What I've read in the last few days 04/01/25

Finance Related

• Fintech pitch deck library: How more than 60 startups raised millions in funding from top investors (Business Insider)

Something I'm looking at, with this course I'm doing, is about cash allocation and getting an ROI on that. With that, I'm interested in why investor's allocate cash certain start ups and not others and understanding how investors justify their funding decisions provides real-world insights into effective cash allocation, financial forecasting, and maximising returns—core elements of treasury and financial management that I’m passionate about.

• 5 ways the Trump administration could change Wall Street in 2025 (Business Insider)

With Trump returning to office, it's interesting to see what's going to happen. And I think what happens to Wall Street will generally impact people, right? So I thought it'd be interesting to have a read. So, key take aways; Wall Street anticipates lighter regulation and a dealmaking boom. Reduced capital requirements for banks, easing Biden-era rules, and replacing FTC Chair Lina Khan could spur M&A activity. A KPMG survey shows optimism, with 85% of dealmakers eyeing more transactions amid a friendlier economic and regulatory environment.

Company Case Studies

Why Marriott, Hilton and Hyatt Don’t Actually Own Most of Their Hotels | WSJ The Economics Of

So, I work for a real estate / asset management company, so I'm interested in that model. When this cropped up on my feed, I was obviously curious on differing models and how that works for differing brands and seeing if there were any take aways I could take.

Why So Many TGI Friday Restaurants Are Closing | WSJ What Went Wrong

When I was about 10, I went to TGI Fridays for the first time. It was a freind's birthday, and I have fond memoires of it and by extension, the restaurant chain. So obviously reading that the company was facing challenges was sad, so I obviously grateful the WSJ did a deep dive on the topic.

Non-finance Related (ie. general work)

• 12 Tips to Make Your Presentations Unforgettable (Micael Columbus - Medium) and How to Make a “Good” Presentation “Great” (Guy Kawasaki - Harvard Business Review)

So, I used to be a teacher and the bulk of how I present, or apporach work like this, is through the lense of a former teacher. Specifically, as you would if you used to teach primary school aged non-native English speakers... it makes interesting presentations. Don't get me wrong, I believe it helps and i think it works. It is, however, something I am concious of and is something I am looking at. Hence why I'm reading articles on making great work presentations.

• How to Take Your Business Writing From “Average” to “Great” (Elizabeth Danziger - Harvard Business Review)

I haven't written a tonne, for work, outside the obvious; emails and teams messages. I've, as a former teacher, run through writing exams and all that jazz, but how relevant is that to working in finance? So, I'm currently making a concerted effort to improving this skill and reading this is just the start...