Investors.com

Help Clients Overcome Troubled Attitude About Wealth

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:16:00 GMT

Most of Derek Tharp's clients seek to accumulate wealth. But on rare occasions, they prefer to eliminate wealth. Tharp, a financial adviser in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, recalls a client who harbored conflicting views about money. The client engaged in compulsive spending and seemed disdainful of her savings. "She had strong beliefs that money makes people do bad things so she tried to eliminate wealth that she could've been accumulating," Tharp said.

Global Honchos Fear Regulation

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

Regulatory pressure is the biggest threat facing companies across all industries worldwide, according to a report by consultant KPMG International. It weighed in as the No. 1 challenge facing financial services and energy and resource companies. Government pressure to contain spending was the top risk in health care. Geopolitical unrest and a global economic crisis were also major worries. Seventy-percent of C-suite

Asian Firms Open Wallets In Europe

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

China, Japan and India are paying more for quality European assets, bucking a trend of declining company valuations in the rest of the world. The report on global M&A trends by valuation specialists American Appraisal says the driver behind the trend is the desire by Asian companies to seek out prized Western assets to boost their global footprints, such as China-based Bright Food's acquisition of U.K. breakfast

Spending Steers A Steady Course

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

The Deloitte Consumer Spending Index, which tracks consumer cash flow as an indicator of future consumer spending, dipped slightly in April, mainly due to an increase in the tax rate. But the index also showed that other economic fundamentals remain steady. The index, which comprises four components -- tax burden, initial unemployment claims, real wages and real home prices -- fell slightly in April to 3.98 from a

CBOE Holdings' CEO Learns To Innovate Through Teams

Fri, 24 May 2013 19:09:00 GMT

Ed Tilly began his career on the trading floor. As he worked his way up to market maker, he attributed his success to his ability to make fast, accurate decisions. A longtime Chicago Board Options Exchange member, he started to join -- and eventually chair -- CBOE committees. That experience changed his decision-making approach. "As a trader, you're one guy who has an idea and you're either right or wrong," Tilly said. "It's not a decision by

Erving On Expectations

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:57:00 GMT

I demand more of myself than anyone else could ever expect. Julius Erving, basketball player

Gary Gordon, A Hero Who Died In The Heat Of Somalia

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:36:00 GMT

Gary Gordon wouldn't give up while aiming to rescue fellow soldiers trapped in Somalia in 1993. The Army master sergeant's third request to commanders was approved -- with this warning: You'll likely die in the attempt. Undaunted, Gordon and Randy Shughart -- a fellow Delta Force sniper -- went into the Mogadishu maze with guns blazing and took down a slew of terrorists. And nearly pulled it off alive. "Gordon was the epitome of the dependable

What World War II's Soldiers Would Tell Today's Vets

Fri, 24 May 2013 17:36:00 GMT

They came home in droves after World War II ended in 1945. They returned to grateful hearts, then built their careers from the mud up. Decades later they had a moniker: the Greatest Generation. Today's veterans face a world vastly different from the one that those mighty soldiers and sailors met when they got back to town nearly 70 years ago, says Nick Mueller, CEO of the National WWII Museum in New Orleans. Still, as the elders of WWII visit his

Pilot Leo Thorsness, A Medal Of Honor Hero In Vietnam

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:15:00 GMT

In April 1967, Maj. Leo Thorsness climbed into an F-105 jet and flew off into one of the great solo battles of the Vietnam War. The target: an army barracks and storage area near Hanoi. Shortly after crossing over the North Vietnam border, Thorsness picked up a chilling crackling noise in his headset. The rattlesnake sound indicated a surface-to-air missile -- SAM -- was about to launch, the first of several imminent deadly threats. Over the next 50

Build Ethical Culture With Examples And Communication

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:10:00 GMT

When companies build a culture based on ethics, they don't just save the cost of paying fines for getting in trouble. A bigger benefit involves results. Scott Killingsworth, an Atlanta-based partner at law firm Bryan Cave, says surveys show people at ethical firms go beyond the call of duty and stay at the company longer. Here's how to create that kind of atmosphere: Set the example. Enterprise Rent-A-Car founder Jack Taylor used to say,

Adm. Ernest King Pumped Up The Navy To Beat Japan

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:00 GMT

"Adm. Ernest King, commander in chief of the U.S. Fleet and chief of naval operations during World War II, has always been the most neglected and least understood among American military leaders of the time," Ian Toll, author of "Pacific Crucible," told IBD. "In that, he would have taken deep satisfaction because he did not want or seek a public profile." What mattered to him was that he advised President Franklin Roosevelt almost daily regarding

Great Bosses Get Drama, But Victims Don't Run Things

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:00 GMT

Could your workplace be the subject of a soap opera? It's time to stop and shift. How to drive drama out of your professional and personal life: Pin it down. If you can learn to spot dramatic confrontation before it really gets going, you can yank yourself out of its toxic grip. "We all will get into the drama grind," team development consultant Charlie Sheppard told IBD. "I don't care who you are. It's there at some point or another." Grasping

Boorstin On Ideals

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:01:00 GMT

America has been a land of dreams. A land where the aspirations of people from countries cluttered with rich, cumbersome, aristocratic, ideological pasts can reach for what once seemed unattainable. Daniel Boorstin, historian

Mary Walker Gained The Medal Of Honor By Sacrificing

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:05:00 GMT

The best medicine for Mary Walker was listening to her conscience. Walker became a doctor when there were few female ones. And she faced the heat of the Civil War, serving the Union Army as a physician. When in disagreement with her male counterparts regarding wholesale battlefield amputations, she realized she couldn't go through them, so she found a way around them to help the wounded. To treat civilians behind enemy lines, she risked her

Change Your Life With Big Or Small Opportunities

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:05:00 GMT

Ready to step out of your box? Ariane de Bonvoisin was. The Stanford MBA had climbed to the role of managing director of Time Warner's (TWX) $500 million investment fund. Unsettled, she left that firm to work as head of development for broadcaster Charlie Rose. Still, she felt stuck. "This perfect external life I'd built was very far from what was going on inside," she told IBD. "I realized I was climbing the wrong ladder and it was leaning up

Frank On Action

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:01:00 GMT

Nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. Anne Frank, writer

Emerson On Contentment

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:56:00 GMT

The crowning fortune of a man is to be born to some pursuit which finds him employment and happiness, whether it be to make baskets, or broadswords, or canals, or statues or songs. Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist

Reach Customers Emotionally To Break Out From Rivals

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:56:00 GMT

Business is shifting power from seller to customer. That nugget comes from Richard Weylman, author of "The Power of Why: Breaking Out in a Competitive Marketplace." His point is that customers can get all their buying-decision information in an instantaneous and cheap manner. Tips on reaching those customers: Listen. "Customers don't care that you have great products, years of experience or are rated No. 1," Weylman told IBD. What they care

William Peers' Guerrillas Smashed Japanese In Burma

Mon, 20 May 2013 17:56:00 GMT

Winston Churchill called Burma "the most forbidding country imaginable. ... One could not choose a worse place for fighting the Japanese." The British prime minister was referring to the Asian country's steep mountains covered by jungle, temperatures rising to over 100 degrees, deathly diseases and monsoons wiping out roads. Yet that's exactly where William Peers led "the most successful irregular military operations of the war," according to

Williams-Sonoma Makes The Most Of Brand Extensions

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:35:00 GMT

Classic brands aren't enough to sustain revenue these days. Home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma (WSM), for example, which is known for namesake Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and West Elm, couldn't rest on its laurels. Introducing new brands and spinoffs are crucial to spiking revenue. CEO Laura Alber is dedicated to developing new concepts and tweaking old ones. In 2012, the company launched Mark and Graham, which specializes in

Shoppers Prefer Stores To Sites

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

More than two-thirds of U.S. consumers say they prefer to shop in regular, brick and mortar stores than e-commerce websites. The survey by retail big data tech startup Synqera found that shoppers are drawn to retail locations that offer custom shopping experiences. But checkout remains the No. 1 pain point for 73% of domestic shoppers. "Synqera found that at the most basic level of commerce, the point of sale in

CFOs Say Suite Is Pretty Sweet

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

Being a chief financial officer is a career pinnacle for many finance executives, and it's where most who've reached it want to stay. Fifty-seven percent of CFOs interviewed for a study by Robert Half Management Resources say they're satisfied in their current role, while 18% said their next career move will be retirement. Becoming the CFO for a larger company appealed to 10%, while 9% thought about starting their

Financial Jitters Delay Retirements

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

Over 40% of working Americans in a survey by disability insurance provider Unum found that 40% are postponing retirement due to feelings of financial insecurity. When asked what their current retirement age was, the average was 67.1, a jump of 2.6 years over what they reported five years ago. Those age 55-plus expect to retire after their 70th birthday, while those 18-34 are expecting to retire at age 65.

Forever Checking Email Is New Norm

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

The line between job and home life has blurred for an overwhelming number of workers at small and midsize companies due to the spread of mobile devices and pressure to check work email. A survey conducted for GFI Software by tracker Opinion Matters found that 81% said they check their work email on weekends, 55% check email after 11 p.m. and 59% keep on top of their work email while on vacation. Outside of

Owners Are New To Social Media

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

Fifty-one percent of U.S. small business owners in a Staples survey are either novices or don't consider how social media can help their businesses. At the same time, 61% of small firms use at least one social media channel and 40% feel that their social media use has helped their business. Engaging customers is the top goal for social media usage for 50% of respondents.

From Alaska To Texas, Lithia Motors Dots Rural Areas

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

For Bryan DeBoer, leadership is a balancing act. It requires a mix of humility and confidence. "If you get too confident, you lose humility," said DeBoer, 46, president and chief executive of Lithia Motors (LAD). "If you get too humble, you lose confidence. When you're confident but you stay humble, that allows you to always strive for more, and we manage our business around continuous improvement." Bryan's grandfather founded the company in 1946

A CEO Modifies His Personality To Lead People Better

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:15:00 GMT

David Kirchhoff's enthusiastic, hard-charging personality helped him become CEO at age 40 of a global firm with 54,000 employees. But some of the traits that propelled his rapid career ascent did not serve him well as head honcho. "My stock in trade was always being passionate with a tendency sometimes to prove my worth by being a forceful presence who would immediately say, 'This is the right answer,'" said Kirchhoff, 46, chief executive of

Supercharged Data Crunching Signals Monster Info Wave

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:46:00 GMT

The tide of business information -- the stuff leaders use to make decisions -- continues to surge. How to stay above water: Dip a toe. Say you're grabbing cash from an ATM. Suppose the machine could instantly analyze your account, detect a history of high balances and "on the spot offer you a couple of investment products," said Genpact CEO Tiger Tyagarajan. That's real-time decision analytics in action, says Tyagarajan, whose firm spun out of

Isadore Sharp's Four Seasons Hotels Soared To Top

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:46:00 GMT

Since he opened his first hotel in Toronto in 1961, everyone has told Isadore Sharp that he was crazy. His locations were wrong. His refusal to cut rates during downturns was suicidal. He was giving front line workers too much authority. "I knew that what our customers valued most was superior service," Sharp, the 81-year-old founder and chairman of Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, told IBD. "To get that, we needed to be treating our employees the

Kissinger On Taking A Position

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:37:00 GMT

A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone. Henry Kissinger, secretary of state