Blogs

Article | 3 min |
No one can foresee what the future holds for any business but having business emergency funds available can help with keeping afloat during difficult times. Let’s dive into business emergency funds: what they are, how to calculate how much to save, how to set up an account, and strategies that may streamline the whole process. What Are Business Emergency Funds? An account earmarked for business emergency funds provides you with a nest egg to use for emergencies and new opportunities that fall on your business doorstep. Also called cash reserves, capital reserves, retained earnings, or...
Article | 3 min |
Rewind the clock about 15 years, and you won’t likely hear many business leaders expounding on the benefits of supply chain transparency. Today, however, it’s top of mind. Many consumers are more focused than ever on company sustainability, and production transparency can be an essential part of meeting their demands. But what full supply chain transparency looks like in practice is difficult to define. In the broadest sense, supply chain transparency encompasses the entire production process, from sourcing the raw ingredients for a product to its delivery to consumers. Many businesses have a...
Article | 5 min |
The past several years have witnessed a fundamental shift in how many people view sustainability worldwide. Moving forward, understanding—and centering—the three pillars of sustainability may be crucial to thriving as a business. While there are other factors at hand, it seems the Covid-19 pandemic provided an inflection point for many individuals. A 2021 study spanning 24 countries found 58% of adults are more mindful of their environmental impact than ever before as a direct result of the pandemic. Furthermore, 85% are willing to change their personal lives to combat the planet’s...
Skilled labor plays a critical role in keeping the cogs of the economy running smoothly. The manufacturing industry’s ongoing skilled labor shortage is marked by some concerning trends. While the manufacturing industry, like many others, faces challenges related to economic uncertainty and inflationary spirals, it’s also dealing with global logistics backlogs, supply chain bottlenecks, and cyberattacks. The continued loom of a talent shortage may affect the industry’s growth momentum. Lower productivity in the manufacturing sector and a reduced ability to meet customer demands are both...
Article | 7 min |
Quarterly Market Review: Q2 2023 By: Paul Dickson, Director of Research and Giri Krishnan, Senior Portfolio Manager An Unsinkable Economy? A tight labor market and continued high consumer demand appear to have staved off a recession – possibly until 2024 (if even then). This resilience has meant continued inflationary pressures and points toward more Federal Reserve rate hikes this summer. So far, the U.S. economy has defied many economists’ more dire predictions. Hopes are growing for a “soft landing,” even after the most dramatic tightening of monetary policy since the early 1980s. The risks...