What is risk?
The search for an answer to this question has puzzled philosophers, mathematicians and thinkers for centuries. The question seems so simple but attempting to answer it proves to be quite challenging. The various definitions of risk floating around are fairly broad–so broad that Peter Bernstein wrote an entire book on the subject.
Four times a year the financial media feels the need to dramatically parade the quarterly performance of America’s biggest companies across our television screens and internet pages. It’s January, and the dog and pony show is back. I don’t mean to downplay earnings as they are indeed important. Successful businesses must continue to generate profits. What isn’t important is the over-hyped focus on short-term results.
The Personal Finance Engineer 