Ten Customer Service Resolutions For A Great 2016

Here are ten (or so) customer service improvement resolutions to help you get 2016 off to a great start–for your business, your employees, and your customers.

The Top 10 Security Breaches Of 2015

What are the top 10 Cyber security breaches of 2015? This question was originally answered on Quora by Sai Ramanan.

Renault Booked $170 Million Loss On F1 Team

French auto giant Renault booked a $169.1 million loss on the sale of its championship-winning Formula One team in 2009 according to company documents which have come to light as a result of the motor manufacturer buying the outfit back.

China's Next Steps After COP21

China now leads the way in renewable investment and nuclear installation, but before King Coal is officially declared dead, changes will come through large scale restructuring of the energy industry, increased investment in renewables, improvements in grid connectivity and production side efficiencies.

5 Predictions For Social Media And Communications Compliance In 2016

The "authentic voice" on social media, challenges of allowing multiple communication channels, cybersecurity and whistleblowers are compliance themes to expect for the enterprise in 2016.

Zimbabwe's Richest Man Strive Masiyiwa To Launch Pay-TV Company

Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa has announced that his mobile telecom company, Econet Wireless, is launching a new Pay-TV service called ?Kwesé TV? within the next few months.

5 Ways the Healthcare Industry Did Data Security Wrong in 2015. 5 Ways To Do it Right in 2016

Healthcare data security needs surgical intervention in 2016.

IRS Rejects S Corporation's Ordinary Deduction For Worthless Subsidiary Stock

Hey you. Yeah, you. Mr. Budding Tax Advisor. 2016 is going to be your year. This is the year you finally liberate the dust from those eight volumes of Code and Regulations that have served as little more than desktop adornments for the majority of your career and learn what they actually have to say. After all, no one wants to be a fraud.

Raytheon's New Cybersecurity Company Name To Be Announced

In one of the biggest cybersecurity deals of the year, Raytheon Company and Vista Equity Partners completed a joint venture transaction this past May which created a new company that combined Websense, a Vista Equity portfolio company, and Raytheon Cyber Products, a product line of Raytheon’s Intelligence, Information and Services business.

Mergers & Acquisitions: Cookie-Cutter Tax Planning Doesn't Cut The Mustard

While substantial tax planning is available to business owners selling their companies, specific strategies owners use will vary on a state-by-state basis. By no means should it be considered cookie-cutter planning. However, owners should be comforted in knowing that their planning road has been paved with numerous IRS private letter rulings.

UPDATE: TSA Challenges Airport Body Scan Lawsuit

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today filed an opposition to an emergency lawsuit lodged against it last week over TSA's new policy requiring body scans at airport security check points. TSA appears to be digging in its heels for another round in the years-long battle over its body scan policies.

Snowboarding Trailblazers Invite Other Entrepreneurs To Follow Their Successful Strategy

Will and Becca Ritter are successful entrepreneurial trailblazers who remind us to look beyond the obvious as we create our products and services.

Michael Dell Tweets His Own Horn Ahead Of SecureWorks IPO

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Michael Dell recently tweeted this out to his 910,000 plus followers: "My business card in 1984, year I started. 1st space 1000 sq ft, lasted 30 days. Never forget where you came from."

Obamacare: You Can't Ignore It, But You Can Make It Work For You

In the five years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was made law, small business owners understood that eventually they would have to deal with it. That time is now. The ACA (aka Obamacare) comes with new requirements and penalties that start in 2016. But if you are diligent and creative, and your business is of a certain size with the right mix of employees, you might come out financially ahead. Let’s start with these questions: Have you avoided purchasing health insurance for yourself? Are you not offering insurance coverage to your employees? Are you aware that you might be eligible for a tax credit if you have less than 25 employees and provide them health insurance? What is the estimated household income of each employee? Here are four things to know right now:

The Best Technology Stories of 2015

There have been a lot of great stories on technology this year that track hot topics like artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, self-driving cars, cybercrime, and the like. Each of these topics among others are covered in great depth in the stories that follow, which are my take on the top technology stories of 2015.

Why Buyers Are Clueless About What They Need

I had left my Palm Pilot charger at home. Yes, I said Palm Pilot. I know, I know. It was a long time ago. It was a time before smartphones. Unlike smartphones, however, Palm Pilots had incredible battery life. I rarely felt I needed to bring a charger. My trip was just two days, in and out of Boston, so I wasn't too concerned. I'd make it the two days and charge it when I got home.

TSA Challenges Airport Body Scan Lawsuit

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today filed an opposition to an emergency lawsuit lodged against it last week over TSA's new policy requiring body scans at airport security check points. TSA appears to be digging in its heels for another round in the years-long battle over its body scan policies.

Voter Data: What's Public, What's Private.

Reports of discovery of a database, accessible on the internet, containing voter records of 191 million Americans, has alarmed many privacy advocates and concerned citizens. Yet the most remarkable thing about this database is simply that it’s in a convenient form, or at least convenient for those with just the right technical skills to find and use it.

Zappos And Holacracy: Why They Did It, What They Learned, And What's Next

Today my guest for The Future of Work Podcast is Alexis Gonzales-Black. Alexis is the former organizational design lead for Zappos, and is currently the co-founder of Thoughtful Org Partners. Previously, I spoke with Brian J. Robertson, the creator of the concept of Holacracy which received lots of media attention thanks to Zappos and their decision to transition to this new organizational model. Alexis is one of the people who helped lead the entire Holacracy transition there.

5 Tips To Help Entrepreneurs Rest This Week

As you wind down the year, the best preparation you can make for 2016 is to create space for intentional rest time to recharge and start the new year off strong.

Why Trump Is Winning: The Strange Case of America's Russian-Made Rocket Engines

Donald Trump may ruffle a lot of feathers but the central message of his campaign is sound. That's why he is winning.

Apple Loop: New iPhone Launch Date Leaks, Surface Pro 4 Vs. iPad Pro, Apple Abandons Headphone Jack

This week?s Apple Loop includes the leaked release date of the iPhone Mini, a review of the new MacBook, thoughts on Apple dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack, why the Surface Pro 4 beats the iPad Pro, Tim Cook's warning to the UK's Government, support for Live Photos in Facebook and Tumblr, a transcription of Apple's '60 Minutes' appearance on CBS, and a curious tip to save battery life in OSX.

Hometown Holdouts: Nueske's, The Wisconsin Bacon On Everybody's Lips

Tanya Nueske likes to joke that she was smoked from birth. She's certainly been around bacon all her life.

Apple Loop: New iPhone Launch Date Leaks, Surface Pro Defeats iPad, Apple Abandons Headphone Jack

This week’s Apple Loop includes the leaked release date of the iPhone Mini, a review of the new MacBook, thoughts on Apple dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack, why the Surface Pro 4 beats the iPad Pro, Tim Cook's warning to the UK Government, support for Live Photos in Facebook and Tumblr, a transcription of Apple's '60 Minutes' appearance, and a curious tip to save battery life in OSX.

Learn The COMMUNITY Formula For Successful Public Relations (No Agency Required)

The COMMUNITY process has been successful in building and grow multimillion-dollar retail and service businesses throughout the US, Canada, UK and Australia across a variety of industries.

How Much Energy Does Your iPhone (And Other Devices) Really Use?

How Much Energy Does Your iPhone (And Other Devices) Really Use?

Making Fear A Motivator, Not An Immobilizer

Anyone who has contemplated forsaking the perceived, if not real, security of employment to start a small business has come face-to-face with the fear of failure.

TSA Body Scan? Just Say 'No,' Leading Expert Says

Passengers required by the TSA to submit to a body scan can legally refuse, says expert Marc Rotenberg, President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

5 Tax Talks To Have With Your Adviser Before 2016

These December conversations can lead to lower taxes, and less stress, in April.

Cyber Insurance Market Storm: Forecast $2.5 Billion In 2015; Projected To Reach $7.5 Billion By 2020

"Cyber Stats" is a Forbes exclusive that brings you a weekly info gram covering the cybersecurity market.

Rejection And Physical Pain Are The Same To Your Brain

We all know that rejection hurts, but neuroscience has concluded that it does in fact, literally, hurt. While the brain does not process emotional pain and physical pain identically, the reaction and cascading events are very similar, and a natural chemical (painkiller mu-opioid) is released during both events. For example, when someone feels physical pain, opioids are released in the brain so that the significance of the pain is inhibited. We now know this same experience occurs when an individual feels slighted or rejected by others.

10 Innovators Under 30 Shaking Up The New York Food Scene

Having founded multiple companies over the years, I’ve experienced firsthand what it takes to bring a business idea to life. The entrepreneurial challenge gets amplified when businesses operate in highly competitive industries like Food & Beverage. New York has long been recognized as being a food lover’s paradise, but for founders, it is no easy task. In New York City alone, there are approximately 8,000 restaurants in a 13.4 miles long by 2.3 miles wide radius. Talk about competition.

Learning To Embrace The Power Of The Crowd

I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to the Holidays, I’m a last-minute shopper. My procrastination in the gift purchasing department is never intentional. It’s just that between raising a young family, running a growing business, and writing for publications like Forbes, I just don’t have much time to spare. So, it seems like every Christmas Eve I find myself part of the frenzied crowd of other last-minute shoppers, scrambling to get everything done in time. This year, however, instead of getting frustrated with the crowds, I looked to them for overall inspiration. As I made my way through the throngs of people, I couldn’t help but think of the power of the crowd, particularly when it comes to crowdsourcing.

Five Questions With Advertising Executive Kitty Lun, CEO of Lowe China

By Linda Kerstin

Holiday Video Game Sales Are Worth Billions [Infographic]

Billions of dollars are spent on video games over the holidays every year.

Customer Engagement Is Everything In Business

Customer engagement is the direct route to business success: Customer service consultant Micah Solomon shares examples from Google Cardboard VR, Volvo, New York Times, and the Penha Longa hotel/resort.

Five Business Predictions For 2016

“Uncertainty” is the watch word for the new year. From rising interest rates to fluctuating oil prices, Michael Evans shares his predictions for the business year ahead.

Entrepreneurs That Self-Audit Can Practically Cut Costs

Many firms invest in an annual professional audit of their financials. For startups, an audit that could cost $15,000 to $30,000 is out of the question. But, if you want to demonstrate you have the discipline for growth, you should begin the process of self-auditing your finances as soon as possible. As I learned, an audit is much more than a seal of approval that accounting was done properly and there is no opportunity for fraud. One of the best things a professional auditor will do is provide management insights for you. Here are 6 things to look for in managing your money and reducing unnecessary expenses as you head into 2016.

It's Time To Design Human Experiences Versus Products

Today’s customers demand more than a good product; they expect a great customer experience. A few companies are leading the way, including Apple with their iPad and iPhone, offering irresistible stores with friendly experts, elegant packaging, and customer service that never ends. People love Apple’s whole customer experience, and willingly pay a premium for the product.

Hometown Holdouts: Deep Roots, Excited About The Future

No one is more of a Hometown Holdout than Joel Dondis.

Your Business Plan Is A Failure Without These 5 Things

It’s easy to rush headlong into a business plan with big dreams, grand visions, and fat profits.

This Week In Credit Card News: Beware Of 0% Introductory Offers, Will Apple Pay Kill Credit Cards?

How Apple's Trojan Horse Will Eat the Credit Card Industry

The Special Sauce of Real-Time Customer Feedback

Many entrepreneurs intuitively know that some customers are worth far more to the business than others. The best customers are loyal promoters who sing the company’s praises to friends and colleagues. They tend to spend more with the business, stay with it for longer and often cost less to serve. Their lifetime value, therefore, is usually several times higher than those customers who are neutral, let alone detractors.

Do Successful People Shut Off Their Email During The Holidays?

With the Christmas vacation season at hand, entrepreneurs want to know how responsive they need to be, if at all. Do successful people turn off their email for Christmas, or not?

DEA Eases Cannabis Study Requirements

Cannabis researchers get their restrictions eased a bit by the DEA.

Learning To Embrace The Power of The Crowd

I’ll be the first to admit that when it comes to the Holidays, I’m a last-minute shopper. My procrastination in the gift purchasing department is never intentional. It’s just that between raising a young family, running a growing business, and writing for publications like Forbes, I just don’t have much time to spare. So, it seems like every Christmas Eve I find myself part of the frenzied crowd of other last-minute shoppers, scrambling to get everything done in time. This year, however, instead of getting frustrated with the crowds, I looked to them for overall inspiration. As I made my way through the throngs of people, I couldn’t help but think of the power of the crowd, particularly when it comes to crowdsourcing.

TSA Body Scan? Just Say 'No', Leading Expert Says

Passengers required by the TSA to submit to a body scan can legally refuse, says expert Marc Rotenberg, President of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC).

2016 Could See Google Challenge WhatsApp With Chat Bots

Google is the latest company that wants to reinvent the idea of a messaging service, as one that connects humans and computers.

Nike's Reversal: An Omen For Wall Street?

Disclosure: I own shares of NKE Another quarter, another pleasant surprise for Nike stockholders. After the market closed on Tuesday, the company reported strong results across all its major product segments. Wall Street took notice, sending Nike’s stock sharply higher in early market trade on Wednesday. Nike’s Key Financial Metrics as of December 23, 2015

Hello? Barbie Made The Naughty List? Brace Yourself For The Internet Of Toys

Notre Dame’s Reilly Center For Science, Technology & Values released its annual list of Top 10 Ethical Dilemmas for 2015 – “Hello Barbie” made the list along with head transplants and lethal cyber weapons. Will Barbie become cool or creepy?

After WhatsApp's Blackout In Brazil, Who Should Hold The Data Keys?

The surprise shutdown will put more pressure on web companies to give custodial access to a local telco. Microsoft might have a radical solution.

Why Hacking Is An Integral Part Of The Future Of The Internet

As I write this article, a group calling themselves The Phantom Squad have declared that they intend to take down both the Xbox Live and Playstation PSN networks on Christmas Day, and sustain the attack for a week. They claim its to expose the continued lack of security from Microsoft and Sony, the former who was hit this time last year by another group called Lizard Squad. Of course, this will be a major disruption to consumers globally who have purchased a new console for the festive season but as the well known activist group Anonymous succinctly put it, "...if you worry about not being able to play games on Christmas you need to re-evaluate priorities."

A hacker is someone who seeks and exploits weaknesses in a computer system or computer network. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, such as profit, protest, challenge, enjoyment, or to evaluate those weaknesses to assist in removing them. - Wikipedia

Given the focus on the ever increasing deluge of data being generated by consumers and devices, and the exponential information potential touted by trends such as the Internet Of Things, cybersecurity and data protection is becoming more paramount. But every year the data breaches get larger, more sophisticated and ever more costlier. According to a joint study by IBM and Ponemon conducted this year, the average cost paid for each lost or stolen record containing sensitive and confidential information increased 6 percent, jumping from $145 in 2014 to $154 in 2015. The lowest cost per lost or stolen record is in the transportation industry, at $121, and the public sector, at $68. On the other hand, the retail industry’s average cost increased dramatically, from $105 last year to $165. Consider the latest hacks that have hit the headlines so far: Ashley Madison breach hit 37m users Malware installed on over 2,000 cash registers hit over 56m customers at Home Depot The European Central Bank had its website hacked, with personal information including email addresses and contact data stolen Kirkwood Community College’s website was hacked this year, exposing 125,000 social security numbers of applicants over an 8 year period Not all threats are from the outside

Nutanix To Go Public In 2016, Files S-1 With SEC

Nutanix files S-1 in preparation for IPO early in 2016.

Hello? Barbie Made The Naughty List? Brace Yourself For The Internet Of Toys

Notre Dame?s Reilly Center For Science, Technology & Values released its annual list of Top 10 Ethical Dilemmas for 2015 ? ?Hello Barbie? made the list along with head transplants and lethal cyber weapons. Will Barbie become cool or creepy?

Moving? Don't Forget The Tax Deduction

At 23 years old I packed up my life, and in a move made popular by members of the witness protection program, fled New Jersey for the quiet of the Colorado mountains. It was the scariest thing I've ever done; not because I was starting over in a new place, but rather because my then-68-year old father insisted on driving me the 28 hours across the country. And driving with an old man at night is the most frightening activity one can partake in, and keep in mind, I've had brain surgery.

Slants Court Decision May Impact Redskins, But Won't Affect Your Trademark Rights

Now that a federal appeals court has ruled a portion of the Trademark Act unconstitutional, what will this mean for the “Redskins?” The court has said that the Trademark Office may not refuse registration of “The Slants” for an Asian-American band as it is disparaging. If the statute is voided, what about the Redskins case? The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has just struck down the portion of the law that allowed the Trademark Office the power to refuse registration to a mark it considers scandalous. In my view, this is a victory for free speech and clearly for trademark owners.

7 Useful Technical SEO Functions For Your E-Commerce Website

This article was co-authored by Mate Dyekiss, SEO Strategist at IMI.

The Top 10 Regulatory Battles Facing Tech Companies In 2016

Uber regulatory battle guru Bradley Tusk caps 2016's upcoming regulatory battles affecting tech companies, from startups like Airbnb and DraftKings to public players like Amazon and Google.

A Psychological Approach To Understanding Ethics And Martin Shkreli

What causes professionals to act unethically? By examining our motivations and the psychology behind behavior, we can enhance our morals and values.

New Report: 'Purpose-Oriented' Employees 'Outperform'

Aaron Hurst, CEO of Imperative and author of the Purpose Economy recently issued a report produced in collaboration with NYU about the nature of purpose of as motivator.

How to Stay Productive During the Holidays

The holiday season is a super distracting time of year. Most people have a packed schedule during November and December, and likely need to take some time off work. This isn't that much of a problem most times of year, but because the holidays are a big travel time for everyone, this can make reallocating responsibilities incredibly complicated.

20 Startups To Watch In 2016

Startup life is not about the spotlight. It’s about disruption. It’s about innovation. At 1000 Angels, the invite-only curated venture investing community, it’s our job to surface and make available to members some of the most exciting early-stage investment opportunities.

12 Insider Funding Secrets I Learned From Interviewing VCs

In my experience as an entrepreneur and investor, I’ve learned that most startups have little knowledge of how best to approach and win over investors. Even if an entrepreneur has pitched to investors and has first-hand knowledge, there are still workings behind the scenes that can be perplexing to those startups that have yet to land their Series A.

How Your Business Success Can Help Future Generations

Imagine one of your great-grandchildren presiding over a family fortune of tens of millions of dollars—or even hundreds of millions of dollars—because of the successful business you built. And imagine that, when your great-grandchild receives a check to help pay for education, or buy their first home, or to start a business or even to help survive financial disasters like medical bills, illness or disability, that your grandchild gives a quick toast to your memory. Your grandchild toasts to you because you started it all. You started a successful business, amassed wealth and left behind a set of values and a financial legacy to shepherd that wealth.

There's A Better Florist In Southeast Asia Now

A bouquet of flowers have had a timeless ability to convey so many different types of emotions like: ‘I love you’, ‘Congratulations!’ or ‘I’m sorry’. They have a magical way of changing a mood.

Meeting Customers In The Moment: What Brands Need To Know About Micro-Moments

This article will explore the most common types of micro-moments, and show you how your brand can prepare for them.

Ford 'Discovers' New Research Technique!

Ford Motor Company has been a leader in traditional automotive research for decades. They dedicated tremendous resources to getting the research right. They were rigid and methodologically pure. But their methods in the past did not always yield winners.

Achieving Diversity & Inclusion: Q&A With Divine, Part III

In this third and final installment, hip-hop and rap recording artist Divine and I discuss whether we can bring true diversity to the technology industry ? and, if so, how and when.

Unlimited Time Off: Making It Work For Your Company

As we approach the end of the holiday season when so many people are preparing for extended vacations, it seems like a good time to take a look at one of the most talked-about phenomena in the work world today: unlimited vacation.

How Facebook Is Becoming A Customer Service Hub

The world of social media marketing used to be so easy. Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, and other social media outlets were convenient tools to push content to interested audiences, who would then become customers. If these customers had a complaint, they would reach out to your customer service department via email or phone call.

What Does The Future Of Global FinTech Hold?

This month, KPMG and H2 Ventures released their list of the top FinTech companies in the world in 2015: FinTech 100.

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make Pricing Services

Many businesses struggle with creating attractive pricing. Those who sell services often struggle the most. In some cases businesses try to define a hybrid model of fixed fee and hourly billing. See why combining these two methods could be the biggest mistake you can make pricing services.

A Case For Bootstrapping Your Startup In Silicon Valley

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a group of idealistic Silicon Valley entrepreneurs has a fantastic idea, gives away an exorbitant amount of the company in exchange for initial funding and ends up collapsing under the weight of outside pressure, having never figured out how to monetize the whole experience.

Creating A Compensation Plan For Startup Success

As with most things in life, managing compensation issues inside of a startup is all about balance. Whether determining your own salary or recruiting new hires, it’s vitally important to get it right. Compensation is an issue that I’ve struggled with constantly since starting BodeTree nearly five years ago. With each passing milestone there are new variables to consider and business needs that must be met. Over time, I’ve identified three principles that have helped me navigate these issues and make decisions for our team.

Five Digital Marketing Trends Brands And Marketers Should Prepare For In 2016

Get ready for a lot of change to digital marketing in the new year -- and plenty of opportunity.

How I Raised $27 Million Through LinkedIn

As any startup founder will tell you, fundraising is a full-time job. It?s grueling, taxing, all-encompassing ? the list goes on.

Embracing The Customer Experience In Marketing

The past decade has witnessed an explosive growth in the collection of customer data by various businesses. Store cameras, sensors, website analytics, mystery shopping, and a variety of other modes and methods are employed by organizations to understand customer habits and behavior. While most organizations strive to improve their customer’s experience, there is little focus on leveraging this customer experience in marketing. If this oversight is addressed, the organizations can benefit immensely.

Farmgirl Flowers: A Blooming Startup That Is Disrupting The Flower Industry

It's coming up roses for Christina Stembel, the 37-year-old Founder of Farmgirl Flowers, so long as the roses are grown in America. Founded in 2010 in San Francisco in Stembel's dining room, the bouquet delivery service began shipping nationwide last May and business is blooming. Launched with Stembel's personal savings of $48,000, Farmgirl Flowers is now one of the fastest growing startups in the Bay Area with millions in revenue.

Approaching Unicorn Status, Mixpanel Out To Revolutionize Web And Mobile Analytics

The story reads like an episode of the HBO television series Silicon Valley. Fearless (or naïve?) twenty-something entrepreneurs drop out of college to start a business developing web and mobile analytics against entrenched players like Google (much like Pied Piper nemesis Hooli). Fail, then succeed, and then go on to approach billion-dollar valuation status.

Four Digital Disruptors That Could Make It Big In Legal Services

The legal services market is vulnerable to digital disruption: here's four businesses hoping to cash in

Beyond BRICS: Taking The Online Marketplace Model To New Emerging Economies

For some they are a place to buy or sell second hand goods. For others they are a treasure trove of hard-to-find items. For budding entrepreneurs, they may provide the opportunity to make a tentative first step towards setting up and maintaining an online store. They are online marketplaces and

Engines Of Adaptation

Markets are littered with once-successful companies that failed to adapt to changes in technology or customer behavior. Young entrepreneurial firms, not just incumbent dinosaurs, are vulnerable to being swept aside by new insurgents that present customers with a better proposition.

CEDIA Announces 2016 Board of Directors

CEDIA has announced the 2016 volunteer board of directors. The board has three new directors: John Clancy, Ken Erdmann and Greg Margolis, and two re-elected directors: Michael Pope and Joe Whitaker. Additionally, the CEDIA board chose to appoint a new director, Jeremy Sweet, who will join the CEDIA board of directors for a one-year term to fill a vacated appointed position.

Meet The Strange And Wonderful Health Snacks Of Silicon Valley's Break Rooms

Corporate break rooms have come a long way since the days of the water cooler, the percolator, and a fridge stuffed with week-old leftovers. Successful startups and tech companies around the country are wooing talent with their increasingly fabulous food and beverage options. But even if you can’t employ private chefs at your company, like Google does, you can provide some of the same healthy and delicious snacks that are making waves in Silicon Valley. From seaweed chips to watermelon juice, here are some of the hottest natural foods fueling today’s fastest growing companies. Most of these are some combination of gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, organic, Kosher and Non-GMO — so you can ensure everyone at your company can enjoy custom snacks that meet their needs. Given that they seem to have nothing in them, these treats are shockingly tasty.

From Hello Kitty To Major League Baseball, Companies Are Leaking Kids' Data All Over The Web

A site for Hello Kitty fans, a celeb tracking app and a Major League Baseball site for Little League players are all caught leaking data. As many as 3.5 million accounts are in the spilled databases, many of which likely belong to kids.

Cybersecurity? ?Market Reaches $75 Billion In 2015?;? ?Expected To Reach $170 Billion By 2020

In October, The Business of Cybersecurity: 2015 Market Size, Cyber Crime, Employment, and Industry Statistics promised Forbes readers a December follow up. Part II is here, with a recap on cybersecurity spending in 2015 and projections for market growth over the next five years.

Should You Make a Charitable Contribution from your IRA?

Good news for taxpayers over the age of 70 1/2. Congress has voted to make permanent the exclusion from income of up to $100,000 per person, per year, for Individual Retirement Account (IRA) distributions which are given directly to charities. The President is expected to sign the bill. This law will end the uncertainty which has existed for the past several years when taxpayers were trying to decide whether to direct their IRA distributions to charity. Congress generally did not get around to extending the expired tax legislation known as "extenders" until very late in the year. One year the extenders were not passed until the January of the subsequent year and were applied retroactively. Now that you are able to plan for charitable contributions from IRAs, is this something you should be doing?

Get $10,000 Per Child In College Tax Credits, Thanks To New Tax Deal

Set to expire in 2017, the new tax deal gives the $2,500 a year American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) permanent life, meaning parents can offset their personal tax bill by up to $10,000 per eligible college kid over four years.

Career Change From Left-Brain To Right-Brain: Engineer Turned Blogger Joe Udo

Joe Udo is the creator of Retire By 40, which chronicles his own journey from unhappy engineer to stay-at-home dad and blogger. In this career change profile, I asked Joe to share how he made the leap.

4 Ways To Keep Leads Warm Over The Holidays

Harness the spirit of the season to show your appreciation to your leads, and embrace the “goodwill to all” attitude that can turn them into a crew of loyal brand advocates by this time next year.

For Customer Service Success, 'People Are Our Greatest Resource' Better Not Be Lip Service

“People are our most important resource" is a cynical platitude at many companies, ignored as openly as, say, “Safety is our first priority.” But in a customer service-intensive business, explains customer service consultant Micah Solomon, it had better be the truth. You can’t even come close to creating a customer-centric organization until you learn to effectively recruit, retain, and develop employees.

Year-End Review For Asian Tech Features Deals to Merge, Acquire, Go Private, Expand Internationally

The year 2015 was defined by lots of deal making among rivals in China and India, a rebound to plentiful unicorn financings, delisting from public markets, and a forward march of innovative tech across the Asian region.

10 Essential Websites That Will Make Your Startup Remarkable

Starting a business takes everything that you have: all your money, time, effort, and patience. Though you may have plenty of help in the form of your team and your business partners, in the beginning stages of entrepreneurship there are many tasks that need to be done that you just don’t have the resources for. You can’t hire someone else, but it needs to be done. Why not bolster the odds of your success?

How To Engage Your Millennial Employees (Advice From 3 Leading Human Resources Officers)

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve interviewed the Chief Human Resources Officers and other leading human resources managers from Macy’s, Verizon, and Autodesk, three Fortune 500 companies that collectively employ hundreds of thousands of people. These individuals are responsible for the high-level management and strategy behind global workforces that rely heavily on retaining and engaging top Millennial talents, whether these employees are on the “front lines” interacting with customers or “behind the scenes” engineering the future. Given the fact that Millennials have recently become the largest part of our workforce and will become the most influential consumer group by 2018, it is no longer acceptable for companies to “talk the talk” when it comes to working with Millennials. Perhaps this is why I was so impressed to hear from the three individuals below and learn how they are best retaining and engaging Millennial employees. Each one of them, as well as the organizations they represent, seem to be making genuine and important strides in a positive direction when it comes to their relationships with our generation. Here’s the biggest takeaways I gained from my time on the phone with these individuals.

How To Ace The Job Interview: Advice For MBA Students

To help Marketing/GM students prepare for the recruiting gauntlet, we sat in on a couple of interviewing workshop sessions led by Johnson & Johnson and E.&J. Gallo at the Darden School of Business, University of Virginia. This article presents insight from Lee Susen, Marketing Director, E.&J. Gallo (the world’s largest wine company and one of the top 100 companies for flexible green jobs).

Could Donald Trump 'Spook' Financial Markets In 2016?

Donald Trump could be a “major cause” of volatility in financial markets throughout the first half of 2016, the boss of one of the world’s largest independent financial advisory organizations has warned. And, the way that Mr Trump’s poll rating has spiked in recent weeks it’s anyone’s guess how things could pan out - on the markets or otherwise.

5 Ingredients For Your Successful Business Exit

Baby boomer business owners will be retiring in droves over the next decade, and whether an owner wants to pass on the business to a family member or sell to key employees or a third party, the process will be much easier with some planning. After all, three-quarters of owners have never tried to exit a business, according to a 2014 survey of North American business owners by the Business Enterprise Institute (BEI). Mapping out an exit makes it more likely for business owners to avoid unnecessary or excessive taxes, minimize risk during transition and realize the full value of their hard work, says Jared Johnson, director of business development at BEI, a business management consulting firm and network of exit planning advisors.

2016 Predictions: Digital Health's Second Wave And Thirteen Transformative Healthcare Trends

This year, we’ve seen dramatic developments in the movement to transform healthcare. The digital health ecosystem hit its stride, becoming a significant part of the healthcare economy. With 2015 giving some hints of what’s to come, here are 13 healthcare predictions for 2016 and beyond.

Starting A New Business? Sometimes You Just Need To Jump Into The Rabbit Hole

Moving to work full time on our new business startup meant giving up on all sorts of other interesting potential future paths, ones which seemed a lot less risky and which would have kept us closer to friends and family. But we knew it was now or never. So, we clasped our hands together with our kids, held our collective breath and jumped down the rabbit hole.

Iranian-Americans Have Reached Highest Echelons Of Tech, But Still Failed To Stop Visa Restriction

How influential is the Iranian-American community? A list just released by Persian Tech Entrepreneurs, a group of young Iranian-Americans active in technology, offers a window into how powerful this community is, especially in Silicon Valley. Many Iranian-Americans have reached the top ranks of some of the most important companies in Silicon Valley -- though their influence wasn't powerful enough to stop new visa restrictions that moved close to becoming law last week.

Entrepreneurial Lessons From The Atlassian IPO

Here's a look at the entrepreneurial lessons from the Atlassian IPO.

5 Big Entrepreneurial Developments In North Carolina In 2015

North Carolina is taking big steps in funding and ecosystem infrastructure, joining emerging entrepreneurial hubs like Austin, Atlanta, Chicago and Seattle to challenge the big boys.

Bernie Sanders And The 90% Income Tax Rate That He Does Not Call For

Video

Bernie Sanders supporters seem to want to make it real clear that he will not be proposing a 90% income tax rate. Yesterday Vote Bernie Sanders 2016, an unofficial site, posted a clip (Bernie Sanders Myth: The 90% Tax Rate) from a Katie Couric interview from several months ago in

Is The Future Of Learning In The Hands Of The EdTech Entrepreneurs?

How technology in the classroom is shaping the future of education

Gut Check: Would You Bet On It?

Wanna bet? A side bet, you and me, for $1,000. I’m saying you won’t reach that number.

Two College Friends Raise $13 Million To Build India's First Electric Scooter

Last year, Delhi took the honor of becoming the world’s most polluted city. The number of air pollution-related illnesses globally has been on the rise. In India, the reasons are apparent: cars, industrial fumes, burning of garbage and agricultural waste.

14 Reasons 2016 Will Be Tricky For Business And Investors

Since stocks bottomed out in March 2009, they’ve enjoyed a 13.2% average annual increase.

Smart Ideas Can Come From Anywhere At Anytime, Even from Big Companies

I've learned, and came to believe, that some of the very best tips come from folks who run, strangely enough, big companies.

Why Entrepreneurs Should Practice Self-Awareness, Humility And Empathy

It’s difficult to read about the ongoing saga of Martin Shkreli, hedge fund founder and pharmaceutical CEO, without feeling the overwhelming need to take a shower. Shkreli first burst onto the scene earlier this year when his company Turing Pharmaceutical acquired the rights to the AIDS drug Daraprim and hiked the price of the medication by 5,000%, from $13.53 per dose to $750.

How Leaders Can Win Followers' Trust In 2016 By Knowing What They Really Want

In a time when trust in leaders is hard to come by, and followers are scrutinizing leaders against high standards, leaders must know what it is followers really want rather than contorting themselves into inauthentic people, desperate to win followers' trust.

Take Control Of Day One When Onboarding Into A New Job

At the start of a new role, everything is magnified. Thus it is critical to be particularly thoughtful about everything you do and say and don’t do and don’t say—and what order you do or say them in.

Keep Your Company's Metabolism High

Many large company CEOs I talk with say the most serious issue their companies face is a lack of urgency. When their companies were smaller, everyone worked relentlessly to build a strong market position. But once that’s achieved and they know that tomorrow won’t bring disaster, the company’s pulse begins to slow and its reactions grow sluggish.

What's In The New Tax Law For You

The tax law Congress just passed has new and improved tax deductions and tax credits and makes some current breaks permanent. Here's how you can benefit.

The Top 5 Christmas Cannabis Gifts

These are the top 5 cannabis Christmas presents for merry marijuana making.

Make 2016 Your Year: A Road Map To The Billion Dollar Ideas For Entrepreneurs

The New Year is almost here and, with it, unprecedented opportunities for entrepreneurs. 2015 saw the most M&A activity ever, with deals adding up to about $4.7 trillion. Venture Capital investments also rose steadily in the past year – with over $98 billion invested in 2015. Mega-rounds of $100 million-plus were almost a norm.

Applying For The Biggest Financial Aid Awards At The Best Colleges Just Got Easier

Earning a degree from one of America's top private colleges is a good investment, and if you'd like financial aid to make your son or daughter's dream college more affordable, there is good news. The process of completing the aid forms required to apply for the lucrative financial aid awards at the best colleges just got easier after college officials unanimously voted to implement a new filing format effective in October 2016. What's more, the change means that students may be able to officially learn how much financial aid a college is offering them at the time of, or shortly after they are admitted, unlike the current format under which kids are admitted and then given official aid awards months later -- preventing clarity on affordability until the last minute and making the whole process disjointed and stressful. This is a good change.

Rising Sea Level Will Slow Earth's Rotation - Harvard Study Shows

Research has shown that rising sea level across the globe has triggered a slowdown in Earth's rotation

Tax Court: Plying Pigs To Untimely Demise With Kool-Aid Counts As Material Participation

Ah, the Kool-Aid Man, that icon of the 80's whose violent emergence from your family's drywall signaled the start of some sugar-fueled shenanigans. You remember him, right?

Legrand Acquires QMotion Advanced Shading Systems

Legrand, North America has acquired QMotion, a provider of advanced shading systems. QMotion will become part of Legrand’s North American Building Control Systems (BCS) business.

Has ISIS Become The Top Cyber Threat?

The media coverage and public debate following the November terror attacks in Paris might give one the impression that ISIS has suddenly become the top cyber threat to Western countries. Officials in France, the U.K., and Canada have seized on the Paris attack to promote a number of cyber security initiatives. In the United States, we have seen a renewed debate over encryption, as well a calls from both leading Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to censor the Internet to combat the threat that ISIS poses there. This is despite the fact that the Paris attacks were not cyber attacks and were planned “in plain sight” and without widespread use of sophisticated encryption technologies by the attackers.

Disney Parks, SeaWorld Orlando Announce New Security Measures

Officials at Disney theme parks in Florida and California and SeaWorld in Orlando are boosting security and banning toy guns to protect tourists.

Holiday Return Fraud Will Cost $2.2 Billion in 2015

Retail fraud comes in many shapes and sizes and is especially rampant during the holiday season when online and in-store traffic grows significantly.

Researcher Finds 'Shocking' Instagram Flaws And Ends Up In A Fight With Facebook

Facebook head of security Alex Stamos, who has repeatedly fought for the security community, is now accused of threatening a researcher who found startling bugs in Instagram.

EU Data Protection Deal Confirmed: Overview, Next Steps

Today the European Parliament Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee today confirmed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The substance of the legislation (summarized here) met with mixed reactions, its next steps are clearly defined under EU law.

Kaskade & Electronic Dance Music Industry Talk Growth, Challenges In Asia-Pacific

DJ's tell EDM industry to get rid of drugs and copyright law if they want to keep growing in Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Technology Officer Loses Appeal On Capital Gains Treatment From Sale To Google

When Brian Brinkley received $3.1 million for his interest in Zave Networks Inc in 2011 when it merged into Google, he thought the whole amount should be taxed as a capital gains. He found it rather disconcerting when $1.8 million showed up on a W-2. So he completed a Form 4852 to attach to his return, which is how you are supposed to register your disagreement with a W-2. He reported the $1.8 million on Schedule D. The IRS did not agree with that and dinged him for $369,071 in additional tax and, as is pretty routine, a $48,036 accuracy penalty. The Tax Court backed up the IRS. Mr. Brinkley appealed to the Fifth Circuit and he was turned down there also.

School Report : 2016 Trend Reports

HERE/FORTH CEO, Paul Armstrong, reads and scores the 2016 Trend Reports so you don't have to.

Five Reasons It All Went Wrong For Jose Mourinho As Chelsea Manager

Jose Mourinho is the most successful manager in Chelsea's 110-year history. Why was he let go?

How IBM Watson Is Poised To Transform Customer Service And Hospitality Via AI

Artificial intelligence from IBM's Watson (of Jeopardy-winning fame) is about to transform customer service, the customer experience, and hospitality. Customer service consultant Micah Solomon explores Ivy from Go Moment.

Food Insecurity On Campus: Is Your Ivy Leaguer Starving?

Food insecurity, or limited access to adequate food, prevents college students across the nation from excelling academically and socially. Two Columbia sophomores have launched a mobile application to feed hungry stomachs and shine a spotlight on the issue.

To Avoid Decision Spin, Managers Need To Embrace Conflict

Companies can?t afford to let decisions spin around with no resolution. Shortening that cycle requires managers to embrace conflict rather than avoid it.

A Simple Act of Gratitude

Someone I highly respect told me, "You have to read this book." And now I am telling you: please put A Simple Act of Gratitude by John Kralik on your reading list.

IRS Announces 2016 Mileage Rates

Don?t forget to keep track of your miles if you want a deduction.

13 Hottest New Cars For 2016

13 Hottest New Cars For 2016

Turning SnapChat Analytics Into Triumph: An Interview With Nick Cicero Of Delmondo

In a world where audience favor constantly changes, Nick Cicero makes sure that his company keeps pace. Cicero, CEO of Delmondo, a multi-platform creator network and technology company, saw that marketers were struggling to find meaningful data inside of newer platforms like SnapChat. “Without formal analytics,” Cicero says, “a complicated platform like SnapChat can be hard for marketers to dive right into.” This is made especially true as native brand analytics do not yet exist.

What Happens When Consumers Get To Pay Whatever They Want?

By Julia Hanna

The Leadership Blind Spot That's Killing Your Business

A dangerous black hole that the C-Suite doesn?t even know exists...

Venus Flytraps And Elusive Gator On Golf Course Not Worth Millions In Tax Deductions

So how is a Venus Flytrap like a golf course sand trap? You can find them both in a recent Tax Court decision about conservation easements. The owners of the Members Club and the Reserve Club negotiated with the North American Land Trust to grant conservation easements to land in and around two golf courses. All in they claimed over $7 million in charitable contributions The golf courses are part of St. James Plantation.

Why Women Refugees In Beirut Are Crowdfunding A Food Truck

In Lebanon, a unique catering service called Soufra features Palestinian specialities prepared by the residents of the Burj el Burajneh refugee camp in Beirut. The women who run this social enterprise are looking forward to expanding their reach with a food truck, thanks to a successful Kickstarter campaign.

The Only 2016 Trend You Need To Know About

Two (relatively) quiet news stories from the past few months give us an indication of where we’re heading in 2016.

5 Easy Ways To Introduce Visual Content Into Your Marketing Campaign

If you haven?t created or shared many images or videos, it can be difficult knowing where to start. This article will outline five easy strategies to start introducing visual content into your marketing campaign.

Martin Franklin Says New Platform CEO Sachdev Will Integrate Acquisitions After Rough 2015

Platform Specialty Products on Tuesday hired Rakesh Sachdev, the former head of Sigma Aldrich, as its new CEO.

Encryption And Censorship In A Globalized World

The globalized and multicultural world of the internet makes it difficult to draw concrete boundaries when it comes to encryption and censorship online

How 3,000 Customer Service Standards Create The Ritz-Carlton Customer Experience

To the eyes of your customer, a great customer experience should look like it was a cinch–a piece of cake–to pull off. To the extent that your efforts are even noticed, great customer service should appear to be the result of a group of thoughtful employees spontaneously choosing to do their jobs quickly, efficiently, and cheerfully.

5 Surprising Truths From A Crowdfunding Advocate

As an advisor to many entrepreneurs, I still hear frequently the irrational exuberance that crowdfunding is the quick alternative for startups that are passed over by overly demanding angels or venture capital investors. In reality, crowdfunding has become a major startup funding vehicle, with an estimated contribution of $30 billion in 2015, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Europe Stands Up To Amazon, Facebook Lobbyists -- And Privacy Will Never Be The Same Again

Europe goes ahead with plans for tough data protection laws, which promise fines of as much as four per cent in global turnover for companies that make egregious errors. That's despite reportedly strong lobbying from major US tech companies, from Amazon to Facebook.

PSA Security Network Announces Cybersecurity Advisory Committee

PSA Security Network announced the members of its Cybersecurity Advisory Committee. The PSA Cybersecurity Advisory Committee members represent a variety of practice areas including physical security manufacturers, integrators, security consultants and engineers, cybersecurity experts and cyber law.

5 Key Areas that Newspapers Are Leaving Money On The Table

Newspapers are suffering as news goes ever more digital, however there is money being left on the table. Find out the five key areas where news media can be making more money.

6 Ways To Protect Your Data In The Age of Wearables 1.0

From the experts themselves, here are some ways to lower your risk of getting hacked in the age of wearables 1.0.

The Three Environments That Create Every Employee Experience

I define "employee experience" as an organization creating a place where people want to show up instead of assuming that people need to show up. This shift from "need" to "want" is the fundamental change that organizations around the world are starting to experience. This is why we see so much investment in new offices spaces, health and well-being programs, maternity and paternity leave, healthy foods, workplace flexibility, and so much more. There are a lot of things that can go into creating an employee experience but the good news is that every single company regardless of their industry, geography, or size, only need to focus on three things. Every employee experience is comprised of three environments: the physical environment, the cultural environment, and the technological environment as seen below.

That Wearable Device On Your Christmas List Is Their Next Target

It may be the hottest item on your Christmas list, but that wearable could cost you more than just your wallet.

MacKeeper Leaks 13 Million Mac Owners' Data, Leaves Passwords Open To Easy Cracking

MacKeeper is supposed to keep Apple Macs safe, but it's failing to do so in a number of ways. For starters, it left 13 million users' data, including their passwords, open to anyone who visited an IP address.

W Hotels And Alan Cumming Unveil W New York-Times Square's Renovation With Broadway Flair, And Dogs

The W Hotel New York-Times Square picks a flamboyant but also charitable way to reveal its $10 million renovation with a short film directed by and starring Alan Cumming.

'Tis The Season For Phishing Attacks - How To Prepare

Just a friendly reminder to all, be extra diligent when opening emails this time of year!

Get Paid To Be Yourself: The Business Of Being Mando Fresko

Freedom is the new American dream. While history provides a proper benchmark for measuring impact and influence, tradition no longer determines the framework of success. As countless studies suggest, today’s do-it-yourself generation no longer finds fulfillment in impressive titles, comfortable salaries or loaded benefits packages. Though these components still serve as attractive incentives for anyone with ambition, their allure alone rarely trumps the fear of being forced to consciously exert just a fraction of your potential.

How Crowdsourcing Is Expanding The Internet Of Things And Why It Matters

Crowdsourcing. Internet of Things.

Trump Can't Possibly Know How To Legally Shut Down The Internet. Bill Gates Can't Help.

It is impossible for Trump or Bill Gates to know how to legally switch off the Internet because the government rules for imposing a government-ordered Internet outage are secret. And the Feds have been fighting for years to keep them secret. A recent DHS opposition in a pending Freedom of Information disclosure withholding is just one in a long line of substantially successful DHS suppression maneuvers to keep the Internet kill switch policy secret.

Four Simple Steps To Improve Your Cash Flow

Cash flow is the life blood of any small business. We all know it, but we don't all live it.

Should You Go Into Business With Your Spouse?

Should You Go Into Business With Your Spouse?

How One Entrepreneur Made Pet-Friendly Travel A Click Away

Traveling with your pet doesn't have to be a headache. A new website aims guarantees transparency for hotel bookings and offers some advice for travel with fur babies.

Are Star Wars-Branded Products Hitting The Marketing Mark?

This article is by Jeff Inman, associate dean for research and faculty Albert Wesley Frey professor of marketing and professor of business administration at University of Pittsburgh’s Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.

Zappos' Santa Claus Feat Leaves Big Shoes to Fill

A recent act of kindness by Zappos has some wondering if it could spin its reputation for feel-good experiences into a marketing tool. This likely isn't even necessary – Zappos is secure in its ability to generate loyalty organically, and not through campaign stunts, because it begins at home. Here are six ways it achieves in-house loyalty.

20th Number One Song And Grammy Nods Mark Memorable Week For Songwriter Luke Laird

A comprehensive look at one of country music's top songwriters. Laird's number ones have sold more than 21 million units and spent 29 weeks (and counting!) at the top of the charts.

2016 Investing Game Plan: How To Compare Asset Classes

2016 Investing Game Plan: How To Compare Asset Classes

My Top 10 Brand Winners And Losers Of 2015

I love writing my end-of-year column. For one thing, it’s fun to hash out this year’s brand winners and losers with 400 or so of my fiercely opinionated colleagues. And secondly, who doesn’t like to play armchair quarterback?

Nexus, Sequoia Aim Larger Funds To Invest In India's Booming Startup Market

Indian venture capital continues on an upswing as Nexus raises a 4th fund of $450 million and VC investments in the market reach a high of $4.6 billion for the first 3 quarters of 2015, surpassing 2014 totals.

Redbubble, A Profitable Channel For Artistic Expression

There is a growing movement of people who never want to follow a trend. Instead they embrace their own creative self-expression and are just more content with being themselves. Talented artists who design one-off pieces that will never be mass-produced are the solution for these people.

HondaJet Is A Game-Changer For The Business Aviation Market

While the HondaJet targets the bottom end of the market, this is a long game for Honda, which is following in the footsteps of predecessors like Embraer to ultimately produce a family of aircraft that will likely create challenges for the entire business aviation market.

'Tis The Season For Phishing Attacks - How To Prepare

Just a friendly reminder to all, be extra diligent when opening emails this time of year!

Prodea Systems Form Partnership With Tata Trust

I just connected with Anousheh Ansari cofounder of Prodea Systems to discuss her recent partnership with Tata Trust. Anousheh is a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and space adventurer being one of the only people to travel to the international space station as a private citizen. The Tata Trust is one of the oldest and most respected non-sectarian philanthropic organization based in India.

Live Streaming Is Coming To Facebook: What You Need To Know

Facebook has just made it easier for anyone with a smartphone to jump on the live streaming bandwagon.

The Renaissance CFO

Today’s CFO is managing an ecosystem of expanding complexity—thinking and operating globally, leveraging financial data and analytics, challenging and enabling business strategies and capitalizing on a shifting regulatory environment—all with a view to achieving competitive advantage. CFOs are looking beyond their traditional finance role to become more collaborative and insightful business partners boosting the relevance and value they contribute to the business.

America's Future Runs Through Main Street

Small businesses create nearly two out of three net, new jobs and account for almost half of America’s private nonfarm GDP. Local businesses add a unique flavor to their communities, provide young people their first jobs, and create a multiplier effect as they attract more commerce to their local economies. These firms are much more than an economic force; they are an irreplaceable part of our American experience, a channel to grow our middle class and a path to economic opportunity.

JetBlue/Emirates Partnership Beats Out United For A Federal Contract, And A Route Dies

In the battle between the big three U.S. carriers and the three subsidized Gulf airlines, the General Services Administration has handed a victory to the UAE-based Emirates.

How Questions About Terrorism Challenge Bitcoin Startups

In light of the recent attacks in Paris that led to the deaths of 129 Parisians, the European Union (EU) and other international powers, including the United States and Russia, have been gathering to discuss how to curb the threats of terrorism, specifically ISIS or ISIL. Being mentioned in those discussions is the controversial topic of virtual currency with an emphasis on Bitcoin and its role in terrorism financing. But why are government officials so afraid of Bitcoin as a possible avenue for terrorist “donations”?

How I Stopped Worrying And Found Balance In Big Data

When approaching partnerships and business development opportunities, everyone wants to de-risk situations to the best of their abilities. More often than not, that means building a comprehensive business case with data to back up all of the assumptions about how the business will perform. Over the past five years, I’ve been on both sides of the data equation. Throughout my journey, my views on the role of data inside of an organization have evolved, and I’ve learned to embrace a balanced approach to data-driven decision making that honors both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the business.

Your Single Best Investment For 2016

As the New Year approaches, many organizations and individuals are deep in planning mode. Where will you make your bets to drive the best possible outcomes? What investments will hit pay dirt in the coming months and years?

How To Take Your Boss's Position In One Simple Step

You’ve had your eye on the corner office for a while. You know for a fact that your boss makes five times as much as you, has a retirement account in the high seven figures, and enjoys unilateral power throughout the company.

Trust Me, You Should Review Your Trusts

In the last few years, a lot has changed with trust law, tax law and financial planning. Your trust may have become tax-inefficient, outdated or just plain unworkable.

Monday's Must-Reads For Entrepreneurs: The Stupidest Patents Of The Year

Today’s news and insights for business owners, including five technology developments that could affect small businesses.

Four E-Commerce Mistakes You Need To Avoid This Holiday Season

E-tailers need to take advantage of the holiday push with smart, targeted marketing.

Meet The Millennial Power Women Behind Negative Underwear

Millennial co-founders Marissa Vosper and Lauren Schwab market their lingerie brand Negative Underwear as the anti-Victoria's Secret, aiming to make lingerie with a woman in mind, instead of a woman in the eyes of a man. The University of Pennsylvania alumnae are standing out in the undergarment industry, offering women high-quality, comfortable and stylish lingerie through a direct-to-consumer business model. Negative Underwear retails bottoms from $28 to $45, and bras from $55 to $75, and they just launched their first in-store retail collaboration with Steven Alan.

MongoTEL Launches Dealer Program

MongoTEL has selected the California Alarm Association (CAA) Winter Convention, December 9 through 12 in San Francisco, to unveil its National Certified Low Voltage Dealer Program to the low‐voltage community.

BlackBerry's Treacherous Path To Survival

The release of the BlackBerry Priv has put a spring in the step of BlackBerry, its fans, and the stock market. After years of focusing on its own operating system, the switch to Android from BB10 has given the brand another chance in the smartphone ecosystem. Coupled with ongoing sales of its services, BlackBerry has a number of crucial elements in place for a successful 2016.

Everyone Thinks It's Easy To Build A Cheap Website. Everyone's Wrong.

I thought I'd pay a couple hundred bucks on Upwork and walk away with something that worked. That's not exactly how it panned out.

Putin's Finger On The Nuclear Trigger -- U.S. Sees A Scary Reversal In Russian Policy

What's more dangerous – Russian President Vladimir Putin’s dedication to building up Russia’s nuclear and missile strength or North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s commitment to the North’s nuclear program as the centerpiece of the policy of “songun,” military first?

Social Media Brand Collaboration: 18 Of The Best Influencer Vines That Show What's Possible

It’s a great time to be a business collaborating with Vine stars. Using platforms like Vine to promote your brand can be a boon for businesses looking to change up their previous marketing strategies and compete in a lightening-quick market saturated with content. According to TechCrunch last year, around 100 Million people watch Vines every month, and that number has only grown. Just three years after the platform launched, casual Vine creators have leveraged their online celebrity into massive marketing deals, and there is no sign of slowing down.

'Probable' Bitcoin Creator Is A Garrulous Government Security Contractor And A Convicted Criminal

Craig White is nothing like the Satoshi Nakamoto many had imagined. He loves Bitcoin, but he's also been training government on cybersecurity, according to his large online footprint.

How Corporate Culture Impacts The Employee Experience

This is part of a series of posts exploring the employee experience, that is, creating a place where employees actually want to show up, not where they need to show up. This series will explore what I define as the three employee experience environments that all organizations much focus on which are: physical, cultural, and technological. This is a growing area that I am extremely passionate about because it sees organizations shifting away from thinking of work as a utility to actually focusing on creating what Pat Wadors (the chief Human Resources Officer of LinkedIn) calls “beautiful experiences.”

SIA and University of Phoenix Partner to Expand Access to Security Degrees

University of Phoenix College of Security and Criminal Justice and the Security Industry Association (SIA) announced a partnership to provide those who have completed a SIA Certified Security Project Manager (CSPM) credential with 21 credit hours to apply toward a Bachelor of Science in security management from the university.

Pearl Harbor Should Remind Us What Real War Looks Like; Cyber Attack Isn't It

Yesterday, Americans remembered that day that still lives in infamy, the day in 1941 when the Imperial Japanese Navy carried out a devastating surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Each year, Americans reflect on the damage that was done in that attack, which killed 2,403 service members, injured 1,178, damaged or destroyed a good portion of the U.S. Pacific fleet, and damaged or destroyed hundreds of aircraft. Of course, Americans also reflect on the four years of war that followed, in which millions were killed worldwide and that only ended in the Pacific with the first use of atomic weapons. In short, the anniversary of Pearl Harbor invites us to remember how horrific war can be.

Why Succession Planning Is More Than Just Writing A Cheque

The easiest way to lose a friend, an old saying goes, is to start a business together. The same is true within a family. That’s partly why passing on a business to the next generation is anything but simple and may open painful wounds. Indeed, HSBC said in a report earlier this year that next to divorce and bereavement, transition of a family business can be the most stressful time in your life. But done properly, a successful ownership succession is the reward of a lifetime; a legacy passed on to the very people you love and trust the most.

Banks Need Strong, Standardized Anti-Money Laundering Programs To Fight Financial Crime

Financial institutions are working hard to fight financial crime and bank fraud driven by demands to protect the bank’s assets, as well as by regulatory compliance. One area of specific focus is that of Anti-Money Laundering (AML). For many institutions, there are several challenges to creating a sustainable AML organization – one that can respond to regulatory reporting mandates and provide information to support “business as usual” demands – while also finding, developing and retaining the talent needed to accomplish these critical activities.

Altamont '69 Concert Revisited By Hot Tuna's Casady, Kaukonen

Forty-six years ago this week, the infamous concert at California’s Altamont Speedway brought a sudden and metaphorical end to the peace/love vibe of the sixties. During an evening set by the Rolling Stones, a member of Hells Angels, hired as security for the free music festival, stabbed to death a fan close to the stage.

Officials Seize on Paris Attacks to Push Cybersecurity Measures

So far, it seems that the ISIS attackers who carried out the November 13 terror attacks in Paris planned their attack “in plain sight” and did not use sophisticated means of encrypted communications to coordinate their attacks. The Paris attacks were traditional, physical attacks using guns and explosives, not cyber attacks. Nonetheless, officials in Western nations are seizing on the Paris attacks to promote cybersecurity measures that include censorship, weakened security standards, and militarization of the Internet. Here’s a run-down of what they have proposed.

Lessons Learned: Stages Of Entrepreneurship

Health care will be disrupted, changed, or evolved by the people who can have a direct impact on it. I’m about to add myself onto my wife's insurance and I’ll be honest, I sometimes take my health for granted as I’m sure many of you do. I do the annual check up and that’s about it. You see, my father has lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, meaning sometimes I don’t get to play golf with him because he’s “not feeling it” as he likes to say, so I appreciate the health that I have.

10 Creative Ways To Recognize Your Employees

Take your employee out to lunch and get to know them. It doesn't have to be more than half an hour once a year. Just asking them about their life, what they are up to and what they care about can make a person's world come alive.

Fire & Lightning: Mt Etna Erupts In Sicily Ejecting Lava 1Km Into Air

After two years of quiescence, Mount Etna erupted this past Thursday with a spectacular display of lava and volcanic ash

5 Moves Yahoo's Chairman Should Make This Weekend

2015 is rapidly drawing to a close and Yahoo's chairman needs to make some decisions -- and fast.

Ment'or BKB Aims For A U.S. Gold In The 'World Championship Of Cuisine'

I recently spoke with Philip Tessier, the former executive sous chef at French Laundry, who led the US team to an unprecedented silver medal at the Bocuse d’Or culinary competition held in Lyon, France every 2 years since 1987. Until this year, the US team had never made it into the top five. This year, the US, led by Tessier, came in second. According to Tessier, much of the success is due to support by Ment’or BKB, the brainchild of chefs Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller and Jérôme Bocuse. I spoke with Tessier about his experience in the competition, the importance of a nonprofit organization stepping in to help the US level the playing field against nations with more established cuisine cultures, and the prospects for American cuisine, both at home and on the world stage.

Home Shopping Channel Gun TV To Launch In The US in January

In the week that 14 people lost their lives in a mass shooting in San Bernadino, news of America’s first home shopping network for gun lovers has come to light.

Introverts Do It Best: How To Exercise 'Unfluence' For Greater Success In PR

Here's a counter-intuitive approach to thought leadership being advanced by a group that calls themselves the "Unfluencers" on LinkedIn.

Eight Simple Tricks To Spring Clean Your Career

Eight Simple Tricks To Spring Clean Your Career

How Not To Disgrace Yourself At The Office Holiday Party: A Handy Guide

The office holiday party has more potential to hurt your career than to help it, especially if you’re naive enough to accept more than a modest amount of the free alcohol that’s practically being poured into your lap.

3 Tips To Create A Workplace Culture That Employees Love

We’re not Amazon - and that’s a good thing. Here’s 4 ways to build a culture your employees will love.

Over 30? You Will Be Surprised How Millennials Use Their Phones

Entrepreneurs must stay abreast of how their users are interacting with technology, especially when such interactions can lead to increased sales. To this end, the way millennials are using their phones may surprise you.

4 Ways To Make The Most Of Mark Zuckerberg's 45 Billion Dollar Gift

Business leaders should use Mark Zuckerberg's 45 billion dollar gift as a call to action. We should all step up our involvement in helping improve the world we live in. Leaders at all levels have the means and skill sets to make a huge cumulative difference if we take action and keep it up over the years. This article outlines four easy action items.

Cheers To The Talent Who Focused On The Future Of Work In 2015

I’m always looking forward in the world of work: exploring what the future will hold and how we can get there, how can we recruit the best and brightest and keep them, what’s tech is coming down the pike. Talent is inherently future-centric, driven as much by the underlying reality of succession and how to withstand the new normal of disruption and the incredible shrinking barrier between work and life. But 2015 has been a milestone year. So I’m going to look back. Blame it on Thanksgiving or that general holiday spirit (or the gift baskets with their sugary goodness), but I’m in a thankful mood.

American Airlines to Delta Air Lines: Hats Off To You For Operational Excellence

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines are obviously not the best of friends, but on Thursday a top American executive congratulated Delta for its operational excellence.

How Bubble Soccer CEO Bounced Back After Shark Tank Failure

None of the Sharks chomped on bubble soccer owing to the "convoluted" business model. Was it a sports league? A franchiser? An equipment provider? Bubble soccer CEO John Anthony Radosta explains what went wrong in the Shark Tank and how he’s bounced back.

12 Of The Coolest Gifts For Travelers Seen On Shark Tank

12 Of The Coolest Gifts For Travelers Seen On Shark Tank

Booze That Helps Make The World A Better Place

The liquor industry is more known for its excess and superficiality than for its integrity and purpose. We want to change that.

3 Trends And One Recommendation For The Future Of Web Development

Web development is one of the most exciting fields to be in right now. It really hit its stride when the smartphone made its triumphant debut a few years ago, but that was just the beginning.

Leaders Must Be More Vulnerable For Their Organizations To Evolve

How do companies expect to grow and compete – when their leaders are not vulnerable enough to evolve? Leaders are becoming more of what their peers and the work environment they serve want them to be, rather than what they seek to be themselves. At the same time, the workplace and the marketplace are demanding a new type of thinking in order to influence the evolution of the business. Leaders must enable their organizations to break free from traditional substitutional thinking to new thinking that is strategically focused on constant evolution with the end-game in mind.

The Top 3 Startup Lessons I've Learned The Hard Way

I have a confession to make. I’m a business book addict. It's an unhealthy relationship that drains my bank account and generally leaves me with few, if any, useful insights. Yet for some reason, I can't seem to pass through the coffee-stained aisle of my local book mega-store without picking up a few of the new releases. I've even taken to strategically removing them from my bookshelf, so houseguests don’t’ mistake me for a cliché-spouting, new-age, faux business 2.0 guru.

Drucker Said "Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast" And Enterprise Rent-A-Car Proves It

To play off of Peter Drucker’s quotation, “Enterprise Rent-A-Car invited National Car Rental and Alamo Rent-A-Car to the culture breakfast – and they ate it!”

What Is Periscope And How Can You Use It For Business Video Streaming?

As the year closes out companies are looking for the next tool or service to experiment with to advance their business strategy in the New Year. For many this new tool is called Periscope, a video streaming/ broadcasting service from Twitter. Learn how it works and why it matters for businesses in 2016 below.

How to Spend New Year's Eve in Every Time Zone Through These Luxury Rentals

As New Year’s Eve approaches, TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals makes it possible for you to experience the clock striking 12 in nearly every time zone sharing the ultimate places on earth, by time zone, to ring in the New Year. The list below breaks down some of the best luxury places on earth to celebrate the start to 2016. Many of us already use TripAdvisor to read reviews prior to our vacations and now with over 740,000 property rentals, they take it one step further by providing locations with built in reviews.

Diagnosing Theranos

It couldn’t have been easy for Elizabeth Holmes, CEO & founder of the controversial blood test company Theranos, to prepare for an interview with Matt Herper at the Forbes Healthcare Summit. Six months ago, armed with an alliance with Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., Theranos seemed like the future of testing and an answer to high-priced laboratory regimes managed by Quest Diagnostics Inc. and Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings. Holmes herself was portrayed as a welcome iconoclast, the disruptor of an entire industry who challenged the system on behalf of American patients and made on behalf of American patients and made herself a billionaire along the way. It's the kind of story Shark Tank America falls in love with.

Study: Tech Firms Create Wealth, Not Jobs

Has the “job” run its course? Although U.S. unemployment remained at 5% for the second straight month, new research at the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford suggests that far fewer people will work in traditional jobs in the more digital world of the future--and that anyone who wants to keep working needs to plan for this.

6 Predictions About Digital Marketing In 2016

It’s that time of year again. A time to reflect on the state of online marketing over the past year and a time to figure out how to score big marketing wins over the year to come. Since every new year brings new marketing challenges, we can use these predictions to help build forward-thinking strategies that help us win tomorrow while our competitors fight to keep up.

How Building A Community From Zero Is Like Standing At The Base Of Everest

Getting people to engage with something new is difficult. Here's how I'm attempting to get my message out.

The Proven Predictor Of Sales Success Few Are Using

What if I told you there is a hiring trait, that when it comes to hiring salespeople, is a far better predictor to success than everything you are using today?

Making Climate Change Fashionable - The Garment Industry Takes On Global Warming

The apparel industry accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions and remains the second largest industrial polluter, second only to oil. This $3 trillion global industry uses a quarter of all chemicals produced on earth. But the Slow Fashion Movement has taken a different path and is producing eco-friendly garments that last years longer than the Fast Fashion we’ve become used to. As the COP21 climate change talks are underway in Paris this week, fashion has more of a role to play than ever imagined.

Lockheed Martin Corp. To Exit Commercial Cybersecurity, Double-Down On Helicopters And Combat Jets

Lockheed Martin Corp. has been planning to sell off or spin off its roughly $4 billion government information technology business since earlier this year. That would include its Cybersecurity unit. "The cyber programs that will remain with the company are mostly focused on defense and intelligence customers and will be realigned into the Corporation’s other four business segments" says Dan Nelson, Vice President, Corporation Communications at Lockheed.

Leading Faithfully On Monday After A Week Of Tragedy

We are living in a world of regularly recurring tragedy. This week, it was shootings in San Bernandino. Last month, it was Paris. Before that? Sandy Hook. Aurora. Columbine. This list could go on.

CSAA Kicks Off CSAA/Verisk Data Exchange Project

The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) board of directors formally approved the CSAA/Verisk Data Exchange Project at its October 11 annual meeting in Sonoma, Calif.

Ohio Statehouse Adds Metal Detectors, Bans Backpacks

Metal detectors have been installed at three entrances to the Ohio Statehouse as part of increased security measures.

The Mobile Force Awakens: Predicting a Year of Chaos in 2016

The original Star Wars movie opened in 1977 when I was in sixth grade. I saw it five times because I loved the story and the characters. Inspired by the return of Star Wars to the big screen this holiday season, here are my enterprise mobility predictions for 2016.

Biometrics Might Help Make Your Furture Travel Experience Better, But Can You Trust Them?

If travel consumers get their way, airline travel in the future could feature seating sections arranged by function – families, business travelers, sleepers and those who want to watch or listen to entertainment – and lots of new technologies like biometrics and robotics that could make negotiating the travel process a whole lot easier.

More Trouble For VTech -- Kids Tablet Is 'Easy' To Hack

There's more trouble for VTech, as at least one of its tablets is deemed easy to hack and it is failing to answer questions on whether it even has a security team.

7 Self-Limiting Behaviors Successful Entrepreneurs Never Do

Entrepreneurial success seems ephemeral and is certainly not guaranteed. So, why do some entrepreneurs achieve success and others do not? How do you become as successful as Mark Zuckerberg? As a business advisor for many years, I’ve noticed that the most successful entrepreneurs are more than just great business people. They are also masterful at honest self-inquiry, and change their self-limiting behaviors from unconscious hindrances to conscious advancements, personally and professionally. Their success is, across the board, built on both business acumen and personal growth.

Buy Kids iPhones And Kill Connected Toys -- Hacker Advice To Parents After Awful VTech Breach

After connected toy and tablet maker VTech is hacked and 5 million customers' data stolen, security pros recommend parents keep their kids away from such devices and use trusted tech like Apple's iPhone.

Here's Why Your Employer Gets Nervous When You Post Pictures On Facebook

What are the risks of employees posting photos on social media? This question was originally answered on Quora by Brian Varner.

HPE Discover - This Is No Longer Your Grandfathers Hewlett Packard

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is in London this week for their Discover event, and it could not be more apparent that from Day One, we are no longer dealing with an HP of the past.

The Cloud Is Actually Protecting Your Medical Data

Though security is still a big barrier to cloud adoption, healthcare organizations that have deployed cloud systems, whether it is through electronic medical records or other private cloud analytics services, have seen improvements in their technological capacity, financial metrics, time management, workforce productivity, and reduced security risk.

Roger Gurnani Has A Front Row Seat For The Digital And IoT Revolutions At Verizon

Roger Gurnani has been with a Verizon since its inception, and worked for one of the predecessor companies for a while prior to that. As such, he has had a front-row seat in the development of the internet practically since its popular inception. He has been involved in dial-up connectivity through to the fastest wifi connections; he has helped evolve from 1G through 4G phone connectivity, and he and his colleagues are working on 5G at the moment. He has also been involved in digital business in a variety of meaningful ways, including digital streaming of content through practically all functional forms of consumption. Gurnani is now involved in leading one of the biggest Internet of Things implementations in the world, and Verizon is already among the largest revenue companies when it comes to IoT.

How Private Hackers Can 'Rip Off' Governments By Selling $12,000 Wi-Fi Spy Boxes For $200,000

The tech used to spy on smartphones via Wi-Fi hacking and Stingray boxes is cheap to make but very expensive to buy. Little wonder so many firms, whether from the US or China, are trying to sell their kit across the globe.

Towards A Better World: The New Sustainable Development Goals and Why You Should Care

I recently connected with Felix Dodds, a global sustainable development leader who has worked on sustainable development for more than two decades observing and participating in international development meetings, including the recently concluded negotiations on the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and asked for his take on the UN's New Sustainable Development Goals and why the business community should get behind them.

Why Your Company Should Stop Trying To Be Like Google

There have been a lot of articles written about Google’s amazing workplace culture. Many organizations today are seeing the press and fanfare regarding how great the organization is and are trying to copy it. Google has an open floor plan? We want an open floor plan! Google lets you bring your dog to work? We have to do that to? Google has unlimited meals and on-site dry-cleaning? We must have that to! It doesn't always have to be Google though, it can be Netflix, Facebook, Linkedin, or any other "cool" company out there. The thing to remember is that these other organizations aren't investing in these things for fun or because they wan all the media attention. They are doing it because these things fit within their corporate culture, values, mission, vision, and strategic direction. These are thought out and planned efforts not some investments made on a whim to make the company look like Pinocchio's island.

Steve Trotter Eyes Third Niagara Falls Barrel Plunge: 'My Last Big Hurrah, Dude!'

In this mad world of stunt-person outdoing stunt-person with increasingly complex escapades (witness 60 Minutes’ recent piece on JT Holmes helicoptering to the Eiger summit to ski, fly and parachute off), Steve Trotter remains firmly planted in the old school and simple. His barrel rides over Niagara Falls in 1985 and 1995 are the stuff of legend within the Buffalo, NY, community, and among conventional daredevils.

SEC Alleges Bitcoin Mining Companies Operated $20 Million Ponzi Scheme

The Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil fraud charges against a Vermont man and two companies he controlled, alleging that the purported Bitcoin mining operation touted to investors was a giant Ponzi scheme that took in at least $20 million from over 10,000 victims. In a complaint filed today in a Connecticut federal court, the Commission charged Homero Joshua Garza, GAW Miners, LLC, and ZenMiner, LLC with multiple violations of federal securities laws. The Commission is seeking injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, imposition of civil monetary penalties, and prejudgment interest. The enforcement action is the second filed by the SEC involving allegations of a Bitcoin-based Ponzi scheme.

Taj Sets Its Sights On India, Southeast Asia And The Middle East With 17 New Hotels

With a new management team in place and the backing of global powerhouse Tata Group, Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces is planning to add 17 properties and 2,000 rooms by the end of 2016.

Look Who Pushed World No. 19 Economy Taiwan Into Recession

Taiwan’s economy, ranked world No. 19 by the World Bank, officially went into recession in the July-September quarter. Not just wage-wary workers and price-picky exporters on the industrialized island of 23 million people should pay attention to the 0.3% decline in the third quarter following a 1.14% slip in the second. Taiwan fell into recession – based on two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth – partly because of hesitant consumer spending in parts of the world and a fall in oil prices (bad if your factory pre-purchased crude at the old higher rates). But the recession story has an eerier, longer-term moral that will threaten Taiwan later even if the half-trillion-dollar economy bounces back next year. That lesson applies not only to Taiwan. Any country dependent on exports, from shoes to smartphones, can learn from it.

Why JPMorgan Chase And On Deck Capital Are Teaming Up To Offer Small Business Loans

It?s not really alternative lending anymore when JPMorgan Chase, the biggest bank in the country, and On Deck Capital, a major marketplace lender, team up on small-business lending.

7 Keys To A New Business Model For Today's Economy

Since the financial downturn of 2008, I have seen a new business model emerging which embodies a greater focus on social and environmental responsibility, and a new requirement for trust and sharing, as well as customer and community collaboration. Companies like Airbnb, Uber, Zappos, and Whole Foods are setting the example, and leading the way in profitability and purpose.

How These Founders Built A $1 Million+ Business And Acquired A Competitor All While Bootstrapped

These days, it seems rare to meet entrepreneurs who have opted to bypass the route of raising venture capital in favor of a building a business that sustains itself through revenue. Josh Goldstein and Chris Muir, cofounders of an NYC-based hiring startup that’s quietly amassed a customer list with some of the best-known technology companies in New York and San Francisco, including companies like Kickstarter, Warby Parker, and Etsy, have done just that. Underdog.io took to its blog today to announce that it had acquired Sourcing.io, another company in the recruiting space, for an undisclosed sum.

How SunEdison And TerraForm Power Made An Enemy Out Of Billionaire David Tepper

Inside the fiery board meeting that caused TerraForm Power shareholders to accuse SunEdison of mis-managing its yieldco.

IRS Trying To Make It Harder To Qualify As Real Estate Pro

The IRS bit off more than it could chew when it tried to claim that Roy Stanley did not qualify for real estate trade or business relief from the passive activity loss rules. The decision in his case has not attracted much attention, but advisers to major real estate players would be well advised to study it. Even Donald Trump's guys should take a good look at it.

Congress Gives Up On Paying For Extenders...And That's Fine

Nothing is certain in Washington, of course, but it appears that congressional leaders are on the verge of a major deal that would at least partially relieve the annual burden of passing so-called tax extenders. A massive proposal that would permanently extend the research credit, the expanded EITC, and section 179 expensing is in the works. But nothing is free in Washington either. Some organizations are decrying the $700 billion price tag and calling the potential compromise irresponsible. While laudable, this criticism misses the mark.

How Laurene Powell Jobs' XQ Institute Is Inspiring Entrepreneurs To Help Fix America's High Schools

Laurene Powell Jobs? XQ Institute is hoping to revolutionize education.

What You Need To Know To Create A Successful App On A Shoestring

Building a successful app on a very tight budget isn't easy, but it's doable, and it's smart. Here's how, and what to avoid.

The 5 Biggest SEO Lessons We Learned In 2015

As you analyze this year?s metrics and consider what adjustments you?ll make in 2016, remember these five lessons we learned over the past year.

Nigerian Philanthropist Tony Elumelu In Search For 1000 African Entrepreneurs For 2016

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has announced TEEP 2016, the second annual round of the $100m Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Programme (TEEP) for emerging African entrepreneurs.

Small Business Saturday Spending Tops $16.2 Billion, A 14% Increase From Last Year

Small Business Saturday took place this past weekend. American Express created Small Business Saturday in 2010 to help bring more awareness and consumer dollars to small businesses during the busiest shopping season of the year. It has accomplished just that, with the most recent edition the most successful yet according to results from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express.

No Time For Networking? Time To Rethink Your Priorities

Quick, name your top priorities as CEO of a growing startup. Funding? Sure, of course. That’s huge. Hiring? Yes, especially in the beginning, when getting the right team in place is so important. Product development? Check. Managing growth? You bet — and what a great problem to have.

Corruption And 'Tenderpreneurs' Bring Kenya's Economy To Its Knees

70% of all corruption in Kenya is related to procurement-related contracts, and it is holding Kenya's prosperity

Uber Seems To Be Getting Its Butt Kicked In China

Uber and its Chinese rival Didi Kuaidi are locked in a billion-dollar battle to control the world's largest ride-hailing market. And Uber's losing.

China And The Changing Global Economic Order

The IMF has just made the yuan the first reserve currency to belong to a country that is not a clear U.S. ally. How the U.S. deals with the increasing power of China and other emerging countries is the crucial question for the future of the global economic system that Washington is the chief architect of.

Why Solitude Is Crucial For Creative Leadership

While waiting for our luggage to appear on the conveyor belt at Tribhuvan International Airport, a local man who flew with me from Doha to Kathmandu looked over and asked, “Trekking?”

The State Of Venture Capital In Utah

Utah, its startup scene, and its venture capital industry have been featured in every major business publication this year. Here's what local venture capitalists have to say about why the state is thriving.

Do We Need A New Judicial Fast Lane To Combat Trade Secret Theft?

A proposed new trade secret law has a potentially nasty payload

How Will the Developing World Help the Paris Climate Summit Reach Carbon Reduction Goals?

By Peter Asmus

Injured In Austria? Sue In Austria, Supreme Court Says

A woman injured in an Austrian train accident can't sue in U.S. courts, the Supreme Court rules.

How Perky Jerky, The Caffeinated Beef Jerky, Lost Its Perk

What happens when the product that got you started needs to change?

Former BlackBerry Execs Create A Chip That Can See Through Walls Using Wireless Signals

We're totally submerged in wireless radio signals coming off all our electronics these days, and a new startup wants to take advantage of these ubiquitous wireless signals. Cognitive Systems is developing a chip that can pick up and analyze all of it -- that includes wireless radio signals in everything from cell phones to WiFi routers to even a TV's remote controller.

Bridging the Cyber Gap

SDM attended the premiere of Dunbar Security’s new managed Security Solutions Division — and a state-of-the-art operations center that combines security systems, protective services and cybersecurity all under one roof.

FLIR Systems Acquires DVTEL Inc.

FLIR Systems Inc. has acquired DVTEL Inc., a manufacturer of software and hardware technologies for advanced video surveillance, for approximately $92 million.

CANASA Appoints New Executive Director

The Canadian Security Association (CANASA) has appointed Heather Terrence, CAE as its new executive director.

7 Tips From The FBI To Prepare Your Firm For A Cyber Attack

An overview of the cybersecurity efforts of the FBI and 7 tips to help your firm prepare for a cyber attack.

2016 IRA, 401K And Roth IRA Contribution Limits

For 2016, you can contribute up to $18,000 to your 401k, and the maximum Regular or Roth IRA contribution is $5,500; $6,000 if you are over age 50.

Popcorn Time Goes Communal In Response To MPAA Pressure

Popcorn Time, an infamous open source project that makes pirating films via Bittorrent as easy as using Netflix is back yet again after development was suspended for about three weeks.

Retiree Sues Apple For $7,500 for Wiping Honeymoon Photos From His iPhone

"15 years worth of contacts" were also lost

Kanye West And The Art Of Design Thinking

On December 2nd, Footwear News will honor Kanye West with the “Shoe Of The Year Award", acknowledging the success and cultural imprint of his Addidas Yeezy Boost. “The sneaker releases dominated the market in 2015, as demand for the product crashed servers, sparked extraordinary resale value, and created a need for mob control in stores,” the renowned sneaker source expressed in a statement explaining their decision.

A Series Of Unfortunate Tech Predictions - Blockchain

It's the time of year when futurists and all manner of tech analysts decide to break out the crystal ball and make some predictions for the coming months and years. Of course, I'm no different, but I don't need the title of futurist to do it. I've decided rather than write one long-winded article about several trends, to break it up a little and write a series of shorter articles tackling each one I see having a major impact on both businesses (vendor and end client alike) and consumers in general.

2016 Kiddie Tax Rates, Rules And Ways Around It

The 2016 kiddie tax will tax children's interest, dividends and capital gains over $2,100 at their parent's tax rates. This post explains when the kiddie tax applies, what the rates are and how you can get around it.

Why Dunkin' Brands' CIO Was Asked to Lead Strategy As Well

When Jack Clare joined Dunkin' Brands, holding company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins in 2012, he did so after a stint as CIO of Yum! Restaurants International. He took over a traditional IT function, but two and a half years into his time at Dunkin, there was a need for someone to lead corporate strategy for the company. The leadership team called upon Clare to take on these added responsibilities. The leadership team was impressed with the job he had done as CIO, but also were pleased that he had management consulting experience, and had worked on matters of strategy in his past. The fact that so much of business strategy is enabled by information and technology was an added reason. As such, Clare, now the Chief Information and Strategy Officer of Dunkin' Brands, is part of a small but growing group of CIOs who have taken over the strategy function. In this interview, he describes the reasons why he feels he got the combined role, the reasons why CEOs he spoke with were not surprised, and his thoughts about whether other CIOs will increasingly follow in his footsteps.

Gambling Darling Paysafe Confirms 7.8 Million Customers Hit In Epic Old Hacks

Neteller and Skrill owner confirms historical breaches affected 7.8 million customers. It is just disclosing the attacks after FORBES informed the firm of two sizeable leaked databases.

What's Really Behind The Low Rate Of Women's Entrepreneurship In The Middle East

Women's entrepreneurship surged in Israel, and other insights from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor's report on women.

Paying For College: Wipe Out $28,000 In Capital Gains In Your Kid's UTMA Account

With the stock market at all-time highs, parents whose children will not qualify for need-based college aid can combine their investment gains with this gifting tax strategy to wipe out $28,000 in capital gains each year while a child is in college. That's a pretty good way to pay for college, and it can pay dividends in retirement, too.

How Not To Look For A Job

Looking for a new job involves risk. Your employer and colleagues might find out before you want them to; unpleasant political situations in your current job may arise. Then there are pointless calls from search agents and the sometimes unfathomable logic behind some of their career suggestions.

Ghosts of Tax Shelters Past and the Return of the Listed Transactions

For those of us who lived through it, and survived to tell the tale, the Turn of the Century brought about an interesting period in American tax law.

Behold The Ultimate Expedition Yacht

The new line of expedition yachts from Dutch shipbuilders Damen shows that there’s much more to some superyachts than meets the eye. In fact, since Damen’s designers and engineers are also highly experienced warship builders, their SeaXplorer design concept that ranges in size from 213 - 328 feet long will literally be able to go anywhere on earth because they will be built as tough as a warship.

These Startup Accelerators Help Women Scale Their Companies

Accelerators can help you develop your business and fill your network with the right people. Here are 10 that focus on women-led companies.

The Best Whiskey in the World Is Canadian

Jim Murray—the man behind the Whisky Bible—named Canada’s Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye as the world’s best whiskey for 2016.

This Fast-Growing Startup Is Taking Twitter Back To The Jukebox Era

In a past life, Tim Fargo grew his home-based startup, Omega Insurance Services, into an Inc. 500 company that First Advantage Corporation bought for $20 million.

How To Be Calm Under Pressure

Staying composed, focused, and effective under pressure are all about your mentality.

IMF Slaps "Currency Manipulation" Advocates, Adds Yuan To The World's Mighty Currencies

The Chinese Yuan is rising -- on the list of mighty currencies that is. On Monday, the IMF added the Chinese currency, also known as Renminbi, on its list of reserve currencies. IMF’s decision comes shortly after the yuan beat the Japanese yen to become the world’s fourth largest currency of

This 20-Year-Old Teaches Us How To Learn Anything In A Month

Before I get into details, you need to know a few things about Grooms.

Does Every Entrepreneur Think About Throwing In The Towel?

I was scared to hit publish on this post. But that's precisely the reason why I had to do it.

Caviar Dreams: Why A Florida Startup Is Farming Siberian Sturgeon Amid The Spanish Moss

Oranges may be Florida's best known agricultural product, but if Chris Cogan, the CEO of a startup called Healthy Earth has his way, the state could soon be almost as well known for its high-quality caviar, produced under the label Black Opal. The company is applying sustainable aquaculture techniques to produce caviar from Siberian sturgeon amid the moss-laden trees and palms of the Mote Marine Science Laboratory campus.

Holiday Spirits: 8 Best Whiskeys for the New Year

Skip the Champagne this New Year. Celebrate with bolder spirits, such as these whiskey picks from the experts.

Post-Paris, a Fundamental Rethink of Corporate Security Is In Order

By Bill Udell

Etsy Reinvents Business Education For Social Entrepreneurs

Through Etsy's new nonprofit, the company wants to create place-based business education for entrepreneurs seeking social change.

The Collaboration That Took My Fashion Line's Branding To Extraordinary

“For better or for worse, our company is a reflection of my thinking, my character, my values.” –Rupurt Murdock

Inside The World's First Underwater Tennis Court

The folks in Dubai seem to love their tennis courts. In 2005, the world’s highest tennis court was built atop the 1,000-foot-tall Burj al Arab Hotel. And now, the city may venture beneath the sea with the world’s first underwater tennis court.

An Interview with MP3.com Founder Michael Robertson On The Launch Of His New Venture: Onrad.io

Longtime entrepreneur Michael Robertson founded MP3.com at the dawn of the digital music industry. He now returns with a new startup - Onrad.io - which aggregates a vast number of online radio streams in order to provide listeners with not only the precise song they want, but a steady stream of music curated by actual djs. In this conversation, George Howard discusses not only this new startup, but also Michael's views on entrepreneurship generally.

The Five Most Important Threats to Your Financial Life

It has been said that, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." The reasons may vary, but the result is always the same: an unmet goal! In this article we will discuss the "five major risks" most people face and learn how to avoid them.

Playa Grande Beach Club: A Private Dominican Hideaway Opens To New Guests

"Once you pass through the gatehouse, you are immersed in a nostalgic Caribbean fairy-tale world with lacy gingerbread architecture and putting-green lawns."

Top Things to Do in London for Christmas

Who said London is dark and dreary in winter? With splendid Christmas decorations filling the streets and festive lights wrapped around trees, London feels nothing but enchanting this time of year.

4 Benefits Of Using Storytelling In Marketing

Brand storytelling isn’t a new concept, as Susan Gunelius wrote back in 2013. Brands of all sizes realize the need to entertain their customers and prospects via the age-old method of storytelling. And just as Gunelius wrote back in 2013, "the opportunities to tell stories as part of direct and indirect brand marketing initiatives have become a strategic priority."

How 5 Minutes Today Will Increase Your Optimism - Your Choice

No matter if current events aren’t what you’d most like to see, a good portion of your optimism, or happiness level, is under your personal control. It's time to work on boosting it.

Paris Now: How To Get Business Back On Track

In the short-term, Paris continues to reel from the Nov 13 terror attacks. But political leaders are moving forward with reforms and business leaders see a positive difference.

Tax Court Holds Pending Income Tax Refund Is Includable In Federal Gross Estate

The case below demonstrates the scope of “property” for federal estate tax purposes. The issue was whether a pending income tax refund was includable in the decedent’s federal gross estate. Interestingly, the case highlights the different treatment that may result if a decedent had undisputed and unpaid tax liabilities that may offset that refund.

The New Race To Dominate Outer Space: All Face 'Serious Growing Foreign Threat'

Given the dual-use nature of space technology, anti-satellite (ASAT) testing in outer space is not surprising. Nor is it unusual to have space experts talking about this issue. But it is unexpected to find many governments around the world increasingly open about acquiring such capabilities. This openness, while worrisome, represents an opportunity for them all to back away from the deadly counterspace race that they are creating.

Museum Of Neon Art Gets A Los Angeles Preview

Museum of Neon turns the lights on in Los Angeles

The New Race to Dominate Outer Space: All Face "Serious Growing Foreign Threat"

Given the dual-use nature of space technology, anti-satellite (ASAT) testing in outer space is not surprising. Nor is it unusual to have space experts talking about this issue. But it is unexpected to find many governments around the world increasingly open about acquiring such capabilities. This openness, while worrisome, represents an opportunity for them all to back away from the deadly counterspace race that they are creating.

The Most Serene New Retreat In China

The new Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain is a supremely serene retreat near one of China's most sacred and picturesque mountains.

What To Do When You Get Hacked: Eight Technology Executives Explain

Hacking happens. The best thing to do is to respond transparently and devise a serious security plan for the future.

Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain

Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain

Digital Risk Management: When Dependency Meets Disaster

Recent global events should make everyone sensitive to the risks we all face every day just living our lives. Life in New York has still not returned to “normal” after 9/11 and life in Paris will never quite be the same, at least not in our lifetimes. Those touched by airline and other transportation disasters are also permanently scarred. Weather disasters are growing in frequency and severity, and many of these events create local and regional energy and communications grid outages that disrupt everything digital – and more.

Four Factors That Stopped The American Startup

As the financial crisis was being resolved in December 2008 I heard someone say, “Wait ’til the startups get going – they’ll end this recession and crank up the economy again.” Of course, this maxim had caught on previously because when you start a business, you create at least one job.

Women's Entrepreneurship And Innovation Surge Globally

Women's entrepreneurship is picking up rapid momentum around the world, according to a sweeping new study showing dramatic signs of female progress in new business creation.

21 Most Beautiful Places In The World To Visit

Explore stunning architectural feats, a tropical paradise, and a small Scandinavian town.

Why Is Venture Capital Not More Productive: The Unintended Consequence of Great PR

The reality is that venture capital, and venture capitalists, have oversold themselves as brilliant seers. They have heavily promoted their home runs for two very good reasons.

Abe's Japan Looks Economically Exhausted

Abenomics is stalling and the reason is that the third arrow of structural reform has not been used effectively.

Why Do We Lie To Ourselves About Our Mistakes?

The human brain has a mind of its own.

New Index Promises Greater Foreign Exchange Transparency

A new index promises to bring greater transparency to the murky foreign exchange market - particularly in middling amounts where most individual and SME transactions would fit.

Don't Lose A Kid In Flight: Get An Air New Zealand Tracking Wristband

Sometimes, when children fly alone, their parents temporarily lose track of them and airlines get blamed.

How To Make Money From 'Smart' Homes

A number of new business models will be pioneered by start-ups looking to make it big in the 'smart' home sector.

Inspiring Young Indian Startups With The Under 25 Club

It’s young India that’s taking up the baton when it comes to new ideas and entrepreneurial startups, so why not create a network for those aged 25 and below, who want to be taken a little more seriously? That’s exactly what two enterprising youth did when they created a business from the Under 25 Club they began as college students.

Launching Your New Product? Power Success Using The 'Master Mind' Principle

“Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel, and personal cooperation of a group … This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great fortune.” (Napoleon Hill)

This Week In Credit Card News: Top Items Bought With Your Stolen Card; Why EMV Transactions Are Slow

18 Most Popular Things Fraudsters Buy with Your Credit Card

Why Small Business Saturday Is The Most Important Day To Shop This Holiday Season

The Saturday following Thanksgiving plays hide and seek between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but easily stands on it's own as one of the most important shopping days of the year. Founded six years ago in response to small business owners' most pressing need - getting more customers during the busy holiday shopping season - Small Business Saturday has quickly earned its' stripes among holiday traditions. Last year alone, 88 million consumers shopped small on Small Business Saturday - which was up 14.9 percent from 2013. Additionally, consumers spent $14.3 billion at local and independent businesses on Small Business Saturday in 2014, and this year the hype and buzz surrounding the day seems to have only increased.

The 10 Very Best Family Holiday Specials In & Around Orlando ( Including Falling Snow)

What better way to celebrate the season together?

The Best of Cambodia: Siem Reap Blessings, Camping with Cobras, Elephant Rescues and Angelina Jolie

This was my first trip to Cambodia and I wanted to experience it with the best luxury options available, so I enlisted luxury tour operator Audley Travel. They created a top of the line itinerary focusing specially on out of the ordinary locations and experiences including the coolest five-star hotels. I loved having the trip created for me, including personable and informative guides and first class car service with good shocks. This is a useful luxury travel service that is a must when visiting exotic locations like Asia.

It's Not Just The Money: Putting UK Cyber Security Startups On The Map

The UK government may be just a little strapped for cash at the moment, but Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne has nonetheless managed to find an extra £1.9bn to bolster investment in cyber security. And at least £165m has been earmarked for investment in startups through the establishment of a

Cyber Monday Promises Huge Flash Travel Deals

Experts expect more than double the number of flash sales on airfare following Cyber Monday.

3 Entrepreneurs Who Built Success Out Of Nothing

We've all heard the Andrew Carnegie story—his literal rise from rags to riches is the stuff of legend.

Help A Reporter Out (HARO): Your PR Agency's Worst Nightmare

The PR world has changed rapidly over the last few years and HARO has led the way. The days of relying on PR agencies to secure your company media are gone. Thanks to social media and companies like HARO it is easier then ever to handle your companies PR in-house. HARO allows reporters to find their sources for stories and allows entrepreneurs to easily secure great media opportunities, at no cost.

Fundraising In Hot And Cold Markets

The following post was published on the Knowledge@Wharton website on November 10, 2015. It’s the ultimate financial conundrum for entrepreneurs: They need money in order to make money. Investment is key to growing a fledgling business, but it can also be one of the toughest components to secure. In “Dynamic Adverse Selection: Time Varying Market Conditions and Endogenous Entry,”Pavel Zryumov, a Wharton professor of finance, explores the fundraising process in both hot and cold markets, finding that in cold market conditions, entrepreneurs and firms with projects above the average quality strategically delay their fundraising decisions. An edited transcript of the conversation appears below. Crucial to Growth

Top Ten Tax Cases (And Rulings) Of 2015: #6 - More Bad News For The Marijuana Industry

It’s finally over. The October 15th tax deadline is behind us, which means tax practitioners have mercifully finished their filings for the year. Unless of course, you chose to make your career in the not-for-profit world, in which case you deserve the extra month of misery.

Mexico Media Roundup: Education Reform And Economic Growth

November has been an interesting month in Mexico. In addition to reports about ongoing violence in the states of Guerrero and Michoacan, Mexico saw its GDP growth forecast reduced. Nevertheless, many analysts continue to remain optimistic about Mexico's long-term growth prospects.

The Hidden Threat To The Coworking Movement

With coworking giant We Work at a reported $10 billion valuation and many competitors crowding into the market, it might seem that there’s never been a better time for free agents to find a cool, shared office space. But in many big cities, this popular alternative to working from home faces a big threat: high real estate prices.

Social Media For Health Care, Who's Doing It Right

Social media marketing for health care provides unprecedented opportunities for educating patients, increasing outreach, and recruiting a new generation of health care professionals. These five standout campaigns will show you how it’s done.

If You Want Something Done, Delegate It Yourself

Delegation is not a binary thing. There are more options than being a dictator or an anarchist. If you want to get things done, learn how to delegate yourself.

What Causes Americans The Most Stress? [Infographic]

A survey conducted by GfK has revealed that money, self-pressure and lack of sleep are the three major causes of stress in people's daily lives across the globe. Overall, nearly three in ten people said that the amount of money they have to live on is their leading cause of stress. As people get older, health issues also develop into a major stress factor.

Millennial CEO Rachel Cohen Shakes Up The Home Goods Market With Snowe

After Millennials Rachel Cohen and Andrés Modak finished their MBA’s from The Wharton School of Business and moved to New York, the couple became frustrated with the current home goods selection available for their new apartment. Believing that there was a gap in the market for customers looking for well made foundation pieces for the dining room, bathroom and bedroom, the duo decided to launch Snowe. Snowe is a no middle-man approach to homewares, and it’s quickly becoming known as the Everlane of home goods. Offering unfussy home essentials made from high-quality materials, Snowe offers products at direct-to-consumer prices.

The Good And The Bad Of Keeping Your Day Job During Startup

Although keeping day jobs helps bootstrap a startup, somebody needs to wake up everyday thinking about the business.

50 Green Companies Offering Discounts For Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Giving Tuesday

This weekend marks a crucial time of year for retailers. While physical stores look to Black Friday to tip the scales of their annual profitability, online stores beckon consumers with Cyber Monday and, now, Giving Tuesday deals for shops promoting on sustainable, ethical and charitable wares.

This Is What France's New Surveillance Laws Look Like

Since December 2014, France passed four separate laws expanding surveillance authority, data collection, and data retention. Since the Paris attacks (and with several suspects still at large), France expanded its 1955 State of Emergency law. Access policy analyst Estelle Mass has posted a detailed analysis of French surveillance. One change is that while the Home Affairs minister was previously allowed to place individuals under house arrest if “there are serious reasons to believe that his/her behavior constitutes a threat to security and public order,” his has now been expanded to also permit invasive surveillance. The government can also limit or suspend internet communications. It can also block websites that promote or incite terrorism without needing a judge's permission. Additionally, French president François Hollande is also proposing modifications to the French constitution.

UK To Create 'Shale Wealth Fund' Atop Hydrocarbon Taxation Support

Apart from the US and Canada, only Argentina and China happen to be producing either natural gas from shale formations or crude oil from tight formations at an international level. The UK is desperate to join the club, more so as the best days of its North Sea oil and gas assets appear to be behind it.

The Year's Dumbest Comments On Encryption And Surveillance

The dumbest quotes about encryption and surveillance from the last year or so.

Read This First, Before You Publish A Post On LinkedIn

It’s no secret thought leadership is the element of PR and content marketing that is currently compelling small businesses most. And now, LinkedIn’s platform makes long form publishing available to every subscriber, providing entrepreneurs of every variety with access in one degree or another to their entire network of more than 780 million.

'Worrying' 9 Per Cent Of Encrypted Web Vulnerable To Private Key Attacks

Hackers can easily impersonate a large range of web devices because networking vendors, from Cisco to Huawei to D-Link, are leaving encryption keys open to theft.