Merry Christmas!

Right now, it's about 9:30 in the morning of Christmas Eve. But in parts of Australia and New Zealand, Santa has already come down the chimney and is on his way back to the North Pole. (Does he have a distribution center at the South Pole?) So, just as an early glass of Scotch causes …

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Yardeni Sees Bull Market Intact As Roubini, Mauldin Surrender

My Comments: This morning I had breakfast with an old friend and among his questions of me was what was going on with the stock market. My short answer was that it was expensive, which means there is growing downside potential, but that it was going to keep running up for a while. His response …

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AFFORDABLE CARE ACT FOR SMALLER FIRMS AND SOLE PROPRIETORS

I’m sure you are sick of this issue, regardless of your point of view. I know I am. But like it or not, it’s not going away. The latest hooha is about some folks whose coverage has been cancelled. As a long time insurance professional, I can tell you this happens all the time. It’s …

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Republicans Need to Stop Scrapping and Change Course

My Comments: Some of you may find it confusing when I say I want a viable Republican Party, one that will field candidates for elected office that have a chance of winning. Partly it’s because I believe in the two party system and partly because I think the Democrats could be as dangerous to the …

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65? 70? 80? What’s the Real Retirement Age These Days?

My Comments: I've recently said that I hope and expect to have at least 3 to 5 more years of productive life left in me. I've tried sitting around trying to be "retired" and I don't like it. I would enjoy it more if perhaps I was living in the south of France, but then …

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Tale of Two Obamacares as Some States Bypass U.S. Site

My Comments: One, would you care to guess which state governors decided to initiate their own exchange programs and which ones did not? No, I didn’t think so. And two, since there appears to be a huge pent up demand for insurance coverage across the country, would you care to guess which insurance companies are …

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A Long Walk Off a Short Cliff

My Comments: An area of expertise that I claim, involves a topic known as “captive insurance companies.” This concept applies to successful small business owners and the companies they own. These folks are in the news a lot lately because they get talked about in the context of the Affordable Care Act and what some …

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Bits and Pieces – September 6, 2013

NEXT MOVE FOR FED - No one knows when the Federal Reserve will begin tapering its bond-buying stimulus program. That apparently includes the 12 voting members of its policymaking committee, as revealed by the release of the Fed's 30-31 July meeting minutes. A few officials seek to move soon, while the more cautious are inclined …

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You Got a Better Idea?

My Comments: I’ve been accused of being a socialist by those who have no idea, fundamentally, of the definition of socialism. If they heard it on Fox News, then it has to be so. I’ve argued in this blog and elsewhere that Obama’s efforts to reform the health care delivery system in this country was …

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Obama’s Tightrope Walk

My Comments: This is a subject that is consuming the country and with good reason. Those in favor of a strike and those opposed have logic and emotion in their favor. Personally, I’m not persuaded that a limited strike, mostly symbolic, will have any lasting effect. On the other hand, like it or not, there …

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