Latest news with #Lenz
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Fintech engineering is growing. The job can come with high salaries and energizing work.
Financial technology engineers are in high demand, reflecting innovation in the finance industry. The career can require specialized education but offer high salaries and diverse opportunities. This article is part of "Trends to Bet Your Career On," a series about trending professional opportunities. If you've sent money through an app or deposited a check with your phone, you've used fintech. Fintech, or financial technology, is a vast ecosystem of services and solutions, including payment systems, lending platforms, and cryptocurrencies, that is revolutionizing the way businesses operate and creating promising new career paths. Behind these innovations are fintech engineers who design, build, and maintain the software that powers many modern financial products. Though the role can require specialized education, it offers creative opportunities across finance and tech industries. It's also in high demand. The World Economic Forum's "Future of Jobs Report 2025" projected fintech engineers to be the second fastest-growing job over the next five years. Jimmie Lenz, the executive director of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering's Master of Engineering in fintech program, has nearly thirty years of experience in the financial services industry and has witnessed firsthand the increasing demand for expertise in the field. "The driver behind everything new in finance over the past 30 years has been innovation," Lenz told Business Insider. He added that technological advances continually spur change in the financial world, keeping the role of a fintech engineer both compelling and essential. Stella Zhang, the engineering manager for applied AI and growth at Plaid, a fintech company that connects consumer bank accounts to financial apps, likes that her work is helping make people's financial lives frictionless and intuitive. "This field rewards those who can zoom out to see the big picture while zooming in to perfect the details," Zhang said. "If that kind of multi-scale thinking excites you, you'll thrive in fintech." Working at the cutting edge of finance Lenz said there was immediate demand when Duke's Master of Engineering in Fintech program launched in 2020, and interest has stayed consistent. "The very first year, we probably had eight or 10 applications for every one seat," he said. Fintech engineers are often proficient in various programming languages, blockchain technologies, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Those interested in specializing in fintech can acquire relevant skills through various routes, including intensive, short-term boot camps and specialized degree programs. While undergraduate majors vary, Lenz said he sees many applicants with backgrounds in mathematics, finance, economics, and computer science. He said the opportunity to be in a rapidly evolving field is driving interest in fintech engineering. "Students definitely see their experience as getting to be at the very front wave of things," Lenz said. He said a talented fintech engineer is able to apply their programming and software engineering skills in a financial context, so it's important that his students leave with both technical and contextual information. Zhang found her way to Plaid after "an unconventional journey through finance and tech." She studied quantitative finance at Princeton University and researched computer science and AI at Stanford University. She went on to work at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, Citadel, a hedge fund, and Ironclad, a software company. Zhang said she was drawn to Plaid because it connected all the dots in her career. "At Plaid, I can use my understanding of financial systems to build AI that serves developers and, ultimately, hundreds of millions of end-users," Zhang said. "Working on applied AI in fintech where accuracy, reliability, and security are paramount provides exactly the level of challenge and responsibility that energizes me every day." Lenz said his students have gone on to work in large technology companies, banks, entrepreneurial start-ups, and investment and brokerage firms. Glassdoor's salary estimate for fintech engineers ranges from $109,000 to $170,000 a year, but Lenz said that based on conversations with his former students, the range can sometimes stretch to $200,000. Curiosity is key to a fintech career Kathleen DeRose, the academic director of the Master of Science in Fintech program at New York University, said new advancements like artificial intelligence keep fintech evolving and exciting. The job prospects for fintech engineers "reflect the tech transformations underway," she said. The surge of multibillion-dollar companies in the fintech space also "suggests the prospects are really good," said DeRose. When DeRose speaks with hiring managers and recruiters, she's increasingly hearing a desired characteristic that goes beyond technical skills: curiosity. "You need to have the technical chops, but the ability to learn quickly and have the curiosity to do so is the adaptive power that's wanted," she said. Zhang recommended choosing to work with companies "that give you space to experiment and fail safely." Breakthrough innovations rarely come from prescribed roadmaps, and the best ideas can come from "what if" conversations over coffee, she said. "Most importantly, remember that fintech engineering is about people, not just systems," Zhang said. "Yes, you need to understand distributed systems and API design, but you also need empathy for the small-business owner trying to make payroll or the recent graduate navigating student loans." "The best solutions come from engineers who never forget there's a human on the other end of every product experience," she added. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
7 days ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Fintech engineering is growing. The job can come with high salaries and energizing work.
If you've sent money through an app or deposited a check with your phone, you've used fintech. Fintech, or financial technology, is a vast ecosystem of services and solutions, including payment systems, lending platforms, and cryptocurrencies, that is revolutionizing the way businesses operate and creating promising new career paths. Behind these innovations are fintech engineers who design, build, and maintain the software that powers many modern financial products. Though the role can require specialized education, it offers creative opportunities across finance and tech industries. It's also in high demand. The World Economic Forum's " Future of Jobs Report 2025" projected fintech engineers to be the second fastest-growing job over the next five years. Jimmie Lenz, the executive director of Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering's Master of Engineering in fintech program, has nearly thirty years of experience in the financial services industry and has witnessed firsthand the increasing demand for expertise in the field. "The driver behind everything new in finance over the past 30 years has been innovation," Lenz told Business Insider. He added that technological advances continually spur change in the financial world, keeping the role of a fintech engineer both compelling and essential. Stella Zhang, the engineering manager for applied AI and growth at Plaid, a fintech company that connects consumer bank accounts to financial apps, likes that her work is helping make people's financial lives frictionless and intuitive. "This field rewards those who can zoom out to see the big picture while zooming in to perfect the details," Zhang said. "If that kind of multi-scale thinking excites you, you'll thrive in fintech." Working at the cutting edge of finance Lenz said there was immediate demand when Duke's Master of Engineering in Fintech program launched in 2020, and interest has stayed consistent. "The very first year, we probably had eight or 10 applications for every one seat," he said. Fintech engineers are often proficient in various programming languages, blockchain technologies, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Those interested in specializing in fintech can acquire relevant skills through various routes, including intensive, short-term boot camps and specialized degree programs. While undergraduate majors vary, Lenz said he sees many applicants with backgrounds in mathematics, finance, economics, and computer science. He said the opportunity to be in a rapidly evolving field is driving interest in fintech engineering. "Students definitely see their experience as getting to be at the very front wave of things," Lenz said. He said a talented fintech engineer is able to apply their programming and software engineering skills in a financial context, so it's important that his students leave with both technical and contextual information. Zhang found her way to Plaid after "an unconventional journey through finance and tech." She studied quantitative finance at Princeton University and researched computer science and AI at Stanford University. She went on to work at Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, Citadel, a hedge fund, and Ironclad, a software company. Zhang said she was drawn to Plaid because it connected all the dots in her career. "At Plaid, I can use my understanding of financial systems to build AI that serves developers and, ultimately, hundreds of millions of end-users," Zhang said. "Working on applied AI in fintech where accuracy, reliability, and security are paramount provides exactly the level of challenge and responsibility that energizes me every day." Lenz said his students have gone on to work in large technology companies, banks, entrepreneurial start-ups, and investment and brokerage firms. Glassdoor's salary estimate for fintech engineers ranges from $109,000 to $170,000 a year, but Lenz said that based on conversations with his former students, the range can sometimes stretch to $200,000. Curiosity is key to a fintech career Kathleen DeRose, the academic director of the Master of Science in Fintech program at New York University, said new advancements like artificial intelligence keep fintech evolving and exciting. The job prospects for fintech engineers "reflect the tech transformations underway," she said. The surge of multibillion-dollar companies in the fintech space also "suggests the prospects are really good," said DeRose. When DeRose speaks with hiring managers and recruiters, she's increasingly hearing a desired characteristic that goes beyond technical skills: curiosity. "You need to have the technical chops, but the ability to learn quickly and have the curiosity to do so is the adaptive power that's wanted," she said. Zhang recommended choosing to work with companies "that give you space to experiment and fail safely." Breakthrough innovations rarely come from prescribed roadmaps, and the best ideas can come from "what if" conversations over coffee, she said. "Most importantly, remember that fintech engineering is about people, not just systems," Zhang said. "Yes, you need to understand distributed systems and API design, but you also need empathy for the small-business owner trying to make payroll or the recent graduate navigating student loans." "The best solutions come from engineers who never forget there's a human on the other end of every product experience," she added.
USA Today
16-07-2025
- Health
- USA Today
What causes colon cancer? And how do you prevent it?
Colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers in the U.S., but each year it claims more than 50,000 lives – in part because early symptoms can be mild and easily missed. 'Colon cancer is the deadliest cancer for men under 50 and second deadliest for women under 50,' says Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, professor of medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. The good news is that when it is caught early, colon cancer is highly treatable. Even better, it's largely preventable through routine screening and healthy dietary and lifestyle habits. Here's what colon cancer is, what increases your risk and how you can take steps to prevent it. What is colon cancer? Colon cancer (also sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer because it often spreads to the rectum) is a disease that begins with the formation of benign polyps in the body's large intestine, also known as the colon. Over time, these polyps can become cancerous (malignant) and spread to other areas of the body. Symptoms of more advanced stages of colon cancer usually include "abdominal pain, bloody stool, a change in bowel habits (such as constipation or diarrhea), anemia due to blood loss and unexplained weight loss," explains Dr. Xavier Llor, a gastroenterologist at Yale Medicine, who specializes in colon cancer prevention. "But early on," he says, "symptoms can be mild or even absent.' While individual risk factors vary, the average risk of developing colorectal cancer over one's lifetime is about one in 24 for men and about one in 26 for women, per the American Cancer Society. In case you missed: James Van Der Beek, Jenna Fischer and the rise of young people getting cancer What causes colon cancer? While exact causes can't always be known and vary widely from patient to patient, a family history of colon cancer is known to dramatically increase one's risk, says Llor. Ditto for associated inherited conditions such as Lynch syndrome or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). Inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's or ulcerative colitis also increase risk due to ongoing inflammation in the digestive tract, explains Lenz, and type 2 diabetes may play a role as well. Age is a factor, too, as most cases of colon cancer occur in individuals over 50, but incidence among younger adults is rising. Many of the most common causes of colon cancer are thought to be related to lifestyle behaviors and dietary choices. "Diets rich in red meat such as beef, and pork – particularly if it's fried or broiled – and eating processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meat have been shown to cause colon cancer," says LLor. A lack of physical activity, obesity, smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also all contribute, says Lenz. IBD is becoming more common. What exactly causes it? How to prevent colon cancer Understanding how these factors can cause colon cancer goes a long way in helping prevent it. But even more people avoid the worst outcomes of colon cancer by getting screened early and as often as is recommended. Here are the most commonly recommended suggestions that help colon cancer be one of today's most preventable cancers. No matter how you and your doctor choose for you to get screened, what matters is doing so as soon as you reach the recommended age and then keeping up with screenings every five to 10 years, as advised by your doctor. 'If caught early,' Llor says, 'your chances of surviving colon cancer are excellent at around 90%.'
The Star
13-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Our silent guardians of ESG reporting in corporate Malaysia
In Malaysia, internal auditors are already shifting from being rule enforcers to contributors who support ethical decision-making.—Unsplash Sustainability has become a priority in Malaysian boardrooms, and ESG reporting is no longer just a formality. It now serves as a marker of real commitment to responsible business practices. Behind the scenes, internal auditors play an essential part in ensuring that what companies report is accurate and trustworthy. With stricter requirements from Bursa Malaysia and Bank Negara Malaysia, internal auditors have taken on expanded responsibilities. Their work strengthens transparency, risk oversight and public confidence. Investors and regulators expect more than statements of good intent. ESG disclosures must be backed by reliable data. This is where internal auditors matter most—they examine claims, identify inconsistencies and promote honesty. Recent research by Lenz and Enslin (2025) encourages internal auditors to shift from being rule enforcers to active contributors who support ethical decision-making. That change is already happening in Malaysia. Interviews conducted with internal auditors and senior leaders from listed companies between July 2023 and February 2024 revealed the growing role these professionals play in ESG assurance. Their tasks include setting targets, tracking progress, and confirming the accuracy of reports. Lenz and Jeppesen's 2022 '5Ps' approach—Planet, Public, Profession, Prosperity and People—helps to describe this broader scope of work. Auditors collaborate with management to make sure environmental goals are measurable, realistic and aligned with regulations. They also help prevent greenwashing—the practice of exaggerating or misrepresenting sustainability efforts. However, many auditors are still gaining experience in environmental risk assessment, an area becoming increasingly urgent as Malaysia faces more climate-related events. According to PwC (2020), internal auditors help maintain good governance and ensure compliance with ESG rules. In Malaysia, where standards vary across sectors, they also push for tighter enforcement and more consistent expectations. But these roles come with hurdles. Audit teams in smaller firms often face staffing and budget limitations, making it difficult to focus on ESG work. Others are adjusting to new tools and data systems needed for reliable ESG audits. Training and support in this area must be prioritised. Cybersecurity is another concern. As more business is done online, ESG-related data must be protected. Internal auditors are now expected to assess whether digital systems are secure enough to handle this responsibility. They also work with boards and regulators to encourage accountability. Their ability to raise concerns and provide risk updates supports both financial and sustainability goals. Some confusion still exists between internal and external auditors, especially in ESG matters. It is important to clarify the unique value internal auditors bring: familiarity with internal operations, independence from day-to-day management and strong risk analysis skills. To support their growing roles, companies should invest in ESG-specific training, upgrade their audit tools and clarify reporting standards. Internal audit must be treated as a strategic function, not just a compliance unit. Internal auditors help ensure ESG claims are backed by real action. With the right support, they can strengthen public trust, improve corporate behaviour, and contribute to lasting improvements in how businesses operate. Dr Suhaily Shahimi Department of Accounting senior lecturer Faculty of Business and Economics Universiti Malaya
San Francisco Chronicle
06-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Trump's Alcatraz whim is ‘outlandish,' but realism isn't the point, experts say
President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reopen Alcatraz, the infamous island prison in San Francisco Bay that federal officials closed in the 1960s because it was too expensive, has been called 'absurd,' 'impractical' and 'not humane.' But Trump's Sunday evening social media post about the idea follows a well-honed strategy that the president has been deploying for years. He makes outlandish claims and goads the media into writing stories debunking or criticizing them, which focuses the national conversation around his preferred topics. 'He picks outlandish topics that he thinks will be popular with the general public, but unpopular with Democrats and maybe the educated Democratic elites, in the hopes that they criticize it,' said Gabriel Lenz, a political science professor at UC Berkeley. 'That keeps an idea, an issue, a topic where he thinks he has an advantage in the news.' Crime is a good example, Lenz said, pointing to polling that has shown public support growing for 'tough on crime' policies. Locking people in the prison that once housed notorious mob boss Al Capone certainly sounds tough, even if the actual work and expense needed to make that idea a reality is far-fetched. It's similar to Trump's false story that Haitian immigrants were eating people's pets. The story was quickly easily debunked, but Lenz noted that it didn't matter — the story didn't hurt Trump in the polls and kept immigration in the news. Longtime Trump adviser Steve Bannon calls this strategy 'flood the zone.' It's how Trump grows his popularity among everyday Americans, Bannon says. 'They love this kind of days of thunder, every day flood the zone,' Bannon told Gov. Gavin Newsom in March on an episode of Newsom's podcast. 'He has a visceral connection with working-class people that people in politics haven't had in generations.' Right now, keeping the focus on Alcatraz could help Trump by distracting from rising prices and falling economic indicators in the wake of his decision to impose massive tariffs on most other countries. 'Elites will criticize him, keep that in the news, and all the signs of recession will fall out of the news for a few days,' Lenz said. 'That's been a well-honed Trump strategy Democrats keep falling for.' Cathy Abernathy, a Republican strategist based in Bakersfield, said she thinks Americans agree with Trump's tough-on-crime rhetoric. She said she views Trump's post on Alcatraz as just a suggestion at this point. 'I don't know that we need to get caught up on what other people think it would cost,' she said of some of the criticism. 'It seems premature to shoot it down.' Mike Madrid, a California-based Republican strategist and longtime Trump critic, said the goal of the Alcatraz announcement is less grounded in practicality and more on the symbolism of appearing tough on crime and embracing a 'strongman' style of governance. 'The goal here is to harken back to a time of more barbaric practices for criminals,' Madrid said. 'It's law-and-order imagery.' The episode is also indicative of Trump's erratic, shoot-from-the-hip style, Madrid said. He pushed back on the idea that the Alcatraz announcement is part of a disciplined messaging strategy. 'That's giving him far far too much credit,' Madrid said. Newsom has said he is trying to avoid being distracted by Trump's constant outlandish announcements and instead focusing on what actually matters. The difference between an important issue and a distraction is often subjective, however, and Newsom recently sparked intense criticism from other Democrats for suggesting that Trump's efforts to deport people to El Salvador without due process were a 'distraction.' 'Looks like it's distraction day again in Washington, D.C.'
