Craig Ballantyne is a mentor of mine! He shared five success principles in his last newsletter: that completely changed the game for Jack. I want to share the second one now.
September 17, 2021
Good morning.
We’re fans of following company insiders when they buy their own shares. That’s because they only buy if they see a good value going forward. Most company insiders are partially compensated in shares, so they have plenty of reasons to sell, from portfolio diversification to big spending bills like a second house or divorce.
Overall, buying with company insiders produces excess returns compared to the market. But they’re not the only insider group out there. Consider Congress. Last year, two senators sold off stocks after an early hearing on Covid and before the big crash. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been known to buy stocks and options on tech companies before a big government announcement.
The latest group of insiders is at the Federal Reserve. The central bank announced they were looking at tightening ethics rules after learning that senior officials were buying stocks last year just as the bank started getting accommodative. Those insiders have since sold off their positions, which could be a sign of tying to stay out of trouble — or a possible taper announcement in the weeks ahead that could impact markets.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
Democrats Propose New Tax Hikes to Pay for Their $3.5 Trillion Spending Plan: Here Are the Detail… –Jacob Pramuk, CNBC
Despite these vast increases in tax rates, it’s still unclear how much these new taxes would raise, and even if they’d offset the full $3.5 trillion in social spending… [Read Here]
September 17, 2020
Good morning.
With no stimulus bill and the last FOMC meeting before the election, it was an important time for the market to get something from the Fed. Ultimately, the adjusted the language on inflation, which was expected and the dot plot showed ZIRP to 2023, but was it enough. As the press conference kicked off, the market appeared to be in a good mood. That began to change as large sell orders rolled in on the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) just after the presser began and the market eventually rolled over. Looks like the selling climate is still intact for a while longer.
Now here’s the rest of the news:
The Bankruptcy They’re Afraid to Tell You About…
A record 45 U.S. companies worth at least $1 billion have filed for bankruptcy so far this year.
That’s about 20% MORE big bankruptcies than the number that occurred during the same period after the 2008 financial crisis.
But what’s so surprising to me is that nearly every media outlet is almost completely ignoring the even bigger bankruptcy story – which is going to have a massive impact on you and your money over the next few years.
September 17, 2019
As we discussed yesterday, there are Specific Secrets to the Handling of Difficult People
Everyone knows the policy, “the customer is always right.” Unfortunately, the most difficult ones make it a point to rub this in your face.
Because the field of customer service is not a walk in the park, there will be times when you are shouted at, or even hurled harsh words by clients who aren’t satisfied. And today we’ll focus on the five ways to rise above it so that you don’t break down, too. Handling Difficult Customers:
- Get to the root of the problem. You can find out by being calm with the client, no matter how irritable (s)he is. Ask the client to explain the situation to you. Don’t interrupt and try to defend yourself, nor correct him/her while (s)he’s explaining. Wait for him/her to finish before thinking of the possible solutions to his/her problem. Ask the customer how (s)he wants the problem to be resolved. Difficult customers who leave with a bad experience often make it a point to blab about it to other people.
- Smile and be accommodating. Smiling confuses people. Being charming, friendly, and accommodating often alleviates the problem instantly. You need to express your empathy, and not make him/her feel you’re mocking him/her.
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Let him/her know that you understand. Clients appreciate people who feel their pain. When you do this, you can expect to have a much calmer discussion right after. Handling an irate customer is not so difficult if you know how to level with people. If you were in his/her shoes … you would be feeling the same way, right? - Assure the client that you’re taking steps to resolve the issue. And when precisely this is expected to be solved. One thing clients hate most is continuously waiting for solutions that are not certain to happen.
- Offer a present. Make sure (s)he leaves your store in a good mood. It’s a small price to pay for a happy ending.
Let him/her know that you understand. Clients appreciate people who feel their pain. When you do this, you can expect to have a much calmer discussion right after. Handling an irate customer is not so difficult if you know how to level with people. If you were in his/her shoes … you would be feeling the same way, right?It doesn’t matter if your right or wrong … it only matters to the difficult customer that (s)he is satisfied with the resolve of the problem! 😉
September 17, 2018
(zip)
September 17, 2017
St. John’s
Technically, this is the 17th, although just a few hours after “we left Halifax.” By the pictures, you can assume I did not return to Calgary. Everyone was invited! We discussed much earlier adding NFLD to the trip … as … I was going to spend a few extra days in St. John’s. Oh! Boy … was I ever glad I did. It was a real struggle, a few days later, to return to YYC. I’m looking forward to picking up where “we left off” in Halifax, on September 16th, 2017.
Just had to include these two above and below pictures … to remind myself of the extremes summer & winter can bring to Newfoundland.
REW
