The Future Still Belongs to the Emerging Markets

My Comments: As someone who has helped clients manage their money for almost four decades, I’m still often caught up in the "crisis de jour", what's happening TODAY, as opposed to stepping back and looking at things from further away. Our society has become obsessed with WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW, and often fails to put …

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Is A Welcome Surprise Coming For Mortgage Rates?

My Comments: There are millions of us who worry almost every day about the state of our finances. And most of us have few clues how to react when we read or hear stuff that seems to be alarming. The default state for us, therefore, and especially with what happened in 2008-09 so close to …

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Why North American Oil Prices Are Set For A Big Drop

My Comments: The price of gasoline in this country has a huge influence on whether the economy grows or shrinks. (It is NEVER static.) We’ve all heard that with access to incredible reserves of natural gas, we as a nation are going to become a net exporter of fuel over the next decade or so. …

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The 7-Year Cycle That Will Crush Uninformed Investors, Again

My Comments: Many of you have seen, or soon will when you get your January statements, that 2014 has so far been a bad year for the stock market. This is an article that suggests there is a pattern. I’m not convinced that what he says is not a coincidence, but then again, what happened …

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10 Things You Must Know About Social Security

My Comments: The folks behind this headline is Kiplinger, the people who publish the magazine about money. Ever since I began to offer meaningful Social Security advice to clients and prospective clients, I’ve been sensitive to all the ideas that are circulating out there. These 10 Things are presented in a slide show where you …

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This Is Exactly How Fast the Windows Monopoly Is Being Destroyed

My Comments: At some point last year I ran across this and found it interesting. So I saved it for when I needed something to talk about. And today is one of those days! Dull, rainy and cold! It’s another example of what at one point appears to be something locked in stone but over …

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Restricted Application for Social Security Benefits

My Comments: Years ago, it was simply a matter of waiting to reach 65, showing up at the Social Security office and then waiting for a check to appear in the mail. Today, that idea is quaint and naive. As the baby boomers reach age 62 and beyond, it’s become a chore to figure out …

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Correction Fears Are Overblown: Buy The Dip

My Comments: I am both blessed and cursed for almost always believing the glass is half full rather than half empty. Right now, my bias is to say that another correction like we had in 2008-09 is NOT going to happen again during my lifetime. But that’s not to say the business cycle of ups …

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7 Big Economic Predictions for Next 10 Years

The modest global recovery will endure, but market volatility is likely as the Fed tapers By Melanie Waddell / January 16, 2014 The economic outlook for the next 10 years will be one of resiliency, with the U.S. in 2014 and 2015 facing cyclical risks tilted toward better-than-trend growth for the first time since the …

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What Accounts For The Decrease In The Labor Force Participation Rate?

My Comments: I bet you are saying this is just another weird observation from Tony. And you may be right. But mindful that many of you, and many of me, are thinking of ways to predict what the markets will do this year. So... A reasonable predictor of future market movements which translates to whether …

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