Rogue Trader: Financial news in brief

This week's priceless insights, vital info and "Oh Really" dinner party ice-breakers are culled from Money Management: "The Professional's Choice". We do the reading for you - as life, after all, is short.

* "Rumours of the death of polarisation turned out to be premature." Thank God for that.

* "Multi-ties are the established operating method in Australia." So always wear three ties when you are in Sydney.

* "None of us knows what the future holds." Death and taxes?

* "What does the average financial adviser do when he or she is not poring over a hot set of actuarial figures?" I wonder.

* A stunning riposte: "Well, all kinds of things, actually."

* Hot news from the streets: "McDonald's is probably the best-known franchise operation in the world."

* Good news for golf clubs: "A company director's ... duties are of an intermittent nature to be performed at periodical board meetings."

* "Today's workforce faces the fact that few jobs are for life. [More] people experience redundancy or frequent career changes. Part-time work is becoming common." You don't say!

* "The pressure is on life companies to show endowment policies offer good value." Or should that be rip-off?

* "83 of 145 broker pension funds and 81 out of 136 broker life funds decreased last year, while 19 of the 33 broker life and 26 of the 36 broker pension funds showed negative returns in the balanced fund category." Now say that when you're drunk.