What extent we can identify a common pattern between all crises which would suggest an endogenous process that leads to crises; a theoretical framework which explains both the process and the frequency of such crises and finally examine the extent to which these financial system characteristics that make it prone to crises are inherent on the capitalist system.

The first question, i.e. the frequency of financial crises partly depends on our definition of crisis. A financial crisis has been defined by Goldsmith as “a sharp, brief, ultra-cyclical deterioration of all or most of a group of financial indicators – short-term interest rates, asset (stock, real estate, land) prices, commercial insolvencies and failures of financial institutions”. The question here is of what intensity and/or intersectoral spread should a financial disturbance be in order to be considered a crisis.

In any case, it appears that though major crises leading to the (near) collapse of the financial system are quite rare (the only one being 1929 in the US), more moderate ones are frequent enough to allow the argument that the financial system does suffer from a certain degree of fragility. In the post-war period, after an almost complete absence of crises until the mid 60′s, the financial system has been at strain on many occasions including the 1966 credit crunch, the 1969-70 and 1974-75 crises, the 3rd world debt problem of the early 80′s and the stock market crash of 1987.

Again a casual observation of financial crises will find a wide variety of different causes and forms as each crisis seems to have occurred in response to a unique set of accidents and unfortunate coincidences. But quoting Kindleberger “for historians each event is unique. Economics, however, maintains that certain forces in society and nature behave in repetitive ways”. Indeed, it is not difficult to distinguish a rough pattern which has been graphically presented by Minsky : crises tend to occur at the peak of the business cycle following a period of “euphoria.”

This has probably been initiated by some exogenous shock to the macroeconomic system (“displacement”) which results in new profit opportunities. The boom is fuelled by an expansion of bank credit as new banks are formed, new financial instruments are introduced and personal credit outside the banks increases. During that period there is extensive “overtrading”, a not very clear concept which generally refers to speculation for a price rise, or an overestimation of prospective returns due to euphoria. This stage is also often referred to as a “mania” emphasising its irrationality and “bubble” predicting the collapse.

Eventually, some insiders decide to take their profits and sell out and the increase in prices begins to moderate. A period of “distress” may then occur until speculators realise that the market can only go downwards. The crisis may be precipitated by some specific signal such as a bank or firm failure or a revelation of a swindle; the later are quite frequent in such circumstances as people try to escape the imminent collapse. The rush out of the real or long term assets (“revulsion” in Minsky’s terms) lowers the prices of these real assets which were the object of the speculation and may develop into a panic. The panic continues until either the price falls so low that people are tempted to keep their illiquid assets or a lender of last resort intervenes and /or manages to convince the market that money will be made available in sufficient volume to meet the demand for cash.

There are various types of financial planners who can guide you in your investment and wealth-making decisions. You need to be sure of your exact requirements, before you search and find a financial planner. The different financial advisers include:

a) Certified financial planner,
b) Chartered financial consultant,
c) Chartered financial analyst,
d) Personal financial analyst, and
e) Registered investment adviser.

All the above classes of financial planners have specific functions. You need to be sure of hiring the services of the professional who would be ideally suited to your requirements.

In Dallas, there are a number of financial advisers, and hence, finding an expert financial planner is not too tough a task. Some of the most popular Dallas financial planners are:

i) Merrill Lynch,
ii) LGT Financial Advisors,
iii) Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance,
iv) Pegasus Advisors,
v) Championship Financial Advisors,
vi) Financial Success Coaching,
vii) Palmer Financial Planning,
viii) Principal Financial Group,
ix) Northwestern Mutual Financial Network, and
x) Cessna Financial Corporation.

Hiring a suitable Dallas financial planner is immensely beneficial to clients on a number of counts. Some of the ways in which financial planners can help you in your investments are:

a) Convenience & Expertise: Most common investors have neither the time nor the requisite skill to deal in the various financial market instruments. An expert financial adviser helps them arrive at informed, profitable decisions,

b) Fulfillment of investment goals: You should ideally have a target rate of return from your investments. Your financial planner can then help you attain these investment targets via intelligent strategies,

c) Experience: Most financial consultants have a large pool of experience to draw upon, when serving their client investors. This experience holds them in good stead while deciding which investment projects need to be taken,

d) Variety of Services: Dallas financial planners can help in investment decision-making in two ways: they can either take all decisions on your behalf. Or, they can simply make suggestions regarding projects that might be undertaken. Clients are free to accept or reject such advice,

e) Learning: You can learn a great deal about investment techniques from interaction with a financial planner. Such knowledge is helpful in gauging the benefits and risks of any investment project.