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Life at Kudi — Meet Fola Animashaun
Tags: Tech, Employees, Kudi, Agency Banking, Fintech

Fola Animashaun, Data Analyst at Kudi

Fola Animashaun is a Data Analyst on the Internal Tools team at Kudi.

Hey Fola,

Why did you join Kudi?

I think it was more about the people for me in Kudi. Everyone feels like family. It doesn’t feel like a “job”. Everyone cares about everyone. When you are ill, everyone will check on you. And you can tell that it is genuine.

What do you do at Kudi and in what circumstances would I come to you for something?

I work as a Data analyst. People come to me when they need data for their reports or data to see what’s happening. In Kudi, data is important because we can’t make decisions based on feelings. Even when you have an intuition, you will still need numbers to back it up. We also need data to track progress and see what areas we need to improve on as a company.

What’s one thing that surprised you about working at Kudi?

I think that what surprised me was seeing people working voluntarily on weekends. It was a new angle for me, but I realised that if you love what you do, then that won’t be a problem. Plus every single person is really kind, and that was just strange.

If you could change roles with someone for a day, who would it be?

Whoever is in charge of Nepa changeover. Lol. I can turn off the lights when I don’t want people to see me. But if we are talking about being bold, I guess it would be with the CEO. He has to put himself out there and push us forward, regardless of how he is feeling. He has to pitch his ideas and risk rejection to bring success. And in the process, he experiences really great moments, I think. That’s pretty cool.

Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?

My team lead. He is a product manager in Internal Tools. He is a perfectionist, and I mean that as a compliment. He challenges me. He is a good influence on my work. He thinks if you are going to do anything, you might as well do it very well.

How would you describe yourself?

I am quiet but social. I like engaging with people a lot which probably involves going out. I can be very playful, and I never follow through with an argument. Like, there’s no point.

Where are your favourite places to visit?

I like adventures, but there are not a lot of activities in Nigeria, I think. Outside the country, I like to go to theme parks. Lol. I like any activity that involves adrenaline. I like to swim too.

What book are you currently reading, and what have you learned?

What Fresh Hell by Lucy Vine. Lol. It is a book about a girl that kept attending events to please people and eventually lost everyone important to her. I learned you need to stop being a people pleaser. Put yourself first. When you don’t prioritise right, you will lose yourself, and you’d lose people too. So I guess what you really need is balance and a lot of it.

What would we most likely find you doing on the weekend?

Sleeping, working, and Netflix. Sometimes, I go out to restaurants and chill places.

Thank you, Fola!
Improving Employee Experience With AI
By: Fiona Devid
Tags: Human Resources, Employees, AI, Artificial Intelligence, Employee Engagement

Boosting employee engagement is a top priority in any organization. With the help of AI tools, employee experiences are noted, and improvements are suggested for better functioning of the organization.

The success of an organization is dependent mainly on employee productivity. Employee engagement and satisfaction are one of the factors which have a permanent effect on employee productivity. The ways of achieving these have changed over the years. Different companies have various ways to assess and determine their workforce’s wellbeing.

As technology evolves, employees have come to expect a personalized life experience — including job experience. In a small organization, HR and the rest of the leadership team have enough time with the team members to make the employees aware and have a real personal connection to the company. As businesses grow, the amount of relationships between leaders and more than a couple of staff is considerably difficult.

Most organizations still use outdated methods, including employee reviews or engagement surveys. However, few forward-thinking organizations have begun to use tools which provide more useful and frequent information. One of these important tools is artificial intelligence (AI). Fortunately, developments in AI and machine learning help businesses to bridge the communication gap. Al can address the issue of personal interaction with every individual in an organization. AI also transforms the environment inside the workplace by affecting employee interaction, performing critical tasks, and even receiving notifications.

How can AI Improve Employee Engagement?

• Creating Insight: The ability to gain valuable insight from large amounts of data is a key advantage for AI. Organizations can use the data obtained from Big Data with AI and ML-based apps. These data are mostly used to produce additional revenues. It can also be used, however, to make staff more happy and efficient. Thus, an AI-powered tool will assist employers in understanding the team trend with the moment, with a device such as AI that can evaluate the language sort, including emojis, e-mail signatures, and sentences used by staff for the communication purposes.

• Automation: AI can enhance its employee experience through the automation of tedious or highly accurate repeat tasks. This is one example of how AI can replace human workers. Some cases of automation conducted by AI include how processors or data are improved. AI ensures quick access and viewing of information and much more comfortable use of things like feedback from employees.

On-job Training: Learning does not stop as soon as the employee assumes his job role. AI will play a pivotal role to ensure that employees are learning something new even when they are at work. AI will also help transfer skills from one generation to the next — AI can ensure that when employees retire or join other companies, they leave behind their valuable expertise; they can draw on it for other employees.

Source: How AI Can Improve the Employee Experience
Voices of Duke: Rohan Davis
By: Duke Students
Tags: Employees, Duke University, Interview, Food, University

Interview and photography by Julia Wang, Class of 2020.

Rohan Davis: can be found working the register for Tandoor on weekday lunchtimes. His favorite food is pizza and favorite show is the Office. Lives for Michael Scott. Spends most of his free time going hiking and finding new places to eat around the Triangle area. Highly recommends La Vaquito in Durham for some amazing tacos.

I grew up in the suburbs outside Bronx until I moved in 1998 to Durham when I was five. My parents and some extended family opened up Sitar in Durham, the one opposite the state fairgrounds and got in business with Duke when we opened. We were in the Great Hall as under the name Sidharth, into Penn Pavilion, and then into Tandoor in the Brodhead Centre. These are all local restaurants running in here; Ginger and Soy is Sushi Nara. Sprout is Saladelia.

I grew up in the restaurant business, did my undergrad at NC state, and fell into the restaurant business. I’ve been a duke fan since we came here. Especially in middle and high school, I was big into basketball. The UNC, Duke, community colleges, all over the Triangle getting into the college food business really brings people together. There’s a huge Southeast Indian community in the Triangle area. And the best part is that we can contribute whatever we can to brighten up someone’s day — like a plate of food. It’s this hospitality part of the business that’s part of me.

I’ll actually be a future owner, with my cousin Ajit. We’re looking for a spot in downtown Durham, fingers crossed, to expand. Gonna keep some original items, change some for the future menu. Indian culture is very different across the country from North and South. Indian has over 650 languages, and each culture is very different, whether they’re in same province state or not. There so many culture and foods out there. Right now, we’re just serving the popular dishes in India but we want to bring in something new later on. My mom’s from Kakadan in the East, and dad is from the South. When my parents moved to America, we kept our culture. I mean, we have an Indian restaurant, that says it! We’re not leaving that behind and I’d like my kids to have the same upbringing.

I think diversifying the food is really important. It’s more challenging, doing different stuff every day, and learning new things every day. I’m really excited for the future. Like adding kati rolls, kind of like Indian burrito, panir kati Rrolls or chicken. I’d love to do that. It’s a fun way of eating. Don’t worry though, the chicken tikka masala is not going anywhere.
How The Proposed Natural Gas Pipeline Is Blackmailing Somerset County
By: Jared Schablein
Tags: Delmarva, Green Energy, Natural Gas, Maryland Politics, Progressivism

During the course of the fight over the Eastern Shore Pipeline, I have had the opportunity to meet with some UMES staffers who spoke on good authority about this pipeline and the position our local HBCU has been put in. These conversations informed me of the undue pressure that the university is facing to support this ill-advised project.

Over the past few decades UMES, the most impoverished university in the poorest county in the state of Maryland, has repeatedly tried to construct several green energy projects that have been blocked by various outside forces. The thing to remember here is that UMES has tried to build sustainable projects to bring jobs to the region but has been resisted every step of the way.

This, combined with UMES’s drop in enrollment and almost nonexistent donor base, has put them in a position where they are being threatened with having funding they can’t afford to lose withheld — unless they cooperate with this pipeline.

UMES is almost eight times the size in land of SU and, unlike SU, much of theirs is undeveloped. It makes no sense with over 1300 acres, some of which are sitting unused for UMES to be denied wind turbines or an enlarged solar farm instead of being blackmailed into a pipeline.

Neither Somerset County nor UMES has any position of power to bargain, and it is wrong that those in a position of authority are working behind the scenes to get this project approved.

Somerset deserves better, and our local HBCU deserves better. The Board of Public Works must kill this project, and our legislators need to fund the sustainable projects UMES has tried to implement for years.
Impact Marketing. Do Consumers Actually Care About a Brand Having an Impact?
By: Michal Gat
Tags: Branding, Green Energy, Impact, Impact Investing, Brand Strategy

Sometimes it seems that Green Marketing is just another hype. A trend corporates ride on to get more publicity, impact funding, and other related impact benefits. So we decided to check it out and understand how significant is it to develop a Green brand. Here are ten facts we gathered from multiple kinds of research:

1. 45% of consumers pay attention to the environmental footprint in their purchasing decisions.

2. According to NYU’s Center for Sustainable Business — Products marketed as sustainable are driving product and category growth

3. Sustainable marked products Grew 5.6x faster than products not marketed as sustainable (5-yr CAGR)

4. According to Neilsen the U.S. sustainability market is projected to reach $150 billion in sales by 2021

5. According to Neilsen 73% of Global Millennials Are Willing to Pay Extra for Sustainable Offerings — Up from 50% in 2014

6. 47% of internet users worldwide had ditched products and services from a brand that violated their personal values.

7. The modern consumer behavior is the being concerned and actually doing something about protecting the environment, caring about sustainability and the correct use of natural resources.

8. According to Forbes, 88% of consumers want you to help them make a difference

9. According to a survey conducted by Accenture, over 60% of respondents said they gravitate towards businesses committed to reducing plastics and improving the environment.

10. IBM’s recent study shows that 60% of consumers surveyed are willing to change their shopping habits to reduce environmental impact.

Looks like Green brands are actually more favorable than their counterparts.

Two tips from us:

1. Beware of Greenwashing: Greenwashing is when companies claim for sustainability or impact branding without facts and actions to support their claims. Customers will identify a Greenwash in no time

2. Make sure your green brand’s tone of voice does not project any sense of moral superiority by trying to convert into your Green values. Simply stick to these values and actions the rest will follow.

For more information and projects on impact branding click: https://www.titan.co.il/index.html
China Goes Green ♻
Tags: Energy, Green Energy, Environment, Business, China

China is the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Recently, the economic powerhouse has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2060.

According to one of the country’s top climate researchers, the goal to become carbon neutral not only includes carbon dioxide but all greenhouse gases. When this was first mentioned by President XI Jinping last month, this was not made clear and not accounting for gases such as methane, ozone and nitrous oxide would make this goal unrealistic.

It is still not clear how the president expects to achieve these goals, but the government is expected to reveal their plans in its upcoming 5-year plan for 2021–2025.

China will need to step it up if they are looking to become a truly green country. It was stated that to achieve their 2060 goal, the country will need to cut energy consumption per capita of gross domestic product by at least 14%. They will need to increase the share of energy that comes from non-fossil fuels to around 20% and even reduce carbon dioxide intensity by as much as 20%.

There is still a long way to go before China can be declared as victorious. This decision represents a great shift in narrative for the country and any habitant who cares about this beautiful planet we call home should be jumping for joy right about now.

I am not a financial advisor and my comments should never be taken as financial advice. Investments come with risk, so always do your research and analysis beforehand.
Thank you Elon!
Tags: Elon Musk, Green Energy, Bitcoin Mining

Source: coinwire.com

The elon-gated Twitter comments that sent bitcoin and the whole crypto market nosediving, sparked at least one useful impulse. How can we decrease the fossil-fuel based energy consumption of bitcoin mining? Well, green mining seems to be the natural answer to that. And until we get fully functional fission reactors up and running (perhaps within the next 5 years), we have to turn to traditional renewable energy sources. And no, we are not going into the true green nature of these energy sources. That’s for another time. So, let’s have a look at them in detail including a few selected recent developments:

Wind power: Peter Thiel founded Layer1 Technologies launched a wind powered bitcoin mining facility in Texas, soon to be scaled up to 100 megawatts of electricity (MW). Or leading mining chip maker Bitmain also went to Texas to open a 50 MW which it intends to scale up to 300 MWs. Not to be outdone, there is German firm Northern Data planning to build the largest mining facility in the world with up to 1,000 MWs fueled by wind power alone, also in Texas.

Solar energy: No other than Square, Inc. aims to build a US$ 5 million open-source, solar-powered bitcoin mining facility at a Blockstream Mining US site. There are countless other — we need to keep this concise though.

Hydroelectric power: DMG Blockchain Solutions Inc and Argo Blockchain Plc have announced the establishment of the world’s first Bitcoin mining pool powered by 100% clean energy — specifically hydropower.

Flaring: Publicly traded petroleum multinational Equinor is moving to significantly reduce natural gas flaring by mining cryptocurrency through a strategic partnership Crusoe Energy Systems’ digital flare mitigation technology.

Geothermal power: In Iceland, geothermal-powered cryptocurrency mining uses up more electricity than the whole country’s homes.

Volcanos: Last, but not least, newly famed El Salvador president, Nayib Bukele, said yesterday he has directed the state-owned electricity company LaGeo to “offer facilities for bitcoin mining with very cheap, 100% clean, 100% renewable, 0 emissions energy from our volcanos”.

So, there are tons of options, all very welcome and indeed needed, for a long-term and sustainable adoption of all proof-of-work based cryptocurrencies.
The World’s Energy Problem : Hydropower’s Backlash
Tags: Reservoir, Dam, Green Energy, Hydropower, Environment

Hydroelectric Dam Changes Geographical

Many people are putting hydropower on a pedestials and as a result, fail to see the bad side of it to realise that the ‘green’ energy resource might not be as green as we thought it is. Contrary to people’s belief, dam and reservoir have their share of problem (some of them involves damaging the environment) that will prove to be a challenge in the future when our main resources are all dried up.

The dam was for a while the highest concrete dam in Northern Europe. Credit to astrid westvang

Problem 1 : Space & Ecosystem

It is a clear fact that a dam is humongous…..so much that it can totally destroy an entire forest just from its construction. Not to mention that the water by the dam itself can sink what’s remain of the forest that were spared by the construction. To put it simply, we are sacrificing an entire ecosystem as we try to go ‘green’ with hydro-power.

Some might argue that it is something that’s worth sacrificing but my question is that; had these people ever consider finding a way to preserve nature while generating clean energy?

Problem 2: Water & Nutrients

As you know, building a dam means requiring a big pool of water, usually a lake or most of the time, a flowing river. Many people forget that, there are aquatic being actually living inside those water generating those turbine. Now you might be wondering, what harm could a dam do to the rivers??

Well, first of all, the easiest problem to grasp, is how aquatic life are being carried by the current all the way to the turbine and this usually doesn’t end well. Of course fish are known to be able to swim against the current easily but accidents is never far especially the fingerlings.

Then there’s the problem with water temperature. As some of you might know, water stored on the top (reservoir) is usually cooler than the average water temperature and the opposite happens at the bottom. Upon dropping hundred of metres down and turning the turbine, the water tends to accumulate energy as well and this excess energy that didn’t transfer to the turbine usually ends up as heat. As a result, this causes the water temperature at the bottom of the dam right after the opening to be rather higher than usual. This fluctuation of temperature comes with a set of other problems as well.

For starters, the slightly colder water makes it hard for the fish to adapt which ends up in premature death is not handled correctly. Warmer water however contains less dissolved oxygen. This ends up with the same result.

Problem 3 : Greenhouse gas emission

Another reason why a hydropower plant isn’t as green as we thought it is, is that in one way or another, implementing the usage of hydropower means for most of the time, building a dam and flooding the entire forest. The submerged trees usually decay and release greenhouse gases such as methane. Imagine an entire forest worth of methane plus the absence of trees to absorb carbon dioxide in the air. This is a fact that many advocate of hydropower chose to ignore for a very long time.
Creativity Unleased ( Book Review )
By: Solitude, Books, Camelia
Tags: Mindfulness, Brain, Green Energy, Creativity, Meditation

Title — Creativity Unleased

Author — Gopal Krishnaswamy

Published by — Bloomsbury

Spiritual guru Osho says, “To be creative means to be in love

with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring alittle more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more

How beautiful and true is that ?

I am a creative person. I have loved indulging in painting , poetry , writing articles , and creative handcrafts .

So to be honest I liked this book.

The cover is pretty , minimalistic and eye catching.

The capacity to produce something is one of the best cognitive skills human possess but that doesnot mean high crreativity is equal to high IQ for creativity needs Intuition flash backs more than analyzing.

Author tells spend your energy in some activity that is for pleasure which will use excess energy and leave no energy for anger .

This book deals with more than approach towards creativity . It introduces the concept of being mindful which is most popularly known as the MINDFULLNESS MEDITATION that helps us concentrate in the present.

Author has efficiently talked about neuroplasticity and brain structure too.

Author has described the roles of honchos of the world like Einstein , Kekule and many more. The short stories were light and enjoyable to read.

There are steps told which can be used to become more mindful of our creative approach and become more productive.

The casual frolic but eye catching presentations in each page make the read light hearted and easy to grasp along with the quick quotes of famous scientists and guides make this book a beautiful non fiction full of facts and thoughtful concepts for kids too.

Practicing mindfulness helps us to get connected with ourselves deeply that opens our mind to creative thinking and become leess rigid in our approach to unlease a wide horizon of creative ideas to cherish .

Simple , mystic , Maverick , Nature lover View all posts by Camelia
Will green energy save our planet?
By: Armando Castellano Jr
Tags: Solar Energy, Green Energy, Renewable Energy

As a provider of alternatives to fuel energy production, green energy is becoming the way to go. It’s a rapidly growing vertical that’s empowered by new technology based on solar panels and wind turbines leading the change.

However, after seeing solar panels mounted on thousands of home roofs, and wind turbine farms scattered out on the wild and at sea, I can’t help but wonder what’s going to happen with the waste generated by the solar panels when are no longer working.

If they aren’t working they perhaps will need to be dismantled and disposed of. That will be a lot of metal frames, glass panels, and embedded chemical products. Have anyone pondered about the chemical components that are part of the overall design of those panels? Where are we going to throw them out?

I’ve heard that the lifecycle of solar panels is good for up to 20 years and they require to be replaced after that period.

Nowadays, there’s a green energy trend that’s pushing homeowners to install solar panels to save energy and, in some cases, with the hope of reselling electricity back to a small grid expanding the neighborhood’ area.

However, for homeowners, is a very expensive undertaking filled with a plethora of shady areas imposed by solar panel manufacturers concerning the contract, insurance, costs, and installation, that together creates a hurdle in addition to the mounting uncertainty related to the house market, now that prices seem to be falling as a consequence of the low-interest rates that may have buyers cautious wondering whether a recession similar to the one in 2008 is coming.

In the case of the wind turbines, it’s tricky to see how Mother Nature, which this technology supposed to be saving, is affected by the construction of those tall poles.

Acres of land that end up razed to allow the construction of the towers supporting the turbines. The number of flying birds the turbine fans are killing on the regular basis, and the unknown consequences of the invasion of those white poles in the marine ecosystem when building up offshore, are elements that should be considered when planning the implementation of this replacement technology.

Besides, torn fiberglassed fans have shown the need to be replaced more frequently than initially expected.

Both technologies won’t cover the entire need for energy. Solar panels require sunlight to operate efficiently, and wind turbines need heavy winds to push the fans to around 180 miles an hour to produce energy.

No sunlight, no wind, and no electricity.

Although the green economy is sitting over a $1,3 TN pile of cash, it needs to dig deeper by check and balance more objective planning capable of figuring out the real savings against the implementation costs and real long-term benefits of both technologies.

Please check the following article below to expand the narrative regarding the green energy subject: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/16/us-green-economy-generates-1point3-trillion-and-employs-millions-new-study-finds.html

Armando Castellano Jr is the founder of walletever.org
Curb that ego
By: Upside Technologies
Tags: Investment, Ego, Emotions, Investing, Investors

ATEC has often been asked in the past by clients and bosses alike: “in which trades lie your greatest conviction?”

It was always an exercise in academia, in that we would have our analysts prepare a spreadsheet ranking the different bets by upside targets (or downside) potential. Then the story-telling ensues.

Truth be told, based on ATEC’s recollection, perhaps less than some 30% of those predicted targets ever came through. When we think about it, this happens for a very simple reason — that life (or sh*t) happens.

As an extreme, let us use Gamestop as an example. Every one of us is able to tell (fundamentally) that the retailer is far from the definition of a quality company. Neither did it deserve the more than 2,000% price appreciation at the start of 2021. But yet, it did, and in the process, lay waste to several large professional hedge funds.

The key lesson that ATEC took away as we observed the carnage is that ego is a terrible attribute for any investor, whether individual or professional, to carry into the battlefield that is the stock market. Even if there is a universal truth to the idea that every company has an appropriate intrinsic value, there is nothing to suggest that ‘it’ will manifest as per your planned timing or as per your painstakingly constructed earnings model. Stock prices WILL meander, and by lots. A whole host of factors such as investors’ positioning, a large hedge fund unwinding, macro sentiment and so on can, and will throw spanners in the clockworks.

Just like, well, life, sh*t happens.

Downturns can, and will, depress us and make us lose sight of the bullish thesis, while periods of strong rallies will inevitably cause greed and complacency to creep, in if we are not careful. Hence, in ATEC’s view, it is of utmost importance for any investor to be aware of their own emotions towards the stock (or market) at every point of engagement.

Are you bullish because you are already invested, or are you bullish because your investment approach or rules suggest so?

That is why, whether individual or professional, all investors should and must pre-define for ourselves cut loss rules for all positions, whether based on percentages lost or technical levels breached.

The biggest mistake that we as managers can make is to utter the line, “it’s ok, the company will do fine longer-term,” when the stock keeps tanking against our long position. You might be right about the long-term, but you might be broke by then too. Getting out of a loss-making position is the equivalent of a time-out in say, a basketball game. It gives us the breathing space needed to re-assess our thesis and strategy and decide if we are wrong after all about the stock, without having to bear the emotional burden of having the position go against us in the meantime. It is perhaps the best safeguard against our runaway egos. Most importantly, it allows us to protect our capital.

Hence, as we hone our skills as analysts and at Excel modelling, do not forget to hone your understanding of your own emotions… and yes, learn to curb that ego.
AXIS Bluechip Fund Review
Tags: Investment, Invest, Education, Investing, Investors

About Axis Mutual Fund

Dated in October 2009, Axis bank launched its first scheme, thus, welcoming themselves with a remarkable growth in the market. Their success was attributed to three main principles: customer view, long-term relationship, and long-term capital appreciation. The goal of Axis Mutual Fund is to deliver state-of-the-art investment and financial solutions, thus, enabling confidence through financial security amongst the customers. Precisely, goal-oriented investing is on top-notch over un-planned parking of funds.

Before investing in axis bank mutual funds schemes, lets figure out the pros of the same. Here:

Full transparency and commitment to take the ownership.

Axis Bank Mutual Funds go beyond the call-of-duty and do every rightful thing regardless of anyone watching.

Reliability, forgiving, and grateful is their goals.

Prefer talking in the language of the investor.

Enduring wealth creation at every level.

The availability of axis bank customer care at every point of time.

Now,

About Axis Bluechip Fund

Axis Bluechip Fund is an open-ended mutual fund scheme pre-dominantly investing in largecap stock. The objective of the investment is to achieve long-term capital appreciation by investing in diversified portfolio of pre-dominantly consisting of equity & equity-related securities of largecap companies (including derivatives).

Statistics of Axis Bluechip Fund

Launch Date : The scheme was launched on 1st Jan 2013

: The scheme was launched on 1st Jan 2013 Risk Level : The fund growth is rated as Moderately High. Also, it is suitable for investors who are looking for capital-appreciation over long-term.

: The fund growth is rated as Moderately High. Also, it is suitable for investors who are looking for capital-appreciation over long-term. Fund Manager : Currently, the fund is managed by Shreyash Devalkar since 23rd November 2016. With more than 5 years of experience in equities markets as an Equity Research Analyst, he specializes in Telecommunication services, Utilities sectors, and Information Technology.

: Currently, the fund is managed by Shreyash Devalkar since 23rd November 2016. With more than 5 years of experience in equities markets as an Equity Research Analyst, he specializes in Telecommunication services, Utilities sectors, and Information Technology. Entry and Exit Load: Units in excess of 10% of the investment; 1% will be charged for redemption(s) within a year.

Are you looking to invest? Open an account with Gulaq and start investing in Direct Mutual Funds with ZERO commission.

Benefits of Axis Bluechip Fund

Axis bluechip funds invest pre-dominantly in large companies.

It aims to outperform the benchmark with low-risk as compared to the benchmark.

The fund being an asset class holds potential to beat inflation & generate long-term wealth.

Long-term goals such as retirement, children’s education, or other long-term plans can be achieved with Axis Bluechip Fund.

Furthermore, here: https://www.gulaq.com/axis-bluechip-fund-review/
A Layman’s Guide to Investing: Mutual Funds
By: Funmi Fasasi
Tags: Mutual Fund Investment, Self Improvement, Finance, Investing, Investors

I first heard about mutual funds when I thought of becoming an investment banker about ten years ago. Needless to say, this dream died somewhere around the 17th rejection email whilst trying to secure a summer internship. I was already on the “tech” path so I just continued in that direction but started reading up about fund managers and eventually stumbled on the concept of mutual funds.

Essentially, a Mutual Fund is a professionally managed investment fund that pools money from many investors to invest in a diversified portfolio.

The Concept of a Mutual Fund is simple, think of it as a pool of funds where each investor is a shareholder. A fund manager then invests the pool in different asset classes such as treasury bills, commercial papers, bonds and equities to name a few. This then generates returns which are passed back to the investors.

There are several Benefits of Investing in Mutual Funds but I will focus on three:

1. It is professionally managed and backed by a regulatory body.

This means that trained fund managers carefully analyse different securities and follow strict rules, which are put in place to protect the investors and ensure profit maximisation.

2. The portfolio is diversified.

As there are so many different investment vehicles to choose from, mutual funds tend to have a balanced variety such that investors are less likely to be affected if one particular investment under performs.

3. It is affordable.

Usually, mutual funds allow investors buy a portion (or slice of the pie) and as such, this is an option to buy a smaller fraction than one would otherwise have been able to.

​

More and more, Mutual Funds have become a big part of many investors’ portfolios as many institutions offer an easy set-up via a mobile app or online platform. However, before you invest in any fund, there are a couple of things to look out for and here are 15 questions you should ask to help you make a decision on which mutual fund to go for:

Is the institution credible and backed by a verifiable company and regulatory body? What is the objective of the fund? What is the risk level? Is your capital preserved? What is the nature of fund or asset allocation? i.e. what does the fund invest in? Is it a short or long term investment? What is the base currency? When was the fund launched? Is it an open-end or closed-end fund? What is the initial investment amount? What is the additional investment amount? What are the handling charge, commission and other fees? When is the maturity of the fund? What is the distribution or dividend frequency? What is the historical fund performance and Year on Year (YOY) growth?

Did we leave anything out? I would love to hear from you so please drop a comment below. Thank you for reading and all the best on your money journey!
Sheena Ricarte’s Visit at the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2015
By: Sheena Ricarte
Tags: Investor, Philippines, Philippine Stock Exchange, Money, Sheena Ricarte

I am an investor of some blue-chip Philippine publicly listed corporations.

In January 2015, I visited the then Makati City-based Philippine Stock Exchange in the Philippines.

Here are some of my photographs as a young capitalist.

Since today is Wednesday, March 11, 2020, these pictures date back to five years ago.

I was flabby that time. Now, absolutely NOT anymore. Hahaha! Really.

I did not realize that my physique ballooned during that time, aside from my dividends from my equity shares. Hahaha !

It must have been my overindulgence habits (overindulgence with food).

Besides, I was younger then, and it never occurred to me that I was too much of a foodie.

Nonetheless, they were all back in the day.

Fast-forward to the present: This year, I am planning to start writing blog posts about my journeys in various financial centers around the world.

These articles will be besides my insights on international business and finance.

I will find the time to do so.

This new interest is my project, leisure, pastime, hobby, lifelong interest, and so forth now that I work as a international finance and business writer.

I am learning a lot and I just love it.

By the way, I am resorting to sharing my ideas to my Medium.com page. Previously, I posted them all on my Instagram page (www.instagram.com/princesssheenaexcelsior).

Plus, I have my Twitter page (www.twitter.com/poshpisces84) which I use to read the day’s international business and finance reports.

I also use these news stories for my news-rewriting tasks.

~ Sheena Ricarte visiting the Philippine Stock Exchange’s old office in Makati City in 2015 ~
Investors Caught in the Wild Winds of Volatility
By: Jake Zamansky
Tags: Volatility, Stock Market, Investors

The Stock Market Is Wildly Gyrating

Volatility May Be the New Normal

Retail Investors Should Diversify

Mom and Pop investors should be prepared to see the value of their hard-earned retirement accounts continue to gyrate wildly in the days and weeks ahead.

“It was Wall Street’s worst day in more than a decade: Stocks plunged on Monday as a panic that began in the oil market made its way through the global financial system, adding to concerns from already rattled investors about the state of the global economy,” according to Monday’s New York Times, which posted the story after the stock market closed at 4:00.

“The S&P 500, already down 12 percent from its late February high, fell more than 7 percent on Monday,” the Times noted. “The sudden downdraft meant that trading in the United States was automatically halted early in the day — a rare occurrence meant to prevent stocks from crashing — but it resumed after a 15-minute delay. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 2,000 points.”

This is terrible. What are retail investors to make of all this?

For some, unfortunately, their brokers are telling them to jump into the market today and “buy the dip.”

Those brokers will then insist that their clients adapt to this new market and stay the course, whilst racking up massive commissions.

The best advice for retail investors to follow is investing 101 — diversification and asset allocation. Very rarely do all asset classes get whacked at once, so diversification is a simple, safe and practical strategy.

That’s why working with a financial adviser who creates a financial plan — the opposite of a stock jockey — is a better strategy for most investors.

The use of margin can also be a portfolio killer. Investors who saw huge gains from buying stocks with margin loans have learned the brutal lesson of the speed with which margin calls and forced selling can occur.

And investors in volatility investment products like UBS’s Yield Enhancement Strategy, or YES, are getting pummeled weekly as volatility spikes to record levels. Such investments are pitched as safe or low-risk strategies for investors looking for consistent returns but are disastrous during volatile markets.

As with past market hurricanes and earthquakes, investors who are diversified in stocks and bonds usually weather the storm best. And make no mistake, the current market is a hurricane.
Axis Focused 25 Fund Review
Tags: Investment, Invest, Education, Investing, Investors

About Axis Mutual Funds

Dated in October 2009, Axis bank launched its first scheme, thus, welcoming themselves with remarkable growth in the market. Their success was attributed to three main principles: customer view, long-term relationship, and long-term capital appreciation. The goal of Axis Mutual Fund is to deliver state-of-the-art investment and financial solutions, thus, enabling confidence through financial security amongst the customers. Precisely, goal-oriented investing is on top-notch over un-planned parking of funds.

Features of Axis Mutual Funds

Before investing in axis bank mutual funds schemes, let’s figure out the pros of the same. Here:

Full transparency and commitment to take ownership.

Axis Bank Mutual Funds go beyond the call-of-duty and do every rightful thing regardless of anyone watching.

go beyond the call-of-duty and do every rightful thing regardless of anyone watching. Reliability, forgiving, and grateful is their goals.

Prefer talking in the language of the investor.

Enduring wealth creation at every level.

The availability of axis bank customer care at every point of time.

Now,

About Axis Focused 25 Fund

It is an equity mutual fund scheme that was launched by Axis mutual fund. Later on, it was introduced on 29th June 2012 to its investors. Currently, the fund is managed by Jinesh Gopani. The objective is to generate long-term capital appreciation by investing in concentrated portfolio of equity & equity-related instruments.

Statistics of Axis Focused 25 Fund

Risk Level : The fund growth is rated as moderately high. Suitable for investors who are looking for capital growth in long-term.

: The fund growth is rated as moderately high. Suitable for investors who are looking for capital growth in long-term. Redemption : Minimum redemption amount is INR 1000 or 100 units.

: Minimum redemption amount is INR 1000 or 100 units. Fund Manager : Since June 2016, the scheme is being managed by Jinesh Gopani.

: Since June 2016, the scheme is being managed by Jinesh Gopani. Entry and Exit Load: If units are redeemed within a year, 1% exit load is charged from the allotted date. No exit load is charged beyond a year.

Are you looking to invest? Open an account with Gulaq and start investing in Direct Mutual Funds with ZERO commission.

Furthermore, here: https://www.gulaq.com/axis-focused-25-fund-review/
Former NFL Super Bowl Champion Najee Goode discusses blockchain, sports tech and the importance of optimizing content at BitAngels LA
Tags: Blockchain, Startup, Investor, Bitangels, NFL

Former NFL Super Bowl Champion Najee Goode discusses blockchain, sports tech and the importance of optimizing content at BitAngels LA BitAngels Oct 13, 2020·2 min read

Earlier in August, we had an exciting BitAngels LA event with a special fireside chat moderated by LA city leader, Bill Inman, and featuring Najee Goode, former Super Bowl Champion and co-founder of sports technology company, Veepio.

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Najee shared his unconventional journey to the NFL noting he didn’t play any contact sports until high school. He walked-on to the West Virginia University football team and found out he was going to be drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while eating at an IHOP.

Najee knew he was always interested in technology, because of his time studying technology and business, and being an engineer at West Virginia University. “The academic side of my career has always been intertwined with tech,” said Najee.

He continued to play for the NFL and became a free agent in 2019 and was on the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl winning team. Many professional athletes, specifically football players, struggle to find another career after their time on the field comes to an end. Najee has a different story.

“I got wrapped into Veepio the year I was hurt, it was a big year in Philadelphia, we had just come off a playoff season, coming back I got hurt coming into a game. And so I went to see our college play (West Virginia University), I got connected with Jonathan (Ohliger) through another one of our co-founders. We always saw this thing with tech, Veepio as a way to create and capture content and to enhance and optimize it…”

Najee’s role with the company developed from the combination of professional sports and technology to gain a unique perspective on solving the disconnect with fans., “Kind of where my role played in place in fan engagement being a football player, being involved in engineering, being involved with blockchain.”

He says that what is so special about Veepio’s message and what the technology can do is that, “We can optimize any kind of content.” and whilst the company starts with sports it sees potential beyond that vertical.

Najee says the NFL has shifted its focus to digital content, which allows him to work with football, but in a new way. “My interests fell in love with being able to optimize the content that I know as a player, as a fan, and as a person.”

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We humbly thank Najee Goode for speaking at our BitAngels Las Angeles 2020 event. Find out more about Veepio here: https://veep.io/

If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to join our membership. It’s open to anyone interested in Blockchain Investment and will give you access to this event’s full video and more: https://www.bitangels.network/membership.
Oatly and Blackstone show that sustainability is a major aspect for investors
By: Anna Ira Hurnaus
Tags: Blackrock, Sustainability, Oat Milk, Oatly, Investors

Oatly is really popular in coffee shops, picture by https://unsplash.com/@ralics

There has been a huge uproar among the fans of Oatly, a producer of delicious oat milk. Why? Because the Swedish company took money from Blackstone, on of the world’s biggest investment companies.

The backlash was so huge that Oatly posted about it on their website. The gist of their message was that taking in a globally connected investor was not selling their values but a sign that sustainable operations are expected by investors now. According to Oatly this is a great sign to the world. Sustainability is now a major concern of mainstream investors and not only the aspiration of fringe activist.

I really like this view. Climate change can only be tackled successfully if the majority are in on it. This year, the CEO of BlackRock, Larry Finck, wrote a letter to the CEOs of the companies BlackRock invested in to remind them about the importance of focusing on climate change. Fink underlined that BlackRock will expect more transparency from companies in terms of sustainability as this a huge indicator of long term success for a company.

In a previous version of this article there was quite the confusion about BlackRock and Blackstone. Blackstone is the investment company that investet in Oatly. BlackRock is also an investment company that has a history of non-sustainable investments. Thank you Jamie for pointing it out.

Big companies are also openly stating their view that sustainable investment is the future, among them EY, McKinsey, KPMG and Goldman Sachs. The Harvard Business Review has been picking up on this trend too.

The bottom line is clear: aiming for sustainable operations and supply chains in companies is no longer a dream of hippie activist but the minimal expectation of the biggest investors in the world.

If your thinking about how you could make sure your company’s operations and supply chains sustainability is up to date visit https://truecolorssustainability.com/.