July 29, 2019

Is Commbank’s Pocket a New ‘Killer App’ for Investors?

 

Disclaimer: This article is informative in purpose and does not constitute financial advice.  The author urges you to obtain professional advice before pursuing any financial investment.

 

Recent days have seen the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) launch a new micro investing app. Joining apps like Raiz (previously Acorns), Spaceship Voyager, and others that seek to make it easy for everyone to grab a stake in the sharemarket for a minimal investment.

Given the CBA is a household name in Australia, could the Bank’s decision to get into this field make this release a new ‘killer app’? And what does the release of Pocket tell us about the convergence of traditional investment and user friendly digital technology right now?

What Pocket And Apps Like It Do

Put simply, Pocket provides an easy way for investors to start investing.  Starting at $50, customers can buy units in an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF). With 7 funds currently offered by the app that range from exposure to tech companies and sustainability leaders, to emerging markets and top 200 on the Australian Stock Exchange.

As an exchange-traded fund (ETF) isn’t an individual stock but a collection of them pooled together, ETFs … Click to continue reading

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July 7, 2019

How Do I Actually Hire One? The Path to Getting a Ghostwriter

The ghostwriting industry has such vagueness in public perception that the actual job title of ghostwriter can sound really mysterious. Many people don’t feel well-versed in understanding what exactly a ghostwriter does. Those who know how a ghostwriter generally works will still often be unsure what steps are involved to acquire one.

For those who feel they’re yet to understand the ghostwriting process, let’s go through it step by step detailing a typical content creation process. But first, we have to answer the most important question.

Why Hire a Ghostwriter Anyway?

For some writers the idea someone would ask ‘why should I bother hiring you anyway?’ might just be unsettling. Maybe shocking even. But at the end of the day, professional ghostwriters need to speak the language of business. And that means if a prospective client asks an enquiry about the value of your work and how it can benefit them – you need to provide a solid answer.

When it comes to the enquiries and conversations I have with prospective clients, I’m always ready to answer this question, and do so by outlining the following factors. There is a greater need than ever in the online world for … Click to continue reading

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April 13, 2018

Privacy and Proton Mail: Email in the Era of Cambridge Analytica

 

Recent weeks have seen renewed attention on user privacy and data management. Following the multi-party scandal involving Facebook and the data digital consulting firm Cambridge Analytica. Many online users are newly anxious about how their data is managed, and how they can better protect it in future. For those yet to be across the scandal, a good recap can be found here.

In light of this, a review of ProntonMail is timely. For those yet to hear of it, ProtonMail (PM) was founded in 2014 by Andy Yen, Jason Stockman and Wei Sun. These three CERN scientists developed an email app with client-side encryption that’s now viewed as a leader in user privacy and data management. Let’s look at PM in-depth now.

What Makes PM Unique

Offering end-to-end encryption, PM’s platform ensures emails you send are seen only by sender and recipient. Even the PM team themselves can’t see what you send.

Sharing information with third parties is out altogether. So unlike other email clients that readily collect data on its users to sell to advertisers, people who use PM mail will not be subject to the standard data gathering practices. For those who treasure their privacy … Click to continue reading

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February 5, 2018

Remote Work Versus Real-World: Your Essential Briefing

Update 2020: The following piece was written well before the coronavirus pandemic’s global outbreak that has so rapidly altered how we work and do business daily.

The enduring economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic in the long term surrounding remote work remain debated today, and will not be clear for some time. As a result it’s too early in this writer’s mind to make a detailed prediction about what exactly remote work in a post-coronavirus world may look like. This said, it does appear impossible to imagine a post-coronavirus world would see a huge decrease in this trend to remote work.

Indeed the pandemic has seen a massive increase of it that is more likely than not to sustain in some fashion going forward. Accordingly the writer feels the following piece is still reflective of the foundational trends we’ve seen in this space in recent years, and the trends we shall continue to see in years ahead. 

“Remote Work: a role that allows you to write a report on your couch, prep a presentation from a cafe, or even work a whole job from a tropical island.”

In the world of productivity today remote work is right up there is … Click to continue reading

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January 31, 2018

What Does GoPro’s Decline and Kodak’s Comeback Mean for the Future of Video?

Disclaimer: This article is informative in purpose and does not constitute financial advice.  The author urges you to obtain professional advice before pursuing any financial investment.


January saw two particularly big stories in the world of cameras. Stories that would have been laughable just a few short years ago. The details of the stories is where the real significance comes in, but in just one sentence the stories at are their most scintillating.

This month GoPro announced plans to cut 20 percent of its workforce on January 8, as Kodak stock rose 147 per cent on January 9. Talk about your plot twists, eh?

Now, let’s be clear. The stories are not directly related to one another. Sure, the folks at GoPro may have thought till recently that Kodak were old dinosaurs. And OK, they may still be a veteran or two at Kodak who is still marveling at the Super 8, unsure what this GoPro fuss is.

Nonetheless, beyond the headlines these stories are related, and do speak to deeper trends. Let’s look at these a little more now.

Goodbye GoPro?

Like what Tesla is to electric cars, GoPro has been to the camera industry. A name not only … Click to continue reading

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April 30, 2017

Fake News’s Rise Reinvigorates Subscription Model Debate

Since inception subscription models for newspapers have been a hard sell for many. Sure, there’s the question of quality, of brand loyalty, and even incidental spending – a main masthead in the author’s hometown of Melbourne currently campaigns on subscription for just 50c (USD 38c) a day – but a tough question remains: Why would I buy access to news when I can get it for free?

In seeking to win subscriptions many newspapers now operate on a freemium model. From The Age in Melbourne all the way across the world to The New York Times, many newspapers now give readers a form of free access. This may be 1 article a day (reset every 24 hours), up to 30 articles a month (not reset daily but merely capped at 30), and beyond.

There are those who’ll happily pay for news, or incentivised by the promise of exclusive or bonus content. Yet when online news was free for so long, the idea of subsequently needing to pay for it is something many readers long found unpalatable. But the past year has changed this in a big way.

The Devil is in the Details

Tracing the exact origin of fake news is … Click to continue reading

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January 5, 2017

Ghostwriter Ethics: A Quiet Word on Quiet Work for New Writers

Depending on the sort of company you keep someone hearing you’re a ghostwriter can be met with a variety of responses. Some understand it and know it well off the bat (often other writers). Some have heard of the term but little beyond it. Some even think there’s something sinister about it. Ghostwriting is something of a misunderstood field, and this contributes to the ethics around it.

Yes, ethics. Unless you’re right now in a philosophy department of a university and all set to publish a revelatory thesis, it’s hard to always make that word sound thrilling. But it is functional. Good ethics can keep you clear of trouble, and ethics do indeed apply to being a ghostwriter. For new writers it can be hard to navigate the ghostwriting arena with so many unwritten rules.

So, rather than this being any sort of public confession by a ghostwriter (for this writer is bound by ethics and confidentiality agreements) it’s instead an outline of a couple of important conventions for those new to the field. May it help a new writer start their career, and avoid the pitfalls throughout.

… Click to continue reading
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