Why Things Could Soon Get Ugly For Stock Investors

My Comments: Another voice predicting woe and gloom. I’ve tried to protect myself and my clients but there are no guarantees. By Scott Barlow on Wednesday, Dec. 09, 2015 We’re about to find out what happens when a market rally built on a foundation of cheap borrowing rates is faced with the end of a …

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Middle Class Shrinks to Half of US Homes

My Comments: Amid all the hubbub about The Donald, ISIS and Christmas, this report has gone mostly unnoticed, but it has huge implications for our children and grandchildren. Since 1946 and the ending of WW2, American society has grown more prosperous and economically successful than any society on the planet. If you measure success by …

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Reclaim Republicanism for the Conservatives

My Thoughts: I vowed recently to stop posting anything political. All it does is encourage trolls who eviscerate those who dare to think differently. But from time to time I’m reminded that a viable two party system is probably critical for the long term survival of our democracy. There is a crisis bubbling up that …

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Edwin Hubble’s Birthday

I'm not sure how many more I will have, but their celebration as a recurring milestone in life is a good thing. Among my daily pleasures is checking a website with an image of cosmic interest. An image like this one, for example. Virtually every speck of light, including the swirls and blue, smudgy spots, …

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Always Think About Inflation

My Thoughts About This: Inflation is one of those existential threats I always talk about with clients. But it’s like watching a car rust. You simply don’t notice it on a daily or monthly basis. But the Oh MY God inflation that happened to the Weimer Republic in 1921-24 or perhaps more recently in Argentina, …

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Cameron’s Cunning Plan for Bombing ISIS in Syria

My Thoughts: Now that Thanksgiving Day has passed, and Black Friday is upon us, it’s time to come back to earth. BTW, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends; let’s do it again next year. The subtitle of this article, which comes from The Financial Times, reads as follows: The questions …

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Investors Avoiding Both Stocks And Bonds

My Thoughts: Many of us are concerned about our investments. We don’t want our money under the mattress; we don’t want it all in money markets; we know bonds are going to get hammered when the Fed decides to start raising interest rates; and we know that over the past three months, the stock market …

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9 Charts Showing Big Global Slowdown Is On Its Way

My Comments: There are two messages here. The first is a global recession is most likely about to happen. The second is the published report has 49 pages with dozens of charts. If looking at charts makes you happy, you will be thrilled. Will Martin Nov. 14, 2015 The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development …

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A Fantasy World?

My Comments: My cousin vowed to stop shouting about the state of political dialog these days; he asked me to do the same, and to some extent, I've tried. There are dynamics at work right now that overwhelm the electorate and the media as we stumble toward the next presidential election in 12 months. But …

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Rifleman Victor Gregg remembers WW2

My Thoughts About This: Veterans Day is when we honor and remember those who served their country, both those who lived and those who didn't. When I took my draft physical in college, VietNam was only an existential threat but I was not unhappy to get a 1Y classification. As a result I didn’t serve …

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