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Life Tips for Personal, Financial and Business Growth

Maxwell

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Top 3 Cultural Cities In The UK

The UK is a mass of sprawling metropolises, with culture from across the board bubbling away upon the streets of the city. But where has the greatest amount of culture in the UK – and where is worth trying to squeeze every ounce of this culture from.

London, England

No mention of culture in the UK is complete without taking a quick tube tour of London. From the Victorian architecture to the V&A Museum, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Tate art galleries, almost every step across London’s pavement is steeped in culture. The height of London’s culture has to be the history that the city keep alive – from the Tower of London to Westminster Palace to the Royal Botanical Gardens (all UNESCO heritage sites). But part of the culture of London comes from the melting pot of people that the city attracts. Waiting staff by day, the indie theatres, music venues, and watering holes are populated at night by those with talents showing off the culture they hope to offer in the future. London’s culture is too vast to isolate and is best explored.

Liverpool, England

This port city may not be most people’s initial thoughts when it comes to high culture, but the European Capital of Culture 2008 is looking to spend 2018 showing why it was crowned in the first place. A slate of activities to showcase the unique Merseyside charm and appeal, including celebrations of The Beatles, performances by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and cash boosts for 14 of the city’s existing festivals. Liverpool is also known for it’s Aintree racecourse, which hosts the Grand National every April. As William Hill shows, the Grand National is a prestigious event that takes a glance at the sporting culture of the UK using the illustrious racecourse as a backdrop. Liverpool also boasts a waterway of culture with boat trips round the city that showcases the port history the city has to offer.

Edinburgh, Scotland

Heading up north, past Hadrian’s Wall and into bonny Scotland gives us another stop off on our cultural tour of the UK. Auld Reekie, as Edinburgh used to be known, has shifted its stinky image and replaced it with one of culture. From the Edinburgh Fringe to the King’s Theatre and Edinburgh Playhouse that showcase the delights beyond the wall, Edinburgh’s Golden Mile contains glimpses into its Celtic past. Edinburgh also boasts galleries and cultural landmarks such as the National Library of Edinburgh, the Nelson Monument, and the Scottish National Gallery. Just a short trip out of Scotland is the Scottish highland countryside, while Hadrian’s Wall sits 100miles below the city, offering a scenic depiction of the history between England and Scotland.

Almost every city in the UK has some aspect about itself that provides glimpses of culture, and almost all of them could have made the list. While everyone has their own favourite locations, London, Liverpool, and Edinburgh each offer a different look at how culture can be delivered by a city.

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Four Ways Smart Technology Is Infiltrating The Office

Smart technology is becoming more and more common in the home. From lights that turn on with the push of a button to doorbell cameras, we can expect our homes to get smarter and smarter over the coming years. It makes sense that we would expect our offices to get smarter too!

Although smart technology isn’t as talked about in the office, it’s slowly making its way behind commercial doors. Here are four ways smart technology is making itself home in the office.

The Cloud

Before talking about any kind of gadgets that work well in the office, it’s important to start with the thing that makes all those gadgets possible—the cloud.

With unified storage capabilities on the internet, you can integrate all of your systems on a single compliance and risk assessment dashboard. You can store massive amounts of information on the cloud without worrying about whether that information will be safe if your systems crash. It also enables smart devices to communicate with each other, which makes for a smoother user experience.

Smart Thermostats

The war over the thermostat is a constant challenge in the office. The solution has been to install a lockbox over the top of the thermostat to keep people from messing with the temperature, and in turn, increasing the utility bill. That ugly box isn’t necessary anymore.

Smart thermostats are great for the office because they can keep employees who don’t have the right access codes from messing with it. In addition, you can set the thermostat for different temperatures at different times and days of the week to increase everyone’s comfort while increasing energy efficiency at the same time.

Affordable Security Cameras

Installing security cameras is a decision you should consider very carefully. You still have to make sure you’re abiding by privacy laws, but you no longer have to fret about how much those security cameras will cost.

Smart technology has made surveillance cameras more affordable than ever, and because they easily connect wirelessly to apps that can be accessed on mobile devices, staying on top of security issues has never been easier.

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is big business, and you can bet that it will continue to make your business easier to run in the future. With all of the things artificial intelligence can do, you’ll soon think of artificial intelligence as an office coworker.

Some things artificial intelligence can do in the office include:

·         Generate understandable text from computer data and vice versa

·         Virtual agents are a quick and easy way to enhance customer service

·         Smart managers will maintain the comfort of the office by managing smart technology

·         Engines will be able to design training and maintenance programs

·         And more

The office just isn’t what it used to be. First, we got rid of that massive file cabinet, and now we don’t even have to worry about the thermostat anymore! As smart technology continues to evolve, it will continue to make your job easier so you can focus on the more demanding and important aspects of your business.

 

 

 

 

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How Can You Balance Risk And Reward When Investing

Investing can be overwhelming for a lot of people. This is especially true for younger people who might not have a lot of experience, or for people who have been burned in the past.

New investors constantly hear that they have to balance risk and reward, and have an equal amount of both in their portfolio. There are so many concepts to think about within that larger idea of balance, however.

For example, there are options that range from highly safe but with low returns, all the way to trading penny stocks, which is risky and speculative but can create big rewards.

What is the right mix of risk and reward? How do you combine taking risks that could pay off, with protecting yourself against potentially big losses?

Three of the main considerations to keep in mind when it comes to balancing risk and reward are the horizon, personal objectives, and risk tolerance. For example, if you’re saving for the long-term, you might take more risks with your investments because you have longer to shoulder the burden of losses in the short-term. Of course, these are just the initial concepts to keep in mind.

The following are some things to know about striking a balance between risk and reward when it comes to investments.

Know the Risks of Investment Categories

First and foremost, there are different asset categories, and they have different levels of risk. One of the lowest risk actual investments you can have are government bonds. They have a small annual return, but they provide security and peace of mind.

Next on the scale are corporate bonds. The annual return is slightly higher than government bonds, but still not massive. From there are equities. The riskiest options are small-cap equalities and biotech explorers.

Even just knowing how assets break down regarding risk and reward can be a good starting point, because it can help you create a framework for balancing your portfolio.

Understand the Types of Risks

Different types of risks occur within financial markets, and these are important to understand as well.

For example, market risks are things that don’t have anything to do with the specific company you’re investing in. Market risks are things like inflation or market conditions. Changes in public and economic policy heavily influence market risks.

There are company risks as well. These may not just be specific to the company, but maybe the entire industry it’s in.

Then, there is financial risk which is more related to you at the individual level.

When you’re thinking about personal risks, ask yourself your reasons for investing, the time you have to invest, returns you hope to make, and also your general level of risk tolerance or aversion.

If you’re someone who doesn’t want to take on a lot of risk in your investment strategy, you’re going to have to think about the fact that you’re returns are going to be lower. In this instance, you’re going to have to invest more or invest for longer.

You shouldn’t underestimate the importance of your personal comfort. A lot of people want to go so far in one direction or the other when it comes to investing, that they’re ultimately not comfortable with their strategy and portfolio. You don’t want to feel anxiety about your investments, so try to remember that as you’re making specific decisions.

Mixing Investment Strategies

One of the only real ways to balance risk and reward when investing is to have a diversified and well-balanced portfolio. No matter your comfort level with risk, if you have a balanced portfolio, it’s the best option.

Diversify across not only companies but also sectors. Look at different options from low-priced stocks that are highly risky but could bring strong rewards, to safe, steady bets.

Along with diversification of the actual stocks and asset classes you invest in, you might want to think about mixing what is described as aggressive and defensive strategies. Aggressive strategies allow for maximum returns even over a long investment timeframe, while defensive strategies minimize risk.

Finally, as you look to strike that ideal balance between risk and reward, the best thing you can ultimately do is educate yourself. The more you learn, the more readily able you’ll be to design a strategy that works for you financially and personally.

You can learn not only about the broad terms and concepts related to investing, but also the more specific elements and niche concepts. Take courses online, read guides and try to educate yourself on as many investment options and strategies as possible.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Biggest Tech Gadgets Of 2018

If you’re interested in purchasing new tech gadgets for yourself and your home, simply continue reading to discover some of the biggest tech gadgets of 2018. All of which are well worth splashing out on!

Biggest Tech Gadgets of 2018:

1. The Fitbit Alta Fitness Tracker

The Fitbit Alta is the most high-tech Fitbit to date and is capable of tracking your workouts, how many steps you take each day, how many calories you burn, how many hours sleep you get per night and how many flights of stairs you climb. The Fitbit Alta also features a built-in heart rate monitor, which is helpful if you want to maintain a heart rate, during a workout which will increase the number of calories which you’ll burn. As a bonus, you can also receive text messages on your Fitbit Alta.

2. The GoPro Hero5 Black

If you enjoy adventurous activities such as mountain biking, kayaking, and snowboarding, you may want to invest in a brand new GoPro Hero5 Black. As it capable of being immersed in water to depths of 33 feet, without needing a waterproof case and can take 4k videos and 12MP photos. Even if you choose to shoot high definition 4k videos, you’ll be able to shoot 60-90 minutes of videos, before your GoPro runs out of battery.

3. The Philips SmartSleep

The Philips SmartSleep is an innovative wearable headband, which you wear to bed, which emits a tone which is scientifically proven to improve your body’s ability to enter slow wave sleep. A stage of sleep in which your brain waves start to slow down, which allow your body to recuperate faster and enter a deeper stage of sleep.

If you’re not impressed yet, you may be impressed by the fact that the Philips SmartSleep boasts two unique sensors, one which notes when your body enters deep sleep.

4. Proof

Proof is a discreet high-tech bracelet which can measure your blood alcohol levels and will alert you if you’ve drunk too much alcohol to safely drive home, on a night out.

5. Nutale

Nutale is set to become one of the world’s smallest GPS trackers and will make tracking valuable items such as your smartphone, wallet, and keys a breeze. Better yet each Nutale device is compatible with both Apple and Android devices and boasts an impressive 30-day battery life. Which is perfect, if you can’t be bothered to charge your GPS tracker on a weekly basis.

6. Kuri

If you love the functionality of Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa but would prefer your home assistant to look like a traditional robot, you may be interested in purchasing Kuri, the world’s latest loveable robot. Not only can Kuri complete all of the tasks which Alexa can handle such as being able to schedule appointments and play music but Kuri can also zoom around your home as your friendly robotic companion.

So if you love purchasing the latest and greatest tech gadgets, it’s well worth purchasing at least a couple of the innovative tech gadgets listed above!

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Big Marketing Tips To Put Into Action

If you aim to attract brand new customers, it’s well worth putting new marketing strategies into action. If you’re interested, simply continue reading to discover a few big marketing tips, which will increase your customer base and your profit margin.

Big Marketing Tips To Put Into Action:

1. Reward your past customers for their business by offering exclusive gifts or offers

One way to convince past customers to spend their money with your business again is to send your past customers free samples or to send them an email, with an exclusive percentage discount off their next purchase.

2. Offer free gifts with purchase

You may want to run an advertising campaign, which promises customers a free gift with every purchase over a minimum amount. As most individuals can’t resist a free gift. If you’re interested in this particular idea, you may want to advertise your free gifts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

3. Consider paying popular social media influencers to promote your goods or services

If your business’ social media accounts have a limited amount of followers and likes, you may want to consider reaching out to popular social media influencers, who will be able to promote your business, in exchange for a one-off payment. Just be sure to pick influencers such as bloggers and vloggers whose personal brand fits your brand.

As an example, if your business is an online boutique which sells trendy clothes, jewelry and accessories, it’s well worth reaching out to fashionistas who boast tens of thousands of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook friends and followers. As if they post photographs of your products on their popular social media accounts, your products and business will be exposed to an audience of thousands of potential new customers.

If you’re keen on this particular idea, you may want to give your chosen blogger a unique code, which they can give to their followers. Which will give their followers a small 10% discount on their first purchase.

4. Hire a booth at an applicable trade fair or expo

One way to promote your business to book a booth at a local trade fair or expo. As an example, if your business sells jewelry, you may want to book a booth at a wedding expo or at a women’s expo. Whilst if your business sells travel related products such as luggage, you may want to attend as many travel expos as you can, in order to expose your products to new customers.

Also make sure to provide booklets which feature your top selling products as well as business cards, so potential customers can make their first online order at their own convenience. As in today’s day and age most individuals will want to conduct their own online research, before making a purchase.

5. Consider giving your website an overhaul

One way to encourage visitors to your website is to pay for a professional web designer to overhaul your primary website.

So if you’re interested in overhauling your marketing strategies, make sure to implement at least a couple of the fool proof techniques listed above.