News Hub | News Direct

Professional Services

Architecture CRM/Customer Service Consulting Government & Policy Human Resources Intellectual Property/Trademark/Patent Law Legal
Article thumbnail News Release

Let’s Dive lands US$1.7m to make remote working more human, tackling concerns of worker isolation

Stockwood Strategy

Let’s Dive a platform for remote employee engagement and building team culture has today announced it has raised US$1.7 million in funding led by Sequoia Capital India’s Surge. The funding round also saw participation from Village Global and several angel investors*. Let’s Dive will use the funding to further build experiences on the platform to help remote teams tackle isolation, distribute the product to thousands of companies around the world and build a cross-border product team. The on-going global pandemic has upended traditional ways of working, forcing businesses all around the world to set themselves up remotely. Let’s Dive’s founders, who have been building solutions for remote teams for over five years, know from experience that isolation and the lack of team bonding are the biggest obstacles to successfully sustaining a remote work culture. Let’s Dive is a platform that eliminates isolation by bringing teams together and recreating a social space where participants can connect through a range of exciting activities. This creates deeper bonds amongst remote teams who lack the advantage of personal connections. Teams can play games like poker, pictionary, icebreakers, trivias, chess, card games and organise YouTube watch parties. Let’s Dive has already attracted over 100 teams from 28 countries to its platform. Businesses currently using the platform include teams from Silicon Valley giants like Facebook, Airtable, and in India, some of the biggest tech companies like Swiggy and Hike. Currently, Let’s Dive is an invite-only experience. Companies can apply for access on www.letsdive.io. “Having founded and run one of the first 100% remote working businesses, I have personally seen the importance of togetherness and team camaraderie as core pillars of company culture. Remote working poses a significant challenge for businesses trying to maintain this. With Let’s Dive, we set out to solve this problem and drive real engagement and interaction amongst colleagues online,” said Nitesh Agrawal, Co-Founder, Let’s Dive. “Let’s Dive has already gained strong traction and attracted hundreds of teams to our platform - without any marketing. The product’s experience is so unique that teams feel connected within a few hours of usage. With the funding and partnership from Sequoia Capital India’s Surge, as well as investors such as Village Global, we look forward to rolling out Let’s Dive to businesses globally to help them create the best possible remote team culture.” added Nitesh. The company was founded in July 2020 by Nitesh Agrawal and Om Prakash. Both have had previous experience with building and scaling startups and have worked with startups like Housing.com, Ola, Mykarma, Fitzoo. Before Let’s Dive, Nitesh led Indiez as founder and CEO, where he built a community of 10,000+ engineers from 50+ countries and was one of the first 100% remote organisations. Ends *Along with the marquee investors, top tier angels such as Utsav Somani from iSeed, Akhil Paul, Anand Chandrasekharan (Former Snapdeal CPO and Facebook Director of Messenger), Zvi Band (Founder, Contactually), Job Van (Founder, Remote.com), Ravish Naresh (Founder, Khatabook), Sai (Founder, Mobile Premier League), Cecilia Stallsmith, Sunita Mohanty (Facebook), OnDeck community and Kamir Kothari (SVB) also participated in the round. About Let’s Dive Let’s Dive is on a mission to build togetherness for businesses with remote working teams. The SaaS platform provides a social space for remote teams, and aims to help companies build their culture through fostering better human connections. Let’s Dive users can hang out, play games, or watch videos, all while sharing their audio and video with their colleagues. For more information, visit: https://www.letsdive.io/ About Surge Surge is Sequoia Capital India’s rapid scale-up program for startups in India and Southeast Asia. Surge combines $1 million to $2 million of seed capital with company-building workshops, a global curriculum and support from a community of exceptional mentors and founders. The program’s goal is to supercharge early-stage startups and give founders an unfair advantage, right out of the gate. For more information on Surge, visit www.surgeahead.com. Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://www.letsdive.io/

December 01, 2020 07:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Getting a Safer Haircut During the Pandemic

D S Simon Media

Innovation has been key to survival for small businesses in 2020. The coronavirus has caused sweeping changes to business practices, while bringing phrases like “contactless” or “socially distanced” into everyday vernacular. But for hair stylists at salons there is no way to provide their service in a virtual world. From the onset of the pandemic, salons have faced multiple shutdowns due to changes in local health orders. It’s been a long difficult road for salon owners, stylists, and customers who rely on them for haircuts, color, and the salon experience. Now we need to get our salons back on their feet. The Back In Style Campaign aims to help stylists connect, grow and thrive in a more beautiful digital future, with viral social media campaigns and activations targeted towards salon clients at a national and regional level. This month, L’Oréal Professionnel Products Division, with brands including L’Oréal Professionnel, MATRIX, Biolage, Redken, Pureology, Kerastase, Mizani, Baxter of California, and Pulp Riot, is excited to launch a new campaign called “Back In Style”, aimed at bringing awareness to the struggles of salons impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic while empowering their owners and stylists. Timed to Small Business Saturday, the goal is to bring clients back into the salon and return to style. It has been a long difficult road for everyone in the salon industry, but they are coming back. Now it is time to get the nation’s salons back on their feet. The Back In Style Campaign aims to help stylists connect, grow and thrive in a more beautiful digital future, with viral social media campaigns and activations targeted towards salon clients at a national and regional level. During a nationwide media tour in partnership with D S Simon Media and YourUpdate TV, MATRIX Global Business Ambassador, salon owner and TV personality Tabatha Coffey shared the latest salon recommended safety protocols to put clients’ minds at ease, and salon services and styles for minimizing time in the salon chair while maximizing the time between appointments. To learn more about the Back In Style campaign, visit https://www.hair.com/back-in-style.html - About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

November 30, 2020 03:44 PM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

DoorDash Helps You Give the Gift of Food this Holiday Season

D S Simon Media

The holidays are a time to connect with loved ones, celebrate family traditions, and give back to those around you. While that’s going to look a little bit different this year, DoorDash wants to help you keep those traditions alive, savor the flavor of the holidays and treat the ones you love near and far with our new Gifting feature. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/DKm8_Og3PEE Whether you’re looking for a unique holiday present, a Thanksgiving gift, or simply want to show friends and family that you’re thinking of them no matter how far apart you are this year, DoorDash and Caviar now offer a new way for you to give delicious gifts to loved ones this holiday season and beyond. To celebrate the launch, from November 19th through Black Friday on November 27th, all customers on DoorDash or Caviar who spend $20 or more in gift-giving will get $10 off on their next order to treat themselves. Now more than ever, local restaurants and shops need our support. That’s why we’re challenging gift receivers to pay it forward, keep the spirit of giving alive all season long, and support local businesses. And for every gift given from November 24th through Giving Tuesday (DEC. 1), DoorDash will donate a meal to Feeding America. We’re inviting you to join us in fighting hunger during the season of charitable giving by gifting others and giving back at the same time. DoorDash will be matching your gifts by donating a meal to someone in need through Feeding America. Ereka Vetrini partnered with DoorDash and Your Update TV on a nationwide media tour to discuss giving the gift of food this holiday season, how to spread cheer, and give back. During her nationwide media tour talking with television and radio stations across the country, Ereka Vetrini also discussed: ● Creative solutions to connect with loved ones over the holidays and how to keep the season of family traditions alive ● How giving the gift of food can be a way to show someone you are thinking about them during this unprecedented holiday season—from birthdays to holidays gifts, to get-well-soon and thinking-of-you notes, ‘tis the season to spread cheer no matter how far apart you are ● Why edible gifts are the best gifts for everyone on your list ● How DoorDash and Feeding America are joining together to fight hunger ● The importance of supporting local restaurants this year who need us now more than ever to keep their doors open Through Gifting, you can send everything from sweet treats to savory meals and more, ranging from holiday baked goods and chocolates to celebratory cake and champagne, to soothing, get-well food and convenience items like chicken noodle soup, cough drops, and bath bombs. And with thousands of restaurants across the country to choose from ranging from national favorites like Baskin Robbins, Crumbl Cookies, See’s Candies, Krispy Kreme and Chipotle, to local heroes like Levain Bakery, Magnolia Bakery, Milk Bar, Salt & Straw, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and more, there’s a perfect range of options for everyone on your list! Customers can choose from a wide selection of virtual cards to commemorate all types of gifting occasions, add a personalized gift message, and with just a few taps you can surprise and delight your loved one with a unique, customizable gift delivered instantly to their doorstep. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

November 24, 2020 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Video
Article thumbnail News Release

Quarantined and Engaged:They Said ‘Yes!’

D S Simon Media

The coronavirus outbreak has affected the wedding industry in many ways. Large wedding gatherings might be on hold, but what isn’t on hold is are couples showing their love for one another and getting engaged According to a report by The Knot, more than 6 in 10 engaged couples say that stay-at-home restrictions due to the coronavirus have strengthened their relationships. Jewelers say that despite difficult economic times, they are seeing consumers spend more than ever on diamond engagement rings. The reasons for this include: Increased sense of intimacy and desire to sacrifice for each other More budget available because of canceled weddings and honeymoons Pent up demand to spend after months of nowhere to go This holiday season, fine jewelry retailers are reporting that their diamond sales are strong, with bridal being the primary driver for consumer demand. Strong anecdotal evidence shows that engagements are up over the period since COVID hit in Spring 2020, and jewelers say more couples than ever are choosing diamond engagement rings – eschewing industry concerns that the difficult economy would impact the bridal market. Sally Morrison, Director of PR for Natural Diamonds at De Beers Group conducted a nationwide media tour to explain the latest trends in engagement rings and discussed: What research has shown when it comes to an increase in the number of people getting engaged What should a customer look for when it comes to picking a diamond For more information visit: forevermark.com About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

November 24, 2020 10:15 AM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Supporting Doctors on the Frontlines: How to Become an “Ally of Doctors”

D S Simon Media

2020 has been a tough year, and doctors and healthcare professionals have been working hard on the front lines – more than ever before. While the coronavirus pandemic has upended life for nearly everyone, healthcare workers and doctors have had to face more risks than most. So many of us are in awe of how these professionals still care for patients despite tremendous challenges. Mucinex is rallying Americans coast to coast to become an “Ally of Doctors” to show health care professionals and frontline heroes how much we support, appreciate, and trust them. With only 16% of consumers having reviewed their doctor in the past 12 months, Mucinex is making a nationwide call to action for patients to give back to those who have helped them get better by advocating for their doctors and health care professionals. Consumers are encouraged to review and recommend their own trusted doctors and health care professionals, providing them with the admiration and support they are deserving of, and helping them build a more robust patient network. For every new doctor review left on Healthgrades.com, Mucinex will donate $20 to the United Negro College Fund (UNCF), with the goal of donating $20,000 to the next generation of frontline heroes by the end of 2020. This is in addition to Mucinex parent company, RB’s larger pledge of donating 100 scholarships to UNCF – the nation’s most successful minority higher education organization. This support will benefit the organization’s hard-working students who aspire to become the next generation of frontline heroes. Consumers can visit Mucinex.com for more information and Healthgrades.com to review their doctor. About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Media Contact: Michael O’Donnell D S Simon Media 212-736-2727 modonnell@dssimon.com Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

November 23, 2020 01:16 PM Eastern Standard Time

Video
Article thumbnail News Release

Cyvatar Adds Starter Subscription to CSaaS Offering

Cyvatar

Cyvatar today announced the availability of its starter subscription, a fast and cost-effective introduction to the company’s revolutionary all-in-one cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) offering. Cyvatar delivers outcomes-based solutions to organizations that cannot hire in-house security teams, do not have the runway to experiment with multiple security tools as they scale, or cannot compete against larger firms for the scarce number of skilled resources available. Its starter subscription offers businesses the quickest route to remediation--the process of identifying and closing gaps or vulnerabilities in a security environment--by bundling expert practitioners, proven technologies, and a strategic long-term roadmap into a fixed monthly price. The starter subscription also enables companies trying to maintain standards including SOC 2, CMMC, NIST, ISO, HIPAA, and PCI to achieve complete and continuous compliance even as regulations change. “Companies often don’t realize the hidden costs of maintaining compliance,” said Cyvatar Founder and Chief Experience Officer Corey White. “They think if they purchase a compliance tool or managed service, they’ll be covered--but that’s rarely the case. Too often, such solutions uncover more problems that require remediation without providing the capabilities to patch vulnerabilities and keep an organization’s data both safe and compliant. Our experts provide solutions across the entire security lifecycle as part of an inclusive all-in-one subscription model.” Cyvatar’s starter subscription covers incident response services, IT asset inventory, continuous vulnerability scanning security gap analysis, and a strategic roadmap to ensure that once an organization achieves remediation it preserves that solved state over time while maintaining all applicable compliance requirements. Rather than simply sending alerts, Cyvatar’s seasoned cyber veterans manage the entire security process, from assessment to continuous remediation and maintenance. “You can spend a small fortune investing in a series of pen tests, assessments, or other costly activities that don’t bring you any closer to remediation,” said Craig Goodwin, founder and chief product and strategy officer at Cyvatar. “Historically, companies had good security or full compliance, but not both. We’re revolutionizing the industry by ensuring both goals are met simultaneously so customers no longer have to sacrifice one to achieve the other.” The Cyvatar starter subscription delivers guaranteed cybersecurity and compliance outcomes at a fraction of the cost of legacy approaches: What security challenges are you trying to solve? What barriers do you face? Click HERE to get started with Cyvatar’s cybersecurity-as-a-service (CSaaS) subscription and register for the Subscription Launch Party on December 8th. About Cyvatar Cyvatar.ai is a transformative cybersecurity company that operates at the intersection of our customers and technology to define what a cybersecurity solution should be: guaranteed business outcomes that are measurable. We break down barriers to create positive experiences for passionate companies globally. Cyvatar is headquartered in Irvine, California. Learn more at https://cyvatar.ai/ and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. Contact Details KC Higgins +1 303-434-8163 kc@cyvatar.ai Company Website https://cyvatar.ai/

November 19, 2020 08:22 AM Eastern Standard Time

Image
Article thumbnail News Release

Convey Services Launches Cloud Exhibit

Convey Services

Convey Services, a SaaS technology company, today expanded its Cloud Conventions platform by launching Cloud Exhibit ™, a universal, portable, virtual exhibit environment that improves branding, and enhances attendee experience, when exhibiting or sponsoring any virtual event, regardless of the platform used by the tradeshow or conference. Cloud Exhibit is the digital version of a custom trade show booth that companies can use to showcase their products and services at dozens of different events and conferences, selectively displaying from a collection of formats and assets to match every audience. With Cloud Exhibit you can own a branded, content-rich exhibit environment connecting attendees to a custom experience. “Today, companies must adapt to virtual booth environments on event platforms that have the philosophy of one size fits all,” said Carolyn Bradfield, CEO of Convey. “As the virtual event trend expands into 2021 and beyond, companies large and small will exhibit at an increasing number of virtual events delivered over a variety of technology platforms. Exhibitors don’t have a say in the platform a trade show chooses, but they can control everything an attendee sees and can engage with. Cloud Exhibit provides a customizable, flexible, virtual booth environment that comes online in days without the time, risk, or expense of development. It maintains a strong corporate identity, provides better control of branding, and has an expanded set of sales tools.” How Cloud Exhibit Works Cloud Exhibit is built on Cloud Conventions’ technology platform providing exhibitors with a framework to create a custom branded display that can be linked to any virtual tradeshow. Attendees logged into a virtual event are connected to the Cloud Exhibit platform through hyperlinks or by single sign-on technology transferring the attendee into the Cloud Exhibit platform, creating a data record at the same time. Cloud Exhibit has many of the capabilities of a Cloud Conventions event portal including customization of the home page with graphics and embedded videos or 3D virtual technology. The platform is segmented into catalogs to organize and visually display content, showcase products, or segment individual brands and hold live or on-demand sessions. Every Cloud Exhibit comes with an attendee CRM, built-in email marketing and analytical reports to track engagement. “Customized, connected, focused and branded, a Cloud Exhibit showcases you in the way you want it to be seen and tracks engagement,” added Bradfield. “We created Cloud Exhibit in response to demand from exhibitors participating in Cloud Conventions-hosted events who are exhibiting at other events in 2021 on platforms that are less robust. Most event platforms do not provide companies with enough messaging control, branding, and a flexible experience to encourage attendee interaction, so having a permanent online environment that is portable only makes sense.” Cloud Exhibit comes with the technology framework to customize the homepage, organize content, create attendee dashboards, manage data records and relationships in the CRM, deliver virtual sessions and track activity. Cloud Exhibit portals include online training and an administrator help database to answer frequently asked questions. For more information on Cloud Exhibit visit: cloudconventions.com. About Cloud Conventions Cloud Conventions is a Virtual Trade Show and Conference Platform from Convey Services that brings new capabilities to a marketplace looking for solutions to replace the thousands of live trade shows, annual conferences and association meetings cancelled in the wake of COVID-19. Originally launched as ConveyLive, Cloud Conventions automates exhibitors and virtual booths, attendee registration, speaker sessions and reminders, invitations and email communication, while at the same time producing detailed analytics on attendee, session and exhibitor activity. Trade Associations and event managers can explore all of the Cloud Conventions solutions by visiting https://cloudconventions.com or contacting info@cloudconventions.com or call 888-975-1382. Cloud Conventions™, Cloud Exhibit™, Cloud Kickoffs™, Conduct™, One-Touch Email Share™, Hub & Spoke™, 360° Virtual Exhibit Hall & Lobby Experience™ and ListLock™ are trademarks of Convey Services LLC Contact Details Bruce Ahern +1 770-580-0810 bahern@conveyservices.com Company Website https://cloudconventions.com

November 17, 2020 01:45 PM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

CMMC Center of Excellence Announces Memorandum of Understanding with Maryland Innovation & Security Institute

Interoperability Clearinghouse

The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Center of Excellence ( CMMC COE ), hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public-private partnership serving the public and private sectors for more than 15 years, is proud to announce a Memorandum of Understanding with the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute ( MISI ) and Dreamport Mission Accelerator. This unique partnership will extend efforts to advance the goals and objectives for improving the cyber and supply chain security and resilience of the US Department of Defense (DoD) global Defense Industrial Base (DIB) network of contractors, suppliers, and vendors. The executed MOU establishes a cooperative agreement between the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute and CMMC COE to partner in the furthering of their respective and complementary missions and objectives regarding the adoption, use, and expansion of CMMC based cybersecurity practices for the DIB contractor community and the information and communication technology community creating a broader CMMC ecosystem to improve security and resilience. Specific actions will include: The co-development of CMMC advisory services, cyber training and education programs to accelerate CMMC certification, increase cyber adoption and improve cyber protection & resilience. Collaboration on cyber technology knowledge sharing Co-sponsor symposiums, training programs and podcasts leveraging their combined cyber and IT expertise. Host regular working groups, with other partners, to enable collaboration and communications. Establish an independent Industry Cyber Security Advisory Council with peer organizations to advise and educate leaders across government and industry on the continued evolution and effectiveness of CMMC Through this exciting partnership, the CMMC-COE ( www.cmmc-coe.org ) will also focus on bringing together the many disparate cyber and national security communities of interest to reduce complexity, improve awareness, and accelerate industry effort to become more cyber resilient against the growing threats from nation states and criminal enterprises. The CMMC-COE partner network will be sharing a wide range of capabilities from member organizations, including; cyber standards frameworks, education, solution architectures, cyber mentoring, workforce, and other elements needed to scale to the demands of the entire DIB market place in the US and abroad (400,000+ contractors). The CMMC-COE establishes both a Market Place and Knowledge Clearinghouse that will include resources that support the overall effort, including white papers; tutorials; recorded webcasts; presentations; and more that will help reduce the cost and burden on small/medium size contractors already struggling from the impact of COVID. MISI is recognized as a leading provider of cybersecurity expertise and test and evaluation resource for cybersecurity technologies. MISI helps organizations by disrupting traditional innovation and accelerating the discovery of viable cybersecurity and related technologies that when combined with more mature technology, results in powerful new capabilities tackling new vulnerabilities and attack vectors launched at the US and the world. Acceleration is accomplished through maximum collaboration between our global cybersecurity and technology network of resources, academia, federal laboratories, and technology incubators and accelerators in our cyber mission accelerator facilities and labs, thereby, speeding up solution discovery through continuous probing of the marketplace and disruptive thought leadership. The team at MISI is deeply engaged with DoD suppliers across the nation and around the world as part of the organization’s efforts to find, test, evaluate, and develop as necessary, cost-effective cyber solutions in support of the nation and its supply chain. MISI’s work includes an almost two year deep dive into studying the challenges and state of the Defense Industrial Base ( DIB ) as it pertains to DFARS-7012 and readiness for the new CMMC requirements. For more information on the CMMC COE, please visit http://cmmc-coe.org email info@cmmc-coe.org or call 703-863-3766 For more information on the Maryland Innovation & Security Institute, please visit https://misi.tech/ About Us ---------- CMMC-COE.ORG is a unique non-profit public-private partnership, with a vision to accelerate Cybersecurity Maturity Model (CMM) adoption, and reduce time & cost for security compliance for our partners by leveraging commercial best practices, CMMC standards, and innovative solutions for a measurable success. Our mission, focused on DOD mission objectives, cost containment and expeditious CMMC compliance, is to help the DIB improve cyber posture and resilience, and simplify its acquisition. The CMMC-COE is hosted by the Information Technology Acquisition Advisory Council (IT-AAC), a public/private partnership (P3) chartered in 2007 as an honest broker to reach outside the confines of the Federal IT advisories that lack dynamic reach into the Global IT Market, and dedicated to the adoption of commercial IT management standards of practice and innovations emanating from the Global IT market. Team IT-AAC has already demonstrated the value of its decade long investment, and provides a unique value to agencies seeking to achieve accelerate the transformation of legacy processes and systems. Our Just-in-Time SMEs apply an innovative suite of Technology Business Management and Agile Acquisition Processes needed to assure the business value of commercial IT. The Interoperability Clearinghouse (ICH), is the managing partner that make up the 24 NGO/SDO organizations that make up the IT-AAC. ICH provides the contract vehicles, clearances, and critical resources proven to guide sustainable, measurable and repeatable processes needed to drive better investment decisions as the speed of mission need, while aligning existing processes, methods and workforce with IT reform mandates contained in Clinger Cohen Act, FITARA, IT MGT Act, EO13838. Contact Details Bob Dix +1 703-975-6633 bob.dix@it-aac.org Company Website https://cmmc-coe.org

November 16, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Article thumbnail News Release

Holiday Shopping Tips from a Personal Finance Expert

D S Simon Media

After a difficult 2020, it’s no surprise that this holiday season will look and feel a little different. With consumers potentially navigating difficult financial times, it’s more important than ever to be prepared for what lies ahead. Recently, Personal Finance Expert, Farnoosh Torabi, teamed with YourUpdateTV on a national satellite media tour to discuss. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/4hnnkME8t0E Get a Head Start There’s no need to wait until Black Friday or December to begin holiday shopping. Sales are abundant and round-the-clock this year, as retailers work hard to attract shoppers in a slow economy. When you see a sale for an item that’s on your list, take advantage of it. Waiting until the last minute only ensures you’ll be left with few options, in which case you might overspend on items that weren’t originally on your list. Make Budgeting a Family Affair You’re likely not the only member of the family concerned with blowing your budget over the holidays. To that end, be sure to openly discuss your savings goals with your family and suggest alternatives that could help bring down everyone’s expenses. For example, you might want to throw out the idea of an anonymous gift exchange, ‘Secret Santa,’ or ‘Pollyanna’ so that each family member only needs to shop for one person instead of multiple. Make it extra budget-friendly by capping gifts to no more than $25 or $30. Use Credit Wisely Avoid the traditional New Year debt hangover and be conscientious when using your credit card this holiday season. Try to streamline your spending onto one card for easier tracking. While you’re at it, use the card that best rewards you for all of your holiday purchases. For example, the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card helps will save you time and money this holiday season with unlimited 5% cash back on Walmart.com purchases. And if you’re planning to get out of your home for the holidays, the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card also earns you 2% back on restaurants and travel, so you’re saving everywhere you shop. That savings will allow you to spend more time on what matters during the holidays and less time shopping around. Bulk Buy Common Gifts For gifts you anticipate giving to many people this year, for example, bottles of wine, chocolates or stocking stuffers for your kids, buy the items in bulk. Often retailers will provide a 10% or 15% discount if you buy several of one item, whether it’s six pairs of the same socks or several pounds of sweets. It may not be advertised, but always worth asking a store manager. Never Checkout without a Promo Code Before you click “check out” online, be sure you’re not leaving any discounts on the table. A quick internet search for the name of the retailer and the term “discount code” might lead you to some handy codes to save a fast 20% or free shipping. For more information about the Capital One Walmart Rewards Card, visit www.Walmart.com/credit or visit Farnoosh.tv for more holiday shopping tips. About Farnoosh Torabi Farnoosh Torabi is one of America’s leading personal finance authorities — hooked on helping you live your richest, happiest life. As a Contributing Editor to Oprah Magazine and NextAdvisor, host of primetime series for CNBC and creator of the Webby-nominated podcast So Money, Farnoosh has become our favorite go-to money expert and financial friend. The New York Times calls her advice, “perfectly practical.” About YourUpdateTV: YourUpdateTV is a social media video portal for organizations to share their content. It includes separate channels for Health and Wellness, Lifestyle, Media and Entertainment, Money and Finance, Social Responsibility, Sports and Technology. Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

November 13, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

Video
1 ... 142143144145146 ... 152