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Showing posts from May, 2012

Facebook Stock: What's Going Wrong?

Just a month ago, among the investing public, nothing was more hip or more fashionable than the planned Facebook stock offering.  This would be the most prominent, most anticipated IPO since Google . Investors from coast to coast--from institutions to moms and pops, uncles and aunts--maneuvered and schmoozed to get a piece of the action. The pre-IPO "road show" was circus-like with the business media clinging to every move of the Facebook management team, especially when the team paraded into New York.  Underwriters spent weeks jockeying for position, while some investors whined when they weren't promised a gold-mine allotment of shares. A month later, Facebook shares have stumbled out of the gates and fallen flat, and now analysts, market watchers and pundits everywhere are trying to figure out what went wrong. Some blame the lead underwriters (Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan) for mis-pricing the offering, for  over-valuing the company, and for bad timing. Som

How to Secure Online Payday Loans

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Payday loans occur with several names like the cash advance loan, payday advances, payroll advances, salary advances and so on. Irrespective of the names, it cannot be argued that the usefulness payday cash offers as a short-term loan until the next paycheck. Especially when an unexpected expense pops up such as car repairs, medical bills or other expenses, a cash advance can help close the gap between salaries. Most people understand the benefits of these loans since they are: quick, secured and an easy way to get the money you need to cover any unexpected expenses of life. But is it easy to apply for an online payday loans? Or is it safe to give personal details for an online money loan?  Learn how to safely apply for a fast payday loan online. If you ask whether it is safe to apply for payday loans online ? The answer would be, yes and their reply time? well it depends on which company you use. Most companies offer an online payday loan that assures total security of your personal

Steps in Setting up A Bank Account in Cyprus

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Those who are planning to open a bank account in Cyprus due to the many financial benefits it provides will be happier learning that the steps in setting up an individual or a corporate bank account are so much easier. Just follow these step by step instructions and you will soon find yourself with all the documents listing all of the necessary bank information for your self or your corporation. Individual Requirements to Open a Cyprus Bank Account Anyone, resident or non-resident, that is of the age of 18 is allowed to open a Cyprus bank account . You just need to present a copy of your passport, an accomplished legal due diligence form, and a utility bill that will indicate your address to the bank in order to process your request. After submitting these documents, you may immediately get the bank details you will need for business transactions including your account number, IBAN no., and swift no. Corporate Requirements to Open a Cyprus Bank Account For corporations, you need to sub

Telltale Signs of a Dishonest Bondsman

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You know what they say -- don't drink and drive. Unfortunately, not all people follow this very simple rule and they go ahead and drive while under the influence of alcohol. If they get pulled over by the police, they find themselves spending the night in jail. If you happen to land in prison for a drunk driving incident, then the one thing going through your head is how to get out of jail fast. After all, who wants to spend a night in prison? Getting Out of Jail The most common way to get out of jail is to post a bail, the amount of which is set by the judge. If you have money or credit card and if you have a good credit history, then you can quickly get out of jail. If not, then you might have to spend the night in jail until you come up with the bail amount. Fortunately, getting out of prison is made easier by a bondsman. What they do is to post a bail on your behalf or sign an agreement with the court that you'll be appearing for all the court dates. If you attended all you

"Where Was the Risk-Management Unit?"

Once the world of finance (and the world beyond, too) learned about JPMorgan 's earth-shaking $2 billion-plus trading loss from credit derivatives, the finger-pointing and the blame-gaming started.  Where were the risk-management units? How and why weren't the risks of these large positions properly managed? How could what began as efforts to manage credit risks with portfolio hedges end up as shocking market losses and a three-headed monster out of control? In financial institutions, in stable times, when profit engines hum and business is brisk,  risk-management units remain quietly out of view. They aren't glamor-seeking or aren't permitted to be. You won't see risk-management "stars," as much as you do among the deal-doers in investment banking, particularly in M&A, venture capital or private equity. Nonetheless, if they are doing their job, senior managers in risk management in normal times are as busy as ever. They touch all aspects of the instit

Consortium OP 2012: Getting Psyched!

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Hundreds of new Consortium MBA students--beaming with glee and pride after having been accepted by top business schools and, in many cases, after having received full-tuition fellowships--will converge on Minneapolis for the Consortium's annual Orientation Program . They don't go alone.  Hundreds of others, including Consortium alumni, business-school staffers and professors, industry speakers, and corporate recruiters will touch down in Minneapolis, too, and participate in panels, discussions, networks, and career fairs and welcome over 300 new Consortium MBA students to the b-school experience. The OP, as it has evolved over the past four decades, is more than a celebration of admission.  Programs exist for alumni of all years and experiences.  This year even includes a day-long examination of the consulting industry for those interested in a career in consulting. The panels, events, and presentations help students gear up for b-school, recruiting, coursework, specific subjec

When Mentoring Relationships Falter

Something often plagues MBA students and many young professionals in finance. Why don't mentoring relationships always work as they were envisioned or designed? Why do mentoring relationships often get off to exciting, hopeful, ambitious starts, but flicker, whimper and die out? Why do they start with promise and then meander into nowhere? Not all mentoring relationships, we know, falter.  Some thrive. Some lead to life-long relationships and friendships.  Some lead to opportunities, new jobs, promotions and even new careers, activities, and hobbies.  Note the themes of thriving relationships. They suggest something refreshing, new, opportunistic, and different. But what about those that falter, the life of which oozes out and dwindles to nothing? What happens when the eager first-year MBA student at Virginia, Emory or Berkeley links up with a principal at a private-equity firm. They meet, greet, exchange business cards and discuss respective backgrounds. They deduce they have muc

JPMorgan's Dimon: A Regulatory Rant

Finance professionals strive to keep up to date with markets, trends and rules. They have a check-list of reading material, journals and documents they refer to from time to time. They scan the Wall Street Journal , Financial Times or BusinessWeek whenever they can. They peek at investment magazines and websites when they think they must.  They peruse SEC documents, accounting rulings, equity research, and analyses from ratings agencies. Each spring, they find time to read Warren Buffet's annual letter to shareholders--often a primer in investment basics, occasionally a skillful interpretation of finance trends or opportunities. Or if finance professionals are wedded to trends and fashions in financial services, they tune to JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon and his state-of-the-industry message in the annual shareholders letter.  Since he took the helm as CEO in the mid-2000s, Dimon has used this forum to present more than an analysis of revenues and profits.  Dimon takes the podi

How To Evaluate Auto Insurance Quotes Online

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Shopping on the World Wide Web has become a common practice in today's times. Since most people have some sort of daily access to the internet, they can do a lot of purchasing on the Web without actually having to go to a business location. When comparing quotes from different companies online, there are some standard procedures shoppers should follow before making a final purchase. In order to get the best coverage for the least amount of money, one will need to shop around. Compare prices of at least three vehicle coverage companies. There are even internet sites that will show estimated prices of ten or more policy providers all at one time. This gives the buyer a chance to review costs of multiple providers quickly and without having to go through the trouble of calling each one. A person should always know what they are buying. Read the fine print and details about policy before purchasing. Be aware of what is covered and how much it is covered for. Pay attention to procedures