By: Matthew Arndt, CFA, CPA, CFP | January 22, 2010 | The Politicians, The Regulators

There is a developing proposal that requires congressional approval which is intended to limit among other things speculative trading activity at large banks that receive blanket guarantees from U.S. taxpayers through FDIC insurance and other Governmental assurances. Branded the Volcker Rule after its originator former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, it imposes tougher standards on [...]

By: Matthew Arndt, CFA, CPA, CFP | November 12, 2009 | The Politicians, The Regulators, Wall Street Ethics

Ten years ago President Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act which repealed the Glass-Steagall Act giving rise to financial conglomerates that apparently are considered too big to fail, and therefore turn to taxpayer handouts when they find themselves in financial trouble. This latest round of bailouts is already putting trillions of dollars of taxpayer funds at [...]

By: Matthew Arndt, CFA, CPA, CFP | August 26, 2009 | Investor Information, Wall Street Ethics

A floundering taxpayer supported Citigroup is under contractual pressure to pay energy trader Andrew Hall a $100 million bonus. The real question is does Hall deserve the bonus? Is such a huge bonus fair to shareholders and taxpayers who are supporting Citigroup? And will shareholders suffer if Andrew Hall decides to leave and go elsewhere? [...]

By: Matthew Arndt, CFA, CPA, CFP | June 24, 2009 | The Politicians, The Regulators, Wall Street Ethics

In a story that has gone for the most part unnoticed, Citigroup and Bank of America, both of whom have received massive infusions of taxpayer money in the past year, are now scheming to get around the recent limits being placed on annual bonuses.  Both are expected to raise base salaries for investment bankers and [...]

By: Matthew Arndt, CFA, CPA, CFP | May 11, 2009 | Bad Financial Advice, Financial Advisors, Illegal Schemes & Scams, Report Fraud, Who Can I Trust?

Summarized in a recent FA News (May 08, 2009) article, FINRA: Broker Deceived 64-Year-Old Nun, a financial adviser affiliated with a well-recognized financial institution swindled a 64-year-old nun, an elderly couple, and a retired widow out of huge sums of money. Besides being a truly despicable piece, it goes to show you that just because (or especially because) an adviser is affiliated with a household name, investors should not assume that he will be honest and act with ethical integrity.