From Bloomberg Businessweek, August 15, 2011 You would think that abysmal growth and jobs data, the first ever downgrade of U.S. debt, and heart-stopping gyrations in the financial markets would impel political leaders to at least take a look at some of their assumptions about restoring confidence in the U.S. economy. Sadly, you would be …
Tag: financial planning
Demographics: Its Global Impact …
Economist article on how Japan is learning to sell to old people. Japan is a bellweather country as it's farthest along in this demographic aging process. As the conflicts in the Middle East wane over the next decade, the conflicts that arise across the globe will be a result of limited resources such as food, …
A Quick Tax History: How Did We Get Here?
I don't often follow FOX Business news since I think they are more in the entertainment business than the valid information business. But here is an interesting article that gives an overview of the US Income Tax Code and it's history. READ IT HERE...
A Vexing Question
As we all know, the origin of the current financial crisis was the subprime mortgage meltdown in the United States. To be more precise, it originated in a financial system generating paper assets whose value depended on the price of housing. It assumed that the price of homes would always rise and, at the very …
Crisis? What Crisis? – Part II
Last Wednesday saw the market drop 512 points. Yesterday, Monday, saw the market drop 634 points. The blogoshere and the internet in general, talk radio and TV is awash with pundits waving their arms and running off at the mouth. Is it a financial crisis, a political crisis, both, how long will it last, what …
The Global Economic Downturn: A Crisis of Political Economy
By George Friedman The current economic crisis is best understood as a crisis of political economy. Moreover, it has to be understood as a global crisis enveloping the United States, Europe and China that has different details but one overriding theme: the relationship between the political order and economic life. On a global scale, or …
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6 Unwanted Outcomes of the Debt Deal
Will it work? That's the first question surrounding the recent debt deal hammered out at the last second between Democrats and Republicans, which is supposed to close the huge gap between government spending and revenue by up to $2.4 trillion over the next decade. But there's another question that's just as important: Will the deal …
Capital Market Insights – August 1, 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…
Who Pays No Income Tax? That’s The Wrong Question
This article comes from the Forbes magazine website and was posted by Howard Gleckman. I copy it in its entirety. Would you rather get a tax cut of $1,000 or $1.4 million? I thought so. Would you change your answer if taking the smaller tax cut allowed you to avoid paying income tax entirely? That …
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The Case for Alternative Investments – Part X
Over the past six weeks or so I’ve attempted to argue that one should employ Alternative Investments in your investment portfolios. This post is to express how I recommend that should be done. I’ve alluded to an organization in Tacoma, Washington with whom I have a contractual relationship. I entered into my agreement with them …
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Helping Define Your Financial Future 