwarding, number sharing, call waiting, and call management. It also integrates with popular CRMs like Salesforce and Zendesk. 

So, while Nextiva is my top recommendation, RingCentral is a fantastic tool that I still recommend to larger businesses with bigger budgets or more complex needs.

If you want to learn more, then you can see our detailed RingCentral review for a deeper dive.

And if you do decide that RingCentral is the right fit for you, then you’re in luck – we have a RingCentral coupon, so you can get a discount.

Is there a free version of RingCentral?

While there isn’t a completely free version, RingCentral does offer a free trial. This means you can see if the platform is right for you before investing in a paid plan.

What is the best RingCentral alternative?

In my experience, Nextiva is the best virtual business phone service on the market. It’s loaded with advanced features, offers truly excellent support, and is designed to scale as your team grows. 

We use Nextiva across our company, and in our opinion, it’s the best cloud phone system and platform on the market, especially if you have a remote team.

Which is better, Nextiva or RingCentral?

When it comes to finding the absolute best VoIP phone provider and platform for small businesses, everything points to Nextiva.

Nextiva offers competitive pricing, a ton of features, the best call quality, lower rates for international calls, and a wide range of numbers to choose from (local, international, toll-free, and vanity numbers).

Curious to learn more? Our in-depth post compares Nextiva vs RingCentral vs Ooma, exploring their key features.

Bonus: How to Get Started With Your Business Phone System

Choosing which communication platform to use is a big step, so great job deciding! Now that you’ve got that sorted, let’s help you set up a seamless business phone system.

We’ve put together some handy guides that will show you how to set up call forwarding, voicemail greetings, and other essential features to make sure customers and potential leads can reach you with ease:

• Beginner’s Guide: What is VoIP and How Does it Work? (Explained)
• How to Set Up an Auto Attendant Phone System for Your Website
• How to Set Up Business Call Forwarding From Your Website
• How to Set Up a Business Voicemail Greeting (With Examples)
• Ways to Get an 800 Toll-Free Number for Your Business
• Best Call Center Software (Expert Pick)

I hope this article has helped you find the best RingCentral alternative for you. Next up, you might want to check out our guide on how to add a WhatsApp chatbox and share buttons in WordPress or how to get a virtual WhatsApp number for your business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 6 Best RingCentral Alternatives & How They Compare (2025) first appeared on WPBeginner.

• I visited Braum's, a southern fast-food chain that only has locations in five states.
• I bought almost every item on the menu, including burgers, fries, chicken strips, and ice cream.
• The burgers and chicken strips were great, but I still think ice cream is the best thing to order.

The West Coast has In-N-Out. The Midwest has Dairy Queen. I'd argue the South has Braum's Ice Cream and Dairy Store.

In 1933, Henry Braum started a small butter plant in Emporia, Kansas, which expanded to include milk and ice cream production. In 1968, Henry's son Bill opened the first official Braum's store in Oklahoma City.

Today, the family-run business has more than 300 locations across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. According to the company, every store is located within a 300-mile radius of its processing plant in Tuttle, Oklahoma.

Braum's is best known for its wide range of ice cream and frozen yogurt, from classic flavors like vanilla to stranger concoctions like pineapple upside-down cake. But it's more than an ice cream shop — it also has staples of the American diet like cheeseburgers, chicken strips, shakes, and malts.

One of Braum's locations sits about two miles from my childhood home in Fort Worth, Texas. When I was a kid, on Fridays after a long day of work, my dad would bring home a tub of ice cream. If I were really lucky, we'd go to the store. Together, we'd sit, ice-cream cone in hand, in silence, savoring the flavors.

I wanted to see if Braum's still served up old-school charm and yummy food, so my husband and I took a trip to the closest one near us in Dallas. Here are some items I tried from the menu — some I'd order again, and others I'd probably skip.

---

A new benchmark can test how much LLMs become sycophants, and found that GPT-4o was the most sycophantic of the models tested.Read More

---

Beyond performance and portability, its Apache 2.0 license offers a compelling proposition for commercial applications.Read More

Meta is launching a new program to incentivize startups to adopt its Llama AI models. The program, Llama for Startups, provides companies “direct support” from Meta’s Llama team, as well as funding in certain cases. Any U.S.-based firm that is incorporated, has raised less than $10 million in funding, has at least one developer on […]