The Costs of ZIRP
Today I offer a reasoned rant about the high costs of our federal government’s Zero Interest Rate Policy (ZIRP). If you wonder what that policy is, just think about the amount of interest you now receive on your money in the bank and have for more than a decade. Isn’t [...]
Strategies to Combat Inflation
Last week I wrote about the very real threat inflation poses to retiring comfortably. With inflation up almost 5.5% from a year ago, most of us need to find ways to reduce our spending by that same amount just break even. This week I thought I would share a few [...]
What to do when risk averse
As a young person I was raised on game shows. They were a staple of daytime viewing for our family. Part of the appeal of many of these shows was seeing how much individuals were willing to risk to win big. Shows like Let’s Make a Deal, Who Wants to [...]
A slow and steady approach can help offset volatility
Generally by this time in July, big money investors have fled the city, found a cooler place or a beach, whichever their pleasure, and put trading on hold until after Labor Day. This year feels a little different. For one thing, millions of new Millennial speculators are still hard at [...]
Making a Case for Inequality
There is a classic scene in the film Wall Street where Michael Douglas’ character Gordon Gecko boldly declares “greed is good” to the thunderous applause of his audience of bankers and corporate executives. I thought this week I would make a similar controversial statement. Please hear me out and read [...]
First Half of 2021 in the Books
Today we will review some of the amazing financial market occurrences of 2021 thus far to try to polish the crystal ball for the next six months. First, what sectors won the performance contest? Energy rose by a hair less than 40 percent. How is that for an industry the [...]
The Genome Revolution
A transformative time is upon us in the field of genomics. No longer science fiction, the scientific breakthroughs occurring right now are truly awe-inspiring. This past weekend a significant first occurred where Intellia Therapeutics reported the first successful gene editing done inside the human body versus outside of it in [...]
Avoiding Temptation During this Exciting Time
Since the outbreak of Covid 19, a new set of terms have become part of our shared vernacular. Terms like social distancing, zooming, super spreader and herd immunity are now commonplace. As Covid’s impact continues to fade, new terms are being coined to describe our attitudes and behaviors in this [...]
College vs. Experience
The debate over education vs. experience has been going on for quite a while, but perhaps never as fervently as it is right now. With millions of people struggling with skyrocketing tuition costs and a shortage of labor both skilled and unskilled alike, just how important is that little piece [...]
A Complete Education
We have graduated another class of young people from high school and college. I want to focus upon the subject that most of us did not study formally and which is often caught only from our family experience, if even then. That is personal finance. Even for these new graduates, [...]