Yesterday, Governor Tom Wolf delivered his budget address for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. The governor laid out a plan that lowers taxes for working families while making a historic investment in public education.

The governors plan will lower barriers like underfunded schools, an unfair tax system and an unlivable minimum wage that make life harder for Pennsylvania families. The plan will reaffirm our commitment to build the strongest education system in the country, cut taxes for working families, get Pennsylvania back on track after the pandemic, build on bipartisan progress and change Harrisburg by demanding accountability.

The plan calls for major investments that will help Pennsylvanians succeed, including fully and fairly funding our schools so that all students receive a high-quality education and reforming our workforce development system to address inequities, support workers and establish the well-trained workforce businesses need. At the same time, the governors plan will cut taxes for businesses and working class families.

It is possible for us to have a budget that works for families, for businesses and for our economy, said Gov. Wolf. By improving the quality of education our children receive and cutting taxes for families just starting out, we are investing in our future a future in which more Pennsylvanians can build financial stability for themselves and their children.

The governors plan has received broad support from education professionals, good government groups, faith leaders, labor organizations, environmental advocates and others. See what they have to say:

Budgets are moral documents. This greatly increased education budget, with the majority distributed in a more equitable way, reflects the commitment of our interfaith leaders to the students of Pennsylvania and the future of the Commonwealth. For years we have called on Gov. Wolf to fully fund and fairly distribute the resources needed to educate our students and we are glad to see him answer our call.

We applaud Governor Wolf for a bold proposal that meets the unique moment we find ourselves in. From pushing for a long-overdue increase in the minimum wage to investments in workforce development and small business assistance, to an historic increase in funding for public education and tax cuts for working families, this is the kind of bold investment in our communities that will help Pennsylvania rebuild, rebound and move towards a better future.

Now is not the time for our leaders to hesitate. We cannot reverse the health and economic devastation left in the wake of a global pandemic with a tepid response from our elected officials. Governor Wolf is drawing a line in the sand, and we can only hope that Republican leadership in the General Assembly will be willing to join the governor, in the spirit of bipartisanship, to make these pragmatic investments that their constituents and their communities so badly need.

We support a $1.5 billion public investment that is dedicated to moving Pennsylvania toward funding each school district equitably and adequately, with the resources to support it. Lets get to work.

We commend the governor for his ongoing commitment to public education. There is nothing more important than investing in our schools and students. Gov. Wolf has been a leader on these issues, and PSEA looks forward to a continued partnership with him and lawmakers from both parties to ensure our students are successful and our schools are fairly funded.

Like PSEA, Gov. Wolf has made it a priority throughout his term in office to advocate for equitably and adequately funding all of Pennsylvanias schools. These issues are very important to PSEA, and we are grateful that this historic proposal elevates these critical issues.

We look forward to fully reviewing this plan and identifying opportunities for PSEA to work with the governor and the Legislature to find the best and fairest way possible to achieve greater equity and adequacy in school funding. This is an issue that PSEA has long championed and will continue to do so.

The pandemic has made it clearer than ever that Pennsylvanians need a budget that invests in our communities and our future. Our Commonwealth is in a position that requires a reckoning of decades of disinvestment, neglect, and apathy. The most vulnerable have had to bear the brunt of the devastation. We fully support raising the minimum wage and building financial security for working families.

Rebuilding our workforce is more important than ever, and we are excited to be part of re-envisioning workforce and economic development. We were part of the multi-stakeholder Workforce Development Command Center, and now the problems and solutions we identified will be addressed. We need to raise wages for workers, and that starts with the most vulnerable workers, stated President Rick Bloomingdale.

Reinvesting in education and educators is a commonsense approach to addressing long-standing inequality and building a better future for Pennsylvania. Our schools were already some of the most segregated in our country. This systemic discrimination, compounded with income inequality, especially affects people of color, leaving them further behind. The worst consequence of this is the overall impact inequality has had on children, whose future will have an impact on us all.

Brick and mortar schools face unprecedented challenges without the full support and adequate funding they need, while cyber and charter schools continue to exploit an unregulated system. Many of these for-profit institutions take full advantage of a global health pandemic to their economic advantage. There is no reason we cant have a good public school in every community. The inequity of COVID-19s impact on children in poverty must be a wake-up call for everyone. Furthermore, Pennsylvanians need good jobs that sustain families and raise the quality of life for working families in our communities, remarked Secretary-Treasurer Frank Snyder.

SEIU members work tirelessly everyday to ensure that our basic way of life is not disrupted during the real threat of COVID-19, the threat of police violence or the growing existential threats to our democracy. They deserve to work in and send their children to safe, functioning schools and to earn more than a poverty wage. Thats why we stand strong with Governor Wolf on this budget and call on the state legislature to do its part to see it through.

Pennsylvania Association of Rural and Small Schools Executive Director Dr Edward Albert This robust budget proposal for education is much needed. Too long Pennsylvania has been one of the worst states for funding education. This proposal allows Pennsylvania schools to educate students so they may be competitive, in the world upon high school graduation. Thanks Governor Wolf for the courage to propose this budget.

Governor Wolfs proposed budget for the year that begins in July 2021 is a bold plan to address not only the problems facing Pennsylvanias students, workers, and businesses as a result of the pandemic, but also the economic and racial inequities that have plagued our state for decades.

Governor Wolf presented his 2021-2022 budget under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic afflicting our state and country, the resulting economic recession, and protests against police violence. In response, the governor has proposed a budget that addresses taxes, education, wages, and criminal justice so that all Pennsylvanians can benefit, no matter where they live or what they look like. His proposals will begin to break down the economic, racial, gender and immigration status inequities that for too long have limited the ability of too many Pennsylvanians to thrive.

Governor Wolfs 2021-2022 budget address demonstrates the need to move Pennsylvania forward in a way that unites us behind the important decisions facing the Legislature. We are pleased with the Governors focus on improving the lives of the everyday working people and ensuring that we get through this pandemic and begin to rebuild our communities and livelihoods. With the looming pandemic that has had devastating impacts on the Commonwealth not yet behind us, Governor Wolf has proposed investments in our communities, education, schools, workforce and small businesses that will lay the foundation of a shared economic recovery, building a better Pennsylvania for all families. UFCW Local 1776 is steadfast in our support of the Administrations proposal for a $15.00 minimum wage increase and ending pre-emption against minimum wage, a policy that is long overdue. Furthermore, we are excited to partner with the Legislature in the quest for legalizing adult-use recreational cannabis in a way that is worker friendly and helps deliver valuable revenue for the Commonwealth. While there is much more work to be done, we believe this budget proposal puts working Pennsylvanians first and are pleased to support it.

Governor Wolfs budget proposal demonstrates that he understands the extensive unmet needs in Pennsylvanias public schools and the unfairness of our current funding system. The proposed historic investment of $1.5 billion in public K-12 education would substantially increase resources available to students in the commonwealths most profoundly underfunded schools and make significant progress toward closing the resource and opportunity gaps that harm our most vulnerable children and threaten Pennsylvanias future workforce, tax base, and economy.

Gov. Wolfs proposed charter school funding reforms would bring even more fairness to the commonwealths school funding system by more closely matching charter school tuition payments with the schools actual costs and saving more than $200 million in taxpayer money each year. No charter school should reap a profit off of students with disabilities. And cyber charter schools should not be awash in so much excess funding that they can waste millions of taxpayer dollars every year on multi-million dollar advertising campaigns, lavish CEO salaries, and more.

The Clean Power PA coalition applauds Governor Tom Wolfs proposal to use hundreds of millions of dollars in annual proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to support Pennsylvania workers and create economic growth. The Governor is seeking to use RGGI funds to assist workers and communities affected by the rapidly changing energy landscape, help industrial and commercial businesses reduce carbon emissions, create jobs through investments in greenhouse gas abatement, energy efficiency and clean and renewable energy, and empower communities that have experienced disproportionate environmental impacts.

Once approved, RGGI could produce as much as half a billion dollars for Pennsylvania in its first year alone. We cant afford not to join our neighboring northeast states that have been able to take advantage of billions of dollars of economic investment through RGGI.

In his proposal, Governor Wolf clearly recognizes the economic reality Pennsylvania faces when it comes to energy generation, the ground is shifting beneath our feet and its happening quickly. Pennsylvania must move forward to take advantage of new economic and energy opportunities, and RGGI is an opportunity to do so while tackling climate change and protecting public health.

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Gov. Wolf's Plan to Invest Billions in Education, Cut Taxes for Working Families Draws Praise - pa.gov

With the big game coming up soon, your attention is probably focused on whether the Kansas City Chiefs or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will end up the winners. But if you're ready to claim the title of MVP in achieving financial success, it doesn't hurt to take a little time to think about how you can invest your money in a way that's sure to pay off bigger than any football bet.

To do that, it's helpful to tackle some big investment myths that may be holding you back from achieving your full potential.

Image source: Getty Images.

Day trading may seem like a quick, easy way to make a profit -- especially as there have been some recent highly publicized instances of people making a lot of money due to speculative trades. And lots of new investors have been able to take advantage of recent market volatility to make a quick buck.

But remember back in 2016 when victory appeared all but certain for the Atlanta Falcons before the New England Patriots staged a massive comeback? Most day traders are the Falcons right now: They may be feeling pretty confident, but chances are very good it won't be long before their luck turns around.

The bottom line is, anyone can have a good quarter or do well for ashorttime by day trading if they get lucky. But this isn't a strategy that's likely to be met with success in the long term. But just as having Tom Brady on your team is the most surefire way to get to the big game, there's also a surefire way to build wealth: Develop a solid investment thesis and build a diversified portfolio of stocks you'll be happy to hold over the long term.

While day traders may have a problem of overconfidence in their skills, many others shy away from investing because they aren't confident enough. And that's a big mistake, because if you don't get on the field, you won't even have a chance to win.

The truth is, youdo need to have a certain measure of expertise to successfully pick individual stocks. But you can also get your money into the market even if you know next to nothing about investing. It's easy to do that by buying exchange-traded funds that track the performance of the market as a whole, or that track specific types of stocks such as small caps or large caps.

ETFs can provide instant diversification and you only need to do a little bit of research to figure out how to build a portfolio of funds that charge low fees and present minimal risk. So don't take a pass on investing just because you believe you need to become Warren Buffett to make money.

You know what's worse than missing a touchdown? Missing out on the chance to invest because you think you need a fortune to get started. The reality is it's easier than ever for the average person to get their money into the stock market. Most brokers don't require minimum deposits to open an account any more, nor do they charge commission fees for trading that would make it impractical to invest with small sums.

And a growing number offer fractional shares, which means you can invest in any company, even those with high per-share prices, since you no longer need to buy a full share. You're able to specify which business you want to bet on by determining the dollar amount you want to invest and purchasing whatever fraction of a share your money will buy you.

So while attending the biggest football event of the year may be something only the wealthy can afford, you don't need thousands of dollars to start making smart plays in the market. Now that we've tackled these myths more effectively than Aaron Donald tackles quarterbacks, you're ready to get started.

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Tackle These 3 Investing Myths Before You Make the Wrong Play - The Motley Fool

Bill Gates.Photo: Getty Images. Illustration: Inc. Magazine

Looking for a new investment or a lucrative industry for your new startup? Look no further than green energy. With world leaders, including a new administration and Congress, fully aware of the severity of the climate crisis, any company or technology that helps reduce greenhouse gases might seem like a good bet. But, according to Bill Gates, some are more worthwhile, and have a bigger impact than others, and there's a simple way to tell which is which. To be most effective against climate change--and most financially successful--look for companies and technologies that reduce or eliminate the "green premium."

The green premium is the difference in cost between something that makes climate change worse and something that doesn't, Gates explainsin an excerptfrom his forthcoming book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster published by Time. The green premium comes about because the cost of most products does not reflect their impact on the environment. Take jet fuel. "The average retail price for a gallon of jet fuel in the U.S. over the past few years is $2.22," Gates writes. "Advanced biofuels for jets, to the extent they're available, cost on average $5.35 per gallon." Thus, the green premium for those zero-carbon jet fuels is $3.13 per gallon, a premium of more than 140 percent.

Are airlines likely to pay that? Unless there's a government incentive to do so, such as a carbon tax, the answer is certainly no in an industry that competes almost solely on ticket price and that has been badly battered by the pandemic. So a company trying to sell today's biofuels to the airline industry isn't likely to get very far. On the other hand, one that can find a way to bring the cost of biofuel in line with traditional jet fuel would likely do very well. This is why, Gates writes, "During every conversation I have about climate change, green premiums are in the back of my mind."

Fighting climate change isn't just for do-gooders, it's also for entrepreneurs and investors who want to be seriously rich, according to Chamath Palihapitiya, billionaire VC and founder of Social Capital.Palihapitiya says it should surprise no one that Elon Musk is the world's richest man, because Tesla is a company addressing climate change head-on.

Though he may not use the term, Musk is well aware of the green premium, and he's made eliminating it a major focus at Tesla. The company may have started out with the $100,000 Roadster, but it's worked hard to bring the price of its cars down ever since, and now offers the Model 3 at a starting price of about $38,000.

What industries offer opportunities with low or no green premiums? Producing electricity in both the U.S. and Europe is a good example, Gates writes. "Changing the entire U.S. electricity system to zero-carbon sources would cost roughly 15 percentmore than what most people pay now. That adds up to a relatively low Green Premium of $18 a month for the average home." Which is why the area is ripe for investment, and why the coal industry may be in trouble.

But while non-fossil-fuel electricity and electric vehicles capture a lot of the public's attention, they're not the biggest solutions to the climate crisis. Gates notes that the biggest source of greenhouse gases is manufacturing, which accounts for 31 percent of them. Electricity production is a close second at 27 percent, followed by agriculture. Transportation comes in fourth at 16 percent, followed by heating and cooling buildings. We have to address all these industries, Gates writes, or else, "you're not going to solve the problem."

In other words, this area is not only ripe for innovation but there are billionaire investors eager to back ideas that can lower emissions with a low green premium across a wide range of industries. That's why Gates invested in Heliogen, which is working to make solar energy viable for manufacturing, and why Palihapitiyarecently leda big investment in Sunlight Financial, a fintech company that facilitates financing for residential solar installations.

That could provide some inspiration for your own next venture or investment. Just make sure you keep the green premium in mind.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Bill Gates Says This Simple Formula Tells You Exactly How to Invest in Green Energy - Inc.

Venture funds have historically counted on several types of limited partners or LPs for their own investing capital. One of these groups is institutional investors think pension funds, university endowments, hospital systems and the like. Another is corporations. A third bucket centers on wealthy individuals and often their family offices.

Its a fairly small universe, in other words, but two new initiatives, both announced this week and both very different, are looking to change the equation and could usher in similar efforts soon.

Arlan Hamilton came out with her news first. Hamilton is the founder of Backstage Capital, a venture firm focused on investing in startups founded by people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ community. In short, diversity is at Backstages very core. But Hamilton, who is herself Black, isnt interested in funding diverse founders alone; she is also interested in enabling more people from diverse backgrounds including socioeconomically to invest in venture capital as an asset class.

Toward that end, earlier this week, on the private investing platform Republic, she opened a new fund that anyone including unaccredited investors could back under a Securities and Exchange Commission rule called Reg CF, or Regulation Crowdfunding.

Hamilton hit the upper boundary of what Reg CF allows an outfit to raise $1,070,000 within a 12-month period in what seemed like hours from 2,790 investors who were invited to invest as little as $100. But more could be coming. The reason why: that rule underwent a change in November under former SEC chair Jay Clayton, and will next month begin allowing outfits to crowdsource up to $5 million.

The process could be slowed down by the incoming SEC chief. President Biden has appointed former regulator and former Goldman partner Gary Gensler, who must now receive Senate confirmation. The new administration is also reviewing many of the measures moved along late in the Trump administration. If its all systems go, however, its easy to imagine more unaccredited investors being invited to fund other, and larger, venture funds soon.

Opportunity knocking

A second initiative this week has similar objectives to Hamilton bringing more diverse investors into the ranks of LPs though it has a different approach and its targeting accredited investors only, which basically means individuals who are earning $200,000 a year and/or have a net worth of $1 million or more.

Launched by Acrew Capital a Palo Alto- and San Francisco-based early-stage venture spearheaded by veteran VC Theresia Gouw the firm revealed yesterday that its currently raising a traditional growth-stage fund with a twist. In addition to giving its current LPs a crack at investing in the new fund, it is also opening the vehicle up to more women, people of color, and underrepresented individuals who may not have had a chance previously to invest in a later-stage private vehicle.

The key here is Acrews emphasis on growth-stage investing. While more women and people of color are breaking into the ranks of seed-stage investing, it takes a long time to make money with early-stage funding. Meanwhile, growth-stage funds are more exclusive because the companies they back are closer to an exit typically. That makes them very appealing to institutions including mutual funds and hedge funds and doesnt leave much, if any, room for the kinds of individuals who Acrew now hopes to bring into the fold.

Like Backstage, diversity is in the DNA of Acrew, which Gouw cofounded with Laura Kolodny, Vishal Lugani and Mark Kraynak, colleagues from their previous fund, Aspect Ventures.

Its little surprise that the firm which says 88% of its overall team is female and 63% comes from underrepresented backgrounds would be the first to publicly focus on pulling more diverse angel investors, board members, and C-level execs into the world of later-stage deals.

Like Backstage, which gets fresh capital to invest through its new effort, the new effort of Acrew which focuses largely on fintech and cybersecurity, and which has a stake in the highly valued challenger bank Chime, among many others others is both inclusive and strategic.

As Kolodny explains it, a growing number of startups is focused on enhancing diversity in the board room, and having a diverse LP base of individuals who it can connect with interesting board roles is likely to work out well for everyone involved, from Acrew to the companies to its new LPs.

In fact, its an approach that Acrews partners hope wont distinguish the firm for long, says Kolodny. Our hope is that five years from now, a venture firm helping companies to add diverse independent board members and diverse executives wont be a unique strategy.

The hope, she adds, is [this effort] gets people to embrace a new standard around what is what is expected of venture firms.

Pictured above: the members of Acrew Capital who are part of its first growth fund, which it has dubbed its Diversity Capital Fund.

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Two new efforts could widen the pool of people investing directly in venture funds - TechCrunch

The hubbub around GameStop (GME) and Robinhood is sparking new (or renewed) interest in investing. Trading stocks is just one avenue. You can also use other investment vehicles, like mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, to get into the stock market.

But whether you want to invest in individual stocks, funds, or other securities, you'll need to open an investment account with a brokerage.

Here are some things to know before you get started:

What Is a Brokerage? A brokerage, or stockbroker, is a company thats licensed to buy and sell securities like stocks, bonds, and funds. Individuals can also be licensed stockbrokers. Most brokerages offer both retirement accounts and brokerage accounts, which are also referred to as taxable accounts. You'll owe taxes on any income that comes from investments in a taxable brokerage account. Retirement accounts, like traditional and Roth IRAs, are subject to different sets of rules.

While retirement accounts offer considerable benefits, many investors use brokerage accounts to buy and sell securities. Like a bank account, you can transfer money into and out of a brokerage account. You own the money and securities in your account, and you can sell your investments at any time. The brokerage acts as the middleman between you and the investments that you want to buy.

If you want to make your own investment decisions, setting up an account with an online broker is a great low-cost option.

How to Choose an Online Broker Not all online brokers are alike. Here are the questions you should consider when deciding where to open an account:

Understand Your Investment Options Most brokers have similar investment offerings, but check to make sure that you can purchase the kinds of securities that you want. Common investment types include stocks, options, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. Some brokerages will also give you access to futures and cryptocurrencies. It's important to understand what you'll be able to invest in before you go through the process of opening an account.

Though rarely done, a brokerage can restrict or adjust the menu of securities that you can buy using their platform. For example, Robinhood and a few other online brokers placed buying restrictions on GameStop and a handful of other stocks after they saw a huge surge in purchases. This move sparked a negative response from both investors and some politicians.

Look Out for Fees Commissions are fees that are charged when you buy or sell securities. They may vary by security type. While some online brokers still charge transaction fees, many have eliminated commissions altogether.

Beyond commissions, a brokerage may charge an annual fee to maintain your account. Be on the lookout for other fees as well. For example, you may be charged when you transfer money out of your account, or you may be charged a fee for inactivity. Find an online broker with small or zero annual fees and try to avoid those with inactivity fees.

Know What You Need for an Account Many online brokers don't have account minimums. That means you don't have to have a certain amount of money to open an account or start investing. If you can't or don't want to dedicate a large sum of money to your brokerage account, you'll want to find one that doesn't require a minimum.

If you're making your investing decisions on your own, it's important to have the resources you need to be informed. In addition to the tools you need to make trades, some brokerages offer educational materials. Whether you're an investing beginner or more experienced, look for an online broker whose resources meet your needs.

You Might Want to Talk to a Human One of the benefits of an online brokerage is that you can conveniently manage your account entirely online, but there might be times when you have questions or technology issues prevent you from accessing your account online or on the broker's app. If that happens, it's comforting to know that you can get someone on the phone.

Be Honest With Yourself Stock investing might not be right for you. You may not want to take the time to manage a brokerage account at all. If you want to take a more hands-off approach, you can use a full-service brokerage with an advisor who manages your account or a robo-advisor, a lower-cost alternative. Robo-advisors provide financial-planning services driven by computer algorithms. You may also consider simply investing in a target-date fund, whether in a retirement or a taxable brokerage account.

There are many ways to get started with investing. Find the path that works for you.

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Ready to Invest? Here's How to Get Started - Morningstar.com

Long-awaited investment in government technology is finally here in the United States and now we must act.President Joe Biden recently announced his administrations $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, and technologists rightly lauded his inclusion of $10 billion to modernize state systems and networks, improve cybersecurity, and fund the Technology Transformation Services. This acknowledges that governments are facing an unprecedented need to expand their digital and virtual services due to COVID-19.

The pandemic continues to create immediate demands for services, raises the governments technology risk profile, and changes long-term expectations for how government interacts with and delivers services. To make the most of the momentum for change thats now here, governments will have to look beyond 2021 and this crisis.

My hope is that this is the beginning of long-term sustained, strategic investment to establish resilient technology infrastructure and digital government.

Even prior to this crisis it was clear that governments faced high-stakes technology challenges. For example, with the onset of the long-anticipated silver tsunami retirements, IT departments face high levels of attrition, leaving them understaffed and with the loss of much institutional knowledge. Yet, the pressure to deliver quickly has led to an accumulation of technical debt, with the near term agenda being prioritized at the cost of sustainability. Legacy systems, running on hardware or software that is increasingly costly and difficult to support, present operational and security risks that must be addressed. Cyberattacks haverisen over the last year. The risks are not hypothetical; they are playing out at all levels of government in real time.

While there are pressing, immediate needs, the technology agenda cannot be short-sighted. To succeed, Governments must create long-term integrated plans that encompass enterprise architecture, funding, and policy support for scaling infrastructure, shared services automation, and workforce development/skills building.

Scaling Infrastructure

First and foremost, governments, as some already have, must adopt cloud-based infrastructure that scales. As legacy mainframes and servers are overwhelmed by people seeking aid from COVID-19 and the economic crisis, the challenge becomes a matter of global interest. Of course, governments arent going to switch to cloud infrastructure overnight. In the short-term, however, that means operating in a hybrid environment (part on-site, part cloud) while also planning for the future with supportive funding and policies that promote best practices in technology procurement and development.

Shared Services

Likewise, governments also often have multiple solutions that serve the same purpose due to being built over the course of 10 or 20 years without an overarching vision. This means more time in developing and managing applications that might no longer be needed, increased costs related to procuring software, and a confusing experience for people using government services. If governments treat their modernization projects as one-off rip and replace initiatives, these problems will recur again. Now is the moment to break out of that cycle and build for reuse across government.

Automation

IT organizations will have to balance pressure to automate things quickly and a need to set themselves up for long term success. The reality of COVID-19 means doing more with less. Many government agencies have embraced automated solutions to help fill gaps. Automated solutions can help streamline processes, lighten overhead, and provide for better data and tracking of operations. However, implementing automated solutions cannot be done without considering the processes and teams involved. TheFederal RPA Playbookis a great starting place for organizations looking to implement automation at scale.

Workforce Development

The success of almost every other program and investment noted above depends on investing in a workforce capable of supporting, maintaining, and growing it over time. Technology and workforce development plans must be developed hand-in-hand so that the workforce is prepared to execute on the organizations priorities.New approaches, such as The Digital Corps, to hiring can help getdiversetech talent in the door. Training and support for professional development ensure IT organizations have the skills they need and employees who buy-in to the long-term vision for the organization.

Its not just about funding, but also about supporting long-term plans with policies and processes that complement those investments. Without that supportive structure, even smart investments in technology will fail to have positive impacts. With funding and support, total,net costs will be lower, new software will be delivered more quickly, people will get their government services more easily, and technology will be more secure.

Organizationsall over the worldare putting together their plans for 2021, with a heavy emphasis on technologies that will help the ongoing response to COVID-19. NASCIO recently published itstop 10 priorities for 2021, The Commission for Smart Government in the U.K. just released acomprehensive list of recommendationsfor improving digital government, and articles calling for investments in key technologies have been published in countless outlets over the last ten months. Parlaying those short-term priorities into sustainable, long-term transformation is the next, crucial step on the path to better government technology.

Jeremy M. Goldberg is the former deputy secretary for technology and innovation for Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the interim-chief information officer at the State of New York.

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How Forward-Thinking Investments Will Build the Future of Digital Government - Nextgov

Lowell Votes responds to recent councilor statements regarding the Voting Rights Act lawsuit plaintiffs

To read the full letter: tinyurl.com/LV-Responds-12921

Lowell Votes would like to respond to insensitive and disrespectful comments made during the Jan. 26 City Council meeting. Lowells at-large voting system has contributed to a loss of trust and engagement in the local democratic process, and has systematically disenfranchised minority voters. Comments made by certain city councilors fail to recognize this. The new voting system taking effect this year is a result of the Voting Rights Act lawsuit settled in 2019. Though the final hybrid system was voted on by residents and finalized by City Council, conversations around how the mayor is elected have continued. However, only recently was the city solicitor instructed to approach the plaintiffs legal team to ask for their position. The plaintiffs response was inconclusive, frustrating certain councilors. The plaintiffs are not the enemy nor in opposition to the City Council, they are residents who have worked for nearly four years to ensure equitable representation at City Hall for all of Lowells residents. Yet the scorched earth language of the city councilors comments that plaintiffs were seeking to waste time, control the city, and play with our (the councilors) minds. seek to demonize the plaintiffs, and bring to mind toxic political rhetoric at the national level that is tearing our country and democracy apart. Their comments are also completely out of proportion to the plaintiffs very reasonable response. The plaintiffs stated they had no objection to exploring the possibility of changing how the mayor is elected, but wanted to ensure sufficient time for obtaining community input. That is how democracy is intended to work and is hardly deserving of such scorn and disrespect from our elected officials. This important decision must be made through a process of civic engagement and deliberation with community input at its core, particularly from historically under-engaged communities and non-English speaking residents. Our city leaders must innovate and adopt policies and practices that ensure transparent communication and accessible engagement, not rush decisions that will potentially disenfranchise communities further. First, help our communities transition to this new hybrid system. First, help Lowell build a more engaged electorate and a healthier democracy.

Mary Tauras Lowell Votes Coordinator

Invest in cultured meat

The United States government should follow the example of Spain and invest more money into cultured-meat development. For those who dont know, cultured meat is grown from cells, without slaughtering animals. Spain recently granted BioTech Foods $6.3 million to study the health benefits of this revolutionary protein.

There are numerous such benefits. Cultured meat is produced in a sterile environment, as opposed to the filthy abattoirs where slaughtered meat is processed. Similarly, cultured meat isnt pumped full of artificial growth hormones and unnecessary antibiotics. The latter helps create antibiotic resistance in bacterial disease.

Additionally, cultured meat removes the risk of spreading zoonotic viruses. Were currently living through a global crisis created by one such disease, COVID-19. But a number of others have made the jump to humans in recent years. You might know them as swine flu or bird flu.

For these reasons and more, namely the animal-welfare and environmental benefits, we need further governmental investment in cultured-meat research. While Singapore has already granted regulatory approval to the new protein,it is significantly more expensive than slaughtered meat. This can be remedied with additional study.

Jon Hochschartner Granby

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Letters to the Editor: Lowell Votes responds; Invest in cultured-meat - Lowell Sun

For investors focused on income, agriculture offers an attractive proposition. Farms have been a part of society since the beginning, and tend to produce a steady stream of income year after year to help bolster a portfolio.

Alas, it's tough to go out and buy a farm just for the sake of the dividends.

In this video fromMotley Fool Live,recorded on Jan. 28,Industry Focus host Nick Sciple and Motley Fool contributor Lou Whiteman discuss ways individual investors can gain exposure to farms and farmland in their portfolio, and why it might be a good idea to do so.

Nick Sciple: Any advice for folks who are interested in investing in this kind of agriculture space? If you don't want to pick individual stocks, maybe ETFs to pay attention to, things like that.

Lou Whiteman: Yeah. I think if nothing else, the point I think we've tried to make here today is that there is value here, especially for income. There's the old expression that land is important, because they're not making more of it. It still applies. Agriculture is key to our existence. They're not making more land. This is a business that over the long term can work, but has a lot of risks. There are some interesting and awesomely tickered, I should say, ETFs in the sector. I'm really interested in the Market Vectors Agribusiness (NYSEMKT:MOO), which has a ticker of MOO, M-O-O. I like that it's got 60 or so stocks. You get some exposure to animal health, ZoetisandIdexx, some of those which I know are popular here. But you also get a lot of the seeds and chemicals in a pretty diverse basket. There's another one, VEGI (NYSEMKT:VEGI),which is an ETF that's a little more concentrated. Both of them have companies like John Deerein it too, which is one we didn't get to, but which is a service provider to ag, which is very interesting. The Farmland REITs, I think looking at that, I like land. There's also Farmland Partners (NYSE:FPI), which is FPI, which I think is the same idea although I don't know if it's worked out as Gladstone Land (NASDAQ:LAND), but this is just an area where the cloud isn't working so much or if you're looking for a little more income. Some way to get into this and have some exposure for a 20-30 year portfolio, I think makes a lot of sense and it's worth looking at.

Sciple:Absolutely. It gives you exposure, as we said earlier. This is an industry that is not going to trade correlated with the rest of the markets or particularly for an income investor, an area to pay attention to. Again, I don't think farming is going to go away. [laughs] An easy bet to predict. The beginning of civilization was farming. I think, if you're betting on civilization sticking around, farming is going to stick around too. Interesting area to invest in if you're looking for something uncorrelated that can give you some steady returns over time.

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Want Income? Here Are the Best Ways to Invest in Agriculture - The Motley Fool

Looking down West Broadway in Missoula. The citys opportunity zone loosely extends from Orange Street to Reserve and from the Clark Fork River north to Interstate 90. (Martin Kidston/Missoula Current)

Several years after the Trump administration created opportunity zones to encourage investment in low-income census tracts across the county, Missoulas designated zone has attracted its share of projects.

This week, the largest such project made its debut in City Council where a local team announced its plans to develop nine acres off Scott Street into a mix of permanently affordable and market rate housing.

The project, which should close with the sale of property this summer, culminates years of work by the Missoula Economic Partnership and included funding from the Missoula Redevelopment Agency to help push the project forward.

We went through a process of almost two years going to conferences, touring communities, working with our partners at MRA and the city, said Grant Kier, CEO of the Missoula Economic Partnership. When we started that process, this was our vision. Talking with impact investors, Scott Street was the place wed have the best likelihood to succeed.

The Trump administration created opportunity zones in its 2017 tax plan. The tool enables an investor to defer capital gains on the sale of certain assets by investing those gains into an opportunity fund or opportunity zone.

The Scott Street housing project includes a pool of parties who have invested into an opportunity fund. Each fund has its own goals and outcomes, though a number of them also look to create a positive community impact.

Such outcome-based funds are often referred to as an impact fund, and its exactly what landed in Missoula to help push the Scott Street project forward. Once completed, it will result in around 70 permanently affordable homes built on a land trust held by a nonprofit, along with around six acres of market rate housing.

This is the result of a very remarkable partnership, said Mayor John Engen. We have an opportunity fund partner and an impact opportunity fund very interested in doing good. Its the kind of partner we hoped to find.

Like many other locations, it took time for Missoula to fully grasp the impacts and potential of an opportunity zone. Montana was allocated a limited number of zones, and former Gov. Steve Bullock designated one in Missoula.

The zone loosely extends from Orange Street to Reserve and from the Clark Fork River north to Interstate 90. A number of projects have utilized the opportunity benefits within the zone, including a $3 million office building by DJ&A and a $7 million medical clinic for gastroenterology.

But its the public-private partnership behind the Scott Street project that could provide the momentum the citys economic leaders have been looking for over the past several years.

It really showcases how to leverage public-private partnerships, said Julie Lacey, the economic development director at MEP. Were excited to see where that goes and what that means for other projects in the area. How do we take what weve learned and how do we engage outside partners and folks in Missoula and apply that to other sites?

Kier said interest in Missoula remains strong, even if the city represents a relatively small market and isnt widely known to large-scale investors. That makes it hard to attract the national capital needed to fund larger project, such as 9 acres of housing.

But the organizations networking paid off, and the citys ownership of the Scott Street property added some security to investors. The parcel, along with most others in the opportunity zone, also sits in one of Missoulas urban renewal districts, meaning public funding can be used to build the public infrastructure needed to accommodate the development.

We do feel that if this goes well, it will open the eyes of a new pool of potential investors into the kinds of projects we want to see in Missoula, Kier said. Were hoping this will be an opportunity to build momentum and replicate this as a way of partnering with the city or county and the private sector to move the needle on some of our bigger goals, rather than waiting for the private sector to just come along and take it on.

Kier said MEP continues to see investor interest in Missoula, both in and out of the opportunity zone. The Scott Street deal, fueled in part by an opportunity fund based in Salt Lake City, could prompt other investors to take a closer look.

As people have gotten to know us and learn more about whats happening in Missoula, were seeing more and more interest from people looking at opportunity zone investments, but who are also thinking about ways they can engage in new markets to deploy funding for capital investments and land, and commercial and residential real estate, Kier said.

The tax plan that created the opportunity zones also set a timeline for when investments can be withdrawn, and when investments can be made for the greatest return. The maximum benefit is coming to a close, though some tax benefits will continue.

MEP believes the benefit of the opportunity zone represents only a small fraction of the overall financing. As a result, Kier said, impact investments will likely continue.

The whole universe of what impact investors who are interested in both a financial return and achieving an important social outcome that group is sill out there. Our kinds of projects as a place and as a community will still appeal to those investors going forward, Kier said.

Even without the opportunity zone as the catalytic point, we can continue to attract community minded capital going forward.

City eyes opportunity zone investments to redevelop West Broadway corridor

MEP explores creative funding models for housing, retail in Missoulas opportunity zone

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After years of work, MEP finds success in netting opportunity zone investments - Missoula Current

It's PayPal earnings day, and the firm has released new details about its cryptocurrency plans.

These plans include a new dedicated business unit for PayPal's crypto ambitions, according to CEO Daniel Schulman, who spoke during PayPal's earnings call on Wednesday.

As he remarked:

"We all know the current financial system is antiquated, and we can envision a future where transactions are completed in seconds, not days; a future where transactions should be less expensive to complete; and a future that enables all people to be part of the digital economy, not just the affluent. We are significantly investing in our new crypto, blockchain, and digital currencies business unit in order to help shape this more inclusive future."

A source with knowledge of the plans described the business unit plan as PayPal "going all in" on such services.

Schulman also said that PayPal is "excited to build upon this early success by allowing customers to use their crypto balance as a funding source whenever they shop at our 29 million merchants."

"We anticipate the rollout of that capability to begin late this quarter, and we hope to launch our first international market in the next several months," he went on to explain. A Venmo integration with crypto is expected "in the coming months."

Schulman described such steps as "just the beginning of an extensive roadmap around crypto, blockchain, and digital currencies."

Among other factoids: per Schulman, "everyone who signed up for crypto is opening up their app two times as much as they previously did."

PayPal made its crypto services official last October with the launch of a partnership with industry startup Paxos, as reported at the time. The services officially went live in the days following that announcement, opening it up to eligible U.S.-based users on November 12.

The payments giant struck a bullish tone at the time, with Schulman noting at the time: "This is just the beginning of the opportunities we see as we work hand-in-hand with regulators to accept new forms of digital currencies." He also suggested that PayPal might one day integrate central bank digital currencies should those gather steam in the future.

Ryan Todd, Frank Chaparro and Aislinn Keely contributed reporting.

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.

2021 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

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PayPal is investing in a new business unit focused on crypto and digital currencies - The Block Crypto