5 Events of Significance

My Comments: Students are back in school, the morning air is fresher, a stray dog showed up yesterday, I have no doctors appointments this week, and we’re having a garage sale on the 19th. Not significant enough you say? Well, here are five more that confirm my faith in my fellow countrymen. Yes, there are …

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Major Bond Warning

My Comments: A recent letter to the editor of the Gainesville Sun suggested there was a conspiracy afoot, run by the US Government, to whit “How was it possible for anyone to survive when banks were only paying 1% on Certificates of Deposit.” While the question itself is legitimate, the context implies a vast ignorance …

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Reverse Mortgages

I follow an internet magazine that can be described politically as progressive. Early last month a summary of articles appeared in my email inbox that included one entitled Reverse Mortgages: The Final Blow Killing Middle Class Wealth by Egberto Willies. The date it first appeared was August 18, 2013. The author claims that reverse mortgages …

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A Painful but Healthy Adjustment

My Comments: Reassuring comments here from a trusted thinker on the markets. No guarantees but if you have at least a 5 year time horizon, we will be OK. Just don’t get caught up in the media rhetoric and the pointing of fingers. Almost all of it is stupid, ill informed, and self-serving. Life happens, …

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Israel: The Case Against Attacking Iran

My Comments: George Friedman has an international reputation for his knowledge about how the world works and his ability to articulate credible analyses of what is going on. This is a fascinating article that’s very relevant to the current questions about Iran and how the world needs to respond to the existential threat they pose. …

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Pressure Mounts on China

My Comments: None. This speaks for itself. Commentary by Scott Minerd, Chairman of Investments and Global CIO, Guggenheim Partners, August 21, 2015 More bad news out of Asia: Chinese manufacturing conditions are back at the same levels as they were at the height of the financial crisis in 2009, a clear sign that China’s economy …

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Get Ready For A Bear Market

My Comments: This person may be right, or not. Yesterdays sell-off sure was ominous but you never “know” until it’s too late. One way to profit from the downturn is with alternative investments. Only very few investment managers use them as a matter of course when promoting their skill set to the public. Those of …

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Fundamental Truths

My Comments: If you have money invested somewhere you may be  wondering how the next several months are going to unfold. We’re in the sixth year of a bull market and that’s a historically long time without a serious correction. This commentary by a very knowledgeable person may give you some insights worth having. Commentary …

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Obama’s Climate Plan Makes for Canny Politics

My Comments: In keeping with tradition, the President’s critics are having the usual hysterics about his recent announcement designed to reduce carbon emissions. If I were the owner of a bunch of coal mines, I’d probably be unhappy too. But for the rest of us who don’t own coal mines, which is virtually all of …

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More Social Security Mistakes

My Comments: Did you know you can choose from any one of 96 months to start your Social Security benefits? If you live to normal life expectancy, your choice of month can mean as much as several extra $100k for you and your family. The message: don’t sign up without first exploring what is in …

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