When most people think about asset classes, things like stocks, bonds, real estate and commodities come to mind. Investment advisors spend countless hours researching the risk/return profiles and correlations of these "common" asset classes, in an attempt to construct efficient investment portfolios for their clients.

Who are the most valuable people in your organization? If you’re a numbers person, you’ll likely look at compensation for the answer, and so those in the C-suite will appear to offer the most value. At that level, salary, bonuses, and stock options at large companies can skyrocket into six, seven, or even eight figures. But the problem with using compensation as a guidepost for value is that C-suite pay is often driven by competitive measures — no company wants to give its most senior executives below-average rates, lest their leadership be poached or they find themselves unable to attract talent in the first place. This self-reinforcing feedback loop pushes compensation ever higher but doesn’t necessarily have the same effect on value.

How can you change consumer behavior? This is one of the biggest questions corporations face. But it’s also much more than that. It speaks to political campaigns, social movements, and anything else that requires winning over proverbial “hearts and minds.” So, how do you change consumers’ behavior? It’s not simply via digital, TV advertising, promotions, or other traditional methods. It’s something deeper. You need to influence the place where instinctive, automatic decisions are made.

As retail collides with adjacent consumer-focused sectors, the industry continues to undergo constant disruption. However, amid the disruption, one thing remains consistent: Consumers are becoming more powerful, with expectations of having it all.

2018 left the industry with a lot to digest—a strong US economy, a record-breaking holiday season, mixed retail earnings, some high-profile bankruptcies, along with global trade and economic tensions.

Bolstered by a strong labor market, growth in disposable personal income, and elevated consumer confidence, 2018 experienced strong retail sales. But the economy may face some headwinds in 2019—making the year one of transition for retailers, who may need bold moves if they want to set themselves up for success in the future.

The retail industry has undergone a significant transformation over the past decade, and it continues to evolve quickly. Led by advancements in digital channels, 2018 has been kind to retail in the US, with the market reporting growth every month so far after a record-setting 2017. Even so, the face of the market is quickly evolving, and retailers must adapt to new shifts in demographics, attitudes and consumer preferences. In 2019, the market will be defined by emerging technologies that change the way consumers interact with their favorite brands, a shift in preferences, and the emergence of new battle lines for e-commerce. Let's look at five trends that will shape retail in the year to come.

The retail industry evolves fast. Ten years ago, every town’s mall was a bustling hub of commerce, chock full of busy shops and pesky tweens. Nowadays, Cyber Monday generates $1.5 billion more in sales than Black Friday does. With the explosive growth of online shopping and 2017’s brick-and-mortar retail apocalypse, how can you, a retailer, adapt to the ever-changing preferences of consumers today? One of the first steps to take is staying informed. Retail blogs can keep you updated on the industry’s latest stories and prepare you for the upcoming trends that will transform the industry in 2019 and beyond.

The share of investor purchases of U.S. homes have climbed to an all-time high, a sign that rising home prices have done little to dampen demand for flipping homes or turning them into single-family rentals. Big private-equity firms, real-estate speculators and others that buy properties comprised more than 11% of U.S. home purchasers in 2018, according to data released on Thursday by CoreLogic Inc. The investor purchases are the highest on record and nearly twice the levels before the 2008 housing crash. The investor interest poses a challenge for millennials and other first-time buyers who are increasingly looking to buy starter homes and are forced to compete with deep-pocketed cash buyers.

Mortgage rates have been on a roller coaster for the last year, but now they’re sitting at the bottom of the track, giving a major boost to the number of borrowers who can benefit from a refinance.

The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage hit a three-year low of 3.73% last week, according to Freddie Mac. That means 8.2 million borrowers could refinance and lower their interest rates by at least 75 basis points, estimates Black Knight, a mortgage software and analytics company. It’s the largest group since the end of 2016.

Being self-employed has many advantages and perks but it can put your at a disadvantage if you are trying to become a homeowner. In fact, to qualify for a loan you will be required to apply using your net income as opposed to salaried consumers who use their gross income. While not a show-stopper, it is something to consider when beginning the home purchase process.

As an entrepreneur, you face regular roadblocks from worries about the future to difficulties managing personnel. To learn to face these roadblocks head-on, you can turn to books, trusted advisors, or perhaps best of all for your busy schedule: business articles. Business articles serve as an accessible source of small business advice, whether you find them in a journal, business magazine, or business blog. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of the 25 best business articles for entrepreneurs covering topics from business management to finding the motivation to push forward.

The business services industry's outlook is a function of the health of the broader economy, which is currently quite favorable.

A rise in GDP, an improving employment scenario, inflation approaching 2%, easing of the U.S. dollar and momentum in oil prices are all signs of improvement in the U.S. economy, which in turn is positive for the business services industry. The Trump administration's business-friendly policies, including tax cuts and the repeal of regulations, are additional tailwinds.

The business services industry is a very broad industry encompassing many different categories of business operations; all of them provide some sort of non-financial service to other companies. These services include advertising, marketing, consultation, logistics (including travel and facilities services), waste handling, staffing services, shipping, administration, and security services to name a few. Nearly every business in operation has need for at least one of the different kinds of service offered by the industry.

In the past few years, the “verified” tick badge has become very popular on social media platforms. Instagram is one of them. Only some celebrities, public figures, brands, and agencies have this badge of validation. But now, anyone can apply for a blue badge. 

Facebook had 1.55 billion monthly active users, as of the third quarter of 2015! Inspired by the numbers? We all are; the opportunities are endless in terms of improving brand visibility. But the secret lies in doing it right. Most digital marketers simply post as many updates as possible in an attempt to get as many ‘Shares’ and ‘Likes’ they can. But wait! Gone are the days when the number of followers (‘Shares’ and ‘Likes’) directly influences an increase in profit for your business. No doubt Facebook is a great place for many marketers to promote their business, but you should know exactly how to use this platform to your benefit. This social platform is full of people, ready to connect with brands that they find most relevant to their preferences.Facebook can take your business to the next level but it can also be the reason for your downfall.

Did you know that 90% of all marketers say social media marketing has increased their business exposure? Or that 66% of marketers that spend at least 6 hours on social per week have seen more leads? No matter what you sell and who you sell it to, using social media as a marketing tool can help you grow your brand and pad your wallet.

After a 2018 that saw record-setting levels of freight-hauling demand and driver pay as tonnage levels reached a 20-year high, the trucking industry is expected to remain strong in 2019 but undergo a bit of a cool-down, economists say. Perry “[Last year,] of course, was as good a year as the truck market has ever had — it was a record year in a number of ways,” Transport Futures Principal and Economist Noel Perry said during an interview on Transport Topics Radio, which is heard on SiriusXM Radio. “The spot market started the year at extraordinarily tight levels, and the contract market has been tight all year. So, it was a great year.” He noted, however, that things trailed off as the year closed. “The fourth quarter was down enough in several categories to indicate we’re not going to sustain that peak performance in 2019.”

Much has been written in recent years about the challenges faced by truck drivers in the United States today. Driving an over-the-road truck can be lonely and isolating. Wages for many truckers have stagnated. There’s a growing number of government rules regulating what drivers can and can’t do on the job. Truck driving is tough work. It also remains a very important job. An overwhelming amount of statistics show that trucking may be the leading indicator of the country’s economic health. If trucks are moving more freight, that means Americans are more productive and earning more money. Below are seven reasons—backed by recent stats—explaining why trucking is America’s number one job today.

As a truck driver hauling everything from toilet paper to car parts you understand how important your job is. But do you really? Have you ever stopped to consider just how impressive America’s trucking industry is? We know the country could not continue operating without truck drivers hauling loads all across the nation. However, to drive this point home we’ve compiled eight of the most convincing statistics about the importance of the trucking industry.

Healthcare and wellness are incredibly personal topics that generate a lot of search traffic and high engagement. At least 8 out of 10 people turn to search engines as their first source for health information, according to Pew, but often they are not able to locate current and accurate information. Of course, WebMD dominates search results; it’s the top health media company in the U.S., even while Vox has raised questions about its accuracy and inherent biases in its business model. At the same time, voice searches for healthcare topics are expected to rapidly increase in 2019. 

The US health industry has often lagged other industries when it comes to modernizing. Once thought to operate outside the greater US economy, the industry—with its byzantine payment system, complicated regulatory barriers and reliance on face-to-face interactions—is being disrupted. Finally, there’s robust evidence that what PwC calls the New Health Economy is kicking into gear.

“Lack of preparation for new risks can cost a healthcare organization money and its reputation at a time when it can least afford to lose either,” the report stated. “In a value-based reimbursement environment, every dollar is at risk. If an organization loses that dollar to a compliance problem, it can’t make it up simply by adding a dollar of revenue elsewhere.” “Early identification is the best strategy to mitigate those risks,” the healthcare consulting firm stressed.

For Duke University sophomore Mila de Souza, including social-emotional learning in schools should be common sense.

By that, she means it should be second nature for schools to support students’ mental health, teach children how to work well with others, and become a place where both educators and scholars can learn to value one another’s diverse experiences.

If a child earns a B– in math on his report card, is that a good grade, or does it mean he’s the worst in the class? Ask a parent and a teacher, and you’ll likely hear very different answers. But that disconnect is just the beginning when it comes to how these two groups understand the education system and all the grades, jargon, and communication within it, according to a new report from the nonprofit Learning Heroes.

With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rutgers University, New Jersey’s flagship public college, 22-year-old Rachel Van Dyks expected to have a good job by now. A professional job with a proper salary and benefits would enable her to move out of her grandfather’s house, where she lives with her parents and her brother. Instead, the 2017 graduate works 46 hours per week at two jobs — scooping maple walnut ice cream at the local ice cream parlor and taking orders at a high-end steakhouse — while paying for an associate’s degree in cardiovascular sonography at a for-profit technical school.

The media and entertainment industry consists of film, print, radio, and television. These segments include movies, TV shows, radio shows, news, music, newspapers, magazines, and books. The top 10 media and entertainment companies are The Walt Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, Direct Group Holdings (DIRECTV), Time Warner Inc., NBC Universal, National Amusements Inc., CBS Corporation, Viacom Inc., News Corporation, and TEGNA Inc. The U.S. media and entertainment industry contributes more than $632 billion to the economy and represents a third of the global industry.

Few industries understand digital disruption, and its profound impact on consumer behavior, as well as the media and entertainment (M&E) world. In fact, many would argue that M&E companies were some of the first to undertake digital transformation, as consumers began to look to the Web to consume content much earlier than they began to buy online or manage their finances digitally. 

That transformation is nowhere near done, as technology continues to change. Below we take a look at the consumer trends that will help M&E companies shape their distribution strategies, as well as areas of investments and strategic priorities. 

Until 2010, the pathway to success in the screen industry depended on convincing broadcasters and film producers to give to you airtime or production resources. These days, all you need is an internet connection and a laptop or smartphone.

A new creative industry has been born in the last decade called “social media entertainment”. It’s peopled by young entertainers and activists who you may never have heard of: Hank Green, Casey Neistadt, PewDiePie and Tyler Oakley.