Your Next Pitch: 5 Pitch Deck Slides To Hook Potential Investors [INFOGRAPHIC]

Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

Bitcoin, Ethereum and More. An Introduction to Cryptocurrency

In 2008 a new currency was revealed to the world. Satoshi Nakamoto published a research paper that outlined a design for a digital currency called Bitcoin. The revelation solved one of the internet’s biggest questions, how to create digital money. Recently you may have seen that Bitcoin values are rising and falling at amazing rates, but why? And how do you take advantage of the madness and hype around cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrency first and foremost are not the same as traditional currency, and perhaps the main difference is that it is not controlled by any central authority (banks, governments, etc.) Cryptocurrencies are “mined” by miners using computers and hardware to monitor and process transactions and the network the currency is based on. Miners receive the correlated digital currency in exchange for their work. Bitcoin maybe be one of the most well known of the available cryptocurrency types, but it isn’t the only one available, or the only one making the news. Litecoin, Ethereum, and Zcash are just some of the major contenders and each has its own privacy and trading capacities.

The buzz around cryptocurrency and specifically Bitcoin reached new heights last month as the price per “coin” surged to $19,500 USD. This made headlines as investors and other individuals raced to put money into the coins hoping to strike gold. However, last week, there was a sudden drop, with coins trading down to $9,200 USD (as of today the current value of one coin is $10,542.92 USD).  The drop was sudden and rattled those that had recently sunk money into the volatile market.

When the price surge occurred, Bitcoin’s electricity consumption hit a record high of 42.1 terawatt-hours. Energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are a point of contention for many, as the rate of emissions rivals that of the entire country of New Zealand (roughly 20 million metric tons per year).

The process of grouping Bitcoin transactions and mining the transactions is to blame for the high use of electricity. Vox writer Umair Irfan says, “this process is like finding solutions to complicated math problems that become progressively more difficult. It’s a competitive process, with one miner receiving the award, currently 12.5 bitcoins, roughly every 10 minutes, so there’s a strong incentive to throw as much processor power — and thereby electricity — at the mining effort.” Or as Alex Hern of the Guardian says, the process is,  “a competition to waste the most electricity possible by doing pointless arithmetic quintillions of times a second.”

You do not have to mine your own cryptocurrency as it is relatively easy to purchase online, but buyer beware: the value does fluctuate, as discussed previously.  To get started investing in Bitcoin or Ethereum simply download the Coinbase app and create an account. Add an account to make payments from and tap ”Buy”. There are weekly purchasing limits based upon the type of payment account you set up, but you are now ready to start investing.

Once you purchase your chosen cryptocurrency you can either save it or spend it. Some of the things bitcoin is spent on include food delivery, socks, gaming, as well as being used as ante when placing online bets. The world of cryptocurrency is becoming much more accessible to the general public, and will thusly stay newsworthy as the interest in diversified finance and the community of cryptocurrency investors grows.

Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

Books to Read in 2018

As the new year begins and New Year’s resolutions are made, one that many people bring up each year is that of wanting to read more books in the year to come. These are some top picks for books about business, technology, personal growth, leadership and more.

Business

Rise and Grind  by Daymond John

The Shark Tank panelist and entrepreneur uses his own life experiences to tell readers how to succeed in their lives with inspiration to use persistence, grit, and spectacular work ethic.

Crushing It  by Gary Vaynerchuk

VaynerMedia CEO Gary Vaynerchuk is known for his no downtime approach to life and business, as well as for building a brand that is solid and highly successful. Vaynerchuk outlines what you need to know to do the same for your brand.

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle and Will Damron

Learn how successful groups are built and strengthened, with Coyle’s in-depth look into how group culture can be cultivated.

Technology

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone  by Brian Merchant

The introduction of the iPhone changed the course of history, for technology, social trends and more. This national bestseller takes readers through the history of the development and release of the influential Apple device.

Surviving the Tech Storm: Strategy in Times of Technological Uncertainty by Nicklas Bergman

The technological changes that we have gone through have entered us into a new era that is filled with questions and challenges. Bergman offers insight into how to make decisions and find insights into an uncertain world.

What To Do When Machines Do Everything: How to Get Ahead in a World of AI, Algorithms, Bots and Big Data by Malcolm Frank, Paul Roehrig, and Ben Pring

The digital economy is changing the future of work and how business is done. The authors provide a roadmap to take steps to move ahead in a world that is moving more quickly than we can.

Leadership

Brave Leadership: Unleash Your Most Confident, Powerful and Authentic Self to Get the Results You Need by Kimberly Davis

Learn how to get results and become the leader you want to be in this guide for all leadership journeys. Davis dives into the essential tools and tips that anyone can use to reach their full potential and help feel more confident, satisfied and purposeful.  

The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World Class Leaders  by Elena L. Botelho and Kim R. Powell

Botelho and Powell’s in-depth look at CEOs and executives uncovers what makes these leaders successful. Though this book may be more research intensive, the messages that it delivers with the conclusions can help you rise to the top as well.

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership by James Comey

Former FBI director James Comey reveals never before told stories of his time in the government sharing insights into what makes an effective leader.

Money

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko

First released in 1996, this exposé about wealthy Americans has now been updated for the context of the current state of the world. Learn how the truly wealthy demographic behaves and how you can modify your life and spending habits to fit within this exclusive group.

Cold Hard Truth On Men, Women, and Money by Kevin O’Leary

Shark Tank’s Mr. Wonderful, Kevin O’Leary presents a new take on finance in a witty and funny way that presents advice to someone at any stage in their life. It’s not too late to take control of your finance, and O’Leary presents this in a well rounded and personable way.

The Total Money Makeover  by Dave Ramsey

Taking a fitness type stab at revamping personal finance, Ramsey presents a plan that can help you pay off debts, build a strong financial safety net and create a budget without sacrificing your personal relationships.

Personal Growth

Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness -Cass Sunstein and Richard Thaler

Nudge opens the eyes of the reader up to the fact that nothing we have to decide on is presented in a neutral way. By acknowledging bias, and understanding how the human brain perceives choice you can influence others to make decisions that are better for everyone in your life.

Your Best Year Ever by Michael Hyatt

Hyatt dives into how you can achieve your goals instead of letting them get pushed back only to regret ignoring them. Whether your goals are centered around relationships, financial, or educational, this book can help you to reset your life and achieve the goals you set.

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg

After her husband’s sudden death, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg fell into a vast depression. But with hard work, she was able to build resilience and find her way towards recovery. Option B houses Sandberg’s journal excerpts, research and other contributors’ personal stories that showcase peak levels of perseverance. Learn how to develop compassion, appreciation, and resilience as well as the ability help others find the same qualities within themselves.

Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

MONEY MISTAKES TO AVOID PART 2

Like we mentioned in part one, learning now to navigate the pitfalls of money management can be difficult. Here is the second part of money mistakes to avoid to secure your financial future!

EMERGENCY FUND.

According to CNN Money, 60% of Americans don’t have enough in savings to cover a surprise bill of $500 to $1000.  This is a bit alarming. Emergency funds make your life better by keeping you prepared and giving peace of mind. They also keep you out of the credit-debt payoff-rack up credit again-spin cycle.  Emergency funds make you feel more secure and financially empowered. Get an emergency fund. Even if it is just $1k to start, it will go a long way.

CREDIT CARDS DEBT

Even if you have a small emergency fund, it can be hard to resist the siren call of lucrative credit card reward points, travel points, and cash back. Many begin trying to leverage these cards without really knowing how to use them effectively. Only a handful of Americans have never battled credit card debt, which can be scary given that many also contend with many other types of debt especially student loans. Common habits are overspending, going on luxurious vacations, or using the card to fund an emergency. Research your cards, talk to a financial advisor and if nothing else, make sure to make all payments on time.

LIFESTYLE INFLATION

The hardest battle to fight is lifestyle inflation. You shouldn’t have to eat cereal and steal toilet paper from work forever. But it gets very exciting, very quickly when your standard of living goes up. Don’t give in too much. Lest you could wind up living paycheck to paycheck. Create a budget and try to live within your means.

EMOTIONAL MONEY DECISIONS

Of all the mistakes on the list, this is arguably one of the hardest to avoid because money is inherently emotional. And even if you’re normally great with money, nobody is perfect. Whether you move in with someone you won’t wind up with for the long haul, follow a significant other to a new city, go back to school, take a job that pays less because you think it will land you someplace better: these are all emotional money decisions. Risks. Sometimes these payoff, and sometimes they don’t. But these emotional money decisions are often the ones that teach us most about who we are, where we want to go, and what kind of life we want to lead. This in and of itself can be really beautiful, so live prudently when you can, but also go with your heart sometimes. Money be damned.

 Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/

MONEY MISTAKES TO AVOID PART 1

Managing money can often times have just as large, if not a larger impact on your life than the amount of money you make. Here are some money mistakes to avoid in order to keep your finances on track.

NEVER NEGOTIATING SALARY

Salary.com reports that 62% of people rarely or never negotiate their salary. The numbers get higher when you look at factors like race, gender, age and income level as well. The largest fears being the lack of negotiating skills, fear of losing a job offer and general unpleasantness of asking for more money. It’s daunting. Great times to bring up salary are during the hiring process, and then at annual reviews. But this salary will set the salary bar for all future negotiations. It is that serious. It’s never too late to start negotiating.

LIVING WITHOUT A BUDGET

Americans don’t get hip to the idea of a budget until later on in the life when it comes time to save up for something important, like a house, wedding, trip to Europe. etc. Many millennials also forgo budgeting because a record number of them are still living at home with mom and dad who are footing a large amount of the bills. Budgets are important for staying on track with your spending so that you’re A. only spending on what fulfills you most and B. contributing to your financial goals. No budget = higher susceptibility for making further financial mistakes… like more debt, and less money for retirement.

NOT CONTRIBUTING TO RETIREMENT

This is tough. I hesitate to call it a financial mistake and instead prefer to refer to it as a financial circumstance. Retirement saving is often seen as a luxury by multiple age groups. Millennials often are drowning in student loans, while Boomers have mortgages and other obligations. In this survey conducted by the Indexed Annuity Leadership Council in March and April of 2015, 37% percent have no money set aside, and those who do save have little, with 18% having less than $5k in the accounts. The earlier you start the higher the impact on future saving. Do what you can, when you can. Start small, and make sure to utilize any and all retirement benefits your employer gives.

 Like this post? Read more at http://steverenner.com/blog-2/