Innovation in finance is one of many categories in which you could find success by changing your strategy. As the well-known quote goes: “Changing times require changing strategies.” In fact, you could apply that overarching principle to just about any category, even blindly, and maintain high confidence that your assessment will be correct. Given that there are so many evolving technologies related to the world of finance, it only makes sense to stay current on recent innovations.
On the other hand, failing to keep up with financial innovation news, at best, might result in missing out on some great opportunities. At worst, you risk making your product or service obsolete and subsequently going out of business.
Of course, not every tech tool or innovation related to handling your money will apply to your situation. Even so, it’s wise to strive to maintain a working understanding of how recent breakthroughs impact and perhaps even disrupt other industries.
Schedule Regular Research Time — Pick Your Subscriptions Wisely
Your reasons for keeping yourself current may vary, but they are invaluable for community building with other business people. While you might not personally prosper from some new tool, you may well know others who would. By becoming a go-to resource for others, you significantly increase that others will also keep an eye out for you.
Unfortunately, every field is chock-full of self-appointed “experts” who may or may not have anything valuable to say. Far too many people are putting out information on financial innovation with eyes focused on self-promotion rather than authentically helping others.
That’s not the case with the LinkedIn newsletters highlighted below. All eight of these publications are clear, helpful, and provided in the interest of helping business people navigate the ever-changing terrain of commerce as the ebb and flow of cash crashes into the digital realm. There are a variety of LinkedIn newsletters available, but here is a list of ones specific to the finance areas that can be good to follow.
Innovation Re:Imagined
Jeff Wong
Jeff Wong is the Global Chief Innovation Officer for EY. He serves on the advisory board for AI4All, a nonprofit promoting inclusion and diversity in artificial intelligence, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
EY is a global professional services firm whose purpose is to build a better working world. Its Global Innovation function, led by Wong, is focused on “creating new” innovations using disruptive technologies, opportunities to evolve the way we work now and in the future, and how to scale new solutions sustainably across organizations. A massive chunk of their business is in the financial services sector, so it only makes sense that Wong is a resource for finding out what’s on the horizon and how we can harness innovative solutions to unlock value.
As the world emerges from the pandemic, living and working in new and collaborative ways is more important than ever. This is why innovation is so critical, from large to small companies across various industries – and even at an individual level. Wong’s newsletter has only recently launched, but the first three editions have all been thought-provoking and have given helpful insights on how to meet disruption with opportunity in today’s fast-changing world.
Investment Insights
Rob Sharps
Robert Sharps is the chief executive officer and president of T. Rowe Price Group. He has served in various positions in the company since 1997, including co-head of global equity in investment leadership. Sharps became president and CEO in January of this year.
As of this writing, Investment Insights has published 15 editions and has more than 20,000 subscribers. It tends to focus on taking the longer view on investing, analyzing data from all corners of the globe to pinpoint opportunities that might otherwise get missed. The newsletter only comes out when T. Rowe Price has something meaningful to contribute, and I actually appreciate that sort of publication schedule.
All Things RedSwan CRE
Edward Nwokedi CCIM MBA
Edward Nwokedi has more than $3 billion in financial transactions and hundreds of clients credited to his account. As the founder and CEO of RedSwan CRE, Nwokedi is a specialist in the tokenized commercial real estate field. He is considered one of the leaders in the tokenization market for Class A, B, and C multi-family dwellings.
The All Things RedSwan CRE newsletter just recently launched on LinkedIn, and only two editions are currently available online. That being so, it’s impressive that over 1,000 investors have already noticed. Tokenization promises to open up the real estate investment market to a broader range of investors, especially those just starting out or with limited access to capital. In addition, by investing small amounts over time, this type of innovation in the real estate market holds out the promise of democratizing the process and supporting otherwise-underrepresented segments of the investment crowd.
Trends in Finance & Accounting
Anders Liu-Lindberg
Anders Liu-Lindberg is a leading voice when it comes to forming strategic partnerships. He is a co-founder of the Business Partnering Institute headquartered in Copenhagen. He also serves on the advisory board for Born Capital, which seeks innovation in CFOTech.
Liu-Lindberg’s newsletter has more than a quarter-million subscribers and more than 200 editions. His posts are concise, practical, and provide a high-altitude view of financial trends poised to change how we conduct business. Liu-Lindberg also co-authored the book Create Value as a Finance Business Partner, wherein he shares further insights into the value of long-term, sustainable partnerships that provide a win-win in the fintech sector.
The Future of Financial Advice
Derek N.H. Notman, CFP
D.J. Notman is a virtual financial advisor and certified financial planner. Notman is the founder of Intrepid Wealth Partners and seeks to assist other founders, entrepreneurs, startups, business owners, and their families in establishing financial plans that lead to long-term prosperity.
Notman’s newsletter features a friendly, accessible approach that can seem less daunting to those who do not occupy the upper echelons of international financial markets. Honestly, that’s one of the things I find contributing to its appeal. Published biweekly, the newsletter has more than 12,000 subscribers and a genuinely memorable tagline: “Ideas for disrupting an industry as old as dirt.” So if you’re relatively new to financial innovation and how individuals can leverage it for smaller enterprises, Notman’s newsletter might serve as a great entry point.
This Week in Finance
Devin Banerjee, CFA
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 830 million members from 200 nations. As an editor at large for LinkedIn, whatever Devin Banerjee publishes attracts a lot of eyeballs across the globe. Banerjee’s articles on finance, dealmaking, and innovation have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, The Washington Post, and numerous other high-profile publications.
This Week in Finance is published weekly and boasts more than 355,000 subscribers. Articles are concise yet link-heavy for those wanting to dive deeper. The subheads and bullet points allow readers to scan for items of interest or move on as desired. This is a tremendous service to those who do not have much time to invest in reading newsletters. The depth of research is evident, and it’s clear that the editors at This Week in Finance are all masters of saying a lot with a few carefully chosen words.
Stock Market News (Breaking)
Michael Spencer
Michael Spencer is an independent writer who focuses on artificial intelligence, economics, data science, and quantum computing. His LinkedIn newsletter focuses on stock-related breaking news and market sentiment analysis, with over 100 editions published to date and more than 44,000 subscribers.
Spencer’s newsletter takes a highly personal approach to the field. Newcomers will find items of interest regardless of industry. Subheads are clearly labeled, which the time-conscious will appreciate. This might be a great place to start for those new to investing. It offers a great “lay of the land” approach to help you navigate investments, technology, and outcomes.
Blockchain, AI & Cybersecurity
Alessandro Civati
Alessandro Civati is passionate about helping businesses make data-driven decisions. His areas of expertise include blockchain and cybersecurity. Recently, he presented the EdVerso Protocol — a global project built on the LutinX blockchain — to the Italian Parliament. The EdVerso platform was designed to disrupt the educational technology space via decentralization.
Data security issues appear in the headlines daily. Therefore, many hope blockchain technology will be the key to eliminating breaches, ransomware, and system hacks. Civati’s newsletter is all over the board with blockchain-related news, and that’s a good thing. Subscribers (currently more than 140,000) can find articles where this innovative technology is touching their lives in education, global food supply, social networks, the war in Ukraine, espionage, and more. However, be careful with this one since it’s too easy to fall down the rabbit hole with the breadth of information that Civati makes available.
