Monthly Archives: June 2016
Robots do as they are told
The point about artificial intelligence is that it is artificial. Were we to replicate human intelligence we would have to build in the bias’ that make us ‘moral’. By moral, I mean concerned with the principles of right and wrong … Continue reading
Jo Cox is dead – she has not died for nothing
Jo Cox is dead, almost certainly killed by a right wing extremist who shouted “Put Britain First” as he killed her. Andrew Michell MP described her as a “five foot bundle of Yorkshire grit and determination absolutely committed to helping other … Continue reading
Mounting frustration with politicians
Last night I presented to a small group of Finance Director’s in the City, not the masters of the universe type, but the guys who keep our insurance broking and reinsurance industry on the straight and narrow. They wanted me … Continue reading
Should Philip Green pay up?
Some weeks ago, when BHS went under, i wrote this blog that accused Philip Green of being little better than Robert Maxwell. Nothing has changed in the interim though it might today. Today Philip Green appears in front of the … Continue reading
Cash beats shares for capital gains (but not for pensions).
Paul Lewis has produced a brilliant study that shows how the outcomes of investing a capital sum in cash would have been better than investing in shares over the past 21 years. Paul is right, the numbers do not lie and … Continue reading
GO ROBO!
The robots are here! But not in the Terminator sense. Think, rather, of Asimov’s creations. Or, for the less nerdy, Rosie from The Jetsons: benevolent machines, doing our hard work but better, faster and more reliably. Across almost all sectors, … Continue reading
Linked in – the predator’s playground
I suspect that your view of the $26bn (£18bn) cash valuation of Linkedin by Microsoft, will depend on whether your a linked in predator or linked in prey. Linkedin is the Serengeti of the social media world, a (cyber) space … Continue reading
Con Keating on “What They Do with Your Money”
Review of What They Do with Your Money How the Financial System Fails Us and How to Fix It. Stephen Davis, Jon Lukomnik, and David Pitt-Watson Yale University Press ISBN 978-0-300-19441-8 The authors have grand ambitions for this book in … Continue reading
From frustration to disruption – how SMEs prosper!
Over the weekend I got a passionate note from a regular correspondent. Here it is – with the target of his frustration omitted! The concept of a TPA being paid twice is very common. The main culprit is Cxxxxx They have … Continue reading
Five good reasons to let people choose their workplace pension.
Tom Mcphail, myself and Steve Bee are three pension people suggesting that in time people will be able to ask employers to pay into the pension they choose rather than the pension chooses for them. You can read about … Continue reading