I recently attended an investor conference in NYC hosted by a large money center/investment bank. While I rarely attend such events, I was particularly interested in the topic of “alternative investments” and how they may be used to either increase the return and/or reduce the volatility in a portfolio. At the risk of over-simplification, equity […]
Read MoreJ. Paul Getty (1892-1976) provided an excellent summary of Germany’s problem with Greece’s debts. “If you owe the bank $100, that’s your problem. If you owe the bank $100 million, that’s the bank’s problem.” With that in mind, it will be interesting to see how this issue plays out over time. All comments and suggestions […]
Read MoreWalmart, the largest private employer in the country, recently announced that all its U. S. workers would earn at least $9 per hour by April and at least $10 per hour by next February. In the opinion of the author, this is the right thing to do. “The workman is worthy of his hire”. This […]
Read MoreA combination of softened global demand and increased marginal production — principally in North America — has precipitated the collapse in crude oil prices over the past six months. An analyst being interviewed on CNBC today suggested that oil prices would rebound sometime in 2016. It was also disclosed yesterday that Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway recently […]
Read MoreA great deal of speculation surrounds the financial and political crisis gripping Greece. The country’s politicians have mismanaged government finances for years and while a brief reprieve was given by the European Union a few years ago, the problems continue to crop up. In simple terms, the country has been spending more than it takes […]
Read MoreTwo recent articles suggest that we may be seeing a return to riskier home financing. Friday’s Wall Street Journal carried an article by Anya Martin asking “Tempted to Put Home Equity to Work?” Sunday’s Detroit Free Press included a commentary by JC Reindl highlighting the return of Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac insured mortgages featuring […]
Read More