By Matt Miller My fellow Americans: Can I share a secret? The presidency I walked into wasn’t anything like the presidency I’d imagined. Remember, Lehman collapsed just six weeks before the 2008 election. Suddenly we were shedding 750,000 jobs a month. Here, Barack, they said – take the keys. But presidents play the hand they’re …
Tag: Retirement planning
The US Economy May Surprise Us All
My Comments: Yes, the last few years have been very frustrating for those of us concerned about jobs, earning a living, having confidence that life will return to normal. The stock market has done OK, but you don't have to listen to politicians to notice all the empty buildings around town. To those who will …
Obama, the Real Driller-in-Chief
Ha! I bet you didn’t know this when you heard Mr. Romney recently say he was going to solve our energy dependence problems. I didn’t either. He said we just had to drill more wells, which would solve not only our energy dependence, but add jobs as well. Uuhh, OK! By Javier Blas, Commodities Editor …
Hey, CEO! You Hate Fiscal Stimulus. So Tell Me: What Would You Do Instead?
My Comments: On the one hand, I hear candidates on the right say how opposed they are to fiscal stimulus, and on the other hand, I hear them say we need to reinvigorate the military and spend more money there. From an economic perspective, that’s just another form of stimulus. Personally, I’d rather have the …
Continue reading Hey, CEO! You Hate Fiscal Stimulus. So Tell Me: What Would You Do Instead?
Americans’ Sense of Security Rises
My Comments: There are six questions asked here and the responses to these questions lead the author to conclude that we as Americans are experiencing more comfort as the economy slowly improves. At least that's my conclusion. This is not easy to follow but on a rainy Monday, this might give you a measure of …
J.P. Morgan Weekly Market Recap – August 27, 2012
For those of you who pay attention and want to time the market, here’s this weeks best summary:
Another Overview of Trusts, Part 2
Trusts, Pt. 2: When should they be used? My Comments: This comes from Hale Stewart, an attorney in Houston, Texas. He and I have spoken as a result of his interest in captive insurance companies and asset protection. He is the author of the book U.S. Captive Insurance Law and is currently working on his …
Top 10 Dangers of Alternative Investments
My Comments: I think we can agree that one objective when designing an investment portfolio is to have diversity. For those of you who remember a company and a scandal called Enron, apart from the fact that Enron fell off the face of the earth, the retirement plan investments for most of their employees was …
Hong Kong is Bringing Democracy to China
My Comments: The proper mangement of clients money is something I take very seriously. Not only because I’ve been entrusted with a critical component of someone’s financial future, but also because my livelihood is at stake as well. If I screw up your trust in me, my ability to buy groceries and gas for my …
The Big Retirement Lie
My Comments: The ideas behind this article have filtered through my mind for decades. Everyone and their brother talks about the value of socking away money in an IRA or other tax advantaged retirement plan. And there is an advantage to this, only it has nothing to do with taxes. The advantage is the perceived …
Helping Define Your Financial Future 