Nicholas Fainlight | Business Development Associate, Hartford, CT

Nicholas Fainlight is an aspiring finance professional.

Tag: Nicholas Fainlight Page 4 of 5

Create Strong Client Relationships Nicholas Fainlight

6 Tips for Creating Strong Relationships with Your Clients

By

On December 5, 2018

In Career, Finance, Nicholas Fainlight

No matter how much experience you have in your industry and working with clients, you should constantly be improving how you interact with your clients. There are always ways to strengthen the relationship you have with your clients, especially if you’re a financial advisor or in some similar position where you’re closely working with clients to meet personal goals and make plans that affect their daily lives. If you’re some kind of a consultant with clients, you want to have as strong relationships as possible with them in order to best meet their needs and keep them happy. Here are some great tips on how to create strong relationships with your clients, regardless of your career.

Discuss their specific goals

When you first start working with a client, you need to clearly establish what their goals are and how you’ll work together to meet those. Your entire role revolves around how well you can help clients work toward their goals, so you need to understand what those goals are before you can make a plan to achieve them.

Keep your promises

If you tell a client you’ll get back to them by a certain date or that you’ll send them useful information or a draft of something you’re working on, stick to these promises. While sometimes situations arise where you may not be able to keep this schedule, be sure to communicate as quickly and clearly as possible. Clients appreciate this treatment and will trust you to do the best for them.

Be honest and authentic

In your dealings with clients, be honest with them. If they’re asking for a service or focusing on a goal you aren’t sure is realistic or you don’t have much experience with, tell them that. Never try to sell a client something they do not actually need. Whoever you work with will appreciate this type of integrity and you’ll create a close bond with your client.

Stay consistent

When you tell a client how your business operates or what you’re going to do for them, stay consistent with what you say. Do not change your tune from conversation to conversation; clients notice that. Remain consistent in how quickly you respond to their emails or calls and make sure all your communication is on a regular basis.

Remain thoughtful

Throughout your time working with your client, find small ways to be thoughtful in your interactions. These gestures could include checking in with them even if you do not have a specific reason to see if they have any questions or sending a card around the holidays. Letting clients know you’re available and think of them personally can help build a stronger relationship.

Regularly touch base

Finally, make sure you regularly touch base with your clients to discuss their goals and whatever you’re working on for them. Keeping them in the loop gives them agency over the project and creates a great relationship with lots of easy communication.

Address Workplace Conflict Nicholas Fainlight

5 Tips for Successfully Addressing Conflict in the Workplace

By

On November 21, 2018

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Unfortunately, you can try your hardest to stay out of conflicts at work and remain a neutral party, but sometimes, no matter what you do, you could find yourself caught in the middle of work drama. This issue is particularly prevalent if you’re in some kind of management position and have to address disputes between employees or work with difficult people. Use these tips to find ways to successfully address conflict without losing your cool; with this advice, you’ll be able to resolve the conflict to the best of your ability and avoid exacerbating it.

Evaluate the situation

Whether the conflict is between you and someone else or between two other people and was reported to you, the first step you take should be to sit back and take time to reflect on and evaluate the situation. You’re going to have your view of the situation, but it’s important to think about whether you missed an important aspect of the issue or if there’s something valid in someone else’s interpretation of what’s happening. In order to successfully resolve, you need to carefully evaluate what’s happening and think about how to move forward.

Get all sides

You can wait to evaluate the situation until you get all sides of the story or you can take the time to think through it before talking to people if you feel the need to calm down about whatever is happening. You’ll eventually need to speak to the person or persons involved in the conflict and get everyone’s side of the story in order to effectively resolve it.

Remain calm

Whenever you talk to the people involved in the conflict or think through it on your own, you need to work on remaining as calm as possible. If you become too heated, it’ll exasperate the situation and make it much more difficult to reach a solution. Learn techniques to remain calm, even in the face of stressful conflict.

Find a neutral party

While you absolutely should not go around your workplace spreading news about the conflict, you should find a neutral party who can be involved in the resolution of said conflict. Human resources is often great for this issue, but if you’re in a management position, you might be the person someone else came to for the neutral party. You need to find someone who can listen to all sides of the conflict and help everyone communicate effectively.

Have a conversation

Finally, in order to actually resolve the conflict, you need to have a conversation about it. Gather everyone involved together and calmly talk out the issues. In some situations, it may be better to first talk to people individually and make sure it’s safe to have a group conversation. The key to effective conflict resolution in the workplace is to remain calm and communicate openly in order to reach a solution as a team.

Increase Network Nicholas Fainlight

How to Increase Your Network

By

On November 8, 2018

In Career, Education, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Throughout your career, you’ll come to realize that people heavily rely upon their professional networks. Even if you’re only at the beginning of your career, you likely already have a fairly extensive network, from high school, college, and any jobs or internships you held during that time. In the professional world, your network is how you can find out about new opportunities, ask questions about an industry, city, or company you’re interested in, or even find a place to live. It’s beneficial to continuously work on strengthening and increasing your network of connections, so here are some tips on how to do so.

Create an online presence

As you start to increase your network, it’s time to create an online presence for yourself. Think of how you’d like to portray yourself online and what you want your personal brand to say about you. Create profiles like LinkedIn and Twitter and then make sure they’re professional; you don’t want a possible future boss or coworker to see the uninformed tweets you sent in high school. An online presence also provides you with a way to keep track of the people you meet as you enhance your network.

Attend lots of events

If you live in a city, there are going to be plenty of networking and professional development events around you. Many local governments organize events for professionals in the area in order to encourage them to connect. There are also plenty of groups that meetup that share a common interest or hobby. Find some of these groups online and then attend meetups to get to know new people. You can also try tapping into your alumni network in the area; colleges are usually more than happy to help with this step.

Learn to talk to strangers

As you attend networking events, you’ll need to learn how to talk to people that you don’t know very well. Make sure you do not spend too much time talking about yourself; learn to ask other people questions. While you are looking to enhance your professional network, do not write someone off simply because you don’t see a way they can help you. It’s important to be polite to people; you could strike up a friendship or you might be able to help them out in some way.

Follow up afterwards

Finally, once you start meeting new people, follow up in some form. Whether it’s simply sending a request on LinkedIn or you decide you want to get coffee or lunch with someone, follow up within a few days. Networking events are great for the initial meeting, but you’ll need to take the initiative afterwards to further the connection.

Develop Professional Skills Nicholas Fainlight

7 Professional Skills You Should Develop

By

On October 13, 2018

In Career, Education, health, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

No matter what industry you work in or where your career ends up going, it’s important to work on developing your professional skills. Far too many people avoid developing professional skills until after they start working, which can negatively impact their career and the way coworkers and supervisors view them. Without developed professional skills, it can even be challenging to get a job in the first place. Here are some of the most useful professional skills you can develop that’ll help your career.

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is a skill that takes time to develop and many people do not have. In any environment, being able to approach an issue critically is vitally important. There are some situations where you need to set your personal emotions aside and look impartially at the task at hand. Critical thinking is how you solve issues in business, whether with your product, services, or within the office.

Negotiation

Negotiation is an important professional skill, especially when it comes to positioning yourself to get what you deserve. When you’re up for a raise, negotiation is the skill that helps you get a great salary. You can also negotiate benefits, promotions, business deals, and plenty of other details throughout your career.

Time management

Any job requires a significant amount of time management; most people feel as though they’re overworked. However, the reason many people feel overworked is simply because they do not know how to properly manage their time. You need to become skilled at prioritizing tasks and getting them done in a timely manner in order to move on to other projects. Without time management, you’ll find it’s difficult to successfully work in many environments.

Responsibility

No one wants an irresponsible employee. You need to learn how to be responsible and display that to your supervisor. Be willing to take on additional projects or work that needs to get done. Own up to mistakes you make and stay focused on what you’re doing. Being responsible at work shows you’re a reliable employee; that opens up many more career opportunities.

Work ethic

You can have stellar professional traits, but if you lack a work ethic, you won’t thrive in your career. You’re going to come up against periods in your professional career where you don’t feel like working or feel burned out. It’s at these times that you need to tap into your work ethic and get done what needs to get done. Push through the difficult times and work hard; it’ll pay off later.

Hunger to learn

A desire to continuously learn helps you immensely throughout life. Even once you’re finished with your formal education, you need to keep finding new topics to nurture your brain. Whether it’s formal degrees or taking classes online or simply teaching yourself a new skill, any kind of continual learning helps you out.

Creativity

You might not be able to clearly teach yourself creativity, but it’s something you can practice. Surround yourself with people, experiences, and objects that inspire you. Take time to understand art and the creative aspects of your job. If you take time to try to be creative, you’ll improve your skill.

Learn During Grad School Nicholas Fainlight

How to Learn as Much as Possible While in Grad School

By

On September 30, 2018

In Career, Education, Nicholas Fainlight, postgraduate

Learn During Grad School Nicholas Fainlight

Grad school can easily be the most intense experience most students face. A far cry from the course load of undergrad, graduate school often takes current students and prospective students by surprise with its challenges. Even if you went to a rigorous undergraduate college, grad school is completely different and very focused on your specific area of study.

Some grad students are often too overwhelmed to take full advantage of their grad school experience. However, students with the right mindset and study strategies will find grad school to be more rewarding than they ever thought possible. Read on for four ways to learn as much as possible as a grad student and make this time in your life just a bit less stressful.

Know your strengths

The first step to getting more done when in grad school is to know your strengths when it comes to productivity. Students that are well aware of their studying habits and schedules are better prepared to succeed in grad school. By identifying a schedule and pattern for when you’re at your most productive, you’ll be able to stay on top of your school work as easily as possible.

Focus on reading smarter

While many students in grad school attempt to read as much as possible, this method isn’t always an efficient way to study. Instead, students should try to read smarter by focusing on reading with a purpose in mind. This goal requires students to actively internalize the material they are reading rather than simply speeding through it. Moreover, when reading for a specific reason, such as for a research for a paper, if the material is irrelevant, it is inefficient to keep reading.

Make grad school about learning

Grades are important but aren’t a significant factor in the long run. While grades are what help a student get accepted into a particular program, once they are in grad school, they must shift their thinking to focus on learning. When pursuing your profession outside of grad school, the knowledge you have learned is what truly matters.

Choose opportunities wisely

Many grad students find themselves overwhelmed because they load their schedule with too much. Instead of trying to do everything, focus on specializing in a specific area. In grad school, it is especially important for students to truly zero-in on one thing that they want to focus on in their professional lives.

Getting through grad school requires a well thought out strategy. Take these suggestions into consideration when searching for balance while navigating grad school.

Nicholas Fainlight 6 Tips for Dealing with Life After College

6 Tips for Dealing with Life After College

By

On December 13, 2017

In Career, Nicholas Fainlight

No matter how ready you think you are, graduating from college and firmly entering the adult world can be jarring. You might be heading off to grad school, but even then, you’ll eventually be done with school and no longer in such a structured environment. While being a full-fledged adult is exciting, there are also a lot more responsibilities you’ll realize and you’ll have to take complete control over planning your own future, since you no longer have a clear goal like graduation to work toward and set steps on how to get there.

Accept the changes

The first step to adjusting to life after college is accepting that it’s happening. You’ve been spending most of your life working toward graduation and everything else likely seemed fairly distant. Now, you need to seriously think about a job, your career, professional opportunities, what you want to do in the near and far future, and how to achieve those goals. You’re soon going to be financially responsible for yourself (if you aren’t already) and you may be getting married and starting a family sooner than you think. Acknowledge these changes are all possible and begin planning.

Find a routine

Something that’ll keep you sane now that you’re out of college is creating a solid routine. Try to go to bed and get up around the same time, make consistent plans with friends, and consider regular workout times or something else. As long as you have a routine, you’ll have something to rely on and keep you focused.

Make a plan

After you’ve gotten used to no longer being in college, it’s time to make a plan about what you want your next steps to be. What kind of career do you want in the long run? Where do you want to live? Do you want to buy a car or a house? Begin crafting one, five, or ten years plans and you’ll feel a bit more in control of your future.

Prioritize

While in college, it’s completely normal to frequently multitask and juggle various responsibilities like class, work, socializing, video games, and clubs, but once you’re out of college, it’s harder to do so many things. One big reason is you are now spending a significant amount of time each day at a job (hopefully), so you don’t have the short breaks you used to enjoy between classes. Realize this reality and instead prioritize what you want to do outside of work. Do you want to go to the gym or go home and watch television? Do you want to get dinner with your friends or run some errands? These decisions are very real out of college.

Create a support system

You might no longer live next door to your best friends and you might work somewhere far away from your family. However, it’s important to create a strong support system. Make new connections with coworkers or other people where you live or reconnect with people in the area if you moved back home. Regularly talk to your friends from college and your family, even if you can’t see them often.

Take care of yourself

Finally, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You’ll have to adjust to a new schedule and phase of your life and it’s going to be stressful. Give yourself time to sleep each night, eat healthy, drink lots of water, and get regular exercise. Avoid becoming burned out or too stressed at your job and take some time to do something you enjoy each day.

 

Nicholas Fainlight How to use Credit Cards the Smart Way

How to Use Credit Cards the Smart Way

By

On December 13, 2017

In Finance, Nicholas Fainlight

Credit cards are something we’re likely all familiar with. You’ve probably gone shopping to a larger store and had the salesperson ask if you want to open a credit card account specific to that store. It’s likely you always brush it off, knowing you don’t shop there that often or don’t want to deal with more debt. However, many people open credit cards, whether a store card or a regular one. The average household in America carries nearly $6,000 of credit card debt. Other studies show that about a third of Americans have at least one credit card.

You’ve probably heard horror stories of people getting into insane amounts of credit card debt they’re never able to pay off. Many people completely swear off of credit cards and believe they’re sure ways to get sucked into overwhelming debt. However, if you handle credit cards in a smart way, you won’t have to worry about dealing with outrageous amounts of debt. Here are tips on using credit cards and actually benefiting from them.

Online shopping

One of the best uses for credit cards can be to use exclusively for online shopping or somewhere else you think information could get compromised, such as a small stand or other place that appears to have low security. All too often, we make online purchases and then see that our account information has been compromised. It’s much easier to freeze and cancel credit cards and get the purchases taken off your statement than it is to do the same with getting money back into your bank account. By using a credit card for a purchase you would have made anyway, you can protect yourself from fraud.

Designated purchase

Sometimes, credit cards can be useful for a designated purchase. You might receive a lower car insurance rate if you set up an automatic payment, but don’t want to save your bank information, using a credit card becomes a great alternative. It’s also easier to track spending if the only purchase you’re making on that card is one kind.

Gain rewards

You can easily find credit cards that claim they have incredible rewards programs. Nearly every card now offers some type of reward. It’s important to avoid being drawn into promises of rewards and going for every card offered; take the time to research different cards and find out which ones offer the best rewards for you. Then, use that card regularly to make purchases you can afford and build rewards that are actually beneficial.

Build credit

A very smart reason to use credit cards is because they allow you to easily build your credit. By regularly using a credit card and not making late payments, you’re able to improve your credit score. This benefit is especially useful to younger people who don’t have any kind of credit score and need to create one in order to make larger purchases or rent an apartment. Spend smartly and avoid creating debt so you can improve your credit score.

Pay on time

Finally, the smartest way to use your credit card is by paying it off on time. If you carry a balance over from month-to-month, you’ll likely have to pay large amounts of interest, often around 20 percent of whatever the balance is. If you can’t pay off a large purchase in a month (or very shortly after), do not use your credit card. The problem with credit cards is people avoid paying off the balance each month, so it just accumulates and interest builds, which results in outrageous amounts of debt and you paying more than you spent in the first place.

A credit card isn’t something you have to be scared to use, as long as you’re following these tips and being smart in your spending. It could actually be something that benefits you.

Nicholas Fainlight- Face Recognition Technology

All About Face Recognition Technology

By

On October 13, 2017

In Finance

How We Pay

The ways that individuals have paid for items and services has changed greatly over the years. At one time, different cultures would do trade for services or items. Now the majority of countries use currency or credit cards in order to make payment. Many credit cards have evolved to include a chip that is supposed to make credit card purchases more secure. In China, they are rolling out a completely new way to make payments.

Face Recognition Technology

Face recognition technology is taking purchasing to a different level. It is a technology that promises to replace credit cards, passwords, and identification. In China, there is a new app that has rolled out, and it is being used by 120 million people. This is an app that allows individuals to transfer money using a facial recognition technology. This technology enables an individual to leave their currency and cards at home. All they have to do is use their smile, and they can make a purchase. This application is called AliBaba Auto Pay Experts. This face recognition technology is sure to become popular in the Western world as well because it is highly accurate.

How Does Face Recognition Work

Face recognition is a technology that has been around for years, but it has greatly improved. Face recognition is precise, and it uses advanced technology to identify the special features on a person’s face. This technology has been shown to be more precise than voice recognition. This is a technology that can identify faces in different lighting and at different angles. There are some financial institutions in China that have gone as far as using face recognition to give out loans.

What Companies Are Interested In Face Recognition

Companies such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple are interested in face recognition technology. These companies could use this face recognition technology to learn about their customers interest, hobbies and preferences. Also, this technology can enable social media sites to tag an individual’s face on their friend’s photos.

Face Recognition And You

Face recognition could bring huge benefits to consumers all around the world. With the huge amount of theft that occurs currently, an individual can feel secure in knowing that he or she has nothing on their person that can be taken away. Face recognition is definitely the way of the future.

Nicholas Fainlight- Do Natural Disasters Affect Stocks?

Do Natural Disasters Affect Stocks?

By

On October 2, 2017

In Finance

A natural disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake can create devastating consequences for any human or home that stands in its way. Buildings are crumpled, water damage from flooding wreaks havoc and what was once a community becomes an area requiring total repair. However, this wreckage does not always indicate that a disruption will also take place in the stock market. While there may be short-term fluctuations in the price of oil and insurance stocks, the long-term health of the stock market is dependent on other factors as well.

Looking To The Past

To understand how natural disasters affect the stock market, it’s best to look at the past and see how it fared after the occurrence of major hurricanes. One example of a major natural disaster that caused widescale destruction was when Hurricane Katrina passed through Alabama, New Orleans and other areas near the Atlantic Ocean. This 2005 event created $108 billion in damages — still the costliest on record. Yet, the stock market continued to head higher and shake off the devastation. How could this be?

What Drives Markets Higher?

While the devastation from a natural disaster does cause a considerable amount of monetary damage, the spectrum of events that occur after the damage has taken place must be examined. In the short term, there will be price fluctuations related to equipment or buildings that have been taken out. However, the United States stock market seems to shake off disasters and continue its steady price movement upwards. This could be due to other economic factors that are already in place such as low inflation, declining unemployment or policy from the Federal Reserve.

Outcome of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma

Hurricane Harvey passed through Texas in late August 2017 with wind speeds reaching 130 miles per hour. One week later, the state of Florida was hit by Hurricane Irma — a Category 4 hurricane. Both of these monsters destroyed anything that stood in their path. Yet, near the end of September, the S&P 500 was reaching new highs. One must consider the rebuilding and investment that will need to be done to create new communities. These factors may be part of the reason for the continued gains seen in the stark market as well as other economic factors that are already in place.

While one would think that major hurricanes or other natural disasters would cause the stock market to fall — that’s not the case — the stock market has continued to rise after these devastating events.

Nicholas Fainlight- How the World's Stock Markets Have Evolved Over Time

How The World’s Stock Markets Have Evolved Over Time

By

On October 2, 2017

In Finance

Stock markets are one of the most important parts of the global economy. Stock markets are an important part of economic growth. The origins of the stock market can be traced back to France, where residents used a system that managed debts while serving the best interests of the banks. In Italy, bankers started trading government securities. The actual beginning of the stock market occurred in Belgium and the Netherlands. Antwerp, Belgium is recognized as having the World’s first organized stock market system. However, during this time period, debt was being regularly traded instead of shares of a company.

East India Company

The East India Company is considered the first publicly traded company in the World. Investors realized that going all in was not a long term beneficial strategy. They started buying shares in other companies so that investments would be less risky. Over the next few years, many European countries started using the system. Investors traded ideas in coffee shops. However, due to a lack of regulation, the early days of the stock market were very unorganized.

New York Stock Exchange

The New York Stock Exchange was considered a breakthrough. Soon the NYSE established itself as the center of US trade. Thanks to a void of any real competition, the NYSE thrived.

Today’s Climate

Almost every country in the World has their own stock market. Over a trillion dollars are traded on stock markets throughout the World every day. NASDAQ has moved the stock markets into the future. NASDAQ was created by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and The National Association of Securities Dealers. NASDAQ is unique because instead of relying on a physical location, all of the trading is performed electronically on a network of computers. NASDAQ has influenced a new era of innovation and expansion.

Looking Ahead To The Future

Stock markets are an important part of the World’s economy. Analysts feel that we will continue to see mergers among different stock markets. There is even an outside chance of a single global stock market. The recent natural disasters that have occurred have also challenged the stock market. While Hurricane Harvey has caused lots of damage, the stock markets have shown growth in these damaged areas. This is another example of how the stock market is relatively immune to the impact of natural disasters. Investors are aware of the economic growth that will take place in the aftermath of these disasters because there will be a lot of jobs created through rebuilding the damaged areas.

Page 4 of 5

Previous

Next

Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén