• Professor Elam

    Monday April 8 2013

    The Irish betting company Intrade  may be facing insolvency. We are studying options in ACCT 3312, notice the SEC accusess Intrade of utlizing option trading that is not approved. A crash in brokerages often accompanies or begins a fall in markets. While this is a quirky non mainstream brokerage it bears watching, Remember Corzine's operation. 

  • Professor Elam

    Weekend April 7 2013

    The fifth annual Swouthwest Teaching and Learning Conference was held this weekend at Main Campus. Here are a few photos of what happened. 

    C4055249Leticia Ozuna pictured here with Douglas Carter. As the City Councilwoman from the area including our school, she sdelieverd a fine  talk about leadership and her vision for eduation. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Sheila Pop, one of dozens of presenteers,  from Texas Southern delivered a good summary of her
    C4055097 production of an e book on good writing. I found Sheila to be an enthusiastic advocate for better writing

    and an engaging personality. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    We appreciate our sponsors. Here is Julie Kuljurgis with McGraw Hill. 
    C4055085

     

    C4055079Richard Laramay and Rick Ungerman were here from Cengage. 

     

     

     

    C4055116

     

     

     

     

     

    Trina Maurer Left with Pearson visits with TAMUSA Professor Judy Lewis.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    C4055053

    Theresa and Denise from Nolan's had a great display, welcome aboard as a first time sponsor!

    What's  conference without a great lunch!  Thanks to all our participants and sponsors for our largest event thus far. 

     

    C4055196

    C4055190

  • Professor Elam

    Thursday April 4 2013

    The Bank of Japan will attempt to reflate its currency. Why is the BOJ doing this?  What does it mean to reflate the currency?  How does this relate to what other Central Banks are doing? Would this have anything to do with gold prices?

  • Professor Elam

    Wednesday April 3, 2013

    Joe Dupuy is our student tutor. His new hours are

     

    Tuesday Wednesday Thursday 1-5 PM in Room 128

    Also from 7-8 PM in the evening TWR, call for appointment

    The number to call is 210 784 1329

  • Professor Elam

    Wednesday April 3 2013

    Jim Chanos is known for being a financial detective. Here he holds forth on the new nature of financial fraudsters.

  • Professor Elam

    Tuesday April 2 2013

    Not long ago I suggested we offer extra curricular classes to obtain the Certified Book keeper designation. This was met with a big yawn, college students don't want to become book keepers. Well one needs to understand book keeping to understand accounting. This was clear on a recent question regarding a bank reconciliation.

    Here is a few sample questions, rather practical I would say.

     

    Are you up to date?

    See for yourself with this bookkeeper’s quiz.

     

    Our goal as your national association is to raise bookkeepers’ professional status. One way we do this is by keeping you current and offering practical, on-the-job help in our member newsletter, The General_Ledger.

    The quiz below is based on just one past issue of The General Ledger.

    See if you are up to date. Scroll down for the answers.

    1. 1.     When the deposit of 941 taxes for the current quarter is insufficient, can the depositor allocate the amounts that go toward the company’s FITW v. FICA liability?
    2. 2.     When a company’s 941 FITW liability for the quarter is not paid in full:
      1. the IRS can hold the company liable.
      2. the IRS can hold the “responsible person” liable.
      3. a or b.
    3. 3.     When a company’s 941 FICA liability is not paid in full:
      1. the company is liable.
      2. the “responsible person” is liable.
      3. a or b, depending on what the IRS decides.
    4. 4.     Under federal law, when there is not enough work for a non-exempt (hourly) employee to come in, can the employer require that employee to use up accrued vacation and paid time off?
    5. 5.     Under federal law, when an exempt (salaried) employee comes to work, spends 20 minutes checking e-mails and voicemail, then is sent home for the rest of the week for lack of work, the employer must:
      1. pay the employee for the day
      2. pay the employee for the hour
      3. pay the employee for the week
      4. give the employee 20 minutes off in another week, but need not pay the employee anything.
    6. 6.     When employee Joan elects to have a specified amount deducted from her salary for the year to be contributed to her health FSA, she may obtain reimbursement from her FSA:
    7. 7.     When you correctly garnish an employee’s pay in compliance with an IRS Notice of Levy:
    8. 8.     You can refuse a W-4 only when it has been _____ in any way, including unauthorized _____, or when the employee tells you that the information on it is false.
    9. 9.     Most state laws covering remittance of unclaimed property (do/do not) have a statute of limitations.
    1. in full, regardless of whether she has yet to contribute enough to cover the reimbursement.
    2. as soon as she has contributed at least that amount to her FSA.
    3. only up to the amount she has contributed to date.
    1. you and/or your employer are liable and the employee can sue you.
    2. you and/or your employer are not liable—the employee can sue only the IRS.
    3. you and/or the IRS are liable and the employee can sue whichever party he or she wants to.

    10.  When an employee occasionally checks office e-mails and voicemail at home before leaving for work, the U.S. Department of Labor (does/does not) consider this work time for which the employee must be paid.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Answer Key

    9-10 correct         You are up to date. To stay that way, join AIPB today.

    6-8  correct           You are missing information affecting your job. Join now to keep current.

    5 or less correct   Too busy to stay current? Let AIPB keep you up to date. Join now.

     

    1. 1.     no
    2. 2.     a
    3. 3.     c
    4. 4.     yes
    5. 5.     c
    6. 6.     a
    7. 7.     b
    8. 8.     altered, additions
    9. 9.     do not

    10.  does

     

     

    Remember, this quiz is based on just one recent issue of The General Ledger.

     

  • Professor Elam

    Tuesday April 2 2013

    See http://www.themarketperspective.com

     

     I have been perusing the WSJ, well well well, I suspect that, like our gold miner bullish percent getting into higher gear, things we have mentioned for months and years are about to accelerate. 

    Municipal Disasters on the Radar Screen

    on the editorial page A 12, Bondholders Beware, the WSJ notes that Stockton CA is likely to favor workers over bond holders, Mert Whitney will be proved right, widen her definition of default to include all stakeholders, citizens, employees, bond holders, and the muni bond market itself

    London Whales and other Frightening Sea Demons

    In our previous post we noted potential weakness in the XLF, hmm, on page A 13 Shelia Blair notes 

    Regulators Let  Big Banks Look Safer than They Are – the headline says just what the graph of XLF says, and as I mused, did anything really change, notable comment

    Bet on it there will be future London Whale surprises, and the next one might not be so easy to harpoon

    Chinese Capitalism on the March

    In A Pacific island Prefers Chjinese Investment to US Welfare

    Now a Chinese investor plans a 4000 room resort on the 39 square mile Micronisia Island of Yap, Japan wanted to establish what it termed the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere but failed losing WWW I, will the Chinese succeed without firinga  shot 

    Leading from Behind

    In Venus and Mars Revisited Kenneth Weinstein examines the US retreat from international leadership, from Poland missle defense to Afghanistan to Syria, now even the Europeans look bold by comparison, this parallels the US retreat leading to the fall of Viet Nam, a similar disaster during a similar 18  year period of stagnation. This led to the murderous rampage of the Khymer Rouge and the belief that the US would do nothing. 

    Goldman Unit to Seek Risk

    Goldman is launching a specialty finance company to invest in high risk debt primarily of midsize US companies with no credit rating. Hmm, have they retained Mike Miliken as an adviser? This reminds one of course of the rush to sub prime mortgages, leverage no less in this time frame five years ago. 

    Periods of stagnation exhibit similar events, it is the job of the asocionomist to point them out, they are plain to see

     

  • Professor Elam

    Posted Monday April 1, 2013

    Learn more about Toastmasters Here. Toastmasters is an organization dedicated to improving your public speaking ability. Richard Jenkins is organizing the group. I am delighted to report good interest and that we have some students who have Toastmaster Experience. If we can attract students from all three Schools that will add a good bit of diversity. I encourage you to investigate this new start up for our campus. I will be assisting Richard whenever I can. I already have some devilishly clever ideas for Table Topics!

    The informational meeting will take place on

    Saturday April the 6 at 2 p.m. on the Main Campus Room 204-207.

     

     

    Maria D Leighton
    Secretary

    Toastmasters Club at
    Texas A&M University-San Antonio
    One University Way
    San Antonio, Texas 78224
    (210) 393 5101
    mariad.leighton@jaguar.tamu.edu

  • Professor Elam

    Monday April 1 2013

    This is not Apri Fool Joke. This is the official Nike poster for Tiger. 

    Screen Shot 2013-04-01 at 10.48.09 AM

    Will ex wife Erin and when they are old enough to understand, his children agree?

    We report you decide.

  • Professor Elam

    Weekend March 30 2013

    Dell has now made a 274 page filing with the SEC talking down future prospects for the company.

    As Carey Kingsley noted in ACCT 3311 class, one would think a guy as smart as Mike Dell would have counted the votes first! Now even the CFO says they are fighting for market share. 

    As I mentioned, we are studying equity in ACCT 3312. Reading all the articles you can goolge on this deal will give you valuable context and additional understanding about this part of the balance sheet.