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Less than a week from now, we will have our midterm elections. One of the buzzwords we often hear from voters on who they would vote for is authenticity. Authenticity is defined as being true to one’s belief, character and personality. In short, we want our politicians to show who they truly are. It is the degree to which an individual’s actions are aligned with their beliefs and desires. During the campaign period, we try to determine who is authentic and who is simply faking it. Do they believe in honesty, or do they believe that lying can justify the end? Is eating using your hands being authentic?

Two days ago, we experienced a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Luzon. Another one hit Visayas yesterday. From what has already been reported, there are a number of casualties mostly in Central Luzon and Eastern Samar.

April 16 or ‘the day after’: a day most auditors and accountants will consider as the start of their temporary emancipation because the tax deadline has passed. Temporary, however, because unless we shift careers, we will face the tax deadline again next year.

In this age of social media, where we have access to platforms that allow us to share our own content, we are becoming more aware of what has been happening to other people, regardless of where they may be. Though there are inherent dangers to this new level of connectedness, it also allows more and more conversations to happen, albeit in the digital space. It can cause envy, yes, but it can also spark hope. As we share our lives and engage in conversations that transcend distance, it now becomes more apparent to us that we are not alone in our daily struggles; that our sufferings are not unique to us; that there are others out there who may have something worse than whatever it is we are going through.

Over a decade ago, my wife and I agreed on how we wanted to pursue our respective career paths. We laid out where we currently were and where we wanted to go, what were the opportunities, and how we are going to pursue them. The plan we hatched involved being away from each other for most of the year. At that point in our lives, we felt this was our final chance to run as fast as we can with regard to our careers, that we needed to pursue exponential career growth while it is still just the two of us in our family. As soon as we finalized our plans, God blessed us with an unexpected news–we were having a baby. I could not remember exactly what words were said when we learned about my wife’s pregnancy, but I can still recall how non-jubilant we were with the news. The mood was somber at best. It was not in our plans. We had other plans.

Whether it is artificial intelligence, big data, analytics, or cloud technology, technological advances present an opportunity for finance or accounting teams. However, what is the best way to make the most of potential gains: an enterprise-wide solution or a more targeted approach?

At the start of the month, or even a week or two prior to February 1st, all of us begin to see love symbols everywhere. Roses, cards, and chocolates are visibly on sale in all malls. Delivery boys rush to send these items to ensure the receipt of the intended party on or before the big V-Day.

(Last part) It started without warning when the malware hit Prix Healthcare Inc.’s servers. The new strain infected the company’s systems like silent wildfire, burning through the cyber kill chain unabated. The hacker advanced easily from each step on the kill chain; he harvested enough email addresses during his reconnaissance to know all about Mark’s secret affair with a staff member, that he enjoyed a high-speed virtual private network connection to the office’s network, and that Mark maintains several personal email addresses. He weaponized his exploit of choice into an unassuming PDF (portable document format) file, and delivered the payload as an email masquerading as a legitimate corporate travel agent. A typical customized whale-phishing email attack will do the trick, the hacker’s eyes gleamed, easy peasy. The code executed after exploiting a known vulnerability, and then the malware installed on the server—the asset, lighting up his target. He knew no one in Prix had the foresight, skill, and time to hunt for abnormal outbound network activities or packets that the now-infected system will be sending to call home—and engage the next step in the chain, command and control.