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☆ The State of Payment Methods: More Choice and Economic Changes Are Affecting How Consumers Spend
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Although debit still reigns supreme, with consumer preferences moving toward digital, cash and checks will continue to be displaced in the US. But even though cash usage is dwindling, the Federal Reserve reports that 79% of US adults still hold cash daily. Cash and check usage may be dwindling, but debit and credit cards are seeing upticks among economic uncertainty. As consumers become more concerned about the economy and job security while also steadily adopting new digital solutions, we are seeing shifts away from traditional payment methods. Curious to learn more about the state of payment methods?

☆ Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg diagnosed with terminal cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - Daniel Ellsberg, the whistleblower who leaked the "Pentagon Papers" about the Vietnam War and exposed years of related U.S. government lies, said on Thursday that terminal pancreatic cancer had been diagnosed in him. "On February 17, without much warning, I was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer," Ellsberg, 91, said in a statement on Twitter. The revelation of parts of the study was considered a bombshell because the Pentagon Papers contradicted years of government assurances about the war. After the revelations, the U.S. Justice Department brought criminal charges against Ellsberg for leaking the documents to the media. Despite the diagnosis, Ellsberg said he was not in physical pain and was continuing to do interviews and webinars.

High-yield savings accounts reward you with higher interest rates than traditional savings accounts and allow your money to grow faster thanks to compound interest — which lets you earn interest on interest. While rates can fluctuate over time, high-yield savings accounts generally offer APYs over 10 times greater than the national average on savings accounts. To determine which high-yield savings accounts are the best overall, CNBC Select analyzed and compared dozens of savings accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best high-yield savings accounts.) Our methodologyTo determine which high-yield savings accounts offer the best return on your money, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of U.S. savings accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions.

While rates can fluctuate over time, high-yield savings accounts generally offer APYs over 10 times greater than the national average on savings accounts. To determine which high-yield savings accounts are the best overall, CNBC Select analyzed and compared dozens of savings accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions. (See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best high-yield savings accounts.) Find the best savings account for you: Help your money grow by finding the savings account that offers the best rates and features for you. Our methodologyTo determine which high-yield savings accounts offer the best return on your money, CNBC Select analyzed dozens of U.S. savings accounts offered by online and brick-and-mortar banks, including large credit unions.

☆ Zoom forecast annual profit above estimates, shares up
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 27 (Reuters) - Zoom Video Communications Inc (ZM.O) on Monday forecast annual profit above Wall Street estimates, benefiting from cost-cutting measures and steady demand for its video-conferencing service from the ongoing shift to hybrid work models. Shares of the San Jose, California-based company rose 6% in trading after the bell. Zoom forecast annual profit between $4.11 per share and $4.18 per share, compared with estimates of $3.66 per share, according to Refinitiv data. Revenue for the quarter ended Jan. 31 was $1.12 billion, compared with analysts' average expectation of $1.10 billion. However, the company expects fiscal 2024 revenue to be between $4.44 billion and $4.46 billion, compared with analysts' average estimate of $4.60 billion.

☆ I made $1,000 in 30 days as a virtual assistant. Here's how I built a VA agency that books $20,000 a month in revenue while balancing a full-time job.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-07 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Abell shared tips for becoming a virtual assistant, from managing your time to finding clients. In her spare time, she runs a virtual assistant agency that helps small businesses with administrative work, creating content, and connecting with customers. Abell told Insider how she made $1,000 in her first 30 days as a virtual assistant and grew her company while keeping her full-time job. They saw I was organized and well connected, and they asked me to join them as a virtual assistant. Once I realized the importance of social-media marketing, I leaned into marketing that service.

☆ TikTok-based HR conversations are coming for a new generation of workers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( Mikaela Cohen | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"Content on TikTok accesses the younger generation in a direct way, so HR teams can set up space to communicate things like, 'How do we deal with discrimination?'" "That's just not how the younger generations communicate," Folan said. This also helps HR teams facilitate an open dialogue with employees in a faster way. It might even benefit an HR team to carve out an entire position, or even allow existing employees to dedicate time solely to TikTok content creation. Folan said HR teams, and any team within a company, stands to benefit from having younger workers to level up their internal communication methods and branch into spaces, like TikTok creation.

☆ I've made $408,000 in 5 years running online courses on Teachable and Skillshare. Here's how I found my niche and landed clients.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-03 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

I started getting requests from customers to design fabric for them, for everything from handbags to backpacks to children's clothing. The website also gets a cut, but the amount depends on whether the design is for commercial or personal use. Clients would see my designs on these websites, search my name, and come to my website I'd created to show my portfolio. Having an ongoing income from clients buying my existing designs meant I could take a break when I needed to. When I felt better, I could create new artwork to upload to a website to sell more prints.

☆ Best Online Stock Trading Platforms of 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +20 min

Luckily, the past few years has seen a profusion of online stock trading platforms. We spent hours comparing more than a dozen stock trading platforms looking for the most intuitive tools, in-depth research and access to guidance and other educational content. We considered all of this when making our picks for the Best Stock Trading Platforms of 2023. How we pickedTo pick Buy Side from WSJ’s best stock trading platforms, we reviewed offerings from more than a dozen companies. Morgan Stanley is the corporate parent of E*Trade, one of the stock trading platforms considered for this story.

☆ I quit the big city to become a virtual assistant in the Spanish mountains. Here's how I work fewer hours and got started without personal-assistant experience.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Ella Hopkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Helen Taylor, a 40-year-old virtual assistant living in the Asturias province of Spain. But from my research, I realized that "virtual assistant" is an umbrella term for a lot of different work. Associates work for a lead virtual assistant who hands over the tasks they may not have the time or ability to complete. I started by offering clients tasks I knew I could do. I start work early so my clients in London can start at 9 a.m. with a clean inbox.

☆ How 'Cryptoqueen' Ruja Ignatova ended up as the only woman on the FBI's most-wanted list
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-22 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Ruja Ignatova is one of the FBI's 10 most-wanted fugitives -- the only woman currently on that list. FBIShe is now one of the FBI’s 10 most-wanted fugitives, alongside accused gang leaders and murderers, and is the only woman currently on that list. The bureau declined to provide additional details to CNN beyond court documents from the US Department of Justice, which did not list an attorney for Ignatova. “The cryptocurrency OneCoin was established for the sole purpose of defrauding investors,” IRS Special Agent John R. Tafur said in a statement. Less than two weeks later, on October 25, 2017, she boarded a commercial flight from Sofia, Bulgaria, to Athens, Greece, court documents said.

☆ Why you still need to negotiate even if a job ad lists a salary range
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Jennifer Liu | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

But online, the average salary range on job listings is just 28%, based on data from CompTool and accounting for more than 12 million job listings from more than 100 job websites, per Bloomberg. As written, while the laws require employers to list the minimum and maximum salary range on a job ad, many don't require them to actually make an offer in that range. All of this is to say that it's still important to negotiate your salary, even if the job posting lists the range, Seikaly says. "While pay transparency won't eliminate salary negotiation, it will give candidates the confidence to speak more openly about their expectations of pay," Seiklay says. "The burden is now on the employer to determine the pay range, rather than the employee to initially voice an expectation, which levels the negotiation playing field."

☆ This woman charges $480 an hour to help Gen Z and millennial workers overcome their fear of talking on the phone
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mary Jane Copps set up The Phone Lady consultancy to help people improve their phone etiquette. Copps trains Gen Z workers who are afraid to use the phone because they're so used to texting. Her work involves helping people overcome their "phone phobia" and have better conversations. Alison Papadakis, director of clinical psychological studies at Johns Hopkins University, told Insider that phone phobia was more common in younger generations. Her first step is working out why an individual is anxious about phone calls.

Student loan debt has become such an issue that the Biden Administration has been attempting to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt per eligible borrower and has continually extended the student loan repayment pause. Ways employers are currently assisting with student debt management"Employers are increasingly offering student loan contribution plans as a direct way to help borrowers pay down student loan debt," Scruggs says. How other employers can help employees manage student loan debtOne of the simplest and most affordable ways employers can help employees is to share information on what employees need to know about their student loans. "There are many ways to help employees manage and pay down student loan debt. However, note that if you refinance federal student loans you'll lose federal protections, like the current student loan payment freeze and potential student loan forgiveness.

☆ Australian stock exchange's blockchain failure burns market trust
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +11 min

That 96% of that software is working," Hogben told a Stockbrokers and Investment Advisers Association conference, in footage seen by Reuters. More than a dozen brokers, other market participants and people directly involved in the blockchain project told Reuters the failure had shaken trust in the Australian exchange operator. After New York startup Digital Asset Holdings showed ASX executives a test transaction on its blockchain software, ASX in early 2016 signed the little-known company to begin exploratory work on an overhaul. From an initial plan to run about 12 of CHESS's 400 data transfers per transaction on blockchain, ASX decided the new system would include all 400 transfers, the person said. Its spokesperson told Reuters there was "no off-the-shelf solution available to meet the needs of the Australian market".

☆ Twitter will lose over 32 million users by 2024 as Elon Musk's takeover causes more hate speech and technical problems, report says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter could lose over 32 million users in the next two years, Insider Intelligence found. download the app Email address By clicking ‘Sign up’, you agree to be contacted by Insider Inc. and receive emails from Insider Intelligence and eMarketer (e.g. Twitter could lose more than 30 million users in the next two years after Elon Musk took over in November, data from Insider Intelligence showed. Users will abandon the platform as frustrations over mounting technical issues and increased hate speech and offensive content flood the platform, Insider Intelligence said. The forecast for Twitter ad revenue growth was also cut to "essentially flat," over the next two years, Insider Intelligence said.

☆ VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS: How to start your own business, create a flexible schedule, and make six figures in revenue
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Alexandra York | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Virtual assistants joined the workforce in record numbers as the gig sector grew amid the pandemic. "Everyone I know needs a virtual assistant, and everyone I know has a really hard time finding one," she added. Read more: Why virtual assistants are the affordable solution to business owners' labor shortageRead more: I'm a virtual assistant making $10,000 a month. With the increased number of virtual assistants, it's important to differentiate yourself from others in the field, people told Insider. Read more: Founder Finances: A virtual assistant mentor shares the budget that helps her reach $15,000 in monthly sales.

☆ I charge up to $2,000 to rewrite people's résumés. Here's how I turned my HR expertise and side gig into a lucrative career.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Like most kids, I didn't even know résumé writing was a profession. Once you start treating résumé writing seriously, the game changesWhen I first started helping people with their résumés, I saw it as a side business or a hobby. My coaching rates hover around the same hourly rate, depending on whether it's career coaching or executive coaching. Keep your skills and brand sharpWhile résumé writing and its affiliated components comes easy to me now, it wasn't always that way. My long-term goal is to be the best career and executive coach that I can be — and résumé writing will likely always be a part of that mix.

☆ I've made $974,000 in revenue in the last year as a freelance copywriter and only work 5 hours a day. Here's how I taught myself the skills needed to win clients.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Robin Madell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

In the past 12 months I've made $974,000 in top-line revenue — collected before expenses and taxes — from my copywriting business, and I have clients in more than 30 countries. I was crushed, but my copywriting business had started to take off. I'd work on my side gig on my lunch break and after I'd get home at 4 p.m. until about 9 or 10 p.m. On Saturdays and Sundays I'd log anywhere from four to eight hours of extra work. When I started copywriting full time, I tried everything to get clientsA lot of people recommended cold-emailing. I wound up giving the same slideshow presentation 24 times in two weeks to entrepreneurs who wanted to learn about email copywriting.

☆ Despite ongoing Covid risks, more employees consider cutting back on health-care benefits
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jessica Dickler | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Almost 159 million Americans rely on employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. Health insurance plansFor starters, consider what your health coverage costs you. But "don't just look at the monthly cost of your health insurance," Cosgray advised. To be able to use an HSA, you need to be enrolled in a high-deductible health plan, or HDHP. Other voluntary benefits offered through an employer can provide additional protection, including hospital indemnity insurance, critical illness coverage and accident insurance.

☆ The key to finding a job after 12 years off isn't throwing around resumes 'like confetti,' says a military mom of 3. She found a different way — and a job she loves
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Jacob Zinkula | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Cassie Glubzinski, 36, began her job search in January after nearly 12 years away from the workforce. Despite the Great Resignation, many Americans haven't found the job search as easy as some suggest. "I felt woefully inadequate because when it came to writing work experience, my experience was 10 years old," she said. "So it's cyclical because you're wanting to work, but you need work experience to work, but you need the job to get the work experience." "It was very much right place, right time, right background, and right homework done," she said.

☆ Why this CEO says new grads should ditch social media to get ahead at work: 'Find somebody to talk to you in the flesh'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Ashton Jackson | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

According to Indeed, new graduates struggle to get hired after college due to high competition, inadequate work experience and little networking. Here are three ways young professionals can stand out, according to Lisa Lewin, CEO of education company General Assembly. According to Lewin, these skills include software engineering, data analytics, data engineering, data science, digital marketing skills and digital product management. And technical skills don't "just apply to IT-based roles," Lewin says. "They include whatever hard skills you've obtained through education and practice, and young professionals should remember to highlight them in their job application materials."

PSLF helps workers at nonprofit, government, and tribal organizations get their student loans forgiven after 120 eligible payments. Under a limited waiver that expires on October 31, more payments count toward the 120 eligible payments. To help you apply for PSLF before the limited waiver expires, here are three guides — two completely free, and one that costs $47 — to help you fill out your application. Chipper app (free)The Chipper app, founded by Tony Aguilar, is designed to help people with student loans chip away slowly at their balances using spare change from everyday purchases. Additionally, Chipper has helped over 5,600 people get their student loans forgiven through PSLF.

☆ Insurance Technology Spend Forecast: What's Driving Growth for P&C and Life Insurers in the US, UK, and Canada
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

US, UK, and Canadian insurers are striving to digitize their entire businesses to enhance their customer experience and cut costs. And overall IT/tech spend will begin climbing again from 2020 to 2024 across both insurance lines in all three countries. Insider IntelligenceBelow, we outline the growth of US, UK, and Canadian P&C and life insurers' IT/tech spend. US IT/tech spendUS P&C insurers and life insurers' expected tech spend growth rates dropped by 9.6 and 10 percentage points, respectively. UK IT/tech spendUK life insurers ramped up tech investments by 11.4% between 2018–2019—almost double P&C insurers' growth rate—and consequently their tech spend growth rates dipped more than their P&C counterparts amid pandemic disruption.

☆ These 3 Canadian banks offer the most in-demand emerging mobile feature
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Insider Intelligence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This is a preview of Insider Intelligence's 2021 Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark, available exclusively to subscribers. The Canadian banks that offer the most desirable mobile banking app features in 2021 are RBC, TD Canada, and BMO, according to the inaugural Insider Intelligence Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark. The Insider Intelligence 2021 Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark examines the offerings of the seven largest Canadian FIs by assets to determine which banks best meet customer demand for advanced mobile banking features. The Insider Intelligence 2021 Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark ranks the seven largest Canadian financial institutions by assets according to the strength of their mobile banking capabilities. The Canada Mobile Banking Emerging Features Benchmark covers Banque Nationale, BMO, CIBC, Desjardins, RBC, Scotiabank, and TD.

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