Quora: Stock Market Good or Scam?
I posted one of several responses to the following question on Quora: Do you find investing in the stock market a good investment strategy or a scam? I thought my blog readers may also be interested in...
View ArticleGolden Peacock Award Applications Open
Golden Peacock Award applications due August 31, 2019. Today, Boards are expected to focus on improving their effectiveness—not just their compliance, but also Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG)...
View ArticleMore Beta: 21st Century Portfolio Theory
More beta is what investors should focus on order to increase long-term returns, argue Jim Hawley and Jon Lukomnik in their paper, The Long and Short of It: Are We Asking the Right Questions? – Modern...
View ArticleMcRitchie 2019 Proxy Season Win for Market Beta
McRitchie 2019 proxy season results are not something I normally report. It feels too much like bragging. I do my work to drive better, more accountable corporate governance. However, the SEC’s...
View ArticleMy Letter to Business Roundtable on Shareholder Resolutions
My letter to Business Roundtable (BRT) on shareholder resolutions is reprinted below. There has been no response so far. If their pledge to stakeholders was really in earnest, maybe they will now be...
View ArticleMutual Fund Wars Over Fees AND Proxy Votes
Mutual fund wars are fierce around pricing. What if competition was also fierce around proxy voting? Could that change the world? I certainly think so. My petition to the SEC could generate mutual fund...
View ArticleICCR Letter to BRT on ESG Resolutions
Below is an ICCR letter to the BRT from Josh Zinner commending them on their recent acknowledgement of the value of stakeholders and asking them to reassess their opposition to shareholder resolutions....
View ArticleCostco ESG Momentum: Right to Remove Directors
Costco ESG momentum has improved. I submitted a shareholder proposal to help keep it on that path. The proposal would eliminate a corporate governance anomaly Costco has by virtue of being incorporated...
View ArticleGadfly Importance Key to Democratic CorpGov
Gadfly importance to democratic corporate governance is often underrated. We are currently under attack by the Business Roundtable (BRT) and others seeking to substantially raise the ownership...
View ArticleShareholders Target Fund Voting For Sunlight
Shareholders target fund voting at BlackRock Inc., Vanguard, JPMorgan Chase, T. Rowe Price, and Northern Trust. (BlackRock, Vanguard Face Shareholder Rebuke Over Climate Votes, Bloomberg, 12/13/2019)...
View ArticleMPT – Why Investors Might be Climate Allies: Corporate Governance Today
This is a bit daunting. I’m giving a lecture named after Adam Smith. In a college where the first Director of Studies in Economics was John Maynard Keynes. No pressure at all. Twenty-five years ago, I...
View ArticleHenderson – Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire
Rebecca Henderson, Reimagining Capitalism in a World on Fire points to the real need for reform and offers several suggested improvements, primarily the need to focus on purpose. (link to Amazon) I...
View ArticleThe Giant Shadow of Corporate Gadflies
The Giant Shadow of Corporate Gadflies, by Yaron Nili and Kobi Kastiel, (download at SSRN) is one of the more objective reviews of the recent influence of “gadflies” on corporate governance in America....
View ArticleShareholder-Driven Stakeholderism
Shareholder-Driven Stakeholderism (U of Chicago) by Cathy Hwang and Yaron Nili argues the Business Roundtable Statement of the Purpose of a Corporation should be seen as another way to entrench...
View ArticleSpring 2020 CorpGov.net Proxy Proposal Results
Spring 2020 CorpGov.net Proxy Proposal results are in. Once again, rules proposed by the SEC would likely cost shareholders billions of dollars because of delayed good governance practices. Since the...
View ArticleESG Rulemaking by DOL
ESG Rulemaking by DOL – comments are in. Several investor organizations and financial industry firms released an analysis of the more than 8,700 public comments on the Department of Labor’s (DOL)...
View ArticleTrump Celebrates Labor Day
Trump celebrates labor day. Many who actually labor cringe at his repulsive words and actions. There are far instances too many to mention. Below are a few that are top of mind. Military Service is For...
View Article#MICUS 2020 Comparing Sustainable Funds
#MICUS 2020, the Morningstar conference, had so much to write about during day 1 that it may take me a month or so to go through it. Register for day 2 if you missed the first day. I just heard Larry...
View ArticleBlackRock 8-K Positive CorpGov
BlackRock 8-K of October 6th contains good news for shareholders. I frequently complain about BlackRock because their actions, especially proxy voting, are out of sync with their positive ESG...
View ArticleClimate Risk Hypocrites
Climate Risk Hypocrites exposed by Morningstar’s Jackie Cook and Tom Lauricella. The authors found support for climate-related proposals rose at Fidelity, State Street Global Advisors, and Vanguard....
View ArticleESG Options in DC Plans
ESG Options in DC Plans? Morningstar can help you find them. President Trump’s Department of Labor aims to limit ESG investing in retirement plans, although even law firms recognize the need for ESG...
View ArticleWD-40 2020: Employee Voice
WD-40 2020, where employee voice and empowerment is on the ballot. The WD-40 2020 annual meeting is Tuesday, December 8th. To enhance long-term value, vote AGAINST the auditor and FOR all other items,...
View ArticleShareholder Rights in 2021
SEC to Protect Shareholder Rights in 2021 Shareholder rights in 2021 will strengthen if recent speculation is realized. U.S. Senate Democrats aim to undo Trump-era shareholder voting rights rule....
View ArticleAmazon Shareholders Unite
Amazon Shareholders Unite Amazon Shareholder Unite for two two-way dialogues. Last summer I warned that chat rooms are the key missing ingredient at virtual shareholder meetings. Chat rooms before and...
View ArticleS&P Global 2021 Proxy Votes
S&P Global 2021 annual meeting is May 5, 8AM Pacific Time. To attend, vote, and submit questions during the Annual Meeting visit www.meetingcenter.io/283714745. You will need your control number....
View ArticleProxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study: Action Needed
Proxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study: Background Proxy Season 2021 Investor Sentiment Study finds the rise and influence of individual investors presents unique opportunities to engage new...
View ArticleTrue Shareholder Democracy: NYTimes
True Shareholder Democracy? Jeff Sommer at the New York Times thinks he’s glimpsed the future. (A Glimpse of a Future With True Shareholder Democracy) He is off the mark but focuses on a fundamental...
View ArticleYelp 2021 Transtion to PBC
Yelp 2021 annual meeting is June 3, 9:30 AM Pacific Time. To attend, vote, and submit questions during the Annual Meeting visit here. To participate, you need the 16-digit control number provided on...
View ArticleAlarm.com Holdings 2021
Alarm.com Holdings 2021 annual meeting is June 9, 6 AM Pacific Time. To attend, vote, and submit questions during the Annual Meeting visit here. You will need the 16-digit control number provided on...
View ArticleRestore Shareholder Proposal Rights
Restore shareholder proposal rights to the pre-Trump era level. That is the objective of the complaint (pdf 2021 06 15 ICCR Complaint) filed this morning in the U.S. District Court for the District of...
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