Page 1,187«..1020..1,1861,1871,1881,189..1,2001,210..»

11 Actionable Steps Leaders Can Take To Define And Then Achieve Their Goals – Forbes

Posted: February 27, 2020 at 7:45 pm


Defining a goal is the first step toward achieving it. However, figuring out exactly what you want to pursue can be challenging:There are a lot of different good ideas out there,and somecan prove more difficult than others toclearly identify.

So what are some good ways to better establish what you want? Below, members ofForbes Coaches Councildiscuss some of the waysleaderscanmore clearly definetheir goals andthenreach them successfully.

Members discuss a few ways people can better define, and then reach, their goals.

1. Envision The Ideal Future

One of the best tools to gain clarity around goal setting is visioning. Investing time at the beginning of the planning process to envision the ideal future, in as much detail as possible, helps solidify goals and create momentum for follow-through. Approaching goal setting from this future vision perspective allows you to first discover where you are going and then solidify how you will get there. It creates your why and can provide motivation during times of challenge or stress. - Cheryl Czach,Cheryl Czach Coaching and Consulting, LLC

2. Map Your Goals

Goals are places to come from, not destinations to go to. They represent significant milestones deriving from your vision. First, develop your vivid vision. Let it be fueled by meaning, purpose and identity appeal. Then reverse engineer your vision to define your milestones. These will become your goals. Finally, map your goals, not just set goals, by answering critical questions that will allow you to script your way to success, such as, What needs to be true about my time allocation? My structural environment? My social environment?etc. - FrdricFunck,CENTER FOR CREATIVE LEADERSHIP

3. Start Journaling Your Progress

It starts with knowing where you are, where you want to go, and seeing the space between the two. One step is to start writing and journaling to see the progress. I do this daily, weekly, monthly and yearly with an incredibly helpful tool called thePassion Planner. - Denise Russo,School of Thoughts

4. Distinguish Between Vision And Goals

Make sure you distinguish between vision and goals. Goals are the milestones one has to achieve in order to reach the vision. Identify your desire or a dream. Then work backward to create milestones that are SMART. Achieving each milestone brings about a sense of success and motivates working toward the vision. - Pritha Dubey,Success Vitamin

5. Assess How You Live Your Values

One way to define goals is to assess how fully a client is livingtheirvalues. What do they care about? What is most important to them, and how are those priorities reflected in their daily actions? If, for example, a client indicates family time is most important, but typically works a 16-hour day, the client will experience dissonance, or a work/life misalignment. Setting goals that help the client realign actions relative to the priorities will move the client toward the life they desire. - Patricia Carl,Highland Performance Solutions, LLC

6. Self Reflect

Substantive self-reflection is a vital first step in understanding our gaps and establishing meaningful and worthwhile goals for improvement. We then need to set intermediate steps that can act as guideposts as we work towards accomplishing larger outcomes. - Jonathan Westover,Human Capital Innovations, LLC

7.Define Your Vision Then Pursue It

Start by asking what vision they want to experience and then help them name the resources necessary to experience that. Then define the specific actions that are required to secure those resources. Finally, establish commitment: Decide what the first step is in taking the needed action, and then write on the calendar when theyll take that step. - Corey Castillo,Truth & Spears

8. Review Your Digital Footprint

Engaging in a yearly objective assessment of both your company's digital footprint and personal digital footprint is key to assess how successful you've been over the past year aligning your personal and professional goals for growth, connections, and reach. Doing so will lead you to think about what kinds of adjustments to make to your digital strategy in order to reach your personal and professional goals. - Julie Fisher,Echo70

9. Keep Asking Why?

Clients can come with goals they think that they "should" or "need" to do as opposed to something they really want to do or feel excited about. Help them dig a little bit deeper and see whats important to them, and then keep asking the followup question And why is that important to you? This process helps clients uncover what their true goal is. Once you tap into that, they'll find genuine motivation. - Denise Csaky,The Firefly Moment LLC

10. Tap Into Emotions

Cultivateexcitement in the end result of adesireddream orvision. Without an emotional and measurable desire for inner dreams to become tangible goals, the journey to success can be quite single minded and harder. Emotions are key to fuel the passion and the earnest desire for success. It adds meaning to the goal success and to a life worth living.Every goal matters when the voice has unshakable heartfelt passion behind it. - Charlotte D. Blignaut,EMOTION IN MOTION

11. Get Started

The single biggest reason why goals aren't achieved is because they are never started. A framework to help leaders and their teams is to answer these six questions: 1. What do you want to do? 2. What is your desired outcome? 3. What specific steps will you take to reach that outcome? 4. What obstacles stand in your way? 5. What is the time frame associated with this goal? 6. How will you measure success? - Shelley Hammell,Sage Alliance, Inc.

See the rest here:
11 Actionable Steps Leaders Can Take To Define And Then Achieve Their Goals - Forbes

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:45 pm

Posted in Personal Success

The cast of CBC’s Fortunate Son reflect on the books that changed their lives – CBC.ca

Posted: at 7:44 pm


The cast of the CBC original show Fortunate Son, Kari Matchett, Darren Mann and Rick Roberts.

The season finale of Fortunate Son premieresWednesday, Feb. 26 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC and CBC Gem.

The drama,inspired by a true story,is set in the socially and politically tumultuouslate 1960s. It tells the story of a family fractured by a mother's unyieldingdedication to activism and the personal toll it takes on those close to her.

Watch Fortunate Sonon CBC Gem.

CBC Booksasked the cast to share one book that has stuck with them.

"When I turned 30, I had an ever-increasing awareness that something was missing in my life. After much soul-searching, I developed an awareness that instead of being present in the moment, I was either worrying about the future (easy thing to do as an actor) or in some sort of regret or sadness about the past.But I didn'tknow what to do with that awareness.

"Within a week or two,I found myself in one of my favourite book stores at the time (the Bookshelf in Guelph, Ont.). As I browsed the shelves, I came across a display that seemed to be a beacon just for me: The Power of Nowwas on the shelf and it felt like a magnet that pulled me in. I bought it, and over the course of the next few months I read it everyday. There were days I could read a few pages.Other days, I only read a paragraph or even a few sentences.

"It's a book I still carry with me most of the time. I think what stays with me the most from the book is Eckhart Tolle's personal account of the first time he felt he was truly in the now.He heard himself say (to himself), 'I can no longer live with myself.'But what occurred to him in that moment was, 'Who was the "I"he referred to? What was the division there? Who was the real "I"in that phrase?'He realized the truth is, there is only one 'I.'And this notion forever changed him. And me. When I get caught up, as one does, I try to remember this. And when I remember to remember it inevitably brings me back to the now. I have come to realize that the now is where our true wealth and health, mind, body and soul really lie the power of now."

"It's hard to describe Kathy Acker's writing. It feels like it re-wires your brain. It's confusing sometimes, locations and points-of-view abruptly shift, sometimes you're not sure if you're in the real world or in a dream. It somehow manages to seem like it was simultaneously vomited onto the page and meticulously crafted. It is crass and carnal, confusing, titillating, shocking, sometimes it's so dirty that you feel like you shouldn't be reading it at all. It goes from political treatise to adventure novel to thriller to slapstick comedy.

"You are in the hands of an artist whose only imperative is truth, (i.e. the best kind of artist).One who is still behind the lines, fighting it out in the war zoneor tapping out messages from beneath the rubble. Empire of the Senseless is grotesquely carnal. It is vengeful and it can be cruel. It is filled with aching and longing. It is intellectual. It is funny. It is a wound of a book."

"HockeyTough is a book that sticks out to me, I've read it on multiple occasions to help get me over a hurdle. As ahockeyplayer, I was always looking for an advantage over my competitors. in doing so, I became a firm believer in working on my mental side of the sport. I find myself using a lot of these same methods of preparation, visualizingand mental toughness to help me reach my goals as an actor and to be the best that I can be.

"I always revert back to talking abouthockeywhen I talk about my personal success in acting, and a lot of that comes from working on my inner self."

Continued here:
The cast of CBC's Fortunate Son reflect on the books that changed their lives - CBC.ca

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

Boys basketball: Tommy Murphy helping Delran to one of its best seasons of all time – Courier Post

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Buy Photo

Delran senior Tommy Murphy has led the Bears to their first home playoff game since 1994.(Photo: Josh Friedman/Staff Photographer)

Tommy Murphy rose out of his seat and walked down the aisle of the school bus.

The Delran High School senior was in eighth grade when he saw a friend being bullied several rows up.

Murphy couldnt let that stand.

He came down to the kid and told the kid if you dont stop bullying my friend youre going to have a problem with me, Tommys father Joe recalled. That night, the parents (of his friend) called us and said what a wonderful son we had.

Murphys mission in life is to serve the greater good. He plans on joining the Marines when he graduates.

More: South Jersey boys basketball Mean 15 rankings for February 23

I always thought I could be a part of something bigger, he said. I never wanted to show off individually. Id rather show off as a group, so I dont think it gets any more impressive than the Marines or any type of military organization. Anything I can do to help people.

That mentality has always shown up on the hardwood.

The 17-year-old has never cared about his stats, only wins.

This season, Murphy and the Bears are piling up both.

Delran is 17-6 and secured its first home playoff game since 1994. The No. 6 seed will host No. 11 Sterling in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 2 playoffson March 3.

A lot of coaches go, Thats not a big deal, said head coach Travis Murphy, who is trying to determine if the program has ever had a 20-win campaign before. Theyre going for divisions or theyre going for sectionals. For us, its the first really big step. We havent had something for the school to rally around for 25, 26 years.

Its unlikely the Bears would be in this position without Tommy, Travis nephew.

He leads the team in points (377) and steals (42), is second in scoring average (16.3) behind 1,000-point scorer Glenn Morrisonand rebounding average (5.0) behind Ahmed Johnson, and is considered the squads top defender.

Hes just 5 points away from his 1,000th.

He realizes now hes our go-to guy and hes kind of embraced that and accepted that, Travis said. Where other years he was able to defer, now hes our top choice. When we run certain sets its through him, when we run different plays its through him, when we do certain activities on the court defensively, assignments go through him. I think hes embraced that.

More: Boys basketball: Love for Camden Catholic has JV coach Joe Murtin on verge of state history

Murphy didnt expect all the personal success hes had as a senior.

His defense, power and ability to penetrate have always been strengths, which he honed against his older, taller brother Matt, a 2017 graduate who was dead-eye from deep and joined the 1,000-point club his final season, and his younger brother Danny, a sophomore whos also a great shooter and was big for his age as well.

I think his game, what he concentrated and focused on was obvious, being able to move quicker with the dribble, be able to create his own shot, Travis said of Tommy, who stands 6-foot-1. Matt (6-5) didnt have to. Wed get that separation with his size, but Tommy does (have to), he has to be able to use that dribble, use that quick one step to get by guys. I think he embraces the effort and the attitude of defense. Defense usually translates into offense, and kind of get into that flow of the game and constantly be that presence for 32 minutes.

But Tommy, much to his surprise, added his brothers ability from beyond the arc this year too.

Murphy has connected on a team-high 67 3-pointers, making at least three in nine of his past 10 games.

I did work on my shot over the summer, he said. I changed my workout routines. Since I was so good at getting to the basket, I focused on that for so many years that I was like, Im already good at this, why dont I focus on one of my weaknesses? Now if I shoot well it gives me different opportunities on the court, pump fake, go by a guy, something like that which I didnt have the past two years.

Neither Travis nor Joe, an assistant on the team, were taken back by Tommys development though. The work ethic has always been there.

He was one of those kids, he was never sitting around, Travis said. There was no video games, theres gym, theres work, hes outside without his dad telling him what to do. Hes cutting the grass, raking the leaves, hes doing these different things. Hes one of those kids where its a little bit different.

Its that drive that makes him a leader and has helped the Bears produce one of the great seasons in program history.

More: Boys basketball: D.J. Wagner, Lance Ware lead Camden to Olympic National championship

And the selflessness will help him excel in uniform too.

I dont care if anybody knows my name, Tommy said. I play hard. I play hard on the basketball court, play for my teammates. I dont really play for myself, but if the job needs to be done, if I end up being the scoring leader, thats just because thats what I had to do that game to win. I dont care who scores the most points as long as we win, as long as I back up my teammates. Thats all that matters.

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post and The Daily Journal for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a Courier Post subscription.

Go here to see the original:
Boys basketball: Tommy Murphy helping Delran to one of its best seasons of all time - Courier Post

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

Why Celebrities Are Texting Their Fans, And What Businesses Can Learn – Forbes

Posted: at 7:44 pm


For a long time, social media has proven to be an effective marketing channel for celebrities. Whether theyre announcing concerts or just trying to stay relevant, posting on social gives them direct access to their fans.

Take Cristiano Ronaldo, for example. With over 400 million followers across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, he can reach millions of fans within minutes. His social strategy has been so successful that hes earning more from Instagram than his salary at Juventus. It was reported last year that he earns an average annual income of $47.8 millionfrom Instagram alone.

So, why would anyone leave? Well, there seems to be a new trend in town. Lots of popular celebs are now taking an old-school approach by sending SMS (text) messages to their fans. Theyre sending breaking news, providing daily updates and asking questions. A recent campaign saw Jennifer Lopez asking fans to text her with their song requests for her Super Bowl LIV halftime show.

This is all done via a company named Community, which provides celebs with a platform to log in and send messages in bulk. They can then view replies and respond if necessary. Some of the celebs who have already signed up reportedly include Paul McCartney, the Jonas Brothers, Diddy and Mark Cuban. Ashton Kutcher is also both an investor and user of the platform.

At Reach Interactive, we arent surprised by this new trend, as consumers are striving for personalized content. As a result, users of our SMS marketing platform are beginning to adapt. Rather than sending out generic campaigns, they are sending targeted messages that attempt to build personal connections with each recipient.

Whats up with social media?

Its becoming more and more difficult for celebrities to get their content seen on social media. On average, only 8% of a pages total likes will see any given post on Facebook. That means that a page with a million likes will only have 80,000 views on any given post. Flip that around, and you have 920,000 missed opportunities.

Its the same on Instagram and Twitter, too. As followers rise, engagement falls. The average engagement rate for accounts with less than 1,000 followers is 7.2% on Instagram and 1.4% on Twitter. However, when accounts have over 100,000 followers, those numbers fall significantly, as engagement is just 1.1% on Instagram and 0.3% on Twitter.

Theres also the issue of internet trolls. Its pretty common to see jokes in the comments section of celebrities posts. While some of those messages are light-hearted, others can be malicious and personal. With platforms doing very little to combat this problem, its no surprise when celebs call it quits. Just last month, Lizzo left Twitter due to trolling on her account.

Why SMS?

A big benefit of using SMS is that it is direct. Celebs can send messages that go straight to their fans inboxes. Those messages arent going to be missed. Theyll sit there until they are either read or deleted. This is a big benefit because it means that fans no longer have to refresh their social feeds to read updates.

Texting is also personal. Fans can receive direct messages from their heroes. Imagine sending a message to a local fan that says Concert announcement in your city. Id love it if youd be there, Jodie. That message is much more personal than a generic tour poster that is published on every social channel possible.

Finally, texting doesnt have to be in bulk. It can be as simple as arranging numbers based on area codes or geographical location. Then, if celebs have any upcoming events, they can target fans in that town, city or state.

How can businesses benefit?

Itd be naive to think that celebrities would completely ditch their social channels and focus solely on SMS. Instead, theyre now able to utilize both platforms when communicating with fans. There is no reason businesses cannot use a similar strategy. All you need to do is grow your list.

Your business may not have the same number of followers as the celebrities mentioned, but growing your SMS list can still be easy. You just need to let your existing channels do the work. Easy wins are to include your number in email campaigns, publish it on your website and post about it on social channels. Budget dependent, you can also use traditional methods such as direct mail, billboards and TV ads. And you could even get creative and run podcast ads or use influencers.

The key to growth is to offer an incentive. For celebrities, thats easy. Theyre providing fans with an opportunity to receive a direct response. For businesses, youll get more opt-ins by offering a monetary discount. Send a welcome offer such as 20% off or buy one, get one free. Also, try to make it clear that your SMS subscribers get exclusive access to discounts and products.

Consider your messaging strategy.

Once you have a sizable list, its all about strategy. Firstly, your content needs to add value. You can send texts that are informative, such as appointment reminders or delivery notifications. Or, you can send marketing messages that include calls to action, such as discounts and product launches. Then, consider timing. For example, a fast-food chain would have more success on a Friday evening than on a Monday morning. Finally, avoid bombarding your customers, as this will undo all of your hard work. Further, giving out too many discounts can hurt your brand.

This strategy can also be implemented across all of your other marketing channels. Whether youre sending a text, sharing a post or sending an email, think about your content in terms of value added, timing and consistency. As a result, youll be able to develop a successful multichannel strategy that targets unique customers across each platform.

Link:
Why Celebrities Are Texting Their Fans, And What Businesses Can Learn - Forbes

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

How a life changing accident as a junior lawyer gave me the drive to succeed – Legal Cheek

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Ed Fletcher, CEO at Fletchers, tells Legal Cheeks Aishah Hussain how he took the firm from fledgling high street practice to featuring in the UK top 100, and the tragic motorcycle crash that spurred him on, ahead of tomorrows Secrets to Success event in Manchester

Fletchers is going places. What was once a small high street firm in the seaside town of Southport is now one of the countrys biggest medical negligence law firms.

Its wonderful to have grown exponentially, particularly in the last five years, to become a national leader in personal injury law, says Ed Fletcher, chief executive officer at Fletchers, and the man behind the firms impressive growth story.

Ed studied law at Aberystwyth University where he was a stalwart of the first XV rugby team. His interest in personal injury took hold when one of his teammates suffered a neck injury and pursued a successful claim against the Rugby Football Union. I saw first-hand the fantastic contribution lawyers can make to rebuilding lives, he reflects.

He went on to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) at the College of Law in Chester and joined Fletchers as a fresh-faced trainee in the summer of 96.

Then, when he was one year qualified as a solicitor, he severed his spinal cord in a motorbike accident which changed the course of his life. He dealt with the initial trauma and spent six months at a rehabilitation centre. Once that had subsided, he found a renewed enthusiasm and greater clarity on the direction of his career: he was going to develop a specialism in motorbike accidents representing individuals suffering from injuries similar to the one he had experienced and help them rebuild their lives.

His most memorable case was Donaldson v Wilson involving a motorcyclist who rode into a cow. The case ended up in the Court of Appeal but interestingly, Ed tells me its the little victories Im most proud of. He continues: Its a blessing to be involved in cases that although arent setting legal precedents or breaking new ground but radiate fortitude from our lawyers digging deep in times of darkness.

The opportunity then arose to not only rebuild individuals lives but to build teams and departments, and then a firm with this ethos in mind.

The civil justice reforms beginning with the 1998 Woolf Reforms, the Jackson Reforms and then the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), shook the personal injury market. Law firms costs and style of serving their clients came under great scrutiny while the government enacted changes that favoured larger legal service providers. Fletchers embarked on a strategy to scale-up.

Now listed in the top 100 UK law firms by revenue, Fletchers employs 470 staff (or Fletcherians) across the Southport mothership and since 2017, its new Manchester office. The decision to set up shop in Manchester was the obvious next move, says Ed. We had drained the local region pool of talent so it made sense to move to the capital for our type of work. Possible expansion to Leeds and London is also on the cards, he tells me.

In the time Ed has been managing the firm he has introduced flexi hours and remote working policies as well as embraced technology to boost efficiency. Fletchers has partnered with the University of Liverpool and Innovate UK to develop artificial intelligence technology to support decision-making within the firm, and is looking at ways to improve access to justice from its digital disruption lab in Manchester.

The recruitment of trainee solicitors is a core component of Fletchers growth strategy, and it takes on a total of eight trainees each year. They complete the LPC part-time alongside training a nod to flexible learning arrangements, a burgeoning trend in the legal industry and, as one of the Trailblazer law firms, Fletchers onboards a number of solicitor apprentices each year. There are currently 19 apprentices but the firm is looking to grow this number once the Solicitors Qualification Exam (SQE) kicks in from next year.

Some students can be so set on corporate law they seem to forget there are firms such as Fletchers offering interesting alternatives. Ed thinks this is a great shame. He says:

You see it a lot I certainly have among my former classmates an exodus of corporate lawyers five to ten years from when they qualify because they havent effectively explored other areas of law.

And while doing deals and drawing up commercial contracts is okay for some, others, Ed explains, are in search of emotional gratification. He continues: You get that almost every day working as a personal injury lawyer. We support customers when theyre at their lowest providing hope and guidance with real, tangible and personal outputs. If that sounds like something youre interested in then you ought to come and speak to us at Fletchers.

Future Fletchlings should also know the three skills Ed thinks all personal injury lawyers should possess. They are tenacity, the ability to collaborate with others, including opposition, to reach the best possible outcome for the injured customer, and making decisions in a wise, kind and strong way.

Ed Fletcher will be speaking alongside lawyers from Freshfields and Pinsent Masons, and a careers expert from ULaw at tomorrows Secrets to Success event in Manchester. You can apply for one of the final few (and free) places to attend.

About Legal Cheek Careers posts.

Here is the original post:
How a life changing accident as a junior lawyer gave me the drive to succeed - Legal Cheek

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

With a $7 Billion Price Tag, Is Intuit Overpaying for Credit Karma? – Motley Fool

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Intuit's (NASDAQ:INTU)acquisition of personal finance site Credit Karma, announced Monday alongside its fiscal second-quarter 2020 earnings, is a pretty sizable deal: Intuit will fork over total consideration of $7.1 billion, funded equally between cash and Intuit stock, to fold in the popular finance destination.Per CFO Michelle Clatterbuck in the company'searnings conference callon Monday, Intuit will supply the cash portion through existing resources and by utilizing its $1 billion unsecured revolving credit facility.

How can shareholders determine whether this princely sum is appropriate considering the assets being acquired? Intuit relayed that Credit Karma's revenue, based on unaudited results, expanded by 20% in 2019, to $1 billion. The company didn't provide any insight into Credit Karma's profitability, but we can make an educated guess that it's unlikely to enjoy a profit margin anywhere near Intuit's high annual net profit margin of 23%. This is because management expects the transaction to be "neutral to accretive" to Intuit's non-GAAP(adjusted) earnings per share in the first full fiscal year after the deal closes.

This leaves investors with a single yardstick to gauge the deal's reasonableness: Intuit is buying Credit Karma at a multiple of seven times its annual sales. This seems a steep price on the surface, especially since management doesn't project an immediate, quantifiable impact on 2021 fiscal earnings per share.

Yet, as a strategic acquisition, the hefty purchase size may be warranted. Intuit has a long history of attempting to extend beyond its tax and small business accounting base into personal finance, from personal bookkeeping product Quicken (which it sold in 2016) to net-worth tracking platform Mint, to its relatively new Turbo offering. Turbo combines income data gathered from Intuit's TurboTax users (with their consent) with credit scoring to generate offers for home, auto, and personal loans from financial service providers.

Turbo seeks to add incremental revenue to Intuit's coffers in a manner quite similar to that of Credit Karma's primary offering: linking customers with service partners to help optimize their finances.Credit Karma has over 106 million customerson its Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered platform, which acts as a personalized financial assistant. According to Intuit's press release on the transaction, Credit Karma owns the "largest engaged member base in consumer digital finance." The company boasts an extremely high rate of engagement: 37 million of its customers use the platform more than four times a month. And Credit Karma works with a plethora of service providers, teaming up with more than 100 partners that offer home, auto, and personal loans, as well as high-yield savings accounts and insurance products.

Image source: Getty Images.

Credit Karma's reach helps illuminate Intuit's willingness to front the large purchase multiple. The transaction will roughly double the tech giant's total addressable market (TAM) in personal finance products from $29 billion to $57 billion. Yet access to Credit Karma's customers also introduces cross-selling opportunities, reducing Intuit's cost to acquire customers for its tax and small business products while opening a new avenue for Credit Karma to amplify its own user numbers. I presume that in its pre-deal due diligence, Intuit ascertained that the two companies don't have a huge overlap in existing customers.

Perhaps most importantly, Intuit may be able to significantly boost Credit Karma's value proposition to its customers by linking income data from TurboTax (as Turbo now offers) to their existing shared credit information, potentially exposing Credit Karma's customers to better offers from service providers.

Intuit states Credit Karma will continue to operate under its own banner, and I expect that at some point, Turbo will be folded into Credit Karma's brand. Given Intuit's deep pockets, the long-term opportunity to scale the Credit Karma brand after a one-to-two year integration period likely shows a high internal rate of return in management's calculations. Over time, then, the massive price tag may not seem so luxe.

Of course, the FinTech space is highly competitive and prone to disruption -- there's no guarantee that Intuit will see resounding success from attaching Credit Karma to its portfolio of brands. But overall, the purchase multiple, although high, isn't egregious. In fact, over the last two years, due to its stock price ascent, Intuit itself has traded at well over seven times sales -- it currently sports a price-to-sales ratio of 10.5. So, viewed through this lens, Intuit is purchasing Credit Karma at a discount to its own market pricing. Smarter yet, it's using its own, higher-priced equity to fund half the deal.

See more here:
With a $7 Billion Price Tag, Is Intuit Overpaying for Credit Karma? - Motley Fool

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

Dear Annie: Is it better to toss and turn all night, or just pop a sleeping pill? – oregonlive.com

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Dear Annie: I am a 65-year-old woman who suffers from insomnia. I exercise regularly, limit my caffeine intake and try to wind down at the end of the day with more relaxing books or TV shows. However, there are still a couple of nights a week when I simply cannot fall asleep.

Im retired, so I dont have to worry about going to work in the morning, but its still very frustrating to lie awake for hours, tired but not sleepy. I feel lousy the next day, too.

Which is worse for you, lack of sleep or sleeping pills? Both are said to increase the chance of dementia. If both carry the same risk, then Im inclined to pop a pill to at least stop the tossing and turning, and drop off to sleep. Does anyone have the answer to this? -- Sleepless in Roanoke

Dear Sleepless in Roanoke: There might be a third option here. Melatonin is a natural sleep aid that is considered safe, with few side effects. Couple that with some breathing techniques and you might find yourself dozing off in as little as five minutes. Heres how to practice the 4-7-8 breathing technique, as reported by Healthline:

"1. Allow your lips to gently part.

"2. Exhale completely, making a breathy whoosh sound as you do.

"3. Press your lips together as you silently inhale through the nose for a count of 4 seconds.

"4. Hold your breath for a count of 7.

"5. Exhale again for a full 8 seconds, making a whooshing sound throughout.

"6. Repeat 4 times when you first start. Eventually work up to 8 repetitions."

Continue your routine of winding down and limiting caffeine, but substitute just reading instead of TV. Any electronic screen can affect your quality of sleep. I also open this up to any readers who have had success falling asleep naturally.

Dear Annie: A few weeks ago, a letter ran from a person who seems to have tried everything to get in shape, from gym memberships to personal trainers, and asked, How do people stick with it?

I dont know how others do, but Im willing to share how I have. I graduated from high school nearly 50 years ago at 98 pounds. I now weigh 127 pounds. I had a baby in those years, too. So, how have I managed to only gain 29 pounds in 49 years?

Lots of small things: Walk for a mile every night after dinner (its good for your waistline and your marriage). Park toward the back of the parking lot and walk all the way in. Dance (think The Twist) while watching an entire 30-minute television program (its hard to eat while doing this, and it burns a lot more calories than just sitting there). Think just five minutes of exercise: Do situps, jumping jacks, pushups, toe touches or rope skipping for just five minutes. Its not a major commitment. ... Think of it as I deserve this five-minute break for a tiny bit of exercise.

At a restaurant, ask for a box when your food first comes. Put half of your meal in right then. Once its in the box, even if youre tempted to clean your plate, you will have only eaten a healthy portion. Get a watch that gives you stickers for physical activity. Yes, I know, it sounds silly, but I really wanted those stickers on my paper as a child, and I enjoy earning stickers on my watch now.

None of these are big things. But lots of small things do add up. -- Still Slender 50 Years Later

Dear Still Slender 50 Years Later: Congrats on your continued health. Just about anyone could use your suggestions to jump-start their wellness routine. That they are playful and provide opportunities to connect with others is especially beneficial.

Ask Me Anything: A Year of Advice From Dear Annie is out now! Annie Lanes debut book -- featuring favorite columns on love, friendship, family and etiquette -- is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

Here is the original post:
Dear Annie: Is it better to toss and turn all night, or just pop a sleeping pill? - oregonlive.com

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

What is Bill Gates’ net worth? – Fox Business

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Bill Gates has ordered the first hydrogen-powered super-yacht to support clean energy technology and speculation that Google could potentially buy Tesla. FOX Business Lauren Simonetti with more.

Bill Gates, most famous for being the co-founder of Microsoft Corporationand one-time richest man in the world, has gone from tech wizard to billion-dollar philanthropist. With so many contenders on the billionaires' list, how much capital does Mr. Gates have now?

Gates along with childhood friend Paul Allen founded Microsoft on April 4, 1975. Originally basedin Albuquerque, New Mexico, it eventually relocatedto Washington state in 1979.

Microsoft, specializing in computers and supported software, grew to become a major multinational technology company. One of the biggest leaps on the ladder of success for Microsoft came on Nov.6, 1980, when IBM made a contract stating itwould pay Microsoft $430,000 (around $1.5 million today, inflation-adjusted).

The contract agreed to Microsoft putting itsDisk Operating System (DOS) on IBM's new Personal Computer.

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. ( Doug Wilson/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

WHO IS THE RICHEST BILLIONAIRE IN THE WORLD?

The key point in the contract was one that enabled Microsoft to license the operating system to other manufacturers, a nonexclusive agreement that IBM agreed to in part because it wasembroiled in years of ongoing antitrust investigationsand litigation.

IBM's loss would be Microsoft's greatest gain, allowing the company the capacity to grow into one of the biggest tech companies of the 1980s. This opened the door to partnerships with Tandy and Commodore, which further boosted both Mircosoft's market dominance and brand awareness.

It was this period of the decade that Microsoft saw the biggest increase in revenue, rising from $16 million in 1981 (about $45.5 million today) to $140 million in 1985 ($335.5 million today).

On March 13, 1986, Microsoft wentpublic on the Nasdaqstock exchange, selling 2.9 million shares at $21 each, raising $61 million. Shares closed at $28 on first day of trading, making a 31-year-old Gates and his 11.1 million shares worth $310million, marking his debut on the Forbes 400 with $318million.

By 1987, Gates was officially declared a billionaire in Forbes' 400 Richest People in America issue, just days before his 32nd birthday. He was also officially the world's youngest self-made billionaire with a net worth of $1.25 billion, over $900 million more than he was worth in 1986.

Bill Gates attends the Telluride Film Festival 2019 on Aug. 31, 2019, in Telluride, Colorado. (Paul Best/Getty Images)

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

1994 was a landmark year for Gates, who at the age of38 becamethe richest man in America with a wealth of $9.35 billion. It's around this time that his company began to enter the commercial consumer market, with Microsoft Windows as the flagship productwith sales reaching $3.7 billion,making it a household name.

1995 was the year that Gates entered a new stratosphere of wealth and success. Not wanting to miss the boat, Gates prepared staff via an internal memo for an "internet tidal wave." This move was made in hopes for Microsoft to place itself at the forefront of theworldwide web industry.

It was also in 1995 that Gates was named the richest person in the world, with a fortune of $12.9 billion. After the release of Windows 95, Microsoft sales reached $6 billion.

Bill Gates and wife Melinda in Paris, April 2017. (Getty Images)

In 2008, Gates decided to step down from his senior role at Microsoft, instead choosing to put his energy into philanthropy, along with his wife,Melinda.

Despite now owning just 1 percentof Microsoft shares - which is around $7.3 billion - he is still one of the richest people on the planet with a net worth of around $108.4 billion.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

More here:
What is Bill Gates' net worth? - Fox Business

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

Parker’s plan: win – and get the hell out of Texas – Newsroom

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Combat Sports

He may be marooned in Texas, but Joseph Parker is closer to a return to boxing's big time than you'd think.

Joseph Parkers road back to boxing relevance wont ever lead to the now fully resurgent Tyson Fury.

But that doesnt mean the Gypsy King wont be a key figure in the Kiwi heavyweight recapturing a crown of his own.

Fury, who produced a tactical and psychological masterclass to fully unmask the huge punching but technically bereft Deontay Wilder to claim the WBC title on Sunday, has categorically ruled out fighting his Kiwi brother.

The reasons are straight forward enough: Fury has no desire to fight a mate, and feels no competitive compulsion to prove himself against a boxer he believes he would defeat without breaking a sweat.

Even if the second part of that equation were to change which would only occur should Parker recapture a heavyweight championship belt the first part likely wouldnt.

While Parker is certainly hard-headed enough to put sentiment aside to focus on business inside the ring, Fury is clearly a different kind of beast; the type that wears their heart on their sleeve, and isnt much for turning.

Fury has pledged never to fight his Kiwi mate, and that'sthat.

But Fury could well still play a key role in Parkers return to relevance.

Boxing journeys are seldom, if ever, tales of uninterrupted pugilistic perfection and personal success.

Parkers fight this weekend, against 39-year-old never-wazzer Shawndell Winters in Frisco, Texas, is about as far removed from a world heavyweight unification fight against Anthony Joshua at the Millennium Stadium as it's possible to be.

A main event fighter for pretty much his entire career, this weekend Parker isnt even the main undercard fight on a card headlined by Mikey Garcias clash with Jessie Vargas for the vacant WBC Diamond welterweight title.

Heck, Parkers tune-up is not even the third-ranked attraction. With three world title fights to follow his scheduled 10-rounder against Winters a fighter with losses to fellow nobodies Brian Howard and Nikodem Jezewski on his resume - the reality is that Parker will enter the ring before most of the fans atFord Center at The Star have even pondered taking their seats.

And hell be showered and back at his hotel long before the real contests begin.

The last time Parker was such an irrelevance on a boxing card was his pro debut, when he subdued Huntly PE teacher Dean Garmonsway on the undercard of Shane Camerons shock victory over Monte Barrett in 2012.

Being so far from the limelight will likely be a sobering experience not a bad thing for an athlete who has experienced his sports pinnacle but is yet to realise his full potential.

For a lesson on what can be achieved from his less than lofty current station, Parker need look no further than his gypsy mate.

Just 20 months ago, Fury entered a boxing ring in Manchester to face the less than well-performed Albanian Sefer Seferi. That contest deservedly had fifth billing on a card whose star names were Turbo Terry Flannagan and Maurice Mighty Mo Hooker.

That was Furys comeback fight after spending the two-and-a-half years following his victory over Vladimir Klitschko transforming himself from an elite athlete into a 175 kilogram human fatberg.

The linear world champs subsequent physical metamorphosis and re-accession to his throne shows what can be achieved in little more than the blink of an eye.

With Anthony Joshua and Wilder both having tasted defeat, the undefeated Fury is now the one calling the shots in the division.

While all roads would seemingly point to a unification showdown with fellow Brit Joshua, it aint that simple.

Fury is two fights into a $NZ163million five-fight contract with ESPN. Joshua is signed to US-based streaming service DAZN, while Wilder, who has a rematch clause, has a contract with yet another US broadcaster, Showtime.

Thats not a dynamic that lends itself to an all-British megafight.

Before his victory at the weekend, Fury said a showdown with Joshua was not an option until at least the end of his ESPN deal.

Throw in the factboth Joshua (who has more belts) and Fury (who is undefeated) have strong claims for a bigger slice of any pie and the odds of any deal being reached lengthen.

In the event of a stalemate, its a stone-cold certainty one or more of the four main sanctioning bodies will order mandatory title defences based on their rankings.

That, as it happens, is precisely the scenario that led to Parker capturing the WBO title in 2016.

Faced with a mandatory rematch against Klitschko, Fury vacated his WBA and WBO titles in favour of battling his cocaine addiction.

Then ranked two and three by the WBO, it was Parker and Andy Ruiz who found themselves in line for a shot at the WBO strap.

Parker claimed his sliceof history in Auckland, with Ruiz following suit with a shock victory over Joshua in New York last year.

Both Ruiz and Parker have since faded but, as Furys resurrection shows, the bright lights are far from out of reach for former champs.

The recipe for Parker is obvious. Get back in the ring, stay active and keep winning and his shot will come.

First things first he needs to get the job done this weekend. And then get the hell out of Texas.

Steve Deane has contracted to Duco Events, the company owned by Joseph Parkers manager and advisor David Higgins.

.

Go here to see the original:
Parker's plan: win - and get the hell out of Texas - Newsroom

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success

Artists, Labels Scale Business With Advance Capital From Stem, CoVenture Partnership – Forbes

Posted: at 7:44 pm


Stem CEO and 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Music alumna Milana Rabkin introduces Scale by Stem.

Beginning today, music artists and indie labels have access to a new stream of funding. Stemdistribution and payment platform invested in bythe likes of Mark Cuban and Scooter Braun (with clients Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Usher) is providing more than $100 million in advances each year via Scale, its newly-launched financing product supported by a capital partnership with CoVenture.

Scale is led by Stem CEO and 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 Music alumna Milana Rabkin, who, with co-founders Tim Luckow and Jovin Cronin-Wilesmith, launched Los Angeles-based Stem in February of 2015 to help artists establish sustainable businesses. Stem provides creators with tools to streamline music and video distribution, royalty splits and data tracking. Scale promotes further independence among creators by providing an alternative to traditional means of funding and empowering them to own their own music.

Scale felt like the natural next step for Stem, says Rabkin. We had figured out how to simplify splits and handle royalties, but wanted to help independent artists leap to the next stage of their business since day one our focus has been on empowerment and clarity.

Early payments from Scale are made in the form of a revolving credit line with the ultimate draw limit and fee based on net share of income. Unlike most other industry advances, Scale offers artists more flexibility with repayment, meaning that they choose what percentage of their earnings are contributed to paying down the advance each month. The product also offers all content shareholders access to capital.

Creators using Scale are not required to report how advances are spent. The company also does not perform personal credit checks or collect interest, minimum monthly payments or finance charges. Before launching Scale, Rabkin started Stem Check, a service that helps artists evaluate the financial viability of a prospective deal with a label or distributor.

The workings of Scale by Stem.

Music producer and artist Billy Lemos is among the first artists to use Scale to finance future projects and says, Scale has allowed me to fund my ideas without signing to a label. I have full control and freedom with my music and dont need to worry about any deadlines.

While labels can provide benefits for some artists, standard record deals tend to favor the company and place operating, marketing and distribution costs on creators. As an increasing number of music performers today choose to work independently, Rabkin hopes that Scale will drive financial literacy and empower them to think more like entrepreneurs with an understanding of the value they are bringing to the table. She also thinks that it will raise the bar for the industry to be truly transparent.

Success in the music industry I think will come when we can dispel the notion of the starving artist, says Rabkin. All of the new emerging platforms are really important they are so heavily dependent on music as the media that drives engagement yet, the people creating music have no way to understand the value of what theyre creating.

With more than 40,000 new songs released a day on Spotify alone, Scale enters the market at an opportune time. According to Rabkin, independent artists are the fastest growing segment of the music business, and growth within the music freelance economy is expected to continue as the industry expands. Artists have aired their grievances about the increasing pressure they feel to sell their rights for a paycheck, and Rabkin says Stem is a viable alternative to lease, not sell.

I personally believe that as more services and labor work is automated, more humans will be driven to creative work, says Rabkin. Days of doctor, lawyer or accountant versus creator are going away, and I hope its tools like Stem that allow creators to create sustainable careers and businesses recognized by society I never want a parent to tell a child that they cannot be a creator.

See original here:
Artists, Labels Scale Business With Advance Capital From Stem, CoVenture Partnership - Forbes

Written by admin |

February 27th, 2020 at 7:44 pm

Posted in Personal Success


Page 1,187«..1020..1,1861,1871,1881,189..1,2001,210..»



matomo tracker