INVESTING
Books offer counsel
How does an investor go about finding undervalued stocks with strong growth potential? A good place to start would be to pick up some insights on value investing.
Several books provide insights on the intricacies of value investing, including these:
• All About Value Investing by Esme Faerber; McGraw-Hill. Explains how to identify underappreciated stocks and develop a value-investing strategy.
• The Art of Value Investing: How the World’s Best Investors Beat the Market by John Heins and Whitney Tilson; John Wiley & Sons. Discusses how to scope out value in discounted stocks.
• Value Investing: Tools and Techniques for Intelligent Investment by James Montier; John Wiley & Sons. Offers insights, tools and methods for value investing.
• Active Value Investing by Vitaliy N. Katsenelson; John Wiley & Sons. Covers how to develop an active value-based portfolio.
• The Little Book of Value Investing by Christopher H. Browne; John Wiley & Sons. Discusses value investing.
— Chuck Myers, McClatchy-Tribune News
WORKPLACE
Acceptable language?
Q: During business discussions in our company, I have increasingly heard the F-word being used, even by managers and supervisors. While this doesn’t seem to bother some people, others are noticeably disturbed. I do not understand when or how this became acceptable workplace language. As a woman, I sense that men sometimes use profanity as a means of intimidating female colleagues and limiting their participation in meetings. I’m not sure how to respond?
A: Casual profanity is definitely more prevalent these days, but the degree to which expletives are tolerated depends on the climate established by executives. Apparently, management has no problem with such language or is spineless.
Managers who are not offended by profanity need to recognize that many people are. This group may include important customers, key staff members and highly recruited job applicants. So regardless of their own feelings on the matter, wise executives take steps to discourage vulgarity and promote professionalism.
If your own objective is to create a widespread cultural change, you will need to recruit some allies from the ranks of those who are “noticeably disturbed.” This group can then ask to meet with human resources or top management and present the business case for a language clean-up.
— By Marie G. McIntyre, McClatchy-Tribune News
REAL ESTATE
Trouble opening property for any possible buyers
Q: I am trying to sell our rental house, and our real estate agent is having no luck getting our tenant to cooperate. The tenant has always paid on time and takes decent care of the place but does not ever seem to be available to allow a prospective buyer to look at the house. I need to sell, but I also need the rent until I can sell it. What can I do?
A: The law and most written leases allow the landlord to access the rental house to make repairs, provide agreed-upon services and show the property to lenders, contractors and prospective buyers or new tenants. The landlord must give reasonable notice and access the house during certain times. The access should be with the tenant’s consent, unless it is an emergency. If your tenant is being unreasonable, you still may be able to enter, but you risk repercussions. Barring an emergency, I don’t recommend entering without consent.
— By Gary M. Singer, Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel