Cuba is essentially a dependent country, in that it has been unable to generate enough export income to fund a minimal level of imports. Over the last 50 years, Russia has been a major supporter and, more recently, Venezuela has helped, primarily with bargain oil. Both of these countries are facing increasing difficulties at home, … Continued
As of December 15th the average price of a gallon of gas in Michigan had fallen to $2.43 and crude oil prices fell to less than $60 a barrel (over a 37% decline this year) for the first time since July 2009. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) announced last week that it … Continued
This is the third and final chapter in our review of Morgan Housel’s “rules for investors.” “Things change quickly – and more drastically than many think.” Fourteen years ago, Enron was on Fortune magazine’s list of the world’s most admired companies, Apple was a struggling niche company, Greece’s economy was booming, and the Congressional Budget … Continued
Here are some more of Morgan Housel’s “Rules for Investors”. “I don’t know are three of the most underused words in investing.” No one knows what the market will do next month. No one knows when interest rates will rise or where the price of oil is headed. Listening to people, who say they know, … Continued
The Wall Street Journal recently published a commentary by Morgan Housel, a columnist at The Motley Fool, titled “Sweet 16: Rules for Investors”. His basic premise was that with U. S. stocks near all time highs, it might be a good time to review some fundamental, and often overlooked, investment truths. Over the next few … Continued
Over the last several years U. S. new vehicle sales have been gradually improving and, according to Reuters, November 2014 sales reached an annualized rate of 17.2 million, the best November since 2003. This is in spite of a generally lackluster economy and concerns regarding consumer spending. Not only was unit volume strong, but average … Continued
Recent news reports indicate that an increasing number of home-owners, who are refinancing their mortgages, are seeking to not only reduce their interest rate, but access additional cash, either to pay down high interest rate credit-card debt or engage in additional spending. Some lenders are currently advertising loan options that would allow certain borrowers to … Continued
Tony Robbins, a motivational speaker extraordinaire, is back at it again. This time, Mr. Robbins has written a book titled “Money: Master the Game”. In this book, Mr. Robbins makes the case that the markets are rigged in favor of the wealthy professional money managers and that the little guy can’t compete. For the record, … Continued
The day after Thanksgiving is referred to affectionately as “Black Friday.” This term is used by the retail industry to indicate when companies in the sector become profitable (an old accounting practice was to show losses in red and profits in black on the ledgers). Imagine that – it takes almost until the end of … Continued
This might be nearly everyone’s single most important financial objective. But the historical sources or retirement security are under pressure, leaving you with more of the responsibility for your own long term financial security. The recently completed pension deal associated with the resolution of Detroit’s bankruptcy has shed a new light on the problem and … Continued
The November 4, 2014 elections – called the mid-terms – had little immediate impact on the stock market following the release of results. Of course, the stock market is a “discounting mechanism” meaning stock prices adjust immediately and continuously based upon expectations. It was widely predicted well in advance of Election Day that republicans would … Continued
All grandparents know that grandchildren are more fun than children! That’s a given. For me, that lesson was revisited this weekend when our granddaughters Ava (8) and Natalie (5) convinced us to set up the trains, an activity that typically does not occur until the Christmas tree goes up in MID-DECEMBER. A little begging goes … Continued
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