Mark's Financial Careers Blog April 2008 Archive

Too many of our e-mail inboxes strain with incredible numbers of messages that take so much time to process. In fast-paced industries like financial services, the burden can be particularly ... Read More

Those considering careers as money managers should be aware of the conflicts of interest inherent in the mutual funds industry, as discussed in this recent New York Times article. Of ... Read More

Statement consolidators are niche providers in the financial services industry, generally small, highly technical outfits that serve an important need: simplifying the lives of people who find it advantageous to ... Read More

The untethering of workers from fixed office locations is accelerating with improvements in wireless technologies, especially for data transmission. The Economist has an interesting, comprehensive report on mobile technology. While ... Read More

An important and highly interesting phase of my career in the financial services industry combined market research and data mining. My task was to identify clients who held significant financial ... Read More

Is the Wall Street culture inherently one that lurches from crisis to crisis, as the imperative to make a fast buck overrides any wariness from past disasters? So claims the ... Read More

Financial illiteracy, that is. Become a financial advisor or a financial planner. While financial do-it-yourselfers are an important market segment, the vast majority of people are utterly clueless about basic personal ... Read More

As noted in The Economist's "Buttonwood" column, investment risk has been redefined in a novel, ultimately dangerous, way in recent years. Instead of taking measures to reduce the risk of ... Read More

In our discussion of surviving layoffs we've noted the violent, manic-depressive mood swings on Wall Street and their impact on hiring and firing. Here's an informative article on herd behavior ... Read More

Fidelity Investments, the mutual fund powerhouse, is both changing its approach to hiring analysts and dramatically increasing headcount in its securities research function, according to The New York Times. Fidelity used ... Read More

Credit rating agencies (see also our own discussion of rating agencies) are key players in the financial markets. Unfortunately, the quality of their work recently has come under sharp criticism, ... Read More

Mark to market, or fair value, accounting is the standard within the financial industry. As a recent article from The Economist indicates, this methodology, normally lauded for its timeliness and ... Read More

Call it investment management, money management or, as The Economist does, asset management, if you're interested in the field, don't miss this comprehensive special report. It includes a hard-eyed look ... Read More