I agree with Bret Swanson’s editorial in the Wall Street Journal on November 7…Barack Obama needs to throw away his tax-regulate-and centralize agenda. Focus on stabilizing the dollar and follow his campaign playbook…undo the reins and trust the networked masses!

Yes, Barack Obama ran for president by calling for a heavier hand of government, but he also won by running one of the most entrepreneurial campaigns in history. So, the key question now is how will Mr. Obama govern? Will he stick with the policies he ran on or adopt the approach that he won with?

As financial recruiters, we’re banking on Mr. Obama’s campaign tactics to maximize economic growth by unleashing networks of entrepreneurs. Mr. Obama’s call for “card check” legislation to create higher tax rates on capital and entrepreneurs do not reflect his campaign’s deep trust in individuals! We’ll be watching…

After a $700 billion bailout for financial institutions, Goldman Sachs began sacking employees in a plan to cut more than 3,200 jobs or 10% of its workforce and Citigroup has been notifying staff who are affected by the bank’s plan to discard 9,100 positions over the next 12 months. This reported by Bloomberg News.

Where will all these “bodies” go? (Of course, I look for a percentage to contact us as a top aggressive financial recruiter!)

But Congress perhaps needs to take a very serious look at pouring stimulus funds into our nation’s aging infrastructure. The goal? Create jobs, increase economic activity across the country and stimulate the economy…either that or mail out more checks again…yes, that really worked, didn’t it?

With the mergers and buyouts of financial institutions, it’s the brokers who have the power to move at any moment…they are in control of their destiny right now.

Whether they accept the retention packages or transition elsewhere remains to be seen. With all the erratic uncertainty we are experiencing they may be in a holding “wait and see” pattern… good idea or bad?

Bank of America says Merrill Brokers can quit without facing legal action…hmmm.

Will they? This is B of A’s second attempt in two weeks to stem defections from a unit that CEO Kenneth Lewis has called Merrill’s “crown jewel”.

Merrill is a member of the “so-called” protocol on broker recruiting and was one of its founders in 2004. Bank of America isn’t a member. On Oct 24, Lewis said brokers who stayed will qualify for a bonus of as much as 100 percent of their annual revenue. Merrill brokers have until November 14 to decide whether to accept the retention packages. This reported by Josh
Fineman of Bloomberg News.

Anyone that knows me will acknowledge what a “nut” I am when it comes to sports!

Always have been…any game, any sport! So, it’s not surprising that in these times of stress and uncertainty that we all look for something to relieve that stress.

I turn to sports for relief, and today I reflect upon one of the all time greats in the sports arena…Vince Lombardi who said “It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it.”

Well, that is exactly what we have and ARE doing as financial recruiters. We’re looking for and working with those “doers”, those achievers who work through stressful times with self confidence and conviction…these are the true winners!…And we CAN make a difference!