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An interesting read in this morning's Wall Street Journal is "Inside Capitol, Investor Access Yields Rich Tips." The story outlines how a New York based brokerage firm escorts clients(hedge fund managers) around Capitol Hill to meetings with congressmen. I find it outrageous that these public ser...

The next time you file your tax return, make an estimated tax payment, or wince at the withholdings from your paycheck, keep in mind that at least some of your tax dollars go toward protecting us all from financial crime and making our markets freer, fairer, and more open. Yup, that's the mission of...

Euphoria & Hysteria Seems nearly every day the market rises or falls on whether Europe is going broke or about to be saved. Trying to invest based on news out of Europe makes about as much sense as buying or selling based on what color necktie Nicholas Sarkozy is wearing. Despite all the hoopla,...

Last Saturday our firm came together for our annual holiday party. This year, we enjoyed dinner and jazz at The Inn on Broadway and, as always, celebrated career milestones and presented awards and promotions. Below is a summary of all the good news we have to share! First of all, congratulations t...

Tuesday, after the market closed, First Niagara Financial announced that they will issue $450 million of new common stock plus an additional $350 million of preferred stock and $300 million of bonds, to finance the acquisition of branches from HSBC. The additional shares represent nearly 20% more th...

I follow news about Eastman Kodak closely. In Rochester, who doesn't? But over the last few months what I have heard seems to define two very different companies. It's was late September when Kodak hired Jones Day, a law firm with a specialty in restructuring, (that's just another word for "can't...

American Airlines files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy: Parent company AMR filed Tuesday, the only major air carrier not to have done so since Sept 11th 2001. American has been saddled with higher costs than its rivals, all of whom lowered their own costs partly through the bankruptcy process. The hop...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued an "Investor Alert" to warn IRA investors to be wary of fraudulent advisors promoting "alternative" investments for your self-directed IRA. http://http://www.sec.gov/investor.shtml As the recent volatility in the financial markets has shaken...

What would I like for Christmas? The recognition of toxic assets, balance sheet transparency and a central clearing house for all things financial. Let's toss everything on the table, figure out who owns what, who wants what, and what must be written down to clear the mechanism once and for all. Unt...

Word is that many people will do some online shopping today. If you didn't shop last Friday (and who could blame you if you didn't) perhaps you'll go online and look for a deal. There are a few tips to follow for a good experience getting something for the people on your list. My interest is how...