My Comments: The first monthly Social Security income benefit ever paid was to Ida May Fuller on January 30, 1940. Today, some 77 years later, it is a critical income source for millions of Americans. This article by Sean Williams confirms the role Social Security plays in the lives of millions of Americans, and I’m …
Continue reading A Majority of Working Americans Are Completely Wrong About Social Security
My Comments: As we come to terms, from either perspective, with the idea of Donald Trump for the next four years, it helps to better understand how he won the election, if not the popular vote. This understanding is critical for those of us who are by nature more liberal than those who will be …
Continue reading “I am a Democrat in rural, red-state America. My party abandoned us.”
My Comments: Before you criticize me for posting what appears to be a political comment, consider what I think is the takeaway phrase from the following dialog: “Trump doesn’t matter, Trump’s voters do”. There’s a reason there are so many pissed off people on both sides of the Atlantic. And unless and until our elected …
My Comments: The financial services industry is starting to come to terms with what is known as the DOL Fiduciary Rule. Some of us embrace this new standard and others think the world is about to end. In short, it institutionalizes the idea that if you are providing financial advice to the consuming public, you …
Continue reading What John Oliver Got Right (and Wrong) About the DOL Fiduciary Rule
My Comments: If Saudi Arabia ceases to function and Iran has a nuclear weapon, what are the implications for the rest of the world? I accept that I’ll be just a memory by 2045. However, the United States may then be the only country on the planet with the ability to both unilaterally feed itself …
My Comments: To deal or not to deal, that is the question. Most people are focused on the political implications of the agreement, and whether it's a good deal for us or not. I'm very concerned about the economic implications as well. My blog post tomorrow talks about the high probability that Saudi Arabia will …
My Thoughts: Like a broken clock that is right twice a day, my talking about the coming market crash will be seen as truth. Some, including me, think the downturn has already started. Something will trigger a free fall, and then it'll start going back up. There are strategies that will help you survive and …
My Comments: There is a distinction between dumb and ignorant. The second you can fix with mental effort, but the first just happens. Sometimes I wonder if people are born this way or whether they have to work at it. These five ‘bets’ happen often. Many times it’s because someone has “sold” them the idea, …
My Comments: OK, that's too simplistic, but there is a point to be made here. Back in 2007, with the presidential election cycle in full swing, I recall seeing an old, bent and rusty pickup truck. In the front was mom, dad and 2 kids. The truck bed was full of odds and ends that …
My Comments: Many of you have read my comments about interest rates lately. (Yesterday!) For many, many months, the Fed has used its powers to keep them low to encourage economic growth. Now that growth is again endemic, sooner rather than later, pressures will exist to cause interest rates to increase. The chart at the …
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