Business

Fake Memphis Associates Checks Arrive Just In Time for Election

Published

6 years ago

November 5, 2020

Memphis Associates personal finance and debt consolidation offers are bait and switch. Memphis Associates has begun flooding the market with debt consolidation and credit card relief offers in the mail with the website mymemphisassociates.com. The problem is that the terms and conditions are at the very least confusing, and possibly even suspect.

The interest rates are so low that you would have to have near-perfect credit to be approved for one of their offers. Best 2020 Reviews, the personal finance review site, has been following Memphis Associates, Tate Advisors, Plymouth Associates, Credit 9, Americor Funding, Safe Path Advisors, Silvertail Associates, etc.).

Best 2020 Reviews closely monitors personal loan offers, debt reduction, and credit card consolidation offers sent through direct mail to consumers.

For the 2020 US Election, finances in America will be a chief topic of discussion. Today, America and the rest of the world is in debt and sinking lower and lower due to the pandemic. More and more money is required for relief packages and people on welfare are bearing the brunt of it. However, will your vote impact your finances in the future? The short answer would be, yes. The person who wins will obviously impact how successful America is in getting back on its feet.

How Will the Result of the Election Impact Your Finances?

This US Election finances have been the topic of a lot of policy decisions for both candidates. If Donald Trump is re-elected, then there’s not likely to be any changes to the tax code. In 2017, the new tax cuts were introduced and they will probably stay. If Joe Biden wins then the Trump Tax Cuts of 2017 may be rolled back slightly or removed altogether. According to the Biden campaign website, anyone making less than $400,000 a year will not face any changes.

Also, Joe Biden has said that he would return the country’s top individual tax bracket back to 39.6%. On the corporate tax side, Biden would raise corporate tax from 21% to 28%. The rate was previously 35% before 2017.

This US Election finances are going to be a huge issue since most people are just scraping to get by and many are in need of some sort of credit card relief. Putting food on the table will actually be a huge issue this time around; more than it’s been for years. Not since the 2008 financial crash have things been this dire in recent memory.

However, consider this; the country is on an unsustainable fiscal path no matter who wins. The fact is that there are far more impactful things than the tax code on your future. So listen closely to these facts.

The government takes in money every year in the form of taxes. If the amount taken in is less than which the government spends, then there will be a deficit. For 2020, the Congressional Budget Office has projected a federal budget deficit of $3.3 trillion. Hence, it means that the US government has spent $6.6 trillion while the budget was only half that. That’s triple the deficit that was recorded in 2019. That’s why this US Election finances have been such a hot topic.

Spending This Holiday Season

There are several things you should keep in mind while spending this holiday season. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than just businesses. Millions of people are on welfare and have lost their jobs. The average American carries thousands of dollars’ worth of debt already, hence spending this holiday season is most likely not an option.

Even if you have a considerable amount of money saved up, you should save it. There is no knowing how long the pandemic will last and how the stocks will go down. This US Election finances should be the only thing on your mind and holiday shopping should be postponed. If you don’t spend this holiday season, you’ll at least have a lot of money left over for food, medical bills, and education. If you do, then you’ll probably waste money on something that has very little utility besides the first month.

That doesn’t mean you should spend $0 of course. It just means you shouldn’t splurge. Morning Consult did a survey that showed that this US Election finances are extremely tight for Americans. 39% of those surveyed said that they planned to cut back on gift spending. This was due to the financial squeeze, of course, but also because in person gatherings have been shut down.

Even if somehow you do manage to see your relatives or friends during this time, there won’t be very many. You will likely be spending the holidays with your immediate family members or roommates. If you want to get them a gift or two, go ahead. However, think of a cheaper way to tell them you love them rather than getting that expensive watch or necklace.

Since this US Election finances will be extremely meager for most Americans, it’s important to remember this fact. Gifts that have experiences attached to them are often the most effective. Gifts that are related to your experiences with loved ones create the longest lasting happiness. During COVID-19, those experiences have been few and far between. Hence, getting your loved ones something sappy and sentimental may actually be the best thing for them.

You don’t even have to spend any money for this. You could design a small presentation on your computer or make a video that reminds them of the good times. Or you could spend a little money on a beautiful frame for a sentimental photograph.

Since this US Election finances are tight for everyone, you could just consider helping out as a gift. This doesn’t mean just help out grocery shopping, of course. However, you could help out your neighbors with a handyman job like fixing a pipe. Other odd jobs can including beefing up their computer or installing software or setting up a router. You could even help them put up a shelf or hang their television. Things like these will really speak to your loved ones and show them that you care.

At a time when money is scarce and people are really struggling, you don’t need to shower them with gifts. Just giving them support and showing them you care with small gestures can go a long way. This US Election finances will be one of the most pressing topics for any family. If you can make someone in your own or another family happy for a little while, that’ll be the best gift for them. It won’t cost much, but it’ll mean the world to them.

So remember to save, and spend only on what matters. This US Election finances will be ruling our every thought. That’s why we have to prepare for the worst.

Business

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity

Published

3 weeks ago

April 29, 2026

Matthew Wiles

How technology drives value creation in private equity is now one of the most actively debated topics among institutional investors and fund managers. A decade ago, technology was largely a cost center in PE-backed companies. Today it sits at the center of margin improvement, revenue growth, and exit multiple expansion. Firms that figured this out early are generating better returns with less reliance on financial engineering.

The shift happened for a practical reason. As interest rates rose and deal multiples compressed, financial leverage stopped doing the heavy lifting. Operational improvement became the primary value creation lever. Technology accelerated what was possible within the ownership period.

How Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Operations

Operational improvement through technology produces the most measurable results. PE firms apply technology tools to reduce costs, increase throughput, and improve decision-making speed inside their companies.

Digital Process Automation in PE-Backed Companies

Manual processes in back-office and production functions carry real costs. They consume labor, generate errors, and slow down the information flow that management teams depend on. Automation tools eliminate these costs without requiring headcount reductions that disrupt company culture.

The most impactful automation deployments in PE-backed operations include:

Accounts payable and receivable automation that compresses billing cycles and reduces days sales outstanding
Production scheduling software that reduces downtime and improves throughput in manufacturing environments
Inventory management systems that cut carrying costs by aligning purchasing with real-time demand signals
Quality control automation that reduces defect rates and warranty claims in product-based businesses

ZCG Consulting (“ZCGC”) works with companies across industrials, manufacturing, packaging, and consumer products to identify and implement automation programs tied to specific financial outcomes. The approach connects technology investment to measurable margin improvement rather than treating automation as a general upgrade.

Data Infrastructure as a Value Creation Tool

Many PE-backed companies arrive under new ownership with fragmented data systems. Different departments use different tools. Reporting requires manual consolidation. Leadership makes decisions with incomplete information.

Fixing that infrastructure creates immediate value. Integrated data systems give management teams real-time visibility into revenue, cost, and operational performance. That visibility accelerates decisions and surfaces problems before they become material.

James Zenni, founder and CEO of ZCG with over 30 years of capital markets experience, has consistently emphasized that information quality drives investment performance. That view shapes how ZCG approaches technology investment across the companies in its portfolio.

Technology Drives Value Creation in Private Equity Through Revenue Growth

Cost reduction gets most of the attention in PE operational improvement, but technology also drives revenue growth. The mechanisms are different, and they compound differently over a hold period.

E-Commerce and Digital Customer Acquisition

Companies that sell primarily through traditional channels often leave significant revenue on the table. Adding e-commerce capabilities or investing in digital customer acquisition expands the addressable market without proportional cost increases.

PE firms that invest in digital revenue channels generate higher growth rates during the hold period. That growth rate difference translates directly into exit multiple expansion.

Revenue growth technology applications in PE-backed companies include:

E-commerce platform buildouts that open direct-to-consumer channels alongside existing wholesale relationships
Customer relationship management systems that improve retention and increase repeat purchase rates
Digital marketing infrastructure that lowers customer acquisition costs through better targeting and attribution
Pricing optimization tools that identify margin improvement opportunities without volume loss

Technology-Enabled Customer Experience Improvements

Customer retention is cheaper than customer acquisition. Technology investments in customer experience, service speed, and product quality consistency reduce churn. Lower churn produces more predictable revenue. More predictable revenue supports higher exit valuations.

ZCG deploys Haptiq Technologies and Solutions, its 300-plus-person technology division, to support digital transformation across its companies. The platform was founded 20 years ago and manages approximately $8 billion in AUM. It brings implementation resources that most individual companies cannot afford to build internally. That capability gives ZCG’s companies faster access to technology improvements at lower execution risk.

Building Technology Capability Within PE-Backed Companies

Technology investment during the hold period creates value in two ways. It improves financial performance during ownership. It also makes the business more attractive to the next buyer.

Strategic buyers and later-stage PE funds pay premium multiples for companies with modern technology infrastructure. A business with integrated systems, clean data, and digital revenue channels commands a better price. A comparable business running on legacy platforms does not.

The ZCG Team structures technology investment as part of the initial value creation plan for each company. Priorities get set at entry based on the gap between current capability and acquirer expectations.

This pre-sale positioning approach changes how technology investment gets funded and sequenced during the hold period. Projects that improve financial performance and exit readiness simultaneously get prioritized. Projects with long payback periods that do not improve the sale narrative get deferred.

How technology drives value creation in private equity is ultimately about execution discipline. The tools matter less than the clarity of the financial objective each technology investment must achieve.