Ben Gran

I’m a freelance writer and blogger for many websites and corporate blogs, covering various industries and topics ranging from finance and entrepreneurship to software & technology. I’ve written hundreds and hundreds of articles under my own byline over the years, but these are some of the articles that I’m most passionate about and proud to share with you.

Prudential

I have written for Prudential, one of the most-respected financial services companies in America, about personal finance, tax planning, college savings, and other complex financial topics. 

• 5 creative ways to pay for college
  Parents who are concerned about their kids being burdened by student loan debt are looking for creative ways to save and pay for college.
• How the new tax law affects your 2018 tax planning
  An overview of the biggest impacts of the new tax law that took effect on January 1, 2018, with advice and strategies on how people can maximize their tax benefits.
• Is your budget ready for your job change?
  Financial advice to prepare for a job change – whether it’s a layoff or a voluntary departure.
• Give your financial house a solid foundation
  Helping people create a stronger financial foundation, from basic budgeting to debt management to saving for the future.
• 6 money-saving tax moves for service members
  Special tax advice for the unique needs of U.S. military service members and their families.
• How the SCRA can protect your rights and your money
  Military service members in certain situations can benefit from additional financial protections and consumer rights; learn how to get what you deserve from lenders and creditors.
• Retirement planning after a divorce
  Divorce is often a necessary and positive change, but it requires short-term sacrifices and long-term strategic money moves.
• The basics of saving and investing
  Key strategies and fundamentals of saving and investing – “personal finance 101.”

 

ADP

ADP is a comprehensive global provider of cloud-based human capital management (HCM) solutions and a leader in business outsourcing services, analytics and compliance expertise. I wrote articles for the ADP Spark blog about human resources issues.

• Build an effective finance talent agenda for your organization
  How finance leaders’ thinking can evolve to create a more robust and adaptable talent agenda for their finance teams.
• Organizations are getting proactive about climate change: here’s why
  Climate change is prompting companies to restructure their supply chains and operational practices to adapt to the new realities affecting their industry.
• AI technology and its value to your organization
  AI technology can help your organization save money, boost efficiency and improve your overall financial performance.
• 4 ways employee perks help your business
  Organizations are getting more creative with employee perks: gym memberships, transportation subsidies, free meals, employee outings and more.

PNC Financial Services

PNC Financial Services is a major regional bank based in Pittsburgh. I wrote articles for the PNC CFO blog about business management, human resources, marketing, small business finance, and more.

• Improving cash flow with better pricing strategies
  High prices are a signaling mechanism to tell the market that your product is worth more than the competition.
• Why to start succession planning now: It’s important for your small business
  If there’s no plan in place for who’s in charge of the company after you’re gone, your business might end up directionless and at risk for failure.
• 4 biggest causes of cash flow problems
  Learn how to improve your cash management practices to get paid faster and have better awareness of how much cash is coming in and going out at any given time. 
• Is it time to expand?
  This list of key indicators will help you decide if now is the right moment to expand your business.
• Bring your business from online to brick and mortar
  Retail is seeing a surprising trend – brick and mortar retail is not dead! Retailers are finding new ways to create value from the in-store experience.

 

Eaton – “The Plug” IT Blog

Eaton is an information technology company that provides power protection solutions for data centers network/IT closets and server rooms. I wrote articles for the company’s “The Plug” blog on information technology industry trends.

• What are the biggest drivers of innovation? Collaboration and diversity
  Instead of “lone geniuses” and solitary Great Men, the biggest innovations often come from diverse teams.
• Why Silicon Valley is a must-see comedy for tech professionals
  This show is a darkly hilarious portrayal of the tech world (in a way that still shows the warmth and humanity of some likable characters).
• It’s not too late: how technology can help stop climate change
  Promising technologies can help reduce fossil fuel consumption and power a cleaner energy future for the world.
• Why mobile technology is “eating the world”
  “A car is a smartphone with wheels” and other provocative ideas from Benedict Evans and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz.
• Inspiring leadership and innovation lessons from Elon Musk
  He’s not just a tech CEO, he’s a self-taught superhero trying to solve the world’s biggest problems and save humanity from existential threats.
• How technology companies can retain more female employees
  Tech companies need to re-think the way they hire, recruit, retain and promote women to make sure talented people (women AND men) feel comfortable and valued.
• Is technology moving beyond the app?
  The future of the mobile web is moving in complex, exciting new directions that might be signaling the end of the “app era.”
• What will be the biggest technology changes of the next 10 years?
  We are on the cusp of fascinating, transformative changes like driverless cars and AI for health care – everyday life in 2025 might look very different from today.

Paste Magazine

Paste Magazine covers music, TV, movies, food, pop culture…and politics. During the 2016 election campaign, I was a national politics writer for Paste, writing essays on topics ranging from capital punishment to prison reform to economic development to foreign policy and more.

• Memory and atonement: Why America needs a Lynching Memorial
  Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative are planning a new national memorial to the victims of racial terror lynching, which they hope will cause America to face and atone for its history of racist violence.
• Forty-five years after Attica: Questioning America’s broken prison system
  Prison has become a big business. America’s prisons are a way of, as The Wire creator David Simon says, “monetizing the poor.”
• The world is NOT going to hell: Keep Calm and have historical perspective
  Despite the problems and injustices and anxieties of the 21st century, the world has made massive progress toward becoming a more peaceful and abundant place.
• America kills lots of innocent people, but don’t worry, we’re “the good guys”
  America’s drone strikes and accidental bombings of civilians have become a steady background noise…we’ve all silently decided that this is the price we’re willing to pay to feel “safe.”
• No, Stupid, Government should not be run like a business
  Many government services are never going to be profitable and should never be run for profit.
• This Memorial Day, remember this: American war doesn’t work
  Maybe the time has come to try more of an isolationist, pacifist foreign policy where war is the absolute last resort, instead of the most-used tool in the toolbox.

 

InsuranceQuotes.com

InsuranceQuotes.com is part of the BankRate network of websites publishing consumer information on insurance and financial services. I wrote in-depth articles based on primary interviews with expert sources on a variety of topics related to life insurance, home insurance, and more.

Insurance articles:

• How life insurance helped a woman rebuild her life after her husband’s death
  Melissa Wandall lost her husband under tragic circumstances – but because they had planned for the worst, she had financial security.
• Tips for picking the best home insurance company
  How can consumers do their homework to get the best customer service and the best deals on home insurance?
• Lessons from a life insurance policyholder
  We asked, “what would you do differently if you had to buy life insurance, knowing then what you know now?” 

CorpNet

CorpNet is an online business incorporation service based in Los Angeles that helps companies form an LLC, incorporate as a corporation and manage business filings. I wrote many articles for them on various topics related to small business management, entrepreneurship, starting a business, marketing, leadership, and more.

General Business articles:

• 5 entrepreneurship lessons from Ashton Kutcher
  This sounds ridiculously lame, but it’s true: Ashton Kutcher can teach us a lot about how to start a business.
• Small business inspiration from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
  Seeing these exemplars of human excellence always makes me want to get better at what I do for a living every day.
• Small business lessons from Japan
  I lived in Japan from 2001-2002. Here are some of the most powerful impressions I took away from Japanese business culture.
• To succeed as an entrepreneur, “think like an immigrant”
  Immigrants to the U.S. are 30% more likely to start businesses.
• Do you have a “business” or a “job?”
  Building an entrepreneurial venture that can grow and sustain itself is different from doing a series of small “jobs.”
• “Don’t have time” to start a business? Think again.
  Find ways to squeeze extra hours out of your day to devote to an entrepreneurial pursuit.
• Lessons for entrepreneurs: Be like a stunt dog
  After seeing a high-flying stunt dog show at the state fair, I reflected on how entrepreneurs can learn from these canines’ “dogged” determination.
• Things I wish I’d learned in school about starting a business
  Being an entrepreneur is a great life, but you can’t learn how to do it in school – it’s the ultimate journey of lifelong learning.

Marketing and Customer Service articles:

• The best small business marketing? Remarkable customer service
  Instead of nickel-and-diming your customers, look for ways to surprise and delight them. Give them something extra. It will pay huge dividends for your company.
• Want more customers? Give them what they want
  Marketing and customer service lessons from the movie “Big Night” with Stanley Tucci.
• Are you trying to be replaced by a machine?
  How to make your business – and yourself – indispensable to your customers.
• Small business lessons from the British Airways TV ad: “To Fly. To Serve.”
  British Airways’ new marketing campaign encourages people to rediscover the grandeur of flight. What are your customers taking for granted about your business?
• The most important pancakes in the world
  A story from the day my grandfather was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Economic/Business Trends articles:

• Job creation is a false idol. Start a business instead
  In the past few years, young companies (5 years old or younger) have created all of America’s net job growth.
• How does the Euro crisis affect your small business?
  If the Euro crisis doesn’t get resolved in an orderly fashion, global stock markets could plunge. How can you best manage your business in times of extreme uncertainty?
• Why the Penn State scandal should make you want to start a business
  The Penn State sex abuse scandal is the latest in a series of failures at big, powerful American institutions. We can do better.