What’s in a Name?

Guest Post by Cheryl H. Duke, CFA (learn more about Cheryl at the end of this post) In the aftermath of the recent financial meltdown, investment rip-offs and ponzi schemes have been revealed with disturbing frequency.  It is now more important than ever for investors to understand the choices available to them when seeking financial advice.  Unfortunately, the financial crisis has not provided the additional clarity that investors need to make the most informed decisions. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-20 01:27:01

Blog posts (802) | Videos (647)
 

David vs. Goliath: The Fight Begins for Reform of the Financial Industry

Elizabeth Warren talks about the need for the CFPA in July. Most Americans want strong regulation of our nation’s financial markets, according to a poll released today by Americans for Financial Reform (AFR), a coalition of nearly 200 investors and civil rights and community organizations. The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners, surveyed 900 likely voters in 77 “Blue Dog” or conservative Democratic districts and those in politically competitive Democratic districts. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-14 20:11:57

Less Lobbying From Some Bailed-Out Firms

As Congress intensified its work rewriting the nation’s financial rule book over the last three months, some big recipients of the government’s $700 billion bailout spent a bit less trying to influence legislators, The Associated Press reported.The throng of lobbyists pushing for financial industry interests has thickened in recent weeks in and around the hearing room of the House Financial Services Committee. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 10:25:19

FSA issues warning on investment firm

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) today warned consumers who bought financial products through UK Expatriates Independent Financial Advisory Services (UEIFAS) that their investments may not be as safe as they thought. The company, which ... to have closed down, but may have taken some of its customers' money with it. The financial [more...]

Date: 2009-03-13 14:19:42

What Is WFG and What Does It Do?

A coworker asked me "Do you know anything about universal life insurance?" This one casual question opened a big can of worms. He was approached by a friend of a friend who works for WFG. WFG is World Financial Group . It's a financial services marketing company owned by Dutch insurance company Aegon. WFG operates under a multi-level marketing (MLM) scheme. Instead of selling household products like Amway distributors do, WFG salespeople sell financial products. [more...]

Date: 2009-08-31 13:31:00

Financial Jihad in America–”Walking the Plank to a Dhimmi Nation”–Chapter 4

No Compromise Media by Mary Christina Love Financial Jihad in America Shari’ah-compliant finance plays a significant role in denying the freedoms of Democracy and the integration of Muslim immigrants into Western host countries. Legitimizing and enabling Shari’ah law in the West coerces Muslim individuals and groups to live under Islamic law yet many U.S. banks have opened Shariah compliant financial departments and are catering to an Islamic agenda. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-05 15:24:07

House Panel ‘Sunsets’ HVCC in Consumer Finance Provision

House of Representatives lawmakers are considering a bill that establishes a regulating agency for financial products marketed and sold to US consumers. The legislation may also “sunset” — by imposing an 18-month moratorium — a current regulation on the way house appraisals are ordered. The House Financial Services Committee continues this week to consider sweeping financial [more...]

Date: 2009-10-22 15:37:11

Will HelloWallet Transform Online Financial Advice

September 30th, 2009 Goto commentsLeave a comment The Bill Clinton-endorsed startup, offering financial advice for the rest of us, could get a boost as HR departments look for low-cost ways to serve employees' need for unbiased guidanceSimilar Posts:Senate Democrats Say Cost of Health-Care Bill Can Be TrimmedJourney Financial Planners Launches New Advisory Service for Retirement Plan Sponsors & New Blog and Web SiteBill Clinton promises to secure investments for PakistanIMF to sell 403 [more...]

Date: 2009-09-30 05:06:03

Financial Advisor Websites With Blogs

Financial advisor websites are often little more than an online brochure explaining the qualifications and services of the financial planners that run them.  Of course these advisors are busy watching over the personal finances of their clients so it makes sense that they don’t have a lot of extra time to write articles for their website about investing, retirement, cash flow, etc. [more...]

Date: 2009-07-27 13:01:17

The Right Approach to Regulation

Paul Singer, a member of the board of COMMENTARY Inc. and founder and chief executive officer of Elliott Management Corp ... the modern-day realities of financial markets is not as difficult as it may appear. The financial ... firms to assist in assessing risks posed by complicated financial instruments. Despite the failure [more...]

Date: 2009-04-03 15:03:04

Best of personal finance: NPR explains financial mess in terms the average Joe can understand

By Will Chen Welcome to Wise Bread's Best of Personal Finance roundup! ... financial planner will always look towards structuring your financial and personal situation first ... the underlying subprime mortgages with a FHA-type insurance.  All Financial Matters Watch [more...]

Date: 2008-10-02 02:35:45

Bias we can believe in

Time magazine has a recent article on how the Obama team are making behavioural economics the centre of their financial policies in the hope of ... divert us from strictly rational reasoning and affect our financial decision-making. More recently, however, researchers have started touting these findings as a basis for making financial policy [more...]

Date: 2009-04-06 08:00:00

Going Green Needs Carbon Accounting

| Sourced From Thegovmonitor.com |The combined effects of financial crisis, climate change and energy concerns mean that we must overhaul our ideas on governance and harness public opinion, argues Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Environment AgencyThe global financial, energy and environmental crises all have their roots in decades of intense natural resources extraction along with poor governance. The result is that a massive but largely hidden ecological debt has steadily built up. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-15 03:00:18

“Our System Became A Ponzi Scheme”

My prior post highlighted an article that blamed our current crisis and inability to get out of it on the “financial oligarchs” that dominate our economic and financial system policies, much like corrupt third world countries. That article ... s that a bulk (if not the majority) of our financial “wealth” is based on pure lies. I make that outstanding [more...]

Date: 2009-04-05 18:21:30

Quotation for Today, Friday 23 October

Despite the biggest financial bust in two decades which wiped squillions off the value of shareholders’ investments worldwide and exposed a lot of shonky practices, Diplock’s commission seems to be focused on using its “surveillance cycle” exercises to educate companies about the greater compliance standards they now have to meet under (NZ) International Financial Reporting Standards instead of publicly throwing the book at delinquents. Fran O’Sullivan in NZ Herald on Wednesday 21 October [more...]

Date: 2009-10-22 17:32:38

Chartered Accountant (Saudi Arabia)

Employer: Punj Lloyd LtdIndustry: Finance and AccountsLocation: Saudi ArabiaJob Description:Responsibilities Produce reports and recommendations following internal audits. Prepare financial statements, including monthly and annual accounts. Preparing financial management reports, including financial planning and forecasting. Advising on tax and treasury issues. Negotiating terms with suppliers. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-12 09:40:20

(untitled)

Meldungen Web If you’re a debtor you possess towards know everybody there is towards know approximately non profit debt consolidation services. They play an meaningful role within this financial market assisting civilians with complications towards re-organize and retain their financial status.This is specially true within this saddened commercial climate whereas a lot civilians are being retrenched and out of professions and encounter it steely towards wage [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 13:53:54

7 Essential Steps to Find the Right Financial Advisor

How do you avoid the Bernie Madoffs and the Allen Stanfords? Recently, we’ve seen two supposed financial wizards revealed as charlatans. Given recent headlines about Ponzi schemes and fraud, you may be wondering – how can you avoid getting duped by an unscrupulous financial advisor? 1. Do a little legwork online If you want to check out an investment advisory firm, visit the website at AdviserInfo. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-23 01:18:02

Dandelion Salad’s Tweets

Dandelion Saladby Ralph NaderThe Nader Page Oct. 16, 2009What planet is Congressman Barney Frank on, anyway? It is the planet of the banks and other financial firms that keep his campaign coffers humming, as their chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.On his extraterrestrial perch, camouflaged by his witty and irreverent observations, he sees the agony of gouged, debt-ridden consumers and homeowners, but his actions do not measure up.As of this writing before the final set of hearings, Mr. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-17 00:42:43

GE Acquires Stake in Start-up – Analyst Blog

Tendril, the developer of the first integrated software/hardware platform to enable real-time, two-way communications between utilities/retailers and their customers on energy supply and consumption, is broadening its smart grid relationship with General Electric Company ( GE ) beyond appliances with an equity investment by GE Energy Financial Services.  GE Energy Financial Services is treating the venture capital investment as a follow-up to Tendril’s announcement in June that it raised $30 [more...]

Date: 2009-10-16 17:02:12

Confusion About Financial Planning Designations Leads to New Website

Confusion About Financial Planning Designations Leads to New Website BRYN MAWR, Pa., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In an effort to aid the thousands of financial planners questioning which advanced designation is the best fit for their practice, a new web site was launched today that provides professionals with an unbiased and interactive means of evaluating their educational options. [more...]

Date: 2009-08-23 13:23:58

Talking Economic Accountability with Blogger Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism

(Please welcome Yves Smith in the comments. And remember to leave your comments to Congress about the need for transparency here -- jh) ... in the financial services industry. She currently heads Aurora Advisors, a New York-based management ... of us has been an indispensable guide to the meltdown of the financial system. Reading the financial news is [more...]

Date: 2009-03-11 18:00:03

The Key to Successful Financial Planning

Financial planning at its smallest denominator is essentially what you’d like to have and how you plan to get it ... away of all of their jargon, it’s a lot easier to understand it. So, in order to begin planning your financial future , make a list of everything you’d like to have. Whether it’s the freedom to take [more...]

Date: 2009-04-03 13:43:41

Online Finance; Only A Click Away

The Internet has positively revolutionized many aspects of our lives. It has literally brought the world to our doorstep and it comes as no surprise that even the financial side of things has not been left behind. The financial industry has a lot to offer the consumer market and it has become easy and convenient for many people to conduct business. It has made it possible for you to be at different places at the same time which cannot be accomplished in reality. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-05 04:30:03

Abu Dhabi calling

Oct 5th, 2009 | print |  email  | Post a comment  |  Listen to the Article - Aarti NagrajLast week, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that the global economy seems to be recovering faster than expected from the financial crisis, and that it may prove less devastating than predicted.“The recovery has started, financial markets are healing and in most countries growth will be positive for the rest of the year as well as in 2010,” Olivier [more...]

Date: 2009-10-05 11:07:03

Several Items on Banking Regulation

Several interesting items about financial (re-)regulation, and the unlikelihood of anything approaching adequate regulation getting through Congress, have come across our desk. First, the business section of Friday's New York Times had a pretty good piece by Joe Nocera on financial regulation, Have Banks No Shame? He partially skewers Barney Frank for watering down the planned regulations, and there are some nice quotes from MIT economist Simon Johnson, a vocal critic of the banking industry. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-14 18:14:00

Revisiting the Crime Scene

Mike Konczal has a post featuring the Grayson/Clay/Miller amendment to the current Consumer Financial Protection Agency proposal. The basic idea is that the agency would be required to do a periodic, statistical analysis to identify those financial products that were most implicated in causing bankruptcies and foreclosures in each state. The CFPA would then have to announce what these products are and who sold them, and could then take corrective action to restrict those products. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 00:25:07

Do You Need A Certified Financial Planner?

Need help to manage your money ? There was once a time when I thought I’d pursue a career in personal financial planning as a second wind (after I moved on from a career in the engineering field). I’ve always been interested in helping others out with their finances, and this would be a natural progression. But it would take some studying and passing some certifications to do this. [more...]

Date: 2009-08-08 04:01:26

Global economy: Gloomy optimism

When G-20 leaders met in Pittsburgh last month, they awarded themselves a pat on the back : When we last gathered in April, we confronted the greatest challenge to the world economy in our generation...At that time, our countries agreed to do everything necessary to ensure recovery, to repair our financial systems and to maintain the global flow of capital. It worked. Our forceful response helped stop the dangerous, sharp decline in global activity and stabilize financial markets. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-02 06:00:00

Your economics assignment for today

Read Paul Krugman's explanation of why the outsized profits just reported by Goldman Sachs and the investment banks is a bad sign for our banking system ... But there’s an even bigger problem: while the wheeler-dealer side of the financial industry, a k a trading operations, is highly profitable again, the part of banking that really matters — lending, which fuels investment and job creation — is not. Key banks remain financially weak, and their weakness is hurting the economy as a whole. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-19 11:29:08

Feedback from Buttonwood Gathering

The Economist ’s Buttonwood Gathering , a conference bringing together global regulators and bankers to discuss and debate new ideas and develop a new set of guidelines moving forward, has just taken place in New York. Michael Panzer, writer of the Financial Armageddon blog and author of “Financial Armageddon: Protect Your Future from Economic Collapse”, was in attendance and has kindly shared some of the more interesting quotes on his blog, as reported below. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-19 08:12:12

Retirement Countdown: Take Action Now to Get the Life You Want

From Publishers Weekly Shapiro, a personal finance columnist and director of financial planning, believes that many people do not do to plan for their retirement. The process of intimidating people, or the media or other authors in the belief that they can make all rocked the plans on their own cause. Shapiro advocates the use of financial planners and carry more importantly, the small steps with care. The book is divided into three parts, beginning with an overview of retirement. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-07 02:07:29

The Dialogue Begins on DealBook

Welcome to DealBook Dialogue, our first online round table. The topic is “Too Soon to Rethink? Assessing the Financial Crisis.” There is a conventional view developing on the financial crisis. The Federal Reserve’s policy of historically low interest rates spurred a worldwide search for higher risk and return. Concurrently, the entrenched United States trade imbalance led to a huge transfer of dollar wealth to Asian and commodity-based countries. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-05 12:20:27

Confronting Too Big to Fail

Governor Daniel K. Tarullo At the Exchequer Club, Washington, D.C. October 21, 2009 Confronting Too Big to Fail The far-reaching financial crisis that has afflicted our country in the past two years has drawn attention to a raft of problems–from the concentration of commercial real estate exposures in some regional and community banks, to the risks associated with some forms of derivatives, to the need for more vigorous financial services consumer protection. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 18:00:39

Sector Highlight: Financial ETFs

Financial exchange traded funds (ETFs) are trading higher this morning, thanks in part to stronger earnings from some of the sector’s biggest players. Here are more stories on the subject that may interest you: How to Harness the Financial Sector’s Recovery With ETFs Sector Highlight:... [more...]

Date: 2009-10-22 15:04:32

U.S. Banks – Industry Outlook

After enduring extraordinary shocks in 2008, the U.S. banks entered an exceptional state of turmoil in 2009. Starting as a credit issue in the subprime segment of the mortgage market, the sticky situation spread to almost the entire financial services industry, and all corners of the globe. In other words, the financial crisis ultimately morphed into a massive economic crisis, which has had major ramifications across the whole world. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-13 19:19:14

Five Ways To Save Money At A Sporting Event

This is a guest post by Jeff Rose. Jeff Rose is an Illinois Certified Financial Planner(TM) and co-founder of Alliance Investment Planning Group. He is also the author of Good Financial Cents , a financial planning and investment blog. You can also learn more about Jeff at his website [more...]

Date: 2009-02-20 11:00:06

How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take To Change An Investor?

If you’re old enough to remember the 1980s, you’ve undoubtedly heard the conventional wisdom about retirement investing from one financial advisor or another. Here’s how it goes: Invest in stocks through quality mutual funds, diversify properly relative to your risk tolerance, hang in there for the long-term… and everything will work out fine… you’ll achieve your financial goals and enjoy a comfortable retirement. [more...]

Date: 2009-07-18 17:34:35

Stretch Your Food Dollar: Back to School Bonanza

It’s back to school in many parts of the country. That means the disbursement of financial aid and that big spending spree that’s typical of the beginning of a new school year. Don’t go blowing your wad all in one fell swoop, or you’ll be eating ramen noodles all semester. The first step to making your financial aid check last is to set a monthly budget for yourself. To figure out how much money you need to allocate for food, check out this helpful worksheet from the USDA . [more...]

Date: 2009-08-26 18:03:14

Survey: Life insurers’ results to sag as fixed-income securities fall

The depressed market value on fixed-income securities is expected to hurt the financial performance of life insurance companies, according to a survey of their chief financial officers. The survey, conducted by Towers Perrin, suggests that the sluggish economy is forcing CFOs to alter their investment and product strategies, especially with respect to asset/liability management (ALM) and Related Life insurance mergers, acquisitions could become fast and furious Survey: Guaranteed [more...]

Date: 2009-08-31 11:00:37

The Only Thing Really Going Down Right Now is the U.S. Dollar

Okay. Who put the financial world in a time machine and took us all back to 2007? Seriously. Oil traded above $80 overnight. Gold is hovering near $1,060. Stocks are up. Bonds are up. The Aussie dollar is up. Will anything ever go down again? The front page of today's Australian Financial Review has a time-lapsed picture of cars travelling on what apparently is a "Superhighway Paved with Gold." Ah! No wonder gold is going up. It would take a lot of gold to pave a superhighway. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 04:14:02

What Do You Do?

I found out awhile ago that most people would rather go to the dentist than engage in what they think is “financial planning.” In fact, if I am on a flight and I want to be left in peace to get some reading done, I have found that if the person next to me asks what I do for a living and I tell him that I am a financial planner that pretty much seals the deal: peace and quiet for the rest of the flight. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-12 17:14:14

Deleveraging CFDs

An interesting development in Japan overnight. Their Financial Services Agency has unveiled proposals to limit leverage on contracts for difference. That prompted spread betting firm IG Group, which has just expanded into Japan, to release the following statement on Thursday morning: The Financial Services Agency in Japan ("FSAJ") have announced a short period of public consultation on proposals to limit leverage on contracts for difference ("CFDs") over certain asset classes.... [more...]

Date: 2009-10-22 10:03:22

Financial Giants Donating Little to Obama Party

The Wall Street giants that received a financial lifeline from Washington may have no compunction about paying big bonuses to their dealmakers and traders. But their willingness to deliver “thank you” gifts to President Obama and the Democrats is another question altogether, The New York Times’s David D. Kirkpatrick writes.Mr. Obama will fly to New York on Tuesday for a lavish Democratic Party fund-raising dinner at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel for about 200 big donors. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-20 09:09:30

keeping your family’s finances safe

A few tips on financial safety for National Protect Your Identity Week In almost 60 percent of households it’s the women who are in charge of managing the finances – from balancing checkbooks to paying monthly bills. With new research showing 4 out of 5 web-savvy families are paying their bills online, it’s important that money-managing moms understand and use a few helpful online tools to effectively plan for their family’s financial future. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-21 16:00:49

Consultant (Kuwait)

Employer: Career HuntersIndustry: Finance and AccountsLocation: KuwaitMain responsibilities: Responsible for financial and business restricting,setting up systems & processes including formulation of Policies & Procedures, revamping working capital management involving effective credit control management . Would be responsible for GAAP accounting, financial systems and processes, budgeting and Tax, MIS reporting, HR corporate secretarial, legal, corporate governance, etc. [more...]

Date: 2009-09-25 20:22:42

The Safety Of Your Annuity

Annuities have long been thought to be a safe, secure - and most of all -, reliable way to build a secure retirement. Government backed, their usefulness has never been in doubt - until now. With the 2008 - 2009 financial turmoil, interest rates have fallen, the stock market is giving low returns and offered annuity rates are somewhat smaller. Although financial pros and government officials are still giving praise to annuities, they often have a bad rap. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-06 22:30:43

Quantitative Risk Management: Concepts, Techniques, and Tools

608 pages | Dec 12, 2005 |ISBN: 0691122555 | PDF | 8 Mb Product Description: The implementation of sound quantitative risk models is a vital concern for all financial institutions, and this trend has accelerated in recent years with regulatory processes such as Basel II. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the theoretical concepts and modelling techniques of quantitative risk management and equips readers--whether financial risk analysts, actuaries, regulators, or students of [more...]

Date: 2009-10-22 15:39:42

My short term goals

Here are my short term career and financial goals:To become a financial planner in 2 years' time.To achieve the Associate Wealth Planner Designation by completing Module 5: Retirement Planning from Financial PerspectiveTo accumulate my emergency fund of S$4,000 in 2 years' time.To complete my university education. [more...]

Date: 2009-10-16 10:36:01

Yeah, You Guys Could Be Next

It is taking some time for the management of financial institutions to realize what they have done by “accepting” ( ... members of its board of directors. And some of those executives at financial institutions are now fretting. The government can set salaries, rip up contracts, force out management, determine business [more...]

Date: 2009-03-31 14:32:32

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