Business & Personal Finance

This month's business quote is...

... "The four most dangerous words in investing are, 'This time it's different'."  Sir John Templeton

For more information about Sir John Templeton and his method of investing, the following titles may be of interest:

Templeton, Lauren C.  Investing the Templeton Way : The Market-beating Strategies of Value Investing's Legendary Bargain Hunter.  New York : Chicago, IL. : McGraw-Hill, c2008.

Berryessa, Norman.  Global Investing : the Templeton Way.  Homeland, Ill. : Dow Jones-Irwin, c1988.

For books on value investing, try the following titles:

Epstein. Lita.  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Value Investing.  Indianapolis, IN : Alpha, c2009.

Lowe, Janet.  The Triumph of Value Investing : Smart-money Tactics for the Post-recession Era.  New York : Portfolio Penguin, c2010.

Mizrahi, Charles.  Getting Started in Value Investing.  Hoboken, N.J. : J. Wiley & Sons, 2008.

Montier, James.  Value Investing : Tools and Techniques for Intelligent Investment.  West Sussex : Wiley, c2009.  This title is also available as an e-book.

To learn more about investing in general, the Toronto Reference Library has a series of Investment Programs during the month of November 2011.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Seasonal and Technical Analysis of the Stock Market
Speaker:  Brooke Thackray, Research Analyst at JovInvestment
Wednesday, November 2, 6:30-8:00 p.m.  Beeton Auditorium
Learn when is the best time to invest and get out of the specific sectors when investing in the stock market.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Principles of Constructing Investment Portfolios
Speaker:  John DeGoey, Portfolio Manager at Burgoenvest Bick Securities
Wednesday, November 16, 6:30-8:00 p.m.  Beeton Auditorium
Learn the most important considerations that retail investors should take into account when constructing portfolios:  cost, taxes, purity, risk and return, asset allocation and portfolio re-balancing.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Creating your Own Defined Benefit Pension Plan with Guaranteed Variable Annuities
Speaker:  Michael Banwell, CFP at Banwell Financial Inc.
Wednesday, November 23, 6:30-8:00 p.m.  Beeton Auditorium
Guaranteed Variable Annuities allow investors to replicate a defined benefit pension plan with estate planning features.

Admission is free.  All are welcome.

If you have any questions regarding these programs, please call Answerline at 416-393-7131.

Are you interested in buying a franchise?

Who hasn't considered buying a franchise at one point in their lives?

Franchises allow people to become self-employed.  There is also the benefit of help and support of a parent company.  If successful, a very satisfying sense of accomplishment can be achieved.

The Toronto Public Library has books that may help you decide if buying and owning a franchise is the right business decision for you.  Here are a couple of titles that may be of interest:

Wilson, Tony.  Buying a Franchise in Canada : Understanding and Negotiating Your Franchise Agreement.  2nd Ed.  North Vancouver, B.C. :  Self-Counsel Press, 2009.

Bennett, Julie.  Franchise Times Guide to Selecting, Buying & Owning a Franchise.  New York:  Sterling Pub., c2008.

For additional information on franchises, try the following items:

Canadian Franchise Guide.  Don Mills, Ont. : R. De Boo, c1983-.
A loose-leaf publication that is updated regularly.

Matthews, Joe.  Street Smart Franchising.  2nd Ed.  [Irvine] : Jere L. Calmes, 2011.

Norman, Jan.  What No One Ever Tells You about Franchising : Real-Life Franchising Advice from 101 Successful Franchisors and Franchisees.  Chicago, IL : Kaplan Pub., c2006.

You can also search the Toronto Public Library catalogue with the subject heading Franchises (Retail Trade) for more publications.

If looking for a directory of franchises, the following titles are recommended:

Bond's Franchise Guide.  Oakland, CA : Source Book Publications, c1995-.
Latest edition is 2009.

Canadian Business Franchise Directory.  Victoria, B.C. : CGB Pub. Ltd., 1999-.
Latest edition is 2010.

Canadian Business Franchise Handbook.  Richmond Hill, Ont. : Kenilworth Media, 2005 -.
Latest edition is 2011.   

If interested in meeting industry professionals and representatives, there will be a National Franchise & Business Opportunities Show in Toronto, Ontario on January 14 & 15, 2012.  It will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  For more information about this upcoming two-day event, click HERE.

 

Occupy Wall Street

 

 

 

On July 13, 2011 the activist Vancouver-based magazine Adbusters released a call for people to gather on Wall Street to peacefully protest wealth inequality, corporate greed, social democracy and corporate influence of government.  The idea quickly gathered steam and the first Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protest began on September 17, 2011 in the heart of New York's financial district.  By October 9th the protest had spread to 70 major cities in the U.S and has since spread to 900 cities around the world. Their slogan "We are the 99%" refers to the share of annual total income going to the top 1% of income earners in the U. S..  In an interview on the "Early Show on Saturday Morning"  Michael Daly, reporter for Newsweek magazine who is not surprised at the size and scope of the protests, summed up the movement:

"The one thing that runs through all of them is that a feeling that there is just a fundamental unfairness. From their point of view, the very people who almost wrecked the U.S. economy on Wall Street continue to get wealthy while working people are struggling to pay their bills. I mean, it comes down to that."

On October 15th OWS protesters marked a global day of action with over 1500 events in 82 countries.

 

To find out more about Wall Street, corporate greed and wealth inequality, check out these books:

 

 

Value Line now available on-line at select TPL branches.

If you are investing in the stock market, now more than ever, doing your research can result in either making a bundle or losing the same.  The two major business departments of the Toronto Public Library system, located at North York Central Library and the Toronto Reference Library, have always offered a variety of investment newsletters to assist individual investors in their research.  Value Line has been one of the most popular resources over the years.  And now it is available in electronic format, in house, at both of these branches.

If you aren't familiar with this source, you should become acquainted.   First a bit about Value Line from the company itself.  "Arnold Bernhard founded Value Line in 1931 and built it into one of the nation’s largest independent investment advisory services as well as a major money management institution. He was known as the "Dean of Wall Street" by many in the investment community because of his keen analytical acumen and the number of security analysts he trained."

The Value Line service as it appears today, was started 32 years ago.  Reports for companies traded on major exchanges are set up as "one stop shopping" for information about a company and include analysis and rankings from Value Line staff. 

Statistical data includes graphing of stock over the past 10-13 years, growth rates, quarterly sales and earnings, statistical milestones, including long term trends.  A brief description of the company is given as well as analysts commentary on the company's recent developments and future prospects.  The on-line version includes industry analysis as well. 

Stop by either business department and have a look at this exceptional resource.  While you are in the library, why not check out some of the other investment newsletters each subscribe to.

 

 

Small Business Forum 2011 - "Learn Today, Grow Tomorrow"

Enterprise Toronto's Small Business Forum 2011 will take place on Tuesday, October 18th, from 9:00 - 7:30 pm at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, 222 Bremner Boulavard, South Building, Level 700, 9am - 7:30pm.

This exciting event will include a morning keynote speaker, Nadja Piatka, Founder of Nadja Foods, fifteen seminars, and a business-to-business tradeshow with over ninety exhibitors.

Don't forget to check out TPL's tradeshow booth #417!

See you there!

 

This Month's Small Business Network Will Welcome A Sexy Guest!

Mark your calendars - Tuesday, October 18th is the next Small Business Network meeting at Toronto Reference Library.

This month we will be having a special guest. Stefanie Augusteijn will join us to talk about some of her experiences starting and running her business, SexyPlus Clothing, which specializes in clothing and lingerie for women with curves. She'll be talking informally for 10-15 minutes, after which you can ask her questions. Then we will have our networking session.

Join us for this fun and interesting hour (from 7pm to 8pm), and get to know others, who, like you, are either thinking about starting a small business, starting one, or running one.

The session takes place Tuesday, October 18th, 2011, 7pm to 8pm at the Toronto Reference Library, 3rd floor, Business, Science and Technology Department. It's free, no registration is required, and all are welcome.

It promises to be a fun time!

 

 

 

Determining the Viability of a Business Idea

The Business, Science and Technology Department at the Toronto Reference Library is hosting a program on determining the viability of a business idea.  Learn what factors determine if your business idea will turn into a successful business.

Program:  Determining the Viability of a Business Idea
Speaker:  Josh Wiwcharyk, Professor at George Brown College
Date:  Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Time:  6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Place:  Beeton Auditorium, 1st Floor, Toronto Reference Library

Registration is not required.  All are welcome!

For books on this topic, check out the following titles at the Toronto Public Library:

Abrams, Sandy.  Your Idea, Inc.  Avon, Mass.: Adams Media, c2010.

Beach, Jim.  School for Startups : The Breakthrough Course for Guaranteeing Small Business Success in 90 Days or Less.  New York:  McGraw-Hill, c2011.

Fairbrothers, Greg.  From Idea to Success : The Dartmouth Entrepreneurial Network's Guide for Start-Ups.  New York : McGraw-Hill, c2011.

Learn2succeed.com Inc.  Steps to Starting a Recession-proof Business : Where to Find Ideas and How to Start.  Toronto : Productive Publications, 2010.

O'Leary, Kevin.  Cold Hard Truth : On Business, Money and Life.  Toronto : Doubleday Canada, 2011.

Southon, Mike.  The Beermat Entrepreneur : Turn Your Good Idea into a Great Business.  New York : Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009.
 

For more titles on this topic, search the Toronto Public Library's catalogue with the subject headings of entrepreneurship and/or new business enterprises.

To all reading this blog on Monday, October 10, 2011, have a Happy Thanksgiving !!!

Steve Jobs, Apple Inc. co-founder, 1955 - 2011

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc., died on Wednesday (October 5) at the age of 56. 

In August of this year, Steve Jobs announced that he was resigning as CEO of Apple Inc., a technology company that he helped develop.  Under his innovative leadership, Apple Inc. evolved into a 'giant' corporation within the computer industry.

For books about Steve Jobs, check out the following titles at the Toronto Public Library:

Elliot, Jay.  The Steve Jobs Way : iLeadership for a New Generation.  New York, NY : Vanguard Press, c2011.

Gallo, Carmine.  The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs : Insanely Different : Principles of Breakthrough Success.  New York : McGraw-Hill, c2011.

Kahney, Leander.  Inside Steve's Brain.  New York : Portfolio, c2008.

Young, Jeffrey S.  iCon : Steve Jobs, The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business.  Hoboken : Wiley, c2005.

For additional titles, search the Toronto Public Library's catalogue with the subject heading Jobs, Steven, 1955 - 

For books about the company that he co-founded, the following titles may be of interest:

Chen, Brian X.  Always On : How the iPhone Unlocked the Anything - Anytime - Anywhere Future - and Locked Us In.  Cambridge, MA : Da Capo Press, c2011.

O'Grady, Jason D.  Apple Inc.  Westport, Conn. : Greenwood Press, 2009.

Wozniak, Steve.  iWoz : Computer Geek to Cult Icon : How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-founded Apple, and had Fun Doing It.  New York : W.W. Norton & Co., 2006.

For more titles, search the Toronto Public Library's catalogue with the subject heading Apple Computer, Inc.

A brief history of advertising

 

                                       

Various forms of advertising have been around for thousands of years.  The Egyptians used papyrus to advertise goods and services. In ancient Rome and other parts of the ancient world mosaics, pictures on signs or walls were used by businesses to advertise their wares.  The Athenians, however, took advertising to a whole new level by using town criers to stroll the streets advertising products and services (very similar to our television and radio commercials) and can probably be credited with being the inventors of advertising as we know it today.

 

 

The earliest surviving printed ad in English (above) was published in 1477 by William Caxton, English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. This ad announces Caxton's edition of the "Sarum Ordinal" or "Pye", a list of rules for clergy at Salisbury on how to deal with the changing date of Easter.

At the beginning of the 17th century printed advertising was very common and was written by the merchant himself. La Gazette, the first French newspaper established by Theophraste Renaudot in 1631 contained personal ads for those seeking and offering employment, buying and selling goods and services and announcements of all kinds.  In the 18th century illustrations began to appear in advertisements and advertising agents, as they became known, started writing and illustrating the ads. 

And the rest is history!

Check out these books and DVD's for more in-depth information about the history of advertising: