Financial Regulators

Financial Regulators: Who Are They and What They Do

Financial regulators standardize the industry of financial services which include exchanges, markets, and firms. Usually, they work for government bodies or independent standard firms to make sure financial services meet business/industry-specific regulations.

Financial regulators are able to work in different sectors to make sure financial service agencies are compliant with the financial regulations and law as well. Also, they provide information to consumers to keep them safe and sound from improper practices.

Financial Regulators

Business plan image with collage hand drawings

State and federal governments have a myriad of organizations in place which regulates and supervise companies and financial markets. These firms each have a specific array of responsibilities and duties which allow them to act independently of each other while they work to achieve similar objectives. Even if opinions differ on the effectiveness, efficiency and the need for most of these agencies, each was made with specific objectives and will most likely be around for some time. Here are some of the most popular and renowned financial regulators:

  • Federal Reserve Board

One of the most known of all the financial regulators, the FED often gets blamed for financial downfalls or heralded for stimulating the financial system. It is accountable for liquidity, influencing money and credit conditions. Its major tools for implementing fiscal policy are its open market operation that controls the acquisition and sale of U.S Treasury securities as well as federal agency securities.

  • Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

FDIC was developed in 1993 to give insurance on deposits to assure the security of saving and checking deposit at banks. Its authorization is to protect up to USD250,000 for every deposit.

  • Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

OCC was created by National Currency Act in 1863 with the sole purpose of supervising, regulating as well as giving charters to banks that operate in the United States in order to make sure the reliability of the overall banking system.

  • Commodity Futures Trading Commission

CFTC or Commodity Futures Trading Commission was developed in the year 1974 as an independent body to regulate commodity futures as well as options market as well as to give for efficient and competitive market trading. This financial regulator also seeks to keep participants from market manipulation, fraud as well as investigates trading practices and sustains fluid processes for clearing. If you are into forex trading, ensure to deal with the best and reliable brokers overseen by a government regulator like CFTC.

All of these financial regulators seek to protect and regulate those who participate in their respective businesses or industries they rule. The areas of coverage most of the time overlap, however, while their guiding principles might differ, federal agencies normally take over from state agencies. But, this doesn’t mean that state firms wield less power because their jobs and authorities are far-reaching.

Conclusion

In general, financial regulators make sure that the company or the broker is legit and reliable and your money is safe as well as securely protected. However, certain credible financial regulators burden participants of the said market with lots of trading restrictions.

stress-free student life

The Ultimate Anti-Stress Guide for Students

Have you ever been so stressed that it’s hard to maintain focus on important goals?

Classes, exams, college admission, and homework, all can cause a lot of stress. While many students are struggling under big expectations of parents and peer pressure, there are some who bottle up their anxiety when it comes to exams. To meet everyone’s demands, students are spending every spare minute worrying too much and chasing after perfect grades. Yet, this constant quest for perfect grades can lead to high stress and mental health problems. According to 2013 survey by the Nightline Association, 65% of students feel stressful. Likewise, a poll conducted by American College Health Association in 2016 reported that 34.4% of college students were stress sufferers which affected their annual academic performance.

However, living a stress-free student life is possible. Scroll down for some useful strategies to beat the stress effectively so you can study better and achieve more.

stress-free student life

Healthy diet

Foods like fresh fruits are stress busters. Fresh fruit juices of orange and grapefruit are proven to boost immunity so you can manage to cope with stress. Omega-3 rich foods like salmon also keep the stress hormones at bay. As a student, you are more likely to get tired and exhausted. At this time, you would find junk food like pizza or ready-to-eat meal more tempting. However, consuming food that’s high in sugar or caffeine will only elevate the stress. This is why you should eat variety of healthy nutrients. This will help you stay relaxed as well as increase your brain power. Also, cooking from scratch is more curative and healthier.

Beat social media distractions

Do you keep looking at your phone thousands of times? Well, you need a digital detox. It can be hard to resist the urge of keeping in touch with social networks since technology seems to be part of everyone’s lives these days. However, while studying, it’s a good practice to keep the technology away. If you find switching off your phone a bit hard, delete the apps that are causing the distraction and install a website blocker so there’s no other way to view the sites that disturb you the most. For Mac users, there is a free Self Control app which enables users to block sites for a certain period of time.

Exercise

It doesn’t have to be an exhausting gym session. As a student, a daily brisk walk of 30 minutes or a bike ride is sufficient to improve mental awareness and concentration – these two facets are important to get success while studying.  A regular exercise can be immensely beneficial for both your body and mind.  Whether you practice a cardio workout or going outside for yoga, in every form of exercise, body will produce endorphins (stress-fighting hormone) that will help you reduce anxiety, and allow your mind to focus on positive things.

Try a Weighted blanket

Do you know the calming effects of weighted blankets? Well, they are good for stress-prone students. After whole day of struggle and mental load, you need a deep sleep to perform well and less anxious the next day. Weighted blankets may help you to unplug your thoughts, turnoff your mind completely and experience a more restful sleep.

Designed to be 10% of your body weight, weighted blankets naturally lessens the anxiety and increase relaxation through deep pressure stimulation. This deep pressure touch sensation has many positive effects from lifting the mood, to improving focus.

Fly a Drone

Do you want to switch off and relax? Well, you can take a break from your studies and stress by taking up a fun and relaxing hobby. There is an incredible surge in popularity of drones. From helping you create YouTube videos, to rescuing a missing person, drones are now used in all kinds of ways. Hovering drones is quite an anti-stress hobby. Flying drones can stop you thinking of your stressors, and can lead to a more calmed state. You don’t need a pilot’s license anymore to fly them. Get amused by flying drones indoors, outdoors or in backyards. But, make sure to register the drone legally for noncommercial (hobby) flights. Other than that, avoid flying over restricted areas. Since many drones come with video game controller, you are bound to have a fun experience.

Time Management

Do you want to study more effectively? Often students get stressed when they know they are running out of time to accomplish something. However, life gets easier when you become a pro at time management. It’s a good idea to make checklists, keep a schedule and plan ahead. Prioritize your study schedule into urgent and non-urgent basis. These techniques will help you stay more relaxed and focused.

Get a Pet

There are many social and health benefits of having a dog. Adopt a pet and reduce your anxiety level. Playing with animals can keep you more active and encourage social connection.

Laugh

Laughter is one of the effective stress relievers. A good bout of laughter can keep the muscles in your whole body relaxed for up to 45 minutes.  Laughing out loud also promotes blood flow and oxygen intake which, in turn, reduces the stress level. So, don’t take life too seriously. Have fun, crack few jokes and seek out more opportunities for humor and laughter. It’s always fun to have a good laugh. Besides being stress buster, it’s also a natural pain killer. How great is that?

Talk Out Your Study Stresses

Isolation or loneliness put a negative impact on your body. During exams, you feel more anxious and worried. Since you have so much to learn and study, doing it all alone can turn you into a ball of stress. To realize that you need someone’s help is the first step. Talk to your friends and family as they can understand what you are going through. Tell your concerns to them. Ask their take on it. Sharing issues can help boost your mood.

Conclusion

Are you stressed about grades or about getting admission in college? Should you be? It’s about time to realize that stress can’t help you achieve more. Whatever you focus on, just try to do the best of your ability. Be stress free. Follow above mentioned tips to deal with stress of studying.

Android Phone Connectivity Problems

Android P Connectivity Issues

Android P Connectivity Issues

If you own an android phone you have probably experienced a variety of problems with your phone. There is no part where technology is perfect. Any technology that is in use today has its share of problems when it comes to usability. If your own an Android phone, you should expect to experience certain Android P Connectivity Issues from time to time. However, there are applicable solutions to these connectivity problems as discussed here. If you have been experiencing a connectivity problem and you are wondering what is wrong or what to do, this is the right article to read. It has all the questions and the answers to your phone connectivity problems.

  1. How Will You Know Your Phone has a Connectivity Problem?

When you are unable to load or download a file then you could be having a connectivity problem. Also, the inability to browse for information from websites could be a sign that your phone has a connection problem. Also when you are not able to open applications on your phone, is an indication of that you are facing a connectivity problem.

  1. Types of Android Phone Connectivity Problems

Android Phone Connectivity Problems 

  • Hot Spot Connection

Some android device does not support hot sport connectivity. In this case, you cannot connect use your phone’s data to browse from a different device like a laptop. Hot spot enhances network sharing when it is able to connect. If you cannot connect tethering and your network provider supports use of hot spot then your phone could be experiencing a problem.

Solution

  • You can log off and log in your phone or still restart your phone to refresh. This will get rid of any hitches preventing your phone from connecting well to the available network(s).

 

  • Problem with Bluetooth Connectivity

If you have and android phone, you might also experience a problem connecting to Bluetooth. This issue can be solved by enabling the airplane more and reconnect after some time.

  • Trouble Gaining Access to Signal

If you have an Android phone, there is a possibility of you experiencing faulty network connectivity. At times you might think that the network is unavailable but in the real sense it is your phone that cannot connect. This is because some Android phones are selective when it comes to network. They only link to a network depending on its strength it can connect to. Some of these phones may also have some malfunctions that could affect your network consistency.

Solutions

  • Verify which network provider has strong coverage in your area before buying your android phone. This will ensure that you buy a device that will strongly connect with your network coverage.
  • Make sure of refreshing your phone from time to time so as to ensure that there are no hitches preventing your device from connecting to the network.
  • You can also disable the airplane mode and then enable it to so that your phone is able to reconnect to the network again.

 

  • High Rate of Data Consumption

All Android phones support YouTube and live streaming. This can make you consume much of your GB data within a short time. Enabling your data to watch YouTube videos, streaming live or even using hot spot will see you consume too much data bundles.

Solutions

  • Manage your data by setting data usage limit. This is will ensure that you control how data is used from your device. This setting can be done from the settings data manager option.

Wi-Fi Disconnects

The android phones as made in a way Wi-Fi can automatically disconnect when it is out of coverage. Some phone application then automatically reconnects to your data. With this kind of situation, you can lose much data that you didn’t, intend to use.

Many Unnecessary Applications

Most android phones experience connectivity problems because of the many applications on your phone. When the memory of your phone is congested, it makes the performance of your phone. The activity level reduces and your phone may hang from time to time. When this happens, it also affects network connection power.

Solution

Avoid installing many applications to your phone. Learn to manage those that are of importance and your network connectivity will not be affected.

In Conclusion

Android phones are the most popular owned phones across the world today. They come in a variety of models from which people can choose from. This means then means most of these people at some point face connectivity problems to their phone. However, this article has given some guidelines on how you can deal with your Android phone connectivity problem. With this informative article, there is no doubt that most of your connectivity problems have been adequately answered.

college students

Presents Guide For A Student

Either you’re a college student or not, let’s say you’re not a college student and are looking for a list of ideas on what exactly to get your relative or friend who is a student.

Getting a perfect gift for a student entails you getting something that is worthy of the tight scholar’s schedule, something that can fit in properly in the tiny dorm room, something that will bring a lot of appreciation, something that will worth the stress of taking back to school and won’t end up at the corner of the room and not used, something that won’t also be a devastating loss if it eventually gets missing.

Getting a gift with these characteristics means you’re looking to make a difference with a gift or gifts for your college student. Getting your college student a thoughtful gift can really make a difference in the quality of their life in college, especially when you get them something they tend to use frequently but can’t afford.

The list below in no order is an amazing starting point for any person that wants to show love to his or her college student.

college students

HEADPHONES

If there’s one thing that is needed and will be highly appreciated by a college student, it’s a good wireless headphone. This can be used at the library, at the gym, commuting to internships and class. With great sounds and long-lasting batteries, this pair can be really helpful for preventing them from distractions caused by noise or building focus on a particular thing.

BACKPACK

Amongst a variety of backs used by students, a backpack is the most versatile of them all. Either going or coming for class, a job or internship, no student will love to carry a banged-up Jansport into the classroom. A backpack will keep their laptop safe, give the student a professional look and is also transportation-friendly.

A SMART ALARM CLOCK

Attending college entails getting up really early and motivated to attend early morning class at most times after a very stressful late night class the previous day. This is an amazing option for a sound sleeper as an alarm clock will make sure he or she doesn’t sleep through a class. Sometimes it skips the mind of the student to set alarm for the next time of select AM in place of PM. This is why a smart clock is needed, as it gives you the option to set class ahead of time.

WHITE NOISE MACHINE

It’s possible to get A’s from proper sleep and this can be done through proper studying. Are you having a problem with studying or sleeping due to a noisy neighbor? Or a gorilla-like snoring roommate? The white noise machine is the best gift to give to a student with these challenges. It keeps the student focused by proving him or her with a consistent audio backdrop even in a noisy environment.

Not only does it help calm down noise, but it also helps a stressed student get sound sleep. The white noise machine makes it easier to sleep in a raucous frat house and be peaceful.

A serious student will definitely love this as a gift. Take it into consideration.

IPAD FOR NETFLIX BINGING AND NOTE TAKING

At times, carrying your laptop everywhere and every time is really tiring. At some other times, the student might already have a TV in their house or might not even have space in their room for it. The best idea is getting something that is travel-friendly and also large enough for watching your favorite movie or taking notes in class.

COFFEE MAKER

A pile of textbooks to read and then a lot of essays to be written! There is nobody that won’t be in need of caffeine to handle all this. Having to write and read for four years is one main reason to make coffee as essential as a paper and a pen. Luckily, your college student has you to provide this essential piece as a gift.

DRONE FOR BEGINNERS

Of late, drones are now becoming more useful and even affordable and a student needs this piece. Imagine taking epic sky shot with college friends and having fun after a stressful day in school. All that is required to make a day turn from bad to amazing is a drone copter and to top it all up, one that is armed with a high-quality camera is perfect. The drone for beginners brings to its user all kind of happiness and fun and might even get them a chance to feature on the news.  What other more inspirational present could your tech nerd need.

DORM MINI FRIDGE

One of the things that weigh the mind of most students when going off to college is the thought of how to manage or monitor their perishables. The chances of them having a lot of fruits, dairy products that could easily get spoilt if left either in the wrong hands or not properly taken care of is really high. Think of how annoying it is to waste all this and get your student a mini fridge for school.

A LAPTOP

You have to admit that after a spaceship, a laptop is the next or better still mother of gifts for a student. Unlike having a spaceship, handling a laptop is really easy as they all learn how to do this even at a tender age. A laptop is a really indispensable piece as students need to write papers, make research and then make visual designs almost all the times. Every student will give you a sincere wholehearted thank you for a gift as this.

Live radio

4 Reasons Why Always Radio Is Preferred Over Media Players

Live radio players have lasted a decade more than any other means of listening to music, from its peak regime days of the 80s and 90s, where radio players were seen in every other movie or show either on the car or separate radio players, radio was shown as the cool back then. To today’s era, when such advanced and new devices like Alexa, and apps like Spotify have been introduced, radio still tops the chart in America in terms of the most common way to discover new music, according to Nielsen, a data analytics company announced in their annual music 360 report, which has been just released. The Radio All Dimensions Audience Research has also stated that since 1970, the percentage of people aging 12 and more listening, every week, to broadcast radio has remained steady. Which shows that radio is still alive, while the government seems to be saying that the radio days are long dead, dead and dusted.

Live radio

It may be the case that terrestrial radio days have certainly died. And so are car radio times, as people don’t seem to be blasting music on radio players in their cars because of built-in tapes in vehicles and mobile apps which are directly connected to the tape and stored music is at your service at all times. While the Internet has changed the course of living, it sure has left the radio days behind, but not entirely. In place of it, live streaming of radio over the internet has gained popularity amongst the millennials, as the internet is the most easily accessible commodity to them. One way or the other, radio has lived through the decades to present times.

Reasons Why Radio Is Still Better Than Media Players

Even with the new media players or now even more advanced music downloading apps like Spotify, Apple music, and tons of others. Radio has been able to live to all these times because of the reason. Which Larry Miller, director of the music business programme at New York University, likes to describe as “with such wide choice of music on hand at all times has led to the tyranny of choice for some people, as some academics and analysts like to call it.” Which means with all the music available at all times, people still don’t know how and where to discover new music from, like back in radio days, which will help them if not the radio? What’s the latest good music, head back to the radio and discover yourself.

Internet, however being easily accessible to the entire globe, some parts of the world still does not have such easy and free access to the Internet. It is these parts of the world which have still kept the radio days alive, like China, Egypt, Iran, India, Pakistan and Africa, and many others. The Internet is not as free to some parts of the world like these as to the others, which means not as easy access to apps like Spotify Apple Music for the middle to lower class of these countries, which has favored the prolonged period of live radio players. As in these parts of the world, live radio is still listened to daily widely, by the people who cannot afford the internet.

Radio still has preference over the new and advanced media players because of the cost of using it. People who cannot afford to enjoy the facility of free internet or free music sites still prefers radio as a free means of entertainment like always, which it still is.

Some people still prefer radio players over media players because radio players are not only confined to music. They reach a wide range of entertainment departments like talk shows and sport or news updates. While music players only offer music entertainment to its users.

People have been listening to radio shows and following them from the start of time, while a lot of other media player apps have changed the course of music playing, people still prefer to follow their podcasts and talk shows they have been following from a long time, which glues them to radio players as well.