Abby Johnson


wealthymatters.comAbigail Pierrepont Johnson,an heiress to a Boston family fortune derived from farming,oil and gas,lumbering,a hotel,real estate services,a bus line and the investment management company Fidelity has a personal net worth estimated by the Bloomberg Billionaires index at $10 billion.She is one of the world’s richest women. She’s also one of the most driven and hardworking. In her 24 years at Fidelity Investments, the mutual fund company founded by her grandfather, Abby has worked through two pregnancies and it is believed a bout with cancer in 2007 .

Abby is termed the Invisible heir.Silence has been her mode for years. She even said little when she was named president of Fidelity Investments Financial Services , making her second in command at the $3.8 trillion mutual fund company. She reports to her father, Fidelity Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Edward “Ned” Johnson III, and her elevation to the No. 2 position arguably makes Abby the most powerful woman in finance.With her ascension, Abby, 51, has become the leading member of what today is still a very small club. In the financial world, only a handful of women have reached the top ranks. Read more of this post

The Value of Money


Benjamin Franklin Quote

The History Of Inheritance Tax in India


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With rising fiscal deficit, fiscal consolidation is suddenly front page news. The government hasn’t done well in its attempts to raise revenues both tax and  non tax.The sense of alarm has brought back discredited ideas centre-stage.One of these ideas is a tax on inheritance,a favourite hobby horse of the Leftists.No matter that it was overextending ourselves on repackaged Garibi Hatao welfare measures with a proven record of ineffectiveness that brought us to the fiscal mess in the first place.Inheritance tax is being touted in the UK,US,Germany,Italy etc as a measure to claw their way out of recession.Small wonder that there is a clamour by the intellectually bankrupt for its reintroduction in India. Read more of this post

Urjit Patel on Inflation


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Here are some bon mots from our new Dy. Governor of the RBI:

“Assertions that imported inflation and external developments — like global excess liquidity — lie at the root of price developments in India ring hollow.”

“What is clear is that persistence of elevated inflation is agreeable to some policymakers.The authorities want to take credit for India’s growth performance but stay blameless on the price front — a case of heads I win, tails you lose!”

“This is an astonishing series of nihilistic statements — unassisted by evidence or even a hint of scientific thoroughness — from the central bank head pleading either hopelessness on account of India being a large and diverse federal entity, or, a form of muddled eclecticism.”

“The profligacy of the central government has its primary driver in populist spending policies initiated in early 2008 by the ruling coalition leading up to national elections in May 2009.”

“Three stimulus packages (including a reduction in indirect tax rates) starting in late 2008 to counter the global recessionary head winds only accentuated matters.”

“If gold prices stay elevated or increase going forward, and wealth effects emanating from this externally generated feature are quantitatively important, than monetary policy has that much more work to do to tame inflation.”

These are heartening words indeed for those of us concerned about the detrimental effects of our persistently high inflation even as growth prospects have muted.

 

 

Birla Family Tree


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