“Today Congress is constantly besieged by minority groups seeking benefits from the public treasury. Often these groups control enough votes in many Congressional districts to change the outcome of elections. And so, Congressmen find it difficult to persuade themselves not to give in to pressure groups. With no bad immediate consequence, it becomes expedient to accede to a spending demand. […]
» Read moreLas Vegas – the gambling capital of the world. Nevada heavily regulates the casinos; requiring a certain percentage paid back to the gamblers. They pour billions into their posh establishments, enticing customers into their casinos and make huge profits – legally. If the public felt the casinos are rigged, they would lose customers, jobs, and billions in tax revenue. “‘There’s […]
» Read moreWhen I finished writing “Whistling Past The Graveyard”, I was furious. The Federal Reserve prints money at will. Theoretically, congress oversees the Fed – the Fed oversees the banking system, and they have our best interest at heart. While both feign good intentions, in practice they are lining their pockets at the expense of Main Street America. Fed Chairman Powell […]
» Read moreWhy can’t I sleep? For the last few nights, I have rolled, tossed and turned until the wee hours of the morning. Two years ago, I was going through very challenging treatments for tongue cancer. At one point I asked my wife Jo why she was closing the door to her office. She said, “So that you don’t see me […]
» Read moreFed Chairman Jerome Powell’s recent remarks really infuriated me. He is “Whistling Past The Graveyard”, again trying to deceive the public. Wolf Richter shares some of his recent remarks: “Inflation has come in above expectations over the past few months.” “The expectation is that high inflation readings will start to abate.” “We don’t in any way dismiss the chance that […]
» Read moreWhen it comes to guarantees, don’t assume anything! A guarantee is a promise or assurance. While a written contractual guarantee strengthens your legal position, it’s only as solid as the person, government, company, insurer and court system standing behind it. In our article “How Good Is Your Comfortable Retirement Guarantee?”, I assumed some investments were guaranteed, safe and worry-free; I […]
» Read moreI was failing and didn’t understand why. In 1970, I started my career as an adult educator. My classes were predominantly male. That quickly changed in 1972 with the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment; my clients rightfully complied with the law. My historically excellent course critiques were tanking. The tipping point was when a young woman gave me a […]
» Read moreI hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July. My webmaster sent me a link to a cool website that offers some history about the declaration of independence as well as the full text. The message from our founding fathers ingrained in the Declaration of Independence is more profound than anything I planned on writing. I encourage everyone to read the […]
» Read moreIt’s amazing how many childhood lessons apply in today’s complicated world. In grade school, the older boys told us only babies believe in Santa Claus. I told them my mother said, “As long as you believe, there is a Santa Claus.” They made fun of me. I sought the counsel of our neighbor, Sherwin. He was an A student, already […]
» Read moreI recently interviewed Chuck Butler about winners and losers during inflationary times. I began with: “Historically inflation hurt creditors and helped debtors as they are paying back their obligations in much-depreciated dollars. I’ve had readers ask about borrowing money to invest. Chuck, that concerns me. Many of our readers are baby boomers or retired. …. Are you in the camp […]
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