I graduated from college in 1995 with a degree in economics and finance. At that time, only about 14% of Americans used the web (and only 20% of them went online every day), Amazon had just opened for business and the most popular web destinations...
We all want the investment that does this: A smooth and steady march up-and-to-the-right. The challenge is the stock market actually does this: Where things get interesting is when you take the blue line from my hypothetical investment and overlay it onto the second chart showing the actual...
Several years ago, a friend called me “book-ish” – which felt like an insult at the time. It may have been said both in trust and in jest, and I may have also given the strong reaction that they were hoping to get – but...
I want to state, here at the outset and for the record, that the TV show Friends is the most overrated show of all time. But I am borrowing from that sorry show to craft the title of this blog, as each episode is titled with the...
I can’t think of many good things to say about the high rate of inflation we’re currently experiencing in our economy. That’s why on Monday, when the Department of the Treasury announced that Series I savings bonds are now paying an annual rate of 9.62%...
Four weeks ago, I argued that the correction the stock market experienced earlier this year was entirely normal. What that brief omitted was any real discussion of the bond market which, as you may have heard, is having its own problems. The instigator of most...
"People Who Hate Retirement—and What the Rest of Us Can Learn From Them." That was the title of an article from Monday's print edition of the Wall Street Journal—a title so click-baity that I actually tried to click the physical paper as I held it in...
Legislation nicknamed the “Secure Act 2.0” made its way through the House of Representatives last week and was sent to the Senate, where it also has bipartisan support. This bill originally was introduced back in October 2020, so it’s been around for a while on...
Today's Friday Brief may not apply to everyone who reads it at this exact moment in time. In fact, it may be that it's not applicable to some people who choose to read it at any point during their lifetime. After all, $250,000 sure sounds...
Earlier this year, the S&P 500 experienced a "correction," defined as a drop of 10% or more from a previous high. It has rebounded slightly since then, but at its worst was down roughly 13%. In fact, the high point of the last 12 months...
