Charleston Currents – Kyra Morris

Articles by: Kyra Morris

MORRIS: Identity theft and your role in protecting your data

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the U.S. government’s central repository for identity (ID) theft complaints and provides victim assistance and consumer education. In 2014, one billion records – Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, health records, and private photos — were taken. Forty percent of all identity thefts are tax- or wage-related.

In 2015, the IRS “Get Transcript” data breach involved potentially 724,000 compromised accounts. The thieves were able to transcend a multi-step authentication process that required prior personal knowledge about the taxpayers. There was also an additional step where several personal identity verification questions typically only known by the taxpayer were correctly answered.

by Kyra Morris · 08/29/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

Photographer Bill Hawker of Sydney, Australia, captured this shot outside the Tower of London around the time of the Brexit vote.

MORRIS: What’s going on post-Brexit and what it means

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | History was made June 23 of this year when the United Kingdom (UK) voted to leave the European Union (EU). For two days after the so-called “Brexit” vote, the U.S. stock market offered buying opportunities.

The DOW fell over 600 points on the June 25 and another nearly 300 points on the following Monday. Then the rebound began. Within the following month, the S&P and the DOW not only regained their pre-Brexit levels, but went on to achieve record highs. International markets since the vote – everywhere but the UK — also rebounded. This include both developed and emerging markets. This is only one month. Does it give us any idea of what to expect going forward?

by Kyra Morris · 07/25/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

FOCUS: One Region targets infrastructure, education, housing

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | The Charleston area is our home. This area includes Charleston County, Berkeley County and Dorchester County. It’s changing, and it’s happening quickly. The passive approach is to sit back and simply marvel, or perhaps we can complain at the increase in traffic with poor road conditions, the high cost of housing and the quality of our educational system. The active approach is to get involved.

The Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) and the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (CMCC) joined together to form a collaborative initiative. The purpose is to create a multi-fibered think tank representing the public sector, private sector, nonprofit and educational organizations within our region to further enhance and sustain our economy while maintaining the quality of life we all cherish. They call this initiative One Region: A Global Competitive Strategy.

by Kyra Morris · 07/04/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news, Money

MORRIS: Spoleto is at home here — and part of our edge

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | 1977 – the beginning of Charleston’s emergence as a world destination city– was also the first year of Spoleto Festival USA. Is this a coincidence, or is there a correlation?

Gian Carlo Menotti, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning composer, sought to establish a sister festival to the Festival dei Due Mondi of Spoleto, Italy. After a comprehensive search for the right place, he chose Charleston. It met his expectations for old world charm, historical architecture, and abundance of theatres and other performance spaces, including the variety of beautifully-maintained churches that reminded him of those in Italy.

by Kyra Morris · 05/30/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

FOCUS: Future bright for Volvo, Charleston

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | In May of 2015, Volvo chose South Carolina to build its first plant in North America. Volvo will build its factory on a 2,800-acre parcel of the Camp Hall Industrial Campus near Ridgeville in Berkeley County. It will be a 575-acre first phase development with an initial 2,000-worker assembly plant. Volvo’s investment for its American presence in our home state will begin at $500 million.

Why Ridgeville? Ridgeville is a small town with a population of approximately 2,000 people who live 12 miles northwest of Summerville. Ridgeville is also 30 miles from a thriving port that currently exports more than 800 BMWs a day. The proximity to a vital port that provides access overseas is a very important factor for Volvo.

by Kyra Morris · 04/04/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Focus, Good news

MORRIS: Let’s talk politics and the markets

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | This is an election year, and often we hear that election years are bad years for market returns. This is a particularly interesting, unusual and unexpected election year. The markets are jittery. What though really is the correlation of election years and the subsequent years to market returns?

by Kyra Morris · 02/29/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

MORRIS: Coming together is Teck’s theme, Charleston’s desire

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | “Coming Together” is the theme of Charleston’s newly-elected mayor, John Tecklenburg. Charleston does not just represent the formal city of Charleston but the whole tri-county area, and coming together in Charleston is not new.

by Kyra Morris · 02/01/2016 · Comments are Disabled · Real estate, Views

FOCUS: Advice on financial resolutions for the new year

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | It’s almost January, a time for new beginnings. The holidays are just about over. Now it’s time to pay for the festivities. We often say to ourselves, “I’m going to do it differently this year.” Then we ask ourselves, “Is it worth the effort?” So many resolutions go unresolved and undone. So – can the New Year truly find you a better person.

Prior years’ studies show that around 51 percent of those who make resolutions regarding their finances feel they are better off financially after just one year. That’s over half. The percentages are in your favor. With a little forethought and some self-motivation, you can do it. Identify your goals and desires, and then develop your plan. Your financial resolutions may improve your overall financial health.

by Kyra Morris · 12/28/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

MORRIS: Have a financially-savvy holiday season

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | As our bellies are now full from a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, it’s now time to consider emptying the wallet for the holidays. At least that is what retailers would like for you to do. The holiday season and shopping are often directly correlated. Instead of the joy of the season, we often experience the stress of the season.

by Kyra Morris · 11/30/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views

MORRIS: The blood supermoon: Astronomical phenomenon or apocalypse?

By Kyra Morris, contributing editor | As USA Today put it, “It almost sounds like something from a comic strip: A total supermoon lunar eclipse, also known as a blood moon — supermoon.” This is real, and by the time you read this, it happened in its fullness on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2015, lasting until early Monday morning.

by Kyra Morris · 09/28/2015 · Comments are Disabled · Money, Views