NPR’s Science Friday has an interesting broadcast on Gullibility. Ira Flatow interview Stephen Greenspan, author of Annals of Gullibility: Why We Get Duped and How to Avoid It. Can science explain why some swindles are so successful? Why are some people more likely to try to buy the Brooklyn Bridge or send money to the … Read more »
Lawyers and the Social Internet
Kevin O’Keefe, of Real Lawyers Have Blogs, put together his thoughts on what are the best social internet places for a lawyer or law firm to spend their resources: Lawyers and Social Media – It the Big Three. Kevin picks Blogs, Twitter and LinkedIn. As usual, I agree with Kevin. Every professional should have a … Read more »
New Social Networks for Lawyers
Omar Ha-Redeye writes on slaw.ca about two new social networks for lawyers: Lawyrs Looking for Alternative Social Networks and Social Network on Jurafide for American Clients. Jurafide.com is a networking and marketing site that facilitates communication between U.S. clients and non-U.S. lawyers. Lawyrs.net looks like a social networking platform for lawyers with some group discussions … Read more »
Anti-Fraud Provision of the Investment Advisers Act
On September 10, 2007, the SEC Adopted Rule 206(4)-8. The SEC adopted this rule in response to the decision in Goldstein v. SEC, 451 F.3rd, 873 (in which the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled that the “client” of an investment adviser was the pool itself and not an investor in the … Read more »
From Burden to Benefit: Making the most of regulatory risk management
The Economist Intelligence Unit published an executive briefing: From Burden to Benefit: Making the most of regulatory risk management (executive summary) (full report .pdf). It is an irony of modern business that regulation, a concept designed to reduce risk by protecting the interests of corporates, customers and society at large, has itself become one of … Read more »
Ohio Retirement System Lobbyist
Ohio requires registration and annual filings if you are a Retirement System Lobbyist. See Ohio Revised Code §101.90. According to the law, it seems that any replacement agent hired by an investment fund is subject to registration if that agent discussed an investment offering with the Ohio retirement system. Retirement system lobbyist means any person … Read more »
Deloitte’s Year End Reporting Issues: An Update on Current Issues and Items on the Horizon
Deloitte, as part of their Financial Reporting Series presented a webinar on year end reporting issues. The panel consisted of: Bob Uhl Beth Ann Reese Glen Donovan Stuart Moss Valuations will be a hot topic for year end reporting. The problem is the current “market impairment” existing for many securities. Auction Rate Securities settlements offer … Read more »
AICPA’s Generally Accepted Privacy Principles
The AICPA and Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants formed a privacy task force and developed the ten principles of the Generally Accepted Privacy Principles: Principle 1: Management The first principle of the Generally Accepted Privacy Principles (GAPP) is Management. This principle requires that the entity define, document, communicate, and assign accountability for its privacy polices … Read more »
Blagojevich Investigation Started With Real Estate Corruption
According to a story in The New Yorker, an investigation into real estate corruption ultimately caught the governor of Illinois trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat: Whistle-blower by Nina Burleigh. According to the story, an Illinois hospital was having trouble getting permits from the planning board. That is until they agreed to hire a … Read more »
Strategies for Responding to Liquidity Needs of Investors in Real Estate Funds
Goodwin Procter put together a great piece on Strategies for Responding to Liquidity Needs of Investors in Real Estate Funds. As a result of the current economic downturn and global economic credit crisis, some investors find themselves over-allocated to investments in private real estate funds because their private real estate investments have not been written … Read more »