July 2020 Newsletter

Summer Learning & Earning: Explore our July newsletter and discover the latest blog posts and insights from FX Initiative on currency risk management. We help finance, accounting, treasury, and sales professionals stay up to date with new training content, CPE webinars, and helpful tips & resources.

Scale the learning curve quickly and easily with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

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Student & Sponsor Synergies

In only 3 months, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the majority of in-person classrooms and conference rooms to online learning platforms and video based communications. While we are grateful for the technology innovations that have made this transition possible, we are mindful progress remains. In listening to our community, sentiment among students and professionals shows that engagement with classmates and colleagues feels distant. WindyCityWebinars.org is providing a solution.

We facilitate collaborative projects to create continuing professional education (CPE) webinars between corporate sponsors and student leaders to realize synergies and foster community. From real world and case study examples to academic theory, we work with sponsors to create CPE credit eligible webinars on business topics that complement products & services and support training & marketing objectives. Each webinar is enhanced by students using knowledge from their academic major.

During this period of isolation, it is clear that students and professionals alike are seeking creative ways to keep learning alive and communities thriving. WindyCityWebinars.org believes that investing in people is paramount to success. To that end, we warmly invite business leaders to invest in a CPE webinar project. As Napoleon Hill famously stated, “Within every adversity is the seed to an equal or greater benefit.” To learn about sponsor benefits, contact info@windycitywebinars.org.

Virtual Learning & Networking

WindyCityWebinars.org makes it simple to promote your brand and showcase your expertise with continuing professional education (CPE) webinars. We are a community of Chicago professionals and business students focused on educating peers and maximizing exposure to sell professional services. Our remote learning platform allows you to offer CPE credit webinars that comply with NASBA licensing regulations to meet the ongoing professional development needs of your employees, clients, and prospects.

Windy City Webinars was created in collaboration with DePaul University’s ICS 394 strategic entrepreneurship class during the spring of 2020. Our mission is to keep learning alive and accessible to all during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. We provide students unique opportunities to assist with webinar projects to gain work experience, explore a variety of career paths, develop and refine skills, network with professionals, and acquire knowledge and confidence as they transition into the workforce.

As a member of the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) National Registry of CPE Sponsors, we are authorized to issue CPE credits in all 50 states. This allows our audience to safely and remotely attend learning sessions from anywhere in the United States. Windy City Webinars is an unparalleled resource to support you in creating and promoting CPE programs that share thought leadership and raise brand awareness. To get started, contact info@windycitywebinars.org.

Involving Student Interns

FX Initiative is pleased to welcome and support student interns in summer 2020. Internships are designed to help students add substantive and unique experience to their resumes. Our goal is to provide students with opportunities to gain work experience, explore career paths, develop and refine skills, network with professionals, and build confidence as they earn compensation and transition into the workforce.

To facilitate our internship program this summer, we are participating in DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center's Startup Internship Program, which gives undergraduate students hands-on experience working closely with founders on specific projects at a local Chicago startup. The 2020 summer internship program is a remote opportunity to help stay engaged in meaningful work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These internships are designed to be experiential learning opportunities for students and a chance to see first-hand the challenges that startups face. Interns will be working on significant tasks that contribute to the success of the organization. Areas of involvement include performing market research, creating educational content, developing marketing and sales strategies, and enhancing website functionality.

FX Initiative remains committed to keep learning alive and accessible to all with continuing professional education (CPE) programs that promote business best practices. With a focus on the Chicago community, we welcome business leaders and corporate sponsors to contact us about working with our student interns on innovative CPE training and marketing initiatives. To learn more, contact support@fxinitiative.com.

Structuring Summer CPE Sessions

Summer is an ideal season to structure learning and earning opportunities. From sharpening skills to sharing insights, our continuing professional education (CPE) sessions are designed to serve your organization’s professional development needs. Through live webinar training, we provide internal and external marketing opportunities to capitalize on recent events impacting the foreign exchange market, as well as to coincide with quarterly or annual planning processes.

Whether you are interested in a timely session related to current events such as COVID-19 or would like a formal way to start goal setting for a new calendar or fiscal year, our live webinar sessions are fully customizable and capable of addressing your group training needs. Each live webinar is eligible for CPE credit, and offers the ability to collaborate on content, engage the audience with real time poling and survey questions, and participate in question and answer segments.

Our CPE programs help organizations around the world stay current on the latest regulations, developments, and trends in finance, accounting, and related business industries while earning CPE credits to maintain professional credentials. As a member of the NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors, we cover a broad range of knowledge, skills, and abilities that enhance competence and increase confidence in participants’ ability to improve performance and profitability.

Leading organizations that prioritize professional development realize greater return on investment (ROI). Quality training that directly relates to job responsibilities benefits both the employee and the bottom line. Not only are employees more knowledgeable and capable after completing our training, but they are able to apply their knowledge for the benefit of their customers and the firm. To learn more about CPE opportunities, please contact support@fxinitiative.com.

Windy City Summit Webinar

With the cancellation of the 2020 Windy City Summit, our originally planned live learning session will be held remotely. Registration for this program is open to the public. If you are a Windy City Summit sponsor or attendee and would like to learn more about remote learning opportunities, please contact us at support@fxinitiative.com.

Please join us for this educational webinar on Mastering Currency Risk Management, which addresses best practices on how to identify, analyze, execute, and optimize a foreign exchange (FX) risk management program. This informational session covers the fundamental concepts of corporate foreign exchange (FX) risk management, including how to assess a firm’s FX risk profile using a step-by-step analysis framework, the four approaches for managing FX risk, the impact FX risk has on the financial statements, and key terminology and takeaways for building a world class FX risk management program.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Discover how leading multinational corporations identify foreign exchange (FX) risk, including transaction, translation, and economic risk.
2. Explore how to analyze FX risk management strategies, including balance sheet hedging, cash flow hedging, and net investment hedging.
3. Identify key considerations when executing FX risk management plans, including the importance of strategy, policy, and financial reporting.
4. Recognize approaches to optimizing FX risk management plans by investing in personnel, resources, and operations to improve results.

We are a Chicago based organization, and similar to the Chicago Fire of 1871, we are committed to offering a rewarding “silver lining” experience by salvaging the summit’s valuable learning opportunities. Please join our webinar on Wednesday, May 20th 2020 on Mastering Currency Risk Management by registering here.

Supporting Student Portfolio Projects

WindyCityWebinars.org, a remote learning project in development with FX Initiative and DePaul’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center, is pleased to share our Student Application to complete a webinar portfolio project related to their academic major. Portfolio projects are designed to connect students with internship and employment opportunities by showcasing their learning abilities, skillsets, and work ethic to create educational programs presented to the Chicago business community.

Webinar portfolio projects are designed for ambitious students looking for a structured experience to help add something substantive and unique to their resumes and portfolios in summer 2020. With more and more internships cancelled, jobs on hold, and a summer in flux, this opportunity is meant to provide an approach for students to effectively use their summer and participate meaningfully in a community of professionals to gain experience and unlock potential opportunities in the future.

Students will be part of a robust and diverse community producing high quality continuing professional education (CPE) programs in business fields of study. WindyCityWebinars.org is focused on creating win-win-win outcomes that benefit our student contributors, corporate sponsors, and community of professionals as we fulfill our mission to keep learning alive and accessible to all during the COVID-19 pandemic.

All college students are welcome to apply. This interest form is designed to provide background information on student applicants to help identify and plan out each webinar project. Students should expect to spend 10-15 minutes answering the 10 questions. To get started, complete the application using the link below to be considered for this unique opportunity with WindyCityWebinars.org.

Student Application - Webinar Portfolio Project: https://forms.gle/NiQ1RAiTS3tKE6M69

May 2020 Newsletter

Making May Training Meaningful: Explore our May newsletter and discover the latest blog posts and insights from FX Initiative. We help finance, accounting, treasury, and sales professionals stay up to date with new training content, CPE webinars, and helpful tips & resources.

Scale the learning curve quickly and easily with our foreign exchange risk management training, which provides 24/7 365 access to our complete suite of foreign exchange (FX) continuing professional education (CPE), examples and events at FXCPE.com. Start Training >

View Newsletter

Teaching Treasury Management Topics

To keep learning alive and accessible to all during the COVID-19 pandemic, WindyCityWebinars.org is an innovative student led and sponsor driven project in development with DePaul University and the Chicago business community.

As we plan our summer learning series, we are working with speakers and sponsors to create a training agenda focused on treasury management best practices. To participate, we are now accepting presentations on the following topics:

• Banking & Relationship ​Management: Corporate banking challenges & opportunities.
• Fraud & Compliance: Compliance, internal controls, regulatory requirements, etc.
• Investments & Liquidity Management: Portfolio returns, investment goals, budgeting, funding.
• Treasury Management Essentials: Treasury trends, best practices, and integration options.
• Banker Topics: ​Banker and financial service provider best practices.
• Insurance Solutions​: Business risk and insurance strategies for success.
• Professional ​Development: Career planning and skills to enhance your marketability.
• Treasury ​Technology: FinTech, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cybersecurity, etc.
• Corporate Finance: Financial planning & analysis, and capital structure.
• International Treasury Management: Global payments, cash management, and trade.
• Risk Management: Foreign currency & interest rate risk management.
• Working Capital Management: Working capital efficiency and maximization tactics.

For credentialed professionals, learning sessions may be eligible for continuing professional education (CPE) credit. CPE credit is issued by FX Initiative, a member of the NASBA National Registry of CPE Sponsors, in fields of study including: 

• Accounting
• Auditing
• Behavioral Ethics
• Business Management & Organization
• Business Law
• Communications & Marketing
• Computer Software & Applications
• Economics
• Finance
• Information Technology
• Management Services
• Personal Development
• Personnel/Human Resources
• Production
• Regulatory Ethics
• Specialized Knowledge
• Statistics
• Taxes

To share your treasury management thought leadership with our audience of students and professionals, we invite you to submit an outline of your presentation, proposed topic, or educational idea to our team at info@windycitywebinars.org.

We welcome business leaders and corporate sponsors to contact us about contributing the success of this student led learning initiative. To get involved in our project or learn more about how to help, please email support@fxinitiative.com.

Windy City Webinars

As our collaboration with DePaul University’s Coleman Entrepreneurship Center (CEC) progresses, we are excited to announce our project titled WindyCityWebinars.org.  Led by students and supported by sponsors, this remote learning initiative is designed to teach best practices and provide unique industry insights to students, employees, clients, and prospects.

This collaboration is made possible by the support of the Chicago business community, universities, and sponsors that enable and empower this student driven mission to keep learning alive and accessible to all during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us for professional development opportunities as we share valuable thought leadership to online audiences.

Whether you are a student seeking a job or internship, a professional looking to sharpen skills and generate leads, or a corporation committed to bettering your community through education and outreach, we invite you to attend, present, and/or sponsor an educational webinar. To learn more about supporting WindyCityWebinars.org, contact info@windycitywebinars.org.