Banknotes

The show's first guest of the New Year is Mary Gaffney-Ward, general manager at The Madison Club, who talks about the path that led her to her role, the Club's rejuvenation during her tenure, how her marketing background informs her professional decision-making, the importance of prioritizing inclusivity, and more.

The beginning of a New Year is a great time to make resolutions on what you want to accomplish in the days ahead. One resolution I encourage everyone to make is to get their financial house in order.

By taking the following simple steps to start your estate plan, you'll be well on your way.

LIBOR, which stands for London Inter-Bank Offered Rate, is set based on the average rate at which major global banks lend money to one another on a daily basis. For the past couple of decades, it has been used as the market-driven index to set interest rates for business loans, not just in the United States, but around the globe. And it is on the verge of ending.

As co-host of the bank's Wealthways podcast, I get to talk to a lot of professionals about building wealth. One of the questions we ask every guest is, “What does wealth mean to you?”

Overwhelmingly, the answers have focused on flexibility and options. It’s all about being able to have enough money to live the kind of life they want.

There is a scene in one of the Back to the Future movies where Marty McFly is caught in a tunnel on his hoverboard, with his arch-nemesis, Biff, bearing down on him in a convertible. The intensity builds as the audience wonders whether Marty will make it out or get run over (spoiler alert: he makes it out). In a way, our economy is a bit like Marty right now – will it get run over, reach daylight, or perhaps make it out of the tunnel, but not in the way we all hope?

Every business needs to be mindful of operational risks associated with threats of external and internal fraud. Criminals have taken full advantage of the process disruptions caused by COVID by exploiting the vulnerabilities of remote-work environments, targeting payment-approval mechanisms, email schemes, and government loan programs.

With COVID limiting their ability to shop for holiday gifts in stores this season, many turned to an old, familiar standby: the gift card. If you're entering the New Year with a stockpile of digital credit to throw at your favorite retailers, there are a few things to keep in mind, from a security perspective. The following article from the FTC – "Gift Cards Top Scammers' Wish Lists," by Emma Fletcher – contains good information for anyone seeking to avoid becoming another fraud-related statistic.

Jane Clark, CEO & managing partner at Lake Effect HR & Law, talks to Alyssa & Dawn about what makes her business unique, the rationale behind its branding, the importance of customizing client relationships, the types of challenges she helps smaller/growing companies overcome, and more.

In this presentation, State Bank of Cross Plains trust officer Jeff Supple explains recent IRA rule changes and their tax and planning consequences, touching on the following:

Erin Ogden, managing attorney at Madison-based business transactional firm Ogden Glazer + Schaefer, is this week's guest, delving into how she found her professional focus, the benefits of leveraging blogging as a value-add, the intricacies of launching a business with a spouse, the challenges of hiring during a pandemic, and more.