Search results for ""Portfolio""

"Samantha has a unique power in helping people unlock their potential. In a world of endless social media posts, Samantha helps to quieten that noise, zone in on your inner truths and pinpoint a clear direction. She has helped countless people in person (including me) and now we all get to experience her guidance with her brilliant new book." Emma Gannon, author of The Multi-Hyphen Method "Samantha helped me to see I am more in control of how I react to the working day than I first thought. Her words completely changed my attitude to work."Natasha Lunn, Red Magazine "Love It Or Leave It is a relatable, juicy and inspiring read. I particularly enjoyed the practical reflection exercises for self-insight. This is a great resource to help you carve a career you love compatible with a life you love. It's a fantastic resource." Suzy ReadingSay goodbye to the dread of Monday morning. In Love It Or Leave It, expert 'work happiness' coach Samantha Clarke will help you figure out ways to find that work-life balance and be happier and more fulfilled at work. If you are struggling to find motivation, or questioning changes to your job, this inspiring guide is full of vital tips and tools that will help you: LOVE IT - find ways to get more out of the job you have, improve your working relationships and boost your sense of wellbeing and worth. OR LEAVE IT - work out the skills you have to offer and identify the steps you need to take, whether that's looking for a new job, starting a portfolio career or testing a new business idea. Love It Or Leave It is for anyone:*Stuck in a job they hate*Wanting a flexible working routine*Trying to gain some work-life balance*Thinking about a career change *Who has landed their dream job but is struggling with toxic colleagues*Who wants to find a more fulfilling role that brings them joy

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The fully revised and updated version of the leading textbook on real estate investment, emphasising real estate cycles and the availability and flow of global capital Real Estate Investment remains the most influential textbook on the subject, used in top-tier colleges and universities worldwide. Its unique, practical perspective on international real estate investment focusses on real-world techniques which measure, benchmark, forecast and manage property investments as an asset class. The text examines global property markets and real estate cycles, outlines market fundamentals and explains asset pricing and portfolio theory in the context of real estate. In the years since the text’s first publication, conditions in global real estate markets have changed considerably following the financial crisis of 2008-2009. Real estate asset prices have increased past pre-crisis levels, signalling a general market recovery. Previously scarce debt and equity capital is now abundant, while many institutions once averse to acquiring property are re-entering the markets. The latest edition – extensively revised and updated to address current market trends and practices as well as reflect feedback from instructors and students – features new content on real estate development, improved practical examples, expanded case studies and more. This seminal textbook: Emphasises practical solutions to real investing problems rather than complex theory Offers substantial new and revised content throughout the text Covers topics such as valuation, leasing, mortgages, real estate funds, underwriting and private and public equity real estate Features up-to-date sections on performance measurement, real estate debt markets and building and managing real estate portfolios Includes access to a re-designed companion website containing numerous problems and solutions, presentation slides and additional instructor and student resources Written by internationally-recognised experts in capital management and institutional property investing strategies, Real Estate Investment, Second Edition: Strategies, Structures, Decisions is an indispensable textbook for instructors and students of real estate fund management, investment management and investment banking, as well as a valuable reference text for analysts, researchers, investment managers, investment bankers and asset managers.

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As project management has evolved and matured, so has the executive's role in project management. To ensure the success of individual projects and the organization as a whole, today's executives are increasingly involved in activities such as capacity planning, portfolio management, prioritization, and strategic planning specifically for project management. In fact, more and more executives are becoming certified Project Management Professionals (PMPs). What Executives Need to Know About Project Management offers executives a guide to project management, focusing on what they need to know and what they need to do. It provides step-by-step guidance to help executives get effective, well-resourced project management teams in place and ensure the success of any individual project. The book begins with basic principles, including a detailed discussion of the three best practices that enable executives to ensure effective project management: Developing an environment where project management is viewed as a profession Securing key personnel for project management positions Creating opportunities for rewards and advancement through successful project management Next, the book explores how executives serve as executive sponsors in project management teams, setting forth solutions to the many problems and challenges they face in this role, including managing disagreements, delegating authority, and accelerating projects. The authors explain how the role of the executive sponsor changes depending upon the life-cycle phase of the project. For example, during the project initiation and planning phases, the sponsor may take on a very active role, ensuring that proper objectives are established and that the project plan satisfies the needs of the business as well as the needs of the client. During the execution phase, the sponsor may take on a less active role; however, the book shows how executive sponsors need to become involved when roadblocks appear, crises occur, and conflicts arise over priorities among projects. Throughout the book, helpful illustrations clarify complex concepts and processes.

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Russell Lee is widely acclaimed as one of the most outstanding documentary photographers of the twentieth century. His images of American life during the Great Depression, created for the Farm Security Administration between 1936 and 1942, hold a preeminent place in one of history's best-known and most useful photographic collections. This famous body of work demonstrates Lee's extraordinary ability to reveal the humanity of his subjects and to become a part of the communities he photographed. It also displays Lee's superior technical ability—his legendary skill in using a flash enabled Lee to create some of the finest candids in the history of photography. Russell Lee Photographs is the first book to show the full range and quality of Lee's entire oeuvre beyond the FSA work, as well as the first major publication of his photographs since F. Jack Hurley's 1978 book, Russell Lee: Photographer (long out of print). The book contains over 140 images, 101 of which have never appeared in book publication. The photographs are grouped into suites of images that represent all of Lee's important, non-FSA subjects: early work from New York City and Woodstock; the Spanish-speaking people of Texas; the mentally and physically disabled; political campaigns, including the Kennedy-Johnson campaign of 1960; commercial work for chemical and other companies; a portfolio of images of Italy; and quintessential scenes of small-town life. Setting Lee's images in context are a foreword by John Szarkowski, one of America's leading photography curators and critics, and an introduction by Lee's friend and fellow photography educator J. B. Colson, who offers fascinating personal insights into Lee's life and career. Considering Russell Lee's stature in American photography, it is surprising that much of his post-FSA work is unknown to the public and has been seldom seen even in the photography community. By making these images readily available for the first time, this book gives long-overdue recognition to the full range and excellence of Lee's work. Russell Lee Photographs is the essential book on this major American photographer.

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In the 1980s David Thomas was an unemployed plumber with a seemingly impossible dream: to become a fashion stylist. He ran away to London, landed a job selling cassettes in Tower Records, spent weekends and evenings washing dishes and working as a lavatory attendant, and every spare moment hammering on the doors of fashion editors until one of them opened a tiny crack. As well as telling the touching and funny story of the “Billy Elliot of fashion’s” bumpy ride to success, Vanity Project examines the fascinating relationship between the fairytale worlds fashion and celebrity. It describes how the discipline of styling has evolved from the 1980s to now, from the streets of London to the red carpets of Hollywood. This story is told largely in the words of those in the front row seats: actors, musicians, designers, photographers, editors, directors, artists, and music business power brokers. In short, people who have shaped popular culture over more than three decades. This beautifully designed book features more than 300 iconic images – photographs, sketches, magazine covers, Polaroids, iPhone snaps, and press cuttings – that illustrate the creative process from the mind of the stylist and the client's brief to the end result. The rich visual archive is brought right up to date with a specially commissioned portfolio of never-before-seen portraits by some of the world's leading contemporary photographers. Vanity Project is a tale of stars, of clothes, and of the skill and sweat that goes into creating those glittering moments on stage and screen. Above all, it’s the story of how, with the right kind of help and belief, one boy’s dream came true. The publisher will donate 10% of the cover price to The Prince’s Trust. The total amount donated to The Prince’s Trust is expected to be £5 per book. The Prince’s Trust is a registered charity incorporated by Royal Charter in England and Wales (1079675) and Scotland (SC041198).

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The Must-have Reference Guide for SAFe® Professionals “There are a lot of methods of scale out there, but the Scaled Agile Framework is the one lighting up the world.” –Steve Elliot, Founder/CEO AgileCraft “Since beginning our Lean-Agile journey with SAFe, Vantiv has focused its strategic efforts and its execution. We have improved the predictability of product delivery while maintaining high quality, and have become even more responsive to customers–resulting in higher customer satisfaction. And just as important, employee engagement went up over the past year.” –Dave Kent, Enterprise Agile Coach, Vantiv Fully updated to include the new innovations in SAFe 4.5, the SAFe® 4.5 Reference Guide is ideal for anyone serious about learning and implementing the world’s leading framework for enterprise agility. Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of the scaledagileframework.com knowledge base, the website that thousands of the world’s largest brands turn to for building better software and systems. SAFe was developed from real-world field experience and provides proven success patterns for implementing Lean-Agile software and systems development at enterprise scale. This book provides comprehensive guidance for work at the enterprise Portfolio, Large Solution, Program, and Team levels, including the various roles, activities, and artifacts that constitute the Framework. Education & Training Key to Success The practice of SAFe is spreading rapidly throughout the world. The majority of Fortune 100 companies have certified SAFe professionals and consultants, as do an increasing percentage of the Global 2000. Case study results–visit scaledagileframework.com/case-studies–typically include: 30 — 75% faster time-to-market 25 — 75% increase in productivity 20 — 50% improvements in quality 10 — 50% increased employee engagement Successful implementations may vary in context but share a common attribute: a workforce well trained and educated in SAFe practices. This book–along with authorized training and certification–will help you understand how to maximize the value of your role within a SAFe organization. The result is greater alignment and visibility, improved performance throughout the enterprise, and ultimately better outcomes for the business.

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The bestselling “bible” of risk management gets a comprehensive update, with special attention to the pandemic crisis, new emerging risks associated with digital finance and the emergence of disruptive new technologies and FinTechThe Essentials of Risk Management has long been the go-to guide to financial risk management, combining academic research with real world applications. Now, in this thoroughly updated edition, the authors revisit previously covered topics while addressing a wide range of new issues—from the pandemic to new technologies such as machine learning (ML), artificial intelligence (AI), climate change and distributed ledger technology (DLT).This third edition of continues to cover all the relevant topics, from the structure and workings of various financial markets and the financial instruments used in risk management, to best-practice risk policies, methodologies, and infrastructure. Using simple language and step-by-step techniques, the authors show you how to implement risk management programs in complex areas such as market risk management, credit portfolio management, economic capital, asset-liability management and stress testing.New chapters address: The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic from a risk perspective The emergence of new technologies that have facilitated the explosion of FinTech companies that compete with traditional banks to provide financial services cheaper, more user-friendly and with greater efficiency The dramatic increase in the size and scale of cyber risk, anti-money laundering risk, and reputation risk, as well as the concept of risk appetite and risk adjusted returns, all of which have become more prominent over the last decade Risk management issues specific to start-ups, and more There’s no need to lurch from crisis to crisis. Whether you’re a senior manager trying to assess risk in a rapidly changing environment or a corporate CFO struggling to follow emerging rules, standards, and conventions, this book provides a detailed, up-to-the-minute, non-mathematical look at risk management, with clear objectives and step-by-step techniques for achieving them.

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The experts at Oliver Wight provide business leaders with invaluable information for integrating the tactical planning process Integrated Tactical Planning (ITP) is an essential process for regularly re-aligning product, demand, and supply plans in the short term, thereby giving the Executive team the confidence that operational activities are being well managed, unless they formally hear otherwise. This cross-functional re-planning process is vital to responding to change, increasing competitiveness, and reducing costs. Integrated Tactical Planning: Respond to Change, Increase Competitiveness and Reduce Costs helps senior executives devote more time to strategy and other value-added activities by deploying ITP practices throughout their organization. Written by the leadership team at Oliver Wight, one of the world’s most respected firms for effectively integrating business processes and improving business outcomes, this authoritative resource offers a contemporary view of the processes, behavior change methods, and new technology for implementing ITP processes. Throughout the text, the authors share business-proven concepts, define fundamental terms, and provide real-life examples of how Integrated Tactical Planning has been applied in various industries and businesses. Clear and accurate chapters cover essential topics including strategy alignment, product and demand plan execution, supply scheduling, performance improvement, and more. Presenting the information necessary to get an organization started on its Integrated Tactical Planning journey, this book: Describes how to manage and align product portfolio changes and new products within a single management process Explains the mechanisms and behavioral requirements for an organization to successfully execute Integrated Tactical Planning Offers methods for improving reaction time and cost-effectively responding to changes in Demand and Supply Reviews different design and deployment strategies, structures and roles, and the key ITP elements such as process definition and sustainability Features a comprehensive case study that details the challenges and results experienced by an Oliver Wight client company that implemented Integrated Tactical Planning Integrated Tactical Planning: Respond to Change, Increase Competitiveness and Reduce Costs is a must-have book for senior executives, leaders, managers, and planners at organizations of any size across all industries.

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Robert G. Hagstrom is one of the best-known authors of investment books for general audiences. Turning his extensive experience as a portfolio manager at Legg Mason Capital Management into valuable guidance for professionals and nonprofessionals alike, he is the author of six successful books on investment, including The Warren Buffett Way, a New York Times best-seller that has sold more than a million copies. In this updated second edition of Investing: The Last Liberal Art, Hagstrom explores basic and fundamental investing concepts in a range of fields outside of economics, including physics, biology, sociology, psychology, philosophy, and literature. He discusses, for instance, how the theory of evolution disrupts the notion of the efficient market and how reading strategies for literature can be gainfully applied to investing research. Building on Charlie Munger's famous "latticework of mental models" concept, Hagstrom argues that it is impossible to make good investment decisions based solely on a strong knowledge of finance theory alone. He reinforces his concepts with additional data and a new chapter on mathematics, and updates his text throughout to reflect the developments of the past decade, particularly the seismic economic upheaval of 2008. He has also added a hundred new titles to the invaluable reading list concluding the book. Praise for the first edition: "I read this book in one sitting: I could not put it down."-Peter L. Bernstein, author of Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk "Elegant and irresistible. Robert G. Hagstrom makes the complex clear as he confidently crisscrosses through the disciplines of finance, biology, physics, and literature. The only way to understand investing better, [Investing] shows, is to understand the world better. Ideas spark off the page at every turn. This is simply a gem of a book."-James Surowiecki, New Yorker "Investing is a brisk and engaging read, and it is a pleasure to be in the presence of Hagstrom's agile mind."-International Herald Tribune

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HIGH RETURNS from LOW RISK If you lie awake at night worrying about your retirement, paying for your children’s schooling or your general financial security, High Returns from Low Risk is your solution to a sound sleep. This unique wealth management guide is written by a fund manager who oversees billions of dollars in portfolio assets, and who wants to share his approach with individual investors, advisors, bankers and everyone interested in the stock market. Despite all the appeal exciting stocks have, his evidence-based strategy repeatedly proves low-risk stocks historically beat high-risk ones going back well over eighty years. By how much? Over eighteen times the returns! Growing wealth doesn’t have to be stressful, and it shouldn’t be risky when you get High Returns from Low Risk. ‘The low-risk effect, that is the idea that historically, unlike many well-known theories, average return across stocks doesn’t appear to go up with most standard measures of risk, is one of the most important “anomalies” in modern finance. Pim van Vliet is one of the pioneers in studying this effect and using it to improve investor portfolios. Anyone interested in systematic equity investing should carefully read this important book.’ — Clifford S. Asness, Founder, Managing Principal and Chief Investment Officer at AQR Capital Management, USA ‘Pim van Vliet’s experience as one of the pioneers of low-volatility investing gives him unique insight into one of the most fascinating economic anomalies of our time. The idea that risk, properly defined, generates a positive return, is one of those ideas that becomes even more profound when we learn it is not true. There is no cosmic risk karma that pays people for taking risk, and this book will help people understand what types of investment risks generate premiums, and which will actually cost you money.’ —Eric Falkenstein, Author of The Missing Risk Premium: Why Low Volatility Investing Works, USA

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Don't just invest in stocks and bonds. Invest in your life. "This book is guaranteed to make a difference in the way you approach money, work-and life in general-whether you're just starting out, struggling to succeed, or already on track." -Terry Savage, Chicago Sun-Times, personal finance columnist. "We Americans have a choice-spend life enslaved to the gods of consumerism, or live simply but free to fulfill our dreams. If you are yearning to give freedom a try, you'll find this inspiring book provides the road map you'll need to get started." -Ralph Warner, author of Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well. "The most important trend of the new millennium is the focus on freedom. Invest in Yourself will put you on the path to freedom, so you can live the life you freely choose. It will help you on the job, at home, and with your finances." -Gerald Celente, Director, Trends Research Institute and author of Trends 2000. A Money Book Club selection Put together the portfolio of your life-finances, family, and you Success in life consists of more than just a hefty bank account. Your happiness portfolio also includes family, friends, home, career, and the time to appreciate life's simple pleasures. Invest in Yourself offers six easy steps to simplify your life and enjoy it to the fullest. It all comes down to making decisions about what you really want and then mapping out a realistic game plan to get there. Where do you want to live? Do you want to put your career on hold to spend more time with your toddler? Are there a few small business ideas rattling around in your head that you'd like to turn into reality? Would you like some easy, proven ways to reduce the cost of college? When do you want to retire, and what hopes do you have for your golden years? Changing your direction doesn't have to send your life into a tailspin. Once you nail down your goals, Invest in Yourself provides savvy advice as well as painlessly practical and risk-free strategies you can use immediately to test drive your fantasies and discover for yourself if they are right for you. Invest in Yourself isn't afraid to challenge conventional wisdom. Do you really need to sock away a king's ransom for retirement? Is the purchase of a home the most important investment of your life? Do you need a lot of capital to start a small business, and is it worth the risk? How can you make sure your children will be accepted at the best college for them? Invest in Yourself offers the perfect mix of down-to-earth philosophy, financial strategies, and money-saving tips. You'll also learn how to start your own business with little risk, negotiate flex-time at work, plant a healthful garden, and help your children become smart consumers. Packed with sidebars, anecdotes, examples, homespun wisdom, and references to Web sites, newsletters, books, and other resources, Invest in Yourself is a comprehensive guide to creating the life of your dreams. It will have a major impact on your life's bottom line. Marc Eisenson is the author of the bestseller, The Banker's Secret, and a nationally recognized expert on how to painlessly exit from debt. Nancy Castleman, along with Marc, publishes the highly respected Pocket Change Investor newsletter. Through books, software, audiotapes, and an assortment of other publications, Marc and Nancy's Good Advice Press has saved hundreds of thousands of families billions of dollars. They live the ideas of this book on a farm in upstate New York where their nearest neighbors are cows. Gerri Detweiler is the author of The Ultimate Credit Handbook and an authority on the credit and financial services industry. The former executive director of the Bankcard Holders of America, Gerri lives and works from her home office in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. The authors have been featured on The Today Show, Dateline NBC, CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning, and Good Morning America, and in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and hundreds of other media outlets worldwide.

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' Once you are in medical school you will need to apply for Foundation training; once in Foundation training you will need to apply for core or specialty training; if you go through core training, you will need to apply for specialty training; and once in specialty training, you will need to apply for consultancy posts. Knowing about this allows you to prepare for the next application, and enables you to show yourself in the best light in the application process...The majority of medical careers are becoming increasingly competitive, with many specialties subject to competition ratios of over 10 applicants for each place...' David McGowan and Helen Sims ' This book provides an excellent and easy-to-read path to making the most of your medical career starting as a student...and a ready source of really useful hints and tips that will help anyone reading this book maximise their personal and professional development.' From the Foreword by Dr Inam Haq Want to optimise your chances of success? Take a fresh look at the clinical world. Medical careers have changed and learning how to play the game is as important as being the best in your field. This inspirational new guide considers your medical career from a wide-ranging perspective, encouraging a positive, early outlook. On a highly practical note, it acts as a comprehensive information source, covering all aspects of job applications and medical careers. On a personal note the book fosters a complete reassessment of the way you view your working life. It offers fresh ideas to help identify important opportunities to improve your CV - taking opportunities when you can whilst making the most of what you have. Easy to read and conversational in tone, it details invaluable ideas on developing your portfolio and innovative methods to successfully market yourself, alongside sound approaches to the challenges and intricacies of the modern medical career.

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The Fisher Investments On series is designed to provide individual investors, aspiring investment professionals, and students the tools necessary to understand and analyze investment opportunities—primarily for investing in global stocks. Each guide is an easily accessible primer to economic sectors, regions, or other components of the global stock market. While this guide specifically focuses on Consumer Discretionary, the basic investment methodology is applicable for analyzing any global sector, regardless of the current macroeconomic environment. Following a top-down approach to investing, Fisher Investments on Consumer Discretionary can help you make more informed decisions within the Consumer Discretionary sector. It skillfully addresses how to determine the optimal times to invest in Consumer Discretionary stocks and which Consumer Discretionary industries and sub-industries have the potential to perform well in various environments. Divided into three comprehensive parts—Getting Started, Consumer Discretionary Details, and Thinking Like a Portfolio Manager—Fisher Investments on Consumer Discretionary: Explains some of the sector’s key macro drivers—like consumer spending, income, and employment Shows how to capitalize on a wide array of macro conditions and industry-specific features to help you form an opinion on each of the industries within the sector Takes you through the major components of the 12 sub-industries within the global Consumer Discretionary sector and reveals how they operate Offers investment strategies to help you determine when and how to overweight specific industries within the sector Outlines a five-step process to help differentiate firms in this field—designed to help you identify ones with the greatest probability of outperforming Filled with in-depth insights and expert advice, Fisher Investments on Consumer Discretionary provides a framework for understanding this sector and its industries to help you make better investment decisions—now and in the future. With this book as your guide, you can gain a global perspective of the Consumer Discretionary sector and discover strategies to help achieve your investing goals.

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Exits are the lifeblood of private equity: for private equity investors, at the top of their list of priorities when making an investment is an understanding of when and how they will realise it in due course. The methods of exiting private equity investments have developed over the years, and particularly as a result of the hyper-competitive market for quality assets and disruption caused by global macro-economic events such as the novel coronavirus pandemic. To the usual trade sales and initial public offerings (IPOs) have been added secondary, tertiary (and more) buy-outs, refinancings, partial sales, private equity house spin-outs, liquidations and an increasing number of “fund-to-fund” transfers. In these uncertain times, private equity houses will continue to put a significant focus on what options might be available to them to realise their portfolio investments, being mindful of not just the economic risks, but also the legal, tax, regulatory and reputational issues at stake. Management teams are key to this process and their economic, commercial and personal priorities cannot be underestimated in what is a very complex environment of often conflicting aspirations. This practical guide features contributions by leading specialists (including from Latham & Watkins, Linklaters, Macfarlanes and Ropes & Gray) on a range of topics linked to the exit of private equity investments. Topics featured include preparing for exits, vendor diligence, management issues, auction sales, partial exits, private equity house spin-outs, IPOs, refinancing, winding-up, tax and perspectives from Luxembourg, the US and views on the emerging markets. The third edition also includes analysis on emerging and established trends impacting exit terms, including early management liquidity, the prevalence of insurance solutions and related party or fund-to-fund exits. Together, the contributors provide an invaluable guide to the legal, regulatory, tax and practical elements in play. Whether you are a lawyer in practice or in-house, this commercially focused title will provide you with an invaluable all-round overview of private equity exits.

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Modern startups are on an assembly line from seed to later-stage series financing. As they make that journey, founders need to have a working knowledge of dozens of fields if they’re going to scale a company. SaaS is a unique set of skills across those disciplines.This book focuses on gaining a working understanding of what specialists will do in those fields as an organization grows and how founders can leverage the basics to get those capabilities started so once professionals are hired in each, they can hit the ground running with authentic materials. Founders will be pulled in a lot of directions as they find success, so the book looks at what to do with each discipline at each stage of growth.The hardest part to creating a startup is to just start the thing. This book covers when to bootstrap, apply to accelerators, seek seed capital – and where to do those things. It also covers some of the earlier questions like how to write a mission statement, where to find investors, what technical stacks to use, how to HR, how to sell, and more importantly, when a founder should spend time on each discipline. A way to look at the tech stack and the ever-changing landscape to keep technical debt low and the ability to respond to ever-changing market forces high. What You'll Learn The nuts and bolts of which type of corporation to found, impacts to taxes, equity, and of course more philosophy. Researching, pricing, and planning to take that wonderful innovation to market and expanding into a portfolio. Leadership styles—each has its place and so we look at ways to level up that domain Management—going beyond inspiration, from those regularly scheduled meetings to helping people grow to task managemen. Basic accounting and finance skills with terms and guidance on revenue treatment Who This Book Is ForPeople thinking of or starting a software/SaaS company. Could be useful for first timers or those on their third startup.

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Are you prepared for revalidation? All nurses and midwives in the UK are required to complete the revalidation process every 3 years in order to renew their registration. This book explores key areas of revalidation such as adult learning and CPD, personal reflection and growth, and improving practice by obtaining and learning from practice-related feedback.This handy guide contains a wealth of tips and advice for all nurses and midwives to help to make the process more understandable and manageable.Key features:• Practical suggestions and examples for engaging in relevant continuing professional development (CPD)• Introduces methods to help complete the reflective accounts• Provides support to prepare for the reflective discussion and confirmation process• Features 'Time Out' boxes and activities throughout that can be used for reflection on practice and support personal development• Practical ideas for portfolio development Essential reading for all NMC registrants, regardless of practice setting, as well as student nurses and midwives who will need to undergo revalidation throughout their careers. Employers will also find this book helpful when supporting staff with revalidation."I found this book very easy to read. It shows clearly how to incorporate revalidation into our practice and make it as stress-free as possible!"Myrna Melville, Registered Nurse, UK"The book is structured in an accessible way and is designed to really assist registrants through the revalidation process. I particularly like the frequent activities built in as the reader progresses through the chapters."Professor Ian Murray, Head of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Robert Gordon University, UK "This book is a first of its kind and as the title suggest it’s a journey where the authors walks with the readers step by step to a successful revalidation destination.The authors are evidently well vast with this subject matter and had produced a book that is beautifully laid out, easy to read without being patronizing."Esther Kuria

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“One of the best books I have read on investing in years. ” —Bill Ackman, founder and CEO, Pershing Square Capital Management From a successful investor and a contributor to Barron’s and Fortune comes a once-in-a-lifetime book that gives modern investors what they need most: a fresh guide to making money in a stock market now dominated by tech stocks.Technological change is reshaping the economy in a way not witnessed since Henry Ford introduced the assembly line. A little more than ten years ago, only two of the ten most valuable publicly traded companies in the world were digital enterprises—today, they comprise eight of the top ten. Investors around the world are struggling to understand the Digital Age and how they can use the stock market to profit from it. Author Adam Seessel understands. Several years ago, he watched his old-school portfolio built using traditional value investing principles decline while the market, driven by “expensive” tech stocks, advanced. Determined to reverse course, he set off in search of a new investment paradigm, one that remained true to the discipline that Ben Graham gave us a century ago while reflecting the new realities of the Digital Age. In this “helpful take on playing the stock market” (Publishers Weekly), Seessel introduces a refreshed value-based framework that any investor, professional or amateur, can use to beat the modern market. Like all sectors, the tech sector follows certain rules. We can study these rules, understand them, and invest accordingly. The world is changing, and we can profit from it. Approaching tech this way, the economy’s current changes and the rapid rise of tech stocks are not reasons to be frightened or disoriented—they’re reasons to be excited. Infused with the same kind of optimism and common sense that inspired Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor and Peter Lynch’s One Up on Wall Street, Where the Money Is ushers in a new era of modern value investing.

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Turbulence in crypto markets has left investors and potential investors terrified about the future of digital assets and decentralised finance. Valuations have collapsed, exchanges have bankrupted, and billions of dollars have been washed away. But is it really a crisis? Or is the immense promise and potential of this dynamic new asset class stronger than it's ever been? This isn't the first crypto boom and bust (likely not the last), and with every cycle exciting, emerging innovative opportunities rise to the surface and provide untapped potential for the informed investor. Investment and crypto expert Sam Volkering delves into the turmoil and unlocks the realities and potential of the still-emerging crypto opportunity. The Crypto Handbook is a must-have guide to the fundamentals of crypto and digital assets, covering topics such as exchanges, blockchain, NFTs, Web3, the metaverse and much more. Learn how to construct a robust crypto portfolio, how to secure and protect your crypto assets, how to put your crypto to work using decentralised finance, and how to spot and avoid threats and scams. This indispensable book reveals the latest thinking on the present and future of crypto, from some of the sector's leaders and innovators. Featuring interviews with: Luc Froehlich and Ben Brophy, Fidelity James Putra, TradeStation Dr. Jemma Green, Powerledger Hector McNeil, HANetf Lawrence Wintermeyer, GBBC Digital Finance By demystifying the complexities and confusion rife in the mainstream, The Crypto Handbook is a must-read for crypto newcomers and experienced investors alike. Readers will improve their ability to answer questions such as: What separates Bitcoin from the other 'altcoins' on the market? Can and should we trust crypto exchanges? What role do stablecoins play in the future of global finance? Is there any substance to the metaverse? What is blockchain, and how does it work? Are NFTs dead, or is another NFT boom around the corner? Is Web3 the future of the internet? And much more. Learn to master the crypto markets now with The Crypto Handbook.

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As CEO, you set the vision, the strategy, and the tone of your organization.You establish priorities, anticipate and address challenges, champion and lead change efforts, set people up for success, and manage risk. Though you may have a great senior executive team and a top-flight board, the success of your organization depends on your leadership.If you read nothing else on being an effective chief executive, read these 10 articles by experts in the field. We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the best ones to help you toggle between long- and short-term views, manage risk and innovation, and cultivate productive relationships with your staff and your board. This book will inspire you to: Navigate the changing global business environment Customize your company's strategy to the environment you're working in Attract, engage, and retain the best talent Anticipate and address legislative and regulatory issues Sharpen your awareness of the tactical and soft skills you need to lead Adopt a founder's mindset and build new offerings, move into new markets, and create next-generation solutions Manage and build relationships with your board--and your shareholders This collection of articles includes "Your Strategy Needs a Strategy," by Martin Reeves, Claire Love, and Philipp Tillmanns; "Managing Your Innovation Portfolio," by Bansi Nagji and Geoff Tuff; "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail," by John P. Kotter; "Reinventing Your Business Model," by Mark W. Johnson, Clayton M. Christensen, and Henning Kagermann; "Leadership Is a Conversation," by Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind; "Strategic Intent," by Gary Hamel and C.K. Prahalad; "When Growth Stalls," by Matthew S. Olson, Derek van Bever, and Seth Verry; "The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution," by Gary L. Neilson, Karla L. Martin, and Elizabeth Powers; "The Focused Leader," by Daniel Goleman; "Managing Risks: A New Framework," by Robert S. Kaplan and Anette Mikes; "21st-Century Talent Spotting," by Claudio Fernandez-Araoz; and "How CEOs Can Work with an Active Board," by Ken Banta and Stephen D. Garrow.

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Furbex: A Dog's Life of Urban Exploration is a dazzling photographic record of Claire's adventures among the abandoned spaces of Europe. It captures her ghostly presence in ruined hotels and grand houses; crumbling castles and palaces; broken down factories and prisons, forgotten theatres and cinemas. All have fallen into disrepair; most still display the faded trappings and trampled luxuries of their glorious or inglorious pasts; and many have been spectacularly reclaimed by nature. Fascinated by shadows and light, past and present, and the mysterious, dark worlds of abandoned places, Alice van Kempen uses thrift shop props and long exposures to create photographs with the air of Old Master paintings; while Claire's tragi-comic presence imbues every image with the pathos and comedy of a silent movie. In Furbex, they not only present the finest of their unique photographic portfolio, but also recount the tales and raise the ghosts of the lost worlds they have discovered. The result is a haunting and hilarious gift of unique photographs, which will appeal to urban explorers, dog lovers (most particularly the cult following of the bull terrier breed), and all lovers of the Gothic, the mysterious and the absurd. AUTHOR: Alice van Kempen is a self-taught photographer from the Netherlands, who has been photographing dogs around the world for over 25 years. Her passion is for 'furbex' photography (urbex photography with a canine twist), which she practices by exploring abandoned places with her beloved bull terrier Claire, who has 21,000 followers on Instagram. Their many awards include first prize in the pets category of the International Photography Awards; and the Reader's Choice Award in the Smithsonian Photo Contest for 'The Orient Express', an image of Claire in an abandoned train. SALES POINTS: . A haunting but humorous collection of photographs documenting Claire, the bull terrier and urban explorer (Urbex) . Author is an award-winning photographer and an Instagram star . A charming gift book with appeal to dog lovers, photographers, and urban explorers alike 100 colour photographs

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Stocks and bonds? Real estate? Hedge funds? Private equity? If you think those are the things to focus on in building an investment portfolio, Andrew Ang has accumulated a body of research that will prove otherwise. In his new book Asset Management: A Systematic Approach to Factor Investing, Ang upends the conventional wisdom about asset allocation by showing that what matters aren't asset class labels but the bundles of overlapping risks they represent. Making investments is like eating a healthy diet, Ang says: you've got to look through the foods you eat to focus on the nutrients they contain. Failing to do so can lead to a serious case of malnutrition-for investors as well as diners. The key, in Ang's view, is bad times, and the fact that every investor's bad times are somewhat different. The notion that bad times are paramount is the guiding principle of the book, which offers a new approach to the age-old problem of where do you put your money? Years of experience, both as a finance professor and as a consultant, have led Ang to see that the traditional approach, with its focus on asset classes, is too crude and ultimately too costly to serve investors adequately. He focuses instead on "factor risks," the peculiar sets of hard times that cut across asset classes, and that must be the focus of our attention if we are to weather market turmoil and receive the rewards that come with doing so. Optimally harvesting factor premiums-on our own or by hiring others-requires identifying your particular set of hard times, and exploiting the difference between them and those of the average investor. Clearly written yet chock-full of the latest research and data, Asset Management will be indispensable reading for trustees, professional money managers, smart private investors, and business students who want to understand the economics behind factor risk premiums, harvest them efficiently in their portfolios, and embark on the search for true alpha.

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From the first steps of starting out up through succeeding as a professional, Fleishman's newest guide navigates how illustration ties concept and technique. From advice on education and finding the right state of mind, through opening shop and finding the right venue, Starting Your Career as an Illustrator is a bit of a technical how-to, something of a business book, certainly an inspirational work, definitely a professional overview, even a personal lifestyle guide. It accurately documents the eclectic adventures of illustrators now, as well as relating historical perspectives, motivations, and inspirations to balance that picture and present readers with a true global field experience—all in an accessible, reader-friendly style. Topics include how to:Create a portfolioMake initial contactsDevelop a financial planSet up an officeAcquire supplies and equipmentPrice your own workMarket on the WebNurture a growing freelance businessAnd much moreThrough direct and candid conversations with scores of professionals up and down the career ladder, this book offers rich perspectives of illustrators (and their cohorts) at and away from the drawing board. It looks at the strong threads tying professional and academic process, practice, and product, and offers extensive research, a global pool of resources, and a wide panorama of info that promotes problem solving by way of a spectrum of ideas. Over fifty illustrations are included throughout.Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

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A comprehensive and timely edition on an emerging new trend in time series Linear Models and Time-Series Analysis: Regression, ANOVA, ARMA and GARCH sets a strong foundation, in terms of distribution theory, for the linear model (regression and ANOVA), univariate time series analysis (ARMAX and GARCH), and some multivariate models associated primarily with modeling financial asset returns (copula-based structures and the discrete mixed normal and Laplace). It builds on the author's previous book, Fundamental Statistical Inference: A Computational Approach, which introduced the major concepts of statistical inference. Attention is explicitly paid to application and numeric computation, with examples of Matlab code throughout. The code offers a framework for discussion and illustration of numerics, and shows the mapping from theory to computation. The topic of time series analysis is on firm footing, with numerous textbooks and research journals dedicated to it. With respect to the subject/technology, many chapters in Linear Models and Time-Series Analysis cover firmly entrenched topics (regression and ARMA). Several others are dedicated to very modern methods, as used in empirical finance, asset pricing, risk management, and portfolio optimization, in order to address the severe change in performance of many pension funds, and changes in how fund managers work. Covers traditional time series analysis with new guidelines Provides access to cutting edge topics that are at the forefront of financial econometrics and industry Includes latest developments and topics such as financial returns data, notably also in a multivariate context Written by a leading expert in time series analysis Extensively classroom tested Includes a tutorial on SAS Supplemented with a companion website containing numerous Matlab programs Solutions to most exercises are provided in the book Linear Models and Time-Series Analysis: Regression, ANOVA, ARMA and GARCH is suitable for advanced masters students in statistics and quantitative finance, as well as doctoral students in economics and finance. It is also useful for quantitative financial practitioners in large financial institutions and smaller finance outlets.

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Perfect for playwrights and screenwriters of all levels of experience, The Writer's Toolkit will equip you with everything required to kickstart your creativity, develop your craft, and make your writing the very best that it can be. Written by an experienced playwright, screenwriter and producer, this essential book is packed with almost two hundred practical exercises, techniques and ideas for every part of your process, designed to be used either solo or in a group. It includes: Writing warm-ups to focus your mind and get your creative muscles in gear Dozens of exercises to strengthen fundamental elements of your writing such as developing characters, improving dialogue, layering in subtext, creating a strong setting and constructing a compelling plot Immersive-writing techniques to lift the world of your script off the page and allow you to shape it more effectively A blueprint for writing a ten-minute play – a great way to practise your craft, explore a new idea and add to your portfolio A Submission Surgery with exercises and pointers so you can review and fine-tune your completed work before sending it out 101 quick-fire writing prompts to help you warm up, take a break from your current project, or just keep you feeling productive Also included are mindful meditations to use at the beginning and end of your writing sessions, to help you relax, boost your productivity and maximise your creative output. Whatever you need as a writer – whether that’s to crack a problem in your current script, develop ideas for future projects, build up your skills and experience, or bust through writer’s block – this book will give you the right tools for the job. So get writing! 'A generous and inventive book, packed full of the creativity it is bound to inspire' Anna Jordan, playwright and screenwriter (Succession, Killing Eve, Yen) 'An enthusiastic, encouraging guide with endless tips to make every stage of the writing process not only doable but enjoyable too' Diane Samuels, playwright and author (Kindertransport)

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A definitive, all-encompassing book on digital assets of all types for investors In Mastering Crypto Assets: Investing in Bitcoin, Ethereum and Beyond, a team of seasoned investors and digital asset strategists presents a comprehensive guide aimed at institutional and professional investors for integrating crypto assets into traditional portfolios. The book offers in-depth explanations of the structure of this new asset class and its impact on investment portfolios. It guides readers on using fundamental and quantitative criteria to select blockchain-based assets, grounded in a robust foundation of knowledge and evidence. The authors demonstrate how to apply quantitative valuation concepts to digital assets like Bitcoin, understanding their role as digital stores of value in a traditional investment portfolio. The book also delves into the unique risk and return characteristics of various digital asset sectors, adapting conventional investing methods to the digital realm. It goes beyond direct crypto asset investments, introducing related equities and strategies for accessing digital assets in restricted settings. It discusses both indexed and active strategies in the context of crypto assets. A key feature of the book is exclusive interviews with industry figures such as Jan van Eck (VanEck), Peter L. Brandt (Legendary Trader), and Fred Thiel (Marathon Digital), with these interviews accessible through QR codes in the book for extended video content. This provides a dynamic and interactive learning experience. Moreover, the book benefits from invaluable research assistance from Figment and CCData, enriching its analytical depth. It also includes insightful guest articles from digital asset experts like Matthew Sigel (VanEck), Marco Manoppo (Digital Asset Research), Marcel Kasumovich (Coinbase Asset Management), Timothy Peterson (Cane Island Digital Research), Gregory Mall and Rohan Misra (AMINA), and thought leaders from Token Terminal. Mastering Crypto Assets is an invaluable resource not just for institutional and individual investors, but for anyone keen on adopting a sound, evidence-based approach to digital asset investment.

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Every investor needs an edge. Professional investors on Wall Street have the best education, the deepest knowledge of company accounts, the latest technology, and teams of analysts at their disposal to help them identify the best stock investments. That is their edge. As a part-time, individual investor, you cannot compete on their turf. What can you do? This is where The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy comes in. As you go about your life, there are companies you interact with regularly as a consumer. Some companies will stand out to you as having remarkable products or services, which you use time and again, and which you imagine yourself using long into the future. You may not have realised it, but you have an excellent knowledge of those companies. This is your edge. This is where you should invest. In The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy, Wall Street equity adviser Edward Ryan describes the investment strategy he has used for his own personal investments for the last ten years and shows you, step by step, with full practical guidance, how to put it into practice yourself. You do not need to know how to read company accounts, you do not need an MBA, and you do not need to spend hours each weekend reading the business pages. The strategy is simple and accessible to anyone who is a regular consumer of products and services in their daily life. What's more, The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy also has built-in steps to help the investor construct a balanced portfolio, invest during market pullbacks when other investors are fearful, avoid overtrading, and deal with the sticky problem of when to sell an investment. These are all things that professional investors struggle with, but they are taken care of by The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy. If you are ready to take a strategic approach to investing in stocks and start out on the road to building long-term wealth, The World's Simplest Stock Picking Strategy is your essential guide.

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The easy-to-use resource for anyone looking to learn more about the financial sector and how to make the most of it The Fisher Investments On series is designed to provide individual investors, students, and aspiring investment professionals with the tools necessary to understand and analyze investment opportunities—primarily for investing in global stocks. Each guide is an easily accessible primer to economic sectors, regions, or other components of the global stock market. While this guide is specifically on Financials, the basic investment methodology is applicable for analyzing any global sector, regardless of the current macroeconomic environment. Following a top-down approach to investing, Fisher Investments on Financials can help you make more informed decisions within the Financials sector. It skillfully addresses how to determine optimal times to invest in Financials stocks and which Financials industries have the potential to perform well in various environments. The book is divided into three comprehensive parts—Getting Started, Financials Details, and Thinking Like a Portfolio Manager. Explains some of the sector's key macro drivers—like regulation, interest rates, and credit trends Shows how to capitalize on a wide array of macro conditions and industry-specific features to help you form an opinion on each of the industries within the sector Takes you through the major components of the industries within the global Financials sector and reveals how they operate Offers investment strategies to help you determine when and how to overweight specific industries within the sector Outlines a five-step process to help differentiate firms in this field—designed to help you identify those with the greatest probability of outperforming Filled with in-depth insights, Fisher Investments on Financials provides a framework for understanding this sector and its industries to help you make better investment decisions—now and in the future. With this book as your guide, you can gain a global perspective of the Financials sector and discover strategies to help achieve your investing goals.

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A professional's guide to the world of hedge fund investing Throughout the financial crisis of 2008, many hedge funds suffered massive losses and were often blamed for the extreme market upheavals. In the wake f the crisis, hedge funds remain a source of fascination for the media, legislators, and investors, mostly due to misunderstanding. Historically portrayed as risky investment funds for the very wealthy run by swashbuckling traders, the truth is hedge funds are simply an investment vehicle designed to generate superior returns and reduce an investor's overall portfolio risk. Investors have good reasons to remain fascinated with hedge funds. Although many individual funds have underperformed or collapsed, hedge funds as a whole have provided solid returns while reducing risks. Savvy institutions have invested in hedge funds for many years and have made them a large and powerful force in the markets. Investing in hedge funds requires sophisticated knowledge, understanding, skill, access, and experience. Individuals and institutions, whether they are new to hedge funds or need to improve, can find those attributes in the stories of the successful hedge fund investors profiled in Hedge Fund Investors. Hedge Fund Investors chronicles the challenges and rewards these investors face, in selecting hedge fund managers, managing risks, and constructing portfolios. In revealing conversations, leading hedge fund investors who place hundreds of billions of dollars in hedge funds, share their philosophies, strategies, and advice. Profiles a variety of different investors from the pioneers in hedge fund investing to managers for high net-worth individuals and fund of funds investors Discusses winners and losers in the recent market decline, problematic hedge fund strategies, and how these current events will change future strategies Provides lessons, insights, and advice beneficial to all hedge fund investors Engaging and informative, Hedge Fund Investors will prove valuable to anyone involved in placing money with hedge funds, as well as hedge funds who seek to better understand their clients.

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Master the clinical and administrative competencies you need to succeed as a Medical Assistant! Kinn's Medical Assisting Fundamentals, 2nd Edition covers the administrative and clinical knowledge, skills, and procedures that are essential to patient care. A reader-friendly approach and focus on foundational content - including medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, basic math calculations, and soft skills - provide a solid foundation for the key skills and procedures at the heart of Medical Assisting practice. An applied learning approach organizes content around realistic case scenarios. The 2nd edition adds coverage of intravenous procedures, catheterization, and limited-scope radiography to address competencies approved in many states. This practical text will prepare you to launch a successful Medical Assisting career! Easy-to-understand writing style is appropriate for all levels of learners in all types of Medical Assisting programs. Emphasis on foundational content includes in-depth coverage of anatomy and physiology, medical terminology, basic math calculations, and job readiness to build a strong base of knowledge. Illustrated, step-by-step procedure boxes demonstrate how to perform and document key administrative and clinical skills. Content supports Medical Assisting certification test plans to help you prepare for board examinations. Real-world scenario in each chapter presents a situation for you to follow as you read through the material, helping you understand and apply key concepts as they are presented. Learning features include key terms and definitions, Being Professional boxes, study tips, critical thinking exercises, and review and summary sections, all focusing on developing the soft skills that employers seek when hiring. Chapter learning tools include terms with definitions, study tips, critical thinking boxes, and review and summary sections. Medical Terminology boxes highlight chapter-related medical terms to help you learn word parts, pronunciation, and definitions. Evolve website includes skills videos, chapter quizzes, five practice certification exams, and a portfolio builder. NEW chapters on intravenous procedures and limited-scope radiography provide coverage of expanded Medical Assisting functions approved in many states. NEW! Expanded content addresses behavioral health, catheterization procedures, disease states, medical office organization, expanding MA roles, and more.

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From the front lines of the war in Ukraine comes this compelling collection of images from world-class photographers that captures the humanity, perseverance, and determination of the nation's fight for freedom and independence against all odds. “What happened to Ukraine after Moscow’s invasion? Look no further. The photographs in this book are by some of the world’s best photographers and provide an unflinching look at the hell wrought by Russia. This is extraordinary and vital work.” - Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist David Hume Kennerly Stunning collection of images from some of the most respected photojournalists of our time: Carol Guzy, four-time Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Lynsey Addario, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist andNew York Times bestselling author Paula Bronstein, award-winning photojournalist, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Justyna Mielnikiewicz, award-winning photojournalist Svet Jacqueline, award-winning photojournalist and 20+ other world-renowned photojournalists Moving essays, published in both English and Ukrainian, by: Foreword by the Ukrainian ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova. Markarova provides an overview of how this war has shaken her country and what democracy and freedom mean to her people. Award-winning Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov. Ukraine's most famous living writer, Kurkov provides an emotional, heartfelt reflection on what's happening to his country in relation to the pictures displayed in the book. Pulitzer Prize winner and personal photographer to President Gerald Ford, David Hume Kennerly. Kennerly speaks to the emotional and physical risk photojournalists take in covering war alongside their mission to show truth. As Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy said in his address to U.S. Congress, Russia “went on a brutal offensive against our values, basic human values. It threw tanks and planes against our freedom, against our right to live freely in our own country, choosing our own future, against our desire for happiness, against our national dreams, just like the same dreams you have, you Americans.” Relentless Courage delivers a gripping, visual portfolio of images that remind us of our shared humanity, what is right, and what’s at stake when independence and freedom come under attack.

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The easy way to get started in crowdfund investing Crowdfund investing (CFI) is going to be the next big thing on Wall Street. U.S. investment banks, brokerage houses, and law firms are gearing up for the creation and regulation of new financial products that will be available to the general public starting in early 2013. The introduction of these products will revolutionize the financing of small businesses and startups for these key reasons: Entrepreneurs and small business owners, who have had difficulty obtaining capital through traditional means (such as bank loans and angel investors) in recent years, will have access to investors around the world through social media. For the first time, investors (so-called unqualified investors) will be able to purchase an equity stake in a business or new investment vehicle. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is overseeing the creation of online portals that will allow entrepreneurs and small investors to connect. When these portals go live in 2013, Crowdfund Investing For Dummies will be on the front line to educate business owners, other entrepreneurs, and investors alike. Crowdfund Investing For Dummies will walk entrepreneurs and investors, like yourself, through this new investing experience, beginning with explaining how and why CFI developed and what the 2012 JOBS says about CFI. Entrepreneurs will find out how much funding they can realistically raise through CFI; how to plan and launch a CFI campaign; how to manage the crowd after a campaign is successful; and how to work within the SEC’s regulations at every stage. Investors will discover: the benefits and risks of CFI ;how much they can invest; how a CFI investment may fit into a broader investment portfolio; how to provide value to the business or project being funded; and how to bow out of an investment when the time is right. Crowdfund Investing For Dummies is an indispensable resource for long time investors and novice investors alike.

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Gain a practical prescription for both private and public organizations to remediate threats and maintain a competitive pace to lead and thrive in an ever-shifting environment.In today’s hyper-connected, always-on era of pervasive mobility, cloud computing and intelligent connected devices, virtually every step we take, every transaction we initiate, and every interaction we have are supported in some way by this vast global infrastructure. This set of interconnected systems comprises the fundamental building blocks of the second economy – the very foundation of our first economy. And adversaries, whether motivated by profit, principle or province, are singularly focused on winning the race through a relentless portfolio of shifting attack vectors.Make no mistake about it, we are running a race. This is a race against a faceless, nameless adversary – one that dictates the starting line, the rules of the road, and what trophies are at stake. Established assumptions must be challenged, strategies must be revised, and long-held practices must be upended to run this race and effectively compete. The Second Economy highlights a second to none approach in this fight, as the effectiveness and ROI of security solutions are increasingly measured by the business outcomes they enable. What You Will Learn: Understand the value of time and trust in a cyber-warfare world Enable agile and intelligent organizations to minimize their risk of falling victim to the next attack Accelerate response time by adopting a holistic approach Eliminate friction across the threat defense lifecycle, from protection to detection to correction Gain a sustainable competitive advantage by seizing first mover advantage Deploy solutions across an open, integrated security framework Who This Book Is For:Senior-level IT decision makers concerned with ascribing business value to a robust security strategy. The book also addresses business decision makers who must be educated about the pervasive and growing cyber threatscape (including CXOs, board directors, and functional leaders) as well as general business employees to understand how they may become unwitting participants in a complex cyber war.

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This book attempts to analyze the issues raised by the chronicity of the Covid pandemic and its governance. The author analyzes the information resources mobilized to combat the pandemic in industrialized countries and pays particular attention to the operational mechanisms. The analysis seeks to clarify the modalities of operation of the crisis system management, while at the same time looking at the decision-making mechanisms. The main lines of analysis retained are: the piloting and management of the crisis, the markets for ordering protective equipment and vaccine, the hospital organization and the prevention campaign, and the costs and the methods of financing. Finally, the author asks whether it might not therefore be appropriate to rethink the organization of the pandemic’s governance and if health crisis governance should be opened up more to deal with societal challenges. This organization is too complex and suffers both from a certain heaviness and from a lack of resources, which are detrimental to its proper functioning. It should first and foremost be open to people in the field whose absence weighs heavily on the organization of the response to the pandemic. It should also be open to other specialties, even if they seem far removed from public health and medicine, if they are useful to the government in guiding its actions.Prof. Post-Dr. Walter Amedzro St-Hilaire is the author of more than 20 books and around 40 scientific articles. His specialization areas include portfolio management, project management, entrepreneurship policies, corporate and technology governance, business technology, strategic management, business economics, risk management, economic infrastructures, public administration, international development, and applied economics. He has taught at various universities in Canada and the USA. He has served as Chief Resources Economist and Principal Officer of Procurement Operations for UEB United European Bank and as a Technical Advisor on Economic Strategies and Policy Development for the World Bank. He is also a project economics and financial business expert for several institutions and international organizations.

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Whether you are a seasoned professional looking to explore new areas within the alternative investment arena or a new industry participant seeking to establish a solid understanding of alternative investments, Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach, Fourth Edition (CAIA Level II curriculum official text) is the best way to achieve these goals. In recent years, capital formation has shifted dramatically away from public markets as issuers pursue better financial and value alignment with ownership, less onerous and expensive regulatory requirements, market and information dislocation, and liberation from the short-term challenges that undergird the public capital markets. The careful and informed use of alternative investments in a diversified portfolio can reduce risk, lower volatility, and improve returns over the long-term, enhancing investors' ability to meet their investment outcomes. Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach (CAIA Level II curriculum official text) is a key resource that can be used to improve the sophistication of asset owners and those who work with them. This text comprises the curriculum, when combined with supplemental materials available at caia.org, for the CAIA Level II exam. "Over the course of my long career one tenet has held true, 'Continuing Education'. Since CalSTRS is a teachers' pension plan, it is no surprise that continuing education is a core attribute of our Investment Office culture. Overseeing one of the largest institutional pools of capital in the world requires a cohesive knowledge and understanding of both public and private market investments and strategies. We must understand how these opportunities might contribute to delivering on investment outcomes for our beneficiaries. Alternative Investments: An Allocator's Approach is the definitive core instruction manual for an institutional investor, and it puts you in the captain's chair of the asset owner."—Christopher J. Ailman, Chief Investment Officer, California State Teachers’ Retirement System "Given their diversified cash flow streams and returns, private markets continue to be a growing fixture of patient, long-term portfolios. As such, the need to have proficiency across these sophisticated strategies, asset classes, and instruments is critical for today's capital allocator. As a proud CAIA charterholder, I have seen the practical benefits in building a strong private markets foundation, allowing me to better assist my clients."—Jayne Bok, CAIA, CFA, Head of Investments, Asia, Willis Tower Watson

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Theories and practices to assess critical information in a complex adaptive system Organized for readers to follow along easily, The Fitness of Information: Quantitative Assessments of Critical Evidence provides a structured outline of the key challenges in assessing crucial information in a complex adaptive system. Illustrating a variety of computational and explanatory challenges, the book demonstrates principles and practical implications of exploring and assessing the fitness of information in an extensible framework of adaptive landscapes. The book’s first three chapters introduce fundamental principles and practical examples in connection to the nature of aesthetics, mental models, and the subjectivity of evidence. In particular, the underlying question is how these issues can be addressed quantitatively, not only computationally but also explanatorily. The next chapter illustrates how one can reduce the level of complexity in understanding the structure and dynamics of scientific knowledge through the design and use of the CiteSpace system for visualizing and analyzing emerging trends in scientific literature. The following two chapters explain the concepts of structural variation and the fitness of information in a framework that builds on the idea of fitness landscape originally introduced to study population evolution. The final chapter presents a dual-map overlay technique and demonstrates how it supports a variety of analytic tasks for a new type of portfolio analysis. The Fitness of Information: Quantitative Assessments of Critical Evidence also features: In-depth case studies and examples that characterize far-reaching concepts, illustrate underlying principles, and demonstrate profound challenges and complexities at various levels of analytic reasoning Wide-ranging topics that underline the common theme, from the subjectivity of evidence in criminal trials to detecting early signs of critical transitions and mechanisms behind radical patents An extensible and unifying framework for visual analytics by transforming analytic reasoning tasks to the assessment of critical evidence The Fitness of Information: Quantitative Assessments of Critical Evidence is a suitable reference for researchers, analysts, and practitioners who are interested in analyzing evidence and making decisions with incomplete, uncertain, and even conflicting information. The book is also an excellent textbook for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses on visual analytics, information visualization, and business analytics and decision support systems.

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From real estate investing guru and popular podcaster James Nelson—ten proven insider steps for dramatically upping your game in today’s lucrative real estate marketWhen is the best time to get into the real estate market? “Now,” according to Nelson, who draws on scores of evidence to show that any time can be right for jumping into the market, as long as investors have the inside knowledge to get them on the right track. Nelson shows you how to get started in real estate investing and uplevel your game in this practical, easy-to-follow guide that walks you through every step of the process.One of today’s leading experts in real estate investing, James Nelson reveals his game-changing approach for making real estate a key part of your investment strategy. The Insider’s Edge to Real Estate Investing describes how to identify and purchase properties that align with your goals and experience in the market. Far more than a fix-and-flip guide, however, it then walks you through the process of building a team and creating an expanding portfolio that increases in value and generates ongoing returns. Nelson offers ten proven steps he’s learned over his 20-plus years of experience as a real estate broker and investor:1. Find the Right Property Type2. Create Your Dream Team3. Spot the Gems4. Know What to Look For5. Initiate the Underwriting Process6. Raise Capital7. Close the Deal8. Reposition the Property9. Find the Right Tenants 10. Reap the RewardsYou’ll learn everything you need to know, from locating properties and the fundamentals of underwriting to raising capital and using tax advantages to invest in more properties. As your real estate investing cycle continues, the snowball of value rolls along, bringing in returns that can support your lifestyle, build a legacy, and create a sense of gratification as you help others along the way.Today, you’re looking at a world of opportunities available in real estate investing. The Insider’s Edge to Real Estate Investing delivers critical information and insights for doing it the right way.

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“All the photos of David Bowie you could possibly ever need. The most noteworthy collection of David Bowie images ever accumulated. Whether you want to own the book as a collector’s item or display it on your coffee table, this definitive work is a tribute fit for an icon.” - Interview magazine David Bowie: Icon gathers the greatest photographs of one of the greatest stars in history, into a single, luxurious volume. The result is the most important anthology of David Bowie images that has ever been compiled. With work by many of the most eminent names in photography, this book showcases a stunning portfolio of imagery, featuring the iconic, the awe inspiring, the candid and the surprising. An astonishing 25 photographers from around the world have contributed to this celebration. Their images are accompanied by personal essays and reflections about working with this astonishing artist. From memories of the earliest days at the Arts Lab in Beckenham to what it was like touring the world with Bowie, each contributor shares their experiences of working with - and knowing - this most extraordinary figure. From portraits and album covers, performances and rehearsals, to rarely seen private moments and candid snapshots, this collection is at once powerful, sentimental and inspiring. The thoughts and reminiscences of the photographers, many sharing their memories for the first time, give us an insight into this artist unlike any other. Photography and text by: Fernando Aceves, Brian Aris, Philippe Auliac, Alec Byrne, Kevin Cummins, Chalkie Davies, Justin de Villeneuve, Vernon Dewhurst, Gavin Evans, Gerald Fearnley, Lynn Goldsmith, Greg Gorman, Andrew Kent, Markus Klinko, Geoff MacCormack, Janet Macoska, Terry O'Neill, Denis O'Regan, Norman Parkinson, Mick Rock, John Scarisbrick, Steve Schapiro, Barry Schultz, Masayoshi Sukita and Ray Stevenson. Features an introduction by Bowie's life-long friend, the artist George Underwood. When David Bowie passed away on 10 January 2016, the world lost a musical hero. But his legacy lives on. While his sound and style evolved throughout his career - from Ziggy to the Thin White Duke - two facts never changed: he was an innovator; and photographers adored him. This book pays homage to this ultimate icon.

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Bank Investing: A Practitioner's Field Guide offers you the essential toolkit to become a successful bank investor. It packages practical lessons, theoretical knowledge, and historical context, all into one compelling and hopefully entertaining book. The book includes conversations with investors and management teams. Investors include activists, financials specialists, credit investors, and multibillion-dollar asset managers. Management teams have a broad representation from the c-suite of a broad spectrum of participants ranging from a fintech to a bank with over $30bn in assets. Banks are the oil that lubricates the economy. An understanding of how they operate is essential for analyzing any part of the economy since banks represent a large investing universe and control a sizeable portion of assets. With over 800 public tickers representing over $3 trillion market cap, banks are larger than several other industry groups. Banks are the largest financial intermediaries in the U.S., controlling $15 trillion in financial assets. Their relative size can amplify effects. For example, a small regulatory or environmental change can cascade and ripple through financial markets and have a major impact on the economy. As fintechs gain in prominence, a fundamental grasp of topics related to banking will help enhance understanding of fintech. Bank investing can be a fruitful pursuit: The most successful investor of our times, Warren Buffett, has had a sizeable investment in banks over time (close to a third of his portfolio weight used to be in banks). Banks allow you to make macro-economic bets since they are highly levered to business cycles. Bank investing allows you to scale your knowledge, as they have relatively homogenized business models... ...at the same time, banks are diverse enough to drive meaningful dispersion in price performance. This divergence of performance can be taken advantage of by an astute and prepared securities analyst. Banks are good vehicles to make specific investment plays on geographic regions, demographic trends (suburban to urban migration, aging), industries (agriculture, tech, energy), news flow (trade/tariffs, weather), real estate subsectors (NYC office, bay area apartments), and investing themes such as ESG, cryptocurrency, and venture capital. Finally, fintech disruption is creating an investing opportunity to play the digital divide between banks that embrace technology successfully and those that get left behind.

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A comprehensive guide to learning technologies that unlock the value in big data Cognitive Computing provides detailed guidance toward building a new class of systems that learn from experience and derive insights to unlock the value of big data. This book helps technologists understand cognitive computing's underlying technologies, from knowledge representation techniques and natural language processing algorithms to dynamic learning approaches based on accumulated evidence, rather than reprogramming. Detailed case examples from the financial, healthcare, and manufacturing walk readers step-by-step through the design and testing of cognitive systems, and expert perspectives from organizations such as Cleveland Clinic, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, as well as commercial vendors that are creating solutions. These organizations provide insight into the real-world implementation of cognitive computing systems. The IBM Watson cognitive computing platform is described in a detailed chapter because of its significance in helping to define this emerging market. In addition, the book includes implementations of emerging projects from Qualcomm, Hitachi, Google and Amazon. Today's cognitive computing solutions build on established concepts from artificial intelligence, natural language processing, ontologies, and leverage advances in big data management and analytics. They foreshadow an intelligent infrastructure that enables a new generation of customer and context-aware smart applications in all industries. Cognitive Computing is a comprehensive guide to the subject, providing both the theoretical and practical guidance technologists need. Discover how cognitive computing evolved from promise to reality Learn the elements that make up a cognitive computing system Understand the groundbreaking hardware and software technologies behind cognitive computing Learn to evaluate your own application portfolio to find the best candidates for pilot projects Leverage cognitive computing capabilities to transform the organization Cognitive systems are rightly being hailed as the new era of computing. Learn how these technologies enable emerging firms to compete with entrenched giants, and forward-thinking established firms to disrupt their industries. Professionals who currently work with big data and analytics will see how cognitive computing builds on their foundation, and creates new opportunities. Cognitive Computing provides complete guidance to this new level of human-machine interaction.

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In this essential handbook—a blend of Rich Dad, Poor Dad and The Happiness Project—the co-host of the wildly popular InvestED podcast shares her yearlong journey learning to invest, as taught to her by her father, investor and bestselling author Phil Town.Growing up, the words finance, savings, and portfolio made Danielle Town’s eyes glaze over, and the thought of stocks and financial statements shut down her brain. The daughter of a successful investor and bestselling financial author of Rule #1, Phil Town, she spent most of her adult life avoiding investing—until she realized that her time-consuming career as lawyer was making her feel anything but in control of her life or her money. Determined to regain her freedom, vote for her values with her money, and deal with her fear of the unpredictable stock market, she turned to her father, Phil, to help her take charge of her life and her future through Warren Buffett-style value investing. Over the course of a year, Danielle went from avoiding everything to do with the financial industrial complex to knowing exactly how and when to invest in wonderful companies. In Invested, Danielle shows you how to do the same: how to take command of your own life and finances by choosing companies with missions that match your values, using the same gold standard strategies that have catapulted Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger to the top of the Forbes 400. Avoiding complex math and obsolete financial models, she turns her father’s investing knowledge into twelve easy-to understand lessons. In each chapter, Danielle examines the investment strategies she mastered as her increasing know-how deepens the trust between her and her father. Throughout, she streamlines the process of making wise financial decisions and shows you just how easy—and profitable—investing can be.Capturing a warm, charming, and down-to-earth give and take between a headstrong daughter and her mostly patient dad, Invested makes the complex world of investing simple, straightforward, and approachable, and will help you formulate your own investment plan—and foster the confidence to put it into action.

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Includes CD-Rom ′Rita Cheminais has once again written a practical resource to help educational settings deliver positive outcomes for all pupils...Settings should consider that working towards the achievement of these standards will complement their existing process of evaluation, review and development′ - Special ′This book (and CD-Rom) focuses on practical approaches to achieving Every Child Matters Standards in a wide range of educational settings...[It] is likely to be particularly useful to educational management teams in schools and related settings, especially where they are embarking on the process of applying the standards or evaluating their efforts in achieving them′ - Early Years Update `This very practical book is a must for anyone working towards achieving the Every Child Matters Standards. Local authorities, schools, early years settings, children′s centres and post 16 providers will find this book invaluable in supporting their goal to meeting the standards. It is easy to use and contains all the information needed at each step of the process. The CD will provide copies of all the forms described in the book which will build up an extensive evidence base to support the self evaluation process′ - Lorraine Petersen, CEO of NASEN In this book Rita Cheminais shows you how your setting can achieve the Every Child Matters (ECM) Standards. Paying attention to the practical details, she provides advice and guidance on: - applying the ECM standards to mainstream primary and secondary schools, special schools, Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) and Children′s Centres; - undertaking the ECM Standards audit; - monitoring and evaluating progress; - building a portfolio of evidence; - the assessment process. The evidence gathered towards meeting the ECM Standards can be fed into and inform the OFSTED school self-evaluation form (SEF). The author has also included: - full evidence descriptors for each of the 12 ECM Standards in table format, aligned with the relevant ECM outcomes; - useful summary checklists; - an accompanying CD full of downloadable material, including an improvement planning and self-evaluation framework and a Power-Point presentation. Every educational setting needs this book. To access the forms from the CD, click on ′Sample Chapters and Materials′ in the left hand navigation.

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Written by a highly regarded expert on entrepreneurship, this bestselling textbook provides an engaging and comprehensive overview of corporate entrepreneurship. Now in its fourth edition and fully revised throughout, this accessible text is structured in four key parts that cover everything a student needs to know about the topic. After an initial consideration of what constitutes corporate entrepreneurship and innovation, the author then guides students through the four pillars of entrepreneurial architecture: culture, structure, leadership and strategy. The third section focusses on the entrepreneurial mind-set, including how to encourage creativity, business ideas and developing concepts. Finally, the book draws attention to corporate venturing, examining venture teams, intrapreneurs, market development and the role of shareholder value. It is no longer sufficient for businesses to grow simply by cutting costs and taking over competitors. To achieve true success, organisations must avoid an ageing product or service portfolio to bring new, innovative ideas to market. Corporate entrepreneurship is inherently risky and therefore requires a fresh approach to strategy. The approach Paul Burns offers will successfully overcome barriers to launching new ideas, internal challenges of managing creativity and show how to foster an entrepreneurial culture. This is the go-to textbook for all students studying Corporate Entrepreneurship, Intrapreneurship or Corporate Venturing at undergraduate, postgraduate or MBA level. The book is also essential reading for courses on Strategic Entrepreneurship and Innovation. New to this Edition: - Fully revised and updated content throughout with new four-part structure - Brand new case studies in every chapter, featuring some of the world’s highest profile companies from across the globe - A greater focus on innovation, including a new chapter on this topic at the start of the book - New chapters on ‘Developing a Business Model’, ‘Managing Change’ and ‘Managing Risk’ - New on-page glossary with key terms highlighted in the text and defined in the margins - New Activities and Group Discussion topics at the end of each chapter Accompanying online resources for this title can be found at bloomsburyonlineresources.com/corporate-entrepreneurship-and-innovation-4e. These resources are designed to support teaching and learning when using this textbook and are available at no extra cost.

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Research shows the best chance a student has at success and persistence in college is to get involved and engaged with the school within 30 days of orientation through relationships, whether with an instructor, staff, or other students. Create Success provides students and instructors with the tools needed to foster these relationships. With agile social learning, instructors can immediately facilitate an active and engaged classroom environment and help students create connections with each other and the school community.Agile—What you need, when you need it. The modular approach of Create Success allows for complete and easy customization from the start. Each of the modules is self-contained, can be used as a stand-alone workshop, and can be taught in any order. New modules can also be created easily and added with this approach. •Each module is 32 pages, focused on a single topic, and designed for consistency.•You can deliver the content in the classroom or online with Connect Plus. For more information about Connect Plus, simply visit the following website: http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com.Social—Connected students stay in school.Social Learning engages students to interact and bond with each other, their instructor, and key personnel at their institution EARLY and OFTEN. This activity-based method of instruction and learning is at the center of every class.•Get Ready activities at the beginning of every section help the class jump right into participating.•Facilitation is made easy with complete Active Classroom Guides for the classroom and online.•Transform your instructors from lecturers into facilitators, mentors, and coaches.Learning—Connect your present to your future.Learning is complete when content is in practice. Create Success harnesses what students are already doing—interacting with one another—into meaningful activities. These activities support a better student now and a better career later.•The Create Success activities build toward a tangible output with the Portfolio Activities that prove learning and reflect growth and accomplishments.•Life outside school hours have a huge impact on student success. The mini-features—Money Smarts, On the Job, and My Success Story—address a holistic vision of life’s challenges and successes.Create Connections, Create Success

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Professional certification has become a very popular topic and a significant number of individuals are making it a priority. Some people are torn on whether or not to obtain a certification to bolster their career. Others see the advantage of diversifying their professional portfolio and pursuing popular certifications in the areas of Project Management, Information Technology, Quality, or Human Resources. The Basics of Achieving Professional Certification: Enhancing Your Credentials provides clear-cut guidance on how to select a certification that is right for you and how you can continue to build your credentials in support of personal and professional goals. This easy-to-use guide can help anyone looking to achieve professional certification make informed decisions about the many options available. It can also help avoid the pitfalls of making the wrong choice as a result of being incorrectly informed. Examining the range of professional certifications offered by associations and organizations, it explains how to select the right professional certification and outlines best practices for completing the certification process. The book includes a CD that represents more than a year of development between resources in the U.S. and Europe. Packed with tools, it supplies permanent access to a suite of helpful training and development software, including: Library management system to track training material, books, and related items (created in MS Access) Learning management system to ensure training compliance (created in MS Access) A number of project management resources, including a comprehensive exam preparation program Royalty free multimedia resources to add pizzazz to your e-learning programs Forms, templates, and checklists to support training administration Tools to help evaluate training programs Software to make training and certification more interactive and enjoyable Winner of a Cleland Publication Award, Willis H. Thomas, PhD, PMP, CPT, not only outlines the requirements for obtaining professional certification, but also provides a framework for training and development that supports the range of professional certifications. The book includes helpful test-taking tips for oral and written exams and also describes how to find supporting resources for study group participation.Filled with illustrative examples, the text includes testimonials from professional associations on how professional certification has benefited their members—making it helpful to professional associations as a means to encourage association membership and participation.

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A unique, in-depth guide to options pricing and valuing their greeks, along with a four dimensional approach towards the impact of changing market circumstances on options How to Calculate Options Prices and Their Greeks is the only book of its kind, showing you how to value options and the greeks according to the Black Scholes model but also how to do this without consulting a model. You'll build a solid understanding of options and hedging strategies as you explore the concepts of probability, volatility, and put call parity, then move into more advanced topics in combination with a four-dimensional approach of the change of the P&L of an option portfolio in relation to strike, underlying, volatility, and time to maturity. This informative guide fully explains the distribution of first and second order Greeks along the whole range wherein an option has optionality, and delves into trading strategies, including spreads, straddles, strangles, butterflies, kurtosis, vega-convexity , and more. Charts and tables illustrate how specific positions in a Greek evolve in relation to its parameters, and digital ancillaries allow you to see 3D representations using your own parameters and volumes. The Black and Scholes model is the most widely used option model, appreciated for its simplicity and ability to generate a fair value for options pricing in all kinds of markets. This book shows you the ins and outs of the model, giving you the practical understanding you need for setting up and managing an option strategy. • Understand the Greeks, and how they make or break a strategy • See how the Greeks change with time, volatility, and underlying • Explore various trading strategies • Implement options positions, and more Representations of option payoffs are too often based on a simple two-dimensional approach consisting of P&L versus underlying at expiry. This is misleading, as the Greeks can make a world of difference over the lifetime of a strategy. How to Calculate Options Prices and Their Greeks is a comprehensive, in-depth guide to a thorough and more effective understanding of options, their Greeks, and (hedging) option strategies.

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To truly be successful, today’s financial advisor must strike the right balance between effectively engaging with his or her clients and finding meaningful ways to maintain their financial security. By framing your mission in this way, you can help your clients clarify their vision, build a plan to achieve it, and manage that plan so they stay on track. Nobody understands this better than authors Timothy Noonan and Matt Smith—two seasoned financial professionals with over five decades of combined experience working in the asset management business. And now, in Someday Rich, they show financial advisors with clients who are rich, or have the opportunity to become rich, how to sustain a client’s desired lifestyle to, and through, retirement. Engaging and informative, Someday Rich provides the context, description, and implementation suggestions for the Personal Asset Liability Model—a process that will allow you to determine a client’s funded status relative to their future spending needs as well as develop and monitor their investment plan accordingly. While the methods in the Personal Asset Liability Model may not have been practically accessible to past advisors with a large number of clients, this model now brings together the technical methods to answer important client questions in a way that is feasible and includes the communication strategies that can make the delivery of the advice model more effective. Along the way, this reliable resource discusses the business of giving good advice and addresses how to incorporate these steps into a client engagement road map. Insights on various other issues associated with this discipline are also included, such as how to develop client trust and deliver personalized service when you have so many clients, and contingency risks—life, health, disability, and long-term care—that need to be considered in the financial planning process. And in later chapters, single-topic essays, contributed by experts in the financial planning field, cover issues ranging from target date funds and the investment aspects of longevity risk to modern portfolio decumulation. Building more valuable relationships with your clients is a difficult endeavor. But with Someday Rich, you’ll discover what it takes to achieve this goal as you put them on a path to a sustainable financial future.

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Wealth Management has two themes: Private Banking and investment decisions regarding Structural Financial Products. Dr. Dimitris Chorafas examines in a rigorous way whether structured financial products are advisable investments for retail and institutional investors and, if yes, which risks they entail. As our society becomes increasingly affluent, and state-supported pension schemes find it difficult to survive, a growing number of high net-worth individuals, and families, have become retail investors – looking for ways and means to optimize wealth management, and Private Banking deals with these sorts of clients. Private banking also deals with clients that are institutional investors, such as pension funds, mutual funds, and insurance companies, as well as not-for-profits, foundations and companies explicitly set up for wealth management. Both institutional and retail investors are being offered by the banks they work with structured products. Typically, these are securities that provide them with a redemption amount, with may be either with full or partial capital protection, and some type of return. The book examines structured financial products, their polyvalent nature, and the results which could be expected from them. Return on structural instruments, which are essentially derivatives, is paid in function of a specific investment strategy on selected underlying asset(s). This essentially means on the performance of the underlyings, obtained by asset managers, which may be banks or hedge funds, through purchase or sale of embedded options. But there are risks. Both risk and return from structured products are related to three main issues: the volatility of future value of an underlying, the uncertainty of future events, and the exposure of the product. Every type of investment is subject to market forces, and the more leveraged a portfolio is, the greater will probably be both the assumed risk and the expected reward. The fact that structured financial products appeal, or at least are being marketed, to both retail investors and institutional investors makes the dual approach deliberately chosen in this book most advisable. This book addresses all these issues in a practical manner with numerous case studies and real-world examples drawn from the author’s intensive research.

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Today, every product or service needs to delight its users and that means delivering an outstanding user experience (UX). In this full-color guide, leading user experience designer Anthony Conta guides you step by step through crafting these exceptional user experiences. The Art and Science of UX Design introduces a complete human-centered design framework for success, using practical examples based on his pioneering experience in the field. Learn to apply design thinking to understand your users' wants, needs, goals, and frustrations as you transform empathy into one of your most powerful design tools. Once you've defined the right problems, you'll master proven ideation techniques to quickly create promising solutions. You'll walk through prototyping preliminary designs, testing and refining them based on users' actual reactions, and clearly communicating all you've learned so colleagues can build what you've envisioned. Finally, you'll learn practical ways to continually iterate and improve your offerings so they stay competitive (and delightful) far into the future. Go in depth on how to do UX design by walking step by step through the design thinking process See how theories and best practices apply to real-world examples of projects and designs Complete exercises that take you through an entire UX design project, end to end Learn research techniques for how to solve a problem such as conducting surveys, user interviews, and affinity mapping Practice top ideation techniques like brainstorming, sketching, and mind mapping See how you can bring your design ideas to life and test them with users Discover strategies for creating your own portfolio using the exercises you complete with this book “With his deep design expertise and an unwavering commitment to teaching, Anthony can bridge the worlds of UX design and education in ways few people can. I'm confident this book will prove to be an invaluable resource for anyone interested in learning both the craft and the process of UX design.” — Professor Craig MacDonald, Pratt Institute “Anthony is exceptionally skilled at dissecting complex problems and translating them into delightful, intuitive design solutions. He brings that same thoughtful approach to demystifying UX Design and helping others understand the core fundamentals in an approachable and engaging way.” — Mark Sherrill, VP of Product Design

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