Ferhan Patel

Each season, people look for ways to save more money than they did the previous season. Luckily, there are tons of ways to avoid overspending and grow your savings account. Here are my top five ways to save this fall. Budget for the Holidays The last quarter of the year is often the time we spend the most money. There are numerous holidays that require us to spend exorbitant amounts of cash, so  budgeting  is huge. Create a list of people you need to buy gifts for, or for holiday meals and other activities. Then, figure out how much you’ll have to spend on everything. Once you have your grand total for the holidays, split it up based off of importance. Buying your mom a thoughtful gift is more important than buying your third cousin twice removed a gift card they may or may not use. Cut out any unnecessary expenses, and consider ways you can reduce gift costs (such as going in on gifts with other people). Then, stick to it. A budget is worthless if you don’t fol...

This blog was originally posted on here: Ferhan Patel's Technology Website --- Fifty years ago, people expected to pay with cash more often than not when they went to purchase a product or service. Nowadays, the world of payment is entirely different. Because we have the internet at our beck and call at all hours of the day from numerous different types of devices, whether they are handheld or desktop devices, people’s expectations have skyrocketed of companies both large and small. This new found sense of urgency in gaining information and completing previously complex tasks in seconds from anywhere in the world has proven to improve business’ abilities to meet customer needs in new and profitable ways. On the contrary, this has also costed some companies their competitive edge. Because people have a much smaller tolerance for delayed gratification, it is only getting harder for companies, particularly smaller companies, to stay relevant. Customers, although well meaning, ...

The financial technology, or FinTech, industry has been spreading over the course of the past decade, and it is only getting bigger. Using technology to organize and control finance used to be just an idea, but is now used by big banks and Wall Street firms. Banks have even begun investing in FinTech startups in order to get ahead of competitors, by receiving the latest innovative product before anybody else. Unfortunately, this explosion of FinTech in big banks and investment firms has made smaller companies struggle. However, that is beginning to change. Startup companies focused on FinTech are now seeking out smaller community banks that are thinking about going national. The banks want to become relevant in the digital age, and the startup companies want more business. Technically, this arrangement works for everyone. It is also arriving at a time in which the Federal Reserve is making decisions that will detrimentally affect small banks. The Federal Reserve wants to work on ...