Can you make a case for "mitigate"?

Good writing uses strong verbs. Strong verbs are usually short. Thus, I strongly dislike the word “mitigate.” In fact, I can’t think of any time that I’d use mitigate instead of a synonym. Some of my favorite synonyms for “mitigate” in the context of an investment or wealth management article include  *  Cut *  Ease […]

Financial writers clinic: Rhythm can help you

I got rhythm, I got music…Who could ask for anything more?                                          Rhythm isn’t only useful for Gene Kelly tap dancing to “I Got Rhythm” in An American in Paris. It also can also energize your writing about investment or wealth management. Writers in our industry are prone […]

Do you go crazy over misspellings?

Then you’ll probably enjoy “Ten Words You Should Stop Misspelling” from TheOatmeal.com. I couldn’t stop laughing. I discovered this through Twitter. This isn’t a business reason to participate in Twitter but a little laughter helps every now and then.

Poll: Which topic should you discuss in your client email’s first paragraph?

When you email your clients, they expect you to * Be polite * Be clear * Provide any necessary background information So when you email a request for action to a client, what should you discuss in the first paragraph? 1. Social niceties, such as “It was nice to see you last week…” 2. Your […]

I LOVE this fixed income presentation!

“Bonds should be boring.” That’s what one head of fixed income of fixed income used to tell me. But that doesn’t mean that fixed income presentations should be boring. Northern Trust has published the most enjoyable fixed income presentation I’ve ever seen. It’s called “Fixed Income: Almost A Bedtime Story.” Fixed Income: Almost A Bedtime […]