Business

James Dondero is the co-founder and president of Highland Capital Management. Mr. Dondero has provided the perfect example for individuals wishing to use their business acumen for the benefit of philanthropic work.

It is the philosophy of Dondero that the most fortunate individuals in society bear a greater responsibility to affect positive change intended to benefit all individuals. He believes that through philanthropic efforts, the bulk of this responsibility is satisfied.

Charitable pursuits have been a major focus of Highland Captial since its inception. Highland demonstrates this fact by supporting a number of charities and non-profits in their hometown of Dallas, Texas. The following is a look at two of the programs supported by Highland Capital.

The Family Place

Highland Capital took advantage of the guidance it received from Linda Owens to support The Family Place. Ms. Owens is the former chief executive officer for Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation. She now works in an advisory role with Highland Capital and instructs them on charitable endeavors.

Highland supported the non-profit with a challenge grant worth $1 million. The grant assured The Family Place reached their fundraising goals faster than scheduled.

The Family Place provides services to people affected by family violence in the state of Texas. The agency provides shelter, counseling, and education to victims of violence. The organization also provides education and training to teens regarding bullying and the prevention of teen dating violence.

The Family Place is responsible for the first shelter in the state of Texas for the benefit of men victimized by family violence. Men are also allowed at the shelter who have custody of their children. The educational programs are also offered in Spanish.

The challenge grant provided by Highland was an agreement by the company to match all donations given to the non-profit up to $1 million. The funds were used to pay for a new counseling center located in the Central Dallas area.

Paige Flink, the executive director of The Family Place encouraged donations by explaining to parties interested in supporting the organization that the impact of their gift would be increased by the pledge from Highland. Dondero also uses relationships he and his company has with other businesses and non-profits to secure support for The Family Place.

SMU Towers Program

 

Highland Capital Management worked with Southern Methodist University to create the Towers Scholar Program. Highland Capital gifted $2 million to fund the endowment that will be named in the company’s honor.

The Tower Scholars Program supports undergraduate students studying international affairs and politics who have demonstrated exceptional achievement. The program hopes to stimulate an interest in these and other students for ethical public service. Students selected for the program are provided with the opportunity to study abroad, experience with policymaking for public issues, involvement with global leaders, and internships.

Admission to the program is a competitive progress that takes into account academic achievement, participation in extracurricular activities, the student’s future involvement with public policy, and other factors.

One class has graduated from the Tower Scholars Program since the initial donation from James Dondero and Highland Capital. The students have gone on to achieve great things already in their young lives.

Conclusion

James Dondero founded Highland Capital Management, along with Mark Okada, in 1993. Mr. Dondero graduated from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and worked at numerous endeavors before settling at Highland. Mr. Dondero believed from the beginning that philanthropy is an important part of Highland Capital operations. The company’s involvement with the two non-profits above, as well as others, show that the belief in philanthropy is as strong within company ranks as ever.

Jacob Gottlieb is back in the healthcare investment sector with a new company known as Altium Capital Management, LP. Between 2016 and mid-2017, he was out of investment activity and was winding up the operations of the former firm he worked with known as Visium Asset Management.

Gottlieb is passionate about matters of the healthcare industry, especially on investment. He is even regarded as the titan of the healthcare investment industry because of the success he has recorded in his career. He has risen to top positions in the industry by heading various successful hedge funds as a fund manager and CEO. Altium Capital is aligned based on his expertise and knowledge in healthcare investments. It is most likely to be the next big thing in the healthcare investment sector and will mark his successful comeback after the end of Visium Asset Management. With investors in the financial and healthcare industries expecting a good business environment in the future, Gottlieb is likely to be one of the best performers.

Gottlieb built Visium Asset Management and built it between 2005 and 2016. It became one of the key firms in the healthcare investment sector. It attracted high profile investors in the field of pension funds. With Visium, he brought together a team of professionals who assisted him to take the value of the asset of the company from $300 million to $8 billion. Gottlieb has previously worked with other companies such as Merlin Biomed Group, Sanford C. Bernstein, and Balyasny Asset Management. In these organizations, he created his reputation as a top portfolio manager.

The Rise of Altium Capital

After the end of Visium Asset Management, Jacob Gottlieb was ready to move on and establish a new firm. Altium Capital is the vehicle he is now using to run a successful healthcare investment business. The firm is benefiting from the good reputation of Jacob Gottlieb as a top investor in the healthcare industry. Altium is building a strong portfolio with investment in a few firms.

Altium has made a 5.61 percent investment at Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. Oramed Pharmaceuticals is developing alternative medical treatments. One of its main golas is to develop an oral drug as opposed to the injection drugs used for diabetes treatment. This method is going to reduce treatment costs, reduction of infections and improve patient comfort.

Other companies in Altium’s portfolio include Amarin, which develops cardiovascular drugs and Oragenics which develops antibiotics against infectious diseases.

The Lineup

Altium Capital under the leadership of Jacob Gottlieb is now a successful investment firm. He has added senior investment professionals in hedge funds and healthcare sector to assist him in running a successful business. The focus of the company is to generate from equity-focused products. Combined with fundamental analysis, Altium is ready to make investments that guarantee a high risk-reward ratio.

Growth Report

Altium Capital recently released its growth report, and the numbers are impressive. In five months of operation since opening doors in June 2018, it had made 7.37 percent returns. The results show that the company is most likely to perform very well in the long-term. Gottlieb is taking every possible measure to ensure that the ghost of Visium Management does not crawl into the new firm. He is observing due diligence, and that’s why the results have started coming out true. By seeking out firms that offer important health and medical treatment methods, the firm will boost the healthcare sector while at the same time befitting from the proceeds of growth in top companies. Gottlieb is a big name in the industry, and his prowess will come out clearly as Altium Capital does more business.

If used wisely, social media could be a powerful tool that can help create enormous benefits for a sports club or organization. It can be used to an informative or promotional end, and completely change the picture the fan base has about a club or a sports personality.

Moreover, social media can greatly affect the return on investment (ROI) in sports, as we have already seen in some popular examples in the world of sports, listed in the infographic below by Betting Sites.

For example, by using Facebook, the NBA champions Golden State Warriors had an 89 time bigger ROI compared to before focusing on this social media outlet. The organization managed to change its public image and create one that is more appealing to the average fan. The result was that it became more attractive and could make more sales.

In the world of soccer, the most popular European clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona have  more than 100 million followers each on social media. Interestingly, the infographic below shows that the average revenue per one social media follower for soccer clubs is €10. You can do the math yourself – this is a huge boost for the clubs’ annual budget.

However, this gold mine is not reserved just for the greatest sports stars and the most legendary clubs. Underdogs can do the same if they follow the right set of rules.

For instance, the Texas Christian University’s volleyball team experienced a 40% increase in profits after it started using social media platforms. In addition, after just seven weeks of activity on social media, the team managed to increase game attendance by a whopping 24%.

Thus, social media seems to be a pot of gold available to everyone. All you need to do is reach for it and draw handfuls in revenue. If these facts sparked your interest, read the rest of the incredible data in the infographic below.

If you are thinking of taking your first step into financial investment, then it is an exciting time. You may also be feeling a little bit nervous and daunted by all the information you need to take in. That is perfectly natural and will soon pass once you become more familiar with investing.

Trading on the big financial markets like the FX market or the global stock exchanges is a popular way for investors to grow their capital. The world’s stock markets are worth almost $70 trillion and the biggest among them can be worth $1 trillion alone! This shows just why they are so attractive to invest in.

Simple tips for first-time investors

Investing on the world’s financial markets is undoubtedly a serious undertaking with a degree of knowledge being required if a professional advisor is not being used. However, for the first-time investor, getting the below basics right is enough to get you started.

• Find out about how the market works – this is a really key point to understand. Whatever financial market you invest in then you must first learn how it works. If you do not, then it is simply gambling and not investing! Learn what can make the market move one way or another, how to spot investment opportunities and what the different terminology means.

 

• Draw up a trading plan – once you have a grasp of how the market you plan to invest in works then you need a trading plan. This is especially important for new investors as it will provide the discipline needed to only invest when there is a rational reason to do so. Your plan should set out how much you will invest on each trade, what profit you are seeking, when you will exit and how you will find your trading opportunities.

 

• Consider a diversified portfolio – many new investors make the mistake of putting all their money into one or two companies in the same sector. If the sector itself crashes or the two individual companies do, then you are in trouble. To reduce risk it is better to diversify your investments across a range of companies, sectors and asset classes. Many investors will structure their portfolio to have a certain percentage of stocks, bonds, currency and ETF’s for example.

 

• Prepare for upcoming events – forewarned is forearmed as the old saying goes. This is true for investing as you need to be ready for any upcoming events that might affect your holdings. Keeping an eye on a weekly stock calendar will help you to do this. By knowing what is coming up that week in terms of reports or events then you can avoid getting caught out by them. It also gives you the flexibility to act before the event happens or be there on the day to act quickly if needed.

Don’t dive straight in

It is naturally tempting to start investing in the financial markets immediately. The desire to make money and not miss out on any opportunities is something that we all feel. It is though essential to take the above tips on-board first. That will help you make your first steps as an investor in the right way and will aid in making your investments a success.

It’s tough to get by sometimes, with living expenses increasing so fast year after year. Many people look into a variety of ways to survive, from re-mortgaging to downgrading and of course we’ve all heard about payday loans This type of loan is high-interest so you really need to know you can repay it, and with something like a car loan or remortgage you have a high value item tied into the loan, so you really have to be sure. These are generally emergency options and not something that would be looked at voluntarily.

There are ways to avoid drastic steps like this. Just stay on top of your finances and keep expenditures below income, and you’re all good. Raising income is a bit tougher than lowering expenses, so here are some expenses you could look at cutting without much discomfort or hassle.

1. Subscription TV

Subscription TV is an expense many Americans have already began to cut. Often these subscriptions are years old and there hasn’t been any real attention to how the packages change. Many companies offer great deals for the first few months, after which prices may double or more. With the prevalence of the internet, many people are using cheaper on demand services and cancelling their long-term subscriptions, often cutting the cost by 50-90%.

1. Eating Out

Eating out is a big expense. Think about how much you pay for a meal, even when it comes to fast food, compared to what it costs for ingredients. You’re usually going to be paying many times more for the ease of having the food prepared and served for you. Getting rid of a night out each week and taking packed lunches for work can save a big piece of your weekly budget.

1. Unplanned Snacking

Snacking whilst on the go can also add up. A dollar here, two dollars there, and before you know it you’ve spent $5 on food. Doing this three times a week equates to $750 a year! It’s a lot cheaper to buy cheap, bulk snacks from the supermarket and just carry a couple of little bits with you when needed.

1. Unused Memberships

Check your bank account to see if you’re signed up for services that you aren’t actually using. It might be some type of class, a gym, or even roadside recovery or phone insurance which are already covered by other things. Cut these expenses and instantly free up some cash without changing a thing.

1. Coffee on the Go

Like the snacks, coffee on the go adds up. $4 a time, around 5 times a week? Say goodbye to over $1,000 for the year. That’s enough for a pretty good vacation! Save the cash and start carrying your own coffee in a thermos.

1. Supplements/Treatments

This might be controversial for some readers. Basically, take good stock of what supplements and treatments you are using, whether for health, fitness, weight loss or beauty reasons. There’s no scientific evidence behind a lot of these items, so you might just be wasting your money on snake oil.

1. Entertainment

I don’t mean in-home entertainment, I mean going out. Going to the movies, the theatre, a couple of sporting events or concerts – it all adds up. Yes this one would be painful to cut, but there are some clever ways to save money without cutting it entirely. Plan ahead and shop around, get cheap tickets (first release for example) or see if alternate venues/shows are cheaper. You can still have a great time without breaking the bank!

 

Although recording videos for blogs has become much easier in recent years as people have greater access to devices with better cameras – the one area that can still be tricky is the post-production. Trying to edit and improve a blog video for the first time can be daunting, and you may not even know where to start.

If you’re relatively new to video editing, there are three simple ways in particular that you should try when you want to edit and improve a video for your blog:

• Split videos into segments – then trim, cut and splice.

One of the easiest yet most useful ways to edit videos is to split them into segments. In most editors you’d just have to position a marker and click a button to split your video at that point.

By splitting a video you can divide it into segments and isolate parts of it. That will then allow you to trim or cut out parts you don’t want, and splice (i.e. merge) videos together more effectively to create the final version of the video.

• Try color correction

Often the video footage that you capture may not look true to real life, and that’s where color correction comes into play. By adjusting the color settings you can alter the colors in your video to make them look closer to how they actually looked.

The easiest way to get started with color correction is to use the automated white balance feature that is present in most editors. However on top of that you should also try manually adjusting the color parameters and observing how they affect your video.

• Crop videos to get them in the right aspect ratio

If your videos aren’t in the right aspect ratio, you could technically resize them – but if you do change the aspect ratio in that way it could stretch or compress the video itself. That isn’t ideal, which is why cropping is a far better way to adjust the aspect ratio of your videos.

In most editors you will be able to either select the area you want to remove, or resize the frame of the video so everything outside it is removed. It is possible to improve the composition of the video by cropping it as well, and you could try using the rule of thirds for that.

As you can see the ways to edit your blog videos that are listed above can be performed easily, and don’t require any prior experience. By starting to edit your videos using them, you should become more familiar with the editor you’re using and can learn how to overlay videos, apply effects, add audio tracks, and more. For example you could try Movavi Video Editor to do all of that.

At the end of the day the more you edit videos, the better you’ll get – especially if you make it a point to experiment with various features that you encounter. In time you’ll notice that your blog videos start to look a lot more professional, and have a polished quality to them that probably wasn’t there before.