(Un)Calculated Risk | by Peter Orr of Intuitive Analytics

A Quick Guide to CUSIPs in Public Finance

Posted by Sandra Duarte on Sep 07, 2011


The Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures (CUSIP®) came up with its alphanumeric protocol in the late 1960s to streamline the dizzying amount of paperwork piling up in the back offices of securities dealers. Despite a few changes since then, the same technology is used today.

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Financial Decision Making: 3 Questions Every CFO Must Ask and Answer

Posted by Peter Orr on Jul 20, 2010

Credit markets are certainly not “normal” (in any sense of the
word) but at least they’re stable enough for issuers to make some decisions. That said, keeping in mind the answers to three deceptively simple yet vitally important questions will always serve CFOs, governing boards, finance committees, and other financial decision makers very well.

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Financial Software: Top 10 Reasons Why a Database Kicks a Spreadsheet’s Butt

Posted by Peter Orr on Jul 16, 2010

I’ve always believed there are actually three certainties in life (in contrast to the far less archetypal two): death, taxes, and finance people’ love of spreadsheets.  Spreadsheets are excellent for doing certain types of work given their flexibility. Though frankly, these “electronic chalkboards” as their inventors called them are simply not the right medium for others. For instance, heavy duty simulation based number crunching and optimization shouldn’t be done on a chalkboard, electronic or otherwise. The memory management and numerics simply aren’t suitably industrial strength for big jobs like that. As a data store the spreadsheet also has drawbacks.  Sure it’s flexible and easy to add new bits, but that same flexibility is a problem when it comes to compatibility and consistency, virtues in and of themselves.

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