FrownDirectClub

Hi, today we explore: (1) Smile Direct Club's shutting down, (2) The world's richest old money families, (3) Green cards granted in the US. TOGETHER WITH Today's Topics Hello! Having green eyes [reportedly]( puts you in a pretty exclusive club: just 2% of the global population are green-eyed, making it the world's rarest iris shade. Today we chart our way through: - Misaligned: SmileDirectClub's financials were never really straightened out. - Generational wealth: The richest (old money) families in the world. - Sum of departs: Immigration policy is front-and-centre. Have feedback for us? Just hit reply — we'd love to hear from you! [Read this on the web instead]( Not much to smile about Brace yourselves… SmileDirectClub, the once-shiny telehealth startup that promised to straighten your teeth for a fraction of the typical price, has officially shut down its global operations after filing for bankruptcy [in September](. In a statement posted on [its website]( SDC confirmed that it would be canceling any unshipped teeth aligner orders, and would not be honoring its popular “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” deal, which offered customers annual adjustments for life. The shutdown marks a serious fall from grace for the direct-to-consumer dental specialists — its [2019 IPO]( valued the company at $8.9 billion. Misaligned Founded in 2014, SmileDirectClub was an exciting presence in the orthodontal space, marketing its $1,850 teeth aligners as time-efficient and cost-effective alternatives to the dental brace courses that self-conscious smilers had been presented with [for decades](. They were, in hindsight, too cheap given that the company routinely racked up hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, like so many of the D2C brands that burst onto the scene as “[disruptors]( around the same time. Old money The world's 25 wealthiest families, where wealth has been passed down over at least one generation, are now collectively worth a cool $2.1 trillion, according to a new report from [Bloomberg](. At the top of the list is a new entrant to the rankings: the house of Al Nahyan, the ruling family of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and owners of the UK soccer club Manchester City. The family’s $305 billion net worth topples the lists previous leaders, America’s Walton family (heirs to the Walmart fortune, which we explored in detail in a recent [Sunday deep dive](. With first-generation money excluded, the industries on this list of dynasties look quite different to most modern rich lists, which are often dominated by tech entrepreneurs. Indeed, the majority of families listed owe their prosperity to physical, rather than digital, empires. With many fortunes tracing back to just one individual, or one company, the most interesting families on this list are arguably the ones that have passed their wealth down the most number of generations. On that measure, the Al Thani family — who have ruled Qatar since the mid-19th century — are worth noting, having maintained their enormous fortune (currently estimated at $133bn) across a staggering 8 generations. [Sponsored by Timeline Nutrition]( Aging, ahead of the curve They say life begins at 30 — but if we’re talking about cellular health, that’s not exactly true. Our ability to produce cellular energy starts declining earlier than you [might think](. This leads to a progressive reduction in muscle mass at a rate of ~3-8% per decade… from our 30s. In a breakthrough, scientists have [discovered a way]( to fight both the energy decline and loss of muscle, without any change in your exercise level. It’s called Urolithin A, a molecule which directly targets cellular aging by renewing your body’s cellular engines. Now, [Timeline Nutrition]( has developed a clinically-validated and pure form of Urolithin A — [Mitopure®](. Supported by 11 clinical studies and 56 patents, [Mitopure]( re-energizes your cells to help efficiently transform the food you eat and the air you breathe — redefining the arc of aging. Use code CHARTR20OFF for [20% off Mitopure]( while supplies last. [Try Mitopure®, the game-changing supplement for healthy aging]( Sum of departs Ahead of Zelensky’s arrival in the States, Republican senators are moving to block [wartime aid]( to Ukraine unless President Biden is willing to make “significant compromises” during border policy negotiations, following near [record-high]( illegal crossings earlier this year. Although border control is likely to be a major subject in ongoing political discussions, US visa protocol may also be crucial in curbing immigration. Last year, ~170k [employment visas]( were reportedly issued above the federal cap, and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services in January already proposed [substantial visa fee hikes]( — including a 2,050% surge in E-registration prices for H-1B visas, which allow employers to hire specialist foreign workers. In the green Among the suggested changes is raising prices related to the all-important ‘[green cards]( which grant lawful permanent resident (LPR) status to live and work in the US. Already expensive for [many applicants]( the high costs associated with filing hasn't diminished applicant numbers significantly. Indeed, the number of people obtaining LPR status has grown since the pandemic, with the US accepting over a million green card applications last year, a ~38% increase from 2021. More Data • The reigning, unanimous MLB MVP Shohei Ohtani just signed what’s reported as being the biggest contract in US [sports history]( inking a 10-year deal with the Dodgers worth a mind-boggling $700 million. • Only ~30% of aging is genetic, and now scientists have discovered a molecule called Urolithin A that targets cellular aging. [Timeline Nutrition]( Mitopure® is the first clinically validated form of it — Chartr readers get [20% off their first month’s supply]( • A former hotel in Nova Scotia, originally built in 1826, has been moved... but only thanks to 700 bars of soap helping the building to [glide 30 feet]( across a steel frame. • MacKenzie Scott has continued her giving bonanza, [donating some]( $2.15 billion to 360 different charities. **This is sponsored content. Hi-Viz • The good, the bad and the ugly: [10 new skyscrapers]( from around the world. • Great visual from Axios: how the "big five" airlines [came to dominate the skies](. Off the charts: As if you didn't have enough streaming services already... which TV personality announced the launch of their own streaming service in [the coming days]( where fans can access exclusive content for $9 a month? [Answer below]. [Answer here](. See you soon... and thank you to [Timeline]( for sponsoring today's Chartr. Thanks for reading! Have some [feedback](mailto:daily@chartr.co?subject=Feedback&body=Hi%2C%0A%0AI%20like%20the%20newsletters%2C%20but%20I%20had%20a%20thought%20for%20you...) or want to [sponsor]( this newsletter? Not a subscriber? Sign up for free below. [Subscribe]( Copyright © 2023 CHARTR LIMITED, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: CHARTR LIMITED 231 Vauxhall Bridge RoadLondon, SW1V 1AD United Kingdom [Add us to your address book]( Don't want charts in your inbox anymore? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](.