instruction
stringlengths 5
1.05k
| output
stringlengths 6
22.3k
| input
stringclasses 1
value |
|---|---|---|
how vicarious liability works | vicarious liability or imputed liability is indirect liability for the actions of a another person such as a subordinate or child an employer can be held liable for the unlawful action of an employee this action might be harassment or discrimination in the workplace an employer might also be held liable if an employee operates equipment or machinery in a negligent or inappropriate way that results in damages to property or personal injury to an individual for example if a construction worker mishandles the controls of a crane and topples the wall of a nearby building the company overseeing the construction and worker may face vicarious liability for damages caused likewise if an engineer loses control of a train and it proceeds down the tracks on its own then the company that owns and operates the train may face vicarious liability for any resulting damages and injury the employer is held liable because it is considered an employer may be able to avoid vicarious liability by exercising reasonable care to prevent unlawful behavior example of vicarious liabilityin the case of the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill exxon shipping co faced vicarious liability for the series of events that led to 10 8 million gallons of crude oil spilling into the sea off alaska and affecting the shore and animal life 1among other factors the company was held accountable for lack of supervision of the captain fatigue among crew members aboard the oil tanker and the condition of radar equipment that might have helped prevent the ship from running aground 2due to the multiple appeals a changing award amount and the gray area of maritime law pertaining to a ship owner being responsible for the actions of an employee this is a fairly complicated example of vicarious liability 3 | |
how to avoid vicarious liability | special considerationsanother common source of vicarious liability occurs when a child behaves negligently the parent can sometimes be held vicariously liable for the child s actions one situation in which this might occur is if a child injures or kills someone while driving the parents can bear responsibility for allowing the child to have access to the vehicle | |
is malicious intent required for vicarious liability | malicious intent is not necessary for vicarious liability an accidental incident can result in vicarious liability | |
how can vicarious liability lawsuits be avoided | there are several types of business insurance available that aim to protect business owners from vicarious liability lawsuits these include general liability errors and omissions and umbrella insurance umbrella insurance covers anything that falls outside the purview of general liability insurance | |
what are some other examples of vicarious liability | there are many different circumstances inn which you may be held vicariously liable if you loan your car to someone and they cause a traffic accident you could be held vicariously liable there have also been cases of vicarious liability where police departments were held liable when duty weapons had been used in crimes after weapons were left unsecured during off duty periods 5the bottom linevicarious liability can occur in a number of situations when one person is held legally responsible for the actions of another person such as when an employer is responsible for an employee s misconduct if you face a situation where you may be held vicariously liable consider consulting an attorney for legal guidance | |
what is the vice fund | the vice global fund formerly the vitium fund is a mutual fund managed by usa mutuals that focuses its investments on vice industries often considered socially irresponsible investments or sin stocks before this fund was established vice fund was informal slang for any fund that invested heavily in various sin stocks the vice fund was renamed the vitium global fund on may 23 2019 1the fund was renamed to its original name the vice fund on aug 4 2021 2eclipse images getty imagesunderstanding the vice fundthe vice fund primarily invests in stocks generating the majority of their revenue from the alcohol tobacco gaming and defense industries this encompasses casino operators gaming equipment manufacturers defense equipment manufacturers alcohol producers and tobacco producers the fund invests in both domestic and foreign based equities with its holdings ranging from small cap to mega cap companies it has been in operation since 2002 3 from may 2014 to october 2016 the fund was known as the barrier fund 45the fund seeks high quality dividend paying stocks in the vice industries and believes these industries have significant barriers to entry which make successful companies a source of reliable stock returns the fund also believes that its investments are generally market neutral meaning that they do well in both down and up markets because of a steady demand for vice industry goods through all market cycles the fund is also broadly diversified internationally which helps it to avoid broad market volatility additionally it maintains an emphasis on dividend paying companies with positive cash flow which provides for income payouts to investors investing in the vice fundthe vice global fund is structured as an open end mutual fund with four share classes its share classes include a c and investor shares as well as institutional shares it has a management fee of 0 95 with total annual fund operating expenses ranging from 1 24 to 2 24 net expense ratio 63the fund can be traded through both full service and discount brokerages its institutional and investor classes require no sales loads a shares charge a front end load of 5 75 and back end load of 1 through full service intermediaries the c shares charge only a contingent deferred 1 back end load in the 12 months following an initial purchase 3the fund has reported fairly steady annual total returns with dividends consistently contributing to the fund s overall return as of june 30 2022 the investor class has a five year annualized return of 0 74 and a 10 year annualized return of 6 79 3through june 30 2022 it reports an annualized return since inception of 7 82 versus the benchmark set at 8 32 by the msci all country world index 3 as of sept 9 2022 it has a dividend yield of 0 6as of sept 9 2022 the vice global fund had total assets under management of 79 2 million 6 as of june 30 2022 top holdings in the fund included galaxy entertainment northrop grumman raytheon technologies and philip morris international 3 | |
what is the vice fund | the vice global fund formerly the vitium fund is a mutual fund managed by usa mutuals that focuses its investments on vice industries often considered socially irresponsible investments or sin stocks before this fund was established vice fund was informal slang for any fund that invested heavily in various sin stocks the vice fund was renamed the vitium global fund on may 23 2019 1the fund was renamed to its original name the vice fund on aug 4 2021 2eclipse images getty imagesunderstanding the vice fundthe vice fund primarily invests in stocks generating the majority of their revenue from the alcohol tobacco gaming and defense industries this encompasses casino operators gaming equipment manufacturers defense equipment manufacturers alcohol producers and tobacco producers the fund invests in both domestic and foreign based equities with its holdings ranging from small cap to mega cap companies it has been in operation since 2002 3 from may 2014 to october 2016 the fund was known as the barrier fund 45the fund seeks high quality dividend paying stocks in the vice industries and believes these industries have significant barriers to entry which make successful companies a source of reliable stock returns the fund also believes that its investments are generally market neutral meaning that they do well in both down and up markets because of a steady demand for vice industry goods through all market cycles the fund is also broadly diversified internationally which helps it to avoid broad market volatility additionally it maintains an emphasis on dividend paying companies with positive cash flow which provides for income payouts to investors investing in the vice fundthe vice global fund is structured as an open end mutual fund with four share classes its share classes include a c and investor shares as well as institutional shares it has a management fee of 0 95 with total annual fund operating expenses ranging from 1 24 to 2 24 net expense ratio 63the fund can be traded through both full service and discount brokerages its institutional and investor classes require no sales loads a shares charge a front end load of 5 75 and back end load of 1 through full service intermediaries the c shares charge only a contingent deferred 1 back end load in the 12 months following an initial purchase 3the fund has reported fairly steady annual total returns with dividends consistently contributing to the fund s overall return as of june 30 2022 the investor class has a five year annualized return of 0 74 and a 10 year annualized return of 6 79 3through june 30 2022 it reports an annualized return since inception of 7 82 versus the benchmark set at 8 32 by the msci all country world index 3 as of sept 9 2022 it has a dividend yield of 0 6as of sept 9 2022 the vice global fund had total assets under management of 79 2 million 6 as of june 30 2022 top holdings in the fund included galaxy entertainment northrop grumman raytheon technologies and philip morris international 3 | |
what is the vienna stock exchange wbag | the vienna stock exchange is the sole securities exchange in austria and operates the market data hub for central and eastern european markets operated by the company wiener b rse ag the name of the company that operates the exchange it considers itself a customer and market oriented company that plays a vital role in austria s capital market the vienna stock exchange runs the securities exchange and the energy exchange austria exaa a central european energy exchange also headquartered in vienna 1 understanding the vienna stock exchange wbag the vienna stock exchange operates the equity and bond markets in austria in addition to a market for trading in structured products it provides services such as index development and management as well as financial market seminars and training the exchange s trading schedule and hours are monday through friday from 8 55 a m to 5 35 p m as of june 2020 the vienna stock exchange had a market capitalization of more than 90 billion euros 85 trading members 117 etfs and more than 140 indices the vienna stock exchange considers corporate social responsibility a key part of its business it states that it has a csr policy and contributes to the environmentally socially and economically sustainable development of austria the exchange has two strategic goals the first is to strengthen the home market and advance investment culture in austria the second is to continue its cooperation network in central and eastern europe cee which encourages international investors to look at the local markets of central and eastern europe according to the stock change group its five cornerstones are securities trading and listing market data index calculation it services and central securities depository history of the vienna stock exchangefounded in 1771 by the empress maria theresa the vienna stock exchange is one of the oldest in the world in its first years it was a marketplace for trading bonds bills of exchange and foreign currencies the first time that shares were traded was in 1818 and the first corporation to be listed on the exchange was the austrian national bank world war i saw the close of the vienna stock exchange until the end of 1919 after the war the exchange experienced a strong revival which subsequently ended suddenly in march 1934 the global economic crisis and bank collapse affected exchange trading during these years however it should be noted the stock market crash of 1929 in the united states did not have much impact in 1938 the incorporation of austria into the deutsche reich caused wiener b rse to lose its independence limited stock market trading continued from then until right before the end of world war ii after the war the exchange opened back up in 1948 the stock market was not as robust but the bond market recovered in 1952 bond market trading grew until a turnaround in 1985 when an american analyst drew attention to the potential of the austrian capital market which triggered a stock boom | |
what is vintage | vintage is a slang term used by mortgage backed security mbs traders and investors to refer to an mbs that is seasoned over some time period an mbs typically has a maturity of around 30 years and a particular issue s vintage exposes the holder to less prepayment and default risk although this decreased risk also limits price appreciation | |
how vintage works | the underlying loans of certain vintage mbs have unique characteristics such as burnout that make the vintage trade at a premium price these unique characteristics are a result of how underlying assets in mbs are pooled mbs underlying assets are generally grouped across certain geographical regions with similar terms to maturity and interest rates this makes forecasting payment plans more predictable mbs are investment vehicles predominantly issued by a u s government sponsored enterprise gse the investments are comprised of the debt obligations associated with groups of mortgage loans predominantly residential property loans the security representing a particular claim against the principal and interest payments owed by borrowers is then issued by the creating entity mbs are traded on the secondary market 1vintage as applied to mbsthe term vintage relates to the age of an item as it relates to the year it was created if an item was created in 2012 then the vintage year is 2012 and its age can be determined by subtracting the vintage year from the current year the variation in the vintages of particular mbs may represent different levels of risk to investors with the u s subprime mortgage crisis that began in 2007 for example lenders had started originating large numbers of high risk mortgages from around 2004 to 2007 loans from those vintage years displayed higher default rates and were therefore riskier than loans made before and after special considerationswhile the vintage may be one factor used to determine the inherent risk of a certain mbs other factors are also considered in this case two mbs with the same vintage may have different levels of assumed risk and therefore may have different perceived values some additional factors include the remaining value of the mortgage pool the current market value of the properties backing the mortgages and the accrued interest an mbs payout schedule varies from many other investment vehicles while bonds may pay semiannually annually or at the previously agreed upon maturity date an mbs pays out to investors on a monthly basis while a bond payment may only include the earned interest until the maturity date where a lump sum of the original principal is returned mbs provide monthly payments of both interest and a portion of the principal the monthly payment required correlates to the traditional payment schedule of mortgage debtors | |
what is a vintage year | the term vintage year refers to the milestone year in which the first influx of investment capital is delivered to a project or company this marks the moment when capital is committed by a venture capital fund a private equity fund or a combination of sources investors may cite the vintage year in order to gauge a potential return on investment roi the vintage year of a private equity fund effectively launches the clock of the 10 year typical lifespan of most term pe funds understanding vintage yearsa vintage year that occurs at the peak or bottom of a business cycle may affect the later returns on the initial investment as the company may have been overvalued or undervalued at the time the vintage year provides information regarding the first moment a small business receives substantial investment capital from one or multiple interests vintage years for comparisonby observing the trends among other companies with the same vintage year an overall pattern may emerge that can be used to potentially identify economic trends at a particular point in time if certain vintage years perform better than others these data help investors predict the performance of other companies with identical vintage years like those other success stories for example 2014 is considered a strong vintage year with respect to crowdfunding platforms such as gofundme businesses launched through this type of infrastructure during that time period have shown strong growth characteristics as a whole since that time the regulatory climate regarding crowdfunding efforts has tightened which has only served to further legitimize this activity suggesting sustained future growth of companies that were birthed in this manner impact of business cyclesmost businesses experience economic shifts as a regular part of doing business this can include seasonal fluctuations experienced by certain business such as the increase in retail sales during the holiday season or an increase in lawn care product sales in warmer months as well as other cycles based on the occurrence of certain events such as major product releases the business cycle widely believed to systematically progress through the following four phases during the upturn and up to the peak the value of the company is seen to increase during the decline and until the start of recovery the value of that company is considered to be falling the point in the cycle in which the business resided in during the vintage year may skew the appearance of the company s true value leaving room for analysis prior to making investment decisions during peaks in the market new companies are more likely to be overvalued based on the current economic outlook this increases the expectations on an investment s return due to the fact that larger sums of money are initially contributed inversely companies are typically undervalued during low points in the market because less capital is initially contributed therefore these companies or projects have less pressure to generate substantial returns | |
what is viral marketing | viral marketing seeks to spread information about a product or service from person to person by word of mouth or sharing via the internet or email the goal of viral marketing is to inspire individuals to share a marketing message with friends family and other individuals to create exponential growth in the number of its recipients understanding viral marketingin the case of viral marketing viral refers to something that spreads quickly and widely across its audience viral marketing is a deliberate enterprise though the distribution of a message happens organically as such social media provides the perfect ecosystem for viral marketing though it has its roots in traditional word of mouth marketing while the practice was much more widely used in the early to mid 2000s as new internet businesses were being created in extreme numbers it is still common among internet based business to consumer b to c companies the widespread adoption of social media networks including youtube x formerly twitter instagram snapchat and facebook has enabled modern viral marketing efforts and increased their efficacy examples of viral marketinga frequently used example of early viral marketing is hotmail the free web based email service launched in 1996 that included in its users outgoing messages an embedded advertisement and direct link inviting recipients to sign up for an account this practice led to the fastest growth among user based media companies at the time another example that illustrates how varied viral marketing can be is the als ice bucket challenge the ice bucket challenge existed before the als association utilized it to raise awareness and generate donations however the massive dissemination on social media of als ice bucket videos created a worldwide sensation that tremendously increased als awareness the amount of donations raised from the als ice bucket challenge 1viral marketing characteristicsall viral marketing examples deliberate or accidental have three things in common the message messenger and environment each part must be leveraged to create a successful viral marketing campaign viral marketing campaigns may be created by any size business and can stand alone or be a part of a larger traditional campaign these campaigns may use several tools e g videos games images email text messaging and free products to appeal to the emotions of users or viewers raise awareness of a worthy cause and make it easier to consume and share viral marketing often relies on the help of an influencer who has a large network of followers with the help of social networks as a force multiplier viral marketing is quicker than traditional marketing campaigns as well as less expensive since it can receive so much traffic in a short time it can also lead to mainstream media attention social media can also cause viral marketing efforts to misfire as messages are altered misconstrued considered spam or called out for missing the mark viral marketing success can also be hard to measure advantages and disadvantages of viral marketingviral marketing allows companies to better market their products by reaching consumers that ordinarily would not be targeted by its traditional marketing campaigns this expanded reach allows the company to enter new markets and potentially expand its customer base | |
when done creatively companies can trigger viral responses for example burger king created a buzz when it posted pictures of its month old moldy whopper in response to mcdonald s claim that its burgers don t decompose burger king asserts that it uses only fresh ingredients and no preservatives which should provide a better and healthier outcome for its customers its unappealing looking burger was visible proof of that claim | viral marketing costs are a fraction of traditional advertising campaigns and advertising is essentially free when consumers infectiously share their positive experiences with a company s products and services with others because the internet allows content to be shared easily and quickly viral marketing can also trigger exponential and rapid growth however it is important to note that how quickly and easily content is shared is largely dependent on whether the company uses the right tools that make this possible sometimes viral marketing sparks a response counter to what was intended consumers tend to share negative news more often than positive news and studies show that people have a stronger emotional response to negative news negative buzz can be detrimental to business and sometimes hard to recover from 2the effects of viral marketing are hard to measure as it is difficult to determine if a lead or sale resulted from it and there is no consensus among businesses on how to measure its success if customers believe the viral campaign will compromise their privacy and security they will likely not share as a result the company s marketing mission fails and its reputation may be tarnished future viral marketing campaigns may be adversely affected by previous unsuccessful attempts wider reachfaster and exponential growthlower costsnegative word of mouthhard to measurelow virality | |
how do you make money if your video goes viral | to make money on a viral video you must monetize it generally by requiring subscribers to pay to view it or by allowing companies to advertise to your audience in exchange for a fee companies either pay the creator to mention their products or services or run company created ads before during or after their videos there are other ways to make money from a viral video other than the ones mentioned for example creators can license their videos allowing third parties to use their content | |
why is transparency so important in viral marketing | being transparent means being honest and open about operations and motives transparency in viral marketing is important as consumers are more critical of traditional marketing campaigns and are holding companies accountable for their actions more often than before approximately 94 of consumers are likely to be loyal to companies that are transparent in marketing 3 | |
what does seeding mean in relation to a viral marketing campaign | seeding is a marketing technique in which companies purposefully distribute viral information or content to select users who they think will effectively share the campaign most often social media influencers are chosen as seeds to spread the word and solicit feedback about a product 4 | |
what are the steps to start a viral marketing campaign | first identify the purpose of going viral are you seeking to improve your brand s image or increase awareness then find out more about your audience social media reporting is a good source of information about what is preferred by your target audience the content you want to go viral needs to be configured to where it can be easily and quickly shared if not the campaign will likely fail at the start make sure that the content you want to be shared is organic and relatable lastly use trends and hashtags to promote the content as they will capture the attention of your followers | |
what are good tools for viral marketing campaigns | there are many tools companies can use in their viral marketing campaigns companies can create and sponsor communities which can be tapped to promote your products or services create and promote sweepstakes contests and rewards to generate buzz and capture a large audience other tools include sponsoring messages and chat blasts the bottom lineviral marketing is an inexpensive and effective technique for increasing awareness and promoting a brand or product companies depend on their audience or targeted users to share advertising campaigns and their positive experiences with others successful campaigns can help the company grow enter new markets and increase revenues companies must choose the right platforms to advertise and format their content to where it can be easily shared if done poorly it can produce unfavorable results that could erode earnings and tarnish a company s reputation | |
what is a viral website | a viral website is a website receiving an abnormally large amount of web traffic usually within a limited span of time due to word of mouth link sharing and social media sharing viral sites typically become popular through being shared on social media or forwarded to friends and family who then forward it to their own network causing traffic to the site to grow exponentially understanding viral websitesviral websites and content are highly desired for popularity fame and to generate revenue through advertising or product sales which increase as the audience of the site grows when people share the website s content with others through social media email or other online channels this results in a rapid increase in traffic and visibility the content on a viral website is usually unique interesting and shareable it usually taps into current trends or topics that are popular at the time or may loop in current events or current celebrities viral websites can take many forms such as videos images articles or memes and they may be created by individuals companies or organizations the concept of going viral viral websites have been around since the modern version of the internet emerged in the 1990s they have some things in common yet it s hard to predict what will go viral virality also has no predetermined definition based on the number of views the sites are often based on user generated content in which a virtuous cycle is created the more people that visit the site the more content is generated and the more traffic is created in return viral websites make it easy to share content with others and remove barriers to users such as onerous registration processes or paywalls they re often hosted on highly scalable platforms like wordpress which can adapt to mountainous traffic spikes the sites often feature user rankings or voting tools to bring the most popular content to the top as well viral sites are what s known as sticky they have features that keep visitors there longer behind many viral sites are algorithms that constantly look at content and move the most popular items to prominent pages and placements many viral sites have irresistible headlines as well the kind that readers simply can t help clicking on known as clickbait although virality is mostly used to describe certain kinds of content such as videos or social media posts websites such as buzzfeed upworthy reddit and even x s formerly twitter s trending posts often host viral content that is upvoted to illuminate virality videos in particular are most likely to go viral the fastest weird touching funny and strange events caught on video and uploaded to sites like youtube can generate millions of views and even end up on network television news many of them were not created with the intent of going viral and often feature embarrassing moments types of viral popularitya website can achieve different types of viral popularity each of these types are formed based on different strategic approaches in the types of content to use and people to leverage to raise the popularity below are some of the most common types of viral popularity organic virality occurs when the content on a website is so engaging unique and shareable that it spreads naturally through word of mouth social media or other online channels this occurs when people simply love content and want to share it with their networks on their own organic virality is often the most desirable type of viral popularity because it is driven by the audience s interest and not by paid promotion paid virality is when a website s content is promoted through paid channels such as social media advertising influencer marketing or other forms of paid promotion paid virality can be effective but it requires a significant investment of resources and may not be as sustainable as organic virality though paid virality creates exposure for content it is a form of advertising cost that does not happen on its own and may be short lasting consider the implications of your customers knowing you are paying in an attempt to go viral though there are major marketing implications you are also sacrificing resources from improving your goods which may alienate customers influencer virality occurs when an influential person or organization shares the content on their platform this is often seen when a celebrity or influencer is seen wearing a certain style then that style becomes extremely popular influencer virality may be a paid or non paid situation news virality occurs when a website s content is picked up by news outlets or media organizations resulting in widespread coverage and exposure news virality can be an effective way to reach a large audience quickly but may be difficult to control last trend virality occurs when a website s content taps into a current trend or popular topic this strategy results in increased visibility and interest from the audience due to the popularity around an already existing popular item trend virality can be effective but it requires a deep understanding of the audience s interests and behaviors note that trend virality may be combined with some of the other forms of virality above and virality itself may help create trends | |
how to build a viral website | there is no surefire way to make a website go viral instead it is a combination of strategic planning quality content creation and targeted promotion with a little bit of luck that still doesn t guarantee success here are some tips to help increase the chances of your website going viral like may things in life sometimes things happen when you try for them the least websites may become viral without any attempt from a company advantages and disadvantages of viral websitesthere are many obvious advantages of viral websites a viral website has the potential to reach a large number of people very quickly resulting in a significant increase in traffic to the site this can help increase brand awareness and recognition bringing great exposure to a company in a very short period of time a viral website can be a cost effective way to market a product or service a viral website s popularity can spread quickly and organically through social media and other online channels this can also help improve a site s seo by generating backlinks and increasing the site s visibility online last a viral website can potentially lead to higher conversion rates as the site s content and messaging resonates with a large audience this can resonate with more people taking action this also creates more opportunities and exposure for potential customers to purchase goods or sign up for a service though people often associate viral websites with positive outcomes there can be massively detrimental downsides to become viral from an infrastructure perspective the traffic generated by a viral website can be unpredictable and it may not always be sustained once the initial excitement dies down traffic to the site may decrease significantly should a website not be able to handle the traffic customers may have a negative experience with technical difficulties with increased visibility comes the potential for negative feedback or criticism this can harm the brand s reputation and lead to a loss of customers be mindful that not everyone enjoys every trend and associating with certain celebrities or influencers may actually upset part of the consumer base with a viral website there is limited control over how people share and interact with the content this can result in unintended consequences or misinterpretations of the brand s message it may also distort a company s intended messaging taking the marketing elements of a company out of the firm s hands a viral website may be a short term success but it may not be sustainable in the long run it can be difficult to maintain the momentum and continue to generate viral content over time for this reason the quality of the content can be compromised when striving to become viral instead of focusing on building long term resources striving for a quick hit may lead to a loss of interest from the audience leads to short term significant increases in trafficcreates brand awareness and recognition | |
is a cost effective way to get exposure | may improve a company s seomay result in higher conversion ratesmay result in unpredictable website traffic that can cause technical difficultiesmay result in some negative feedbacktakes marketing control out of the hands of the companymay not be sustainable | |
how does a website go viral | a website can go viral through a combination of strategic planning quality content creation and targeted promotion when likeable sharable content is created that content may become intriguing enough to be engaging to a wide audience | |
how many views do you need to go viral | there is no single universally accepted calculation of how many views are needed to go viral in general the term simply means that content is popular and being widely distributed in a short period of time some marketing and business experts may say content needs to have at least a million views within a week of its initial posting to have gone viral though different experts will have varying opinions also be mindful of how smaller platforms may have smaller thresholds for having saturated a platform | |
how much money does viral content make | for companies the value in viral content is not in the actual content itself but in the exposure and opportunity to engage with more customers a single popular video may create some short term financial prosperity but companies should be mindful to leverage resources customer data and connections to foster for long term financial opportunity the bottom linea viral website is a website that become popular in a short amount of time often though social media channels this often occurs when people share content across their network through e mail or through other forms of online distribution though viral websites create tremendous opportunity there are infrastructure branding marketing and publicity downsides to consider | |
what is a virtual assistant | a virtual assistant is an independent contractor who provides administrative services to clients while operating outside of the client s office a virtual assistant typically operates from a home office but can access the necessary planning documents such as shared calendars remotely people employed as virtual assistants often have several years of experience as an administrative assistant or office manager new opportunities are opening up for virtual assistants who are skilled in social media content management blog post writing graphic design and internet marketing as working from home has become more accepted for both workers and employers particularly in the aftermath of the covid 19 pandemic the demand for skilled virtual assistants is expected to grow | |
how a virtual assistant works | virtual assistants have become more prominent as small businesses and startups rely on virtual offices to keep costs down and businesses of all sizes increase their use of the internet for daily operations because a virtual assistant is an independent contractor a business does not have to provide the same benefits or pay the same taxes that it would for a full time employee a virtual assistant is different from a salaried administrative assistant who works from home and would have the same compensation and same tax structure as any other full time employee also since the virtual assistant works offsite there is no need for a desk or other workspace at the company s office a virtual assistant is expected to pay for and provide their own computer equipment commonly used software programs and high speed internet service in a study of over 50 career categories flexjobs found virtual administration was one of the top 10 fastest growing remote career categories 1virtual assistant dutiesthe specific duties of a virtual assistant vary according to the needs of the client and the terms of the contract some virtual assistants handle clerical and bookkeeping tasks while others may post regular updates to social media or write articles for a blog a well rounded virtual assistant may also handle travel arrangements appointment scheduling data entry and online file storage virtual assistant qualificationswhile there are no hard and fast educational requirements to become a virtual assistant many clients will look for virtual assistants who have some higher level education or specialized training a few online companies and community colleges offer courses and certification for virtual assistant skills a virtual assistant should be tech savvy having a wide range of computer skills and a high level of proficiency with commonly used software and business programs a virtual assistant who specializes in bookkeeping should be adept at basic accounting tasks such as account reconciliations and double entry bookkeeping benefits of a virtual assistantfor the client one advantage of hiring a virtual assistant is the flexibility to contract for just the services they need depending on the terms of the agreement some virtual assistants may be paid by the task rather than by the hour in contrast employees in a traditional office setting usually must be paid for a fixed number of hours per day for small business owners hiring a virtual assistant can help them free up valuable hours to focus on growing the business and generating revenue it can be easier and more cost effective to outsource tasks that are tedious and time consuming to someone who is skilled at them | |
how to hire a virtual assistant | with the increasing number of freelance contractors who work from home the employment market has seen a proliferation of web based companies that serve as intermediaries between prospective employers and contractors some freelancer sites have enormous work pools made up of individuals across the globe with a wide range of experience and expertise on these sites clients can post details about the type of tasks they need the virtual assistant to perform and the maximum rate they are willing to pay freelance workers may then bid on the job and give the client samples of their work for review in some cases the client can set up a video conference to interview the applicants and to more thoroughly assess their qualifications special considerationsbefore hiring a virtual assistant the client can ensure a smoother working relationship by creating detailed instructions about tasks they need to have performed a written manual reduces the risk of misunderstandings that can occur in a remote working relationship | |
how can you become a virtual assistant | having previous experience as an administrative assistant or support staff member is helpful but not necessary even individuals without past experience can take training courses to learn needed skills such as the microsoft office suite or other administrative software freelance networks such as upwork and fiverr provide marketplaces where contractors can seek out positions contractors can also seek out work on more traditional job boards or through networking sites such as linkedin | |
how hard is it to be a virtual assistant | a virtual assistant has some of the same challenges as an in person assistant including working with a variety of programs managing and prioritizing competing tasks and answering to an employer what s different is that the virtual assistant is doing all of this remotely without frequent in person interaction in a different location than their employer this may be a less stressful environment for many employees however it s also an environment without any technical support staff on hand if there are any technological problems | |
how much can you earn as a virtual assistant | the compensation varies depending on what the assignment is and who you re working for according to job search site indeed the national average for virtual assistants is just over 25 per hour particularly for more basic administrative assistant jobs 2 jobs with a higher value skill set such as design can command a higher price some of these jobs are advertised on standard job sites such as robert half monster and indeed and have established hourly rates for contractors who advertise their services on sites such as upwork or fiverr set their own rates and therefore can charge more facebook and other social media platforms also advertise for virtual assistants the bottom linea virtual assistant is a remote administrative assistant who works for a company or individual on a self employed or contract basis a virtual assistant helps with office management work but can also tackle a variety of writing editing design marketing and social media related activities a virtual assistant works remotely using technology to complete assignments despite not being in a physical office alongside their co workers or employers in the wake of the covid 19 pandemic many employees worked virtually not only as assistants but in a variety of capacities | |
what is a virtual currency | a virtual currency is a digital representation of value it is stored and transacted through designated mobile or computer applications transactions involving virtual currencies occur through secure dedicated networks or the internet they are generally issued by private parties or groups of developers and are mostly unregulated understanding virtual currenciesvirtual currencies are a form of digital currency they are issued by private parties such as a group of developers or organizations and do not have a physical form like paper money they include cryptocurrencies and other tokens that hold value they differ from officially issued digital currencies called central bank digital currency cbdc virtual currencies have been around for many years but it s only since bitcoin was introduced that it became important to define the different types of digital currencies these definitions may change over time as regulators academics and interested parties learn more and become more familiar with them regulatory environmentas of june 2024 regulations covering virtual currencies tokens and assets are still emerging around the world for example in 2023 the european union published a broad definition in its markets in crypto assets mica regulation crypto assets are digital representations of value or of rights that have the potential to bring significant benefits to market participants including retail holders of crypto assets according to this rule a virtual currency may not fall under mica jurisdiction in the eu but it might if it meets this very vague definition 1the internal revenue service irs in the united states describes virtual currencies as digital representations of value other than a representation of the u s dollar or a foreign currency real currency that function as a unit of account a store of value and a medium of exchange 2 it also taxes trades involving certain virtual currency types such as cryptocurrencies the market watchdog the securities and exchange commission sec has brought u s based cryptocurrency exchanges under its supervision and continues to scrutinize all crypto related products services and providers | |
how virtual currencies are used | virtual currencies have many forms so there are endless ways that they can be used cryptocurrency is most commonly purchased and sold by investors and traders on cryptocurrency exchanges to profit from price fluctuations and increases however they are also used in some countries by people who don t have access to other payment methods or financial services in its 2023 geography of cryptocurrency report blockchain and crypto assets analysis firm chainalysis reported that cryptocurrency adoption is down from previous years however lower middle income countries are adopting these currencies at a much higher rate than others 3many video games offer virtual currencies you can buy with real money and use to purchase items in game most of these in game currencies and tokens are not usable outside the game and cannot be transferred however there are blockchain based games that use in game currency which can be purchased with cryptocurrency in this case both currencies are virtual currencies because real world value is being transferred types of virtual currenciesdepending on their operating network virtual currencies are classified as either closed or open as the name suggests a closed virtual currency operates in a controlled and private ecosystem it cannot be converted into another virtual currency or a real world fiat currency examples of closed virtual currencies are currencies in gaming systems though such currencies can be used in their respective environments in this case games they cannot generally be converted into real world cash airline miles while not typically thought of as currency are closed virtual currencies they are issued by private parties can only be used to redeem specific items and cannot be converted into an associated monetary value open virtual currencies operate in open ecosystems and can be converted into another currency within or outside the platform examples of open virtual currencies are stablecoins and cryptocurrencies bitcoin and ethereum the two biggest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization can be converted into other cryptocurrencies or certain fiat currencies this conversion process can trigger taxes depending on how long you hold your cryptocurrency and its market value when you purchased and sold it though most open virtual currencies have a decentralized setup some cryptocurrencies might be centralized in design meaning a central agency is responsible for their production and distribution the in game currency used in blockchain based games might be considered an open virtual currency if it can be sold back to the game or to another user advantages of virtual currenciesthe advantages of virtual currencies are as follows disadvantages of virtual currenciesthe disadvantages of virtual currencies are as follows differences between digital currencies virtual currencies and cryptocurrencieseven though they sound alike and function in a similar manner digital virtual and cryptocurrencies are in fact different listed below are the main points of difference between the three types of currencies | |
is virtual money real money | if something is generally accepted as a means of exchange a store of value or a unit of account it is considered by most to be money virtual money can meet this definition but not always for example virtual money earned in a video game used to purchase in game items is likely not real money but if it transitions somehow to being exchanged for money that meets this definition it could become real money | |
is virtual currency the same as cryptocurrency | definitions are constantly changing but by the most currently used ones cryptocurrency is a form of virtual currency | |
what is the most valuable virtual currency | bitcoin is by far the most valuable and popular virtual currency it took the market by storm in the mid 2010s and has held the top spot for price and market cap ever since the bottom linevirtual currencies are digital representations of value that can exist only electronically their transactions occur on online networks or the internet examples of virtual currencies include tokens and cryptocurrencies virtual currencies are a novel form of currency and as such are mostly unregulated but that situation is changing and an increasing number of government agencies and countries are considering the implications of introducing virtual currencies into their economies the comments opinions and analyses expressed on investopedia are for informational purposes only read our warranty and liability disclaimer for more info | |
what is a virtual data room | a virtual data room vdr also known as a deal room is a secure online repository for document storage and distribution it is typically utilized during the due diligence process preceding a merger or acquisition to review share and disclose company documentation understanding virtual data roomsvirtual data rooms have increasingly replaced physical data rooms traditionally used to disclose and share documents with the globalization of business and increased scrutiny to reduce costs virtual data rooms are an attractive alternative to physical data rooms virtual data rooms are widely accessible immediately available and more secure as security concerns grow and incidents with breaches increase vdr providers are developing more sophisticated and reliable databases initial public offerings ipos auditing operations and partnerships or other businesses that must work jointly and share information will use virtual data rooms uses of virtual data roomsmergers and acquisitions m a procedures are the most common use of vdrs these repositories provide a place for the due diligence needed during the finalization of the deal these business transactions involve large amounts of documents many of which are confidential and contain sensitive information using a vdr is a safe and reliable way for all interested parties to review and exchange documents as they engage in negotiations businesses often work with one another to produce and manufacture products during the construction of a building and to offer services forming and maintaining these business relationships requires contracts and the frequent transmission of data virtual data rooms provide for the storage of these contracts and make readily available documents needed for the continuance of business partnerships as an example changes made to the blueprints of a structure by an engineer are immediately available to all contractors involved in the project auditing company practices compliance and accounts is a common practice in all businesses this process is frequently a problem as workers must interact with external regulators and adjusters also today many companies have offices in remote locations and around the globe in various time zones the use of a virtual data room allows attorneys accountants internal and external regulators and other interested parties to have a centralized point of access providing a central system reduces errors and time also it provides for communication transparency depending on the type of audit the level of access and authority varies offering an initial public offering ipo is a daunting task requiring an inconceivable amount of paperwork like audits transparency is essential companies must create exchange retain and manage large volumes of documents because of the nature of the transaction most users will have restricted access such as view only the ability to copy forward or print may be prohibited alternative to a vdralthough virtual data rooms offer many benefits they are not suitable for every industry for example some governments may elect to continue using physical data rooms for highly confidential exchanges of information the damage from potential cyber attacks and data breaches exceeds the benefits offered by virtual data rooms the results of such events could be cataclysmic if threatening parties accessed classified information in those instances the use of a vdr will not be a consideration | |
what is a virtual good | a virtual good is an intangible asset that is traded in a virtual economy such as in online games virtual goods are by definition nonphysical their value is determined solely by what users are willing to pay for them the market for virtual goods has experienced exponential growth in recent years spurred by the growing popularity of social media platforms understanding virtual goodsto those unfamiliar with the phenomenon of virtual goods it may be difficult to understand how companies are able to charge significant sums of money for assets that have no presence in the real world nevertheless their popularity is undeniable in 2012 the popular online game farmville published by zynga inc znga generated over 1 billion in revenue from the sale of virtual goods 2 more recently the free to play video game fortnite sold 1 billion worth of virtual goods in 2018 3 globally recent estimates for annual virtual goods revenues have totaled over 52 billion 1 one way of understanding the popularity of virtual goods is by viewing them not as a product but as a service this is because for their customers they enhance and improve the experience of the game or community in which they spend their time this is especially clear considering that many of the games in which virtual goods are most popular are in fact free to play meaning the decision to purchase virtual goods is truly voluntary yet despite their popularity virtual goods do come with unique challenges because of their virtual nature virtual goods can be lost due to hacking or technical glitches likewise their legal status can become unclear especially when several layers of historical transactions are involved many platforms have sought to encrypt virtual goods transactions in order to protect against these risks real world example of a virtual goodin the years ahead it is likely that the line differentiating physical goods from virtual goods will begin to blur indeed this process has already begun in china the practice of trading virtual goods for physical ones became so widespread that the chinese government had to ban the practice in 2009 4 likewise zynga inc announced in march 2012 that it had launched a partnership with frito lay whereby buyers of frito lay chips would find coupon codes for virtual goods redeemable inside their games virtual economies 5 it is also likely that the total size of the virtual goods market will continue to surge driven by the growth of online gaming this will likely increase demand for avatars power ups and other in game items through in app purchases which are being made increasingly convenient by app developers there is likely to also be increased demand for items that impart prestige to users or are otherwise rare for example a user of the online science fiction game entropia universe paid 330 000 in 2009 for a virtual space station | |
what is a virtual office | a virtual office gives businesses a physical address and office related services without the overhead of a long lease and administrative staff with a virtual office employees can work from anywhere but still have things like a mailing address phone answering services meeting rooms and videoconferencing | |
how virtual offices work | virtual offices operate as one unit to serve customers but do not exist in a fixed location this type of setup is especially popular with startups and small businesses that want to minimize overhead the creation of web based office productivity software and services such as videoconferencing has helped drive the growth in virtual offices a virtual office can also lead to greater productivity as its services free workers from administrative tasks as well as commutes each employee can work from the location that is most convenient and the business is not restricted to hiring employees who live locally as more people find ways to work remotely the benefits of a virtual office are immediately noticeable however not everything is as easy as it seems some may find scheduling of virtual office space no different than the time consuming scheduling conflicts inherent in a physical office advantages and disadvantages of a virtual officethe appeal of a virtual office to users is twofold first the monthly cost of a virtual office is far less than that of a traditional office after all it has none of the maintenance and upkeep costs nor does it need to be staffed a virtual office can also be secured via a month to month lease so there is greater flexibility if a user s business changes no waiting for a lease to expire or incurring the cost of a broken lease costs for using a virtual office can range from under 40 to more than 200 per month the more services that are added on the more expensive it will be second a virtual office can provide a mailing address telephone answering and videoconferencing services therefore a small business can appear larger than it is it also can provide a physical address or multiple addresses for users to meet clients sometimes the address can lend an aura of prestige to a virtual office user such as if the address is a well known location or street a professional phone answering service can have the same effect some of the services that a virtual office arrangement offers require pre planning to utilize for example many packages come with limited use of conference rooms or limited teleconferencing and videoconferencing services virtual offices also may have restricted access on nights and weekends users may find the lack of flexibility limiting and inconvenient there is also the potential for distractions that come with working from home and therefore some workers might not be as productive when operating in a virtual office environment | |
what is vis major | vis major is a latin term that means superior force and describes an irresistible natural occurrence that causes damage or disruption and that is neither caused by nor preventable by humans even when exercising the utmost skill care diligence or prudence examples of vis major include hurricanes tornadoes floods and earthquakes the terms act of god natural disaster and force majeure are synonymous with vis major these terms are commonly used in contracts to exclude one or both parties from liability and fulfilling their contractual obligations when events beyond their control occur if you have insurance on any property it is a good idea to fully review your policy to determine what is covered and what is not vis major can also be referred to as an act of god a natural disaster or a force majeure understanding vis majorvis major or force majeure clauses are standard in many contracts and exempt the contracting parties from fulfilling their contractual obligations for reasons that could not be anticipated or are beyond their control in commercial contracts vis major can also apply to actions undertaken by third parties that neither party to the contract can control such as failure by a supplier or subcontractor to perform the term can also apply to events such as war riots or strikes whether or not events caused by humans such as war or riots are included in vis major may depend on the legal jurisdiction under which the contract is signed because there can be different interpretations across jurisdictions it is often the case that contracts especially at an international level will specifically define what is covered under a vis major clause the parties will often simply be suspended from performing their obligations during the course of the vis major if it is an event that has a finite duration and that does not permanently affect the ability to deliver on the contract events vis major does not coverbecause vis major is intended to exclude unforeseen and unpreventable events it does not cover negligence or malfeasance it also doesn t cover normal and expected natural events so while a hurricane would fall under vis major normal seasonal rainfall would not insurance contracts often exclude coverage for damage caused by vis major such as tornadoes hurricanes earthquakes and floods this means the owner is on the hook for any costs associated with replacement or repair to the property without any help from the insurer even if a policy is in place a finding that an adverse event was caused by vis major can also exempt a defendant in a lawsuit from liability special coverage for vis majorthese events though can sometimes be insured against with a rider or separate specialized policy some policies even come with clauses that provide coverage for events that fall under the vis major umbrella this extra coverage generally comes with an additional price tag often at extremely high rates at the expense of the property owner insurance companies may still allow for coverage in places where the chance of an act like a flood or earthquake is unlikely rates may stay relatively reasonable and affordable because the likelihood of an insurer ever having to make a payout because of these reasons is very slim in many cases car owners who have comprehensive automobile coverage with their insurance companies are generally covered for acts such as fallen trees or hitting large animals like deer or moose while on the highway if a claim is filed with the insurance company it will have to pay for repairs or replacement unless otherwise stated in the policy | |
what is a visa card | a visa card is a payment card that uses the visa network and is branded with a visa logo the san francisco based company began with just credit cards but later branched out to include debit prepaid and gift cards as well although visa cards bear the visa name and logo they are not issued by the company itself instead they are issued by partner financial institutions such as banks 1 | |
how visa cards work | visa is a prominent processing network and its cards are accepted by businesses in more than 200 countries and territories around the world 2 other major payment processing networks include mastercard american express and discover 1financial institutions typically partner with a single processing network provider such as visa for all of their payment card products each issuer sets its own terms and conditions for the visa cards it offers and decides on the customers to whom it will offer them visa cards are available to individual and business customers through a range of financial institution partnerships 1visa also partners with merchants through varying types of service agreements merchants that accept visa cards pay visa inc a transaction fee each time a customer uses their visa card 1all visa cards come with a unique 16 digit number that is printed or embossed on the front along with an embedded microchip intended to provide the cardholder with additional protection against fraud there s also a magnetic stripe on the back with a panel for the cardholder s signature and a three digit validation code although they re branded with the visa name visa cards are issued by financial institutions not by visa itself types of visa cardsas noted above there are several different types of payment cards that are branded with the visa logo and that use the visa payment processing network credit cards debit cards prepaid cards and gift cards here is how each of them works visa credit cardsbanks and other financial institutions issue visa credit cards to consumers whom they deem creditworthy based on their credit report and other information like other types of credit cards visa credit cards provide cardholders with convenience and security and can be used at merchants and automated teller machines atms around the world depending on the particular card and issuer some visa cards have features such as 0 introductory annual percentage rates aprs cash back rewards and special benefits when shopping with a particular retailer all visa credit cards come with the visa zero liability policy which reduces cardholders liability for unauthorized transactions to 0 3 under federal law their liability is generally limited to 50 4visa cards can charge a range of fees again depending on the card and its issuer those may include annual fees foreign transaction fees cash advance fees balance transfer fees late payment fees and many others the interest rate on the card is determined by the issuer visa debit cardsvisa debit cards are linked to a cardholder s bank account typically a checking account like a credit card they can be used to make purchases at retailers as well as to perform routine bank transactions at a branch or through an atm 5 unlike credit cards debit cards do not extend credit but are limited to the amount of money in the cardholder s bank account as with visa credit cards visa debit cards come with the visa zero liability policy for unauthorized transactions 6visa prepaid cardsprepaid cards work like debit cards but are not associated with a bank account instead they come loaded with a specific amount of money that acts as a credit limit this means the cardholder can t spend more than the amount loaded onto the card 7 visa s prepaid cards can be used anywhere visa is accepted and can be reloaded for future use 8in addition to its all purpose prepaid cards visa has several types of specialized prepaid cards those include payroll cards rather than issuing their employees checks or making direct deposits into their bank accounts employers can pay them by regularly loading their pay onto a visa payroll card which then works like any other prepaid card 9government payment cards some states use these cards to pay monthly unemployment benefits the federal government also used them to distribute benefits as part of the coronavirus aid relief and economic security act cares act 10visa gift cardsgift cards with the visa logo are preloaded with a specific amount just like a prepaid card and may be used wherever visa is accepted the principal difference between them and prepaid cards is that gift cards can t be reloaded 11 | |
what is the difference between visa and mastercard | both visa and mastercard are vast worldwide payment networks and very similar in their operations neither issues its own credit cards but instead partners with banks and other financial institutions that do consumers with both types of cards in their wallets are likely to notice little or no difference between them by contrast american express and discover are also payment networks but issue credit cards through their own banking affiliates | |
does visa have secured credit cards | yes some financial institutions issue secured credit cards with the visa logo secured cards are a type of credit card tailored to people with poor credit or little or no credit history to qualify for one the individual must deposit a sum of money in a bank account which then serves as their credit line after they have used a secured card for a certain period and paid their bills on time they can often graduate to a regular unsecured credit card | |
what do the microchips on visa cards do | the microchips embedded on the front of visa cards and other brands of cards carry encrypted information about the cardholder and their account they are designed to be more secure than the magnetic stripes on the cards backs which carry much the same information most cards today have both chips and stripes because some merchants have not yet switched over to sales terminals compatible with chip technology the bottom linevisa is a major payment card processing network and cards bearing its logo are widely accepted worldwide whatever type of card a consumer might be looking for a visa affiliated issuer probably offers it | |
what is visibility | the term visibility is used to portray the extent to which a company s management or analysts can estimate future performance visibility can range from low to high or from the near term to the long term | |
when executives or equity analysts talk about visibility they are referring to sales or earnings management may comment on visibility in press releases during earnings conference calls or at investment bank sponsored meetings or conferences analysts can discuss visibility in their research reports with clients to help them make investment decisions for their portfolios | understanding visibilityvisibility occurs when a company s executive team or market analysts make predictions about its future earnings or sales figures having visibility is one indicator that the processes put into place by the management team are followed by the rest of the team companies are optimized for better performance if management has high and full visibility in the organization high visibility generally means they are confident in their projections low visibility on the other hand means the opposite that their confidence is low low visibility primarily happens when there is a shift in the economic cycle or changes in the market executives typically prefer not to discuss low visibility as this may make investors feel uneasy but it s not entirely avoidable so it may be necessary that management set reasonable expectations in the market for the company s stock management that boasts high visibility on the other hand should offer caveats to its optimistic outlook in case expectations for growth are not realized in the future visibility is categorized as high and low high for high confidence in predictions and low for low confidence for future performance expressing visibility in timeaside from the low to high portrayal spectrum visibility can be characterized by the length of time for example it can cover the short term as in a single quarter or the long term it may even allude to a specific interval such as from now to the end of the calendar year a company with low short term earnings visibility may be questioned why this is the case if a competitor has high short term visibility a company that states it has strong earnings visibility over the long term will be regarded in a favorable light by investors an analysis of the reasons for this high visibility would be useful for investors to better understand a company s business model the economy s effect on visibilitythe amount of visibility for a company is largely dependent on the state of the economy when an economy is stable and growing a company may have high visibility to confidently project sales or earnings but when the economy is weak or at cross currents a company will not likely have much visibility when times are uncertain a business is more likely to refrain from providing sales or earnings guidance to analysts and investors | |
when visibility is low but the business s operations are otherwise sound this does not necessarily present the company in a negative light as its core operations are still a good investment if it has the ability to ride out the economic downturn then it could still be a positive investment due to its strong fundamentals | in some instances a company may be able to see a clear path for the growth of its business no matter the economic environment this is particularly true if the organization is in the process of launching or ramping up deliveries of products for which there is solid demand visibility vs transparencyvisibility should not be confused with transparency even though the two terms are often used interchangeably they are very different while the former is a projection of a company s future performance the latter describes how accessible information is by a company and its management team a company is transparent when it openly and freely provides financial information such as reports prices and production practices to its shareholders its employees or the general public | |
what does visibility mean | the term visibility describes the extent to which a company s management or analysts can estimate future performance visibility is considered a key aspect of management and is a requirement for many businesses in order to make their business run better | |
how do businesses gain visibility | businesses can gain visibility by paying extreme attention to all numerical data for their business this can mean making sure that all receipts are kept expenditures are logged numbers are exact not rounded or guessed at and proper timely bookkeeping practices are upheld | |
why is visibility important in business | visibility ensures that businesses have the greatest understanding of their financial situation it allows the business to assess both its short term and long term financial status in a much more accurate way thus resulting in more accurate projections and financial models | |
what is visible supply | visible supply is the amount of a good or commodity that is currently being stored or transported that is available to be bought or sold this supply is important as it identifies a definite quantity of goods available for purchase or delivery upon the assignment of futures contracts for instance all of the wheat held in granaries or storage facilities along with the wheat being transported from farms constitutes part of the visible supply in the municipal bond markets the 30 day visible supply refers to the total par value face value of all new issue municipal bonds that are expected to be coming to market in the next 30 days understanding visible supplyprices in the market are said to be determined by the law of supply and demand the more supply of some good available affects the demand and vice versa therefore being able to account for the supply of commodities is of crucial importance to these markets and their related futures markets in general an increase in visible supply is considered to be a bearish signal while a decrease is considered a bullish one however the price of a good is not completely influenced by the amount of visible supply because commodities such as wheat or oil are often purchased through futures options or forward contracts long before the date of actual physical delivery prices are more likely to be influenced by the future supply rather than what is available at that moment future supply or supply which is currently in processing or preparation is said to be part of the invisible supply since it cannot yet be counted and accounted for visible vs invisible supplyvisible supply stands in contrast to invisible supply which refers to an unknown or unquantifiable amount of physical stock of a commodity that will eventually be available for delivery upon settlement of a futures contract unlike the visible supply this amount of supply underlying a futures contract exists but it hasn t yet been accumulated stored or set aside for delivery whereas any such stock of a commodity that has been accounted for is the visible supply 30 day visible supply in municipal bond marketsin municipal bond markets the 30 day visible supply is used to estimate the health of the market for new issues it is an indication of how much new debt is expected to come to market the 30 day visible supply is published in the bond buyer a trade publication for members of the municipal bond industry that began as a daily newspaper over 100 years ago and now provides sophisticated real time market data via a subscription based digital version an increase in the visible supply of bonds is bearish for prices as more bonds will increase the supply of new debt likewise a fall in the 30 day visible supply is bullish for bond prices | |
what is vision care insurance | vision care insurance will often cover routine eye health expenses such as eye exams contact lens fittings contact lenses and eyeglass lenses and frames some plans may even provide a discount on lasik procedures and other corrective surgeries a vision care plan may cover the cost of these items in total up to a preset limit or it may require the policyholder to pay a flat fee or percentage fee to share the expense with the insurer understanding vision care insurancevision care insurance tends to be inexpensive compared to other types of insurance because many of the covered costs are predictable and expensive claims are rare it resembles a discount plan more closely than an actual insurance plan because insurance protects against unforeseen and potentially catastrophic expenses it s essential you fully understand each plan s costs and the benefits they come with when you buy vision care insurance take a look at the price for one year of vision insurance compared with the cost of an eye exam although vision care insurance is inexpensive it may not be a good deal for the consumer if the premiums and co payments under the plan are higher than paying for vision care expenses out of pocket the cost of vision care insurance depends on your plan but you may pay as little as 5 a month for a basic plan from your employer or buying a plan directly from a provider for example vsp vision insurance offers a 13 a month premium 1special considerationseye diseases which are unpredictable and expensive to treat will generally be covered by health insurance not vision care insurance vision care coverage through many employer sponsored health plans generally works a little differently than other health insurance or major medical insurance plans because eye exams can detect hidden medical problems even those with perfect vision should get one from time to time as someone ages they ll need more frequent vision exams according to the mayo clinic 2 people with poor vision a family history of eye disease or a condition that increases the risk of eye disease like diabetes should have more frequent exams 3 if routine exams are all that will be needed then the cost of insurance probably isn t worth it before purchasing eye care insurance think about what you need in regard to your health and what offerings that insurance provides that you will use such as discounted lenses availability of vision care insurancevision care insurance can often be obtained through your employer association union or government programs like medicare or medicaid most vision insurance providers also offer policies that you can purchase individually vision insurance is often a value added benefit linked to indemnity health insurance health maintenance organizations hmos and preferred provider organizations ppos contracted with managed vision care networks to provide eye care services advantages and disadvantages of vision insurancethere are benefits and limitations to vision insurance and whether you should get it or not may depend on how badly you need it if you have a history of eye related medical needs it may be worth the extra money to purchase vision insurance if you only go to the eye doctor once a year for routine check ups it might not be necessary for you to buy an expensive eye care insurance plan overall vision care insurance isn t expensive and it may save you money over time especially if you have recurring eye care troubles or regularly purchase corrective lenses if you end up needing eye surgery it can help with the cost as well cons of vision insurance are that it may not necessarily cover the type of service you need or will not allow you to travel out of its network for treatment in addition if there is a specific brand of lenses you like using or specialized lenses or frames it may offer a limited line of brands these can often be easily added onto insurance plans you can also buy a plan individually premiums are not expensive the plans offset the cost of corrective lenses you may not be able to use out of network services if you don t need regular eye care it may not be worth the money some vision care insurance limits what you can purchase in terms of eye wear | |
is vision insurance separate from health insurance | vision insurance is usually sold as an add on to health insurance from your employer or you can purchase it separately | |
what insurance does walmart vision center take | walmart s vision center takes its own walmart vision plan and it is an out of network provider for many vision plans including cole managed vision eyemed and davis vision in order to find out if walmart vision center takes your insurance you must visit its website because it varies by state and location 45who takes davis vision insurance davis vision insurance offers a wide range of both in network and out of network providers including walmart visionworks costco for eyes and sam s club 6who takes vsp vision insurance the vsp website claims to have thousands of in network optometrists and ophthalmologists located all over the united states including vision care centers in costco stores 78 | |
what vision insurance does costco take | costco s website states it now accepts most vision insurance plans for its vision care services 7the bottom linevision care insurance may be helpful to cover routine eye care such as exams fittings and help pay for corrective lenses some plans offer more benefits than others but if you don t have a reason to see an eye doctor more than a regular check up it might not be worth buying a plan even if it is affordable | |
what is visual basic for applications vba | visual basic for applications vba is used to write programs for the windows operating system it runs as an internal programming language in microsoft office ms office office applications including access excel powerpoint publisher word and visio vba is part of microsoft corporation s msft legacy software visual basic it allows users to customize beyond what s normally available with ms office host applications 1understanding visual basic for applications vba vba is an event driven tool you can use it to tell the computer to initiate an action or string of actions by typing commands into an editing module to build custom macroinstructions macros a macro is essentially a sequence of characters that inputs results in another sequence of characters its output this accomplishes specific computing tasks you don t have to purchase the vba software because vba is the version of visual basic that ships with microsoft office vba isn t a stand alone program it allows users to manipulate graphical user interface gui features such as toolbars menus dialogue boxes and forms you can use vba to create user defined functions udfs access windows application programming interfaces apis and automate specific computer processes and calculations 2microsoft hosts various learning opportunities for entry level developers to gain modest experience working with vba 3vba in excelall office suite programs share common programming languages and each is capable of integrating vba code to enhance the program vba has been a natural fit with excel more so than with other office suite programs because of the repetitive nature of spreadsheets data analytics and organizing data the root of the relationship between vba and excel is often tied to the use of macros you can use vba to run a macro in excel but you can use it for non macro activities as well simply press alt f11 to access vba in excel 4 your existing excel workbook will remain running but a new window will appear for microsoft visual basic for applications the top left of the vba window will show the current projects the investopediaproject file is ready to receive vba code in this example the window displays the properties of the selected project at the bottom left properties are listed as projects or workbooks are selected these properties are listed alphabetically by default although they can be sorted by category a new window appears when you double click on a project on the top left there s no information in this area but you ll see two dropdowns that say general and declarations vba code is directly entered into this coding window here s an example of a vba code that s been entered many important buttons and tools appear on the toolbar the items highlighted in yellow are the run break and reset toggles for the vba code the run button executes the code the break button pauses the activity of the code the reset stops the execution of the code and brings the process back to the starting position of the code | |
what you can do with vba | finance is about manipulating huge amounts of data and vba is endemic to the financial services sector it s likely running within applications you use each day if you work in finance even if you re not aware of it some jobs in the sector require prior knowledge of vba and others don t you can many online forums provide vba code that allows you to simply copy and paste the code for your personal use be cautious when using someone else s code especially if you re unfamiliar with the source the individual or the logic of the code important vba termsa module is where excel stores the vba code information regarding the modules within a spreadsheet can be found in project explorer one of the sections of the visual basic editor all modules can be saved within a modules folder modules are sometimes referred to as standard modules most code is used to manipulate objects in vba objects are items such as workbooks worksheets cells cell ranges or cell fonts objects are often selected or referred to as part of the code when you re coding in vba the code can use the activecell language to manipulate the object currently selected in the spreadsheet you can also create a process that executes when a bar chart is edited the procedure is the part of a computer program that performs a specific task it s the block of code that starts with a declaration and finishes with an end declaration there are two types of procedures in vba sub procedures form an action in excel and begin with the text sub function procedures carry out calculations and return a value a statement is an instruction that can be broken into two types first a declaration statement is used to state something such as defining a constant or a variable value second executable statements designate code that specifies what a certain action is variables are storage locations for defined items they hold specific values that may change as vba scripts are performed the variable firstname may not contain any value but it can be assigned the firstname variable and given the value jo after the user inputs their name variables in coding can be different depending on the situation similar to how variable costs can change over time logical operators are the functions that allow for greater analytical and processing capabilities they re bits of code that allow a computer to understand and compare items vba can analyze whether the user s name is jo the program can analyze the input and perform a logical evaluation using logical operators such as if then true and false visual basic for applications is the only version of vb 6 that s still sold and supported by microsoft it s only available as an internal component of office programs 5vba usersvisual basic for applications allows users to perform myriad functions within ms office applications that go beyond simple word processing and spreadsheet operations vba helps to make frequent everyday tasks less repetitive via macros for the most basic user macros can automate just about any task such as generating customized charts and reports and performing word and data processing functions you can write a macro with a single click that will make excel create an entire balance sheet from a series of accounting entries in a spreadsheet programmers use macros in more complex ways like replicating large pieces of code merging existing program functions and designing specific languages advanced vba code can convert a single row vector into a matrix populate a range or manipulate the characteristics of a sheet vba can also work in external non microsoft settings by using a technology called com interface that allows commands to interact across computer boundaries 6 many firms have implemented vba within their applications both proprietary and commercial including autocad arcgis catia corel raw and solidworks any firm may use vba to customize excel for a unique purpose such as discerning how long it would take to earn 1 million in an investment portfolio based on a specific interest rate and other factors like the number of years until retirement | |
what is vba used for | vba is used to further expand what some programs can accomplish it s often used to create macros automate processes generate custom forms or perform repetitive tasks that may need minimal human intervention | |
is vba the same as excel | vba is a computer language that s used within excel it enhances its capabilities excel is a broader software that s used for many types of analytical functions | |
is vba easy to learn | vba is relatively easier to learn compared to other complex languages it s considered a beginner friendly language vba coders often don t have to have prior experience to learn the language the vba community also has many resources available for individuals who are new to programming | |
is vba still in demand | yes vba is still useful and used by individuals who are interacting with microsoft products but newer languages such as python c or r can be used to code in place of vba new tools such as power query may be able to perform tasks that could previously only be performed when using vba the bottom linevba was first introduced in 1991 it s been used for decades to automate processes generate macros and help individuals by performing repetitive tasks 7 other more powerful computer languages may have greater capabilities but vba is still useful and holds the advantage of being an easier more basic language to learn | |
what is the cboe volatility index vix | the cboe volatility index vix is a real time index that represents the market s expectations for the relative strength of near term price changes of the s p 500 index spx because it is derived from the prices of spx index options with near term expiration dates it generates a 30 day forward projection of volatility volatility or how fast prices change is often seen as a way to gauge market sentiment and in particular the degree of fear among market participants the index is more commonly known by its ticker symbol and is often referred to simply as the vix it was created by the cboe options exchange and is maintained by cboe global markets it is an important index in the world of trading and investment because it provides a quantifiable measure of market risk and investors sentiments | |
how does the cboe volatility index vix work | the vix attempts to measure the magnitude of price movements of the s p 500 i e its volatility the more dramatic the price swings are in the index the higher the level of volatility and vice versa in addition to being an index to measure volatility traders can also trade vix futures options and etfs to hedge or speculate on volatility changes in the index in general volatility can be measured using two different methods the first method is based on historical volatility using statistical calculations on previous prices over a specific time period this process involves computing various statistical numbers like mean average variance and finally the standard deviation on the historical price data sets the second method which the vix uses involves inferring its value as implied by options prices 1 options are derivative instruments whose price depends upon the probability of a particular stock s current price moving enough to reach a particular level called the strike price or exercise price since the possibility of such price moves happening within the given time frame is represented by the volatility factor various option pricing methods like the black scholes model include volatility as an integral input parameter since option prices are available in the open market they can be used to derive the volatility of the underlying security such volatility as implied by or inferred from market prices is called forward looking implied volatility iv extending volatility to market levelthe vix was the first benchmark index introduced by ccoe to measure the market s expectation of future volatility being a forward looking index it is constructed using the implied volatilities on s p 500 index options and represents the market s expectation of 30 day future volatility of the s p 500 index which is considered the leading indicator of the broad u s stock market 1introduced in 1993 the vix is now an established and globally recognized gauge of u s equity market volatility it is calculated in real time based on the live prices of the s p 500 index calculations are performed and values are relayed from 3 a m to 9 15 a m and from 9 30 a m to 4 15 p m est cboe began the dissemination of the vix outside of u s trading hours in april 2016 2calculation of vix valuesvix values are calculated using the cboe traded standard spx options which expire on the third friday of each month and the weekly spx options which expire on all other fridays only spx options are considered whose expiry period lies within more than 23 days and less than 37 days 3while the formula is mathematically complex it theoretically works as follows it estimates the expected volatility of the s p 500 index by aggregating the weighted prices of multiple spx puts and calls over a wide range of strike prices 4 all such qualifying options should have valid nonzero bid and ask prices that represent the market perception of which options strike prices will be hit by the underlying stocks during the remaining time to expiry for detailed calculations with an example one can refer to the section the vix index calculation step by step of the vix white paper during its origin in 1993 vix was calculated as a weighted measure of the implied volatility of eight s p 100 at the money put and call options when the derivatives market had limited activity and was in its growing stages 5as the derivatives markets matured 10 years later in 2003 the cboe teamed up with goldman sachs and updated the methodology to calculate vix differently it then started using a wider set of options based on the broader s p 500 index an expansion that allows for a more accurate view of investors expectations of future market volatility a methodology was adopted that remains in effect and is also used for calculating various other variants of the volatility index 2volatility value investors fear and vix values all move up when the market is falling the reverse is true when the market advances the index values fear and volatility decline the price action of the s p 500 and the vix often shows inverse price action when the s p falls sharply the vix rises and vice versa as a rule of thumb vix values greater than 30 are generally linked to large volatility resulting from increased uncertainty risk and investors fear vix values below 20 generally correspond to stable stress free periods in the markets | |
how to trade the vix | the vix has paved the way for using volatility as a tradable asset albeit through derivative products cboe launched the first vix based exchange traded futures contract in march 2004 followed by the launch of vix options in february 2006 2such vix linked instruments allow pure volatility exposure and have created a new asset class active traders large institutional investors and hedge fund managers use the vix linked securities for portfolio diversification as historical data demonstrate a strong negative correlation of volatility to the stock market returns that is when stock returns go down volatility rises and vice versa like all indexes one cannot buy the vix directly instead investors can take a position in vix through futures or options contracts or through vix based exchange traded products etps for example the proshares vix short term futures etf vixy and the ipath series b s p 500 vix short term futures etn vxxb are two such offerings that track a certain vix variant index and take positions in linked futures contracts active traders who employ their own trading strategies and advanced algorithms use vix values to price the derivatives which are based on high beta stocks beta represents how much a particular stock price can move with respect to the move in a broader market index for instance a stock having a beta of 1 5 indicates that it is theoretically 50 more volatile than the market traders making bets through options of such high beta stocks utilize the vix volatility values in appropriate proportion to correctly price their options trades following the popularity of the vix the cboe now offers several other variants for measuring broad market volatility examples include the cboe short term volatility index vix9d which reflects the nine day expected volatility of the s p 500 index the cboe s p 500 3 month volatility index vix3m and the cboe s p 500 6 month volatility index vix6m products based on other market indexes include the nasdaq 100 volatility index vxn the cboe djia volatility index vxd and the cboe russell 2000 volatility index rvx 6options and futures based on vix products are available for trading on cboe and cfe platforms respectively | |
what does the vix tell us | the cboe volatility index vix signals the level of fear or stress in the stock market using the s p 500 index as a proxy for the broad market and hence is widely known as the fear index irrational investor behaviors can be spurred on by the availability of real time news coverage the higher the vix the greater the level of fear and uncertainty in the market with levels above 30 indicating tremendous uncertainty | |
how can an investor trade the vix | like all indices the vix cannot be bought directly however the vix can be traded through futures contracts and exchange traded funds etfs and exchange traded notes etns that own these futures contracts | |
does the level of the vix affect option premiums and prices | yes it does volatility is one of the primary factors that affect stock and index options prices and premiums as the vix is the most widely watched measure of broad market volatility it has a substantial impact on option prices or premiums a higher vix means higher prices for options i e more expensive option premiums while a lower vix means lower option prices or cheaper premiums | |
how can i use the vix level to hedge downside risk | downside risk can be adequately hedged by buying put options the price of which depend on market volatility astute investors tend to buy options when the vix is relatively low and put premiums are cheap such protective puts will generally get expensive when the market is sliding therefore like insurance it s best to buy them when the need for such protection is not obvious i e when investors perceive the risk of market downside to be low | |
what is a normal value for the vix | the long run average of the vix has been around 21 4 high levels of the vix normally when it is above 30 can point to increased volatility and fear in the market often associated with a bear market | |
what is vix option | a vix option is a non equity index option that uses the cboe volatility index as its underlying asset understanding vix optionscall and put vix options are both available the call options hedge portfolios against a sudden market decline and put options hedge against a rapid reversal of short positions on the s p 500 index these options thus allow traders and investors to speculate on future moves in volatility the vix option which originated in 2006 was the first exchange traded option that gave individual investors the ability to trade on market volatility 1 the trading of vix options can be a useful tool for investors by purchasing a vix call option a trader can profit from a rapid increase in volatility sharp increases in volatility coincide with a short term price shock in stocks a volatility increase often but not always coincides with a downward trending market as such this kind of call option is a natural hedge and can be used very strategically over longer periods and tactically in the short term in many cases it can be a more efficient hedge than equity index options the vix is susceptible to a pattern of slow decline and rapid increase as such vix call options when well timed can be a very effective hedge however vix put options are more difficult to use effectively the put options can be profitable for traders who correctly anticipate that a market is about to turn around from a downward trend to an upward trend vix options settle in cash and trade in the european style european style limits the exercise of the option until its expiration the trader may always sell an existing long position or purchase an equivalent option to close a short position before expiration for advanced options traders it is possible to incorporate many different advanced strategies such as bull call spreads butterfly spreads and many more by using vix options however calendar spreads can be problematic since different expiration series do not track each other as closely as their equity options counterparts vix explainedthe volatility index of the cboe global markets cboe trades with the symbol vix however the vix is not like other traded instruments rather than representing the price of a commodity interest rate or exchange rate the vix shows the market s expectation of 30 day volatility in the stock market 2it is a calculated index based on the price of options on the s p 500 the estimation of volatility for these s p options between the current date and the option s expiration date forms the vix the cboe combines the price of multiple options and derives an aggregate value of volatility which the index tracks 3introduced in 1993 the volatility index vix was initially a weighted measure of the implied volatility iv of eight s p 100 at the money put and call options ten years later in 2004 it expanded to use options based on a broader index the s p 500 1 this expansion allows for a more accurate view of investors expectations on future market volatility vix values higher than 30 are usually associated with a significant amount of volatility as a result of investor fear or uncertainty values below 15 ordinarily correspond to less stressful or even complacent times in the markets because of its tendency to move significantly higher during periods of market fear and uncertainty another name for the vix is the fear index | |
vladimir ilyich ulyanov lenin was the architect of russia s 1917 bolshevik revolution and the first leader of what became the union of soviet socialist republics ussr | through violent means he established a system of marxist socialism called communism in the former russian empire which attempted to impose collective control over the means of production redistribute wealth abolish the aristocracy and create a more equitable society for the masses investopedia bailey marinerlenin spent his adult life agitating for and leading revolutionary communist activities in russia this culminated in the 1917 october revolution which brought lenin s bolshevik faction to power in the wake of the revolution the reign of the bolshevik regime under lenin was marked by economic chaos and deprivation bloody civil war massive famines among the rural working class and brutal repression torture and murder of those suspected or accused of dissent insufficient loyalty to the revolution or of holding out food or other goods 12lenin is still revered among some communists communist sympathizers and citizens of former ussr republics a 2017 russian poll done by the levada center found that lenin s reputation as the father of his country is diminished but by no means undone fifty six percent of russians believe that he played an entirely or mostly positive role in russian history up from 40 in 2006 however many of those polled couldn t be specific about what he had done 3early life and educationlenin was born in 1870 in what was then simbirsk about 450 miles east of moscow his family with the last name ulyanov was middle class and prosperous two 1887 events shaped his revolutionary beliefs the execution of his older brother alexandr for an attempt to murder the russian tsar and his expulsion from kazan university for being the ringleader of a student uprising 21while becoming a marxist in 1889 he later was allowed to sit for his law examinations and earned a law degree from st petersburg university he became a public defender and part of a group of revolutionary marxists 21eventually his activities got him exiled to siberia for three years from 1897 to 1900 after that he adopted the pseudonym lenin and moved to europe to continue his revolutionary activities he returned to russia to agitate for the ultimately failed revolution of 1905 then returned abroad to europe in 1907 12deedslenin returned to russia in april 1917 after the czar had abdicated and the soviet revolution was underway the country was being run by a provisional government which lenin termed a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie he envisioned a dictatorship of the proletariat in which workers and peasants ruled 21russians were in despair over the toll that world war i was taking on the country and wanted change and that war weariness allowed lenin and his red guards a secretly organized army of peasants workers and disaffected russian military men to seize control of the government in a nearly bloodless coup d tat in november 1917 21once in power lenin withdrew russia from the war against germany but his red army ended up fighting a three year civil war with the white army a coalition of monarchists capitalists foreign invaders and democratic socialists to fund the war lenin instituted something called war communism which nationalized all manufacturing and industry and requisitioned grain from farmers to feed the troops and sell abroad to raise cash for the government 12socialism is considered to be the stepping stone from capitalism to communism communism involves complete control of economic resources by the state while under socialism citizens equally share economic resources that are distributed by a democratically elected government after an attempted assassination in 1918 in which he was seriously wounded lenin waged the red terror through the bolshevik secret police known as the cheka by some estimates more than 100 000 people thought to be against the aims of the revolution known as counterrevolutionaries or simply related to those who were in opposition were murdered 21the red army vanquished the final remnants of the white army in crimea in november 1920 between the red terror the russian civil war and the resulting famines due to war communism an estimated 1 5 million combatants and 8 million civilians died during this period 124lenin s war communism eventually ruined the economy after the russian famine of 1921 which killed at least five million people he introduced his new economic policy in an attempt to prevent a second revolution it permitted some private enterprise introduced a wage system and let peasants sell produce and other goods on the open market while having to pay tax on any earnings either in money or raw goods state owned enterprises such as steel operated on a for profit basis 125lenin suffered a series of strokes between 1922 and 1924 that made speaking and governing difficult he died on jan 21 1924 barely a year after the bolsheviks finally established the ussr on dec 30 1922 through a treaty among russia ukraine belarus and the transcaucasian federation later georgia armenia and azerbaijan his body was embalmed and put on display in a mausoleum in moscow s red square where it still is today 21legacythe legacy of lenin is a complicated one he sought to improve the lives of the peasants the working class and the poor of russia who were suffering under the aristocratic ways of the russian empire though he ushered in a revolution and a new form of government his tactics were brutal resulting in the deaths of millions in addition he created the ussr which under stalin became an even more brutal regime resulting in the deaths of millions more and complicating geopolitical affairs throughout the 20th century and even the 21st century after its collapse the initial goal of lenin s revolution was never quite achieved though the russian aristocracy was destroyed the lives of many did not improve lenin published many writings on his thoughts about marxism capitalism the russian empire and revolution some of his most important works covering these topics include the april theses the development of capitalism in russia imperialism the highest stage of capitalism what is to be done burning questions of our movement and the three sources and three component parts of marxism | |
what happened to vladimir lenin | vladimir lenin died in 1924 at the age of 54 due to a brain hemorrhage he had suffered strokes before this upon his death stalin became the leader of the soviet union 6 | |
what did vladimir lenin accomplish | lenin led the revolutionary uprising that brought the bolshevik faction of communism to power in russia and across the territories of the old russian empire this was one of the major events of world history in the 20th century which would influence the course of economic political and strategic trends all over the world lenin s revolution and establishment of the soviet union resulted in the deaths of many millions of russians and others and it drove the world into a period of episodic wars and diplomatic conflicts known as the cold war | |
what did vladimir lenin want in world war i | at the time of world war i russia was still an empire ruled by a monarch czar nicholas ii lenin wanted russia to lose in world war i as he believed it would bring about the political revolution he had been hoping for he wrote and published various works during this time lenin was not in russia during the war but did return to further flame the revolution that had already started the bottom linevladimir lenin was one of the most influential people in history who brought about significant change in his country that reverberated around the world and impacted the lives of millions though his thoughts on marxism and capitalism are read to this day and influence many individuals and nations his legacy will also be remembered for his brutal regime and the deaths of millions | |
what is a vocational degree | a vocational degree is an academic certificate awarded to students who have completed the degree requirements for a specific trade or career vocational degrees are popular because they typically require less time to complete than a traditional degree program e g associate or bachelor s degree and upon completion the student is often ready to begin working the trade 1 a college undergraduate degree focuses on developing an individual s all around intelligence and critical thinking skills but may not prepare an individual for a specific job however vocational degrees offer training for careers such as medical coding and billing auto mechanics cosmetology electrical work and legal secretary work understanding vocational degreessometimes it is possible to get a bachelor s degree in a program that is also offered as a vocational degree but not all vocational degrees can be obtained through a traditional four year college for example it is possible to become a paralegal after obtaining a law degree at a university or after completing a paralegal vocational degree however few if any colleges offer bachelor s degrees in cosmetology requirements for a vocational degreethe parameters for what qualifies as a vocational degree may vary by state two years of nursing education in california for instance is quantified as a vocational or technical degree but in other states that same curriculum might be recorded as non vocational 2 the length of the curriculum for vocational degrees can vary drastically from a couple of months to two years the value of vocational degrees can also vary with some estimates showing that shorter term programs can offer higher career returns on the investment the range of salaries for jobs open to those with vocational degrees can vary widely special considerationsvocational degrees are sometimes sought by individuals who have already established a career in one field but are looking to be trained in supplemental areas this sort of activity may be common in industries that have undergone evolutionary periods when new required skill sets are needed to remain employed in a particular role for instance many careers now require an understanding and use of information technology and computer programming skills as a part of daily work vocational degrees may also be used for job changers who seek a fresh more competitive position in the job market on an entirely different career path they might even have college degrees in specialized fields a vocational degree is an opportunity to pursue work that might not otherwise be available to them this can be especially true if certain industry positions see a sudden rise in immediate demand with few professionals available to fill the roles pursuing a vocational degree that offers such skills may be an opportunity to achieve a higher salary in a short amount of time | |
what is voice over internet protocol voip | voice over internet protocol voip is communications technology that allows users to interact by audio through an internet connection rather than through an analog connection voice over internet protocol converts the voice signal used in traditional phone technology into a digital signal that travels through the internet instead of through analog telephone lines understanding voice over internet protocol voip voice over internet protocol voip technology allows users to make telephone calls through internet connections instead of through analog telephone lines which renders these calls effectively free wherever the internet is available voip changed the telecommunications industry by making traditional phone lines and services nearly obsolete and reducing demand for them significantly as access to the internet has become more widely available voip has become ubiquitous both for personal use and for business use intermedia ringcentral 8x8 intermedia vonage dialpad microsoft skype ooma mitel freshdesk contact center and line 2 led the list of pcmag s best business voip providers for 2022 1 | |
how voice over internet protocol voip works | voip works by converting voice audio into packets of data that then travel through the internet like any other type of data such as text or pictures these packets of sound data travel almost instantly through public and private internet networks to route from the origination to the destination any landline or mobile phone that is connected to the internet can place and receive voip calls voip calls can also be conducted on computers through the computer microphone and speakers or headsets because voip calls travel through the internet instead of through analog telephone lines they are subject to the same lags and delays as other data traveling the internet when bandwidth is compromised or overwhelmed advantages and disadvantages of voice over internet protocol voip voip technology reduces the cost of voice communication to almost nothing for personal and commercial use many internet providers throw in voip telephone service for free as an incentive to buy broadband or higher speed internet connection and internet cable television channels since it costs the internet provider a little extra to provide this service and it costs the customer nothing extra for this service it is a win win for everyone involved in the transaction voip service has also enabled video calls conference calls and webinars for commercial and personal use at prices that are affordable or free previously video conferencing and web conferencing were expensive and only available to companies large enough to justify the expense but voip allows companies of all sizes including solo practitioners and freelancers to afford it the main con of voip services is that they can lag or clump because the sound goes in packets it is slightly delayed under normal circumstances untrained listeners won t be able to tell the difference between voip and analog calls but when there is high bandwidth usage on the internet the packets may cluster or be delayed which can cause a jerky clumped sound on voip calls some voip services can t work during power outages if the user or provider does not have backup power some 9 1 1 services do not have the ability to recognize locations of voip calls voip servicesthe first voip service was launched in 1995 by a company called vocaltech the company launched the first internet based phone with the appropriate name internetphone this did not come with any video capabilites and required both users to be logged on to the same software in order to talk early voip services suffered from a poor user experience with frequent distortions and dropped calls however the service steadily improved until the launch of skype in 2003 made voip attractive and practical for average users this allowed phone calls that were completely free of charge in addition to video calls and calls to landlines with much improved sound quality 2the covid 19 pandemic proved another boon for the voip industry as millions of office workers and administrators now began working remotely voip and related services such as zoom became even more critical for office administration as teleconferencing became the new norm for the average workplace | |
what is a simple definition of voip | voice over internet protocol voip is a technology that allows people to speak over an internet connection similar to an ordinary telephone call voip allows audio conversations for a much lower cost than traditional telephone networks especially over a long distance however voip calls may also be subject to bandwidth limitations | |
what is mobile voip | mobile voip or mvoip is a set of communications protocols that can extend voip communications to handheld devices this is frequently used to facilitate audio conversations over wifi or lte networks at a lower cost than traditional telephones and without a wired connection | |
what does sip means on voip phones | sip or session initiation protocol is closely related to voip and is used to manage multimedia communications channels such as phone calls and videoconferencing sip is often used interchangeably with voip but they are not the same thing 3 | |
what does non fixed voip mean | non fixed voip refers to a voice over internet protocol voip phone number that is not attached to a physical address while voip phone numbers can sometimes be fixed to a residence or company office non fixed voip numbers are not associated with any geographical location this is convenient for call centers and remote workers but can also be used by scammers pretending to be their victims neighbors 4 | |
a void contract is a purported agreement that is unenforceable from the moment it is created | a void contract differs from a voidable contract while a void contract was never legally valid and will never be enforceable voidable contracts may be valid until one party formally rejects the terms for reasons allowable in the contract or by law voidable contracts may also be legally enforceable once any defects in the contract are corrected that said void and voidable contracts can be nullified for similar reasons 1understanding void contractsa contract can be deemed void if it s not enforceable as originally written in these cases void contracts or void agreements are illegal or against fairness or public policy while a valid contract has all the essential elements required by law a void contract is missing one or more of these or is flawed in some other way making it impossible to enforce enforceable contracts must meet certain criteria first there has to be a clear offer from one party and an acceptance of it by another second there must be what s called consideration something of value must be exchanged between the parties third the contract must have some legal purpose fourth the contract s terms must be clear certain and possible to perform next the parties must also have the legal capacity to enter into contracts they are of sound mind not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and of legal age lastly some contracts must be in writing to be enforceable depending on the jurisdiction especially for major transactions like selling real estate given this background here are some instances when a contract would be void in a financial or business situation understanding the meaning of void contracts is crucial to confirming that agreements are legally sound which can help mitigate the risks of unenforceable contracts voidable contract vs void contractwhile a void contract is usually considered not enforceable at its inception a contract may be voidable if the contract s circumstances are questionable examples of voidable contracts include when one party is allowed to cancel the contract because of the other party s illegal or unfair voidable actions this includes agreements where one party withheld information or intentionally provided inaccurate information laws for certain types of contracts require disclosing specific kinds of information if this is not done if the seller of a house fails to tell you about the sinkhole set to devour the home at any moment the contract could be voidable but not automatically void since both parties might wish for the agreement to go forward 1for instance if a contract is entered into with a minor the minor has the legal right to void the contract until reaching the age of majority even if the terms bind the other party in this case the agreement in some jurisdictions might be valid until the minor decides to void it making it a voidable but not void contract thus in a voidable contract the party subject to duress fraud undue influence or other such factors can choose to enforce or void the contract voidable contracts have this key element the choice or escape route for the party subjected to one of the elements above can a void contract become valid if it s corrected no a void contract can t be made valid merely by mutual agreement to correct the problems that made it void in the first place once a contract is deemed void it s like it never existed as a matter of law | |
how can you nullify a voidable contract | a contract can be nullified if it contains terms that are considered illegal or unreasonable in a certain jurisdiction in addition courts may also invalidate a contract if it is found that either party was incapable of entering a legal contract at the time it was signed for example most legal contracts are not enforceable if the signatory has not reached the age of adulthood | |
are there exceptions for enforcing void contracts | void contracts are unenforceable because they have some fundamental flaws however certain jurisdictions allow for severability where the problem parts of a contract are removed and the remaining sections are enforceable this is more likely to be the case if the flawed aspects of the agreement are easily separable from the rest | |
how do you void a check | you can void a check by writing void in large letters on both sides of the check this makes it effectively impossible for someone else to use the check to make a deposit | |
when a contract is deemed void it s as if the contract never existed legally speaking hence anything you did under the void contract is generally not recoverable and you can t seek restitution however it s best to consult with a legal professional about your particular situation to understand the possible remedies open to you | the bottom line void is the legal term for a contract that cannot be enforced this may be because the original contract contained aspects not allowable under the law a contract may also be considered void if the terms are vague or impossible to perform | |
what is a void transaction | a void transaction is a debit or credit card transaction that is canceled by the merchant before it is settled by the cardholder s bank and the merchant has received payment transactions are often voided when customers or merchants discover that an error has occurred or when fraud is suspected | |
when a credit or debt card transaction takes place the merchant s point of sale pos terminal relays that information electronically through a card network if the network determines that the card is valid and the customer s bank determines that there are enough funds or sufficient credit in the account to cover the charge the terminal authorizes the transaction these steps which usually take place in a matter of seconds are known as authentication and authorization | but the transaction is not finished until a later step called settlement when payment is released from the customer s account and transmitted to the merchant s bank if there appears to be a problem with the transaction it can be voided up to this point and the money will not move transactions may be voided for a number of reasons perhaps the customer has changed their mind about a purchase and asked the merchant to void it or the merchant may have noticed a mistake of some sort and proactively voided the transaction once voided the transaction will show up on the customer s account as a pending transaction and then disappear after a certain amount of time pending transactions put a hold on the money that can last anywhere from 24 hours to several days that can be an inconvenience for the customer because they won t be able to access the money during that time if they need to use their card again 1a void transaction generally takes place on the same day as the original transaction examples of void transactionsmistakes can be easily corrected by voiding transactions if they are recognized immediately for example a shopper who has just paid for their items at a grocery store might pick up their bags and discover that the cashier accidentally included some of the next customer s items the cashier can void the transaction re scan the correct items and charge the customer the correct amount some merchants may allow a certain window of time to cancel a purchase if the customer changes their mind this often occurs with e commerce sellers where a buyer might have the option to cancel an online purchase within 24 hours if they do the seller will void the transaction the buyer won t be charged and the goods won t ship potentially fraudulent charges can also be voided card issuers have fraud detection procedures to flag suspicious transactions before they can be completed most card companies will place these transactions on hold until the customer can verify whether the transaction was legitimate if the customer says it wasn t the company can then void it when a customer cannot be reached for verification many card companies will automatically void a suspicious transaction before it is settled because refunds are issued after the money has already passed through a customer s account to the merchant the process can take longer than with a void transaction void transactions vs refundsvoid transactions are different from refunds with void transactions the transaction is stopped before any money is transferred from the customer s account to the merchant s refunds however are issued after a transaction has settled and the merchant has received payment some merchants and credit card processing systems may settle transactions immediately when a transaction settles immediately the seller can only issue a refund rather than voiding the transaction compared with void transactions refunds can take much longer to complete some refunds may be reflected in the cardholder s account within 48 hours but others can take as long as 30 days | |
what is a chargeback or reverse transaction | a chargeback sometimes referred to as a reverse transaction is much like a refund in that customer gets their money back in this case by having it credited to their credit or debit card account these transactions can be initiated willingly by the merchant or forced on them by the cardholder or card issuer for example if a customer claims that a product was faulty and the merchant refused to take it back they can ask their card issuer that the charge be reversed 2 merchants can also dispute a chargeback | |
what does posting mean with a credit or debit card | posting refers to the point at which a credit or debit card transaction has been completed and the money has moved out of or into the cardholder s account the date that will be reflected on their statement is known as the post date or settlement date in many cases it will be later than the date the transaction actually occurred 3 | |
why are credit or debit card transactions declined | credit and debit card transactions can be declined for a long list of reasons for example a credit card might not have a sufficient credit line to cover the charge or the checking account linked to a customer s debit card may lack enough cash transactions can also be declined if the card has expired the customer entered an incorrect pin or other information or the credit card company suspects fraud among other causes 45the bottom linevoid transactions stop the payment process for credit or debit cards before the merchant receives any payment transactions can be voided only in a relatively small window of time after which the cardholder may need to request a refund to get their money back | |
what is a voidable contract | a voidable contract is a formal agreement between two parties that may be rendered unenforceable for any number of legal reasons which may include the legal right to void such a contract is known as disaffirmance | |
how voidable contracts work | a voidable contract is initially considered a legal and enforceable document however it can be rejected by one party if the contract is discovered to have defects if a party with the power to reject the contract chooses not to reject the contract despite the defect the contract remains valid and enforceable most often only one of the parties is adversely affected by agreeing to a voidable contract this may happen because for example that party fails to recognize a misrepresentation or fraud made by the other party the simplest way for a contract to be voided is for both parties to agree that it s the best option moving forward they may choose to dissolve the relationship outlined in the contract entirely or they may choose to correct the contract a contract that is deemed voidable can be corrected through the process of ratification contract ratification requires all involved parties to agree to new terms that effectively remove the initial point of contention that was present in the original contract for example if one of the parties was not capable of entering into a legally enforceable contract when the original was approved that party can choose to ratify the contract when they are deemed legally capable voidable vs void contractsa voidable contract occurs when one of the involved parties would not have agreed to the contract originally if they had known the true nature of all of the elements of the contract prior to original acceptance with the presentation of new knowledge the aforementioned party has the opportunity to reject the contract after the fact alternatively a contract is voidable when one or both parties were not legally capable of entering into the agreement for example when one party is a minor in contrast a void contract is inherently unenforceable a contract may be deemed void should the terms require one or both parties to participate in an illegal act or if a party becomes incapable of meeting the terms as set forth such as in the event of one party s death a contract may be ruled null and void should the terms require one or both parties to participate in an illegal act or if one party becomes incapable of meeting the contract terms examples of potentially voidable contractscertain smartphone apps categorized as freemium apps begin as free downloads but later allow for in app purchases costing real money freemium apps geared toward children may result in a minor accepting the terms and conditions associated with gameplay though these terms may allow for the later solicitation of in app purchases this type of activity led to a lawsuit against apple in 2012 which suggested the transactions were part of a voidable contract 1in a more recent example a 2018 new mexico lawsuit alleged that solar power installer vivint solar defrauded customers by binding them to 20 year contracts that required consumers to purchase the electricity generated by solar systems placed on their homes at rates that increase by more than 72 during the 20 year period 2 the lawsuit sought to render all vivint s prior contracts with homeowners as voidable if affected customers wanted to cancel them however that was not included in a settlement agreement between the new mexico attorney general and vivint in may 2021 | |
what is disaffirmance | disaffirmance is the right to renounce a contract that you have agreed to participate in to disaffirm a contract you must indicate that you won t be bound by its terms this can be done directly for example in writing or indirectly for example by not performing the duties outlined in the contract someone who can prove that they lacked the legal capacity to enter a binding contract such as minors can disaffirm a contract | |
what is volatility | volatility is a statistical measure of the dispersion of returns for a given security or market index it is often measured from either the standard deviation or variance between those returns in most cases the higher the volatility the riskier the security in the securities markets volatility is often associated with big price swings either up or down for example when the stock market rises and falls more than 1 over a sustained period of time it is called a volatile market an asset s volatility is a key factor when pricing options contracts understanding volatilityvolatility often refers to the amount of uncertainty or risk related to the size of changes in a security s value a higher volatility means that a security s value can potentially be spread out over a larger range of values this means that the price of the security can move dramatically over a short time period in either direction a lower volatility means that a security s value does not fluctuate dramatically and tends to be steadier one way to measure an asset s variation is to quantify the daily returns percent move on a daily basis of the asset historical volatility is based on historical prices and represents the degree of variability in the returns of an asset 1 this number is without a unit and is expressed as a percentage 2while variance captures the dispersion of returns around the mean of an asset in general volatility is a measure of that variance bounded by a specific time period thus we can report daily weekly monthly or annualized volatility it is useful to think of volatility as the annualized standard deviation | |
how to calculate volatility | volatility is often calculated using variance and standard deviation the standard deviation is the square root of the variance since volatility describes changes over a specific period of time you simply take the standard deviation and multiply that by the square root of the number of periods in question | |
where | for simplicity let s assume we have monthly stock closing prices of 1 through 10 for example month one is 1 month two is 2 and so on to calculate variance follow the five steps below next take the square root of the variance to get the standard deviation this equals 2 87 this is a measure of risk and shows how values are spread out around the average price it gives traders an idea of how far the price may deviate from the average sabrina jiang investopediaif prices are randomly sampled from a normal distribution then about 68 of all data values will fall within one standard deviation ninety five percent of data values will fall within two standard deviations 2 2 87 in our example and 99 7 of all values will fall within three standard deviations 3 2 87 in this case the values of 1 to 10 are not randomly distributed on a bell curve rather they are uniformly distributed therefore the expected 68 95 99 7 percentages do not hold despite this limitation traders frequently use standard deviation as price returns data sets often resemble more of a normal bell curve distribution than in the given example the volatility of stock prices is thought to be mean reverting meaning that periods of high volatility often moderate and periods of low volatility pick up fluctuating around some long term mean types of volatilityimplied volatility iv also known as projected volatility is one of the most important metrics for options traders as the name suggests it allows them to make a determination of just how volatile the market will be going forward this concept also gives traders a way to calculate probability one important point to note is that it isn t considered science and therefore does not forecast how the market will move in the future unlike historical volatility implied volatility comes from the price of an option itself and represents volatility expectations for the future because it is implied traders cannot use past performance as an indicator of future performance instead they have to estimate the potential of the option in the market 3implied volatility is a key feature of options trading also referred to as statistical volatility historical volatility hv gauges the fluctuations of underlying securities by measuring price changes over predetermined time periods it is the less prevalent metric compared with implied volatility because it isn t forward looking 4 | |
when there is a rise in historical volatility a security s price will also move more than normal at this time there is an expectation that something will or has changed if the historical volatility is dropping on the other hand it means any uncertainty has been eliminated so things return to the way they were | this calculation may be based on intraday changes but often measures movements based on the change from one closing price to the next depending on the intended duration of the options trade historical volatility can be measured in increments ranging anywhere from 10 to 180 trading days volatility and options pricingvolatility is a key variable in options pricing models estimating the extent to which the return of the underlying asset will fluctuate between now and the option s expiration volatility as expressed as a percentage coefficient within option pricing formulas arises from daily trading activities how volatility is measured will affect the value of the coefficient used 5volatility is also used to price options contracts using models like the black scholes or binomial tree models 6 more volatile underlying assets will translate to higher options premiums because with volatility there is a greater probability that the options will end up in the money at expiration options traders try to predict an asset s future volatility so the price of an option in the market reflects its implied volatility the greater the volatility the higher the market price of options contracts across the board other measures of volatilityone measure of the relative volatility of a particular stock to the market is its beta a beta approximates the overall volatility of a security s returns against the returns of a relevant benchmark usually the s p 500 is used for example a stock with a beta value of 1 1 has moved 110 for every 100 move in the benchmark based on price level conversely a stock with a beta of 0 9 has moved 90 for every 100 move in the underlying index 7market volatility can also be seen through the volatility index vix a numeric measure of equity market volatility the chicago board options exchange created the vix as a measure to gauge the 30 day expected volatility of the u s stock market derived from real time quote prices of s p 500 call and put options 8 it is effectively a gauge of future bets that investors and traders are making on the direction of the markets or individual securities a high reading on the vix implies a risky market traders can trade the vix using a variety of options and exchange traded products or they can use vix values to price certain derivative products tips for managing volatilityinvestors can find periods of high volatility to be distressing as prices can swing wildly or fall suddenly long term investors are best advised to ignore periods of short term volatility and stay the course this is because over the long run stock markets tend to rise meanwhile emotions like fear and greed which can become amplified in volatile markets can undermine your long term strategy some investors can use volatility as an opportunity to add to their portfolios by buying the dips when prices are relatively cheap you can also use hedging strategies to navigate volatility such as buying protective puts to limit downside losses without having to sell any shares but note that put options will also become pricier when volatility is higher example of volatilitysuppose that an investor is building a retirement portfolio since she is retiring within the next few years she s seeking stocks with low volatility and steady returns she considers two companies a more conservative investor may choose abc corp for their portfolio since it has less volatility and more predictable short term value | |
what is volatility mathematically | volatility is a statistical measure of the dispersion of data around its mean over a certain period of time it is calculated as the standard deviation multiplied by the square root of the number of time periods t in finance it represents this dispersion of market prices on an annualized basis |
Subsets and Splits