“The key to financial success isn’t saving, but investing in your own future production.” Cullen Roche This quote from the book Pragmatic Capitalism has enormous ramifications to investors at every stage. What Mr. Roche is trying to say is: Investing in yourself is the wisest choice a person can make and will provide the highest…
School Daze – Three Bad Investing Habits Reinforced by Our Educational System
While most are in agreement that our public school system is in need of massive reform, few areas are in as dire-straights as the subject of financial literacy. Here are some gruesome statistics. Fewer than 50% of public high schools require students to take an economics course. Only 13% require a personal finance class, according…
Grab the phone from that Imbecile! Tales of FX trading
All of the madness this week dealing with Swiss Franc mayhem brought back my memories of the insane world of FX Trading. I chuckle when I hear ads on the radio talking about doing this from home to supplement your income. If the definition of supplement is losing all of your money, these ads are…
Veni, Vidi, Vinci: Investing lessons from Julius Caesar
“I came, I saw, I conquered.” This famous quote is attributed to one of the greatest military minds the world has ever seen: Julius Caesar. While Caesar lived centuries ago, lessons from his conquests can be directly applied to the Game of Thrones-like modern world of investing. Vidi, I came. Julius Caesar conquered lands stretching…
“There are idiots, look around” (Three ways Congress screws with our economy)
This quote attributed to former Treasury Secretary, Larry Summers, pertained to those who believe that markets are totally efficient and, therefore, do not need to be regulated. While this was written in an unpublished paper, the quote could be used to very accurately describe the current state of our Congress. Though Mr. Summers contributed to…
Are you a Habanero Investor?
“But the chili sensation isn’t just warm : it hurts. It is a form of pain and irritation. There’s no obvious biological reason why humans should tolerate it, let alone seek it out and enjoy it.” These words, written by John McQuaid, hit home. I love hot food. I put hot pepper on everything. I…
Buggin out in 2014
Barry Ritholtz said something that really hit home. He eloquently stated, “In a diversified portfolio some asset classes will be lagging, and some leading; this is a feature not a bug.” With dividends reinvested and no fees, the S&P 500 returned over 13% in 2014. The portfolios I manage garnered less than half of that….
Three Investment Lessons from Coolio
“They say I gotta learn, but nobody’s here to teach me. If they can’t understand it, how can they reach me?” These words, written by the rapper Coolio, are from the title song of the 1995 film “Dangerous Minds” starring Michele Pfeiffer. The story of the idealistic teacher saving the souls of impoverished and neglected…
Do you Want to Make Money? Invest like George Costanza!
In a classic Seinfeld episode, the perpetual loser George Costanza decides to make a dramatic change to his life. Since his decision-making process has proven to be highly questionable in the past (e.g., pushing women and children out of the way to escape when a fire breaks out at a party), George decides to do…
Dear Santa
If anyone needs a batch of presents from the jolly fat man in red, it is the commonly abused individual investor. A wish list that would defend them from the charlatans, miscreants, and scoundrels that try to separate them from their money would fit nicely under the Norway Spruce. I have compiled such a list…
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