Wealth Management

Voted #6 on Top 100 Family Business influencer on Wealth, Legacy, Finance and Investments: Jacoline Loewen My Amazon Authors' page Twitter:@ jacolineloewen Linkedin: Jacoline Loewen Profile

June 16, 2009

Are we the new Japan?

This fellow worked for the big banks, including Bank of Montreal, lost his job and started a blog. He is now #3 most popular blog on the Internet. Google invited him to give a talk on his contrary view of the economy which is the topic of his blog. I got this link from a terrific newsletter by Clemens Kownatzki at http://fxinvestmentstrategies.blogspot.com/
Here is Mike Shedlock's presentation at Google Tech Talk May 6, 2009.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YKc0UolTqE

June 12, 2009

Private equity sees reality and adapts

Just as America attracted the world's aggressive investment money last century (away from Britain) the Chinese economy is busy attracting the world's currently available investment money and is seen as the lushest place for future steep growth.
I know British fellows who have still not accepted the decline of their Empire and I suspect it will be as painful for the American money experts to believe this new reality.
A finance strategist from London told me that he has a terrific presentation showing the movement of money supporting this theme, but was instructed by his senior manager "not to show it to the American clients as it would upset them too much."
Private equity is already nimble and investing in companies working with BRIC countries. That means even less money for the public markets and more money staying in private hands.
Jacoline Loewen sources private equity for companies that want to grow.

June 11, 2009

We are Entrepreneurs

I am not that comfortable talking about women entrepreneurs and business, as each woman's experience is so diverse. I can only speak from a financing perspective for women, where success comes from the ability to get the cash flow to grow the business aggressively.
Last night, I was delighted to speak to a room full of dynamic business women at the Ivey Women's Entrepreneur Club organized by Eva Szymanski, Maven Events, and was very impressed with their lively discussion. It helped that the feisty Sarah Thomson, publisher of Women's Post gave quick feedback based on her experience in building an online community for smart women. I was reminded of Jim Balsillie, RIM, who berated entrepreneurs at a conference for not asking questions fast and aggressively enough. "Guys," he said, "If I was in New York, people would be lining up to get the microphone. Come on, switch onto hyper drive." No trouble with these women entrepreneurs at Ivey - they were firing questions and sharing business problems like crazy.
"Companies need to do brand and growth strategy. With my love of sports," Marysia Czarsky of Velocity Partnerships told me, "I help companies get competing." Looking at Marysia's energy, I could see how she brings that to her clients. Reflecting on the evening, it was great to spend time with a large room of competitive women like Marysia. I do beleive that a tipping point is being reached here in Canada, where we do not have to be concerned about being a woman, we just have to love being an entrepreneur.

June 10, 2009

Another reason private equity is better than public money

Do you remember those economic books in the Nineties raising the alarm that the economy was not being calculated correctly because economists were still measuring carbon paper for typewriters and not paying attention to computer chips or the Internet?
I think the Dow is still caught up in that time warp.

Consider this. The Dow board decided that Travelers Companies Inc. (TRV) and Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) should get included in the Dow - only this month. As for GM and Citigroup, they have finally been given the heave-ho out of the index. GM has been part of the index since 1925 but after declaring bankruptcy this week, it would be shocking to say the least, for it to maintain its status within the index. Citigroup was also removed and quite right too, with its US government stake in the company. Why did it take so long?
Everyone knows the Dow as the oldest and most quoted index when it comes to financial markets. You may have also heard that the index is a weighted average of stock prices of its 30 components. What is not well known however are the criteria for selecting the component stocks that go into the index. As a matter of fact, I have no idea what the exact criteria are and would love to learn (if you do know can you email me?). We do know that the Dow Jones editorial board makes the final decision on which components to select.
Here's what really bothers me. This is why I question the public markets. When you consider the immense power that this editorial board has by making such a selection, it makes me wonder just how good a reflection of the true economy lies in the Dow and why it's still such an important barometer for the general public. More importantly, could there be any conflicts of interest in the selection process?

June 9, 2009

Break through the bear market line


The USA's Standard & Poor 500 broke through the 200 day moving average (blue line). Where the chart would normally indicate a break through of the bear market, after this last year we know not to expect anything.
As Niall Ferguson, author of Ascent of Money, latest article comments: expect the unexpected.

June 6, 2009

Advice for women entrepreneurs on ins and outs of financing

Financing entrepreneurial ventures is always a tough sell, but in today’s bleak economy the task is even more difficult.
However, understanding of the ins and outs of financing goes a long way in increasing the chances of success.
At an upcoming Ivey Women Entrepreneurs Connect event, experienced entrepreneurs and finance specialists will share their expertise and concerns related to business financing.
The event takes place Wednesday, June 10 starting at 6 p.m. at Verity Club in Toronto.
Organized by the Richard Ivey School of Business and KPMG Enterprise, the session will open with a presentation by Jacoline Loewen, Partner with Loewen & Partners Inc. and a best-selling author, on venture financing and what options and strategies to consider to find the best financing fit. A private equity expert, Loewen has raised more than $100 million for companies and shares her insights in her latest book Money Magnet: How to Attract Investors to Your Business.
A panel session will follow with Sarah (Whatmough) Thomson, Founder and President of Women’s Post; Colleen Falls, Senior Vice President of KPMG Corporate Finance and Jen Kluger, Co-Founder of Foxy Originals, a Toronto-based jewelry design company. Beth Wilson, Canadian Managing Partner with KPMG Enterprise, will moderate the panel.
“Economic conditions may have changed the investment environment, yet history has shown that many successful businesses are born in recessionary times so it’s well worth pursuing an entrepreneurial vision,” said Stewart Thornhill, Executive Director, Pierre L. Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship at Ivey Business School. “The best way to manoeuvre in this challenging landscape is to broaden your knowledge and contact base.”
Event: Ivey Women Entrepreneurs Connect (including cocktail reception & networking)
Date: Wednesday, June 10
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Location: Verity Club, 111-D Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario
To purchase tickets, please contact Ellen Brown at 519-661-4236, mailto:embrown@ivey.uwo.caor click here: Purchase tickets
Media interested in attending, please contact Dawn Milne, 519-850-2536, dmilne@ivey.ca About the Richard Ivey School of Business, The University of Western Ontario The Richard Ivey School of Business at The University of Western Ontario (http://www.ivey.ca/default.htm) offers undergraduate (HBA) and graduate (MBA, Executive MBA and PhD) degree programs in addition to non-degree Executive Development programs. Ivey has campuses in London

June 2, 2009

An Entrepreneur who made it to the other side

It is inspiring to listen to entrepreneurs who have succeeded in taking their idea from start up, over the chasm and managed to get to the other side. Their stories can teach other early stage entrepreneurs a great deal but also inspire them to take the risks to get to the other side.
Ron Close is such an entrepreneur. He sold his company to AT&T and is now sharing his lessons with Ivey MBA students and MaRS entrepreneurs.
When you hear Ron's comments on how he lead his company through the ups and downs, it becomes clear that he was always someone who cared very strongly about the people. I particularly liked his comment that he knew his staff were smart and would act if given the information. It is tough being a boss but believing your staff might be able to surprise you means that they will - and often.
It is great to see nice guys finish first. Thanks, Ron.
To Listen to Entrepreneurship, Ron Close, MaRS, Ivey: Financial Post Executive.







Do check out the MaRS blog and Twitter.







What Private Equity Does For Your Business

For those of you who missed our recent CEO Roundtable, you can listen to the podcasts with the main speakers. Loewen & Partners and the Richard Ivey School of Business recorded interviews exclusively for the Financial Post Executive by BusinessCast (http://www.businesscast.ca/).
First up is McKinsey chatting about how they see private equity working for business owners and why this leap frogs bank money:
The Financial Post Executive: What Private Equity Does for Your Business - Sacha Ghai, McKinsey & Company
Then we have an entrepreneur who made his fortune and is now entrepreneur-in-residence with MaRS which incubates about 400 companies.
The Financial Post Executive: How Entrepreneurs Can Make the Leap - Ron Close, MaRS

June 1, 2009

Housing impact on the public markets




Not all private equity firms are White Knights

A cookie company crumbled with its private equity firm now piled high with law suites. It is a great example of how only 20% private equity firms actually add all the huge value you read about in the media.
Here is a case with a bad private equity firm in the NYT by J. Crosswell. To all business owners out there, be very careful how you pick your private equity partners. Loewen & Partners works with business owners to match them with ethical partners and we know these players who take advantage of bank leverage.
Here's what the company had to say:

“What soured me on this experience is that these private equity firms that come in and buy companies don’t look at a company to grow it. Whether it sinks or swims doesn’t really matter to them,” Mr. Pfeifer said. “They don’t think about the people whose livelihoods depend on that company. I hope I never have to go through that again.”

And here is a quote I got from Catterton's website to sum it all up:

Establishing a close working relationship with the management team of a portfolio company is a critical element in our operating philosophy and a key driver of our success. As a rule, we do not involve ourselves in the day-to-day operations of a portfolio company. Rather, we seek to create equity value in a company by assisting management in identifying the key strategic, operating, and financial priorities, and the resources needed to successfully execute against those priorities. We generally hold at least one seat on the Board of Directors and on key sub-committees of the Board.