As I write this it appears that the impasse over the budget will not be resolved in time to avoid a government shutdown sometime next week. I suppose it is possible that a deal gets done in time to avert what seems inevitable right now, but our fiscal troubles run far beyond the current fight over the continuing resolution. The [...]
Last thing I remember, I was Running for the door I had to find the passage back To the place I was before "Relax, " said the night man, "We are programmed to receive. You can check-out any time you like, But you can never leave! " Hotel California, The Eagles The Fed surprised the markets last week when it [...]
There are a lot of potential hurdles for the markets in the coming weeks. A potential strike on Syria is foremost on the market's mind as evidenced by the rapid selloff Friday in the wake of hawkish comments by Russian President Putin. Russia and China both appear to be backing the Syrian regime while the US and France - yes, [...]
Like most investors, investment advisers are a consensus seeking lot. Most of them are not willing or psychologically able to do anything that is outside the accepted current trend. That doesn't make them evil or dishonest or anything else bad; it just makes them human. It is always hard to stick out from the crowd when the consequences of doing [...]
Courtesy of Bob Williams: As discussed in preceding articles, there are many factors to consider in deciding when to begin taking social security. For couples, there are additional considerations which make the decision a little more complicated but may help maximize benefits. File and Suspend Assume that John has reached his full retirement age (FRA) of 66. He plans on working [...]
Courtesy of Bob Williams: “When should I begin to take Social Security?” That is one of the most frequently asked questions by those on final approach to retirement. It’s not uncommon to hear people say, “I’ve paid into Social Security for years. I’m going to take it at 62 and get what’s mine!” To be sure, that’s an understandable sentiment although [...]
Courtesy of Bob Williams: To steal a line from William Shakespeare, Social Security—To be or not to be? Virtually everyone I talk to has the same opinion, “Social Security won’t be there when I’m ready to retire.” It’s an opinion bred by years of talk in Washington ABOUT the problem and pointing fingers at everyone else BECAUSE there’s a problem, [...]
The Pew Research Center last week released a report showing that from 2009 to 2011 the top 7% of American households (based on net worth) realized a 28% gain in wealth while the bottom 93% saw a 4% decline. In a statement of the blatantly obvious, Pew said the difference was a result of the wealthy being more likely to [...]
The 21st century, global, economic saga continues to provide plenty of nuance. The past few weeks, we've been introduced to a few new characters, Cyprus and Russia. There is a bit of a rogue element with Russia. Regardless, the same common themes are present for analysis: leverage, speculation, global capital imbalances and the accompanying political, fiscal, and monetary responses. Cyprus [...]
"If Congress allows this meat-cleaver approach to take place, it will jeopardize our military readiness. It will eviscerate job-creating investments in education and energy and medical research. It won’t consider whether we’re cutting some bloated program that has outlived its usefulness or a vital service that Americans depend on every single day.” President Obama on the sequester The President gave [...]
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