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Amex Ventures Joins $60M Zafran Series C


Zafran Security, a provider of AI-native threat exposure management, has announced a strategic investment from Amex Ventures, the venture capital arm of American Express. Amex Ventures joins Zafran’s latest $60M C round, including existing investors Menlo Ventures, Sequoia Capital, and Cyberstarts. 

The investment reflects a broader shift in how enterprises are approaching cybersecurity as AI becomes deeply embedded across core infrastructure. As innovation accelerates across cloud platforms, digital payments, data ecosystems, and third-party integrations, CISOs are under increasing pressure to move faster while maintaining operational resilience, regulatory confidence, and uninterrupted service delivery.

Large financial institutions and other critical infrastructure operators face constant scrutiny from regulators and boards, while being persistently targeted by sophisticated threat actors. These organizations manage hybrid environments spanning cloud, on-premises data centers, endpoints, and third-party providers. At the same time, their tolerance for disruption is minimal. Any instability, rushed remediation effort, or operational misstep can introduce immediate financial and reputational consequences.

Over the years, many of these enterprises have assembled best-in-class security stacks. EDR platforms, firewalls, WAFs, cloud security controls, vulnerability scanners, and ticketing systems are firmly in place. The challenge is no longer a lack of tools. It is the lack of coordination between them.

Zafran addresses this coordination gap with a fundamentally different approach. Designed as the “defensive coordinator” for complex security programs, Zafran aligns coverage across environments and validates how controls operate together in practice. By integrating across the full breadth of an organization’s existing security stack, Zafran consolidates disparate inputs into a unified view of exposure. Rather than replacing tools or adding operational friction, the platform acts as a force multiplier, identifying where defenses break down and surfacing the small number of vulnerabilities that carry material risk.

“Critical infrastructure institutions such as financial organizations are under constant pressure to innovate while maintaining trust, resilience, and regulatory confidence,” said Sanaz Yashar, co-founder and CEO of Zafran Security. “We built Zafran to serve as the defensive coordinator for complex environments. Our platform helps teams understand where the real risk is, align their existing tools, and mobilize action to stop exploitation without disrupting the business.”

Zafran’s Agentic Exposure Management platform unifies discovery, prioritization, mitigation, and remediation into a single operating model. By coordinating tools, teams, and workflows, Zafran enables financial institutions to reduce exposure faster, improve operational consistency, and gain confidence that their layered defenses are functioning as intended.

For Amex Ventures, the investment aligns with a focus on technologies that help financial institutions scale securely in increasingly interconnected environments. 

“As financial systems grow more complex and digitally interconnected, visibility and coordination across security controls become essential,” said Kevin Weber, managing director at Amex Ventures. “Zafran’s approach reflects how leading financial institutions are thinking about managing risk at scale while continuing to innovate.”



8 Clever Ways to Slash Your Monthly Bills by $500


Inflation is driving up the cost of everything, but you don’t have to just sit there and accept it.

From cutting your car insurance premiums in half to finding hidden subscriptions that are quietly draining your bank account, there are simple, legitimate ways to keep more cash in your pocket.

We’ve rounded up the top free tools and services that do the heavy lifting for you, helping you slash your everyday expenses without sacrificing your lifestyle.

1. Stop overpaying for basic insurance

Slashing your fixed monthly expenses is the fastest way to fight inflation, and your auto & home policies is the perfect place to start.

How would you feel if you found out you’re throwing away $1,200 annually just to pad some insurance company’s bottom line?

It’s very possible. But there’s only one way to know for sure.

This new car insurance shopping tool can tell if you’re overpaying for your car insurance with just a few clicks.

This new home insurance comparison tool exposes what home insurers don’t want you to see: identical coverage for hundreds less.

Take 3 minutes right now, click those links and see if you can save serious money: that’s what I did.

But don’t forget the cardinal rule: When you find ways to spend less on major expenses, don’t blow that extra money: Put it toward your mortgage, or invest it.

2. Erase high-interest debt payments

If massive monthly credit card payments are draining your budget, you need a strategy to eliminate that high-interest debt for good.

Worrying about debt is probably the worst way you can spend your time, and paying interest and late fees is the worst way you can spend your money.

If you’ve got a problem, like I did, the sooner you deal with it, the better.

If you have over $10,000 in debt, National Debt Relief is one of the most respected providers of debt relief in the U.S.

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3. Ditch your bank for a cash bonus

Stop paying monthly maintenance fees to a bank that gives you nothing in return, and switch to an account that actually pays you.

If you’re banking at a traditional brick-and-mortar bank, you’re getting ripped off. They’re charging you monthly for a checking account and paying a pittance on your savings.

Better idea? SoFi. They offer a combination checking-and-savings account, and if you set up direct deposit, you’ll earn up to 4.00% on your savings. (Can change without notice.) That’s eight times the national average.

Direct-deposit $5,000 or more within the first 25 days, you’ll get up to a $300 bonus. Direct-deposit $1,000 to $5,000, you’ll get a $50 bonus.

That’s free money.

Check out SoFi right now.

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4. Earn $1,340 while watching TV

When you can’t cut your bills any lower, the smartest move is to generate extra income to cover the difference.

Swapping a little spare time for extra money is easier than you think. I made up to $1,340/month doing it.

Lots of companies let you earn money for testing apps, playing games and taking surveys. But the one I used, FreeCash, is in a league of its own.

They list thousands of offers from companies with most taking only around 5-10 minutes to complete.

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5. Shield yourself from massive repair bills

A sudden mechanic bill can instantly destroy months of careful budgeting, but you can protect your wallet with the right coverage.

Unexpected financial shocks are a leading cause of stress in retirement. With repair costs rising, one transmission failure could wipe out months of hard-earned savings.

Stop gambling with your financial future. Endurance pays the mechanic directly, so your retirement funds stay where they belong—in your account.

They cover vehicles up to 20 years old. Includes 24/7 roadside assistance and rental benefits.

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6. Freeze your credit card interest until 2027

Stop throwing money away on massive interest charges and transfer your balances to a card that gives you a multi-year breather.

If you have outstanding credit card debt, getting a new 0% intro APR credit card could help ease the pressure while you pay down your balances.

Our credit card experts identified top credit cards that are perfect for anyone looking to pay down debt and not add to it!

Click through to see what all the hype is about.

7. Cut your wireless bill in half

Stop handing over $100 a month to major wireless carriers when you can get the exact same network coverage for as low as $15.

If you’re with a major carrier, pull up your last phone bill right now. Chances are, you’re paying $70-100+ per month for unlimited data – money that could be growing in your investment accounts instead.

Mint Mobile runs on T-Mobile’s nationwide 5G network and offers unlimited data for just $15/month for a limited time (with upfront payment required). This isn’t just a great price—it’s truly unlimited.

Customers get unlimited talk, text, and high-speed 5G • 4G data on the nation’s largest 5G network, with no hard data caps. Over 2 million people have already made the switch.

Still unsure about coverage quality? Every Mint plan comes with a 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee for purchases made on Mint Mobile

Switching is simple: bring your own phone and number, and get started in as little as 15 minutes.

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7. Swap expensive debt for a cheaper rate

You can drastically reduce your monthly debt obligations by using your home’s equity to pay off expensive credit card balances.

When my home soared in value, I turned to a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to replace my high-interest credit card debt with a much lower-interest loan. I saved hundreds annually by simply swapping credit card interest for HELOC interest.

Those savings eventually helped me pay off my house.

HELOCs could be the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to access extra cash, for whatever purpose, from consolidating debt to upgrading an outdated kitchen: HELOC rates are less than half what credit cards charge

In seconds, Money.com’s comparison page will show you the best rates in your area, so you know you’re getting the best deal.

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8. Cancel hidden subscriptions instantly

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My thoughts on a Business Administration Degree…



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Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
0:33 – Hidden truth about this degree
1:11 – Salary secrets revealed
2:07 – 6-figure career paths
2:51 – Satisfaction factor overlooked
4:31 – Job demand strategy
5:50 – Winner vs loser factors
6:44 – Automation-proof method
7:16 – Millionaire-making blueprint
8:48 – Entrepreneurship advantage
9:46 – Difficulty level hack
10:30 – Surprising pros and cons
11:46 – Final verdict

———-

These videos are for entertainment purposes only and they are just Shane’s opinion based off of his own life experience and the research that he’s done. Shane is not an attorney, CPA, insurance, or financial advisor and the information presented shall not be construed as tax, legal, insurance, safety or financial advice. If stocks or companies are mentioned, Shane might have an ownership interest in them. Affiliate links may be present, the offers and numbers presented may change over time so please make sure to confirm that the offer is still valid. Some offers mentioned may no longer be available or they have been changed. Please don’t make buying or selling decisions based on Shane’s videos. If you need such advice, please contact the qualified legal or financial professionals, don’t just trust the opinion of a stranger on the internet and always make sure to do your own research and enjoy this family friendly content.

Sources and further readings for jobs and college degrees:
bls.gov(bureau of labor statistics)
nces.ed.gov(national center for educational statistics)
payscale(provides information on jobs and degrees)

source

Have CEOs Lost the Plot?


Welcome to the HBR Executive Agenda for February 26, 2026.

In this issue:

  • Have CEOs Lost the Plot?
  • Friday: HBR Executive Live with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky
  • New Benefit: Meet the HBR Interactive Issue

Bill George has spent decades counseling business leaders on how to be authentic. And he’s worried that many have lost their way.

George fostered a mission-driven culture during the 10 years he served as CEO of Medtronic, from 1991 to 2001. He then became a professor and fellow at Harvard Business School, where he has focused on ethical and purpose-driven leadership.

CEOs are struggling to find their footing these days, George says. Their role seemed clearer during Covid, when many executives rose to the challenge of becoming inspirational figures. They led their businesses while guiding their employees through a challenging shared experience. That was the case as well for many U.S. CEOs in 2020 when George Floyd’s murder shocked the nation, and employees looked to their leaders for guidance and assurance.

Times have changed. The past year has seen a backlash against this form of empathetic leadership. That’s been especially true in the field of DEI, where even many diversity champions would acknowledge executional flaws. The Trump administration’s tendency to go after its critics has further prompted many leaders to avoid inserting themselves into social or political issues.

But George says CEOs have become excessively cautious. Many are retreating to the narrowest definition of their roles. They attend meetings, handle email, and keep on top of their duties. But they’re no longer showing up for their employees or customers—and are less effective as a result.

“You need to get out there with your teams and get out there with your customers,” says George. “If you want to inspire people, they need to see your humanity.”

George urges CEOs to free themselves from the tyranny of the workday. HBS’s Michael Porter and Nitin Nohria did a study nearly a decade ago that showed that CEOs spent 72% of their time in meetings. While the data probably needs updating, George is worried that CEOs are once again falling into the meeting trap.

“A lot of CEOs are more comfortable in meetings than when they’re out with people,” he says. “As a result, they don’t really know what’s happening on the front lines, which means they’re less able to make smart business adjustments.”

Who’s doing it right? George cites Christophe Beck, who has spent the past five years as CEO of Ecolab, a U.S. water-treatment company. George says Beck is consistently on the front lines with his teams and that it’s clearly helping his business. Ecolab’s share price recently hit an all-time high.

By contrast, George says, the leadership of Target has struggled. The national backlash against DEI prompted Target to overreact and abandon its commitment to diversity, which had been a core part of its brand. The new CEO, Michael Fiddelke, is now trying to come up with a plan to get Target back on track.

“In an era of AI, we need authentic leaders more than ever,” says George. “We need leaders to show up and have empathy, compassion, and courage—all the things that AI can’t do.”

Solid rule that identifies a new content section.

My exclusive HBR Executive Live conversation with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky is happening this Friday, Feb. 27, at 1:30 pm EST.

Roslansky will draw from his vantage point at the center of one of the world’s most data-rich platforms to discuss:

  • How AI is redefining skills and changing career trajectories
  • How executives can build AI fluency across their teams
  • How to design organizations that learn faster than the market shifts, and more.

Roslansky will also share lessons from LinkedIn’s own transformation, including how the company is using AI to power growth while maintaining trust.

Register

Solid rule that identifies a new content section.



The Most Educated Religious Groups In America


Key Points

  • Hindus (70%) and Jews (65%) are the most highly educated religious groups in the United States, far above the national average of 35% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or more.
  • Educational attainment varies widely within Christianity, with Episcopal Church members (67%) far more likely to hold degrees than evangelicals overall (29%).
  • Among the religiously unaffiliated, atheists (48%) and agnostics (53%) outpace the national average, while those who say their religion is “nothing in particular” (29%) fall below it.

A new report from the Pew Research Center offers one of the most detailed looks at how educational attainment differs across religious groups in America.

The findings come from Pew’s 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study, a survey of 36,908 U.S. adults. Because of its large sample size, researchers were able to analyze not only broad religious categories, but also specific denominations within Protestantism and other traditions.

The headline finding: Hindus and Jews stand apart by a wide margin.

Educational Attainment by Religion. Source: Pew Research Center

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Hindus and Jews Top The List

Seven in ten Hindus in the United States hold at least a bachelor’s degree, the highest share of any religious group measured. Jewish Americans follow closely behind, with 65% reporting a four-year college degree or higher.

Both figures nearly double the national average of 35% for all U.S. adults.

Other religious groups with comparatively high levels of education include Orthodox Christians (45%), Muslims (44%), Buddhists (41%), and mainline Protestants (40%). Catholics overall match the national average at 35%.

At the lower end of the spectrum are evangelical Protestants (29%) and members of historically Black Protestant churches (24%).

These differences reflect a mix of immigration patterns, socioeconomic factors, denominational history and geographic distribution. Pew’s report does not speculate on causes, but the educational profile of Hindu Americans, for example, aligns with broader immigration data showing that many Indian immigrants arrive in the United States through employment-based visa programs that favor highly skilled workers.

Sharp Divide Within Protestantism 

The size of Pew’s survey makes it possible to look more closely at educational attainment within Christian traditions.

Pew Research Evangelical Protestants. Source: Pew Research Center

Evangelical Protestants

Overall, 29% of evangelical Protestants have a bachelor’s degree or more, slightly below the national average.

But the range within evangelical denominations is wide. Among the groups analyzed:

  • Members of the Global Methodist Church report a 57% college graduation rate. 
  • The Presbyterian Church in America also stands at 57%.
  • At the other end, just 18% of members of the Assemblies of God hold college degrees.
  • Southern Baptists (23%) and Independent Baptists in the evangelical tradition (20%) also fall well below the national average.

These internal differences suggest that educational attainment cannot be generalized across broad labels like “evangelical.” Institutional history, theology, regional concentration and member demographics all play a role.

Mainline Protestants

Mainline Protestants overall are more educated than evangelicals, with 40% holding at least a bachelor’s degree.

Among denominations Pew was able to analyze separately:

  • The Episcopal Church stands out at 67%.
  • The Presbyterian Church (USA) reports 58%.
  • The United Church of Christ reports 50%.
  • The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (39%) and the United Methodist Church (42%) cluster near the national average.
  • The American Baptist Churches USA fall much lower, at 13%.

The 67% figure for Episcopalians places them roughly on par with Jewish Americans and just below Hindus, making them one of the most highly educated Christian groups in the country.

Historically Black Protestant Churches

Among historically Black Protestant churches, about 24% of members have a college degree or more, below the national average.

Within that tradition:

  • The National Baptist Convention, USA, stands at 24%.
  • The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) reports 10%.

Pew did not have sufficient sample sizes to report separate results for some smaller denominations, including the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

The Religious Unaffiliated 

The religiously unaffiliated (sometimes called “nones”) account for a growing share of the U.S. population. But their educational profile is not uniform.

Overall, 37% of religiously unaffiliated adults have a bachelor’s degree or more, slightly above the national average.

Breaking that down:

  • Agnostics: 53%
  • Atheists: 48%
  • “Nothing in particular”: 29%

The contrast is significant. Agnostics and atheists are substantially more likely than Americans overall to hold college degrees. Those who describe their religion as “nothing in particular” are less likely than average to have completed college.

Takeaways

Educational attainment is closely tied to income, employment stability and long-term wealth accumulation. According to federal labor data, workers with bachelor’s degrees typically earn substantially more over a lifetime than those with only a high school diploma.

For example:

  • Communities with higher shares of college-educated adults often report higher median earnings and lower unemployment rates.
  • Educational attainment can influence views on public policy, including education funding, student loan programs and workforce training initiatives.
  • Within religious institutions, educational differences may affect leadership structures, charitable priorities and institutional investments in schools or scholarship programs.

At the same time, education levels within religious groups are shaped by broader demographics: immigration policy, geographic settlement patterns, historical access to higher education and economic inequality.

Pew’s survey does not draw conclusions about why these differences exist. It provides a statistical snapshot. 

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The post The Most Educated Religious Groups In America appeared first on The College Investor.

Canadian economy shrinks 0.6% in fourth quarter as inventory drops




The Canadian economy ended the year on a softer note as a sharp decline in business inventories drove down real gross domestic product by an annualized 0.6% in the fourth quarter.

Cava Shares Surge on Upbeat Outlook. Can the Stock’s Momentum Continue?


Shares of Cava Group (CAVA 2.97%) surged after the Mediterranean-themed restaurant operator issued upbeat guidance with its fourth-quarter earnings report. The stock is up more about 45% year to date but still down about 15% over the past year.

Let’s dig into the company’s latest results and prospects to see if the stock’s momentum can continue.

Today’s Change

(-2.97%) $-2.52

Current Price

$82.22

An upbeat outlook

2025 was a difficult year for Cava stock, with its shares getting nearly cut in half. The biggest reason for this was that its same-store sales growth slowed dramatically starting in Q2. However, that was largely due to the lapping of the introduction of its highly popular grilled steak option in 2024.

With those tough comparisons now behind the company, it forecasted 3% to 5% comparable-restaurant sales growth for 2026. That’s a nice jump compared to the last three quarters of 2025, which ended with it only reporting a 0.5% increase in Q4.

Overall revenue for Q4 climbed 21% year over year to $272.8 million. It opened 24 new restaurants in the quarter, bringing its total to 439 locations, a nearly 20% increase compared to a year ago.

After entering a few new Midwest markets in 2025, the company continues to expand in the region, with planned openings in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Columbus, and Minneapolis in 2026. Overall, it is looking to open between 74 and 76 new locations in fiscal 2026. Its goal remains to reach at least 1,000 restaurants by 2032.

Its restaurant-level margins (RLMs) came in at 21.4% in the quarter, down from 22.4% a year ago, and were 24.4% for the full year. RLMs measure how profitable a chain’s individual restaurants are before corporate costs. It expects a 2026 RLM of between 23.7% and 24.2%.

On the profitability front, Cava’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) rose by 3% year over year to $25.8 million. The company also generated $184.8 million in operating cash flow for the year and free cash flow of $26.1 million.

Chart of a stock going up with the year 2026 over part of the chart.

Image source: Getty Images.

Is the stock still a buy?

Cava has robust average unit volumes (AUVs) of nearly $3 million with strong RLMs, as it uses a similar strategy to Chipotle, with minimal ingredients that can be used in a multitude of combinations. Meanwhile, with fewer than 450 locations, it has one of the best expansion stories in the restaurant industry, as it moves into new markets and infills existing ones.

Given the expansion opportunity still in front of it, Cava is an interesting growth story. However, after this surge, I think the stock has gotten way ahead of itself. It has a market cap of $9.8 billion and 439 locations. That’s valuing each of its locations, which average just under $3 million in yearly sales, at $22.3 million per restaurant location. That’s way too high.

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