#10k in other external documents or on here specifically

[aesudan-kholin]

i think i legitimately have written more words about elhokar than sanderson has

[sympxls]

TS4 CC Basics 101

😍 😍 😍 😍 “Oooooooohhhhh look at that. That’s perfect/pretty/gorgeous!!! I must have this in my game!!”   

If you are a simmer that uses custom content, you’ve said this at least once. 😋 If you’re like me, you say this at least once a day. 😝 To avoid cc blunders & problems with your game as a result of using cc, below are some things that, I hope, any cc user can find useful. (under a read more due to length)

✪ Right click & open in new tab when following links to download content. Just clicking on a link alone can result sometimes in a ‘not found URL’ or something of that type of error by mistake. 👌

✪ The only file type that should be going into your mods folder (with the exception of MC Command and Whicked Whims files~follow the installation directions given by those mods creators) are .packages. No matter the amount of, or the type of, files a creator included in their .zip folder, .packages are the ONLY ones that should make their way into your mods folder. EVER. Adding unnecessary files to your mods folder results in longer than usual loading times as your game is taking more time to read files it doesn’t needs to work. 👌   

✪ Any folder you download that ends in .zip, .7z, or .rar, should be unzipped, or unpacked, before placing into your mods folder. Most recent computers already come equipped with an unzipping program. If not, or if you prefer not to use what your comp came equipped with, you can download programs like 7zip or WInZip, for free. A google search can be your best friend in this instance for either a program or how to unzip a folder. 👌

✪ Its always a good idea, & safer for your game, if you direct your comp to download files to either your download folder (your PC name > Downloads) or another folder you have specifically for your downloads, & not directly to your mods folder. Its always a good idea to “test” out any new cc you download, be it one day or one week at a time, in order to weed out any cc that isn’t showing up for lack of not downloading meshes that were noted as required, or because it conflicts with other content already installed in your mods folder. Its always a good idea to keep this new or new-to-you content in a testing folder, that way you know exactly where it’s located for easy removal, if need be. If you test out the new cc & you’re satisfied with its performance, you can then move it into your mods folder along side your other installed content. 👌 

✪ Its always a good idea to organize your mods folder. & by organize I mean, categorize your content in some way, shape, or form, so its easy, or easier, to find if & when you need to. Most simmers will categorize something along the lines of how the game categorizes content (ex. CAS vs. Build/Buy, Female clothes vs. Male clothes, Clutter vs. Comfort). Some categorize according to the date they’ve downloaded it. Find a method that works for you & stick with it. It’s never too late to organize your mods folder. 👌

✪ The Sims 4 already comes with a mod folder installed in your game folder (Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods), unlike previous versions of the game. & it also comes formatted for you to use subfolders within your mods folder. If it does not, instructions on how to add them can be found in this post here. It comes formatted to go up to 5 subfolders deep, but it’s been found that most content will only work when its 2 folders deep, ex Mods>CC Folder 1. Going any deeper can result in the game being unable to read the content, which results in it not showing in game. 👌 

✪ Take time to read what the content creator is writing in their download post. In it they will, 99% of the time, note if you need anything else for their content to function &/or show in your game. This can range from what pack the content may require, to what mesh is needed for their recolor to show. Please don’t just go and click download all willy nilly. You could potentially be ignoring important information. This is not the case for all content, but it is the case for most. Taking your time to read what is written will pay off. 👌 

✪ Sometimes a contents poly count matters when speaking about loading times & lag experienced in game. Poly count refers to the amount of polygons being rendered per frame. Example of low poly content is mm (maxis match) content, although not all mm content is low or lower poly but most is. Example of high poly count content are some curly alpha hairs. Having said curly alpha hairs in game won’t cause lag specifically, but having said hair on your sim, & every townie, & then they’re all at a place of business together, for example, well you could very well experience lag because of that. High poly build/buy content will also have the same effect. If you have a lot of it in one room or on one lot, then you may experience lag. How do you avoid this you ask? Just don’t use a lot of it at one time. How does one tell what the poly count is? Easiest way to tell if a piece of content is high or higher than usual poly, is to check how big the file is. You can find that by opening up the folder its located in, & in its file size column it will say it, or you can right click on the file, & select properties. It will tell you its file size. You can also check the poly size by opening up the .package with Sims4Stuido & navigating to the meshes tab. Anything above 5-10K polys, or 10K in file size, in my opinion, can be considered high poly. The better your comp is, the better equipped it is in rendering the high poly & the less lag & loading times you should experience. 👌 

✪ When a patch or new EA content is released, your best course of action is to completely move your mods folder, your save folder, and your tray folder out of your Sims 4 folder before making the update. This is to ensure that nothing happens to it, in the off chance that some new or updated code EA releases doesn’t destroy it. The likely-hood of this happening is slim, but to save your self stress & headache, just move your mods folder before an update or install new EA content. After you’ve installed the patch or new EA content, open up your game and start a new bullshit save. You can trash this save once you are done. Its only purpose to verify your game is running smoothly without cc installed. Once you’ve run your game after the update/new content install, & you’ve ensured you can move around CAS &/or any world with a new save, & you have zero problems, you can then exit the game & move your mods folder back & resume your current save. 👌

✪ Once you’ve updated your game, while your testing out the same fresh bullshit save from above, don’t forget to go into the game options & TURN BACK ON YOUR MODS & SCRIPT MODS. If you don’t do this, you will not be able to see your installed cc once you start the game up again with your previous save. If you do forget to do this, & you accidentally save over your old save, you old save will now be cc free, & you’ve ultimately ruined your previous save. 👌 

✪ Deleting your localthumbcache.package (located in your Sims 4 folder) periodically can help in seeing new content that should show in game. The localthumbcache is responsible for storing your thumbnails. It’s perfectly okay to delete this file as a new one will be regenerated once the old one is deleted. Keeping its size at around 80K-100K is ideal. 👌 

✪ Merging cc can help reduce load times & in game lag. My preferred method of merging cc is through Sims4Studio. There’s a video explaining how it’s done here. Its logical to me to merge like items together, but again, stick with whatever system works for you. Its best to keep the pre-merged files amount to under or around 200mb, or you can risk items not showing in game. Why this happens, I don’t know. And always, always, ALWAYS keep a back up copy of whatever content you’ve merged, clearly labeled somewhere (another folder on your comp, a cloud drive, an external drive) if you can, so you know what came from where in the instance that you have to remove from or add to that merged package file. 👌

CC Basics 102 coming soon? Feel free to contact me with any questions, or suggestions. 👍

Happy Simming!

[brajeshupadhyay]

Can you get £10k to double-glaze your home in Green Homes Grant?

There can’t be many homeowners who didn’t visualise sparkling new double-glazed windows or smart solar panels on their roof when Rishi Sunak announced his £2billion Green Homes Grant last month.

With up to £10,000 available for energy efficient home improvements, many people started thinking about how to spend a large cheque from the Chancellor.

But the scheme’s details have finally been unveiled on the Government’s website – and, as always, the devil is in the small print.

Catch: You can’t get a discount on double-glazing unless you are also applying for an improvement on a specific list that includes loft or cavity wall insulation

The scheme is littered with catches. First, all except the poorest homeowners will have to stump up a share of the cost themselves. Rather than covering the total amount, vouchers will be worth around two-thirds of the cost of the improvements.

Second, there is a strict hierarchy of works. For example, you can’t get a discount on double-glazing unless you are also applying for an improvement on a specific list that includes loft or cavity wall insulation.

And that’s just scratching the surface. Here, we guide you through Rishi’s latest boost for homeowners.

What exactly is the Green Homes Grant?

The Government has come up with a scheme to make our homes more energy efficient. It is handing out up to £10,000 per household to install insulation and double-glazing. It says this should cut carbon emissions, save people money, create and protect jobs – and boost the recovery from the coronavirus lockdown.

Broadly speaking, you decide on what needs to be done and the Government will pay the majority of the cost. However, in practice it’s not that simple.

What changes can I make?

Get ready to learn all about ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ measures’, Under the scheme, the Government has divided energy-efficient home improvements into two categories: primary measures and secondary measures.

Primary measures are either insulation – for example, in a cavity wall, loft, or roof – or low carbon heating, such as ground source heat pumps, or solar thermal systems (or solar panels, in plain English).

Secondary measures, on the other hand, mean draught proofing, double-glazing or triple-glazing (where you are replacing single glazing), secondary glazing, upgrading to energy-efficient doors or heating controls and insulation, such as thermostats and smart heating controls.

Outlay: Solar panels are costly – a whole system can set you back as much as £6,200

Why are there two categories of work?

Here is the crucial point: you are only allowed to claim for one of the secondary measures if you are also installing one of the primary measures in your home.

That means you can’t get money off double-glazing unless you’re also carrying out insulation or heating works at the same time. And in the case of secondary measures, you are only allowed to claim up to the amount you are claiming for the primary measures.

So if you’re claiming £1,000 for your under-floor insulation (primary) you can only claim a maximum of £1,000 for your double-glazing (secondary).

Baffled? You won’t be the only one. It’s a lot to get your head around. Ultimately, the Government doesn’t want to hand out money willy-nilly – it wants to target its £2 billion of help at those who most need it.

The bad news is that the catches keep coming. For example, you are only able to upgrade to energy-efficient doors if you are replacing doors installed before 2002. To add to the confusion, hot water tank insulation is placed under secondary measures rather than under the primary ‘insulation’ measures.

And if you want to install low-carbon heating (a primary measure) you have to make sure you have – or are getting – adequate insulation too (the other primary measure).

Can I get my loft insulation replaced?

Sadly not. The scheme will not cover replacement insulation, but it will cover ‘top ups’ – for example, more insulation on top of what you already have.

What about old double-glazing?

This comes under the secondary measures but don’t think you can get rid of your tired old existing double-glazing under this scheme; it’s only for replacing single glazing.

Hierarchy of works: Primary measures are either insulation – for example, in a cavity wall, loft, or roof – or low carbon heating, such as ground source heat pumps

How much cash will this scheme give me?

For most homeowners, the vouchers will be worth about two-thirds of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £5,000 per household.

In the Government’s own example, a homeowner installing cavity wall and floor insulation costing £4,000 would only pay about £1,320, with the Government contributing the remaining £2,680 through the voucher scheme. But those on low incomes or certain benefits should be able to get the whole cost covered, up to that headline-grabbing £10,000.

Those who can apply include all live-in homeowners, including long-leaseholders and shared ownership, landlords of private rented sector domestic properties and park home owners including traveller sites.

For some work, it is likely that permission from the freeholder might be needed, such as shared ownership homes.

However, new-build homes and commercial premises do not qualify.

So who gets the full £10,000?

Beware: The cost soon mounts up 

Upgrading your home to help save the planet will bring you savings over time, but the initial outlay can be expensive.

The cost of replacing external windows and doors is at least £2,500 to £3,000 for a typical three-bedroom semi – and a lot more for period buildings. uPVC double-glazed windows will set you back around £100-£200 each and the same again for fitting.

Cavity wall insulation is around £725 for a detached house, going down to £475 for a semi-detached and £330 for a flat. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that a typical air source heat pump installation costs around £6,000 to £8,000.

A single solar panel can cost around £350-£500 – while a whole system can set you back as much as £6,200.

To qualify for the full £10,000, you must be receiving at least one income-based or disability benefit, such as universal credit or disability allowance.

However, only owner-occupied homes or park homes will be eligible.

For the full list see this document by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (PDF). 

Even if you are only expected to take a small grant, it may still be worth getting the work done – the Government says you will reap the benefit by lower energy bills.

In their own example above, installing cavity wall and floor insulation could save you more than £200 a year on bills as well as reducing their home’s carbon footprint by cutting 700kg of CO2 a year from your home.

How do I know which work I need?

The Government says that advice on exactly what you need to do to make your home more energy efficient will be available from its Simple Energy Advice website.

While the website – which is still in beta testing mode – will contain information about suitable home improvements, there is no requirement to follow its advice and individual homes will not be assessed.

All work must be carried out by approved TrustMark and Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered tradespeople and the Government is advising them to apply for accreditation so they can take part.

Homeowners will be given a list of approved local tradespeople who could carry out the work.

How do I apply for the grants?

The exact details of how to apply are yet to be revealed. But it is understood that when the process is launched, you’ll need to fill out an online application, get a quote from an approved supplier and have the quote approved.

The scheme is set to go live next month and is likely to last until March.

What help can I get outside England?

Although this particular Green Homes Grant is for England only, there are various other energy efficiency schemes running across all four home nations such as Warmer Homes Scotland, the Nest scheme in Wales and Affordable Warmth Scheme in Northern Ireland.

Check your local council website to find out what schemes are available in your area.

In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers free advice on energy savings and helps people find funding for energy efficiency schemes, from interest-free loans, to grants, the Warm Homes Discount and Renewable Heat Incentive.

In Wales, the Nest scheme provides free home energy efficiency improvements for people on low incomes or certain medical conditions.

The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme provides funding for energy efficiency schemes across Northern Ireland.

What other help is available?

The main scheme for vulnerable and low income households is the Energy Company Obligation (ECO).

This is free or discounted work provided by the big energy companies to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. You have to meet strict criteria, which typically includes claiming benefits of some kind from the Government.

The scheme is paid for by the Government but delivered by the energy firms themselves, who will factor the discount into the price you are quoted or offer the work free. The scheme is offered across the UK.

For more information, see Simple Energy Advice’s website.  

Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.

The post Can you get £10k to double-glaze your home in Green Homes Grant? appeared first on Shri Times News.

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[talkagency]

3 Awesome Messaging Apps for Businesses to Try in 2019

Over the past few years, instant messaging apps have become the de facto medium for businesses. From internal team communication to easier contact options for consumers, I.M apps can help increase productivity and sales.

Many of the apps featured in this review guide offer a multi-faceted approach to communication. Combining instant messaging with video calls, screen sharing, voice messaging, real-time calls, private chat rooms and much more, it’s easy to see why they are such a popular choice.

To help you understand which of the business messaging apps is your best choice, we will take a closer look at the features each one offers along with how much it costs.

  https://www.talkagency.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/3-awesome-messaging-aps-for-businesses.mp4

  Why Use I.M over Email and Call?

Email serves a purpose. But when it comes to instantaneous, real-time communication it just doesn’t cut it. From slow delivery to being marked as spam… it’s pretty much the dinosaur of communication today.

Calls are also a method of communication that’s rapidly falling out of favour. When you can say what you need to in one or two sentences without spending hours on the phone, productivity increases. 

Here’s a quick summary of why instant messaging is superior to calls and emails:

  Instant delivery and notifications

Brief sentences instead of essays

Opt-in and opt-out discussions

Easy to navigate ongoing conversations

Call, text, video and image based communication

Ability to create group forums and chat rooms

Direct notifications or send to all

Easy to install on mobile devices

creates a more friendly and personal experience

See when a user is replying in real time

  When it comes to instant messaging apps for customers to contact you, you can increase sales and communication by forgoing phone calls and emails. Messenger contact is free to use for the customer and makes it easier for  phone-shy people to reach out to you.

And in a world where fast communication is vital to beat out the competition, instant messenger apps for businesses are invaluable. Say goodbye to excessively long emails and say hello to lightning-fast communication come day or night.

Naver Line

Monthly Cost: Free

Official Downloads: 1 Billion +

Best for: Customer and Team Communication

Why? Hugely popular in Asia and the USA. A great choice for a completely free communication platform that deserves a try.

Launched in 2011, Line Messenger is a subsidiary of Naver Corporation. By 2015, Line had more than 600 million registered users. Today, more than 187 million users login each month.

Available on Android devices, iOS and as a standalone desktop app, it offers everything that a business needs to communicate for absolutely no cost. 

Users can reach each other by username, phone number or QRcode and the ability to create unlimited private forums and chat rooms makes it easy to separate teams and customers.

Key Features of Line App:

    Unlimited private chat rooms and messaging windows

Add up to 100 users into a single group messaging forum

Free VoIP calls and Video Calls

Option to make paid calls to landline numbers

User-to-user instant messages

Send voice, image and video files

Secure, encrypted messaging

Google Chrome extension available

Timeline features

Millions of stickers and options to create branded collections

Line Pay – Global credit card payment platform

  Download Line for free from the official Line Corporation website.

Slack

Monthly Cost: Free – $560 AUD per user per year.

Daily Users: 10 million +

Best for: Team level Communication

Why? The best known of all the apps out there. 

    Slack is by far the most used business messaging platform on a global scale and for good reason. With several plans available from free to enterprise grid, there is a solution for all sizes of businesses. The free plan offers all of the features that small to medium sized businesses will need. 10k searchable messages, 2 factor authentication, 1-on-1 video calls, and integration of up to 10 apps.

Standard and Plus packages cost $6.67 and $12.50 per user, per month, which is quite expensive when the free plan plus a few external apps can take care of everything you need. Enterprise Grid pricing is non-disclosed, which is never a great sign. Pricing transparency is vital for businesses. However, costs disclosed by users who have taken on the plan state it ranges between $500 – $580 AUD per user, per year.  

With that said, Slack has cornered the market for communication and sharing and makes organisation so much simpler than email and call.

Key Features of Slack:

    Use @name to directly notify a user of a message

Free VoIP calls from user to user 

Up to 10 thousand searchable messages (free plan)

User-to-user instant messages

Private and public chat rooms

Multiple app integration (unlimited in paid version)

Mobile and desktop versions available

Group calls and screen sharing (paid version)

  Download Slack for free from the official Slack website.

Workplace by Facebook

Monthly Cost: Free – $4.30 AUD per user per month.

Daily Users: 2 million paid + free users unknown

Best for: Company Wide Communication

Why? Reasonably new platform that comes fully-loaded and is super affordable for all.

    Much like the Social Media giants traditional platform, Workplace by Facebook looks pretty similar. The main difference is that it caters to employees and businesses and makes communication among team members across organisations a breeze. Employees can create profiles, businesses can use it as a central communication hub, and a whole host of messaging and scheduling tools take things to the next level.

With 2 plans available, including standard and premium, its low cost makes it ideal for even the smallest of budgets. If you know how to use standard Facebook, you will have no issues with Workplace by Facebook at all. Private channels make it safe and secure to transmit documents from one user to another, unlimited groups can be created, and task management is improved with app integrations.

Key Features of Workplace by Facebook:

    Multiple Communication avenues

Live streaming of video

Mobile and desktop video and voice calls 

Work Chat & Workplace apps (mobile devices)

Unlimited video, photo and file storage

Unlimited project and team groups

File storage provider integration

Windows Desktop Notifier 

Secure company collaboration 

Pre-built integration directory – Paid plan

Community management admin controls – Paid plan

IT team monitoring tools – Paid plan

APIs for bots & custom integration – Paid plan

Integrations with compliance providers & e-discovery – Paid plan

SSO (single sign-on) – Paid plan

Active Directory support – Paid plan

G Suite, Windows Azure AD, Okta, Integration (plus many more) – Paid plan

1:1 Admin email support – Paid plan

  Join Workplace by Facebook for free on the official website.

Notable Mentions

Naturally, there are literally hundreds of other worthy chat and workplace specific apps out there to choose from. 

  Microsoft teams

Flock

Spideroak semaphore

Twist

Glip by RingCentral

Zoho cliq

WhatsApp messenger

Ryver

  These instant messenger and communication apps are all perfect for business is and range from free to $14 AUD a month per user. Whether you are a large organisation or a small startup business, communication platforms can help boost your output by streamlining workflow and task assignment.

Of course, you don’t only want to focus on the internal side of business. It is important that you provide an instant messaging service for your customers to get in touch with you. While Facebook messenger definitely leads the way with this, don’t overlook the power and performance of Line messenger… especially if you do business across Asia and Oceania.

For more fantastic reviews, tips and tricks and digital marketing strategies, head over to our blog now. We upload fresh content on a daily basis covering a variety of topics including SEO, SEM, web design and much more.

Article first published here: 3 Awesome Messaging Apps for Businesses to Try in 2019

[ronnykblair]

Private Placement Agent Jobs: Industry Overview and Recruiting

Private placement agent jobs: “investment banking lite,” or a solid career opportunity?

There’s a lot of debate over this question, but even discussing it is difficult because “private placement groups” vary so much.

For example, are you in a large bank’s private placement group? Or at an independent firm?

Do you focus on private placements for normal companies, or financial sponsors such as private equity firms?

And do you work on primary issuances or secondary deals?

Your experience in the group will vary significantly based on the answers to those questions.

To sort it out, I recently spoke with a reader who worked in the private placement group at a bank and then moved into investor relations in private equity:

Private Placement Agents: Industry Overview

Q: Before we get into the details, can you explain “private placements” at a high level?

A: Sure. Private placement agents help financial sponsors, such as private equity funds, credit funds, and real estate funds, raise capital.

They also help companies raise capital privately from accredited individuals and institutional investors.

The key difference vs. capital markets groups at banks (ECM, DCM, and Leveraged Finance) is that all the capital raised by private placement agents is private.

In other words, you can’t buy or sell the shares or bonds from these issuances on public exchanges such as the NYSE or Nasdaq.

The issuers may be public – as in the case of PIPEs (“private investments in public equity”) – but the securities themselves must be private.

Private placement agents span a wide range, from 1- or 2-person shops run by well-connected individuals to independent boutiques to elite-boutique and bulge-bracket banks that have private placement groups.

Beyond firm size, the basic divisions are:

Client Type: Normal companies? Private equity firms? Credit funds? Real estate funds?

Deal Type: Primary or secondary? Primary refers to buying new stakes in companies or funds via new issuances, and secondary refers to buying existing stakes in companies or funds from existing investors who want to sell.

Role in Group: Sales or Transaction Management (TM)? Transaction Management is similar to “deal execution,” while Sales is more like “deal origination.”

Primary issuance volume has been higher historically, but secondary deal activity has been growing.

To make things confusing, many banks use different names for this group. A few examples:

Equity Private Placements

Private Fund Group

Private Placements

Strategic & Private Capital Solutions Group

Private Capital Advisory

Despite the different names, they all advise on primary or secondary private capital deals, and they all earn fees based on a percentage of the capital raised or sold.

Q: OK, great. What is the day-to-day work like?

A: First, I should also clarify that I worked mostly with funds (private equity, credit, and real estate), so my description will be about them rather than normal companies.

On the Sales side, professionals spend their time calling Limited Partners (LPs) such as insurance firms, endowments, and pensions, and they pitch their client funds to the LPs.

Sales professionals conduct meetings with private equity fund clients, go on-site to meet the teams, and use these meetings to figure out the best matches.

They also spend time sourcing clients, i.e., new General Partners (GPs) that need to raise capital or that are planning to raise a new fund.

The Transaction Management side is all about managing the information flow from Sales; they respond to the document-based questions (DBQs) and requests for proposals (RFPs) that prospective LPs ask for.

It’s similar to the work that IB Analysts do when drafting CIMs and sales team memos, but they focus more on the fund economics, track record, competitive advantages, and risk factors.

If you look at the Primary vs. Secondary split, the Primary team is more like a traditional public markets group such as ECM or DCM: you write memos, send them to sponsors, and run auction-like processes.

Your hours roughly follow the public markets, so they’re fairly regular.

The Secondary team is closer to an M&A team or industry group because you sell existing stakes in funds to other investors.

These stakes are large and illiquid, so the process is closer to buying or selling a normal company.

There’s also more financial modeling involved because you may have to project the fund’s performance or create waterfall models to examine potential returns.

You might also have to evaluate a firm’s portfolio companies to value a stake you’re selling, similar to the work in private equity funds of funds.

The hours in the Secondary team are longer, more unpredictable, and more similar to traditional investment banking hours: sometimes 80+ per week vs. only 60-70 on the Primary side.

Q: Thanks for explaining that.

Who were your typical clients, and did you focus on specific types of LPs?

A: Almost all our clients were middle-market funds.

“Middle market” is a loose term, but it meant roughly $300 million to $3-5 billion in AUM when I was there.

The mega-funds like Blackstone, KKR, and Carlyle are so big and well-known that they do not need to hire external agents for fundraising.

We didn’t focus on specific types of LPs because PE firms generally wanted a diverse investor base.

However, some LPs do prefer certain types of funds (e.g., insurance firms and pensions often like credit funds because of the yield and payback visibility).

New funds need to do much more than “execute leveraged buyouts” because most of the easy financial engineering targets are gone.

LPs want to see differentiation and focus, so industry and geographic expertise, as well as synergies with portfolio companies, play a big role.

Compensation, Career Paths, and Exits

Q: What does the typical career path look like? Is it the same as the investment banking career path?

A: At the bigger private placement agents, such as the one at PJT (Park Hill), it’s pretty similar. You spend 2-3 years as an Analyst, get promoted to Associate, and keep advancing up the ladder.

One difference is that Analysts and Associates on the Transaction Management team do nearly the same work; there’s less of a distinction than in traditional investment banking.

The structure may be flatter at smaller firms, but I’m not 100% certain.

Q: What about compensation?

A: When I was there, the base salary was similar to base salaries in other investment banking groups, but the bonus was lower by about ~$10K on the Primary side.

The work is less intense and the hours are better, and your compensation reflects that – though I’d say a $10K bonus reduction for 10-20 fewer hours per week is a good trade.

On the Secondary side, compensation is closer to the standard numbers in IB.

There has been some “fee compression” in the placement agent world, but it’s less of an issue than it is for hedge funds and asset management firms.

Q: That makes sense.

What are the typical exit opportunities from this role?

A: On the Primary side, most people leave for other placement agent groups, investor relations jobs at funds, and sometimes other groups within investment banking.

However, it’s easier to join a product or industry group in IB if you’re in the Secondary team.

It’s also easier to get into private equity coming from the Secondaries side, but it’s still quite difficult because you won’t have the deal experience of Analysts in other groups.

The private placements group is not great preparation for investor relations at public companies because the skill set is different, and IR there is more about monitoring day-to-day market activities.

So, if you do move into investor relations, it will most likely be an IR role at a PE firm, credit fund, real estate fund, hedge fund, or other financial sponsor.

Private Placement Agent Recruiting: How to Break In

Q: I’m doing this interview in reverse order, so now that we’ve discussed what this group does, can you tell us how you got in and how the process works?

A: Sure. I don’t think my story is unique, but I went to a “semi-target” university in the U.S., did a lot of networking and self-study, and completed internships in equity research, real estate private equity, and at a REIT.

Then I joined a well-known bank as an Analyst in its private placements group, where I went through the standard training with Analysts in other teams.

I stayed there for two years and then accepted an investor relations role at a private equity firm that also does credit and growth equity deals, and I’ve been here ever since.

The recruiting process is similar to the one in investment banking, but you don’t necessarily need to start super-early, win an internship, and then convert it into a full-time offer.

I didn’t even complete an IB internship in the summer of my junior year, but I still won a full-time offer via networking and on-campus recruiting.

Hiring open up randomly as people leave and deal flow changes, so private placement groups don’t necessarily hire the same number of Analysts each year.

Mid- and senior-level bankers from other IB groups sometimes move into private placements as well, often in search of a better lifestyle as they get older.

Q: OK. Any thoughts about interviews?

A: They’re a mix between investment banking interviews and sales interviews.

You’ll still get the normal questions about accounting, valuation, and your attention to detail, but personality/fit is more important since it is more of a sales job.

If you interview specifically for Sales roles, they’ll evaluate you by asking questions like, “Can we put this person in front of a client? Can this person conduct himself properly and speak confidently?”

They’ll also ask you about potential client situations and your existing relationships with sponsors and LPs – so there is a strong preference for more senior hires.

On the Transaction Management side, they’ll ask you questions about private equity strategies, your understanding of the industry and the fundraising process, your Excel and PowerPoint skills, and all the normal technical topics in IB interviews.

Looking Back and Moving On

Q: Why did you decide to leave the private placement job?

A: I didn’t want to stay because the work didn’t allow me to understand investment strategies or portfolio companies at a deep level. My experience was a mile wide but an inch deep.

I also wanted to build something over the long term, and I had no interest in mega-funds. So, when a recruiter reached out to me about an up-and-coming fund that did a mix of private equity, credit, and growth equity deals, I was immediately interested.

Investor relations at a private equity fund is a very specialized job, but there are also fewer people who can do the job effectively – and that also attracted me.

I’m still not sure what I want to do in the long term, but I’ve been quite happy here so far.

Q: Great. Thinking about everything we’ve discussed, who would be a good fit for private placement agent jobs, and who would not be a good fit?

A: This group is best for someone who wants broad finance exposure, but who’s not sure they want to go the traditional investment banking route due to the hours, style of work, etc.

Private placement agents are somewhere in between M&A and wealth management; we used to call the role “investment banking lite.”

You do use analytical skills, but the job is more about communications and marketing – so you need to be more sales and relationship-oriented.

Q: Great. Thanks for your time!

A: My pleasure.

The post Private Placement Agent Jobs: Industry Overview and Recruiting appeared first on Mergers & Inquisitions.

from ronnykblair digest https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/private-placement-agent-jobs/

[apprenticeshipsinlondon]

Software Apps Tester Apprentice

Kent, UK QA Ltd (Apprenticeships) This is a fantastic opportunity to join an exciting and vibrant environment. Here, you get to earn and learn. Apply now! You will be working for... A company that was established in 1981, is a leading supplier of fixed asset management and intermodal transport software solutions and services. Throughout the last 30 years, its products have been implemented by more than 3,000 organisations in over 70 countries and used across all industry sectors. Be part of QA's 10k in Tech and add yourself to the UK's tech explosion! In this role, you will be... - Acquiring an extensive knowledge of Real Asset Management's software products - Gaining a good understanding of software development processes and an understanding of business approaches - Contributing to testing, reviewing, analysing and assessing requirements and design specifications Your training... Starts with a 12-14 month IT apprenticeship, which consists of training in small groups and work based assessment, covering: Object-oriented programming (OOP), SQL data modelling, Web and systems development, Event-driven programming. You will gain City & Guilds Level 3 qualifications in IT Systems & Principles and IT Professional Competence, as well as a Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) in software development fundamentals. This fantastic opportunity can potentially lead to you earning £40k in the IT sector. Who should apply... The ideal candidate will be... - Articulate, self-motivated, confident and proficient, both numerically and with the written word - Someone with good organisational and time management abilities, together with a working knowledge of WindowsT based software - Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines - Someone with good writing skills, as it is required to document processes, raise defects and contribute to the release of product - Someone with a good understanding of the software lifecycle, who is enthusiastic to learn new functionality introduced to product releases - Someone with good communication and interpersonal skills, who is keen to be part of a testing team - Someone with knowledge on database platforms (SQL/Oracle), as it is desirable, but not essential - Someone with 7 GCSEs (C and above) including Maths and English Other Important Information... Daily working hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, 35hrs per week What happens when I complete my apprenticeship... The Training Period will be two years and, upon its satisfactory completion, the apprentice will be promoted to the position of Junior Software Tester or offered other opportunities within the company. Training will consist of both internal tuition and external courses relevant to the role. It only takes a minute to apply for an IT apprenticeship with QA and begin your IT apprenticeship career with great prospects today. QA's apprenticeship programmes are part-funded by ESF. The ESF is Europe's main instrument for supporting jobs, helping people get better jobs and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. Note: This advert may close early if a suitable candidate is found before the advertised close date is reached. from Youth In Jobs https://youthinjobs.co.uk/job/21636/software-apps-tester-apprentice/

[brajeshupadhyay]

There can’t be many homeowners who didn’t visualise sparkling new double-glazed windows or smart solar panels on their roof when Rishi Sunak announced his £2billion Green Homes Grant last month. With up to £10,000 available for energy efficient home improvements, many people started thinking about how to spend a large cheque from the Chancellor. But the scheme’s details have finally been unveiled on the Government’s website – and, as always, the devil is in the small print. Catch: You can’t get a discount on double-glazing unless you are also applying for an improvement on a specific list that includes loft or cavity wall insulation The scheme is littered with catches. First, all except the poorest homeowners will have to stump up a share of the cost themselves. Rather than covering the total amount, vouchers will be worth around two-thirds of the cost of the improvements. Second, there is a strict hierarchy of works. For example, you can’t get a discount on double-glazing unless you are also applying for an improvement on a specific list that includes loft or cavity wall insulation. And that’s just scratching the surface. Here, we guide you through Rishi’s latest boost for homeowners. What exactly is the Green Homes Grant? The Government has come up with a scheme to make our homes more energy efficient. It is handing out up to £10,000 per household to install insulation and double-glazing. It says this should cut carbon emissions, save people money, create and protect jobs – and boost the recovery from the coronavirus lockdown. Broadly speaking, you decide on what needs to be done and the Government will pay the majority of the cost. However, in practice it’s not that simple. What changes can I make? Get ready to learn all about ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ measures’, Under the scheme, the Government has divided energy-efficient home improvements into two categories: primary measures and secondary measures. Primary measures are either insulation – for example, in a cavity wall, loft, or roof – or low carbon heating, such as ground source heat pumps, or solar thermal systems (or solar panels, in plain English). Secondary measures, on the other hand, mean draught proofing, double-glazing or triple-glazing (where you are replacing single glazing), secondary glazing, upgrading to energy-efficient doors or heating controls and insulation, such as thermostats and smart heating controls. Outlay: Solar panels are costly – a whole system can set you back as much as £6,200 Why are there two categories of work? Here is the crucial point: you are only allowed to claim for one of the secondary measures if you are also installing one of the primary measures in your home. That means you can’t get money off double-glazing unless you’re also carrying out insulation or heating works at the same time. And in the case of secondary measures, you are only allowed to claim up to the amount you are claiming for the primary measures. So if you’re claiming £1,000 for your under-floor insulation (primary) you can only claim a maximum of £1,000 for your double-glazing (secondary). Baffled? You won’t be the only one. It’s a lot to get your head around. Ultimately, the Government doesn’t want to hand out money willy-nilly – it wants to target its £2 billion of help at those who most need it. The bad news is that the catches keep coming. For example, you are only able to upgrade to energy-efficient doors if you are replacing doors installed before 2002. To add to the confusion, hot water tank insulation is placed under secondary measures rather than under the primary ‘insulation’ measures. And if you want to install low-carbon heating (a primary measure) you have to make sure you have – or are getting – adequate insulation too (the other primary measure). Can I get my loft insulation replaced? Sadly not. The scheme will not cover replacement insulation, but it will cover ‘top ups’ – for example, more insulation on top of what you already have. What about old double-glazing? This comes under the secondary measures but don’t think you can get rid of your tired old existing double-glazing under this scheme; it’s only for replacing single glazing. Hierarchy of works: Primary measures are either insulation – for example, in a cavity wall, loft, or roof – or low carbon heating, such as ground source heat pumps How much cash will this scheme give me? For most homeowners, the vouchers will be worth about two-thirds of the cost of the improvements, up to a maximum of £5,000 per household. In the Government’s own example, a homeowner installing cavity wall and floor insulation costing £4,000 would only pay about £1,320, with the Government contributing the remaining £2,680 through the voucher scheme. But those on low incomes or certain benefits should be able to get the whole cost covered, up to that headline-grabbing £10,000. Those who can apply include all live-in homeowners, including long-leaseholders and shared ownership, landlords of private rented sector domestic properties and park home owners including traveller sites. For some work, it is likely that permission from the freeholder might be needed, such as shared ownership homes. However, new-build homes and commercial premises do not qualify. So who gets the full £10,000? Beware: The cost soon mounts up  Upgrading your home to help save the planet will bring you savings over time, but the initial outlay can be expensive. The cost of replacing external windows and doors is at least £2,500 to £3,000 for a typical three-bedroom semi – and a lot more for period buildings. uPVC double-glazed windows will set you back around £100-£200 each and the same again for fitting. Cavity wall insulation is around £725 for a detached house, going down to £475 for a semi-detached and £330 for a flat. The Energy Saving Trust estimates that a typical air source heat pump installation costs around £6,000 to £8,000. A single solar panel can cost around £350-£500 – while a whole system can set you back as much as £6,200. To qualify for the full £10,000, you must be receiving at least one income-based or disability benefit, such as universal credit or disability allowance. However, only owner-occupied homes or park homes will be eligible. For the full list see this document by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (PDF).  Even if you are only expected to take a small grant, it may still be worth getting the work done – the Government says you will reap the benefit by lower energy bills. In their own example above, installing cavity wall and floor insulation could save you more than £200 a year on bills as well as reducing their home’s carbon footprint by cutting 700kg of CO2 a year from your home. How do I know which work I need? The Government says that advice on exactly what you need to do to make your home more energy efficient will be available from its Simple Energy Advice website. While the website – which is still in beta testing mode – will contain information about suitable home improvements, there is no requirement to follow its advice and individual homes will not be assessed. All work must be carried out by approved TrustMark and Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) registered tradespeople and the Government is advising them to apply for accreditation so they can take part. Homeowners will be given a list of approved local tradespeople who could carry out the work. How do I apply for the grants? The exact details of how to apply are yet to be revealed. But it is understood that when the process is launched, you’ll need to fill out an online application, get a quote from an approved supplier and have the quote approved. The scheme is set to go live next month and is likely to last until March. What help can I get outside England? Although this particular Green Homes Grant is for England only, there are various other energy efficiency schemes running across all four home nations such as Warmer Homes Scotland, the Nest scheme in Wales and Affordable Warmth Scheme in Northern Ireland. Check your local council website to find out what schemes are available in your area. In Scotland, Home Energy Scotland offers free advice on energy savings and helps people find funding for energy efficiency schemes, from interest-free loans, to grants, the Warm Homes Discount and Renewable Heat Incentive. In Wales, the Nest scheme provides free home energy efficiency improvements for people on low incomes or certain medical conditions. The Northern Ireland Sustainable Energy Programme provides funding for energy efficiency schemes across Northern Ireland. What other help is available? The main scheme for vulnerable and low income households is the Energy Company Obligation (ECO). This is free or discounted work provided by the big energy companies to help reduce carbon emissions and tackle fuel poverty. You have to meet strict criteria, which typically includes claiming benefits of some kind from the Government. The scheme is paid for by the Government but delivered by the energy firms themselves, who will factor the discount into the price you are quoted or offer the work free. The scheme is offered across the UK. For more information, see Simple Energy Advice’s website.   Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence. The post Can you get £10k to double-glaze your home in Green Homes Grant? appeared first on Shri Times News.

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/08/can-you-get-10k-to-double-glaze-your.html

[apprenticeshipsinlondon]

Software Apps Tester Apprentice

Kent, UK QA Ltd (Apprenticeships) This is a fantastic opportunity to join an exciting and vibrant environment. Here, you get to earn and learn. Apply now! You will be working for... A company that was established in 1981, is a leading supplier of fixed asset management and intermodal transport software solutions and services. Throughout the last 30 years, its products have been implemented by more than 3,000 organisations in over 70 countries and used across all industry sectors. Be part of QA's 10k in Tech and add yourself to the UK's tech explosion! In this role, you will be... - Acquiring an extensive knowledge of Real Asset Management's software products - Gaining a good understanding of software development processes and an understanding of business approaches - Contributing to testing, reviewing, analysing and assessing requirements and design specifications Your training... Starts with a 12-14 month IT apprenticeship, which consists of training in small groups and work based assessment, covering: Object-oriented programming (OOP), SQL data modelling, Web and systems development, Event-driven programming. You will gain City & Guilds Level 3 qualifications in IT Systems & Principles and IT Professional Competence, as well as a Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) in software development fundamentals. This fantastic opportunity can potentially lead to you earning £40k in the IT sector. Who should apply... The ideal candidate will be... - Articulate, self-motivated, confident and proficient, both numerically and with the written word - Someone with good organisational and time management abilities, together with a working knowledge of WindowsT based software - Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines - Someone with good writing skills, as it is required to document processes, raise defects and contribute to the release of product - Someone with a good understanding of the software lifecycle, who is enthusiastic to learn new functionality introduced to product releases - Someone with good communication and interpersonal skills, who is keen to be part of a testing team - Someone with knowledge on database platforms (SQL/Oracle), as it is desirable, but not essential - Someone with 7 GCSEs (C and above) including Maths and English Other Important Information... Daily working hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm, 35hrs per week What happens when I complete my apprenticeship... The Training Period will be two years and, upon its satisfactory completion, the apprentice will be promoted to the position of Junior Software Tester or offered other opportunities within the company. Training will consist of both internal tuition and external courses relevant to the role. It only takes a minute to apply for an IT apprenticeship with QA and begin your IT apprenticeship career with great prospects today. QA's apprenticeship programmes are part-funded by ESF. The ESF is Europe's main instrument for supporting jobs, helping people get better jobs and ensuring fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. Note: This advert may close early if a suitable candidate is found before the advertised close date is reached. from Youth In Jobs https://youthinjobs.co.uk/job/8101/software-apps-tester-apprentice/