Wed.Dec 30, 2020

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Are Smart Cities Still A Smart Bet Amid ‘Urban Flight’ And The Pandemic?

PYMNTS

The pandemic has pressured corporate top lines — and as a result, leaves less money to go around to fund innovation, especially for tech-focused firms. So-called “smart-city” initiatives might be a casualty, especially if it’s perceived that people are leaving urban areas for the ‘burbs. In other words, to mangle a line from “Field of Dreams”: “Why build it if they won’t come?”.

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Things To Do To Start the Year on a High Note

Withum

Starting the year right means getting things organized, in order and getting started on the right foot. Here is a checklist of some things to do.

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First Court Date Set For SEC Lawsuit Against Ripple

PYMNTS

A lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against digital payments firm Ripple is heading to virtual court on Feb. 22, according to legal documents filed in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York. Legal counsel for those named in the suit — Ripple Labs, CEO Bradley Garlinghouse and Executive Chairman and Co-founder Christian Larsen — were called to appear in an online pretrial conference with Judge Analisa Torres. .

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Ultra Last Minute Tax Moves for Skagit County Businesses

SkagitCountyTaxServices

It’s going to take us many weeks to digest everything in this massive omnibus of a relief bill that the President signed on Sunday night. And with year-end barrelling at us (2021 is on FRIDAY), it’s unlikely that we will be able to make substantive action on your behalf THIS WEEK. That doesn’t mean that we aren’t already diving into the thing — we are — but just that we are prioritizing year-end matters for our clients this week.

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Planning Your Restaurants Path to Profitability

Speaker: James Kahler, COO of Full Course

Ever wondered where to splurge and where to safely conserve when it comes to operating and growing your restaurant? 🤔 Join James Kahler, COO of Full Course and industry visionary, in this new webinar where he'll talk all about best practices to invest in your restaurant's success! Whether you're a new business or an established restaurant, a seasoned pro or a rookie, you'll learn the keys to sustainable success in this competitive industry.

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B2B eCommerce Embraces The Ecosystem Opportunity

PYMNTS

With trade shows canceled and enterprise digitization accelerated, 2020 was a big year for the adoption of B2B eCommerce. Whether through the use of online marketplaces or proprietary supplier portals, B2B sellers embraced the opportunity to connect with business customers online, while buyers reciprocated by sourcing, procuring and paying for goods the way they do in their personal lives.

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Why Fraud Prevention is So Important (and how to get started!)

FraudFiles

Fraud is big business. Companies are at the greatest risk of fraud from their employees, since the employees have easy access to information and assets. We don’t know for sure how much fraud happens, but experts estimate that companies lose 5% of their revenues to employee fraud. At a company with annual sales of $100 million, that means that $5 million is walking out the door each year.

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Key Performance Indicators and your Construction Company

Withum

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Mastercard’s Jess Turner: Pandemic Aside, Consumers Call The Shots

PYMNTS

If there’s a word that captures the state of financial services in 2020, it’s “acceleration.” Between the explosion of the digital economy driven by the pressures of the pandemic and the radical realignment of consumer preferences that has happened as a result, the year 2020 has seen digital payments accelerate at something approaching warp speed. At Mastercard , Executive Vice President of North America Products and Innovation Jess Turner told Karen Webster in a recent discussion, the rapid acc

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Legislation Extends and Expands the Employee Retention Tax Credit

Withum

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Flexible Payment Plans Promise Merchant Growth In 2021

PYMNTS

The pandemic has heaped financial hurt on millions of consumers globally, prompting them to trim their shopping lists and seek flexible ways to make purchases. Evidence reveals that these habits picked up steam during the 2020 holiday shopping season, with PYMNTS research finding that 4 percent of Americans used buy now, pay later (BNPL) methods for their Black Friday purchases.

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How Automation is Driving Efficiency Through the Last Mile of Reporting

Speaker: Jamie Eagan

As organizations strive for agility and efficiency, it's imperative for finance leaders to embrace innovative technologies and redefine traditional processes. Join us as we explore the pivotal role of digitalization and automation in reshaping what is commonly referred to as the “last mile of reporting”. We’ll deep-dive into why digitalization is no longer a choice, but a necessity for finance departments to stay competitive in a fast-paced environment touching on: 2024 trends for the Office of

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Phishing: How Asset Management Companies Fail at Cybersecurity

Withum

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Ternio CEO: Crypto’s Transformation Will Come From The Fed, Not Bitcoin

PYMNTS

At a time when 90 percent of Americans have never owned bitcoin and nearly 70 percent say they have no plans to do so in the future, the thought of widespread adoption and usage of cryptocurrency seems to be a distant prospect for most people. Ternio CEO Daniel Gouldman , however, is not one of them. “I would not be surprised if in five years, most money as we know it is basically cryptocurrency,” Gouldman said in a recent interview with PYMNTS.

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Next Year

RitaKeller

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep.” – Robert Frost. The following is a Flashback Post from 2017. I think it applies to every year-end. How many times have you said those two words, “next year”? Maybe to your kids, “You’ll be old enough to do that next year.”. Maybe to your spouse, “Honey, we’ll take that special vacation trip next year.”.

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CFPB OKs Payactiv As First Earned Wage Access Provider

PYMNTS

Payactiv 's Earned Wage Access (EWA) program is exempt from federal lending law under new rules from the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), according to a press release. The CFPB ruled that the EWA program isn't credit and thus doesn't have to abide by the federal Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Regulation Z rules, which govern creditors, the release stated.

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No-Code Technology: The Key to Unlock the Future of Your Business

Global economies are reeling from recent upheavals—pandemic aftershocks, geopolitical conflicts, and a tech sector crunch. Mark Zuckerberg's 2023 "Year of Efficiency" ethos extends into 2024, with leaders seeking cost reductions without stunting growth. No-code technology emerges as a beacon of hope, fostering resilience and adaptability. Platforms like Make.com and Zapier empower even non-technical staff to automate and innovate, freeing IT for strategic tasks.

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2020 Consolidated Appropriations Act – Don Corleone’s Rental Assistance Resistance

Withum

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Opportunities And Challenges In The Digital-First Era

PYMNTS

Department stores are struggling in a digital-first economy, while forward-thinking retailers are looking at the returns process as an opportunity to create a positive customer experience. In eCommerce, Amazon is reporting a blockbuster holiday shopping season that saw toys, electronics and household products delivered amid the global pandemic.

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Case Study: Construction Company Gains Valuable Data Insights Through Revamped Financial Reporting

Withum

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Nike, Pepsi Lead The Year Of Direct To Consumer

PYMNTS

This year will not only go down in history as “the year of the pandemic,” but for consumer packaged goods brands, it will also be known as “the year of direct to consumer.”. Big brands like Nike and Pepsi jumped into D2C sales in a big way – partly out of necessity amid the digital shift, but also because it turns out that selling directly to consumers is actually a pretty good business.

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Register Now: Sneak Peek Into Close Automation SkyStem Web Demo

Technology is rapidly changing the way accountants perform and manage month-end activities. Spreadsheets, email, and shared drives no longer have to slow us down. Join us as we present a "sneak peek" recorded demo of SkyStem's month-end close solution – ART. In under four weeks, your team can start reaping the benefits of month-end close automation by vastly reducing spreadsheets, cut down on reconciliation work, speed up the month-end close, and better manage your remote team.

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Case Study: PR Firm Streamlines Accounting Systems and Processes

Withum

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Uber Announces Seattle Price Hike To Meet Minimum Wage Law

PYMNTS

Uber trips will jump 24 percent in cost starting in the new year in Seattle, with the rideshare company raising prices to accommodate a new law requiring drivers be paid the city's minimum wage, GeekWire reported. In September, the Seattle City Council unanimously voted to adopt new rules which force Uber and Lyft to let their drivers earn the city's $16.69 minimum wage in 2021.

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How to Pay ZERO in Taxes with Real Estate

LyfeAccounting

?. Are you tired of paying taxes? Yeah me, too. Taxes stink. But recently, I heard that some people pay very little in taxes. In fact, the president’s tax returns show he paid just $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017. And nearly nothing for many years before that, according to reports from the New York Times. Man, that sounds too good to be true.

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What 36 Payments Executives Wish For The World In 2021

PYMNTS

It started with a simple premise. PYMNTS asked a cross-section of the companies we work with to give us their take on their wishes for the world as we approach 2021. In addition, we wanted to know how these companies and executives were planning for a new era when businesses and the economy start to bounce back. Lest anyone think the responses were predictable and safe, think again.

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Recruit and Retain New Blue-Collar Talent

Blue-collar jobs have a branding problem. One company, GEON, partnered with Paycor to find the solution. Learn how to attract, engage, and retain blue-collar employees, helping them build meaningful careers – and support your company’s goals.

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Bitcoin Daily: Three Crypto Firms Delist XRP; Bitcoin Hits New Record High Above $28,000

PYMNTS

Binance , Bittrex and Crypto.com have all announced that they will delist XRP following last week’s news that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Ripple for trading the cryptocurrency without registering it as a security. Binance said in a blog post that it will suspend XRP trading on Jan. 13, and it noted that while customers won’t be able to deposit XRP, they will be able to withdraw it.

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Amazon Sellers Have A Merry Christmas, But Struggle With Returns

PYMNTS

There’s no arguing the fact that Amazon has been a lifeline for small businesses this year. During the extended holiday season, the eCommerce giant says its independent sellers saw their sales grow more than 50 percent over 2019. And while the eCommerce champion said it delivered more than 1.5 billion gifts this season, nearly one billion products were sold by third-party sellers.

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US Pending Home Sales Decline For Third Month

PYMNTS

Pending home sales dropped 2.6 percent in November, the third consecutive month during the pandemic that activity dropped off in the real estate market, according to the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI). The index, calculated monthly by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), showed that month-over-month sales activity dropped in all four major regions of the country (Northeast, Midwest, South and West).

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Contextual Banking Awaits Its Star Turn

PYMNTS

As treasury management becomes increasingly digital, a bank’s corporate banking clients face challenges when it comes to modernizing treasury workflows. Ideally, they need to change existing ecosystems without giving rise to a major IT project. To that end, as Lisa Shields , CEO of FISPAN , told Karen Webster, contextual business banking, with service embedded within enterprise resource planning (ERP) and business banking, is ready to take off.

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Join the Instant Payment Revolution: Read 7 Must-Know Facts for Small Businesses

Technology evolves at lightning speed, and as finance keeps changing, instant payments emerge as a game-changer for small businesses. By 2030, instant payments are projected to surge by 289% and will become the new norm in financial transactions. Our whitepaper reveals seven must-know facts about instant payments, offering to help you navigate this financial revolution effectively.

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Deep Dive: How 2020 Shaped The Future Of Digital-First Banking

PYMNTS

The ongoing pandemic has drastically changed day-to-day life and generated economic turbulence the world will feel for years to come. The banking industry is hardly exempt from the disruption as social distancing and stay-at-home orders have all but emptied physical bank branches to mitigate potential contagion. Some experts project that more than 20,000 branches could even shut their doors for good by the end of the pandemic. .

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Ticketmaster Hit With $10 Million Criminal Fine For Allegedly Hacking Rival’s Network

PYMNTS

Live Nation’s Ticketmaster has agreed to pay a $10 million criminal fine in order to sidestep prosecution on charges that it hacked a competitor’s computer system to steal confidential information, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. . “Ticketmaster employees repeatedly — and illegally — accessed a competitor’s computers without authorization using stolen passwords to unlawfully collect business intelligence,” Acting U.S.

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Investors Cap Off 2020 With An Eye On B2B eCommerce, SMB Banking

PYMNTS

Though 2020 was full of volatility, the B2B FinTech landscape persevered with venture capitalists and other investors for a lucrative year. Highlighting the increasing interest in this startup space is this week's B2B venture capital roundup, which recaps the final two weeks of 2020 in B2B FinTech investments. There were several notable rounds, including high-value deals for supply chain management, B2B eCommerce and small business banking.

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8 Connected-Economy Firms Expected To Light Up The IPO Market In 2021

PYMNTS

Connected-economy companies led 2020’s surprisingly successful roster of U.S. initial public offerings, with hot firms like Airbnb and DoorDash going public at valuations that collectively topped $120 billion. Many enjoyed huge first-day price pops, heating up the IPO market even more — and 2021 seems poised to only continue the fireworks. Here are some of the most important connected-economy IPOs expected in 2021, listed in order of either their last publicly estimated or confirmed valuation or

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How CPA Firms Can Profit From Payroll Services Without the Extra Work

"Offer payroll and do it yourself,” they said. “It’ll be fun!” Spoiler alert: It was not fun. Most CPA firms know that they need to offer payroll services to their clients or risk losing them to another firm that will. However, many don’t really want to. It is often time-consuming and complex due to changing tax laws and regulations, and with the growing staffing shortages, most just don’t have the resources.