Many factors can impact your company’s

Many factors can impact your company’s decision on where to locate in Europe. Like the availability of qualified employees. Salaries and business costs. Proximity to customers. Quality of transport and telecoms networks

 fact that you are considering an expansion into the European marketplace says a lot about you and your company. Smart. Successful. And wise enough to recognize you may not know everything needed to make the best possible location decision. It is also often wiser to manage your European business from Europe, rather than remotely from the United States.

We believe you will find this White Paper useful in understanding and navigating the many business factors that will influence your first foothold in Europe. It will cover the following factors:

Proximity to customers and prospects
Availability of qualified staff
Cultural similarities to the United States
Transportation and logistics
Available office space and costs
Supplier and support companies
Telecommunications links
Governmental policies and political stability
Tax considerations
Ease of doing business
Quality of life
About the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA)
After reading this, if you wish to look more closely at particular European countries, regions or cities, we invite you to visit www.nfia.com (the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency) and use its online calculator tool to examine and compare up to 17 prime European business locations, using unbiased business facts and figures assembled by an independent business consultant.

Should the online calculator lead you to choose the Netherlands, please contact the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency so we may assist you with site visits, detailed cost comparisons, introduction to local government officials, potential business partners, industry organizations, or any additional information, guidance or support you may require. Should the online calculator lead you to favor one or more other locations, please contact those countries' respective economic development agencies. Even if you do not select the Netherlands, we want to be sure you find the assistance you need to make your move to your location of choice.

Proximity to customers and prospects

Where are your markets, customers and clients located in Europe? Are they concentrated by region or industry cluster, or are they spread across the continent? If the majority is within one area, it makes sense to set up operations nearby. If you are an industry-related supplier or support firm, other like-minded companies are likely to be located there, too.

If your customers are found within a couple of countries or across Europe, you'll want to locate as near the center of them, to make travel as time- and cost-efficient as possible. Key to this decision will be the range of passenger transportation options available within or near the locations you may consider.

If you are distributing products, transit times are very important. There are more than 857 million people inhabiting 55 countries. If your products can reach them within 24 hours, you'll have a decided advantage. So be sure to compare the distribution and logistics infrastructures of the European locations you're interested in.

Also be sure to find your center of gravity. Here's why:

No matter where your markets are concentrated now, you must ask yourself: Will they sustain your business in the future? If you're not sure, you should look ahead to additional markets you may need to penetrate over the next five years in order to meet your growth objective. This is known as "finding your center of gravity." Take this longer-term approach to establishing your European base, and you may be able to avoid the cost and disruption of having to move again later.

Availability of qualified staff

For many North American companies going to Europe, recruiting and retaining employees with the right skills are their two most important concerns. If those employees will be in contact with customers, a well-educated population with a high degree of multilingualism and English proficiency will be advantageous. Countries with these employees in good supply include the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the UK, France and Spain.

Labor costs are also a crucial consideration, and vary by title, vocation and country. European labor statistics may be searched easily on the Internet, or made available to you from the economic development agencies of the countries of interest. Most, such as the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency, put workers' total hourly or annual compensation figures in terms of U.S. dollars for easier comparison. Look carefully, too, at each country's laws and regulations concerning worker contracts, hiring/warning/firing policies, union/ non-union stance, and policies regarding full-time and part-time and temporary laborers.

Try to avoid countries you deem to be overly protective of their workers, or where significant time is lost to labor disputes, strikes, sickness or slowdowns, even though their salary and benefits structures may be temptingly low. The best potential countries will have employee statistics that exhibit consistently higher rates of productivity, and attitudes that reflect flexibility and adaptability. This helps you hit the ground running and get your operations off to a smoother, more profitable start.

Cultural similarities to the United States

Just because the European employees you'll hire will speak English, it doesn't necessarily ensure
that they share your views on culture, society, customs and interpersonal business relationships. European workers can be very nationalistic, so consider locations in countries that are more worldly in their outlook, more open culturally and, most of all, focused on international commerce. The more free-thinking, independent and tolerant your European workforce, the more likely they will get along with you and each other and positively impact your company's success.

Transportation and logistics

Think about how you and your employees will get to work each day. Do your locations of interest have dependable public transit systems? Are area roads and highways in good or poor condition, navigable or congested? How close are regional or international airports, and are enough carriers serving destinations that are important to you with sufficient frequency? Are there reliable passenger rail links to the cities and countries you need to reach? And be sure to factor in the travel time to and from air and rail connections.

Will you be importing, exporting or distributing products to customers in different markets? If so, you'll want to compare modes of freight transport within your potential business locations. If seaports are important, consider their size, reputations, capabilities and customs practices. Also consider their connections to inland waterways if needed, as well as the variety of shipping companies and third-party logistics service providers.

If you have goods or freight to ship by air, look for international airports with top rankings for annual cargo tonnage, on-time performance, customs efficiency and number of airfreight carriers. Annual ranking facts and figures can be sourced from such organizations as Airports Council International at www.airports.org and Air Cargo World's Air Cargo at www.aircargoworld.com/Air-Cargo-Excellence.

Rail freight service is constantly improving in Europe, with more countries accepting double stack container traffic and offering dedicated freight-only lines to reduce bottlenecks on main lines, reduce travel time and lower costs between destinations. Look for countries with strong rail/seaport interfaces. Also, since most cargos start out or reach their final destinations by truck, consider the roads, toll roads, highways, speed limits and intra-city connections of potential European locations for your business.

US authorities investigating HypoVereinsbank for violation of sanctions

US authorities investigating HypoVereinsbank for violation of sanctions
 U.S. authorities are investigating UniCredit SpA over possible violations of sanctions against Iran, a person familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal. ... it referred to Iran. “HVB on its own initiative is conducting a broader review of its historic compliance with U.S. economic sanctions.
Italy’s biggest bank, UniCredit SpA (UCG) has said that its HypoVereinsbank unit is being investigated by the US authorities for possible violations of economic sanctions.

UniCredit said that its HypoVereinsbank is now cooperating with the investigators investigations by the New York County District Attorney’s Office, the U. S. Department of Justice and the U. S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The investigations are relating to US- sanctioned persons and companies. The company had disclosed the disclosed the probes in its financial statements in 2011 disclosed the probes in its 2011. According to a media report, the authorities in the US are probing possible violations of sanctions that target business with Iran. The US and western allies accuse Iran of working on developing a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies. The Islamic republic maintains that its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose.

UniCredit SpA had acquired HVB in 2005 and now operates as UniCredit Bank AG. The unit is also carrying out its own review of compliance with the US laws and regulations. The bank said that the investigations and the review are ongoing and did not comment further.

The US authorities have also targeted other banks like Standard Chartered Plc and HSBC Holdings Plc for violations of sanctions.

The U.S. authorities are investigating

The U.S. authorities are investigating more than a dozen investment funds, including Bain Capital led for over fifteen years by Mitt Romney.


Several American investment funds are under investigation by the authorities of the State of New York, who think they have put in place a strategy to evade taxes, says the New York Times on its website, citing persons with knowledge of the investigation.
The newspaper quoted the relevant funds from KKR, TPG Capital, Sun Capital, Apollo Global Management, Siler Lake Partners and Bain Capital, a company founded and led for fifteen years by the Republican candidate for the White House Mitt Romney.
The New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has assigned a total of "more than a dozen" of funds, in order to obtain documents showing they have transformed certain management fees paid by investors in their "investments", many taxed less, the newspaper explains.
They would have avoided hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes, according to the New York Times, which states that the practice is common in the industry, but experts are divided over its legality.
A spokesman for the prosecutor and representatives of investment funds interviewed by the newspaper did not want to confirm.

Mutual Funds And Its Importance

Mutual Funds And Its Importance

Mutual funds are great investment options. Many people choose mutual funds because they require less effort than stocks. Mutual fund investing is a great option and they do not require as much trading and effort. Mutual fund equity is lower risk and can be very profitable! Do you possibly need help with a question like "mutual funds and its importance".

Mutual funds are companies which invests money from the depositors who want to invest their money and offer these funds to sell and buy back the shares, on a nonstop basis and use the resources by which the securities of many companies have raised in their investment. Thus rose the practice of investing in securities of different companies.  

Everybody knows that mutual funds have become enormously accepted and admired over the last 20 years. It was once considered as was once just another complicated financial tool, is now part of our day to day life and everybody is very much familiar with the terms.   It has been found out that more than 80 million people in America are investing in mutual funds.   Usually, people think that investing means just buying of mutual funds.  It’s a common sense that by investing in mutual funds should be better than simply giving your cash in savings accounts. 

At the commencement of this millennium, mutual funds broke all the records of the listed securities in New York Stock Exchange. Mutual funds are very beneficial in terms of variety and liquidity at a very low cost compared to other bonds and stocks. The mutual fund’s identity may be new, but their originality, which existed in this world way back in 18th century. The origination of mutual funds was in 1774 which was invested on trusted before it spread to other countries in the present form in 1868.

The stocks which these funds have are in liquid form and are usually used for purchasing or converting or selling its shares at a total asset value. These funds keep shares of many companies and they always receive dividends and the earnings of these dividends are distributed amongst the share holders.  These funds can be either open ended or closed ended companies of investment, which usually depends on the management of their pattern of funds.  Where an open-end fund  sells  its shares or units to  its investors  in retail or  bulk which does not have any limits,in the other way, a closed-end funds have a limited number of shares.

These funds have expanded investments which are spread in proportions that are calculated within the securities of various financial sectors. These funds get their return in two ways, organic way - which has the dividend they obtain on the securities they have and by redemption of the shares by the investors at a discounted rate compared to the existing NAVs (net asset values). 

Therefore,  mutual funds are regarded as risk free investments usually and have advantages which most of the investment schemes carry with them. If you are a wholesale  investor and   planning to  invest  in securities,  you will definitely  take the advantages of investing in mutual funds into consideration, as these funds have lower investments per unit. In every case, the money you invest is increased,  your investment is managed by money managers who are professionally experienced in this field and have good experience in this field.

Investment funds

Investment funds

 Stikeman Elliott is one of the firms most prominent in the area of ​​investment funds in Canada. His practice group in this sector is active in the major financial centers of the world, including Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, London and New York. The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory underlines our firm is "repeatedly recommended" in the area of ​​investment funds. We are one of the few firms to offer our expertise nationally and internationally in the field of asset management and investment funds, especially in terms of fund formation and operations offers public on behalf of domestic and foreign investors, as well as in the context of regulatory issues.

We participated in many mandates markets equity funds of public and private companies, including market funds of funds and private equity funds. We count among our clients equity funds and private companies, managers, brokers and advisors investment funds (both domestic and foreign), as well as financial institutions and other institutional investors. The members of our group represent collective investment using public savings, investment funds traded fixed capital, hedge funds and entities. We are also involved in mergers and acquisitions in the area of ​​investment funds as well as in negotiating and drafting of all trade agreements, outsourcing and joint ventures required in connection with the creation and operating funds. We regularly provide advice on governance and compliance within established and emerging markets. As members of the Institute of Investment Funds Institute of Canada, we regularly sponsor its annual conference.

We have experience in the following:

Structuring trusts and investment companies with variable capital and fixed and limited partnerships, funds futures market, hedge funds, funds of private equity, fund of income trusts REITs and royalty trusts;
Tax structuring investment funds, their managers and other stakeholders;
Advice aimed specifically fund of funds structures (including structures "master feeder" including advice on due diligence, operations, purchase and sale of portfolio securities (secondaries) and tax optimization of these operations;
Providing advice on products and the development of innovative financial products, including structures converting income trusts that use forward purchase contracts conventional and prepaid;
Providing advice in connection with offerings of investment funds, including public offerings and issuances of restricted distribution, and investments in Canada, the United States and elsewhere;
Structuring of asset management agreements, including service agreements sub-advisors and recommendations;
Advising on mergers in the area of ​​investment funds;
Advising investment funds and their managers, advisors and agents on regulatory issues and compliance, including emerging issues such fund governance, measures to counter money laundering and the financing terrorism, timing the market, operations with conditions and for the best performance, and
Representation in matters of law enforcement, investigations, regulatory bodies and civil litigation, including class actions.

Recognition of our work
The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory emphasizes that our firm has been "repeatedly recommended" in the area of ​​investment funds. Some members of our group have also received a single in The Best Lawyers in Canada in the field of mutual funds, The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers in the area of ​​private equity and the Guide to the World's Leading Investment Funds Lawyers and PLC Which Lawyer? of IFLR in the areas of investment funds.

Recent Group Activities
Lawyers in the area of ​​investment funds coécrivent the Canadian chapter of a publication on management
Alix of Anglejan-Chatillon and Jeffrey Elliott, Stikeman Elliott lawyers, co-authored the Canadian chapter of the publication The Asset Management Review. This publication provides a business perspective, an overview and analysis of the regulation and the latest developments in the market for asset management in 33 jurisdictions worldwide. Click here to read the entire publication. This article was published for the first time in the publication The Asset Management Review, 1st Edition (June issue 2012 - editor, Paul Dickson) from Law Business Research Ltd.., London.

Cocktail Lavery

Some 175 people attended the annual cocktail Lavery held in the bright décor, both industrial and modern, Panoramic Hall Science Centre in Montreal, Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Véronique Morin French speaker at the International Congress of Human Resources
November 21, 2011
The College of Human Resources Advisors (CHRP) Quebec Véronique Morin invited to give a lecture as part of the International Congress of Francophone managers of human resources, which took place in Quebec under the theme of innovation and creativity. More than 1,500 people attended the event, which took place on 17 and 18 October. Ms. Morin conference was entitled "Employment contracts: innovate to attract and retain employees."

Insurers today face rules more stringent privacy and protection of personal information. What are these rules and how do they do not become an insurmountable obstacle at the time of claim? More than 80 people were present at the Conference Centre Lavery on 26 and 27 October last to hear about Marie-Andrée Gagnon (litigation, general insurance and personal insurance) and Loïc Berdnikoff (administrative law, information and privacy) this subject. During this event, participants have been encouraged to read the different legislative regimes applicable to insurers and others with whom they may interact and have received numerous tips regarding access to documents and information processing a claim.

On October 13, several stakeholders in the field of compliance and the distribution of financial products and services Lavery attended the seminar entitled "e-distribution of insurance products" on current issues in the distribution of products insurance online.

Lawyers working within the practice group distribution of products and financial services have addressed the concerns raised by the time the use of new technologies for the insurance industry, with the special participation of Mr. Eric Stevenson, Head

advisors various topics of interest

Present in the picture (left to right): Marc Beauchemin, partner at Lavery, Josianne Beaudry, lawyer Lavery, Daniel Alain Dagenais, partner at Lavery, Lise Girard, Attorney-chief at AMF; Nathalie Durocher, lawyer Lavery, and Evelyne Verrier, Associate Lavery.

The 2012 seminars Lavery was held Tuesday, October 16 at the Centre Mont-Royal in Montreal under the theme of "risk management." This training activity, presented in the form of workshops, attended by nearly 200 corporate counsel came to hear 14 speakers, 12 Lavery lawyers and two external speakers.

The program was well filled and covered various topics of interest to corporate legal advisors. The day began with a plenary session on the theme "The Corporate Counsel and obligations to third parties for information." The training activity has continued with workshops addressing the following questions:

Certain provisions of commercial leases, particularly in the context of acquisition
Funding for health and safety at work
How to read an insurance policy
Clauses restrictive covenants in credit agreements
Consumer Law and Class Actions
Precautions lobbying and relationships with public authorities
This year, the conference Lavery was a success. The primary activity is one of many initiatives that Lavery organized to meet the needs of its business partners.

June 2012
Economic Mission of the territory that the Plan Nord: Mission accomplished!
June 22, 2012
Group Plan Nord Lavery and its partners PricewaterhouseCoopers, Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec and AGC Communications organized a trade mission to the territory that the Plan Nord, which was held from June 17 to 19

This tour, consisting of 43 people, including a majority of business leaders in Quebec, has visited Matagami, Chibougamau, Fermont, Sept-Îles, Labrador City and Wabush. Participants were also able to meet with the mayors of the municipalities visited, local business people and the Cree community of Oujé-Bougoumou and visit the facilities of mining companies Xstrata Zinc, Arcelor Mittal and Rio Tinto / IOC.

Participants draw a very positive this tour. It allowed them to better understand the territory that the Plan Nord, the people who live there and the companies that do business. This tour has also facilitated the development of a network of business and encouraged a better understanding of multiple business opportunities available in this vast territory.

Success for the annual summer cocktail Lavery
June 19, 2012
On June 13, approximately 130 people participated in the summer cocktail cabinet. This annual event, which was held at the chic Hotel Le Saint-Sulpice in the heart of Old Montreal, has lawyers and associates Lavery meet their current and prospective customers in a relaxed and festive. Once again, this cocktail has proved a great success.

Delivery of academic certificates as part of a program of in-company training
June 18, 2012
Lavery is pleased to have received in his office on June 12, his partners in a continuing education program in business through a ceremony of certificates university employees Distinction Group Inc.. (GDI) , a leader in Canada in terms of industrial and commercial maintenance. The program, called "Manage and supervise effectively," is administered by the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Montreal and for the first-level managers within an organization.

Associated Lavery, Marie-Claude Perreault has worked actively in the implementation of the program since its inception in 2008 as a trainer for the module on the exercise of the role of first line manager. Several of his colleagues in labor law also contributed to the training. "In this module, I was able to discuss various topics of interest to employees Distinction Group who have undertaken this training, including human resources management, the development of harmonious labor relations, laws on labor standards, the compliance with health and safety and the rules related to the protection of personal information, "she said.

For its part, the president and CEO of GDI, Claude Bigras, is delighted that his company has chosen to invest in the training of its first-level managers. "This program has helped to provide advantages in GDI management team, knowledge of laws relating to labor relations and problem solving and conflict, including techniques, methods and interpersonal skills that allow more efficient, safe and sustainable projects and operations, "he said.

Vice-Dean Academic, Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Montreal, Monique Kirouac, welcomed the holding of the second ceremony of the certificates. "On 6 April 2010, during an official ceremony GDI managers were the first recipients of this new university official certificate awarded by our faculty. June 12, 2012, several managers GDI were presented a certificate for successfully completing the training program. In short, it is an excellent initiative that helps to bring academia and the business community, "she was delighted.

For his part, the president and CEO of the company Relais Expert-Conseil, Luc Chabot, welcomes the partnership with the University of Montreal. "Our company has worked closely with the School of Continuing Education to develop this new management training that is fully adapted to the real needs and complexities of today's businesses. Each of the modules of this program has been the subject of rigorous analysis and I am delighted to see the success of this enterprise training among employees of GDI ", he wished to emphasize.

Lavery joins the University of Montreal and Relais Expert-Conseil to congratulate all the recipients of certificates used in 2012 and to thank the senior management of GDI for its constant support that contributes to the sustainability of the program.



Present in the picture (left to right): Ms. Denise Pellerin, psychologist, coach and trainer, Marie-Claude Perreault, partner at Lavery and trainer, Mr. Luc Chabot, President and CEO of Relais Expert Council; Monique Kirouac, Vice-Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Continuing Education at the University of Montreal, Yves André Godon, Executive Vice President GDI; Korozs Me Valerie, a lawyer with Lavery and trainer, and Eric Robillard, trainer.


Lavery, in collaboration with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Manufacturers and Exporters of Québec, Investissement Québec and AGC Communications, organized a South-North Economic Mission in the territory that the Plan Nord. From 17 to 19 June 2012 we will guide business leaders and organizations wishing to take advantage of new business opportunities that will generate the Plan Nord.

The program includes guided tours of the facilities and meetings with leaders of Xstrata mining complexes in Matagami, Arcelor Mittal Mont-Wright and Rio Tinto / IOC in Labrador City, as well as business meetings with mayors, responsible for economic development, the major work, local entrepreneurs and communities in the territory. Companies and organizations to participate in this mission will have the opportunity to learn about the business potential and identify business opportunities between the North and South, to encourage and develop a business network South-North to create new alliances and business partnerships as well as better understand the functioning and needs major work in the mining industry. Many companies and organizations have already confirmed their participation.

Valérie Boucher and Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur Lavery, speakers SME 2013

Valérie Boucher and Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur Lavery, speakers SME 2013
I Valérie Boucher and Marie-Hélène Jolicoeur, Partner and Lawyer at Lavery, will deliver lectures on the occasion of the first edition of SMEs 2013 to be held at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal on 22 and 23 November 2012. This great event SMEs, co-sponsored by Lavery, will bring together more than 150 experts and offer a total of 75 lectures on various topics of interest to SME.

Mr. Boucher conference theme will be "Accelerate your growth by acquisition: how to effectively buy a business? "While that of Mr. Jolicoeur focus on the following topic:" Dealing with an employee problem: how to finally put an end to the frustrations? ".

For more information, please visit the website of SMEs 2013: http://pme2013.com/

Lavery is hosting a lunch conference business with First Gérald Fillion
November 5, 2012
Lavery had the honor to host on Thursday, October 25, lunch-conference "A book, a leading" presented by the magazine Business First. Journalist at Radio-Canada since 2001, Gérald Fillion came to present the book "The Price of Civilization" by the American economist Jeffrey D. Sachs.



Gérald Fillion specializes in covering economic and anime "RDI economy" where he presents and analyzes the current economic situation. Over a period of time, the conference took the form of a stimulating exchange between Mr. Fillion, Margarita Lafontaine, editor of Business First, and 50 guests in attendance.

Luncheon Lavery: A great success!
November 1, 2012
The luncheon cabinet, which took place on 24 and 25 October 2012 at the Conference Centre Lavery, was attended by over 130 people who operate primarily in the insurance industry. The event's theme was "The highs and lows of the obligation of the insurer to defend" and allowed speakers Lavery, Bernard Larocque and Mr. Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, process, for the benefit of participants, large principles related to this obligation.



Present in the picture (left to right): Bernard Larocque, partner at Lavery, Jonathan Lacoste-Jobin, lawyer Lavery

October 2012
Lavery, hosted a business dinner bringing together companies from Bavaria and Quebec
October 29, 2012
Lavery is pleased to be the host, October 23, a networking activity within a business luncheon organized by Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec (MEQ) and the Representation of the State of Bavaria Quebec. This event, which proved a great success, attended by nearly 70 people, including more than fifty business people of the Free State of Bavaria in Germany and the province of Quebec.

I Édith Jacques, Partner at Lavery and Vice-President of the Board of MEQ and Michael Gotschlich the Ministry of Economy of Bavaria welcomed guests with a welcome. Frédéric Arsenault of the Representation of the State of Bavaria Québec and Simon Prévost MEQ then presented respectively Bavarian companies and Quebec, will be followed by a networking event.

The event will be enabled at the delegation of Bavaria learn more about the Plan Nord and business opportunities generated by the project, particularly in the areas of construction, infrastructure and the energy and environmental technology.



Present in the picture (left to right): Simon Prevost, President, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters of Quebec, Michael Gotschlich, Director of Trade, Europe and North America, Ministry of Economy of Bavaria Edith Jacques, Associate Lavery , and Frédéric Arsenault, economic and technological advisor, Representation of the State of Bavaria Québec

Maintenance Lavery 2012: A success!
October 22, 2012
The 2012 edition of the Care Lavery on the Distribution of financial products and services has been successful. Nearly 65 people gathered at the Conference Centre Lavery on October 10 to participate in this seminar focused on recent developments and trends in investigations, inspections and appeals. More specifically, Lavery speakers addressed some important concerns raised by the increased application of laws and powers of intervention of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), including the scope of powers of the AMF, the role of the registrant and the expectations of the AMF about it as well as best practices and recommendations related. This interview was conducted with the special participation of Ms. Lise Girard, chief prosecutor in the Autorité des marchés financiers.

famous billionaire investor

Not all billionaires are household names. In fact, many spend their fascinating careers flying under the rada

A world famous billionaire investor, this Donald Trump bio showcases his accomplishments and how he made most of his money through real estate investments. According to Forbes, Donald Trump’s net worth was valued at $2.7 billion in March of 2011.

Donald Trump was born on June 14th, 1996 in New York and had four brothers and sisters. Donald Trump is now a billionaire who constructed giant feats ranging from skyscrapers, to golf courses, and even to Casinos and hotels. He’s been in job positions from investing stock, running companies, and even staring on a television show. Most of his money has come from building huge projects as a real estate tycoon. When he first started, he worked with his father for five years. He says, “My father was my mentor, and I learned a tremendous amount about every aspect of the construction industry from him.” After he learned as much as he could from his father, he moved on to become a real estate investor. On most of the businesses he has, he has giant “T”s written as a trademark of sort, mainly to show it’s his.
On a personal level, he’s been married three times and has 5 children. He married his first wife, Ivana Trump, in 1977 then divorced in 1992. He and his second wife, Marla Maples, got married 1993 and divorced in 1999. He and Melania Trump got married in 2005 and are still together. He has three children with his first wife and one child with each of his other wives.
Investment Styles

His main style of investing is in land; he’s a real estate tycoon. He bought land, and then he constructed giant properties such as golf courses and casinos on the land. Out of all the buildings Donald Trump made, Trump Tower was his biggest accomplishment. He always kept prices high even when others started to lower theirs. One of the very possible reasons he’s so rich and famous is because he thinks big. A sum of his quote is, why think at all if you’re not thinking big. If you think about Trump Tower, gold courses, and casinos, they all have one thing in common; they’re all huge.
Accomplishments

His biggest accomplishment, Trump Tower, had luxurious hotels as well as shops and stores inside of it. He’s also brought up casinos as well as resorts. His name is in the name of most of the casinos and hotels he’s turned into metaphorical gold mines. Donald Trump also owned the Trump Taj Mahal hotel that opened in 1990; that was the largest hotel in the world.
The Apprentice, aired in 2004, was also a giant success by Donald Trump; it was a reality show that had a great amount of viewers. Donald Trump even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He created the Trump University in 2005. It teaches mainly about real estate as well as being a successful entrepreneur. In addition to the all of the other things, he’s also written few business books that teach how to be a successful business man. Because he has had many bankruptcies but stayed above water, people trust his ideas and always find him to be one of the best businessmen out there.
Failures

In Donald Trump’s life, He’s called for bankruptcy multiple times. In fact, his casino went into bankruptcy twice. He solved this problem by becoming a partial owner of the casino. By doing this, he could pay the debt back slower at lower rates. He didn’t personally get involved when the going got tough, that way he wouldn’t need to file bankruptcy. Donald Trump’s casino resorts as well as hotels also went into bankruptcy a few years later. His idea was to give some more stocks to partial owners, so when the prices went up, they’d have more power in the company; in exchange in this deal, he wanted some of the debts of the casinos and hotels forgiven.
By the early 1990s, Donald Trump had owed billions of dollars, and most people thought that he was done for. Since he was able to keep a positive attitude and not accept defeat, he eventually got back to being one of the best businessmen around Also, by continuing to go on and by not giving up, he was put in the Guinness Book of World Records as having the biggest financial turnaround in history. He says his financial failures happened, because he has simply lost focus.
Famous Quotes

1. “I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big”
2. “If you’re interested in ‘balancing’ work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable”
3. “Sometimes by losing a battle you find a new way to win the war”
4. ”Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don’t make”

Market Smart Investors

Market  Smart Investors

Mark Mobius upbeat on emerging economies

George Soros net worth is over 20 billion dollars.  He is a self-made billionaire investor and philanthropist with a long history of success.   He has also given $9B to charity since 1979.
Biography

George Soros was born in Budapest, Hungary on August 12, 1930. He was Jewish born through the time when Nazi Germany took military control over Hungary. With an original last name of Schwartz, the family changed their last name to Soros in 1936. Soros survived the Nazi invasion and the Battle of Budapest and he first traded currencies in 1945-1946, along with jewelry, during the period of Hungarian hyperinflation.
He then immigrated to England in 1947 where he attended the London School of Economics and eventually graduated in 1952. He then immigrated to New York City in 1956 and worked as an arbitrage trader with F.M. Mayer between 1956-1959. From there, he worked as an analyst with Wertheim and Company from 1959-1963. From 1963 to 1973 he worked for Arnhold and S. Bleichroeder. He attained the position of Vice-President only to realize that he was a much better investor than a philosopher or executive. He convinced his employer to establish an offshore investment fund for him to run and wishes came true in 1967, when the company founded First Eagle; then again, in 1969, when they founded a second fund, Double Eagle Hedge Fund. Regulations limited Soros’ ability to invest the way that he wanted, so in 1973 he quit his job to start his own private investment company, later became known as Quantum Fund, which was actually founded in 1970 with Jim Rogers. He then retired in 1980.
Insider Trading?

In 2002, a French Court ruled that Soros performed “insider trading” from a 1989 deal where he bought a number of shares in a French Bank, one year after he was approached to join in on a takeover attempt on the same bank. He was fined $2.3 million, which was the exact amount that he had made throughout this business transaction. Soros maintains his innocence, as he states that the takeover was public knowledge.
Famous For:

1. Soros is known for being that man that single handedly broke the Bank of England in one day of trading where is profited a reported $2billion from one trade, where he risked $10 billion of his own money on shorting the British pound. Needless to say, he was right.
2. Running the Quantum Fund. While George Soros was at the helm, the Quantum fund generated an annual return of over 30%.
3. He was considered to be the “trigger” behind the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997, where he had a bet against the Thai baht.
Investment Style

George Soros invests typically in bonds and currencies and this area is where he has made his money. Soros’ investment style tends to lean towards being a master at translating economic trends into highly leveraged trades. He could be considered a short term speculator. His investing style tends to be hard to copy as he stated he just gets a feeling of when “to get out in the front and make a killing.” He believes that investors move in herds, and he would tend to follow suit, until the opportunity was right for the taking. He also believes that investors drive the fluctuations of the markets and that the markets are chaotic because of this.
Famous Quotes

1. “A full and fair discussion is essential to democracy.”
2. “An open society is a society which allows its members the greatest possible degree of freedom in pursuing their interests compatible with the interests of others.”
3. “Bush’s war in Iraq has done untold damage to the United States. It has impaired our military power and undermined the morale of our armed forces. Our troops were trained to project overwhelming power. They were not trained for occupation duties.”
4. “I chose America as my home because I value freedom and democracy, civil liberties and an open society.”
5. “I give away something up to $500 million a year throughout the world promoting Open Society. My foundations support people in the country who care about an open society. It’s their work that I’m supporting. So it’s not me doing it.”
6. “Markets are constantly in a state of uncertainty and flux and money is make by discounting the obvious and betting on the unexpected.”
7. “The financial markets generally are unpredictable. So that one has to have different scenarios… The idea that you can actually predict what’s going to happen contradicts my way of looking at the market.”