Disclosure

Representative Image (Image: Reuters) By Matthew Shinkman Cloud computing is growing in popularity and has become a solution for issues that have plagued organisations and overtaxed IT departments for years. In fact, the number of cloud managed service providers is predicted to triple by 2020. While executives are keen to expand into cloud services and make them an integral part of their digital business initiatives, there are some concerns. Risk executives are eyeing emerging risks around the chances of unauthorised access to sensitive or restricted information — or the possibility that the cloud provider won’t be able to provide access to information as a result of disruption in their own operations. Extreme financial and reputational damage has yet to occur as a result of cloud computing failures, but the possibility worries risk executives nevertheless. Close Despite the advantages, cloud computing comes with added vulnerability if data is stored … [Read more...] about Cloud computing tops list of emerging risks, reveals Gartner survey

The GST Council is likely to consider modification in summary return and monthly tax payment form, GSTR-3B, in its meeting next month, with a view to check fake input tax credit claims and expedite settlement of genuine ones, an official said. According to officials, the modified form will provide clarity with regard to gross input tax credit (ITC) due to the taxpayer, the amount claimed in a particular month and the net amount left in the taxpayer's ledger. A meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, the highest decision making body in the GST matter, is likely to be held next month. The modified form will help in checking bogus ITC claims and ensure that honest taxpayers are able to timely avail the ITC benefit. "The law committee of the GST Council is looking at streamlining the GSTR-3B so that there is further clarity on ITC disclosure. The modified GSTR-3B is expected to be put up before the Council in its next meeting," the official told PTI. Close … [Read more...] about GST Council may consider modification in monthly tax payment form for better ITC reporting

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This is the third part of a three part article regarding the 2021 wine vintage in Bordeaux, as well as in other regions of France. The first part—describing the vintage in general and wines from ‘left bank’ Bordeaux—is located here . The second part includes tasting notes from ‘right bank’ of Bordeaux , or the land located to the east of the Gironde Estuary, and this third part includes tasting notes about wines from the southern ‘Entre-Deux-Mers’ region, as well as general appellations that cover all of Bordeaux, and non-appellation wines. Also included are some wines from outside of Bordeaux and one white wine from South Africa. [Disclosure—I own shares in Etalon Rouge winery; hence the wine is not scored for overall quality.] Château Sainte-Marie. Vielles Vignes. Bordeaux Superieur. 2021. 92 points. This old vine Merlot includes hefty aromas of Crunchie chocolate bar, oak forest, maple syrup and raspberries and … [Read more...] about Vintage 2021 Part 3 – Bordeaux Entre-Deux-Mers And Others

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Sergey Gribov is a Partner at Flint Capital , an early-stage venture fund that invests across Israel, USA and Europe. In 2021, American VC-backed companies raised $329.9 billion . This is a nearly 100% increase over the record-breaking $166.6 billion raised in 2020. On top of this, early-stage VC activity surpassed $80 billion for the first time, and annual exit values soared to more than $774 billion. This huge influx of funds led to skyrocketing startup valuations in 2021. However, as the end of the Covid-19 pandemic appears to be on the horizon, entrepreneurs and investors alike are wondering what the future holds. Can these sky-high valuations last? Is this investment frenzy sustainable, or should we brace for a crash? Fortunately, the answers to these questions paint a brighter picture than you might expect. How The Federal Reserve Influences The VC Market The U.S. Federal Reserve is … [Read more...] about Startup Valuations Now: Are We In A Bubble?

Reverse mortgages can provide much-needed cash for seniors whose net worth is mostly tied up in the value of their home. A reverse mortgage is a loan for homeowners who are age 62 or older and have considerable home equity . It allows these seniors to borrow money against the value of their home and receive funds as a lump sum , a fixed monthly payment, or a line of credit . The entire loan balance becomes due and payable when the borrower dies, moves away permanently, or sells the home. However, there have been some issues associated with reverse mortgages. Aside from the potential for scams targeting the elderly, reverse mortgages have some legitimate risks . Despite recent reforms, there are still situations when a widow or widower could lose the home upon their spouse’s death. There also have been instances in which reverse mortgages have been advertised using false claims. For example, a California-based reverse mortgage broker falsely told potential … [Read more...] about What’s Prohibited in Reverse Mortgage Advertising?

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin With the planet at stake, business leaders need to drive ESG strategy across the enterprise ecosystem. ESG is everywhere these days—but even with its meteoric rise into the C-suite's psyche, there’s still a lot of ambiguity around what a successful ESG strategy looks like. To get some answers, we talked with Edua Dickerson, VP of ESG and finance strategy at ServiceNow. Dickerson is responsible for developing, activating, and overseeing the company’s ESG strategy. She also leads financial, talent, and reskilling initiatives. Her holistic insights into enterprise-wide environmental, social, and governance (ESG) efforts put her in a unique position to explain why right now is an inflection point for ESG programs around the world. Q: Everyone's talking about ESG. Why now? A: People are recognizing that the sustainability of the planet is at stake. If the world becomes unlivable, we all lose—even the best-run … [Read more...] about How ESG Went From PR Fad To Mission Critical

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin One night around 2007, Michael Odupitan and his friend, Terry Fulton, were sitting out on the stoop, enjoying the evening in Lake Worth, Fla. Lake Worth is a neighborhood technically within West Palm Beach, but a whole universe away from the mansions and glittering promenades. In fact, at the high school Odupitan and Fulton attended, two competing gangs had recently emerged. Rap music was helping to create a narrow, violent vision of what young people’s lives could be, Odupitan says. The friends had managed to stay somewhat removed, as athletes. But they still weren’t safe. There had already been shootings. As they bantered back and forth, they saw a car rolling down their street. Then, ominously, the headlights went off. They dove into the bushes. They crawled out a little while later, and that night they said, as they’d said before: “We have to get out of this community.” At that moment, not many people … [Read more...] about Topeka University Recruited A Football Player. What They Got Was A Community Leader.