Why Wall Street Bonuses Up 17% in 2009 Is Reasonable
February 26, 2010
US Financial Firms' Top Executive Bonuses Up 17 Percent in 2009 | www1.voanews.com
According to estimates from the New York comptroller, bonuses to Wall Street executives will be 17% higher than last year. Traders and bankers will receive $20 billion in year-end payouts, despite the downturn in the economy and the government bailout. The Average Goldman employee made almost $600,000 for 2009.
Big government is the problem... Thanks Ronnie!
February 23, 2010
Obama’s big-government proposal attempts to do too much, too fast. | blogs.usatoday.com
Two wonderful people which have served our great government for many decades, and that I have had the great opportunity to work with and admire are Ronald Regan and Orrin Hatch.Both Ron and Orrin believe in small government - just do your own comparisons, between private operations and government.
New SEC Money Market Fund Rules; Is a Floating NAV Next??
January 28, 2010
SEC: More Changes For Money Funds | online.wsj.com
*New SEC Money Market Regs will hurt Investors and Fund Providers*Money Fund constant $1 Net Asset Value at risk*Continued revenue loss likely for BlackRock, Federated Investors, Charles Schwab, Fidelity and Others
January 28, 2010
Senate Confirms Bernanke for Second Term as Fed Chief | www.foxnews.com
I cannot think of anything that would have deterred the Senate from confirming Mr. Bernanke.Fortunately for everyone interested in financial stability, residing on this spinning rock called Earth, we have not gone off our axis.
Mutual Fund Sales to Shift Along With Brokers
January 6, 2010
More Brokers Flee Big Firms, Taking Investors With Them | online.wsj.com
Broker population at traditional firms (Bank of America/Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, UBS AG, Wells Fargo (WFC)) declined 14%, while Independent Advisors grew 29% Projections call for traditional firms share of retail client assets managed to drop an additional 20% by 2012, on top of $188 billion of client assets that has already left.Beyond the impact on the Brokers themselves, there will be a significant shift in Mutual Fund sales, away from the major "load fund" players.
Scotiabank: Canada's Most "International" Bank Increases Investment In China
December 30, 2009
Scotiabank boosts stake in China | www.theglobeandmail.com
Scotiabank has increased there stake in Xi'an City Commercial Bank to 14.8% (with an announced intent to take that to the maximum allowable stake of 20% under current Chinese regulations).This announcement reflects Scotiabank's continued commitment to expanding internationally via both investment and operations at opportune times in regions the Bank believes offer strong fundamentals with long-term growth potential.
Cascade Bancorp (CACB) Risk v Reward Cascades Towards Risk
December 28, 2009
Cascade Bancorp (CACB) said it planned to withdraw a stock offering | online.wsj.com
With the pending recovery leaning on the growth of various industries including Community Banking; one such bank [Cascade Bancorp (CACB)] has not provided investors positive reasons to assume the risk of accumulating its holding company's shares.
2nd Generation Family Business Continuity Challenged
December 26, 2009
Small-business owners pass on entreprenurial spirit to family | www.usatoday.com
Past experience has proved if you had a family member who started a business, you are more likely to become an entrepreneur than someone who didn't.I suspect this tenet will be challenged going forward.
ETF Flows and Assets Hit Record,Yet Many Providers Continue To Struggle
December 15, 2009
ETF Bond Funds Have a Banner Year | online.wsj.com
ETF market grows to over $700 billion, with very few winners.New players yet to gain traction.BlackRock/Barclays, Vanguard and State Street continue their winning streak.
Pending Changes Bound to Impact Brokers, Mutual Funds and Insurers
December 8, 2009
SEC Chief Supports Disclosure Measures | online.wsj.com
This analysis is an update on pending changes in Fiduciary standards for commissioned brokers and Financial Advisors and firms which manufacture products for that channel.With broad support in the House, and now from the SEC, passage becomes even more likely and the impact will be substantial. Potential winners include Vanguard, Fidelity, T Rowe Price, Charles Schwab (SCHW) , & Raymond James. Potential losers include Prudential, Lincoln National, Hartford, Manulife, Janus and Met Life.
E-Insurance: When will the insurance industry adopt modern communication tools?
February 14, 2012
ATMs could distribute prepaid Visa cards
January 23, 2012
PayPal can thrive as a standalone company
January 9, 2012
Europe's CO2 Emissions Trading System works, but it can be improved
December 16, 2011
European women wonder why their insurance premiums will increase
December 15, 2011