Looking for Opportunity in Economic Trends and Regulatory Changes

Economic Trends

1.The Fed is Assumed to Raise Interest Rates in the Near Future

Source

Rising interest rates have numerous effects on consumers in the financial sector.  Things that happen include increased interest returns on savings and certificates of deposit, lending institutions begin to lend more, and the dollar strengthens against currency from countries who do not match policy moves with the U.S.  I believe this may open up opportunities to educate/advise younger adults about finances who may not have had experience in a healthier economy. I believe someone who has a background in economics or financing and education may be able to easily exploit this.  As someone who joined the work force in the late 90's it may be the case that I identified this opportunity because I realize financial habits/trends are different with different economic health. 

2.  The Economy of India is Expected to Grow by Over 7% Next Year

Source

This trend is expected to continue in the following years as well.  With this the Indian workforce will grow substantially.  This workforce will require a strengthening of human resource services, possibly pulling from a U.S. talent pool.  If this is the case it could create an opportunity for services that would prepare potential expats relocating to India.  These services could consist of education HR professionals on Indian HR laws, country customs, and Indian business ethics.  For someone with first hand knowledge of Indian business culture this could be easy for someone to exploit.  I  believe I noticed this because of being a prior business owner I understand that HR plays an important role in even the smallest companies.

Regulatory Changes

1.  Every Student Succeeds Act Gives More Educational Design to States

Source

This act will allow states to design their own educational designs, among other things.  The specifics are numerous and broad reaching so I won't go into them know.  There may be an opportunity for third party contractors to assist states in program design, development and evaluation.  Barriers to entry may make this difficult to execute.  It would require acquiring contracts with the state which would require specific networking capabilities.

2.  FDA Passes Regulation That Members of the Food Production Industry Take Proactive Measures to Prevent Deliberate Contamination

Source

This regulation is intended to prevent food terrorism, or in worse case scenarios, react to these instances.  This regulation will see a need for a mixture of program development as well as security management.  If the two could be combined to consolidate/minimize costs there may be an opportunity.  This may be difficult to accomplish with so many barrieers to entry.  One would need program development personal and security consultant personal all with familiarity with food source terrorism.  

Identifying Local Opportunities

Disc golfers enjoy sport, outdoors, kinship

http://www.gainesville.com/article/20160519/ARTICLES/160519658/1002/news01?Title=Disc-golfers-enjoy-sport-outdoors-kinship

This article focuses on a small nonprofit group that aims to educate and coordinate disk golf participants in the Alachua County area.  The article discusses a rising participant count despite a general lack of knowledge among most populations.  

What is the problem?

The article mentions that not many know of the existence of disc golf clubs or competitions.

Who the problem effects?

This problem seems to effect those that run disc golf clubs/organizations and those who put on disc golf competitions

Car insurance rates skyrocket as Floridians drive more and crash more

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article78819742.html

The article linked above discusses how the increase in active drivers has a direct correlation to rising auto insurance rates in Florida. According to the article Floridians auto insurance premiums have rose an average of 14 percent in the last year, with one major carrier spiking 40 percent.  These rate increases offset or even negate the savings insurance companies often emphasize in their commercials. Transportation specialists, as well as those in the insurance industry, correlate a larger number of drivers to these rising rates.  They claim that with more drivers on the road more accidents will occur leading to more payouts leading to higher rates for everyone regardless of driving record.

What is the problem?

Rising auto insurance rates for Floridians

Who the problem effects?

This problem mainly effects Florida residents who drive a motorized vehicle.  However, due to government oversight it may be considered a problem for them as well.

Florida pregnant women with Zika quadruples under new guidelines

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article78996297.html

This article describes that by changing how the state of Florida reports on Zika, the population effected jumped from 9 to 36 overnight.  The change in reporting standards eliminates that someone "show symptoms of" the Zika virus and replaces it with "those that show evidence" (test results, etc.) of the virus.  This change in reporting will most likely lead to the federal government granting the funding state officials are asking for in order to combat the virus.

What is the problem? 

Sudden changes to reporting reclassification of disease reporting may cause confusion and panic in the population from an overnight jump in case numbers

Who the problem effects?

The problem mentioned above will most likely effect the state population that will see the rise in numbers and not realize that this is due to how the disease is being reported to the state

DEP Defends Water Pollution Standards

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2016/05/20/dep-defends-water-pollution-standards/84675594/

The state regulatory Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is close to raising  what the acceptable levels of 43 toxins found in Florida waters.  These new limits are less stringent than the Federal version of the DEP, the EPA, sets as their criteria. This will allow concentrations of these chemicals to be more concentrated in Florida waters.  The change is to be done as part of regulation reexamination that occurs about once a decade.  Proponents of the change say that raising the expected amount will cause little harm to human life based on the most recent research.  Opponents of the new limits say that any increase to pollution is of grave concern and that human life should not be the only life measured.  They also comment that the levels of one of the chemicals, benzene, is an open invitation, and courtesy, for the fracking industry to enter the Florida market.  Benzene is the main chemical bi-product of the fracking process.    

What is the problem?

The DEP will be raising the amount of chemical concentration in Florida's water that will be acceptable to the state.  

Who is effected by the problem?

Industry is effected when the level of acceptable chemical is lowered.

Florida ecology is hurt when these levels are raised.

Sixty-two years after the Supreme Court ruled that America’s schools must be integrated, schools across the country increasingly are becoming segregated by race and income.

http://jacksonville.com/news/schools/2016-05-17/story/race-income-increasingly-segregate-schools-across-nation-gao-report#

This article discusses how despite intentional segregation being school segregation being illegal 16 percent of the schools in the nation have become segregated by definition.  Those professionally close to issue say that grouping of students from low socioeconomic status (SES) areas, and the failure to follow through on magnet programs, are to blame for the issue.  Members of different educational committees claim that by not mixing lower SES with higher SES in schools, districts have unwillingly segregated minority into lower performing schools.  In Jacksonville racial minorities make up 44 percent of the student population, however, only account for 29 percent of the population in A rated schools. 

What is the problem?

Schools in the United States are becoming segregated at an alarming rate some say. 

Who is affected by the problem?

Every school aged child, especially those from low SES areas.

  

 

Bug List

In no particular order

1. With the Red Box phone app I cannot select two movies and have it locate a kiosk that contains both movies.  I have to select one of the movies, find a kiosk near me that has said movie, than browse that kiosk and hope it has the other movie I want to watch.  If not start over with first movie and repeat steps until you find a kiosk with both movies.  The website has these capabilities.  I do not know the reason the phone app does not.
2. Toll booth #1.  I would like all states to consider using one universal tool pass.  I know some states do this, however, I think they all should  I used to drive a state vehicle all over the southeast and had three different tool passes.  I assume this doesn't happen because of private ownership of tool roads and would require so much collaboration.  
3. Toll booth #2.  I would like to pay for tolls with my credit card.  I really don't know what more to say.  I don't know why this doesn't happen.  Maybe to avoid credit card fees
4. Waiting for bank transactions to clear.  Why does anything take three days to clear?  I'm sure it has something to do with banks checks and balances.  However, if I overdraft my bank account because I bought too many burritos you better believe Bank of America will have their money (drawn from my savings) and charged me a ridiculous fee by the end of that day.
5. Wages not increasing in direct relation to inflation.  I have been part of the work force for over twenty years and have increased my skill, education and personal finance acumen only to see my buying power decrease in those twenty years.  This has to do with too many things to list here (fiscal policy, economic policy, workforce policy, etc.).
6. That my favorite bus route is not in service during the summer.  There is a bus route that is so convenient for me and actually saves me close to an hour a day.  It shuts down during the summer semester because of lack of riders.
7. Textbooks being so expensive.  Not much more to say.  This has to do with publishers and supply & demand.
8. Beer going stale/losing carbonation.  Some times I buy a big bottle of beer or a growler of beer and don't want to drink it all in one sitting (this is rare though).  I know there are methods to slow this process down but none really stop it. This problem is do to physics so it might as well be magic to me.
9. "Where did my other sock go".  I feel like I loose one sock a month.  The thing is I pretty much only take my socks off at home, so it's not like I left it somewhere.  Where could they be?  I don't have an answer for this one.
10. Litter (especially at the beach).  I do not like trash on the ground.  This can be solved by people putting trash in a trash bin.
11. I want more stores to offer to send me my receipt digitally.  I do want my receipt for my records but I do not want it in my pocket/wallet for the rest of the day.  If you email it to me I can easily import it into my personal finance software and I'm done.  I guess the big hurdle to this is that stores would need your contact info ahead of time so you would not have to input an email address or phone number every time.
12. Watch an in-market games.  Does not happen so much in this area, but, other places I've lived MLB Extra Innings blacks out local games. Really annoying unless you have the local channel to pick it up.  This is due to TV contract rights.  I hear it's beginning to change in some areas though.
13. Be able to play Mediasite/YouTube on my phone without my screen being on.  I like to listen to Dr. Pryor's lectures while I'm working out.  Gets me pumped up!!!  However, I can't figure out how to do this without the screen staying on.  This makes my phone become a pocket furnace and kills my battery.  I know there are workarounds to this (third party apps/opening in a browser) but I just want to use my Canvas app.  This is a problem I have no idea the solution to.  Some apps have no problem with this while others do.
14. The way we are charged for access to the internet.  I accept that we are charged for the internet but don't tell me I have to be charged this much and not given access to the best service in the area, because I know that is garbage.  This has to do with telecommunication oligopolies that the government can't even seem to reason with.
15. Timed traffic lights.  I realize during peak hours these are necessary.  However it would be great if they could change to sensor lights in off peak hours.  It bothers me when I sit a light at 4 in the morning without any other cars around for three minutes to wait for it to change.
16. That dental care is not part of my regular health care package.  I don't know how to fix this specific problem without a different healthcare provider but it's just not that easy.
17. When I forget to shake the ketchup bottle and tomato flavored water squirts onto my fries.  The immediate fix to this is to never forget to shake the bottle, but, I wish there was another answer.
18. TSA security lines/airport security.  The time, the hassle, the amount of tax payer money going to this. There is almost no reason for this nonsense.  I also want to meet my girlfriend at her arrival gate when she comes home.  This has to do with politics.
19. Proprietary software that recalls email or texts that have been accidentally sent.  I know it exists to an extent, but it never works.  This has to do with computer stuff.
20. Grow back/replace enamel on our teeth.  Don't know what else to say about this one.  I don't have enough dentist science background to answer.

The Reflection

Some of this exercise was challenging some parts were easy.  I am the kind of person who is able to identify if a fix for a problem was effective, but, sometimes I have a hard time identifying the problem in the first place.  During parts of this exercise I felt like an old man just firing off while he's sitting on his porch (this is happening sooner than I want to admit though).  I really did enjoy writing this though.

My Entrepreneurship Story

A few years back I was a personal manger for a catering company.  There was a gentleman working with us that was constantly thinking on a different level than most others.  Not necessarily having better, or worse, thoughts than those around him.  Just different, he reminded me of the father in the movie "Gremlins".  We'll call him "Sam".  Sam traveled a lot with the specific purpose of increasing his world view.  In many of his travels he slept outdoors. He did this for economic reasons and because he truly enjoyed it.

One of the things that bothered Sam the most while sleeping outdoors were mosquitoes, something many of us can relate to I'm sure.  He would always complain that no matter how much bug spray he used or increased the quality of mosquito netting used he could not have a buzz free sleep in certain areas (need identified).  At some point he acquired a battery operated fan, placed a very fine pool skimming netting on the front and face the rear of the fan towards the most frequent mosquito access point of his tent.  The fan would pull in the mosquitoes and collect them in the netting.

Over the course of the year Sam made adjustments to his contraption to make it more effective.  At some point he got together with an engineering friend of his and they made a formal prototype of his contraption.  They built a fan, and netting, that was specifically designed for the purpose.  Sam was ready for test runs and feedback.

I introduced Sam to former colleague of mine that did equine studies.  She managed a large barn with about 25 equine head (mosquito magnets).  She agreed to allow Sam to place four units in her barn, including an industrial sized prototype he had developed.  Sam knew this was exposure and feedback that could be game changing.

Success and great reviews!!!  The traps had worked better than expected.  The amount of mosquito catchings from the industrial model could be weighed in pounds in only three nights.  Sam took feedback given from his new "testing facility" (the horse barn) and made more adjustments.  These included being able to adjust the face of the fan vertically to allow the user to point the fan at vertical angles.

After about another year of testing and tweaking Sam had a finished product.  He was able to sell units, however, the opportunity cost of the time involved in production could have been considered negative returns.  Sam stopped assembling and began taking production orders instead.  While taking production orders he found a company in China that would manufacture his product at a price he was happy with.  He did some calculating and determined the number of units ordered that would produce profits that were acceptable to him.  When he hit his magic number he ordered production and was able to deliver his product two months later.

Sam did this two more times before he left the company we worked for.  After he left we keep in contact on a minimal level (one of those coworkers you are really good friends with at the workplace but spend little time away from work together).  He comes up with ideas and products fairly regularly, some are gold some are mold.  But, the kind of thinker he is he is never going to stop thinking and developing.

Why I am here

I am a Family, Youth and Community Sciences major.  I am minoring in Nonprofit leadership and management.  In the fall I will start my grad work in Public Administration at Penn State.  Unlike Sam my creativity is more geared towards ideas. I enrolled in this course because I felt like it would really get me thinking in different ways.  I really believe that doing outside your comfort zone is when some of the most beneficial personnel growth can take place. This course sounds like it will have plenty of that.

TESTTESTTEST

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."