Illinois politicians, led now by Governor J.D. Pritzker, are aiming to end constitutional protections of taxpayers in Illinois, and to raise taxes on the wealthiest in the state. Naively, those politicians pushing for the increase in taxes presume that the move will prevent future deficits. Raising taxes hasn't seemed to do that in the past, so it is hard to imagine why that would work now. It seems more likely the tax increases will lead to a faster flight of Illinois' remaining wealthy citizens. Bloomberg's Elizabeth Campbell and Amanda Albright report: Illinois lawmakers paved the way for … [Read more...]
885 Million Financial Records Exposed Online
When I discuss financial security with clients and investors, I always encourage them to be proactive. The only person who will ever make your security the absolute highest priority is you. As part of my never complete efforts to protect myself from financial fraud, I have signed up for LifeLock (I am not a paid LifeLock advocate, I just believe in the product). Recently LifeLock users were warned of the exposure of 885 million financial records from First American Financial Corp. The company emailed users: On Friday, an independent security journalist revealed that First American … [Read more...]
Your Survival Guy Goes to College (Sort of)
Your Survival Guy went to college this week. Actually, I went on a college tour. Our daughter is a Junior in high school and that’s what you do, right? Driving with her for a couple hours in the car was a real eye-opener, because we not only talked about college in general, but she actually asked me questions. Questions from a teenager? It was an amazing feeling. She was relying on me for the answers, and not on social media. The college search is like the 800-pound gorilla in the room, or in this case our kitchen. Have you seen the books? The “best colleges in the world” books? They’re … [Read more...]
Are Green Energy Backers Out Over Their Skis?
According to Mark Mills at The Wall Street Journal, it's likely that the world will be using hydrocarbons for quite some time. He writes: The prevailing wisdom has wind and solar, paired with batteries, adding 250% more energy to the world over the next two decades than American shale has added over the past 15 years. Is that realistic? The shale revolution has been the single biggest addition to the world energy supply in the past century. And even bullish green scenarios still see global demand for oil and gas rising, if more slowly. If the favored alternatives fall short of delivering … [Read more...]
Right to Work States Preserving the American Dream
For many Americans, a major part of achieving the "American Dream" is owning a home. That has become more difficult in many areas of the country as ever higher property taxes are necessary to pay the public sector unions who have a stranglehold on state politics. There is, however, an antidote. In states with right to work laws, which prevent compulsory union membership and dues paying, homes are more affordable. The National Right to Work Committee explains: Last year, Apartment List, a private service company that connects renters with apartment listings, surveyed 6,400 millennials on their … [Read more...]
America Has a Problem, and Calvin Coolidge Predicted it Back in 1925
Chris Edwards, a friend of mine from the Cato Institute, has written a condemnation of the “grants-in-aid” programs the federal government uses to impose its own regulations on the states. He notes that President Calvin Coolidge predicted that government would encroach on the states, and it has. The federal government has especially intruded into the areas of education, housing and transportation. Those are all local issues that could be handled better at the state level. Chris explains why federal mandate policies don't work well, and how states could do a better job. He writes … [Read more...]
Social Security Scams
I want to share this article in the NY Times the “Latest Rash of Scam Calls Come from ‘Social Security,’” written by Ann Carrns. In general, if you get an unsolicited phone call asking for detailed financial or personal information, be suspicious and don’t share any information. “The S.S.A. will not contact you out of the blue,” the F.T.C. said. Don’t automatically trust the phone number on your caller ID screen. Criminals may use “spoofing” technology to make the call appear to be from a government number. “We cannot trust the caller ID any longer,” said Ms. Daffan of the … [Read more...]
Yay, Yay Claude Monet, Part II
Did you make it to Sotheby’s or Christie’s for the auctions? No? Well, in case you haven’t noticed, it was a big week in the art world. Claude Monet’s “Haystacks” sold for $110 million—a record for his work and for any impressionist—and Jeff Koons’ sculpture “Rabbit” went for $91 million—a record for a living artist. In 1986 when “Rabbit” was created by Koons, Monet’s “Haystacks” was sold for $2.5 million or two percent of what it sold for this week. But what’s changed? Instead of reading about greed, ambition, class and politics in Bonfire of the Vanities we stream Billions. Your … [Read more...]
Yay, Yay Claude Monet
Yesterday Claude Monet’s famed 1890 painting, “Haystacks”, sold for $110 million—a record for the impressionist— “to an unidentified woman who had to raise her paddle aloft to be spotted from the second-to-last row of Sotheby’s in New York,” writes Kelly Crow in The WSJ. To Your Survival Guy’s trained eye (ha!), I like the yellow and pink, and not to be rude, but the whole thing’s a little blurry. Just saying. As I was walking the grounds of his beautiful home and gardens in Giverny, France, it’s easy to feel as if one could find the inspiration to paint something as exquisite. But $110 … [Read more...]
Your Retirement Life: Choosing Where to Retire: Part IV
Yesterday, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo extended legislation for continuing contracts for union employees, and transmitted legislation mandating overtime for firefighters. Who doesn’t like teachers and firefighters, right? But that’s not the point. Because of her actions, cities and towns in Rhode Island will have no leverage at the bargaining table since contract renewals are now guaranteed. Also guaranteed is overtime for firefighters, even though most towns already pay overtime voluntarily. Raimondo’s automatic contract extension hurts cities and towns because it’s the local … [Read more...]
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