Will independence really matter? For mutual fund boards, the SEC should be focused on the drivers of shareholder value.
SINCE 2004, when it passed a rule that that all mutual funds appoint independent chairmen and a 75 percent independent board, the SEC has waged a battle with the fiercely oppositional U.S. Chamber of Commerce. To date, the rule has been rejected twice by a federal appeals court, which...

Burton G. Malkiel.
Looking to beat the market--or just get in it? The following financial experts recommend books on smart investing--from how to research stocks and mutual funds to ways to save for retirement. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AND AUTHOR Burton G. Malkiel is Chemical Bank...

Good capitalism.
I'm encouraged to see two new books--Supercapitalism, by Robert Reich, and The Battle for the Soul of Capitalism, by John Bogle, the long-term head of Vanguard Mutual Funds--that begin the serious questioning that is desperately needed of what has happened to American capitalism. The good kind of capitalism meant...

Financial report of the Secretary-Treasurer for 2006.
THE SECRETARY-TREASURER has organized this report to reflect the purpose and status of each of the Society's assets. Some investments are intended to help support gifts and grants while others are reinvested for growth. Routine operating funds are maintained in the SASS operating account. Income and expenditures are itemized....

Jane Bryant Quinn.
FINANCIAL COLUMNIST Jane Bryant writes a biweekly column for Newsweek magazine and a bimonthly column for Good Housekeeping. Her new book, Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People, collects her best ideas in all areas of personal finance, including the smartest way to invest retirement funds....

Sound financial strategies can spare special needs families time, money and grief: information of interest to people with disabilities and other special needs and their families.
It's enough of a challenge to provide economic and emotional support for an adult special needs child without having to deal with an inadvertent loss of disability or Medicaid benefits by reason of an innocent financial oversight. Yet, according to financial and legal experts that specialize in special care...

6 way to avoid the financial potholes of life.
If you have your personal finances under control and in great shape, read no further. If you're confident and happy with the state of your finances, don't waste your time here. On the other hand, if you'd like to improve your financial situation, avoid some of themore...

Treasurer's report.
Overview The Melville Society had a fine year in 2006. The robust performance of the domestic stock market resulted in an almost $10,000 increase in the value of the Murray Endowment, and the Society's midyear outreach to delinquent members resulted in a significant number of dues contributions...

Art business: auction houses are tapping the shift of the world's savings from west to east.
In 2003, Goldman Sachs published a research report on the fastest growing emerging markets in the world. The bank labelled them the BRIC countries because they comprised Brazil, Russia, India and China and argued that they were developing so rapidly that by 2050 they would eclipse the world's richest...

SRI: No longer a niche investment strategy; Being included in socially responsible investment indexes has its rewards. Does your company qualify?
IN RECENT YEARS, the notion of a corporation taking the voluntary initiative to uphold standards and practices that contribute to the greater good of society, its employees, and the environment has taken hold across the globe. Corporate social responsibility--CSR for short--has blossomed from the grassroots efforts of a few...