A Helping Hand in the SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016

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Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy. With the jobs and services they provide, the 30 million small business owners in the U.S. keep the country moving forward one community at a time. However, with limited employees, depleted resources and unforgiving competition from larger companies, small businesses are often at risk of being forced to close their doors.

The resources for small business owners, like the Small Business Administration (SBA) and campaigns like Small Business Saturday, are important and incredibly useful. With the funding opportunities and awareness they provide, these outlets can mean the difference between increased revenues and a permanently closed sign. Soon small businesses will have one more valuable resource at their disposal.

On December 16, 2016, President Barack Obama signed HR 3784 or the SEC Small Business Advocate Act of 2016 into law. The act will create a new Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation within the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) tasked with pursuing the interests of and addressing the obstacles to small businesses.
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Advances: New Immunotherapy Treatments for Breast Cancer in 2017

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Peter P. Lee, M.D., the Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in Cancer Immunotherapeutics at City of Hope, has for two decades been interested in treating cancer by stimulating or enhancing a person’s own immune system. This approach, called immunotherapy, has gained much attention in recent years and Lee is a leader in the field. His outlook for 2017 is full of promise for a more personalized approach to breast cancer treatment.

“It’s very exciting that we’ve seen a dramatic response for immunology in patients with cancers like melanoma, lymphoma, bladder cancer and others,” said Lee, who is chair of the Department of Immuno-Oncology, co-leader of the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program and a professor in the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. “But breast cancer has lagged behind a bit and so we’re trying to understand why it’s different and how to make immunotherapy more effective for breast cancer  patients.”

Fortunately, he said, there have been advances in understanding the relationship between the immune system and breast cancer and the difference between subtypes and their response to immunotherapy.
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Are You Really Leveraging Technology In Your Real Estate Business?

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Many real estate professionals are overwhelmed by the need to stay on top of technology and the question of where to focus their return on investment (ROI). Areas such as branding, offline versus online marketing, advertising, generating content and various income producing activities are in constant need of a systematic plan and approach.

Technology

According to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2016 Member Profile report, agents spent a median of $80 a year to maintain a website in 2015, down from $130 in 2014. The report further reveals, “Members typically brought in one inquiry and one percent of their business from their website.” While saving on costs may seem solely positive, real estate professionals who invest in key components of their website see a higher conversion rate and ROI. Most important in leveraging your technology is converting customers to clients once your website provides a lead.
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