At 9 p.m., the end of a hectic day, Robert, a successful 45-year-old million-dollar producer at a major wirehouse in downtown Manhattan, closed the door to his office, locked it, and took the elevator to the 36th floor of his office building. Despondent over recent losses his best clients suffered in a certain hedge fund over the past year, Robert had been short-tempered and adversarial with colleagues as well as with his branch manager, and threatened to leave the industry on more than one occasion. This business was crushing him. He could see no future. Not only had he let his clients and his family down, but just as important… he knew he had let himself down. When the elevator door closed behind him, he took the stairs to the roof where he breathed in the cool night air. With an empty glare in his eyes, he slowly made his way across the roof with a purposeful pace. Robert walked to the roof’s ledge, looked out across the dark city... more +

Assume you have gone through an arbitration, lost, and think you should appeal the decision. Rule 10330(b) of the NASD Code of Arbitration Procedure states:  “Unless the applicable law directs otherwise, all awards rendered pursuant to this Code shall be deemed final and not subject to review or appeal.” You now have thirty days to pay the award, or file a petition to vacate the award.

Not to worry. The Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S. 10 provides for the vacation of arbitration awards under the following circumstances; (a) In any of the following cases, the United States Court in and for the district wherein the award was made may make an order vacating the award upon the application of any party to the arbitration - (1) where the award was procured by corruption, fraud or undue means; (2) where there was evident partiality or corruption in the arbitrators, or either of them; (3) where the arbitrators were guilty of... more +

Picture a crisp, clear spring day. You’re flying 633 mph at 22,000 feet, with your wingman two miles off and exactly ninety degrees to your right on a combat mission in southern Iraq’s no-fly zone. You’re both scanning for enemy aircraft, surface-to-air missiles (SAMS), and radar activity. Over half of your time is spent “checking six”—looking behind you and your wingman for unseen threats or movement.

Suddenly, you hear your wingman’s voice blare over the radio, “Break right, break right! Missile, launch your five o’clock!” Your heartbeat ramps up and you feel the surge of adrenaline as your fight-or-flight reflex kicks in. This all happens in an eye blink, and in that same instant, it’s time to act. Instinctively you “break right” - crank the stick to the right, bank the aircraft ninety degrees, and pull back as hard as you can, feeling the G-forces flatten you... more +