Zach Miller

I believe I have an interesting take on the current financial imbroglio we find ourselves in.  I am both a small business owner and a financial adviser.  So, while the stock market has taken a significant whacking including the largest American bank (WaMu), insurance firm (AIG) and broker (Merrill Lynch) all having tanked, I am feeling the fallout from the current malaise two-fold.  This blog post is based on my insights into helping a small financial advisory make it through the tough slog ahead but applies to any business.

Black Swan Contingency Planning

What’s the issue: There is an incredible amount of interdependency we’re witnessing across businesses, sectors and geographies.  When a mortgage bank fails in the US, it has far-reaching consequences felt around the world.  Little events are exacerbated and seemingly discrete events domino into global markets tanking.  While banks like Merrill and Morgan looked as if they should weather this storm OK (albeit with some lumps), Lehman’s demise called into question these firms’ viability overnight. read more