Have you taken a moment to reflect on your achievements in 2008? Have you made plans for the New Year?
It’s easy to overlook or underrate your successes and progresses if you don’t. I almost did myself. For me, 2008 was a year of tremendous learning, progress and growth. It was certainly one of the more [...]

It’s been over a month since I last posted. So, what have I been up to? I’m in the process of setting up my new business. The idea of my business is conceived when I think back on one of my biggest realizations while I was a financial analyst.
I noticed there are plenty of parallels [...]

It seems like the US financial crisis is still escalating and the turmoil will persist for a while before settling. I can imagine the anxiety level of financial analysts reaching new highs with each financial story unveiling more worrying news.
Despite the fear and chaos, the financial market will recover over time. Looking back at history, [...]

I received an inquiry from someone who is at crossroads, both in her personal and professional lives. According to this reader, her life is getting unmanageable. When I attempted to email her my reply, I got a mail delivery failure notice telling me that her email box is full.
Perhaps this is a reflection of why [...]

Does the sluggish financial market make you feel unproductive because your work pace is slower than it was a year ago? Are you uncomfortable with the extra time on your hands after you’ve raced through to complete a project at the same speed you did when you had double the amount of work?
Speed has come [...]

A reader asked me last week if it is too late in her early thirties to follow her passion to become a financial analyst. My answer to her was, “No, it’s not too late.”
A study has shown that the majority of people, estimated as high as 80%, are in the “wrong” industry. When students are [...]

Have you ever tried stretching beyond your limits? What are limits anyway? Who set these limits on you? Here are some examples of how we sometimes impose limits on ourselves: “I’m too tired today to write another financial analysis.” “There is no way I can finish this project in a week!” “I can’t find any [...]

I assume that as a financial analyst, you can’t escape reading the daily news. I can’t imagine a financial analyst who isn’t up to date on the latest Bloomberg headline. In this past year, the problems in the financial industry have inundated the news front. Being exposed to negative news day in and day out [...]

Many financial analysts have solid financial background and qualifications. How can you differentiate yourself from your peers in the competitive financial industry? Strong people skills can be the distinguishing factor, assuming you and your peers offer similar level of value to the organization. Here are five characteristics that will help your colleagues to better know [...]

…move to Zimbabwe. BBC News reported Zimbabwe’s recent introduction of its Z$100bn bank note. Aside from becoming an instant billionaire (or even trillionaire), another advantage of living in Zimbabwe is the realization that even in the worst of economic times, everyone can still become billionaire. Annual inflation exceeds 2,200,000%!
But seriously, IMF in its latest World [...]