Blog Posts by Subject: Finance

Working at SIBL has distorted my vision; I seem to have this sixth sense: I see advertising for financial services. Brokerage accounts, mutual funds, ETFs, bank accounts (online and otherwise) - everywhere. Do normal people see these?

Of course, working at SIBL also means I encounter people researching investments and other financial services topics, and have been able to steer them to, and help them with, the excellent investment related resources we have. One of these, for which I offer an executive summary below, is

An ancient stock certificate found in a drawer after someone dies; selling shares that grandma gave us a long time ago; investment paperwork lost in a move. The stories all seem different, but in each case the question is the same — what has happened to a company since these shares of stock were purchased?

Where can we find the sad stories of the death of companies? Perhaps a company has gone into bankruptcy, succumbed to a hostile takeover, been sold to the highest bidder, changed its ticker symbol, its 

photo via athrasher on flickrGet Your Financial House in Order

The economic crisis of 2008 sent all of us reeling. The financial security that we thought we had became a thing of the past — and those of us not financially savvy to begin with — were now out in the cold, naked, alone and confused.

What does it take to recover from this stunning blow? Well, knowledge is power! So the more we know about financial matters, the better able we are to navigate the waters be they rough or smooth.

Here's a shocker! According to Pamela Yellen, CEO of Bank on Yourself, whom Michel Martin interviewed recently on NPR's Tell Me More, 41% of adults give themselves a C grade or lower in their knowledge of personal finance. To help New Yorkers ace this subject NYPL runs Financial Literacy Central (FLC) at its business library,

Hearing the capstone presentations of 20 aspiring business owners in a FastTrac New Ventures program last week inspired me to talk to Shagun Malhotra, who recently told Crain's New York Business what she learned at FastTrac en route to taking second place in SIBL's 2010 New York StartUP! Business Plan Competition.

Shagun, here's your 

The deadline for filing your income taxes may be rapidly approaching but that is no reason to put your personal finances on the back burner until next April.  If that little voice at the back of your mind is telling your that you need to finally get serious about planning for your financial future, you're in luck!

On April 29th, NYPL's Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) on Madison Avenue at 34th Street is holding a Financial Empowerment Day starting at 11 AM and lasting until 6 

Who exactly were the Queens of Finance? The New York Herald reserved this title for Victoria Claflin Woodhull and her sister Tennessee Claflin (or Tennie C Claflin). These sisters surmounted incredible odds by establishing a highly lucrative brokerage business on Wall Street in 1869. Born in Homer, Ohio they were not privy to the comforts and education afforded by wealth or high social stature. In fact, their childhood was quite tumultuous. Born to an alcoholic father, the sisters took charge of providing for the family while