Bill O’Reilly kicked off his O’Reilly Factor program yesterday (video here) claiming that a front page WSJ story on oil speculators driving the price of oil (“Traders Blamed For Oil Spike” (subscription required), WSJ, July 28, A1) vindicated his claims of the same from…
“The economy is still deteriorating, job losses are still huge, I really don’t see where earnings will come from to drive valuations. Just because things are getting worse at a slower pace doesn’t mean they’re getting much better” – James…
After a mysterious five day disappearance, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted to having an affair with a woman in Argentina. This is a huge disappointment to Republicans who rallied behind Sanford after he asked the Obama administration to spend some…
Entertaining and funny story headlining this month’s Atlantic Monthly, “Why I Fired My Broker”, exploring a question that many middle/upper class Americans are asking themselves these days: Should I fire my broker/financial advisor? Where can I get good financial advice?…
I’ve been wondering if hard economic times would cause people to commit more crimes. The Wall Street Journal wrote an interesting article about this last Wednesday: “Evidence Suggests That People Don’t Suddenly Commit Murder After Losing Their Jobs; But Theft,…
A story in today’s New York Times brought home the severity of the economic crisis to me: “Luxury Prices Are Falling; the Sky, Too”. When designer shoes and bags are being marked down to these levels, that’s a clear sign…
In communities like Gleneagles and in the homes of retirees across the country, these are days of fear and uncertainty. In theory, retired people are not supposed to invest much in the stock market; in reality, many millions of them…
The people who created this country built a moral structure around money. The Puritan legacy inhibited luxury and self-indulgence. Benjamin Franklin spread a practical gospel that emphasized hard work, temperance and frugality. Millions of parents, preachers, newspaper editors and teachers…
Fascinating article in today’s NY Times that is getting a lot of play: “81% in Poll Say Nation Is Heading on Wrong Track”, NY Times, Friday April 4. The 81% who say the nation has gotten pretty seriously off on…
Today in Washington was Day 2 of hearings on “The Mitchell Report: The Illegal Use of Steroids in Major League Baseball”. It started at 11am EST and ended about an hour ago. I was able to watch some of it…