BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » Take that, 6 percenters! The only reason — only reason — that Realtors could hold onto their high commission for such little value and work is that they kept information away from the marketplace, making it inefficient.

Real Time Economics : Economists React: ‘Little Indication’ of Housing Bottom Economists React: ‘Little Indication’ of Housing Bottom

IFRS disclosure starts now - FP Legal Post Although the changeover date for Canadian companies to switch to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) isn’t until January 1, 2011, the Canadian Securities Administrators have announced that they expect management’s discussion and analysis portion of the financial statements for 2008 to include a statement as to the impact the IFRS will have on the company’s financials as of 2011.

TheCorporateCounsel.net Blog: The SEC Pushes Banks on Liquidity Disclosures: Exhibit A The SEC Pushes Banks on Liquidity Disclosures: Exhibit A

Closing the GAAP - FP Comment we should expect the United States to use its power and influence to make changes to IFRS before it agrees to adopt it. We should also expect to see the IASB agree to these changes in order to obtain the buy-in from one of the world’s largest economies. What does this mean for companies that are working hard to adopt the new accounting standards? IFRS is a moving target and until the United States buys into the standards, we cannot consider it finalized.

Calculated Risk: Which Ratings Model is Broken? The implication here, that Moody’s jiggered its model to arrive at the same ratings S&P had already arrived at–presumably to keep the "second opinion" business–is ugly.

com_20080524_31-103_hancocksb.pdf (application/pdf Object)

While being in favour of education and standards regarding my investments,I believe the securities exam has little relevance to my investments in Exempt Offerings.So,why is the exam necessary as a requirement for those offerings in Exempt Products?
I do not feel the need to reveal my financial information through the use of "Know your Client" forms in order to invest in Exempt Offerings.

 Someone is getting investors to complain about how much financial information they are required to disclose to their advisors. Here is one of many:

com_20080524_31-103_daviesc.pdf (application/pdf Object)

I am appalled by the suggestion that before I make an investment I have to provide so much of my financial information. I do, of course, give much of this information to my principal personal advisor, but this is voluntary. I object strongly to the suggestion that this should be compulsory.

ETFs Go Global - Finance Blog - Felix Salmon - Market Movers - Portfolio.com This is great: rather than having to laboriously construct a global stock portfolio, you can just buy one ETF and be done.

A DEBT END FOR BANKS - New York Post Battered investment banks trying to dump billions in soured mortgage securities are being challenged by struggling insurance companies that claim such efforts could cause them further pain.