FROM THE EDITOR
‘ SUS ’ OR SUSPICIOUS MINDS : ONE AND THE SAME
Recently , I was laughing with my nephew about his use of slang . He thinks it is funny to teach me the latest slang and I can always get a hearty chuckle out of him by turning around and using one of his newly taught slang terms correctly . I return the favor by teaching him slang from my youth . We both appreciate the sometimes ludicrous nature of slang .
One of his most recent revelations to me was the term “ sus .” We laughed at the inherent silliness of needing to shorten the word “ suspicious ” and the even greater absurdity of teens needing to use “ sus ” to describe so many people and situations . Unlike anti-financial crime ( AFC ) professionals , teens are not mired in the murk of illicit transactions all day .
My nephew begrudgingly agreed but said he liked the word and would continue using it .
uncovering illicit activities . The cover article , “ The U . S . -Mexico Border : Behind the surge in crime ,” makes that abundantly clear . As denoted by the author , suspicion can be the first thread in unraveling a larger mystery .
This edition also highlights our Lifetime Achievement Award winners . A heartfelt congratulantions to three titans of the AFC industry : John J . Byrne , Rick Small and Dan Soto .
As is traditional for the end-of-year edition , we are recognizing the other award winners in the article “ Honoring the profession ’ s pacesetters .” Congratulations to Chris Bagnall and Sara Crowe , ACAMS Today Article of the Year recipients ; Toms Platacis , ACAMS Rising AFC Professional of the Year ; Nicholas Schumann , ACAMS AFC Professional of the Year ; and the ACAMS Carolinas Chapter , ACAMS Chapter of the Year .
cocaine dilemma in Antwerp ’ s port , financial crime and gold supply chains , and an interview with Grace Jackson and Maksym Markevych of the International Monetary Fund .
You might have noticed our new look . We have updated the ACAMS Today magazine design and hope you will enjoy the refresher as much as we have .
As we contemplate the closure of another year and with 2024 on the horizon , I hope we run into fewer situations as AFC professionals that appear to be “ sus ,” and instead have a year filled with success and harmony .
Wishing you all season ’ s greetings and a happy , healthy , successful 2024 .
Suspicion has been on my mind as we put together this edition of ACAMS Today . While I agree with Elvis that suspicious minds are the eventual death of relationships , it is nevertheless of vital importance in This issue wraps up the end of the year and introduces the new year with well-timed articles dissecting career growth and understanding the importance of self-training , the history of the Egmont Group , the
Karla Monterrosa-Yancey , CAMS editor-in-chief Follow us on : @ acamstoday ,
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