Financial planner education standards have again made the news, so i thought i’d share a little insight into the world financial planners currently inhabit. Financial planner education is just one of many areas in which financial planning has evolved dramatically. Such improvements are not general knowledge in the broader community, so this post is really…
“Scam” is an evoactive word. It conjures up images of this or that injustice, criminal or immoral act. Looking at scams can help us clarify the ethics of what is right and what is wrong, especially when we are talking about money. So here’s a look at a video that i was sent recently, in which the…
Word from the street is that HSBC is “near $1.9 billion settlment over money laundering”. The US government is cracking down on money laundering generally, and HSBC is a high-profile target after some subsidiaries revealed less-than-appropriate dealings. Standard Chartered “agrees to settle Iran Money Transfer Claims” is the headline of a New York Times article that…
It has been an eventful couple of weeks. Time is short at the moment, so todays’ post will make comments without directing you to a lot of the underlying data. In other words, we are going to mainly consider my thoughts and judgements as opposed to facts and analysis. There is an enormous level…
Isn’t it great when someone actually gets around to doing something that you’ve been nagging friends and family about? You know, when Great Idea No 726 actually comes to life? Well, here is my example… The New York Times has being doing its patriotic duty, and following the trials and tribulations of US politicians trying…
Yes, that’s right. You heard all about it here first. The good news of the day is the successful launch of Fosters’ wine business as a company of its own – Treasury Wine Estates. I for one, intend to celebrate that with a lovely glass of red at the earliest convenience. And while i’m at…
When is inflation not inflation? A rather rhetorical question for a Friday, to be sure. However, this particular pondering has been brought on by one of WSP’s business partners – John – who has been looking at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s (RBA’s) recent attempts to keep inflation under control. John’s comments are that big…
Much has been made over the last year on the relative merits of a “mining tax”, which has also been called a “super profits” tax. Very learned folk have invested a lot of time and energy into looking at Australia’s economy and trying to work out how to better spread around the benefits of the…
Money, power, bias – and truth. The Global Financial Crisis (now simply designated ‘the GFC’) brought all of these priorities, and the conflicts they cause, into stark view. A new movie “The Inside Job” successfully highlights the interplay of vested interests, hidden compensation and regulatory policy stupidity that suggests not only that the eventual crisis…
Todays’ Australian Financial Review includes an article “Disclosure statements found wanting” (page 56 Financial Services, AFR Friday 29th October 2010). Now there is a non sequitur if ever i’ve seen one! That statement assumes that there would be a time when superannuation statements would NOT be found wanting – and i really can’t see that…
