I ran across an article while reading Time Magazine last evening. Thinking it would be something to share with you on this blog. There is lots of discussion about the government budget and how, just like our households, it needs to be balanced. The argument follows the premise that if in our private lives we …
Category: Economy & Markets
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VI
When I started this series, I began with some definitions to help the reader understand some of the jargon inherent to the discussion. One word I forgot to define is “correlation”. In financial terms, it refers to the extent to which the value of different asset classes (bonds, stocks, gold, etc.) move in relation to …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VI
Who will suffer if there’s no debt-ceiling deal?
Here's who would feel the pain most abruptly: Social Security recipients. The government is due to deliver $23 billion in Social Security payments on August 3, according to forecasting firm IHS Global Insight. If the government is forced to cut 40 percent of its spending, these Social Security checks may not arrive. The suddenness with …
Continue reading Who will suffer if there’s no debt-ceiling deal?
Nine Global Ideas to Kick-start the US Economy
By now, you will have discovered that I have an interest in global politics and economics. That’s because increasingly, what happens across the world will significantly influence how much money I’ll have for the rest of my life. And you’ll have for the rest of your life too. As a Registered Financial Advisor, its in …
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Captital Market Insights – July 11, 2011
Here’s your Weekly Insights update from Curian’s Asset Management Group. This informative capital market update is designed to help you stay informed about important developments from the past week, as well as provide thoughtful commentary on how these events might… CONTINUE…
A Reason We’re Losing the Globalization Game
Disturbing piece by John Bussey in the WSJ, noting how, as Congress dithers on free trade pacts regarding Colombia, Panama and South Korea, our competitors are moving ahead with their own and on that basis expanding their export presence, while US firms cannot due to the higher tariffs suffered. The US soybean industry alone thinks …
Continue reading A Reason We’re Losing the Globalization Game
The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VI
When I started this series, I began with some definitions to help the reader understand some of the jargon inherent to the discussion. One word I forgot to define is “correlation”. In financial terms, it refers to the extent to which the value of different asset classes (bonds, stocks, gold, etc.) move in relation to …
Continue reading The Case for Alternative Investments – Part VI
Something Troubles Me
Ever since I took Economics 101 some 42 years ago, I have understood that "interest", in the financial sense, was the price you paid for the use of someone else's money. If you had money, and someone else wanted it, you could charge "interest" and in time, you would get back what you loaned to …
Does Government Matter?
Washington’s fight over the debt ceiling has obscured a larger reality: Government has lost its ability to influence the economy. A nice analysis that explores the concensus that the state pulls the levers that determine economic health. Zachary Karabell suggests that is no longer true. The essence of his summary: "What, then, can nations and …
Is College a Waste of Money?
In an unusual mid-month commentary, PIMCO chairman Bill Gross says fiscal balance alone will not likely produce 20 million jobs over the next decade. He said the government must re-think how it approaches job creation, and said that a college education was a waste of money. “It is becoming obvious that the 2012 election will …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 