“Did you hear the gun shots?” a friend asked. “No,” I said. When the knife attack occurred, we, like many other families on a Saturday night in Paris, were out to dinner. In fact, we didn’t learn about the attack until much later. In retrospect, I’m surprised no one at our restaurant told us about it or warned us. Part of me believes they knew the situation was under control and didn’t want to ruin our night or scare us. Or they just didn’t know about it. We learned about the attack back in our hotel room, flipping through the channels on the TV. Seeing the live report brought mixed … [Read more...]
Interest Rates Need to be Higher Pronto
Inflation? Yes it’s a thing. Anyone living in the real world recognizes it at the grocery store, in the real estate section of their local newspaper, and the stock market for that matter. Those in retirement trying to live off of their portfolio are paying the price for a reckless monetary policy. Rates need to be higher pronto. The editors of The Wall Street Journal write: Investors briefly bid up the 10-year Treasury yield above 3% on the news before it fell back to 2.97%. But forward guidance has always seemed overrated as a policy tool, and with growth picking up it was becoming a … [Read more...]
Sweden Puts the Brakes on its Cashless Society Plans
How quickly things can change. Back in April I wrote to you of Sweden's all out dash toward creating the world's first cashless society. Digital currency was the wave of the future, and the Swedes were happy to lead. Now, though, the movement toward a cashless society in Sweden is being challenged. Swedish politicians are attempting to rein in the policies of the Riksbank, Sweden's central bank, that encourage cashlessness. Bloomberg reports: A key committee of Swedish lawmakers wants to force the country’s biggest banks to handle cash in an effort to halt the nation’s march toward … [Read more...]
Vermont’s Relocation Grant, Really?
I keep a regular eye on the way states treat their citizens. I regularly warn readers here to avoid those states papering over their structural problems with higher taxes and freedom-restricting regulations. At the same time I applaud those states where entrepreneurs and businesses are rewarded for their hard work and innovation with lower taxes and greater liberty. One thing that is upsetting to me and probably to most Americans is when a state uses its tax dollars to reward a specific group. Picking winners is not in a state's best interest, nor is it good for that state's citizens. … [Read more...]
Update on the Efficient Frontier this Century
I’ve provided you with an updated efficient frontier (EF) curve for this century which includes two nasty market crashes. The EF measures risk and reward. In other words the further to the right the more risk. Originally posted on Yoursurvivalguy.com. … [Read more...]
The Trump Economy is Rolling
There are more jobs available than unemployed workers. Workers of America unite! Bloomberg reports that job vacancies outnumber unemployed Americans for the first time in decades. The U.S. labor market has reached another milestone: For the first time in decades, there are more job openings than unemployed Americans who could fill them. Vacancies rose to a fresh record of 6.7 million in April, according to the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, or JOLTS, released Tuesday by the Labor Department. More importantly, upward revisions to the prior month made it the first … [Read more...]
For an Edge in the European Logistical Race, Companies Look East
When arriving in France and immediately driving away from Charles de Gaulle airport, it’s hard to miss all the warehouses/distribution facilities on your way to Paris. I found this article interesting as companies battle for logistics superiority by building in more affordable Eastern and Central Europe. The WSJ’s Isobel Lee explains: The industrial real-estate market is booming in Central and Eastern Europe, thanks to the region’s geography and cheap labor along with the benefits of Europe’s unified currency and lack of trade restrictions. Developers are adding new warehouses and … [Read more...]
The Case Against Education
The Case Against Education: Why the Education System is a Waste of Time and Money written by economist Bryan Caplan points to the billions of dollars spent on education by government. It seems like everyone needs a diploma these days. For what? An excuse to drink beer? But, as Caplan explains, that degree is valued by employers. Without a degree, whether you learned anything or not, you automatically are branded or placed in a separate, lower paying, jobs pool. Who are the big winners in this game? Tenured professors like Caplan. Stossel: The College Scam Originally posted on … [Read more...]
Voter Migration and What it Means to Your Family
Who needs to redraw state lines when states can be gutted from the inside out? That’s exactly what’s happening across the country to blue states that have abused their power of taxation for far too long. As the story goes, it’s true that demographics favor Democrats but dig a little deeper and you see that it’s geography that favors Republicans. Look at the mass exodus from blue states such as California and the migration into states such as Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee or East-Cali as I like to call them. Or the blue states of New England and New York that consider Florida and the … [Read more...]
If You Need More Reasons to Like GNMA, Read This
When times are tough Vanguard GNMA, managed by Wellington Management, has been an absolute force for retired and soon-to-be retired investors. Pay attention here. We’ve already had two substantial cracks in the market so far this century. Originally posted on Yoursurvivalguy.com. … [Read more...]
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