riscario

Three Reasons Why Financial Literacy Eludes Us

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:14:42 -0700

Episode 42 Yes, we want to make good financial decisions. Yes, we have the capability. However, universal financial literacy remains beyond our grasp for three reasons This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

Why Insurers Won't Insure You (H1N1 anyone?)

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:04:55 -0700

Episode 41 You can't always get what you want. --- The Rolling Stones You've got the money. What you want is legal and widely available, but you can't buy it. Who would turn you away? An insurer. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/10/why-insurers-wont-insure-you-h1n1.html

Why Is Financial Planning Ignored?

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 23:54:27 -0700

Episode 40 If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there. - -- Lewis Carroll Some advisors feel you must have a comprehensive financial plan but most recommend piecemeal solutions. If financial planning is so wonderful, why does it get ignored? This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/10/why-is-financial-planning-ignored.html

Why You Can't Know What You Want

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 03:25:09 -0700

Episode 39 Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you?ve got ?til it?s gone. --- Joni Mitchell You can't get what you want till you know what you want. --- Joe Jackson Joni and Joe are both correct but there's another aspect: You can't tell what you want until you know what's available. Let's explore this with a concrete example. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

Why You Can't (and Don't) Buy On Price

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:28:23 -0700

Episode 38 Today we're looking at prices from free to crazy. Price matters but so do many other factors. We don't always pick free or the cheapest. With examples. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/10/why-you-cant-and-dont-buy-on-price.html

How Effective Are Tax Auditors?

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:51:39 -0700

Episode 37 No one wants to get audited. Not even the tax auditors. But they get audited too. The Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, looked at how the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) audits Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).She found two problems that were identified in previous reports still remain. This hurts honest taxpayers. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/10/how-effective-are-tax-auditors.html

Three Steps To Keeping Financially Solvent

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:26:46 -0700

Episode 36 Life is going to be more challenging for "experts", and a premium will be placed on how well you can explain such things as actuarial reserves and capital. --- Superintendent Julie Dickson, Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) Regulators focus on keeping financial services companies solvent. See how a similar approach helps you remain financially solvent too. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/09/three-steps-to-keeping-financially.html

How Advisors Fool You (and what you can do)

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 00:00:34 -0700

Episode 35 You can fool some of the people all the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on. --- George W. Bush We're surrounded by companies and people who want to make money by fooling us. Look anywhere. The fine print taketh away. Why would advisors be any different? Discover a simple way to help gauge who you're dealing with. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/09/how-advisors-fool-you-and-what-you-can.html

Toodledo does more than Remember The Milk

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:12:11 -0700

Episode 34 Last year, Remember The Milk was my pick among the web-based task managers. This year, I switched to Toodledo. Should you? This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com (coming soon)

Reasons To Stop Avoiding New York City

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 02:03:44 -0700

Episode 33 During a visit in 1987, even Manhattan didn't feel safe enough. It's now 2009 and you'll find genuine improvements. Listen for more. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/09/reasons-to-stop-avoiding-new-york-city.html

Animal Care Beats Human Care

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:10:20 -0700

Episode 32 In Episode 29, we looked at Executive Physicals. This time we're comparing with an animal examination. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/08/animal-care-beats-human-care.html Episode 29 is here: http://www.archive.org/details/PromodSharmaIsAnExecutivePhysicalWorthTheBother_

The Least Prestigious Professions

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:55:30 -0700

Episode 31 Trust doesn't bring prestige. Neither does fame or wealth. This shows in a new Harris Poll released this week. The results might surprise you. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

How Seth Godin Sparks Your Flame of Insight

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 04:44:48 -0700

Episode 30 You can learn marketing by reading, courses, seminars and doing. That's not enough. We need ongoing reminders and up-to-date ideas. Otherwise, the helium escapes from our balloons and we crash back into our comfort zones. Seth uses an unusual mechanism to help us soar: blogging. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

Is An Executive Physical Worth The Bother?

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 23:30:45 -0700

Episode 29 Episode 29 This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: (coming tomorrow) http://blog.riscario.com

Episode 28 - Me an actuary? Seven questions from a student

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 19:56:39 -0700

Episode 28 "I am 19 and good at math. I would like to learn more about the actuarial profession. Could I take a moment of your time to ask a few q?" --- Vicki Sure. An actuarial career is well worth considering. You do challenging work, get paid well and have many opportunities. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

Buying A Video Camera: Can We Trust The Experts? (Sanyo Xacti FH1 vs Canon Vixia HF series)

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 05:31:33 -0700

Episode 27 How do you make the right decision about a product you know little about? Can you trust the experts to give you the best advice? If not, where can you turn? We look at the Sanyo Xacti VPC-FH1 vs Canon Vixia HF series. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

Popularity Contest: The “best” Money Blogs

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 01:29:31 -0700

Episode 26 The delicate balance between modesty and conceit is popularity. --- Max Beerbohm The Globe and Mail has been running a contest to pick what they call the best of the money blogs. Selected prominent financial experts (including Canadian Capitalist) picked their favourites. That's great. We save time when people we trust make recommendations for us. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/07/popularity-contest-best-money-blogs.html

The Effect of Banks Selling You Insurance Online

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:30:42 -0700

Episode 25 The Canadian Bank Act prohibits the sales or marketing of insurance in branches. Now banks can sell insurance online because a website is technically not a branch. That's great news for banks because most Canadians already bank online --- 53% in 2008. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com

How "Do Not Spam" Laws Help and Hurt You

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 04:20:21 -0700

The US is the leading source of spam. Canada is #4 and implementing Do Not Spam laws. There are pros and cons. We don't want to be paid in Spam or pained by spam. How can a legitimate small business become a welcome guest rather than an annoying pest? This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/06/how-do-not-spam-laws-help-and-hurt-you.html

The Three Major Obstacles to Growth according to Brian Tracy

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 21:07:21 -0700

Brian Tracy spoke at a private fundraiser in Toronto this week. He identified three major obstacles to growth 1. the comfort zone 2. learned helplessness 3. the path of least resistance This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/06/three-major-obstacles-to-growth.html

"The Snowball" rolls into Warren Buffett

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:22:11 -0700

In The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life, Alice Schroeder paints a captivating, detailed portrait of the man and key people in his life. Bonus: includes interviews with Jeevan and Sharmila, who also listened to the 37 hour unabridged audiobook. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/06/snowball-rolls-into-warren-buffett.html

Tips to Bulletproof Your Job (inspired by Stephen Viscusi)

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 30 May 2009 22:54:04 -0700

Work is a popularity contest, and the harsh truth is that when jobs are being cut, the guy who keeps his job is the one the boss likes best. --- Stephen Viscusi You'll find lots of job advice these days. Today we're looking at Bulletproof Your Job, a new book by Stephen Viscusi. Here are the four recommendations in eight words: 1. be visible 2. be easy 3. be useful 4. be ready This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/05/tips-to-bulletproof-your-job-inspired.html

Does billionaire Seymour Schulich help you "Get Smarter"?

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:29:21 -0700

Get Smarter is a 2007 book with lessons for business and life from a wealthy Canadian. Seymour Schulich, then a 67 year old billionaire, targeted the 20-40 crowd. You probably got lots of free, unsolicited advice from "wise elders" like your parents. You can get more from self-help books. If you think that wealthier means wiser, you can read books by or about billionaires like Richard Branson, Donald Trump, T Boone Pickens, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. Here's one more. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/05/does-billionaire-seymour-schulich-help.html

Jim Flaherty on the Economy and Financial Literacy

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Mon, 18 May 2009 14:00:14 -0700

If meetings could solve the economic crisis, it would be over by now. --- Jim Flaherty on the many international meetings he's been attending Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty addressed CALU for the third consecutive year, earlier this month. He spoke the day after his boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He talked about the economy and the need for more financial literacy. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/05/jim-flaherty-on-economy-and-financial.html

Preston Manning on Financial Planning

promodsharma.com (Promod Sharma) — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:22:51 -0700

Political parties are marketing machines for winning elections. ---Preston Manning Knowing how to win an election doesn't mean knowing how to run the country. Or having well-considered ideas. Or being financially prepared to run for office. Financial planning can easily get overlooked. Preston Manning (former leader of the western Canada-based Reform Party). runs The Manning Centre for Building Democracy shares his thoughts. This podcast accompanies a blog post at Riscario Insider: http://blog.riscario.com/2009/05/preston-manning-on-financial-planning.html