I finally grabbed some pumpkins and put some garish Halloween decorations on my front lawn. My mind has become stuck on movie monsters and been mixed with compliance. This is the terrible result. What happens when the dead won’t die? The zombie apocalypse. Zombies in pop culture can be traced back to George Romero’s The … Read more »
The Monsters of Compliance – Gremlins
I finally grabbed some pumpkins and put some garish Halloween decorations on my front lawn. My mind has become stuck on movie monsters and been mixed with compliance. This is the terrible result. Mogwai, the gremlin was sold subject to three rules: Never expose it to sunlight. Never get it wet. Never, ever feed it … Read more »
Compliance Bricks and Mortar for October 18
These are some of the compliance-related stories that recently caught my attention. Wrapping Up My Five-Year Experiment by Kathleen Edmond Of course, this blog is near and dear to my heart and is among the loose-ends I want to tie up before I go. Over the past five years, I have covered dozens of issues … Read more »
Best Execution Failure
Best execution refers to the obligation of an investment adviser to ensure that the prices its orders receive reflect the optimal mix of price improvement, speed and likelihood of execution. The concern is whether the investment adviser is getting some other compensation that influences the decision to use one broker over another. This concern should … Read more »
Out of the Office: Bermuda Edition
Compliance Building is on assignment to Bermuda this week. Downtown Hamilton is full of post office box company headquarters, rental corporate directors, and offshore transactions. However, I’m heading out into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean for rest and relaxation, not compliance research. A new post will appear after I finish dusting the pink sand … Read more »
Asset Management and Financial Stability
The US Office of Financial Research recently released a report raising concerns that the largest asset managers could pose a threat to financial stability. That puts firms like BlackRock, Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, Prudential Financial, AXA Investment Managers, MetLife, Invesco and UBS Global Asset Management in the cross-hairs of being considered “systemically important.” The … Read more »
Make Sure You Have the Right Ticker Symbol
Perhaps you’ve heard the news that Twitter is going public. So you see that TWTR is already heading up fast so you but some. There is a trading frenzy. The stock is doubling in price, and then again, and again. Great offering. Just one problem. You bought stock in the defunct Tweeter Home Entertainment Group. … Read more »
Compliance Bricks and Mortar – The Shutdown Continues
“The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over, and then expecting different results.” The US Congress continues to show it’s inability to operate as it has been unable to pass a bill that will fund the operations of the federal government. A big chunk of Congressmen want overturn the … Read more »
Shutdown
Sorry folks. The federal government is closed. The moose out front should’ve told you. Not exactly. The Securities and Exchange Commission is still open and operational. The SEC’s current operational plan in the event of an SEC shutdown is available here (pdf). It’s not clear from reading this what will be operational and what is … Read more »
The Confusing Analysis of Whether You Are An Accredited Investor
There are few commentators who think the current definition of “accredited investor” is a particularly good definition for individuals who should be investing in private placements of securities. Basing the standard on income and net worth does give you a perspective that the person could withstand the potential loss of investment. The definition has become … Read more »