As We See It
Things That Can't Go On Forever
The late economist Herbert Stein is attributed with the saying that “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” In economic circles this is known as “Stein’s Law.”
Ice Baby
The great poet Vanilla Ice, in what was arguably his greatest work, commanded his audience at the outset to “stop, collaborate and listen” – the young man obviously thought he had something very important to say. A few lines later he describes the environment in which he finds himself, as follows: “jealous ‘cause I’m out getting mine, Shay with a guage and Vanilla with a nine”.
Bitcoin, Gold and Other Popular Delusions
From time to time I choose to write one of these so-called “blogs” and when I do, it usually takes the form of an op-ed piece and NOT EVER advice. There are several reasons for this including, but certainly not limited to: 1) this is not the forum to deliver advice 2) it is very likely that the piece will be read by someone I do not know and so I wouldn’t be giving that person advice written or otherwise and 3) there is not enough room here to deliver a full and proper accounting that goes along with “advice”.
Smoke, Mirrors and One Bearded Lady
It is a great irony that in this age of ubiquitous – and powerful – information technology, that finding accurate sources of information remains such a challenge. I am, of course, including social media as an information source.
Manifesto
(a response to recent requests for thoughts on the political scene and its potential impact on stock prices) Pretty much everyone I know, who has worked steadily for a number of years, owns their home. For some it’s a townhouse on a “postage stamp” size lot in Boston and for others a single-wide mobile home in Bremen, Alabama. I travel across the Country and my observation, stated at the outset, holds true regardless of things like occupation or level of education.
Dazed and Confused
It was the early 1980’s by the time I was discovering many of Led Zeppelin’s songs and albums like Dazed & Confused. Of course, many of them had been released a decade or more earlier but that didn’t matter, they were still great. Matter of fact, I’m listening to the above-named track right now.
Plan Now, Avoid Chaos Later
For people who have accumulated any amount of assets, the question “what’s the most efficient way to transfer assets to my loved ones when I pass away” often comes up. The main objective people want to accomplish is to pass these assets as intended and avoid probate. In many cases this is easy, for others it can be a little more complicated.
Believing > Knowing
Causation can be a very difficult thing, indeed impossible thing, to prove. As a kid growing up with a younger brother there were “incidents of indiscretion” on a somewhat frequent basis. When it came time for questioning as to who was responsible (for breaking, throwing, etc.) neither of us would seem to recall anything – also on a regular basis.
Junior's College Planning, Part II
First of all, be advised that I like/am comfortable with real estate and am currently employing it myself in funding college expenses for our two sons. So, everyone has their own set of tastes and preferences and this certainly does “color” the acceptable options when making these types of active investment decisions – more on this below.
The State Doesn’t Want Mama’s House
Consider this: I am frequently engaged in conversation with folks that are helping their aging parents plan for and deal with the increased cost of healthcare. Granted, these costs can be exorbitant, especially those involving “long-term” care (i.e. nursing home), but the manner in which many people go about their “planning” is sketchy at best.
The Last iPhone
A couple of years ago, upon receiving his monthly brokerage statement, my oldest son accosted me with the following question: “why would anyone want to invest in the stock market”? What followed was one of the more colorful debates of my career. I always sensed his query to be more an accusation of sorts. Nonetheless, the topic at hand is the answer to his well put question.
10 Ways To Avoid IRA Penalties When Taking Money From Your IRA
No matter where your IRA assets come from: inheritance, rollover from a 401(k) or other employer plan, or you started yours from scratch, there are IRS rules that govern how and when your withdrawals can be taken. If you withdraw money from your IRA before age 59 ½, you will usually have to pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty in addition to income tax on the distribution. However, there are ways to avoid these penalties if you satisfy certain criteria
Is This The Real Life? Is This Just Fantasy?
President Trump may have made popular the use of the phrase “fake news” but I’ve complained for years about what I saw as false and misleading reporting of various financial topics such as the cause of the financial crisis of 2008-2009.