What if accountants are no longer ‘reliable’?

The Financial Post published an op-ed of mine in last Friday’s paper about the role of accountants in society.

Letters to Rob Ford: How to Stop the Gravy Train (using gravy)

Andy Smith writes a special letter for a special mayor:

Dear Rob,

I hope it’s ok that I call you Rob. “Your Mayorship” seems too formal for a guy that buys his suits off the rack, and you might think I mean your brother.

How to foul Lebron

This was originally written on October 18th, 2010. I find it interesting to look back and see how appalled I was at Lebron’s plan for financial success. Now that the Heat are on the verge of winning their first championship, It’s worse than I had imagined. Here comes the lost decade of basketball.

Build it already – Whispers in the wind clearly annoyed at lack of progress with TTC

In Field of Dreams, when Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) heard whispers in the wind, he took a leap of faith. He cleared out his crop to build a baseball diamond, clinging to a completely irrational belief that somehow things will work out in the end. Real life doesn’t work that way.

Globalization: If he really loves her, he’ll be back

If Globalization is like dating, Canada has some gorgeous features that make some countries jealous, and other countries eager. This allows her to get away with a lot. If he shows his desire openly, she makes him prove it. When he gets fed up, she’ll wait until they’ve both had time to cool off and then send a coy text message: how r u feelin?

How to Use Cash as a Pillow

Here’s what the Investment Industry never tells you about Investing: You may miss out on life. Without precise plans for your savings, Mutual Funds can lure your idle cash with their lucrative long run performance. When stock markets are confused and volatile as they are now, financial advisors will remind you that these are simply bumps in the road to prosperity. Investment has become so commonplace that Canadians don’t think twice when making an RSP contribution as to whether or not that money should live in the markets. How did investing become so ubiquitous?

Small Town Syndrome

People that live within two kilometers of a wind farm complain of mysterious symptoms. Known as Wind Turbine Syndrome in medical circles, it is described as “infrasound and low frequency noise.” This isn’t like getting used to the hum of a refrigerator; it’s a persistent vibration that hums inside you. Victims complain of frequent migraine headaches and sleep disruption.

However, there is nothing conclusive about the medical evidence that would stop Ontario’s investment in Wind Farms. This is the biggest problem in protecting ourselves from unintended consequences – inconclusive medical evidence. At this stage of being a developed nation, we’re smart enough to recognize that there’s a problem, but we don’t know how to account for it in our decision-making.

Junk Bond Logic

Do you remember at the end of the Breakfast Club, when potential Prom Queen Claire started making out with Bender, the high school reject? It’s easy to understand why she did it. They had been cooped up in that library all day, revealing their cigarette burned souls to each other. Plus, if you’re Claire, there’s no better way to piss off your parents than to make out with a guy right in front of their car, as they come to pick you up from detention. Claire was feeling good; she was breaking the rules. But come Monday, you knew it was going to be awkward. How was Claire going to explain this to her friends? She didn’t need this – not in her senior year.

Goldman on Trial

Get used to Goldman being in the news for the next little while. According to this NY Times article, Goldman Sachs is being sued for knowingly packaging poor quality mortgages and other loans into a large credit derivatives bundle, and then selling it to the market. More than likely, the lawsuit is sparked by the fact that Goldman has been profitable throughout the financial crisis and it’s really pissing everyone off. News of this lawsuit has triggered banks from other nations to begin investigations to see if they have a similar case. Did Goldman sell them shitty mortgage-backed securities too?

China

Although China and the United States don’t always agree on everything, their recent dealings have suggested that they were meant to be together. After spending so many years courting China, trying to get the timid nation to open its doors to global trade and business, China eventually came around and the two nations have been riding a honeymoon high ever since.