GLG News by Bally Total Fitness Experts

Dr. Mangieor's analysis is insightful and correct. Investors need better pension/OPEB disclosures regarding risks. However all the risk within a pension scheme must be recognized, understood, and managed. Too many times the risk within a pension/OPEB scheme is viewed as having a single dimension: default...

US auto manufacturers face a huge dilemma.  To be competitive with Toyota and other non-US auto manufacturers, they must lower health care costs and unfunded liabilities.  (This is well documented in the referenced article.)  What is interesting is the impact on value from both the...

The increased disclosures required by FIN 48 are clearly uncovering some notable “red flags” and could potentially result in material cash ramifications for certain companies. As a result, I believe the new standard is an important one for investors to understand and assess for potential risks on companies...

A recent article in the WSJ discusses that a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate is probing at least 30 companies regarding past tax-cutting transactions – with the author commenting the investigation appears to have been sparked by the new accounting rule known as FIN 48. Three companies are specifically...

Few other disclosures give as much visibility into the integrity of a company’s reported results like the SEC’s Schedule II – Valuation and Qualifying Accounts. Unfortunately, despite such schedule being required of most public companies, few companies seemingly fully comply. The absence of otherwise...

The key implications of Rank Group's actions are threefold. First, it is harder for companies to borrow from employees with off balance sheet pension schemes.  Disclosure requirements have increased (i.e., FASB). Second, pensions have always been a too-often neglected risk dimension in corporate...

Too often the managers of pension funds use an objective of maximizing return.  However in doing so, they neglect risk.  In the volatile markets of today, the focus on returns, while neglecting risk, is causing problems.  It's time to stake a step back and rethink the management...

The process of managing pension plans (defined benefit plans) is too often simplified and neglected due to its long-term nature.  Like Dr. Mangiero, I also agree that the degree of sophistication needs to be raised.  However to do so, all risks within the process must be recognized and managed...

Adequately analyzing the balance sheet is an important step in the evaluation of a company – leading to (1) useful clues about future financial performance, (2) some notable warning signals and “red flags” and (3) uncovering some potential hidden assets and liabilities. A good example of “digging deeper”...

1.    Convergence of U.S. and international accounting standards is coming. 2.    The pace for this evolution is quickening. 3.    This convergence is troublesome, not because of its goals, but because of the expectations of financial...