As recently as a month ago, Erin Callan was on top of the world. The WSJ did a glowing piece on her rise through the ranks. Condé Nast’s Portfolio magazine dubbed her the most powerful woman on Wall Street.

Another day, another round of bad news from the brokers and the banks.

It’s important to be able to “step back” once in a while — in life, in work, and in markets, too. For those who would be rich, patience and wisdom count for far more than being clever.

Ah, Friday. The best day of the week. Here are some quick odds and ends for you headed into the weekend — followed by an interesting research piece you won’t want to miss.

Although the earnings season officially kicked off last week with Alcoa reporting first quarter earnings, the real fun starts this week with seven Dow components reporting.