WRITING SAMPLES: JANE KAISER As a trained journalist, I have been provided with the tools necessary to research and write about almost any topic. My skills are demonstrated in the diversity of the writing samples provided below. MONEY’S EDGE: I wrote original posts for Money’s Edge, a financial news blog. I was responsible for selecting and researching all topics, as well as writing a 500-750 word post. Most posts were developed in a day and took from one-and-a-half to three hours to complete. CAN BANKS SURVIVE THE FINTECH REVOLUTION? While FinTech’s perceived goal is to improve the accuracy, efficiency and security of financial services, some experts say such innovation may cause so much disruption that the banking industry may not survive. Efma and Infosys Finacle’s seventh annual report on Innovation in Retail Banking reports that banks believe the threat of industry disruption is growing, with 72 percent of those surveyed saying the threat is high or very high. The study suggests that companies trying to launch banks, or attack the core markets of established players, are currently the greatest threat. But 41 percent of survey respondents also rated the threat from FinTech as high or very high. It was predicted, however, that it will take some time for startups to disrupt the entire industry. Others, however, are already sounding the alarm. A recent Goldman Sachs report estimated that $4.7 trillion in traditional financial services are at risk of being displaced by FinTech. The report cited new solutions in funding, wealth management, and payments as the greatest threats. Earlier this year, Jamie Dimon, chairman, president and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, told his shareholders, “Silicon Valley is coming. There are hundreds of startups with a lot of brains and money working on various alternatives to traditional banking. The ones you read about most are in the lending business, whereby the firms can lend to individuals and small businesses very quickly and – these entities believe – effectively by using Big Data to enhance credit underwriting.” He added, “They are very good at reducing the ‘pain points’ in that they can make loans in minutes, which might take banks weeks. We are going to work hard to make our services as
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WRITING SAMPLES: JANE KAISER
As a trained journalist, I have been provided with the tools necessary to research and write about
almost any topic. My skills are demonstrated in the diversity of the writing samples provided
below.
MONEY’S EDGE: I wrote original posts for Money’s Edge, a financial news blog. I was
responsible for selecting and researching all topics, as well as writing a 500-750 word post.
Most posts were developed in a day and took from one-and-a-half to three hours to complete.
CAN BANKS SURVIVE THE FINTECH REVOLUTION?
While FinTech’s perceived goal is to improve the accuracy, efficiency and security of
financial services, some experts say such innovation may cause so much disruption that the
banking industry may not survive.
Efma and Infosys Finacle’s seventh annual report on Innovation in Retail Banking
reports that banks believe the threat of industry disruption is growing, with 72 percent of those
surveyed saying the threat is high or very high.
The study suggests that companies trying to launch banks, or attack the core markets of
established players, are currently the greatest threat. But 41 percent of survey respondents also
rated the threat from FinTech as high or very high. It was predicted, however, that it will take
some time for startups to disrupt the entire industry.
Others, however, are already sounding the alarm.
A recent Goldman Sachs report estimated that $4.7 trillion in traditional financial
services are at risk of being displaced by FinTech. The report cited new solutions in funding,
wealth management, and payments as the greatest threats.
Earlier this year, Jamie Dimon, chairman, president and chief executive officer of
JPMorgan Chase, told his shareholders, “Silicon Valley is coming. There are hundreds of
startups with a lot of brains and money working on various alternatives to traditional banking.
The ones you read about most are in the lending business, whereby the firms can lend to
individuals and small businesses very quickly and – these entities believe – effectively by using
Big Data to enhance credit underwriting.”
He added, “They are very good at reducing the ‘pain points’ in that they can make loans
in minutes, which might take banks weeks. We are going to work hard to make our services as
seamless and competitive as theirs. And we also are completely comfortable with partnering
where it makes sense.”
Indeed, investment in FinTech may be the key to survival. “Small FinTech startups can
move much faster than big banks, and stay on the cutting edge of what a new generation of
digitally-focused investors want,” says Stephanie Yang in Digital Investor.
Hardeep Walia, co-founder of Motif Investing, told Digital Investor that banks will see a
“drastically different client base in the next several years.” Partnering with startups will allow
banks to gain insight into the next model of investing. Those technologies will be disruptive,
Walia said, but smart firms will partner with companies that are the most disruptive.
Motif Investing is backed by Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase. Goldman Sachs is
also a big investor in payment technology, including Square, Bluefin Payments, Revolution
Trust, and Billtrust. In addition, they are pouring money into big data, including startups such as
Dataminr (social media data analysis) and Kensho Technologies (financial data engineering). JP
Morgan has invested in Square, Prosper, and CAN Capital.
The greatest obstacle for banks may be the American regulatory system. Dimon said,
“New competitors always will be emerging – and that is even truer today because of new
technologies and large changes in regulations. The combination of these factors will have a lot
of people looking to compete with banks because they have fewer capital and regulatory
constraints and fewer legacy systems.”
He suggested that is creating an uneven playing field.
Bryan Stolle, in an article in Forbes, agrees. “Generally speaking, regulation can put a
damper on growth and capital available for innovation. Regulations are usually created to
control and protect, to slow things down. In a perverse way, regulation has actually caused a
huge acceleration in FinTech innovation, only not so much to the benefit of the incumbents.”
“Regulation has slowed and hampered the large financial services firms who are the
focus of regulation, and in many categories such as small business credit, consumer finance, and
payments, regulation has closed off huge previously-served markets,” Stolle concluded. “And
no large market is going to go unserved for long. It has thrown open the door to huge markets
for fast, nimble, tech-first startups.”
In a recent podcast, “Money Talks: The FinTech Edge,” the staff of the Economist
addressed the question of whether Silicon Valley will bring down the banks. Or as one
participant asked, will banks become “toast?”
No, said one commentator. Regulation may now be hampering the industry. But 10
years down the road, regulations on such matters as deposit insurance and remittances may
actually protect and ensure banking’s survival.
ARE WE LOSING THE ‘CROWD’ IN EQUITY CROWDFUNDING?
While crowdfunding has enabled many start-ups and entrepreneurs to get their ventures
off the ground, lurking in the background may be big investors hoping to push out the crowd.
Crowdfunding allows entrepreneurs to raise funds by collecting contributions from a
large number of people via the Internet. The research firm, massolution, reports that in 2014,
the crowdfunding market grew 167 percent, and worldwide, crowdfunding platforms raised
$16.2 billion. In North America, the market grew 145 percent to $9.46 billion.
Crowdfunding falls into four categories: donations, lending, rewards-based, and equity-
based. In addition to charitable endeavors, crowdfunding has been used to raise funds for a
plethora of consumer products, such as state-of-the-art watches, virtual reality headphones, and
3-D printers, as well as software that monitors and analyzes big data.
The 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act, which authorized equity
crowdfunding, permits an individual to invest in shares in a private company. Until recently, the
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) limited investment to “accredited investors.” Under
those rules, industry experts say, less than 5 percent of American households qualified for equity
crowdfunding investment.
New SEC rules may open that market up to an additional 58 million American
households. They not only increase how much a company can raise, from $5 to $50 million, they
also allow non-accredited investors to invest up to 10 percent of income or net worth annually.
“This is where equity crowdfunding really comes into its own,” reports Alex Feldman, in
New York International. “Though it has been around for several years, these new regulations
will really allow equity crowdfunding to take off. Much like traditional crowdfunding, equity
crowdfunding allows for the raising of money online from individuals; however, instead of a
rewards system—where a product or service is offered in exchange for the funding—equity
crowdfunding offers investors shares of ownership of the company.”
While the focus of equity crowdfunding may appear to be on mom-and-pop investors,
however, corporate investors are also permitted to participate.
Crowd101 blogger Joseph Hogue says, “Benefits to the larger economy aside, making an
equity crowdfunding investment in a company offers strategic benefits to other companies.
Buying an equity crowdfunding stake in a supplier to your company can help lock-in a contract
for goods or position for a take-over in the future.”
He adds, “Investments in other companies within the supply chain; whether suppliers,
buyers or start-ups with new technology relevant to a product are common in the business world
and will be just as common in equity crowdfunding investments.”
But isn’t pooling money from many small investors to fund big things the concept behind
crowdfunding? What is the potential impact of large, corporate investors?
According to the Barry James, of Crowdfund Insider, “Arguably this [concept] is being
increasingly eroded in the case of lending and equity, where ‘big money’ and institutions are
coming in to provide big funds and call the shots again.... So in the case of some platforms and
other organisations this is actively misleading and in some others a grey area.”
“Since crowdfunding became sexy all sorts of things have had a crack at adopting the
label as ‘sheep’s clothing’ but if it’s not the crowd doing the funding, and so making the
decisions, then it may be a good thing, it may even qualify as Alt-Finance of some sort, but it
doesn’t fit the term crowdfunding,” James says. “Words can only be stretched so far without a
clear consensus, otherwise they lose their meaning altogether….”
“For many of us disintermediation, and the democratization of money and finance that it
brings with it, is a powerful new good, a benefit to people and the world,” he says. “A much-
needed levelling of the playing field.”
OPEN APIS DRIVE FINTECH INNOVATION
Fintech innovation is being driven by open application programming interfaces (API),
and that’s the way it should be, says the chief technology officer for Thomson Reuters
In an article in Markets Media, Philip Brittan explains, “An API is the infrastructure that
developers use to build applications to access content and other services. In the 21st century, they
define how individuals communicate with each other and, by extension, do business.”
In the past, he says, APIs were closed and provided exclusive benefits only to those who
“knew how to use them.” But, Brittan argues, open APIs enable more innovation than a closed
infrastructure and can serve as the platform for developers to build on. “[M]aking them open
enables more people to produce more innovations than they would if they worked alone or from
scratch,” he says.
“Traditionally, APIs were treated like a secret handshake – only individuals privy to the
information knew how the API worked and what its benefits were,” Brittan says. “But APIs are
now becoming simpler and more flexible – and more open. This openness is the white space
where innovation is happening in today’s FinTech industry, because it allows firms of all sizes
and developers with different levels of knowledge to work together to create new products and
services.”
The Application Programming Interface Academy (APIA) appears to agree. “An open
API publisher is usually seeking to leverage the ever-growing community of free-agent
application developers,” it says on its website, http://www.apiacademy.co. “This will allow the
organization to stimulate development of innovative applications that add value to its core
business, without investing directly in development efforts—it simultaneously increases the
production of new ideas and decreases development costs.”
Adds the APIA, “Open API publishers need to engage developers and make sure those
developers are successful. . .[T]he key goals should be to increase the quantity and quality of
API usage.”
However, the APIA adds, opening an API does increase security risks, for example,
exposure to hackers. It is also difficult to control the end user experience, as well as maintain the
corporate branding experience.
Brittan says businesses are realizing the focus needs to be given to innovation in order to
evolve services and remain competitive. “Having an open API permits multiple firms to work
together, allowing far closer collaboration,” he said. “An open API structure allows both clients
and developers to build on top of the API and make applications that suit their specific business
needs. An open API provides a common platform for all of its users, except it has the breadth
and depth of content needed to create original software that third parties can then use to build on
even more.”
Directories of APIs currently open to the public are available from multiple sources on
the Internet.
I also ghostwrite blogs. Usually, I am assigned a topic, and am then required to research and
write an article or blog. This was written for an educational consultant.
PICK YOUR TARGET AND AIM: EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
Some school communications programs throw tax dollars out the window. Not
intentionally, perhaps, but that money is wasted nonetheless.
Those programs are failing to effectively target key audiences.
Identifying who needs to hear your message is only part of the communications process.
You must also ensure that they receive and understand your message. That means embracing
learning styles, and developing strategies that target each.
According to the Bepko Learning Center at Indiana University, there are three basic
learning styles:
Visual: Learning is best accomplished by using objects that can be viewed, such as
graphs, charts, pictures, or words. Learning occurs in a closed environment without
distractions. Information that provides a big picture, and then focuses on details, works
best. Bright colors and large numbers also enhance the learning experience. Experts say
about 65 percent of all people are visual learners.
Auditory: Information is retained through hearing and speaking. Often auditory
learners prefer to be told information, rather than reading it. Repeating information may
also be important. This type of learner benefits from group settings, where information
can be read out loud, discussed, and repeated in several different ways. Music enhances
the learning experience. Experts say about 30 percent of all people are auditory learners.
Kinesthetic: For this group, information is best learned through demonstrations,
experiments, and field work. Learners benefit from an explanation of how something is
done, accompanied by an actual demonstration. They also learn more effectively if
engaged in physical activity while information is conveyed, for example, standing rather
than sitting. Most kinesthetic learners are also visual or auditory learners. But those skills
are enhanced by the physical activity.
Any information distributed by a school district must account for these learning styles or
communications efforts will be wasted. Say, for example, your district wants to implement a
school safety hotline, where anyone can report an incident that may have an impact on student
safety (vandalism, weapons, bullying). A school board committee creates a formal program,
establishes procedures, and selects a slogan and phone number. It determines four key messages
must be communicated: The purpose of the hotline, the type of information desired, how to
report information, and a guarantee of confidentiality.
To ensure a broad reach, the group:
1. Creates a brochure and 60-second music video about the hotline. That appeals to
students, the primary target audience. (Visual and auditory.)
2. Launches the hotline at school assemblies, pep rallies, and sports events. It also
flashes the phone number on scoreboards during breaks in those activities. Students and parents
are also provided with brightly colored bookmarks, magnets, or stickers bearing the hotline
number. (Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.)
3. Posts the video on social media, and plays it over the school public announcement
systems. It also pulls still shots from the video for posters, and posts them in school cafeterias,
gyms, on buses, and in public gathering spots, such as fast food restaurants. (Visual, auditory,
and kinesthetic.)
4. Prepares a written announcement for parents. The announcement is included in school
newsletters, on blogs, websites, and in email communications. (Visual.)
5. Utilizes civic communications vehicles to publicize the hotline, such as community
meetings, websites, and newsletters. (Visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.)
6. After six months, measures community awareness of the program, and retargets key
audiences if necessary.
A communication strategy is not effective until every single member of the target
audience has heard your message. Embracing and planning for differing learning styles is the
key.
Some clients hand me an article and request that I prepare a completely original article on
that topic. These are several researched and written for a healthcare consultant.
INSTANT NOODLES A HEALTH RISK?
Instant noodles may be quick fix for noon-time or mid-afternoon hunger, but a salad or
piece of fruit is most definitely a safer option.
According to the World Instant Noodles Association, Americans consume an estimated
4,280 billion instant noodle products a year. In 2014, more than 102.7 billion instant noodle cups
or packages were consumed worldwide. But a recent study by Baylor Research Institute
concludes that instant noodles, smack full of all sorts of preservatives, may increase the risk for
cardiometabolic syndrome.
According to the Mayo Clinic, cardiometabolic syndrome is “a cluster of conditions —
including high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels, high triglyceride levels, low high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol levels and excess body fat around your waist — which occur together.”
Three or more of these conditions leads to metabolic syndrome. The risk of diabetes or
cardiovascular disease is greatly increased.
The Baylor study used a pill-sized camera to determine the impact of instant noodles on
the stomach and digestive tract. Chief investigator Hyun Joon Shin, MD, a clinical cardiology
fellow at Baylor University Medical Center and a nutrition epidemiology doctoral student at the
Harvard School of Public Health, reported that after two hours, the instant noodles remained
intact in the GI tract, resulting in “prolonged exposure to the toxic preservative called tertiary-
butyl hydroquinone (TBHQ) and other additives, like MSG.”
Researchers believe TBHQ adversely affects the liver, results in biochemical and cellular
mutations, and affects the female reproduction system.
Dr. Shin concluded that eating instant noodles two or more times a week could be
associated with cardiometabolic syndrome. Women were most at risk, and Dr. Shin attributed
that to biological difference between the sexes, such as sex hormones and difference in
metabolism.
In particular, Dr. Shin found men and women react differently to a chemical called
bisphenol A (BPA). BPA is commonly used to package instant noodles polystyrene foam
containers, and researchers say it interferes with the way hormones send messages through the
body.
Dr. Shin said the study increases understanding about the foods people eat. "This research
is significant since many people are consuming instant noodles without knowing possible health
risks," he said. "My hope is that this study can lay a foundation for future research about the
health effects of instant noodle consumption."
The study's health implications could be substantial, particularly if it leads to people
choosing healthier foods, he added.
The Baylor study focused on South Korea, the seventh highest per-capita consumer of
instant noodles in the world. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in heart disease
and obesity among that population. Studies found those changes could lead to increased
mortality due to cardiovascular disease, as well as increased health care costs.
The World Instant Noodle Association reports instant noodles are most popular in China,
Indonesia, Japan, India, and Vietnam.
"While instant noodle intake is greater in Asian communities, the association between
instant noodle consumption and metabolic syndrome has not been widely studied," Dr. Shin said.
"I decided to investigate in order to uncover more distinct connections."
According to the World Instant Noodles Association, Chicken Ramen, invented in 1958,
was the world’s first instant noodle product. Instant noodles were first produced in a cup in 1971.
SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH ALLERGIES
You may be sneezing for a reason.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI),
exposure to pollen, dust, animal dander, mold, food, insect stings, and latex can trigger an
allergic response, such as sneezing, coughing, a stuffed or runny nose, itchy eyes, and a sore
throat.
The ACAAI adds, “For some people, allergies can also trigger symptoms of asthma. In
the most serious cases, a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis can occur.”
Allergies occur when your body encounters something it considers a foreign entity. That
triggers your immune system to release an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE). When IgE
attaches to mast cells, which control inflammation in the body, it is considered a foreign invader.
In response, the mast cells release chemical inhibitors, including histamine, leukotrienes, and
prostaglandins. Those trigger the symptoms associated with allergies.
A food allergy may trigger “leaky gut syndrome,” which allows undigested food, bacteria
and metabolic wastes to escape into the bloodstream. That creates digestive disturbances or
triggers inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's, celiac disease, or ulcerative colitis.
According to the ACAAI, food allergies rarely cause a nasal allergic response.
Nasal allergies affect approximately 50 million people in the United States, or 30 percent
of all adults and 40 percent of children, the ACAAI reports. In the past year, 16.9 million adults
and 6.7 million children were diagnosed with hay fever.
The ACAAI also says, “Allergic diseases, which include asthma, are the fifth most
prevalent chronic diseases in all ages, and the third most common in children.” An estimated 8.3
million American children have respiratory allergies and 9.5 million more suffer from skin
allergies. Food allergies in children are also on the rise, affecting nearly 6 million children.
Medications that contain decongestants and antihistamines are the most common
treatment for nasal allergies. Corticosteroids may also be used to treat inflammation in the nose.
Immunotherapy or allergy shots are often used to treat allergies related to grass pollens, house
dust mites and bee venom. Food allergies are managed by diet, in particular avoidance of foods
that create a digestive response.
Alternative medicine may also successfully treat allergy symptoms. A 2013 study by
ABC News offered these options:
o Neti pots: The treatment involves rinsing the nasal cavity with a saline solution,
flushing out allergens and loosening mucus.
o Saline spray: Prepackaged saline nasal sprays function much like Neti pots, but
deliver saline solution a bit more gently and evenly, making them easier to use.
o Local honey: The theory is eating honey produced by bees locally can help
relieve allergies. The bees transfer pollen from flower blossoms to honey, so if a
little honey is eaten each day, a person should gradually become inoculated
against the irritating effects of pollen. However, no scientific evidence is available
to support this theory.
o HEPA air filters: High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters ease symptoms
by trapping allergens and other airborne irritants, such as pet dander and dust.