From the monthly archives:

April 2010

Different Banking Cultures Around the World

April 28, 2010 · 3 comments

in Greece, bailout, banks, capitalism, central banks, credit, currencies, debt, economy, ethics, europe, foreign investment, government, interest rates, international economy, legislation, market reports, news and updates, politics, recession, regulation, risk, sovereign debt, taxes, world order, world reserve currency

If you’re in the U.S., you may be justified in blaming your banking industry (you definitely are), but just make sure that you know you’re talking specifically about U.S. banks.  Not all banks around the world screwed everyone over.
Let me remind you that banking cultures are very different around the world.  They don’t all set [...]

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Canada’s Top Companies Power-Performers on World Stage, Too

April 26, 2010 · 7 comments

in Canadian, Canadian economy, Lists, S&P/TSX, TSX, business, earnings, economy, international economy, international stock market, stock picks

62 of Canada’s top companies made it into the recently updated Forbes Global 2000 list of the 2000 highest performing companies around the world.  This year’s list saw Canada, China and India’s companies in particular climbing the ranks.  The U.S. and Japan still dominate the list, but they are diminishing in number each year.
I doubt [...]

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The Difference Between Revenues and Earnings

April 21, 2010 · 3 comments

in business, economics, financial education, fundamentals, investment tools, stocks, technical analysis, terminology

I’m sure you’ve heard some version of the phrase “it’s the bottom-line that counts.”  The bottom-line refers to what you get to keep of your income after all your expenses and bills are paid.
Earnings and Bottom-Line Growth
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In business terms, the bottom-line represents earnings.  Earnings are arguably the ultimate measure of growth of a business because [...]

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The US Will Never Again Run A Balanced Budget

April 13, 2010 · 10 comments

in US Treasury, US debt, budgets, central banks, debt, deficits, economy, international economy, money supply, news and updates, world order, world reserve currency

Thus spake the Congressional Budget Office on the long-term future of American fiscal integrity (or rather, the coming lack of it).  As Niall Ferguson reported in his piece for the Financial Times back in February,

“The long-run projections of the Congressional Budget Office suggest that the US will never again run a balanced budget. That’s right, [...]

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The Difference Between Yuan and Renminbi

April 8, 2010 · 8 comments

in Asia, China, G20, RMB, currencies, emerging markets, exchange rates, financial education, forex, international economy, terminology

A lot of U.S. news commentary and pundits appear to use the words “yuan” and “renminbi” interchangeably to refer to China’s currency, but the fact is that these terms are not simply interchangeable.  It is not like using the words “greenback” and “dollar” to refer to USD – and it is not like the difference [...]

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Start Saving Money Now For The Next Big Buying Opportunity, aka, Debt-Led Market Crash

April 5, 2010 · 6 comments

in bubble, discipline, economy, emotions, financial planning, future, investing, market crash, market timing, money lessons, opportunity, preparedness, psychology, purchases, savings, stock picks, stocks, wealthbuilding

One week we’re done with market crashes, the next week there’s more talk of bubbles and Wall Street antics wasting taxpayers’ money.  This list of market doom headlines is a good enough reminder of how the fear for the end of the world felt like just over one year ago now in early March 2009.
What [...]

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Repair and Repurpose: Using Superglue For Fixing Shoes, Watches and Socks

April 3, 2010 · 4 comments

in DIY, Repairs, achievement, budgets, education, frugal tips, lifehack, money management, productivity, purchases, savings, sustainability

Everyone knows that saving time and money (or being more efficient and effective with your time and money, if you will) is a key barometer of having control over your life (call it success, or productivity, or whichever you prefer).  Life is a string of time and money yields the string of options and actions [...]

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