The Activist Investor: A True Ally of Corporate Governance

Activist investors: Publicly listed companies fear them. Corporate governance pundits generally do not trust them. Retail investors quietly applaud them, and most laymen do not understand them. However, it is clear that in today’s complex corporate world, we need them. Activist investors may be the only players in the game that can effectively “Occupy Wall Street”.

We have entered the twilight zone when it comes to corporate governance. The zone where many Boards bury their head in the sand when it comes to breaches in compliance, as in the case of HSBC and the tax evasion scandal of February 2015. Certain Boards passively bow to the dictates of executive management, throwing all accountability on the corporation-as-entity, with no individual responsibility. All other stakeholders, from shareholders, to suppliers, to workers, to humble taxpayers are left to peck at what is left of net worth after the share price dives, and are left to fork out money for regulation and reconstruction.

For More: http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/fpcnew/articledetails.aspx?id=52/The-Activist-Investor:-A-True-Ally-of-Corporate-Governance

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Becoming Part of the Super Rich Club Running the World

Having been on Wall Street for over 30 years now, and having survived the 1987 crash, the Drexel Burnham bankruptcy, the 1990 credit crunch, the 2000 Internet crash, the real estate meltdown of 2006 and the 2008 Wall Street financial crisis, I think I have learned a thing or two about how to make money, how to survive crises and most importantly how to really thrive and become part of the exclusive Club of 1% when most went buckling.

So what specific characteristics do you need to have to be part of that Club?

Well… you really have three options:

Option 1: You need to love money. You want to say, everybody loves money. Wrong!!! “Everybody” loves spending money – house, cars, food, services, you name it. That can only get you out of the 1%. You need to be sincerely interested to the level of excitement in how money is made, how markets or real estate work, how money grows. You need to get your kick out of making money. Short of that, you won’t get there.

For More: http://ziadabdelnour.net/becoming-part-of-the-super-rich-club-running-the-world

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Increasing Marketshare and Profitability through the Crowd

When crowdfunding and marketplace lending came onto the scene there was little interest from Wall Street in these platforms that were mainly working with undesirable startups and sub-prime borrowers.

Georgia P. Quinn is a securities attorney specializing in crowdfunding at the firm of Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole.  Quinn was recognized in 2014 as a Top Female Attorney in New York City by Thomson-Reuters.

Chris Tyrrell, CEO of OfferBoard has more than 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, financial law, technology and capital markets, having managed and founded two private technology companies and been involved in over $20 billion of financing transactions.

Joy Schoffler, founder and principal of Leverage PR, is a nationally recognized author and speaker in the field of innovative financial services marketing and communications.

D.J. Paul is the founder of DJP&Co., a financial services consulting firm specializing in investment crowdfunding regulation, implementation and business development.

For More: http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/fpcnew/MMedia.aspx?vname=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRX16oF-AI8

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Managing Risk -We believe Risk Management is a Corporate Culture Issue

At its most fundamental level, we at Blackhawk believe that risk management is a corporate culture issue. To manage risks effectively over time, employees must put the firm’s welfare and the preservation of important client relationships ahead of everything else. Risk is risk, and you can’t be perfect at managing it.

Consequently, we believe that the three absolutely indispensable ingredients of our success in managing risk are: Escalation, Accountability and Culture.

For More: http://www.blackhawkpartners.com/managing-risk/

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Profitability through the Crowd—Bringing Main Street to Wall Street - Financial Policy Council

The Graduate Center / CUNY at 365 Fifth Avenue at The Elebash Recital Hall – On the main floor of the building and on the left as you enter into the main lobby  

When crowdfunding and marketplace lending came onto the scene there was little interest from Wall Street in these platforms that were mainly working with undesirable startups and sub-prime borrowers. A few years later crowdfunding has become a true contender, eclipsing angel investments and will soon overtake venture capital as the primary method for funding new businesses.  And now, platform “crowd” finance is beginning to create large dents in both the emerging and growth equity fields. This is a critical opportunity for savvy investment firms to use their existing brand to expand their reach toward new customer bases. Tapping into Main Street accredited investors that want to invest alongside institutional players and expanding access to deal flow.  One such example of this expansion is Goldman Sachs’ entry into the online lending market.  
 
For More: Financial Policy Council

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About Those Mad Wall Street Egomaniacs | Ziad Abdelnour

About Those Mad Wall Street Egomaniacs We Call “Masters Of The Universe”

Masters of the markets may not want fame, but some certainly want the trappings it brings: the best tables at the best restaurants, access beyond the velvet ropes, and membership to the most exclusive clubs. So they get those things by simply buying them. Everything has a cost, and Wall Street loves to prove that. It confirms their worldview: money is the most important thing.

Eventually, for every Wall Street trader, for every hedge-fund manager, there will come a time when it is over. A run of luck will come to an end. The secret that made them feel special will be discovered. Or the regulators will find them, breathing down their necks, challenging the secrets as being too secret, or the wrong type of secrets.

For More: http://www.financialpolicycouncil.org/fpcnew/blogdetails.aspx?id=1103/Smart-v/s-Wealthy

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When Performance Doesn’t Matter

One of the most amusing phrases on Wall Street is “smart money.”

This phrase is used to describe the handful of professional investors whose abilities and foresight are thought to be so acute that they spot the big moneymaking opportunities before the average Joe Pro.

The smartest of the “smart money” is thought to be hedge funds.

A look at recent performance suggests that hedge funds are indeed extremely smart money, though not in the way that most people think.

In fact on average, hedge funds are no smarter about picking stocks or other investments than anyone else. In fact, they’re decidedly, startlingly worse.

For More: Smart Money

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Video on Investments in Sports & Film Industry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urfwp5-L6lI
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Ziad Abdelnour: Military Strike in Syria will be a Game Changer

Wall Street for Main Street interviewed Ziad Abdelnour, who is the Founder & CEO of Blackhawk Partners and Founder & President of the Financial Policy Council. We discussed the potential military strike in Syria and how it will effect the Federal Reserve monetary policy, the price of oil, gold and silver and the overall economy.

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