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 Division of Corporate Finance is “considering recommending that the Commission propose rule amendments regarding the thresholds for shareholder proposals under Rule 14a-8.” It is […]
More 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 Portfolio Theory and Time Horizons (download). That has also been the objective of Corporate Governance (CorpGov.net) since 1995. I […]
Dual-Class Enablers: Vote Against Directors
Dual-Class Enablers – CII brings them from shadows to sunlight. Get out your disinfectant (your proxies) and vote against these directors both at dual-class companies (where your vote has little impact) AND at other companies where dual-class enablers also occupy board seats, for now. Print out the list today and use it when voting your […]
Golden 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) performance for long term sustainability and making their companies investor friendly. Boards also require frameworks for optimizing board engagement and performance, enhancing the contribution of individual board […]
ISG First Conference with Weinberg Center – Sept. 13, 2019
ISG (Investor Stewardship Group), an investor-led initiative comprised of more than 60 of the largest U.S.-based institutional investors and global asset managers representing in excess of US$31 trillion AUM, joins with the John L. Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance to hold what promises to be an informative and exciting conference. Register now. (more…)
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 what I posted to Quora. Here it is with minor changes. (more…)
The Making of a Democratic Economy: Review Essay
The Making of a Democratic Economy: How to Build Prosperity for the Many, Not the Few by Marjorie Kelly, Ted Howard, Naomi Klein (Foreword). Buy the book. As Naomi Klein notes in the Forward, We need to know what we are for as well as what we’re against… It’s not enough to imagine that another world is […]
Phelps’ Mass Flourishing Reviewed
Phelps’ Mass Flourishing: How Grassroots Innovation Created Jobs, Challenge, and Change by Edmund S. Phelps. Important issues are discussed but the typology, especially the characterization and treatment of corporatism, is problematic. (more…)
Legg Mason 2019
Legg Mason 2019 annual meeting is July 30th. To enhance long-term value: Vote AGAINST directors Angelica, Murphy, Peltz and Quirk, Pay, & Auditor. Vote FOR Eliminate Supermajority Voting Requirements. (more…)
Josh Levin of OpenInvest Interviewed by Sonya Dreizler
Josh Levin of OpenInvest was kind enough to chat with me at Morningstar’s Investment Conference earlier this year. Unfortunately, I was busy and distracted but curious about Josh Levin and his investment platform. Could OpenInvest and similar firms disrupt the mutual fund industry? Andreessen Horowitz, YCombinator, QED, and others back OpenInvest financially. I knew OpenInvest allows customers […]
Petmed Express 2019 Proxy Guide
PetMed Express 2019 annual meeting is July 26th. To enhance long-term value. Vote AGAINST Campbell, Formica, Fulgoni, Korn and Schweitzer, Pay, & Auditor. Vote FOR Amend Bylaws and Eliminate Supermajority Provisions. (more…)
CalSTRS Corporate Governance Career Opportunity
CalSTRS Corporate Governance Division Seeks Investment Officer II The CalSTRS Investments Branch seeks a motivated individual to work as an Investment Officer II in the Corporate Governance Division. Qualified readers should apply to this opportunity of a lifetime. Many decades ago, I helped persuade CalPERS to form a corporate governance unit. They chose one of […]
Tepper’s Myth of Capitalism reviewed
Tepper begins his book (with Hearn) by recounting United Airlines forcibly removing paying passenger Dr. David Dao, a Vietnamese-American pulmonologist, from an overbooked plane. The video of him going unconscious and bloody went viral. United’s CEO initially blamed the passenger for resisting but later settled. Jonathan Tepper and Denise Hearn fail to mention Dr. Dao suffered a broken nose, loss […]
Schwab: Invested
Charles Schwab chronicles the history of his namesake firm in Invested: Changing Forever the Way Americans Invest. I knew he led a technological revolution and was among the first to slash prices. From A Nation of Small Shareholders, I also knew Schwab was on a long-term mission to have every American share in our growing […]
Alphabet Losers: Not Just Unaffiliated Shareholders and Workers
Alphabet losers at the 2019 meeting were not only the unaffiliated shareholders but also are likely to be the insiders. As the last meeting before the Department of Justice begins potential anti-trust actions, our co-overlords Page and Brin, who control 51.3% of the vote, should have embraced at least some of the changes requested by […]
SSgA Critical of GHG Short-Term Disclosures
SSgA critical of GHG short-term perspective offered up by oil and gas, mining and utility disclosures on addressing greenhouse gas emissions. If we are to maintain a salubrious environment, much of the coal and oil will turn out to be stranded assets. Given that reality, I reallocated most positions I had in this sector to […]
United Therapeutics 2019: Declassify Board
United Therapeutics 2019 annual meeting is June 26th. To enhance long-term value: Vote AGAINST Causey, Giltner and Olian; pay, stock plan, auditor. Vote FOR Declassify the Board. (more…)
2019 CalPERS CalSTRS Diversity Forum
2019 CalPERS CalSTRS Diversity Forum lived up to its billing as a unique opportunity to engage with industry leaders and experts on diversity and inclusion topics such as: The “Why” and “How” of driving diversity and inclusion Building and sustaining a positive corporate culture Human Capital Management metrics and their value to investors In the following […]
Alphabet 2019 Proxy Voting Guide
Alphabet 2019 annual meeting is June 19th. To enhance long-term value WITHHOLD vote from all directors. Vote AGAINST all Board proposals and FOR all shareholder proposals, especially #4 to recapitalize shares. (more…)
Genomic Health 2019 Proxy Voting Guide
Genomic Health 2019 annual meeting is June 13th. To enhance long-term value. Vote WITTHOLD all directors except Popovits & Parker; AGAINST Stock Plan, Pay, Auditor. Vote FOR Simple Majority Vote. (more…)
LGBTQ CorVel Win by Walden
LGBTQ CorVel (CRVL) workplace equality advocates celebrate a significant victory in the midst of a historic Pride month representing the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. Shareholders will have a voice on CorVel’s EEO policy. (more…)
Tesla 2019 Proxy Vote Guide
Tesla 2019 annual meeting is June 11. Enhance long-term value. Vote AGAINST Ehrenpreis, Omnibus Stock Plan, Auditor. Vote FOR all other items. (more…)
Prison Labor Disclosure TJX: NorthStar Initiative
Prison labor disclosure was supported by shareholders at TJX, voting 38% of shares in favor of an initiative from NorthStar Asset Management at their June 4, according to a preliminary vote report. See NorthStar’s rebuttal to Board’s opposition statement. (more…)
Netflix 2019: Ignore Shareholders Again?
Netflix 2019 annual meeting June 6. Netflix has adopted the paternalistic culture of Mad Men, ignoring shareholders. To enhance long-term value, WITHHOLD vote from ALL directors. Vote AGAINST Pay & Auditor. Vote FOR Disclose Political Contributions & Adopt Simple Majority Vote. (more…)
The Age of Living Machines
The Age of Living Machines: How Biology Will Build the Next Technology Revolution by Susan Hockfield provides a quick read of what is on the horizon. The former president of MIT believes the convergence of biology and engineering will be as transformative as the previous convergence of physics and engineering. (more…)
Severyn Bruyn: Impactful Life Celebrated 10/12/2019
Severyn Bruyn: Obituary Severyn Bruyn – On May 26, 2019, retired professor of Sociology at Boston College, Severyn Bruyn, passed away peacefully at age 91 with family at home in Newton. He leaves his beloved wife Louise Bruyn, son George Bruyn and his wife June Epperson, daughter Rebecca Bruyn and her wife Cindy Rosenbaum, daughter […]
Cognizant 2019 Proxy Guide
Cognizant 2019 annual meeting is June 4th. To enhance long-term value. Vote AGAINST Fox and Klein, pay & auditor. Vote FOR Political Disclosure and Independent Board Chair. (more…)
Alarm 2019 Proxy Guide
Alarm 2019 annual meeting is June 5th. To enhance long-term value. Vote AGAINST Auditor. Vote FOR all other items, including shareholder proposal to eliminate supermajority requirements. (more…)
Training for Sustainable Investing
Training for Sustainable Investing was a topic at the most recent Morningstar Conference in Chicago. (#MICUS) I would like to learn more the education of investment advisors in #ESG, #SRI, #corpgov issues. Interest in sustainable investing was high at the conference due to fund flows and client inquiries. However, I only saw a couple of […]
Axon 2019 Proxy Voting Guide
Axon 2019 annual meeting is May 31st. To enhance long-term value. Vote AGAINST both director nominees, Pay, & Auditor. Vote FOR Declassify the Board and Remove Supermajority Requirements. (more…)