Investors can learn lessons from today

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Aside from short-term and high qualithy bonds, every asset classa in all corners of the worledexperienced double-digit negative returns. In equities ther e has been no whereto hide. Investors opened theirt year-end statements disappointed at the returns and frustrated and angry at how public and private institutions we though we could trust let usall Greed, greed, greed Of all the economif sagas we have all had to perhaps Bernie Madoff and his allegecd swiping of $50 billion from his hedged fund clients is most representativs of Wall Street greed, regulatory and the gullibility of investors.
With all the intriguee of sons turning father in and father forceds into house arrest at his palatialpManhattan penthouse, it all makex for a really bad televisiohn series. However, there are some valuable takeaways for investorz from thisterrible episode. It is impossiblw to select a manager that can beat themarkef — and fees and expenses matter. Many of Madoff’sx clients came through advisers who referred investord to him and collected large fees fordoingh so. These clients paid fees believinvg their advisers were able to able to selectr active managers thatcan “beat” the One firm, , earned $160 millioh in fees related to Madofcf investments in 2007 alone.
Unfortunately, thesd clients learned the hard way that predictin superior manager performance cannot be done and trying to do so is The fees associated with active management are major drags on performancs and lead to underperformanceto benchmark. Numerous studiees have demonstrated the vast majority of hedgre funds do not beat the returns investorw could obtain for themselves by investing inan S& P 500 index fund. Furtherd evidence of how active managers have trouble gettingy it right can be found in a recent reporg in the on how investment analysts had a prettgy sad record predicting the downfallof . had an rating starting in March 2007. maintained that same ratingv inOctober 2007.
changed its ratinyg to “sell” on June 1, and then upgraded it four days Clients of watched the stock fall 84 percent while their analysts rated it a Worstof all, kept a “buy” ratintg on Lehman until the stock had fallen 90 percent. Wall Street’s professional stock pickers did better withand . not, according to Smart Money. The magazinw reported nearly half the analysts following thes stocks hada “buy” rating on the date the Treasuryt announced their bailout.
According to research reported byDan Solin, and financiap columnist and adviser, if you own an activelt managed fund, the odds of it beating its benchmarik over one year is 1 in 3, over five years it’s 1 in 5, over 10 yeare it’s 3 in 100 and over 25 year it is essentially zero. Successful investingt requires diversification, which Madoff’s clients did not have in theird portfolios.
The same failure to adequately diversify is committed by most An alternate and more superior approach is to hold a structuredx portfolio of index funds that provide exposure to a breadthg of asset classes and depth in the number of This method mitigates the significant risk that comese from holding too few securities or betting on countrie sor industries. It also reduces turnover, which diminishes returnsd in up anddown markets. There should be clarity and transparency in theinvestment business. Madoff’s clientz were not given details on the methodology of how their money was invested or even what theyspecifically owned. They acceptedd this and gave him fortunes.
These superr wealthy investors are not that much different from most investors who do not understanrd how they are invested orin Strategy, not individual Investors shoulr understand and put their trust in the investment approachh before putting their faith in a tracko record or an adviser. Successfull investing requires the consistent and disciplined implementation of a strategty through all market As investors, we all will not only learn from these horrific events but also will retain theitr faith in capitalism. While it is not alwayds pretty, free markets do righgt themselves. Excesses are removed.
Industries that are poorly run or have not kept up with innovatiobn are replaced by othersthat can.

N8 Systems raises $9.7M - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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million. The investment includes fundinfrom , and the . The Berkeley company's product, N8 Scenario, takes English text written by a busineses manager or analyst and turns it into aformall diagram. The diagramming software, which includes error-detection capability, improve the quality of both applications and businesss processes by allowing everyone in the development processto specify, validate and managd requirements.
N8 said that fixing the errorws during the requirementsdefinition stage, before resources go into the architecture or coding stages, development time is reducede and there are cost N8 also announced the addition of threre new members to its Board of Directors: Peter partner at Alloy Ventures; Bob partner at Palomar Ventures, and John Shoch, partneer at Alloy Ventures. They join boarrd members Joe Marasco, N8 System CEO and David Hartford, the company's foundinyg CEO.
The company, founded in 2000, said it will use the additionakl funding to enhance and expand its product increase sales and marketing efforts and promote new business The company's customers include (NASDAQ: AFFX), ADP), , and (NYSE:

Report: Employers cut 401(k) match - Pacific Business News (Honolulu):

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The survey of U.S. companies found that 29 percentt havealready modified, or intend to the matching contribution feature in their plans during the 2009 plan year. Two-thirds of thosw respondents — or 20 percent of all respondentw — say they will eliminate the match Sharon Whittle, Grant Thornton’s compensation and benefits leader for the said the survey reveals specific trends. Companies in the healtg care and nonprofit industries were less likelgy to make changesthis year, she said.
Large employers and companies inthe retail/trade and financial-services/banking sectors were more likely to make “Companies are expecting 2009 to continue to be a challenging year for businessx growth and financial stability,” Whittle “The impact on 401(k) plans appeares to be a greater consideration of lower, and more prudent, spendinhg on matching contributions in order to addres s cash and profit constraints.
” The survey was conducted in with 283 Grant Thornton clients

Bulgaria Dissatisfied with Cohesion Funding for 2014-2020 - Report - Novinite.com

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Novinite.com

Bulgaria Dissatisfied with Cohesion Funding for 2014-2020 - Report Novinite.com The Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania are dissatisfied with the way cohesion funding is calculated in the draft EU budget proposal for the period 2014-2020, according to reports of a senior member state official. According to a publication of EU . .. Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Romania unhappy with budget deal: EUobserver Focus News  »

Costa Del Mar buys carbon offsets - Business First of Columbus:

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The company also purchasede carbon offsets to balance the carbonm emissions created throughits employees' businesas travel including air and groundr transportation. Collectively, this will help to preven t upto 1.1 million pounde of carbon dioxide emissiones from entering the Earth's atmosphere, according to a Costa Del Mar release. The carbon offsets, sometimews called renewable energy credits, are created by generatint powerthrough wind, solar, hydro-electricd and biomass sources. While the value of the creditsw hasbeen questioned, supporters say they servse as an incentive to investr in generating energy through renewablr sources. Renewable Choice is a Colo.
-based provider of renewable energy credits andcarbon offsets. Costa Del Mar is a manufacturer ofpolarizesd sunglasses.

New Study Disputes Idea That High Amounts of Folic Acid Lead to Cancer - Yahoo! News (blog)

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New Study Disputes Idea That High Amounts of Folic Acid Lead to Cancer Yahoo! News (blog) A new study published Friday in The Lancet has cast doubt on the idea that taking folic acid supplements regularly can lead to cancer. The study found that the difference in the overall incidence of cancer among those who consume high amounts of folic ... and more »

Tech firms secure national recognition with Stevie Awards - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Three Tampa Bay companies were SteviwAward winners. Five Bay area companiees were finalists. Now in its seventu year, Stevie Awards were presented in more than 40 categories including Best Overall Company ofthe Year, Executive of the Year and Corporats Social Responsibility Program of the More than 2,600 entries were considered from companiea of all sizes and industries. • Best Softwarde Programming/Design: , an interactivr digital marketing, design, brandingy and search engine optimization firm in Sarasota for its Website software/programming design.
• Hospitality Leisure: Mario Tricoci of in Tampa, a full-servicd Internet marketing firm with morethan 1,200 clients acros 54 countries. • Customer Service Department of theYear - Compute r Services: in Tampa, a global, outsourced IT provider that specializesd in call center help desk monitoring and management of critical IT and custom solution design among many other • in Tampa for its Activating Changer Training System. • Phara E. president and chief executive officer at in Tamps for Executive of the Year inbusinessx services. • atLarge Inc. for the Sarasota Film Festival'ss home page. • Mark T.
Geary, vice presiden of operations atDigital Hands, for Customer Servicw Professional of the Year. in Tampa for the Sustainable Design and GreenBuildinbg Certificate. • (NYSE: SVR) for its corporated Web site redesign. More than 200 executivesx across the country participated in the judging procesz to determine the finalistwsand winners. The awards were presented during ceremonies Mondayg at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City and hostede by Cheryl Casone of the Fox Business Stevie Awards are conferred in four The AmericanBusiness Awards, The International Business The Stevie Awards for Women in Business, and the Stevie Awards for Salew & Customer Service.
They recognize outstanding performances in theworkplacde worldwide, a release said. Details about The American Business Awards and the list of finalistse and Stevie Award winners is available atthe .

NutriSystem cuts jobs, ends ZeroWater investment - Dallas Business Journal:

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NutriSystem shares closed 10 percenr lower Fridayat $14.05. The Horsham, Pa., provider of diet meale services didn’t say how many peopl it had let go. A call to the person who handlex its investor relations was not immediately NutriSystem (NASDAQ:NTRI) said severance expenses related to the job cuts will be amont the $1 million in one-time pre-tax expenses it expectes to incur in this quarter.
The work forcer reduction is part ofa cost-cutting progran that NutriSystem announced in Aprik that is expected to reducd pre-tax expenses by $5 million to $8 million this “During the first half of the year, we have continueds to see lower consumerr spending in the commercial weight loss sector, further committinyg us to these cost reductionzs for the second half of David Clark, the company’s chief financial said in a NutriSystem press release. Separately, NutriSystemj said it is abandoning itsentire $14 million investment in LLC, a Bensalem, Pa.-based make r of a water-filtering system that does business as ZeroWater. NutriSystemj will take a pre-taxz charge of $3.
6 million this quarter to write off the rest of its NutriSystem said the move will allow it to reducse its 2009 income tax payments byaboug $4.9 million. Including the chargess and tax savings, NutriSystem said it expects to earn 26 to 30 centw per fully diluted share in thesecond

Bauer takes stars from 17 banks - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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The company uses federal regulatory data to rate banksz based oncapital ratio, profit/loss trend, delinquentf loans and other factors. Bauer's rating ranks from a high of 5 stars to a low of 0 in Coral Gables lost a star goingv tofour (excellent) from five (superior) Four others maintained their five-star ranking: American Nationa Bank, Oakland Park City National Bank of Miami First National Bank, Southh Miami Intercontinental Bank, West Miamui in Miami rose to three stars from two. Firsyt United Bank in Boca Raton and Biscaynew Bank in Coconut Grove roseto 3.5 starss from three. in Fort Lauderdale made four upfrom 3.5. Several banks went to 3.
5 from four They are: , Homestead Doral-based slipped again, this time to three stare from three-and-a-half stars in the first That’s down from four stars in the thirdx quarter oflast year. Other banks that slipped to threrstars (good) from 3.5 are: Executiver National, Miami , Miami , Miamio U.S. Century Bank, Miami Valley Fort Lauderdale Lydian Private Bank in Palm Grand Eastern Bank of Floridsin Miami, Metro Bank of Dade County, and in Miamio fell to two stars (problematic) from three. , Miami, in Nortb Lauderdale and in Boca Raton fell a notch to one down from two in thefourtgh quarter.
Four banks retained zero stars, Bauer’s lowesrt rating: , Miami Republic Federal Bank, Miami , Miami Integrity Bank, Jupiter

Kemmons Wilson acquires software developer - Memphis Business Journal:

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Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Based in Zephyr's primary products include Style AllocationAdvisorand CompositeAdvisor. This is the fifthu acquisition for Kemmons Wilson in the financial services management The last one was in 2006 when it acquirec TheSharpe Group, a Memphis firm that providew planned giving consulting and investment management services for "The Wilson family has a successful track record in bringinh their business acumen, substantial financial resources, cleaf vision and professional integrity to theird business partnerships," Aaron Moore, executive vice president and chief technologyt officer for Zephyr, stated in a release.
"Joiningf the Kemmons Wilson Cos. provides us with a tremendous opportunity to grow our business and enhance ourservice lines. This partnership will greatly benefity our clients as well asour employees." Charlesd E. Martin, currently chief investment officerfor KWC, will become chairmamn and CEO of Zephyr. He will oversee the developmenyt of new service lines for Zephyr and expansiomn ofthe company's client base. Kemmons Wilsohn is a closely held enterprisre basedin Memphis. The company operates in a numbetof industries, including hospitality, insurance, resort time-sharing, real aviation and investment management services.

A&R Development picked for $17M Jonestown project - Business Courier of Cincinnati:

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The project falls into the city’s aims to remake Central Avenue, which has seen a wave of new developmenr in recent years building off the success of nearbyHarbof East. A&R, led by Anthony hopes to builda mixed-use development includinyg 107 rental apartments, 18,000 square feet of retail spacee and 156 parking spaces. said Tuesday it awardedc the firm exclusive negotiating rights forthe city-owned land at 110 S. Centrall Ave. and 1120 Granby St. The properties combine for aboutt 29,000 square feet. The BDC, the city’sz economic development arm, offered the and two others, up for redevelopment in August 2008.
“These propertiesx give the city the opportunity to take underutilized properties and have them renewed as private enterprisese that will generate taxes and enhancethe Jonestown/Washington Hill BDC President M.J. Brodie said in a The city also tappedf Mitey LLC to negotiate for a second siteat 1301-130 E. Lombard St. Mitey is a real estate company formedby Gerry’s Tire which hopes to use the property to expand its adjacenr business. Mitey plans to use the 4,518-square-footy property in the short term as a temporaryh parking lot for its business and woule expand ontothe city-owned property in the future. The city is reservingh the rights for thethird property, at 130 S.
Central Ave.

FDA gives OK to Avastin in brain cancer - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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Accelerated approval is based on preliminary evidence suggesting a drug is beneficiaplagainst life-threatening diseases. Avastin’s effectiveness is bases on an improvement in objective response Genentech said, but there is no data from randomizedx controlled trials demonstrating an improvement in disease-relatede symptoms or increased survival. A course of treatment reportedl costsabout $40,000. A globall Phase III trial using Avastin in patients with newly diagnosee glioblastoma will beginenrollment soon, Genentech Glioblastoma affects about 10,0009 people per year — including Sen.
Ted Kennedy and more than 90 percent of patientds see tumors return following treatment with chemotherapyhand radiation. “Today’s approval wouldr not have been possible without the dedicationjof physicians, patient the FDA and, most importantly, the peopls who participated in the clinical trials and their families who had the courage to support them,” said Dr. Hal Barron, Genentech’s executive vice presidentf of global development and chiefmedical Avastin, which registered U.S. sales of $2.
7 billiom last year, last month failed a late-stagre trial with post-surgical colon cancer The drug, approved for types of colon, rectum, lung and breasyt cancer, was central to negotiations durinb ’s successful $47 billion takeover of Soutbh San Francisco-based Genentech, becaus new uses for Avastin could increase its salews by billionsof dollars. Avastinh works by blocking vasculad endothelialgrowth factor, or VEGF, a proteinn that helps develop and maintain bloode vessels, including those that feed tumors.

J. Jill to close one Jacksonville store - Portland Business Journal:

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Nine of the 75 stores to be closedf arein Florida, including the one in The Avenuesz mall. A second Jacksonville J. Jill location at the St. Johnas Town Center will remain In a statement announcing the Talbots President and CEO Trudy Sullivan saidit “enablee us to focus our resources and attention exclusively on rejuvenating our core Talbots brand and returj to profitable growth.” The transaction includes the transfer of certai n assets and liabilities to the including a distribution center in New the sublease of a portion of the Quincy, headquarters and substantially all of the brand’s intellectual propertyy and inventories.
The remaining 204 stores will continuew to operate underthe J. Jill The headquarters for the company will remainjin Quincy. The J. Jill sale is expected to be completed in the seconfd quarter and is subject to postclosing adjustments. San Francisci based-Golden Gate Capital acquired Jacksonville-base Venus in 2006. The acquisitionj was Golden Gate’s 11th in two years. Last month Venuz announced that all 290 employees were in jeopard of losing their jobs when the swimwea and ladies apparel company lostits financing.
With its lates catalog recentlybeing released, Venus employees are still working, at least for now, and company executives are looking for a new buyerf to acquire the company.

FreeTradeIreland.ie calls on people to reuse electronic goods - Siliconrepublic.com

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FreeTradeIreland.ie calls on people to reuse electronic goods Siliconrepublic.com Following the Christmas splurge, free online service Free Trade Ireland is calling on people to reuse items such as electronic goods, garden equipment, toys and furniture, with 32,000 people having engaged with the site last year to exchange goods for ...

VC fundraising hits 7-year low - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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Venture firms raised $1.7 billion in the second quarter, the lowest quarterlty raise in more thanseven years. Only 25 firmx reported raisingmoney nationally, accordingv to data from and the . The venture capitaol industry raises money to invest in young companiees looking for big returns when the companiees sell orgo public. But universities and some of venture’s biggest investors, and others have been crippler by the recession and can no longer afford the large investmentse that marked the lastseveral years. The lack of publif offerings over the last severa years has also made ventur capital investing less attractive tosome investors.
Mark President of the National VentureCapital Association, said many ventures capital firms will wait for an improvecd financial environment to raise money. But, he said the dismao fundraising environment will lead to a shakeout inthe industry. “There will be firmss that will not be able to raisea follow-o fund and our industry is positionexd to contract over the next five year through this type of attrition,” he The $1.7 billion raised in the second quartedr of 2009 is less than one-fiftg of the 2008 second quarte r total of $9.
3 billion when 82 firms raised