SEC Issues Trailblazing Climate Disclosure Proposal At long last, after studying the issue for many years, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has finally released its long-awaited proposal to require companies to disclose their climate risks to investors. These proposed rules (neatly summarized in a 506 page notice) will require all publicly traded companies to disclose both their greenhouse [...]
The DOL's proposed Rulemaking on "Financial Factors in Selecting Plan Investments" for ERISA plans is considering amendments to the “Investment duties” regulation under Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA), to confirm that ERISA requires plan fiduciaries (i.e. the investment advisors) to select investments and investment courses of action based solely on [...]
Just Twenty Companies Responsible for Half of Power Sector’s Carbon Emissions in the US According to a press release posted by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, a coalition of some of the largest institutional investors, representing $1.8 trillion in assets, sent a joint letter setting a deadline for 20 of the nation's largest utilities to achieve net-zero carbon. [...]
A history of how a shipping company becomes a bank Dr. Tiemann was the invited speaker at the Rotary Club of San Mateo on February. His talk was entitled “Banking in Gold Rush California — The Adams Express Company.” In this talk, Dr. Tiemann explores the story of the Adams Express Company — the largest express company and second-largest bank [...]
By Dr. Jonathan Tiemann, February 11, 2017 On Friday, February 3, 2017, a group of business leaders convened at the White House with the President, members of his family, and his ever-watchful Vice President, presumably to lobby for policies conducive to the profitability of their businesses. The financial markets advanced, as though relieved that the President had chosen to take [...]
Today, I'm calling on the Department of Labor to update the rules and requirements that retirement advisors put the best interests of their clients above their own financial interests. It's a very simple principle: You want to give financial advice, you've got to put your client's interests first. – President Barack Obama, February 23, 2015 We are thrilled [...]
By Dr. Jonathan Tiemann In my childhood, my favorite cartoon was The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, a Cold War-era sendup of the popular cloak-and-dagger movies of the day. The heroes, Rocky the Flying Squirrel and Bullwinkle T. Moose, always managed, in their bumbling way, to thwart the arch-villains, Boris Badenov and Natasha Fatale. In one memorable adventure, Boris and [...]
Despite the well-pronouced and increasingly strident warnings from scientists about the deleterious effects of burning fossil fuels on the environment, there is a surprising amount of "business as usual" going on in corporate America. This makes the news about the way Anne Stausboll, the chief executive of Calpers, addresses climate change all the more impressive. According to an article in [...]
October 8, 2013 — In what might cause the biggest uptick in quality of service for investors since the 1940's, a subcommittee of the Investor Advisory Committee to the SEC has just circulated a draft proposal recommending that the SEC proceed with a rule requiring brokers to PUT THE BEST INTERESTS OF THEIR CLIENTS BEFORE THEIR OWN when providing investment [...]
Entrepreneur Magazine recently ran an article reviewing and excerpting the book, "55 Surefire Home Based Businesses You Can Start for Under $5,000 by Entrepreneur Press & Cheryl Kimball (2009), which listed 55 businesses that people could jump into with little investment of time or money. It was not surprising to find that becoming a Financial Planner was listed at number [...]