A couple of news stories caught my eye this week. One was in Tuesday’s The Wall Street Journal titled “Hedge Fund World’s One-Man Wealth Machine.” The article, by Rob Copeland , tells the story of hedge fund manager, David Abrams, who runs Abrams Capital Management LP which manages about $8 billion. The main points of interest are Mr. Abrams’s extremely low profile, small staff […]
Read more
Step into our Spotlight
Kid with a Mission: Conquer Childhood Cancer ~ St. Baldrick’s Event May 30th
How many kids do you know that have a mission? I’d like to tell you mine. Every three minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer. You and I can help change that. So here’s what I’m doing: I’m having my head shaved at my St. Baldrick’s event on May 30th at the Alcuin School in the gymnasium. The event is open […]
Read moreIt’s ALL About the Veterans
Ask your average American what Memorial Day means to them, and many will answer, “the beginning of summer” or “a three-day weekend” or “family gatherings.” Unfortunately, over time, the true meaning of Memorial Day has gotten lost in the holiday happenings. In May of 1868, Union General John Logan declared the day an occasion to decorate the graves of Civil […]
Read moreWhen Life Gives You Lemons
This past Sunday was a very hot day here in Dallas, so what better time to have a refreshing cold drink. Fortunately, my next door neighbor gave me the scoop on some great lemonade stands being set up in multiple locations around the city. I learned that these stands are part of National Lemonade Day. National Lemonade Day is a program designed […]
Read moreStarting a New Job? Communication Tips for New Professionals
It is that time of year again. U-hauls are packed to the gills as college grads head out to new jobs and workplaces. In the next few months, many new professionals will receive a crash course in business professionalism. Since this blog is about business communication and writing, let me share a few communication tips to consider while you navigate […]
Read moreBeware – Predatory Trading Practices
“Multiply it by infinity, and take it to the depth of forever, and you will still have barely a glimpse of what I am talking about.”— Joe Black in Meet Joe Black After watching some great basketball Sunday afternoon, I watched Michael Lewis interviewed on 60 Minutes to talk about his new book, Flash Boys, which is a scathing critique of the […]
Read moreCommunicate With Credibility by Mastering These Words
I have been leading a lot of discussions and training courses lately where the focus has been on making a solid first impression. Making a good impression through your how you act and speak enhances your credibility with colleagues, friends and acquaintances. I admit to being a bit of a grammar snob, and to frequently basing my first impressions of […]
Read moreMini Primer on Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)
Today many investment advisors and individual investors use ETFs or exchange-traded funds rather than, or in addition to, individual stocks and bonds or mutual funds. Today about 25% of all equity dollar volume is accounted for by trading in ETFs. Most of that volume is concentrated into relatively few ETFs. Given that ETFs are typically designed to track certain indexes, […]
Read moreThree Goals for Better Interpersonal Communication
It is almost the end of February, pretty late into the year to be setting New Year’s resolutions. Goals, however, can be set at any time, and I have set 3 goals to improve my communication efforts in 2014. Don’t take word choice for granted. Keep it simple is my motto! The best word to articulate a situation, emotion or […]
Read moreOpt Out with Your Eyes Open
Lean In, Opt Out, how do you decide what is best for you and your family? Most often when women make the decision to opt out they make it alone – no advisor, no realtor, no car dealer, no agent. We don’t sit down and think, “What is the price of this decision, in today’s dollars and over my lifetime, […]
Read more