According to the Chinese Calendar 2020 is the Zodiac Year of the Rat. Rats are clever and wise and are symbols of wealth and surplus (because of their fast rate of reproduction). Rats have to be extra cautious in the new year due to being at risk of losing money. They must learn to stand back and wait until opportunities arise and are advised to wait until the following year in making big decisions and keeping their financial situation stable. Rats will also find themselves losing their focus at times and becoming emotional. So each of us would do well to temper our prosperity trends regarding the economy going forward. Living with a bit of anxiety will be a harbinger for credit union leadership as we head into the year.With recent political, economic and regulatory changes added to the American landscape, the new year economy in which credit unions will have to navigate will slow down. Overall many aspects of these changes have caused many of us to shift and use more new technology and innovation in dealing with our financial situations and engagement in serving members.And with 2020 being a presidential election year, all business and financial marketplace predictions will be tempered by Uncertainty!However, this is not the year for credit unions to hold back. There is an opportunity to really continue to step up and help members respond to new changes and challenges (interest rate changes/cyber-security/ID theft/new technology/frictionless transactions) and not have a rat pack mentality like our competitors.I would offer these “Super 10 in 20”suggestions for setting a course to prosper in the New Year:Work Your CU Neighborhood. Focus on deepening relationships (more wallet share) with your current members. Get closer and really get to know your members. Offer one stop financial services shopping and don’t make your members jump through whoop s to do business. Continue to engage and expand in socially responsible causes showing the credit union difference in the community.Review your Fee structures for market place adjustments. I am not suggesting we gouge our members, only that we alter fees based on the local marketplace. We still will be the best deal in town.Have a Collaboration, Partnership, Alliance and Merger Policy/Strategy.Train staff to cross serve and wow members at every touch point opportunity 7x24x365. Embrace being a “Member-Centric” CU. All staff, volunteers, vendors and members should be advocates for your credit union.Have a well-defined Member Experience Program. Use Good On-Boarding practices to Reconnect and Engage current/new members by offering incentives–(Buy local Groupon/ miles/reward programs/prepaid cards/cash back/free credit scores/reports/co-brand products) and concierge services to empower them to connect. Reach out to Hispanic/New Immigrant communities and show them how credit unions are a welcoming financial institution. Give members real reasons for being a member, not just a customer. Membership should have its privileges. Offer Certificate of Member Ownership/Toll Free 800 Member Care Hotline.Embrace Innovation/Mobile Strategy: Mobile/Tablet Technology and Social Media. Be Appilicious–Utilize innovative ideas to create “Apps for This and That”. Form Strategic Partnerships with Fin-techs (Google/Amazon) for first payments/digital interaction options. Teach members to serve themselves via technology. A CU Alexa has now joined the Apple watch to members households and vehicles and “Face Payments” could be the next Big Thing!Offer Suite of Retirement Services to help Senior Members–Tax/Legal (Wills) Services/End of Life (Burial) Loans/Long Term Care. Consider offering Life-style Products/Services that your members could really benefit from (braces/Invisalign treatments/hearing aids/plastic/Lasik surgery) personal procedures that are not covered by traditional insurance.Reach out to young adults/women and early retirees via Micro Lending and Small Business Services. These members are the fastest demographic starting their own business.Make it a strategic imperative to appeal to and attract more Youth and Young Adults. The under 30 Demographic is your next generation of lending business and lifelong members for your CU. Find ways to help young members ease their burden of student debt and offer Financial Counseling Fitness programs to help them get on track with sound life-long money budgeting practices.Explore Cannabis/Hemp/CBD Oil Banking as potential new Small Business opportunities for your credit union. 38SHARESShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr,John Vardallas John A. Vardallas CAE, CUDE is Founder/CEO of The AmericanBoomeR Group, a Madison, Wisconsin based speaking/consulting firm. He is also Senior Faculty Advisor/Project Evaluator for SCMS and … Web: www.theamericanboomer.com Details This is not the time to sit back in your den about your credit unions mission to thrive in the future. Focusing on maintaining our differentiation–why we do versus what we do in our communities will distinguish us from the rest and help us prosper.Our Credit unions will need to step up, promote our purpose, focus on our uniqueness and commitment to members to stay ahead and avoid getting caught up in the financial services rat race in 2020.
Halcyon Lakefields at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.“We are very excited about this next chapter, living in our new home at Halcyon Lakeside.”The Chapmans said their lives were enriched from the moment they moved into their first home at Halcyon Parks and it would continue to flourish at Halcyon Lakeside.The Lakeside community is just minutes from the town centre of Bli Bli, with the Recreation Club set to include a sunset bar, gymnasium, circuit room, resort and lap pool, rooftop tennis court, bocce court, bowling green, pickleball courts, work shed and a storage area for boats and caravans.Each Halcyon community is made up of modern architect-designed homes surrounded by lush landscaping and five-star resort style facilities. Halcyon Lakefields at Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.While the Halcyon Lakeside Recreation Club is currently under construction, homeowners have already tested out some of the completed facilities.More from newsMould, age, not enough to stop 17 bidders fighting for this home1 hour agoBuyers ‘crazy’ not to take govt freebies, says 28-yr-old investor7 hours agoThe community gathered to welcome the Chapmans during the afternoon happy hour.“It’s the warm, friendly, community feel that we love most about Halcyon,” Mr Chapman said.And it’s that community spirit that helped them make the decision to remain in a Halcyon estate when they decided to make a tree change.“We love Halcyon, and we wouldn’t have sought a home anywhere else,” Mr Chapman said.“The homes are beautifully designed and the community living experience and social life that comes with the homeowners of this unique development was pivotal to our decision to stay with Halcyon. Len and Willy Chapman are the 100th buyers at Halcyon Lakeside retirement village on the Sunshine Coast.A COMMUNITY where greenery and lakeside living is the norm, has just welcomed its 100th homeowner during a celebratory happy hour.Len and Willy Chapman, who originally lived at Halcyon Parks in Caloundra seven years ago, have just clinked glasses with their newest neighbours at Halcyon Lakeside in Bli Bli on the Sunshine Coast.“The Lakeside community is beautiful,” Ms Chapman said. “It’s surrounded by an abundance of greenery and overlooks two lakes, with walking trails and views of the hinterland.“There is a sense of countryside living here at Lakeside, it’s just so quiet and peaceful.”
The CPL point standings: Trinbago Knight Riders Jamaica Tallawahs6420008-0.17 Guyana Amazon Warriors8350006-0.064 St Lucia Stars8070011-1.799 871000141.372
… Guptill returns home, Ronchi called upFOLLOWING a much-needed day off on Wednesday after their four home games of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament ended on Tuesday evening, an upbeat Guyana Amazon Warriors unit resumed training yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.The Warriors, with two key round-robin encounters remaining, has for the first time in CPL history found themselves in such a complicated position, and their
Martin Guptillgames against Barbados Tridents on Tuesday (August 29), and Jamaica Tallawhas on Friday (September 1), are must-win games if they stand a chance of qualifying for the playoffs.A loss for Warriors on Tuesday will make the final league match merely an academic affair.The Warriors have blown hot and cold throughout the tournament, and haven’t looked sharp, at least for the first six games. They however, rebounded nicely, winning their last two encounters at home by commanding margins. The two hammerings – one against Tridents on Sunday evening, and the other against St Lucia Stars on Tuesday evening – boosted the Warriors’ morale, heading into their final two games. However, with the playoffs on the line, the Warriors must be at their best in all three departments of the game, since playing their oppositions in their own backyard would not be an easy task.The Warriors’ batting was a huge let-down for the first six games, but judging from their last two performances, the batting seems to be hitting peak form at the right time.The options they have in the bowling department are their greatest strength so once the batting can complement that top-class bowling department then positive results are predictable in the remaining two games. Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have already confirmed for the playoffs, which means the battle for the other two places will come from the Warriors, Tridents and the Tallawahs. Both the Tridents and the Tallawahs have four remaining games. Meanwhile, the Guyana Amazon Warriors have replaced their captain and opening batsman, Martin Guptill, with fellow New Zealander wicketkeeper/batsman Luke Ronchi for the remainder of the tournament.Unfortunately Guptill has to return to New Zealand because of an important family health matter and as such the Warriors team will be without their appointed captain for the rest of the 2017 Hero CPL.Ronchi has just completed his stint in the NatWest T20 Blast in England where he played with Leicestershire and is currently one of the top ten
Luke Ronchiscorers in the League with 429 runs at a strike rate of 180.25.Omar Khan, Operations Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, said: “It’s unfortunate and hugely disappointing to lose Martin at this stage of the tournament, but we empathise with his situation and he has our full support as he returns home to his family. We welcome Luke to the Guyana Amazon Warriors family and his wealth of experience and explosive batting in this format will certainly be an asset to our team.”Guptill scored 142 runs from seven innings and was in his fourth year with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. TEAMMPMWMLMTMDN/RPTNRR Barbados Tridents6240004-0.125 St Kitts and Nevis Patriots852001110.74
Xavi took over at Al-Sadd in 2019 in what is his first managerial role. During his first season, he won the Qatari Super Cup and the Qatar Cup.Though, he has previously admitted that it is his ‘dream’ to return to Barcelona as their manager.Xavi even claimed that he and his coaching staff are preparing to take charge of Barcelona in the future.Xavi had been touted as the next manager to take over the club, given current manager Quique Setien’s recent form.The 61-year-old has endured a tough tenure at the helm of the Catalan giants since replacing Ernesto Valverde in January.Under his tutelage, Barcelona have been knocked off the top of the table in Spain. They restarted their campaign two points clear of Real Madrid but now sit four points behind their rivals, that is if they defeated Villarreal in their late Sunday night game.Setien has even been forced to deny that he has lost the dressing room following reports of rising tensions between staff and players.It was believed that Xavi would be called in to take over from Setien next season but such a move will now have to be postponed.The midfield maestro is regarded as a legend at Barcelona, making 767 first-team appearances for the LaLiga giants, and joining the club aged 11 years before progressing through their world-renowned La Masia academy system.He won eight La Liga titles alongside three Copa del Rey crowns and four Champions League trophies in his total of 25 titles with the club.Given his success at the club, fans would be more than happy to see their former captain return to the Nou Camp as their manager.Share this:FacebookRedditTwitterPrintPinterestEmailWhatsAppSkypeLinkedInTumblrPocketTelegram Barcelona fans will have to wait another year for Xavi to take over at the Nou Camp as he has signed a new contract at Al-Sadd.The 40-year-old has signed a new contract with the Qatari side for the 2020-21 season.The former midfielder responded to the announcement saying he is ‘happy’ to renew his contract and that he is working with the club’s management ‘on a number of issues, including the renewal of Akram Afif’s contract, and signing foreign players to replace Gabi and Marco Fabian.’
Winning Post: Swedish regulator pushes back on ‘Storebror’ approach to deposit limits August 24, 2020 Share Submit Share StumbleUpon Swansea City drops gambling sponsor August 21, 2020 The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) is facing pressure to reveal the details of Betway’s ownership, with the Daily Mail claiming the operator’s ownership structure is lacking transparency.Betway has recently come under fire from some anti-gambling campaigners regarding its use of gambling incentives.According to the UKGC, however, UK licence holders are required to provide detailed information to the regulator in order for a licence application to be approved, and due to data protection laws, the UKGC was not obliged to pass on information regarding the operator’s ownership.The UKGC said: “We expect applicants for licences to provide us with all the information we need in order to determine whether or not they are suitable to hold a licence.“When considering the suitability of an applicant, the commission has regard to the following elements and seeks evidence to support and enable an assessment to be made against each one: identity, ownership, finances, integrity, competence and criminality.”The Daily Mail also cited further criticism of the operator from Members of Parliament, who have called upon the regulator to find out more about the owner of the betting company.Labour MP Carolyn Harris, chairman of the all-party parliamentary group on gambling, said: “Devious deals and deception are at the heart of this industry. The more you look the more you find. For too long the actions of this industry have gone under the radar and the Gambling Commission are complicit.“They have allowed these kinds of Machiavellian dealings to go on unhindered. I urge them to tell MPs who owns Betway so they can be held to account.”Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith added: ‘The Gambling Commission should now come clean. It’s important to know who profits when gambling companies encourage problem gamblers to bet, leaving a wake of destroyed family lives behind them.’Betway responded to the criticisms, emphasising that the company has prioritised both responsibility and compliance in all jurisdictions: ‘As a responsible, licensed operator, all of our regulators are provided with the details of our ownership, as is required by law. Betway is fully tax compliant in all jurisdictions and we pay all taxes due.’ ESI Digital – No Drama Please… Esports growth should be treated as business as usual August 20, 2020 Related Articles