ProfNet Experts Available on Interest Rates, Financial Fraud, Wearables, More

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform

EXPERT ALERTS

• Interest Rate Hike Raises Bond Investing Risk
• Phone Changes Driving Financial Fraud
• Fixing Corporate America
• Are Wearables Wearing out Their Usefulness?

MEDIA JOBS

• Copy Editor – LevFin Insights (NY)
• Reporter – SeattlePI (WA)
• Legal Content Writer – PacerMonitor (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• 5 Things to Know About Branded Content
• 5 Essential Tips Every Beginner Photographer Should Know
• Blog Profiles: Home Improvement Blogs

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Interest Rate Hike Raises Bond Investing Risk
Kyle J. McCauley
Managing Partner
City Center Financial, LLC
The Federal Reserve's decisions to raise interest rates throughout the year has added risk to bond investing that someone nearing or in retirement may want to avoid. Says McCauley: "People simply don't realize that the very thing they are using to decrease the risk on their portfolio is actually adding risk due to the current interest rate environment that we're in."
Based in Troy, Mich., McCauley is a Certified APMA from the College for Financial Planning.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/Kyle_McCauley
Website: www.citycenterfinancial.com
Expert Contact: [email protected]

Phone Changes Driving Financial Fraud
Adam Elliott
President
ID Insight
The mobile phone is a critical channel for bank customers and financial institutions that rely on mobile banking, online account opening and mobile wallet applications for convenience. Having controls in place to ensure the phone number in the customer profile actually belongs to the legitimate customer is critical for reducing fraud risk. Fraudsters are now manipulating phone numbers as part of account takeover schemes. Criminals have recognized that when large money transfers are requested or other out-of-pattern account activity takes place, financial institutions are much more likely to place an outbound call or text to their customer to confirm the legitimacy of the requested account action. Using an abundance of hacked personal data available on the black market, criminals pose as legitimate account holders and change the customer's contact information, ensuring fraud alerts and other bank communications are sent unwittingly to the perpetrator and paving the way for complete control over their accounts before the victim knows it is happening. Says Elliott: "Along with addresses, phone numbers are among the most frequently changed pieces of personal information. Unfortunately, banks simply accept the costs and risks of fraudulent phone number changes."
Elliott's company, ID Insight, researched tens of thousands of customer phone number changes in the financial services space and detected interesting patterns that distinguish legitimate phone number changes from fraudulent changes. The analysis uncovered the following key indicators that signal an elevated risk of fraud: 1) geographic distance; 2) carrier type; 3) urban versus rural; 4) area code/exchange; 5) ported; 6) business phone numbers; 7) phone number verification.
ProfNet Profile: http://www.profnetconnect.com/idinsight
Website: http://www.idinsight.com
Contact: David J. Hlavac, [email protected]

Fixing Corporate America
Scott Petinga
Chief Troublemaker
Scott Petinga Group
"Corporate America is broken. How the hell do you fix it? Short answer: You can't, you never will, no one ever will on their own. You have to start with the only person you can control and change: yourself. Then make sure your world is the best it can be. Hopefully, your small change will inspire others to change, and the spiral will become bigger until major change occurs throughout the business world. That's how success works -- individuals knowing their strengths, eliminating or honoring their weaknesses, and using both to create their own unique success story in a world gone mad, sad and bland in its thinking about business and the road to success. Life is hard, change is hard, achieving success is hard, but it can be easier."
Petinga's title really is "Chief Troublemaker." An entrepreneur, philanthropist and "cancer thriver," he is a pioneer in developing businesses that make a lasting impact on society. With a new book, "No One Ever Drowned in Sweat: G.R.I.T. – The Stuff of Leaders & Champions" (February 2017), Petinga is well-positioned to share his own experiences that range from barely graduating high school and being fired from jobs, to receiving a life-altering cancer diagnosis. In addition to his own story, the book features wisdom from more than 50 notable CEOs, entrepreneurs, academics, and forward thinkers from all walks of life. His first company, AKQURACY, enjoyed a prestigious position on the List of Fastest Growing Private Companies by Inc. Magazine. He was also a semi-finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine's Entrepreneur of the Year award, leading to an invitation to join Young Entrepreneur Council, an invitation-only organization consisting of the crème de la crème of young world entrepreneurs. When he's not busy saving the planet, he uses his acquired wisdom, knowledge and experience to help others make their mark in the world. Petinga is also founder of the TH!NK DIFFERENT Foundation, the Fairy Foundation, and the Center for Cancer of the Testes International (CACTI), as well as an active volunteer mentor for Imerman Angels of Chicago. He is based in Minneapolis.
Website: www.scottpetinga.com
Contact: Penny Sansevieri, [email protected]

Are Wearables Wearing out Their Usefulness?
Sam Salbi
CEO
FitLyfe
Analysts project that more than 274 million wearables will be sold worldwide in 2017, suggesting a booming market for the fitness trackers that monitor our activity, movements, even heart rates, sleeping patterns and moods. However, nearly two thirds stop using them after six months -- in many cases because the novelty waned, or, as in others, because people realized there's more to weight loss than counting calories and steps. Says Salbi: "In order for wearables to make a meaningful and long-term impact, they need to help users make sense of their numbers, map out personal treatment paths, and increase motivation by offering challenges and rewards. The future is in being able to plug them into a broader framework -- a kind of health-based Operating System (OS) – that aggregates and interprets your data, giving users unprecedented visibility into and control over their health and well-being."
Salbi is the CEO of FitLyfe, developers of custom-built population health and wellness automation solutions that increase utilization and improve outcomes through personalized engagement. Prior to FitLyfe, he was the founder of BSoft Solutions, where he architected multiple award winning, patented enterprise systems for Fortune 500 companies. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree and a Master of Science in Data Modeling/Warehousing from DePaul University in Chicago.
Bio: http://www.profnetconnect.com/fitlyfe
Website: www.gofitlyfe.com
Contact: Charles Epstein, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Copy Editor – LevFin Insights (NY)
• Reporter – SeattlePI (WA)
• Legal Content Writer – PacerMonitor (NY)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• 5 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT BRANDED CONTENT. Branded content is going to have its heyday in 2017 and we'll see brands who formerly invested in traditional advertising start to pour dollars into relevant, useful content in an effort to connect with their customers. Here's what you need to know about this rising trend: http://prn.to/2jJyLsR 

• 5 ESSENTIAL TIPS EVERY BEGINNER PHOTOGRAPHER SHOULD KNOW. Multimedia is an integral part of any content, especially online. Think about it: If an article has an eye-catching header image or a neat infographic, you're more likely to read through it and engage with it, right? But there's more to photography than just pointing and shooting. A fresh and clean result enhances your storytelling. Here are the five things I always consider to ensure that I get the best photo possible, whether you're using a DSLR, mobile, or digital camera: http://bit.ly/2jj6TKg 

• BLOG PROFILES: HOME IMPROVEMENT BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team selects an industry or subject and a handful of sites that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation. This week, they look at home improvement blogs: http://prn.to/2j5TUvr

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