CFO Focus — TARP’s Past, Present & Future

TARP’s Past, Present & Future

The next $350 billion is ready to be released.

What did the first $350 billion accomplish?

Edited by J. Michael Stolp

What has the Troubled Asset Relief Program done for the financial sector? How was the first half of the TARP money spent? Where will the second half go? It’s time for a quick peek at TARP past, present and future.

In a tough economy, firms concentrate on building loyalty

The Dallas Morning News
January 19, 2009

ABSTRACT

The customer is king. If companies want to avoid being swallowed by the economic crisis, that’s what they need to realize, says Gal Borenstein, customer service strategist and author of What Really Counts for CEOs: Connect the Dots Between Marketing & Sales.

Customer service is resurging as a key marketing and brand-building strategy, Borenstein said. That may mean reaching out to customers through social networking sites, contacting them in person or making real-time incident management available.

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CFO Commentary — Monthly Economic Update for January 2009

Monthly Economic Update for January 2009

Edited by J. Michael Stolp.  These views should not be construed as investment advice.

Quote of the month. “The future depends on what we do in the present.”– Mahatma Gandhi

The month in brief. At the start of December, it became official: America had been in a recession for 12 months. Some leading economic indicators provided further confirmation. It was a month of descents. Interest rates came down to record lows. Oil prices and retail gasoline prices sank to the levels of a few years ago. Mortgage rates fell way down. (However, the real estate sector looked even unhealthier than previously assumed.) GM and Chrysler got bridge loans from Washington, D.C. and GMAC was bolstered by a cash infusion from the federal government. As America prepared for a new presidency, investors anticipated a better year on Wall Street.

CFO Focus — Little Ways You Might Improve Your Financial Life

LITTLE WAYS YOU MIGHT IMPROVE YOUR FINANCIAL LIFE

Some things to think about this year – and every year.

Edited by J. Michael Stolp

This is the year! Yes, you can make 2009 the year you alter your financial life for a better financial future. Let’s look at some steps you might think of taking with the goal of financial freedom in mind.

No, we’re not talking about those ridiculously obvious steps the usual articles recommend, like “write your goals down” and “set a budget”. Let’s go past the clichés and get into the real issues.

The Safe Money — Survival Plan for 2009 (Asset Protection)

As 2008 draws to a close we look back at the lessons learned and forward to new opportunities. Below are some critical points we have seen illustrated many times by those we work with, some of the most successful and intelligent people in their various professions and businesses. Despite the phenomenal track record many of them have in terms of making money safely, predictably and responsibly for many years, no one was left untouched by the recent crisis. Here are some of the 2008 “lessons” we feel it is most important to reflect on and examine for yourself as we start 2009.

CFO Commentary — Quarterly Economic Update for 4Q 2008

Edited by J. Michael Stolp

Quarterly Economic Update for 4Q 2008

Quote for the quarter. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

The quarter in brief. Was that the worst of it? Maybe that is what the fourth quarter of 2008 represented – the trough of a very rough recession. Some economists feel that way. Wall Street endured some serious pain in the fourth quarter. On November 20, the S&P 500 closed at 752.44, a low unseen since 1997; the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 7,552.29.¹ Only 14 months earlier, both indices had hit all-time highs. Fortunately, the S&P 500 and the DJIA respectively ended the year at 903.25 and 8,776.39; Santa Claus was a little late, but the DJIA did pull off a 284-point rally across December 30-31.²

CPA Gringo in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, C.A.

This lighter side, general interest article was published by J. Michael Stolp, President & CEO, CFO Solutions Inc. to the Arizona Society of CPAs weblog.

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