Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with insider

Where do the insiders hang out?

Diddly — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:08:00 -0800

Do you know of any industry specific public online forums where insiders discuss common problems or share helpful tips? I find it facinating to learn about the daily lives of people - what they worry about, how they deal with issues, and stories from the trench. Instead of mindlessly driving through the automatic carwash a few minutes every month, you start to get an appreciation for the work that went into selecting the right detergent, how to capture the waste water, and how often people drive through with bikes on the rack.

Example sites that I've come across:
Residential/commercial construction
Self-Storage
Car wash/Quick lube

Apartment and tips for Paris move

avocade — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:48:54 -0800

Hello, Hive, I'm planning on moving to Paris a few months for work and pleasure. As a native Swede and a member of the EU group of states, I guess I'll have an easier time getting a somewhat reasonably priced apartment reasonably close to Cité, Montmartre or what have you (Notre Dame I guess would be the center point everything revolves around). Has the Hive got any good suggestions regarding apartment-finding? Other tips on good areas to live, areas to avoid, would be great as a general guide. Also, since I would stay more than a few weeks, and since it probably would help getting a better apartment, is it preferable to write myself in Paris, or could I still be written in Gothenburg (Sweden)?

I'm asking since I will still be working within the context of my own private company (OLBproductions.com) which is registered (and taxed) in Sweden. I'm not sure how it would complicate things if I temporally "switched nationality."

When I lived in Freiburg, Germany for six months, I was written there, but then didn't have a business of my own to be concerned about.

Lastly, as this is a new town, and mostly a new country for me (I've been in Paris for only a few days before, and lived in France at all for about a month altogether; Nice, Lyon, Privas) tips in general on the living: the eating; the washing of clothes; acquiring internet access; finding the best and most hidden restaurants (inexpensive or not); movie theaters showing films sans dubbing; best cappucino; good early bread (stupid question); clubs the likes of Berlin's Berghain (haven't been there? plan it now!), its hard-to-find underground modern music arenas, and New York's basement jazz clubs; good places to go for a run in the morning; turkish baths, etc, etc--simply a bunch of stimulating places one should visit when not working, to get away from it all.

Happy new 2009! (Will be a better one than most think.)

Do I need a lawyer for possible SEC investigation?

Anonymous — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:40:12 -0800

Earlier this year, as part of my 401K, I sold some of my investment in my company's stock (total value ~$2000). A couple of weeks later, my company released a press release that said that they would be restating earnings due to accounting irregularities. I'm now on the list being questioned about insider trading. Do I need my own lawyer? I was contacted last week by a lawyer representing my company wanting to ask me about my trade. After some initial reluctance, I did talk to him and answered all of his questions. During that interview, the lawyer indicated that the SEC may or may not want to talk to me about the trade. (I made it clear to him that I did not have any information about the upcoming restatement, and that I only sold the stock as part of an ongoing process of occasionally selling the company stock to reduce my exposure to the wild swings of the stock).

I'm really reluctant to spend the money on a lawyer because it is only $2000 in my 401K, but I also don't want to lose anything else.

I guess I have two basic questions:

1. Does it seem like I need representation in this matter?

2. If I do, how do I find someone to represent me for a reasonable fee?

Where on these here internets can I find the inside scoop on Columbia Teachers College?

orangemiles — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 05:59:23 -0800

Where can I find "inside scoop" information about grad schools and their surroundings? In particular, Columbia Teachers College? What's the best dorm? Best nearby bar/restaurant? Best place to buy books? and on and on... I've seen the two posts here about Columbia, but neither are what I'm looking for. I'm applying to a masters program ahd have to prioritize my housing choices-- any place that can tell me if Bancroft hall is better than Sarasota? Or where the best grocery store is? Or hangout? I'm looking for an insider's guide, I guess, and it has been 10 years since I've been in college. Back in my day we didn't use the internet for a whole lot, so I'm looking for the sites the kids are using these days. I know about ratemyprofessors.com. What else is there?

Insider Trading.

Anonymous — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 21:16:49 -0800

The UK based company I don't work for is not a fairly large online financial information provider. Understandably we receive no traffic at all from Google and other search engines for searches related to various company names. Recently I discovered that we catalogue all the search terms by which people reach our site and do a WHOIS search on their IP address using public WHOIS servers. We then search this information for things like "users from ms.com searching for takeover and at least one other word." Then we buy shares in whatever company people from ms.com are looking for along with takeovers. We have no relationship with any of the companies involved other than that we get to see their search terms. So far there is a definite correlation between these things, and we have made money. Could this qualify as insider trading? We are exploiting non publically available information that's for sure.

Stuff in Paris

The Michael The — Thu, 09 Jun 2005 13:30:18 -0800

I'm in Paris until Monday, and I want recommendations on restaurants, etc. I'm staying in Clichy (17th/18th Ar.), but advice for anywhere is good, as most of my time is spent in other arrondisements.

Restaurants: generally value for price is what I want; a meal for 10 euros is great, 15 is okay. Places with great traditional French cuisine and international places are all appreciated. Anything special I should look for? Any one place I should splurge (~30 euros) on?

I have a lot of letter writing to do, so are there any super special dark well-worn cafes at which I should spend my time?

Also, are there any non-restaurant/cafe places I shouldn't miss that are off the beaten path? I've seen most of the touristy stuff, so now I'm trying to find cool and novel insider places.

Shorting Spitzer's Victims

kenko — Fri, 22 Oct 2004 16:33:08 -0800

Would it be legal for a member of the NYAG's office to start shorting a company Spitzer's about to sue shortly before he makes his first press release about it, given that my impression from this article is that his doing so tends to lead to drops in stock prices?