Business

Could Alexa Be Your Next Financial Planner?

Personal digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are getting involved in many aspects of our lives. From controlling our diaries and providing entertainment, to ordering groceries, all we have to do is issue a simple command. But would you trust Alexa with your money?

Artificial intelligence and machine learning are having an impact on many industries and the financial services sector is no exception. So it might not be too long before you can ask Alexa to pick a basket of stocks to provide income or help you plan to pay off your mortgage.

Instant information

Fast access to market data was once the preserve of back office systems for IFAs, but thanks to the internet it’s now available to everyone. You can access up to date prices and historical trends as you need them to help you plan your investment decisions. Of course, if you can do this so can Alexa, so there’s no reason why she can’t help your decision-making or offer recommendations.

The same thing applies to the details of your daily spending. As we increasingly pay for things with our phones, that data can go straight into a budgeting system and be made available across your other devices. There’s no reason why this can’t be integrated with your bank and credit card information too, especially as the new Open Banking initiative rolls out.

Consumer data

Of course, back office systems for IFAs are available through Intelliflo and they do a great job with financial data. But often financial decisions are made based on a combination of other factors too. These can include job security, family circumstances such as marriages and deaths and more.

Currently, financial software is blind to all this, but a true artificial intelligence system will be able to take account of a whole range of other factors. This means investment decisions can be taken in the light of retirement planning, paying tuition fees, career prospects and more. It can also look at wider geopolitical factors such as legislative change, taxation regimes, climate change and more.

Financial planning in future will need to be open to all of these things. Cross-referencing of data is here to stay and is becoming easier for everyone to access. Unless you’re prepared to become a digital hermit, it’s going to affect you.

Read More →
Replies: 0 / Share:
Education

Harvard University vs MIT

Do you intend to study abroad in the United States? You should be looking for the right institution. Here, most Indian students get the doubt whether to choose Harvard University or it is MIT. The latter as you know is Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But, you will have to know certain things to do a comparative study of these two institutions. Then, by needs and preferences, you can choose one.

Which one of these is older?

When you compare these two institutions based on age, Harvard is older. Yes, Harvard was established in 1636, while MIT was established in 1861. The nickname for the former is Crimson, while for the latter it is Engineers. Of course, both of them have Cambridge as their hometown.

Which university has a better ranking?

Let us explore the rank secured by these two institutions in different rankings:

ARWU Ranking:

According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities shortly called ARWU, Harvard is ranked in the first position, while MIT is in the 4th place as per the 2017 record. ARWU uses the following objective indicators for ranking universities from across the world.

  1. The number of staff and alumni winning Nobel Prizes and Field Medals.
  2. Per capita performance by the size of the institution
  3. Number of articles recorded in Science Citation Index
  4. Number of articles published in journals of nature and science
  5. The number of highly-cited researchers selected by Thomson Scientific

Times Higher Education Ranking:

The British Magazine publishes the Times Higher Education Ranking once a year. The core mission of the universities is the criteria for ranking. It includes international outlook, knowledge transfer, research, and teaching mission.  As per the Times Higher Education Ranking, Harvard is in the 4th position, while MIT is in the 5th rank.

US News Ranking:

The U.S. News ranked MIT in the first position and Harvard University in the third place based on the QS World University Ranking in the year 2017.

Forbes ranking:

According to Forbes’ annual list of America’s 650 top institutions, MIT is ranked 10, while Harvard is ranked 8. This evaluation focuses on the things that matter the most to students. Yes, the factors include low levels of debt, high graduation rates, excellent career prospects, and quality of teaching.

The number of academic staff:

As per the data from agencies like the National Ministry of Education, the National Rector’s Conference, the National Association of Universities and Colleges, and the National Bureau of Statistics, the academic staff is 1018 at MIT, while in the case of Harvard, the number is 2017.

What is the tuition fee for international students?

As per the University’s Official statistics for 2017, the average tuition fee for international students at Harvard is $39,966, while the money charged by MIT for international students is $41300. Also, the cost of room and boarding is $13630 in the former and $12744 in the latter.

Percentage of Asian students:

As you are an Indian comparing these two universities, it is essential that you should be aware of the Asian student statistics in both of these schools. The percentage of Asian students at MIT in 2017 was 24.1% of the total number of students. The value of 100 is 15.2 in the case of Harvard.

What is the average admission SAT Score?

As you know, SAT scores is one of the criteria for the selection of students to these institutions. The average admissions SAT Score in the case of MIT is 1490, while for Harvard it is 1500.

How about the student-staff ratio?

It is one staff member for every eight students in the case of MIT, while the number of students is 7 for one staff member at Harvard.

Conclusion:

When comparing between these two institutions, the choice is purely yours. For instance, it relies on your interests. In the case of liberal arts, law, business, and humanities, you can choose Harvard. On the other hand, if you are into engineering, MIT is the best choice.

Read More →
Replies: 0 / Share:
Lifestyle

The Nuclear War Films That Everyone Should Watch

Nuclear war, a topic that was put largely to the back of people’s minds as the 1980s drew to a close and the Berlin Wall fell, has once again reared its ugly head – Donald Trump’s cavalier approach to using nuclear weapons, the casual threatening of ‘fire and fury’, North Korea refusing to put a stop to its nuclear weapons program—all of this has pushed the threat back to the front of everyone’s minds once again. It is no surprise that people are investing in underground bunkers and looking for a good online outdoor survival store so they can head for the hills at a moment’s notice. The recent move of the Doomsday clock’s hands is the closest the world has been to Armageddon since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It is a dangerous world that we live in if people have forgotten the lessons that history has taught us within living memory – so maybe it is time to dig these films out of the archives and remember the horror of what nuclear war actually looks like….

The War Game 1962 Written and directed by Peter Watkins in 1967, this film was originally made to be shown on the BBC but was banned at the last minute amidst worries that the film might cause upset to the public. At the time, many people didn’t understand the harsh realities of the bomb and how it would affect the world differently from the Second World War. The film itself is a documentary-style film set in Kent, showing how poorly prepared Britain was for nuclear war and with some truly horrifying scenes. This film still packs a punch today, as you will realize that we are no better prepared than we were in 1967 for this horrific event.

When the Wind Blows Better known for the classic festive film ‘The Snowman,’ Raymond Briggs turns his attention to nuclear war in this superbly animated tale about an adorable old couple, following the ‘protect and survive’ government leaflet when nuclear war breaks out in Britain. Sometimes funny, but mostly tragic, it focuses on the everyday lives of a ‘normal’ old couple in Britain, desperately trying to understand the new world that is unravelling before their eyes. It will certainly draw a tear to your eye.

Threads: The film that is head and shoulders above them all, you will never forget it! Barry Hines and Mick Jackson’s horrific portrayal of nuclear war breaking out in Sheffield was first shown in 1984, and the night it was shown was dubbed ‘the night the nation didn’t sleep’. There is not one film closer to the reality of nuclear war than this one. Painstakingly researched, Jackson and Hines spoke to scientists, psychiatrists, and military experts to ensure that this film was as real as they came—and it really is. One word of advice: don’t watch before bed!

Read More →
Replies: 0 / Share: