I have found that one of the hardest disciplines to work into the day-to-day activities is to continually find ways to challenge myself and grow as a professional. I have no problem putting myself in situations where the work environment is a challenge, in fact, I pursue it and welcome it. Over the last [...]
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Prompting discussions on Financial topics….
Archive for May 14th, 2009
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Recent Posts
- Achieving Your Annual Goal with Base Hits….
- Ken Tudhope: Think Globally!!!
- What’s Your Corporate Contribution – Expense or Accretive Asset?
- S&OP, Inventory Levels, A/O, & Your Forecast….
- Book Review: Competing On Analytics
- Ken Tudhope: CFO or Controller…?
- Core Competencies vs. Key Inputs: Manage your risk….
- Ken Tudhope notes: Techno-Networking….
- Creating & Communicating a Financial Mission….
- Woodruff-Sawyer Board Panel: Conclusion
Recent Comments
- Jesse in What’s Your Corporate Contributio…
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SEC updates
- SEC Obtains Asset Freeze in Minnesota-Based Foreign Currency Trading Scheme November 24, 2009The Securities and Exchange Commission has obtained an emergency court order freezing the assets of a self-proclaimed Minneapolis-based money manager, a nationally syndicated radio personality and four companies they controlled in a foreign currency trading scheme that raised at least $190 million from more than 1,000 investors.
- SEC and CFTC Issue Joint Orders on Volatility Indexes and Security Futures November 20, 2009The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued two joint orders related to security-based futures contracts that clarify each Commission's respective jurisdiction and allow additional products to underlie security futures.
- SEC Names Senior Officials to Investor Education and Advocacy Efforts November 19, 2009The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced the appointments of three senior officials to its Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) to help continue its increased focus on individual investors. OIEA serves the Commission as the "investors' office" and provides educational resources to help individual investors make inform […]
- SEC Charges Former Executives at Silicon Valley Company for Inflating Financial Results November 17, 2009The Securities and Exchange Commission today charged two former Silicon Valley executives for improperly inflating the reported financial results at Santa Clara, Calif., semiconductor company Tvia, Inc.
- President Obama Establishes Interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force November 17, 2009Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairwoman Mary Schapiro today announced that President Barack Obama has established by Executive Order an interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to strengthen efforts to combat f […]
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Start-Up CFO / Mark Macleod
- Usage-based billing models - part twoWe had a great discussion going here over the weekend on Friday's post about usage-based billing. David from LM Framework bravely defended his position that usage-based billing is better than subscriptions.That discussion sparked some additional thoughts for me:Scarcity - bits vs. atomsThere were some examples brought up about tangible goods - DVDs, Cok […]
- Usage-based billing modelsI bought some credits for my long distance calling service Mobivox last week. I use this service at least once a week and yet this was the 1st time I had bought credits since April 2008 (when I was working there). I have to be one of the better users on this service, yet it has only extracted $ 20 from me in a year and a 1/2. That's not the path to rich […]
- We're all friends - the end of Non-CompetesTechcrunch reported about Don Dodge joining Google today. That's great news for the startup World and a great hire for Google. What was not reported on here is that this hire must mark the end of the Non-Compete as we know it.I think we can all agree that Microsoft and Google consider each other competitors. So, for Don to pick up and immediately take o […]
- When should you hire a CFO?At last month's National Angel Summit there was a great discussion on when startups should hire CFOs. Bryan Watson from NAO sent me the video. Check in just before the 6 minute mark.Highlights:When: right before you raise your 1st capital?Don't hire a full time CFOHire someone with startup experienceRun things right from the startReally important f […]
- Yultide 2009: Montreal's Tech Community Holiday Party!Like all CFOs, I used to be a nightclub DJ, pumping out house tunes at some of Montreal's coolest venues. I am pleased to report that I'll be dusting off the vinyl for a special appearance along with Alistair Croll and Sean Power of Watching Website's fame on Thursday Dec. 10 for Yultide 2009: Montreal's Tech Community Holiday party.All t […]
CFO Wise - Ken Kaufman
- Revenue Recognition Updates – Clarity and ComplexityAnytime a presentation starts with “Implementing EITF 08-1 and EITF 09-3,” we know we may be in for a long meeting.  Gregory P. Randall, Partner with KPMG, made a very technical topic interesting yesterday. The topic – the changes in revenue recognition guidelines for software companies and others with multiple deliverables packaged in […]
- Staffing Accounting/Finance Department from Start-up to Medium-Sized CompanyI have had a lot of conversations recently about staffing the accounting and finance function in the company. As companies grow and shrink, their needs in this area change. We certainly do not want to be over-staffed, and we also want the most cost-effective staff doing as much of the work as possible. For example, we [...]
- Is There Such a Thing as a Lifestyle Software Business?A respected professional @chrisknudsen said something to me a few months ago that I have reflected on several times since that occasion. We were discussing a company that has amazing, break-through technology with a wide-open market space. Their leadership just does not seem to be in a hurry to seize the opportunity. They’re growing at about [.. […]
- I Cannot Predict the Future…Budgeting is Worthless!I have heard this statement more often than I care to admit: “I cannot predict the future so a budget would be worthless for my business.”  An article entitled How to Create a Budget in BusinessWeek prompted me to recollect some of my experiences with helping people who have the above attitude towards budgeting gain a [...]
- Build Your Business Model Around PeopleThis is a real situation experienced by a real emerging company. Names and figures have been altered to protect anonymity.  A company has a new opportunity and they create a financial model to try and forecast how their general assumptions for this opportunity will materialize. Specifically, they made significant assumptions about the direct labor co […]
Ben Paramore/Beyond Beans
- VisioneeringStrategic planning is a process that every business should go through at least annually. Determining goals and actions needed to accomplish those goals are necessary to give your team direction. SWOT analyses are helpful in determining who you are and...
- Keys To Great RelationshipsGreat relationships take work to build and can be destroyed very quickly. This is particularly true for CFOs who are focussed on numbers and results and are usually driven to performance. Its easy to get lost in the job and...
- The Major Attributes of LeadershipNapoleon Hill, in his all-time bestselling success book Think and Grow Rich, outlined 11 Major Attributes of Leadership. They are as follows: UNWAVERING COURAGE. Based on knowledge of self and of one's occupation. SELF-CONTROL. People who cannot control themselves can...
Bradford Van Siclen / Novo Companies
- Bernanke Recovery, Updated Trickle Down Economics - 7 / 29 / 09
- Perspective 2009 - 7 /26 / 2009
- There and Back Again - 7 / 15 / 2009
- When Will We Begin To Improve? 7 / 10 / 2009
- 7 / 1 / 2009
Wine news...
- R&B Singer Anthony Hamilton (Wine Spectator) November 24, 2009
- Alcohol May Prevent Thyroid Cancer (Wine Spectator) November 24, 2009
- 12 Whites for the Thanksgiving Table (Wine Spectator) November 20, 2009
- 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau (Wine Spectator) November 19, 2009
- Prince Charles Falls for Niagara (Wine Spectator) November 19, 2009
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CFO magazine updates
- And Now for the Good News... January 6, 2009Here are ten bright spots to savor amid the economic gloom.
- Madoff Case Triggers Wider Probe of SEC January 6, 2009"Many of us have lost confidence in the SEC," a Congresswoman declares.
- Insurance Outlook: Higher Prices by Year's End January 6, 2009But if the global recession continues to spiral downward, many companies will try to slash their insurance bills by resorting to various forms of self-insurance, a new report predicts.
- Deals: Nowhere to Go but Up January 6, 2009In our M&A Roundup for the week ended Jan. 4, a mere 16 North American transactions are arranged, with only Chesapeake Corp.'s billion-dollar bankruptcy buyout topping $150 million.
- All Eyes on Treasury January 6, 2009The function that no one likes to think about is now getting plenty of attention, and even a little respect.
- GE Capital Taps Debt Market for $10B January 6, 2009The largest offering to be backed by the FDIC, it includes two-year notes, 3.5-year notes, and one-year and 18-month floating-rate notes.
WSJ - U.S.
- Rajaratnam's Brother Drew Scrutiny November 25, 2009Before authorities began wiretapping hedge-fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, they were already interviewing him about another topic of interest: a hedge fund run by his brother.
- Saab Faces Scrapheap as Sale Fails November 25, 2009GM's Saab brand could be headed for the junkyard after the auto maker's plan to sell it to Koenigsegg collapsed.
- Dubai World Seeks Debt Standstill November 25, 2009Debt-laden Dubai said it would restructure Dubai World, a conglomerate spanning real-estate and ports, and announced a six-month standstill on the company's debt.
- AIG CEO Signs Noncompete Deal November 25, 2009Robert Benmosche, chief executive of AIG, reiterated to the company's board his commitment to the government-controlled insurer and signed a noncompete agreement
- U.K. Banks Win Overdraft Ruling November 25, 2009Some of the U.K.'s biggest banks will continue to be allowed to set their own prices on charges for customer overdrafts after a surprise verdict by a U.K. court.
WSJ - Europe
- Saab Faces Scrapheap as Sale Fails November 25, 2009GM's Saab brand could be headed for the junkyard after the auto maker's plan to sell it to Koenigsegg collapsed.
- GM to Keep All German Opel Plants November 25, 2009General Motors' top European official said that all four Opel plants in Germany will remain open under a restructuring plan, leaving the threat of closure hanging over other facilities in Britain, Spain, Belgium and Poland.
- U.K. Banks Win Overdraft Ruling November 25, 2009Some of the U.K.'s biggest banks will continue to be allowed to set their own prices on charges for customer overdrafts after a surprise verdict by a U.K. court.
- U.K. Economy Shrunk Less Than Thought November 25, 2009The U.K. economy contracted slightly less than initially estimated in the third quarter, but the revised data are unlikely to ease concerns the country is taking longer to emerge from recession than many other major economies.
- ABN Amro Posts Net Loss November 25, 2009ABN Amro, which is jointly owned by RBS, Santander and the Dutch government, reported a third-quarter net loss and reiterated that it expects to separate its RBS businesses in the first-quarter of next year.
CNBC alerts
- Jobless Claims Below 500,000, Durable Orders Slip November 25, 2009Fresh economic reports painted a picture of a gradual economic recovery as consumer spending rose and durable orders unexpectedly fell. The employment picture strengthened as jobless claims tumbled more than expected. Â Â
- AIG Board OKs CEO Pay; Benmosche Agrees to Stay November 25, 2009
- Mortgage Demand Slips as Rates Hold Near Lows November 25, 2009
- Half of Banks' Losses May Still Be Hidden: IMF Head November 25, 2009
- Deere Reports Quarterly Net Loss, Revenue Falls November 25, 2009
Harvard Business
- How to Talk About What You Most Dread"I have a question," a woman we'll call Tricia said to me during the break at a leadership training class...
- The Non-Profit Sector's Pilgrims — And HereticsWhy do people work for nonprofit organizations? It's not because we became impassioned at some young age by the nonprofit...
- How to Survive in an Unhappy WorkplaceWhen you don't like your job, going to work every day can be a challenge. Your problem might be with...
- Why This Freelancer Doesn't Need Vacation AnymoreWhen I worked full-time for a single employer, my days off were things to be cherished, no matter how much...
- Give Thanks — To Your EmployeesWhen Thanksgiving was established as a national holiday in 1942 by President Roosevelt and Congress, it solidified a tradition of...
- Thankful for What We Have . . . and Have NotI've been homeless. Not technically. I always had the ability to recreate a home over time and never knew the...
Seeking Alpha
- Book Review: Reverse Mergers by David Feldman November 25, 2009I have two thumbs up for the book "Reverse Mergers" by David N. Feldman, the second edition, published by Bloomberg. I read through this book in three days, in comparison to the three weeks for the first book I reviewed; I hope that means something. For those who don't know, a reverse merger is a technique to have companies go public […]
- Will Obama Replace Geithner with Dimon? November 25, 2009Howard Richman submits:According to rumors, President Obama will soon replace his treasury secretary Timothy Geithner with JP Morgan Chase (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon.Perhaps Obama is not pleased with Geithner declaring on October 15, in a report to Congress, that China was not manipulating its currency. That statement undercut Obama's November calls […]
- Ritholtz Says 'Buy and Hold Is a Disaster' November 25, 2009Prieur du Plessis submits: Barry Ritholtz, writer of The Big Picture blog and author of Bailout Nation: How Greed and Easy Money Corrupted Wall Street and Shook the World Economy, last week addressed delegates at a CityWire event in Berlin. According to CityWire, he argued that we were in a secular bear market that began in 2000 and has some years […]
- Barton Biggs on the Economy November 25, 2009Prieur du Plessis submits: Charlie Rose sits down with Barton Biggs, legendary investor, to discuss the challenges the President faces regarding the economy, as well as other related issues. A link to the transcript of the interview follows at the end of the post.Complete Story »
- Wednesday FX View: Thanksgiving Raid on the Dollar November 25, 2009Although the release of the FOMC November meeting minutes weakened the dollar somewhat on Tuesday it was not until a new day was dawning in Asia that investors scrutinized the Fed’s assessment and concluded that a “disorderly” decline in the dollar might have further to run. As the American session gets underway the euro is trying […]
