My early youth was spent in the inner city of Chicago, a sorry place today. Little boys, talking dirty, thought they were macho, but you’d get your mouth washed out with soap if you uttered those words around girls or your parents. Times have changed. Rolls off the tongue defines the old saying, Money Talks, while Bullshit Walks: “Sample Sentence: If […]
» Read moreIn my late 40’s, fresh out of a divorce, I took stock of my life. I had a good job, a small 401k, an old car and lived in a rental apartment. I’d enjoyed my share of good times and raised a family. My personal balance sheet would have fit on a Post-it-Note with room to spare; it was pretty […]
» Read moreWhat is happening is unprecedented! Two multi-trillion-dollar bailout packages in less than a year and a third in the works. The Charlotte Business Journal reports: “In the past few years, we have experienced three major tax and financial changes that we typically only expect once a decade. …. This year, we are expecting another major bill (if not multiple) to […]
» Read moreI was a senior, Sally was a freshman. We would hold hands and walk to the small lake on the other side of her family’s farm. The bank was angled, and we would lean back and stare at the distant sky and cloud formations. Sally (Name is changed but the story is real) was my high school sweetheart who I […]
» Read morePeople move about the world for different reasons; climate, health, employment, family and to escape for a better life. Our forefathers risked their lives for a dream of a brighter future. Legendary golfer Phil Mickelson, a California native, complained about the state having the highest taxes in the nation and he was (gasp!) considering moving to a more tax-friendly jurisdiction. […]
» Read moreWhat is it about politicians? When they have budget problems, their solution is to contrive all kind of excuses to create and raise taxes. Cost cutting is seen as performing an unnatural act. The newest gimmick is a “Soda Tax”, basically a tax on sugary beverages. Philadelphia started the trend. Their efforts are fizzling out and causing problems. Berkeley, San […]
» Read moreOur country has become bitterly divided. No matter who won the election, I predicted we would soon be reading about states wanting to secede from the union. Even before President Trump was sworn in, the California movement, known as Calexit, began. The first step is to ask voters to adopt a state Constitutional Amendment revoking the U. S. Constitution as […]
» Read moreIs there such a thing as free market pricing? Where does it exist? In last week’s interview with Ed Steer I asked about free market pricing in gold. His response relates to more than metals: “Free market pricing? Well, nobody knows what the true free market price of the precious metals really is, because there never has been a free […]
» Read moreWe had just moved to Texas and were getting settled into our new home. I heard my wife Jo screaming, “Oh my God!, Oh my God!” I raced down the stairs to find out what was wrong. She had the Sunday paper open on the counter, breathing heavily. “Look, look”, she exclaimed as she held a lottery ticket on the […]
» Read moreGood friend Alex N. recently sent me an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “IRA Clock is Ticking”. Author Tim Grant warns, “If seniors unknowingly miss the Dec. 31 withdrawal deadline, it ends up costing them dearly in the form of a tax penalty that amounts to 50 percent of what they should have withdrawn.” He explains the Required Minimum Distribution […]
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