The Top Products Chinese People Want

Chinese People Love Great Products

China is one of the most attractive export markets for products and services from different parts of the world. Its huge population and workforce, fast-growing middle class, accelerating consumption, as well as willingness to import are some of the factors that make China an attractive export destination.

To tap the might of consumers in the populous East Asian country, however, sellers and manufacturers first have to identify what the market wants. In light of this, we have compiled a list of the top products Chinese people desire to lighten your load along the way.

Clothing and Footwear

China’s large population makes it an attractive market for garments. An HKTDC Research article reveals that clothing market demand in China is high and keeps growing year after year. Experts predict that the industry, which was worth around RMB1,457.8 billion in 2017, would reach an estimated RMB1,592 by 2019.

The demand for clothing in China is so vast that shoppers are fast turning to online marketplaces to buy garments directly from overseas retailers and brands. Around 24% of consumers in China are expected to buy across borders this year alone, per figures released by eMarketers.

Similarly, there’s massive demand for footwear in China, with sneakers being one of the most demanded. Footwear sales figures for 2017 in mainland China was put at RMB381.9 billion. Of this, data show that women shoes brought in the most revenue, fetching around RMB184 (48%). Men’s shoes generated the second highest revenue at RMB144.2 billion (38%), while children’s shoes brought an estimated RMB53.2 billion (14%).

It is predicted that the footwear market in mainland China will be worth a whopping RMB487.4 billion by 2021.

Beauty and Personal Care

Driven by rising incomes and awareness, China’s beauty and personal care cosmetics market is one of the most attractive. The industry has been growing fast thanks to an increasing number of affluent consumers who are willing to splurge on quality beauty and personal care products that make them look younger and attractive.

The industry made an estimated RMB251.4 billion in domestic sales in 2017 alone. The world’s most populous nation is projected to become the largest market for personal care and cosmetic products in the next 5-10 years.

Vitamins and Supplements

As lifestyle gets busier, Chinese shoppers are becoming more and more health-conscious. Along with the demand for running shoes, there’s been a surge in the market for vitamins and supplements. For China, being one of the world’s fastest-growing economies came at a cost in the form of an overcrowded transportation system, gridlock traffic, severe air pollution, etc., all of which make the environment less healthy.

This, coupled with higher disposable incomes, caused Chinese consumers to turn to health and wellness products. In fact, consumers in the world’s fourth-largest have become so focused on health and fitness that the demand for vitamin and minerals outpaces GDP growth, according to a New Hope article.

Maternity and Baby Products

China’s relaxed family planning policy has increased demand for baby products such as infant formula. There’s been a boom in demand for maternity and baby products following the implementation of the new legislation which now allows a second child in the family.

A piece reveals that the Chinese baby product has grown more than 250% in five years, accounting for around $75 billion. With the plan now fully in place, the maternity and baby products sector is expected to surpass RMB3 trillion in 2018.

Food

Demand for food products like soybeans is high in China. The country is projected to become the largest food importer by 2018, importing around $79 billion worth of food items each year.

Other top products Chinese people want include jewelry, electronics, gadgets, and wine.

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How Banks Can Reimagine their Business Processes to Deliver Real-Time Personalized Banking Experience

Global Financial Services

The global financial services sector is on the cusps of significant disruption, with fantasy technologies like AI and blockchain fast changing the way banks operate and deliver services to clients. More so, the emergence of financial technology (fintech) and regulatory technology (regtech) firms who continue to muscle into financial services has created a digital race of some sort in the industry.

Along with robo-investors, digital banks have been launched to help individuals transact as fast as can be imagined, and they are making a difference. The disruptive momentum of fintech vendors is helped by a growing population of tech-savvy consumers who expect personalized services.

The customer-focused nature of these new breeds of tech startups has made traditional financial institutions realize that they are at risk of falling behind in the innovation race unless they acquire transformative technologies that will enable them to keep up with advancements in an ever-evolving business environment.

Reshaping the Customer Experience by Leveraging New Digital Tools

To deliver real-time, personalized banking experience to clients, businesses need to address significant customer pain points as well as identify new ways to satisfy them in differentiated ways. Today, we live in a generation where people are never far away from a smartphone.

To put this in perspective, 87% of millennials never separate from their mobile devices, according to a report. Another report says customers use mobile banking apps 7,610 times a minute. Also, 70 percent of consumers who own a smartphone prefect transacting from their phones. These make mobile one of the most clear-cut ways to differentiate.

To meet client needs in this digital age, banks must do their due diligence to appropriately integrate digital tools such as live chat, self-service, mobile, and Omni channel support and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence into their processes.

Ways to Optimize the Customer Journey Experience

Information gathering is key to improving the customer journey. To deliver banking services in real time, banks first have to have enough data to make informed decisions. This requires gathering deep customer insights so that institutions can get a better sense of their needs, which can be achieved by investing in systems that recognize every customer irrespective of the platform used.

That said, here are the ways banks can improve banking experiences for consumers:

  1. Improve the account opening process and make the onboarding experience efficient

An exceptional account opening experience can help banks earn customer loyalty and remain competitive. To this end, institutions are advised to make the account opening process faster and provide robust mobile account opening services to make it easier for today’s connected customers to open accounts on a mobile phone. The more straightforward the process, the better the customer experience.

  1. Consider a user-friendly authentication solution

A complex authentication system can get customers frustrated. Institutions are advised to consider authentication solutions such as those based on one-time passwords, as they offer robust security and are user-friendly.

In addition, less intrusive technologies like Facial Recognition, Touch ID, and Iris Scanning are other effective solutions institutions might want to consider.

  1. Embrace the disruptive potential of AI-powered chatbots

Chatbots are some of the fascinating stories in fintech. It wasn’t so long ago that they were nothing more than automated answering agents. Today, they help address customer complaints, thanks to their ability to engage consumers with their intelligence.

Implementing this innovation will help financial institutions lower cost while improving the customer experience by providing personalized, always-on service. This is the future of Banking.

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Availability of Affordable Healthcare in the US

Affordable Healthcare in the US

When it comes to healthcare, the US is often seen as the nation that overspends, especially when compared with OECD countries. Such is the cost of health care that Americans spent a whopping $6.5 billion on Humira prescriptions in 2014 alone.

Humira is an injectable medication prescribed for the treatment of multiple autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, etc. US citizens paid an average of $2,669 for Humira. In comparison, the Swiss paid $822 for the same drug.

The same drug cost $1,362 in the UK. At this rate, citizens in the UK and Switzerland would have paid a combined $2 billion for Humira in 2014 rather than the $6.5 billion paid by Americans. Then, the US spent nearly 18 percent of GDP on healthcare.

In 2016, it spent 17.8 percent of its GDP on healthcare. A new report shows that America has one of the highest levels of spending on health care per person, with $9,403 per capita, which is almost two times what countries like Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, the UK, France, Sweden, Denmark, and Switzerland, the Netherlands spent.

Experts argue that the US spends so much more on health care than other wealthy nations because it has much higher prices across a range of services.

States with the Most Affordable Healthcare

The US is currently the only industrialized nation without universal health coverage. That notwithstanding, some US states have enforced healthcare laws to make health care services available and affordable to uninsured residents.

According to U.S News, the state of Hawaii is the most affordable US state in terms of healthcare, as only 7.4 percent of the population are unable to afford healthcare. Iowa comes a close second with 92.3% of the population able to afford healthcare.

In North Dakota and Vermont, health care services are available and affordable to 91.8% of residents, while in Massachusetts, 91.2% of residents have access to cheap health care services. 91.1% of Americans living in South Dakota can access affordable healthcare services.

Minnesota offers healthcare services for cheap to 90.5 percent of residents. Healthcare services are also reasonably affordable in Connecticut as only 9.9 percent of residents are unable to afford to see a physician. 89.9% of residents in Washington have access to affordable health care, while in New Hampshire and Rhode Island around 89.7% of residents can afford doctor visits.

Why the US Still Lags Behind

One may blame the controversies surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) for the US falling far behind other developed countries regarding access to affordable health care. However, the US would still rank far behind among advanced countries even with the ACA.

Aaron Caroll, in a report for the New York Times, stated that a large percentage of Americans were still not covered “even when the rate of the insured was best.” Also, US patients find it way more difficult to see a physician than other countries.

The main reason for this is that the fewer physicians per population than other industrialized nations. Giving people insurance will further compound the issue, as many more people will want to access care.

It remains to be seen how things will go from here. Current events,and risings costs in medical care, suggest that America is still a long walk away from making healthcare affordable.

 

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Statistics for Video Views in Marketing, on Websites, and Social Media

Video as a Marketing Tool

Video is a potent online marketing tool if you know how to use it. It is a cost-effective way to extend your reach, enhance your brand, and grow your business. The use of videos is perhaps more important today than ever as consumers are increasingly faced with an abundance of platforms that have become a staple of their daily lives.

Today’s consumers are more sophisticated than ever. They are increasingly interacting more and more with on-screen graphics and videos through virtual communities such as YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Vimeo, Instagram, and even Twitter.

With this in mind, we have identified some of the most exciting statistics for video views to help marketers and individuals understand the power of video as a marketing tool.

  1. 97% of marketers say videos help consumers understand products (Hubspot)

Technology has revolutionized the means through which customers find product information. The advent of the internet and growing awareness among the mass public means that customers now use the internet to understand a product in detail from every perspective instead of waiting to be sold to.

Consequently, marketers are advised to use explainer videos that make complicated things simple by explaining their product features in a way that costumers understand to boost engagement.

  1. Globally, consumer internet video traffic will be 80% of all internet consumer traffic by 2019 (Tubularinsights)

Consumer internet video traffic will dominate other types of traffic, accounting for 80% share of the global market by 2019.

  1. 81 percent of businesses now use video for marketing (Hubspot)

Due to its ability to boost engagement, conversation, and sales, 81 percent of companies now use video as a marketing tool.

  1. 78 percent of businesses revealed videos provide a good return on investment (ROI) (Wyzowl)
  2. 82% of companies intend to spend more on video marketing in 2018 (Wyzowl)
  3. 76% of marketers admit video help their organization increase sales (Wyzowl)
  4. YouTube is the most visited site after search engine, Google (Alexa)
  5. 99 percent of businesses who already use video say they will continue to do so in 2018 (Hubspot)
  6. 72 percent of consumers would instead use video to learn about a product than other types of content (Hubspot)
  7. 83 percent of audience would consider sharing a video they like with others (Hubspot)
  8. Using a video on a landing page can boost conversions by 80 percent (Invisia)
  9. Your website is 53 times more likely to jump to the top of Google search results you embed a video in your site (Yumyumvideos)
  10. Snapchat users watch 10 billion videos each week (Adweek)
  11. 82 percent of Twitter users view video content on the site (Twitter)
  12. Instagram is the only site where photos receive more engagement than videos (Sprout Social)
  13. Social video generates 1200 percent more shares than image and text content combined (Wordstream)

 

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Prescription Drug Addiction in the US Compared to the Rest of the World

The American Epidemic Hidden in Plain Sight

 

Prescription drug addiction is a fast-growing global problem – one that has no respect for boundaries of geography, creed, or culture. It spreads diseases, reinforces crime, and lowers the productivity of human resources through its negative influence on users.

Even worse, we are often reminded, in a most tragic way, of the deadly consequences drug use can bring. Every year, prescription drug abuse kills more people than car accidents, per a Drugwatch report. A TheGuardian piece states that more Americans died from overdoses in 2015 than car crashes and gun deaths combined.

But how does prescription drug addiction in the US compare to that of other nations?

The US Vs. Rest of the World

It’s no secret that prescription drug use is a pervasive problem of major American concern. Data from the 2016 National Study on Drug Use and Health show that an estimated 28.6 million US citizens who are 12 years or older used illicit drugs in the period leading to the study.

A further 54 million Americans who are at least 12 years of age have used prescription drugs for nonmedical reasons during their lifetime, according to the Talbott Recovery.

America makes up about 5% of the world’s population – but accounts for approximately 27 percent of the world’s drug overdose deaths, according to Vox. The culprit? Prescription opioids like Oxycontin, tramadol, methadone, morphine, fentanyl or Vicodin.

These drugs are often used to ease chronic and acute pains, such as those associated with cancer. However, what was initially intended for good ended up paving the way for a national health crisis when it became severely abused.

In 2015, an estimated 8.5 million (3%) Americans misused opioid painkillers, while about 2.5 million were addicted to either heroin or painkillers. Over 33,000 people died after overdosing on illicit drugs.

In contrast, of 507 million people, only around 1.3 million (0.4%) were considered high-risk opioid users in the EU, per the Vox report. Opioid overdose deaths were put at 6,800. In 2015, about 62,000 died of drug overdoses in Asia, while in America alone, around 52,400 citizens were lost to drug overdoses that same year.

Data show that Americans consume about 30 percent of the global opioid supply. In addition, Americans consume the vast majority of the world’s opioids, including 99% of the world’s hydrocodone.

Major Culprits

Research conducted by scientists at Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center found that almost 70% of the citizens of the United States are on at least one prescription drug, while more than half receive at least two prescription drugs. The most commonly prescribed medications were found to include:

Used for treating bacteria that cause illness, antibiotics are the most widely prescribed drugs. This also makes them one of the most abused. Antibiotics abuse often leads to superbugs, a form of bacteria that are resistant to many – if not all types of antibiotics. Some of the most commonly prescribed synthetic antibiotics include Ciproflaxin (Cipro), Penicillin, Levofloxacin (Levaquin), Moxifloxacin (Avelox), etc.

Opioids are synthetic prescription painkillers, although this definition often includes heroin. Examples of synthetic analgesics include Vicodin, OxyContin, Duragesic, Opana, and Dilaudid.

Studies show that antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and may lead to congenital disabilities if taken by pregnant women. Other side effects of these drugs include upset stomach, headaches, and nausea. Citalopram (Celexa), Escitalopram (Lexapro), Fluoxetine (Prozac), Paroxetine (Paxil), etc., are some examples of synthetic antidepressants.

 

 

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Invest Into Real Estate Market with Smart Tips

Prabhadevi In Mumbai

Prabhadevi is one of the exotic locations in Mumbai. It is small fashionable Southern vicinity in Mumbai, which connects the Arabian Sea in the West, Shivaji Park Residential Zone in the North and Worli in South. It is linked up nearing to markets, schools, railway station, bus stand and showrooms. A leading signpost is Lord

A Lot of Night Life To See And More

Things to Consider before Investing in the Real Estate Market

# Check your budget

First thing to consider is to understand if you can really afford this investment of property deals in Mumbai. Investing into Mumbai real estate is a costly option for which you have to estimate your budget. Obviously, you can seek loan for investment yet you will have to really think if you can repay the loan on time. Remember, it is a big obligation and so you have to decide on properly before laying your hands at it.

# Make a complete study on the property

Although Prabhadevi is a good choice to invest, yet you should make a complete study about the investment. This goes well for every property you purchase. Prabhadevi real estate guide will help you to know about.

  • Prices of the homes
  • Condition of the property
  • Neighborhood
  • Tax Laws
  • Real Estate Opportunities,etc.

Being aware of all the issues, your investment will not turn out to be flop. The more information you can gather, the better your real estate investments will be.

# Begin with small investment for low risk

Do you want to invest big to sell and purchase properties quickly? If yes, then ward off your idea simply. This is not at all right when investing into the real estate market. If you look at the successful investors, they start with small investment. Afterwards they sell suchproperties at profitable rates after living for some time and then renovating the property. Therefore, you can follow the same path. The other alternative is purchasing one of the luxury apartments Prabhadevihaving tenants and rent further. These low-risk investments might not seem to you exciting,but can be the way to acquiring wealth. Additionally, low-risk investments will have no fear of landing you into debt.

# Make your investment a business

Complete by formulating a business plan. Successful investors in their life have run investments as a business. They formulate a proper plan to assist them in the process. Even they establish goals for businesses than simply making money from the properties. More professionalism you maintain, the possibility to get success from your investment will be higher.

# Consult a real estate company

Another consideration point is looking for a reputable real estate company. While selecting a company, check for its goodwill in the market and knowledge about the property you want to purchase. For example: if you desire to buy a 2/3 BHK Prabhadevi location then you should make sure they give you complete details about it. A good real estate company as can help you in the process in every way.

 

 

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The Ultimate Moving Office Checklist

Office Relocation Can be Difficult

Office relocations are by no means straightforward. There is a lot pinned on ensuring the process is smooth so that business can run almost as normal throughout the move. If you have been charged with organising the moving project, then you might be feeling the pressure. Follow this ultimate moving office checklist to keep you on the right track!

Recruit Your Co-Workers

The move cannot be a one-man project so it’s a good idea to appoint reps from each department to help break down the process into manageable chunks. The number of reps will depend on how big your office is with the aim of minimising the pressure left on one person. The departments should meet independently to coordinate a comprehensive plan of everything they need and want in the new office, and this information should be passed on to the project leader. Note, even if you’re looking at hiring a company to complete the move — there’s still a LOT to be done before the team shows up on the day and after they leave at the end of the day!

 

Keep everyone in the loop about the moving plans where necessary to reduce anxiety, allowing everyone to focus on their work, knowing how the plans are evolving,so everyone is informed.

 

Get A Feel For The Space

It’s hard to plan a full-scale office move if you have no idea what the space you’re moving to looks like. Get a hold of a floor plan of the new place and work out what the measurements are. The floor plan will act as a guide to planning how to organise and decorate the new space. As well as desks, chairs, and computers, you need to consider other things like carpets, lights, blinds, or partitions to break up the space. When you’re planning, use different colours for each department to mark out the use of the space, and add more detail by adding different numbers to correspond to the space for individual employees.

Think About Finances

Taking into account all of the needs identified by each department and the requirements established from the floor plan, devise a budget that is broken down into categories for different expenses. This should include costs like moving and setting up equipment, purchasing new furniture and decor, and updating your marketing materials or stationery with the new address.

Mark Your Calendar

Constructing a calendar of deadlines for each task is vital to keep the project flowing and on-track. Using shared online spreadsheets with your plans will allow you to keep everyone informed of their roles so no task runs behind schedule.

Moving Services and Safe-Keeping

Booking a removal company should be done as soon as you can so the moving process doesn’t slow down, and so you can take your pick without having to compromise because you are late to the party. Pick your company carefully based on pricing and reviews and whether they are able to provide you with any other help you’ll need. If you have equipment or furniture that you’d like to keep but don’t want to clutter your office space, you can use a self-storage unit for long-term safe-keeping. This is also a great option for storing things mid-move while you’re packing up so they don’t get in your way or damaged.

Send Out Notifications Of Address Change

Your clients, suppliers, utility providers, bank and insurance companies will all need to know about your change of address as soon as possible. Any business cards and marketing material will also need a makeover to reflect your new location. To catch anyone who tries to contact you at your previous address, a postal redirect and call forwarding to your new premises is necessary.

Pack Everything Up

In the few weeks leading up to the official moving day, delegate packing tasks amongst members of the office. Ask all your employees to take home their personal possessions to help declutter the office and make the packing task simpler. All of the packing boxes should be labelled with what’s in them and where they are to go in the new office. Colour code the boxes according to department and note the employee number where necessary.

Preparatory Set-Up

Streamline the move-in by installing electric cabling and data points, functioning bathrooms and kitchen, lighting and heating before all your office equipment and furniture is moved in. With everything set-up and installed prior to move-in day, it will be a simple case of linking things up come move in day.

Last Steps

  • There are a few final steps you’ll need to take before moving day.
  • Firstly, avoid last-minute panics by collecting the keys or access codes for the new building and office.
  • Next, make sure you know where the removal company can park on the day.
  • And finally, create a comprehensive itinerary for the day which you should give to all your team.

The Move

Moving day may be strenuous so minimise the strain by preparing yourself. Packing a moving day kit is a good idea – fill it with a first aid kit, snacks, and water to keep your energy levels up. Hand your movers your contact details and your floor plan with the colour codes for the labelled boxes. On arrival at the new office, have your camera at the ready to take pictures of the premises, looking out for anything to report to the landlord. After the movers have unpacked everything, ask the representatives from each department to check over their sections, making sure everything is in place and undamaged. Organise cleaning services to attend to your old premises before you return the keys.

Run A Trial

When moving day is over and your employees have returned to work, trial working in the new office space for a couple of weeks – ask for feedback from the employees on the facilities, the layout, and the feel of the office. Make changes where necessary to achieve the ideal working environment. This moving office checklist will help you construct a smooth moving project, addressing any issues along the way!

About the author

Carol is a freelance writer for Storage Vault Coatbridge and is absolutely bonkers about storage and productivity. If not writing lists, press releases or blog articles — you can find her exploring the Scottish highlands with her Macbook and notepad looking for inspiration and adventure.

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5 Top Financial Technology Trends

Trends in FinTech

Lately, there has been a lot of buzz in the financial services space over the quick and radical changes in the sector brought about by its shift to a new, digital model that will fundamentally transform everything.
In this Featured Article, we take a look at the trends shaping the financial services industry to bring you the most current trends affecting your everyday life. Financial Technology is move at an incredible speed.

  1. Digital Transformation

Our world is becoming very tech-inclined with a growing reliance on technology and online resources. This, coupled with increased competition from fintech and regtech firms whose business model revolves around a variety of new technologies has forced traditional financial institutions to invest in digital technologies to remake processes and become more efficient.

  1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain

AI and Blockchain continue to expand the frontiers of technology, enabling companies to solve even harder problems and disrupt the financial services landscape with huge competitive advantages. AI, for one, is taking the financial services industry by storm.

Several financial services firms now rely on artificial intelligence to cut cost, save time, and add value. For instance, wealth management institutions now use robo-advisors to analyze and understand client investment, spending, and general behavior regarding money management so they can customize the advice offered to customers.

Similarly, the blockchain, the technology which runs cryptocurrencies, continues to power innovation in the financial services sector. It offers an opportunity to speed up and simplify cross-border payments, ensure greater trade accuracy, improve online identify management, and ensure transparency in financial operations.

Through smart contracts, transactions and agreements are executed automatically once the conditions coded in them are satisfied. This help eliminates the need for an intermediary and leads to a reduction in cost.

  1. Digital-Only Banks Influence in the Financial World Continues to Grow

Digital-only banks and fintech companies are threatening to replace traditional banks as the focal point of the banking experience. As technological advancements continue to expand and consumers become more comfortable using the internet, their expectations for instant and straightforward digital interactions will continue to increase.

By their very nature, digital-only banks possess the tools necessary to offer consumers what they expect and prefer. Not operating from any physical location means they attract low transaction cost, which allows them to distribute resources better to provide customer experiences that are uniquely differentiated.

For instance, DBS Bank, a Marina Bay-based digital-only bank offers up to 7% interest rates on savings accounts, unlimited access to ATMs, zero balance requirements, etc., all of which can be difficult for legacy organizations to provide.

  1. Big Data Continues to Drive Modern Business Operations

Organizations continue to find new ways to leverage big data. This data now enables companies to create real competitive advantages by providing large amounts of information to assist with their research, marketing, etc. It is predicted that the Internet of Things will make big data even bigger by providing plenty of storage space as well as by offering the big data itself.

  1. Banks and Financial Institutions Embrace Cloud-Based Offerings

Cloud innovation has been a thing in the financial services industry for a while now. However, it wasn’t until recently that banks started to embrace it. The innovation was generally not well received by traditional banks due to security issues. Brick and Mortar institutions feared that entrusting data to cloud will make it more susceptible to hacks.

Today, however, the technology is becoming more widely accepted, as banks now use cloud computing for non-critical functions like email, human resource, customer relationship management (CRM), customer analytics, as well as for development and testing.

 

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How to Begin Investing as a College Student

College Students And Investing

You might think that your college budget doesn’t allow for a variety of things, such as making investments. It’s going to be tricky, but your student years are one of the best times to start investing. After all, you’re on a learning curve and not afraid of making mistakes.

Unfortunately, there are no college courses on how to build your wealth. You’ll be pleased to know, however, that it’s not going to require thousands of dollars in capital to start your investment journey. You do need to know how to do it, and how to do it best. Below is an introduction to some of the most popular options for college investors and the best ways to get you started.

5 Main Ways to Invest Money

  1. Cash in the bank is considered to be one of the safest options, but it’s not a great investment. Interest rates paid by banks tend to be lower than inflation. Certainly don’t leave your hard-earned money under the mattress because if you’re burgled, you’ve lost the lot.
  2. For most people, property is the single best investment. It’s one you can start as soon as your income allows, simply by buying your own home. Once you’ve got your foot on the property ladder, you can climb your way up.
  3. Antiques, art, wines, and collectibles can be a very interesting way to invest. Collectibles are often cheap, making them an affordable form of investment. However, it’s not the easy path to riches you might think. You need to be an expert in the things you collect to avoid being taken for a ride.
  4. Equities can provide the beginner with the opportunity to make sizeable profits. They are a stake in a company, with shareholders often getting paid a dividend. Shares, stocks, and equities provide good growth potential. Equities allow you to invest smaller amounts, while also being cheaper to hold.
  5. Bonds are the fifth option. They have a guaranteed interest rate and a date on which they’ll be redeemed. Bonds issued by governments are considered safer than company bonds.

Tips for College Students Who Want to Invest

If you want to invest in any of the options mentioned above, you should learn as much as you can. It’s possible to gain enough knowledge by reading books and articles online, and the information you gain will help you become a successful investor.

Any debts you have need to be paid off before making any kind of investment. Finding out how to refinance student loans will help you to repay these quicker. Making risky investments while you’ve still got high-interest loans to repay will only make your financial situation worse.

Making investments will require a brokerage account, so you need to find a reputable brokerage firm to handle your investment transactions.

A sensible thing to do when making investments is to diversify your portfolio. Don’t invest all your funds in one single company. Instead, put invest in various industries and investment types.

Investing is not only for rich people. You can make money, even if you’ve only have a small amount to invest. Practice makes perfect, and before you know it, you’ll be making more money. Start small, and any money you make can be used for further investments, and increase your learning.

 

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What is the Antikythera Mechanism

Learn About the Incredible Antikythera Mechanism

As far as science and technology go, the Antikythera Mechanism is one of the biggest and most intriguing stories ever told. But what exactly is the Antikythera Mechanism and what makes it such a significant discovery?

What is the Antikythera Mechanism?

The Antikythera Mechanism is a device used to monitor and forecast solar cycles. The mechanism, which is often described as the world’s “first analogical computer,” is believed to have been used by early astronomers to mark the calendar as well as predict solar and lunar eclipse by tracking the movements of the sun, moon, and planets.

The Antikythera Mechanism was also used to plan a four-year athletics tournament cycle like the Olympic Games. Technically, you would be right to call it a calculator, as it was used to add, multiply, divide, and subtract. In addition, the relic could align different cycles and show the position of the sun and moon in the zodiac.

The device, a complex system, comprises over 30 sophisticated bronze gears held in a wooden and bronze case that’s about the same size as a shoebox. These gears were used to control dials tracking the moon, sun, planets, eclipses, as well as the schedule for the Olympics.

When Was the Antikythera Mechanism Discovered?

In 1900, a boatload of Greek sponge divers was blown off course by a storm, forcing them to take shelter by the small Mediterranean island of Antikythera, per LiveScience. The following day, they went diving off the tiny island and found the wreck of an ancient trading ship believed to be 2,000-years-old.

The divers later retrieved three flat pieces of corroded bronze from the submerged ship, which many believe sank between 70 BC and 60 BC on its way to Rome from Asia. Researchers say the device was first made sometime between the second and early first century.

Two years after the discovery, Greek politician, Spirydon Stais, who spearheaded the ship’s underwater excavation, visited the museum where the treasures from the wrecked cargo ship were kept. While sifting through the items, Stais was attracted by some fascinating pieces of bronze, which would later be known as the Antikythera Mechanism.

The Antikythera Mechanism’s True Purpose Finally Discovered

In the decades past, scientists have made several attempts to find the actual purpose of the Antikythera Mechanism using X-rays and CT scans to look inside the device. Despite several efforts, it wasn’t until 1951 that Derek J. de Solla Price found the real purpose of the “computer.”

Assisted by Greek nuclear physicist Charalampos Karakalos, Price took a complete X-ray and gamma-ray images of the device’s 82 fragments. His research showed that the mechanism’s primary gear represented the calendar year, while the smaller, unconnected gears were designed to serve as the celestial bodies, cites an Independent article.

 

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