It's more than money

Acts of kindness such as your t-shirt alteration a...

2009-10-31T14:34:39.178-04:00

Acts of kindness such as your t-shirt alteration are some of the fondest in life, aren't they? Your helping the vets on their pilgrimage has to have been so rewarding. Thank you for writing thoughtfully and with feeling - I'm looking forward to following your blog.
- Jerr

That's wonderful. What a fantastic surprise, and a...

2009-09-10T11:40:40.918-04:00

That's wonderful. What a fantastic surprise, and a real confirmation that your hard work and dedication has paid off in the end.
ashley

What a hoot! Pretty fun. Restroom stalls? Are you ...

2009-09-02T22:35:01.863-04:00

What a hoot! Pretty fun. Restroom stalls? Are you kidding me?! You better "set that down" (on paper, not just an e-verison) as Mr. Mauney used to say.

You earned both the call and the designation Justin. Congrats.

b

Awesome! Congrats again. mh

2009-09-02T19:06:43.492-04:00

Awesome! Congrats again.

mh

Congratulations, Justin. This is quite an accompli...

2009-08-25T21:50:37.800-04:00

Congratulations, Justin. This is quite an accomplishment. Hopefully there's some vacation on that honey-do list.

There are some very stark differences between 1982...

2009-08-03T19:32:55.485-04:00

There are some very stark differences between 1982 and now, such as the federal deficit as a higher percentage of GDP, http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/federal_deficit_chart.html
or US treasury Securities held by foreign countries accounted for 13% of all treasury securities while in 2007 it had risen to 25%,
or unfunded future entitlements (which by the way doomed GM),or millions of illegal aliens stressing the government services infrastructure.
Yeah we're in the lion’s den and our legs are being gnawed off as we speak. The only reason we haven't suffered a higher rate of erosion of our currency is that most of the rest of the world has had lower productivity than the US, and higher marginal tax rates. That's also about to change in this Congress and Administration. What good are cheap foreign imports when people can't find a job. Central economic planning has been a dismal failure throughout the world, and as Milton Friedman has stated in the past, fiddling with money supply and interest rates is at best an inexact science, and at worst counter-productive.
I think Professor Siegel will be shown to have missed the mark by a mile. In this economy and in to the near future, profit margins have been and will continue to be squeezed, and employers and potential employers will continue to minimize their work force, as the imbeciles in Washington mandate more taxes for ill advised programs. The economic growth since 1989 has been the result of:
1. Historically low interest rates (per Warren Buffet)
2. A huge productivity boost due to the advent of the microprocessor.
3. Lower Capital Gains Taxes.

Where will the next necessary productivity boost come from?
Rest assured that any and all attempts by the Feds to further distort the natural efficiencies of the free market vis-a-vis "social engineering" will be self defeating, and as always have negative consequences.

Justin,You've hit on a key question when you ask w...

2009-03-19T09:59:00.000-04:00

Justin,

You've hit on a key question when you ask whether a company can sustain its dividend payments. That's a much tougher question than it was one year ago.

This is the most stupid post I've written. I'll t...

2009-02-23T17:29:00.000-05:00

This is the most stupid post I've written. I'll try to redeem myself.

At ~ 80 cents, I think what the price is saying th...

2009-02-05T10:48:00.000-05:00

At ~ 80 cents, I think what the price is saying that there's a great deal of uncertainty. (No rocket scientists needed to make that discovery!) Situations where uncertainty is very high and the risk for permanent capital loss is very low interest me greatly.

Thanks for weighing in, Roch101. At least you hav...

2009-02-04T11:42:00.000-05:00

Thanks for weighing in, Roch101. At least you have a support level you have an 80% confidence level in. Do you have an upper level on the Dow in which you feel there is an 80% chance will not be exceeded? JWS

2009 low: 5800 and yes, there are better ways to m...

2009-02-04T10:04:00.000-05:00

2009 low: 5800 and yes, there are better ways to make money while waiting.

want to buy it? (wink, wink)

2008-11-24T10:35:00.000-05:00

want to buy it? (wink, wink)

Hey, we looked at that house when it was on the ma...

2008-11-20T19:52:00.000-05:00

Hey, we looked at that house when it was on the market!

The supersized "7" in the sign screams, “We’ve RAI...

2008-11-05T23:08:00.000-05:00

The supersized "7" in the sign screams, “We’ve RAISED prices. A business owner says “we’re losing money on every shirt,” his partner replies, “We can make it up on volume, just press more shirts,” one of the two says, “Hey, you know that big “7” in the dumpster? We can raise prices...and it won't cost us a dime."

This logic always comes to grief: Raising prices without learning why MC exceeded MR in the first place is how the handyman whose only tool was a hammer does things. To him, every problem looks like a nail, and in this case, a 7d (that’s “7 penny” for you non-carpenter types). It only costs a little more to do it yourself. Which is why, whether changing a sign or managing your portfolio, you need a professional.

Amen to Mr BuffettChasing the fast buck and forsak...

2008-10-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

Amen to Mr Buffett
Chasing the fast buck and forsaking the pursuit of real value always leads to ruin.
When we we ever learn?
Jim K

I bought one of these and get 200 MPG. That said, ...

2008-08-29T17:45:00.000-04:00

I bought one of these and get 200 MPG. That said, I do own an old pick-up that probably gets 12 MPH but my daily commute totals about 2 miles.

Jonathan,Interesting to see that AAII has bullish ...

2008-08-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

Jonathan,

Interesting to see that AAII has bullish sentiment rising!

Also, thanks for visiting my blog.

Hey everybody -I apologize for the multiple posts....

2008-08-05T11:38:00.000-04:00

Hey everybody -
I apologize for the multiple posts...I can't seem to get my image linked correctly...

You're right, it is a bit less liquid (though not ...

2008-07-16T12:13:00.000-04:00

You're right, it is a bit less liquid (though not as much as, say, a Chuck E Cheez token), but not really for someone who goes there often (like you and me.)

If I know I'm going to go in the next six months to buy something I need (propane, light bulbs, faucet parts, etc) then I should hold onto the gift card like I hold onto a dollar bill.

But I don't. I tend to spend it sooner on things I don't really only tell myself that I need (like drill bits, spare lighting for my shed or plants.)

But setting aside the fact that I (probably like y...

2008-07-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

But setting aside the fact that I (probably like you) already spend too much money at home improvement stores, wouldn't you agree that the Home Depot return card is a little less liquid than the others you mention? You can't spend it on gas, for instance. I know, it replaces cash dollars you would otherwise spend at Home Depot, but still ...

And let's not even get into currency risk, given the state of the U.S. dollar these days.

For additional reading, you might want to check ou...

2008-05-14T16:38:00.000-04:00

For additional reading, you might want to check out the article, Behavioral Finance—Benefiting from Irrational Investors, in the Harvard Business School Working Knowledge section http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5648.html

Brian, the new research service you showed me shou...

2007-01-20T19:57:00.000-05:00

Brian, the new research service you showed me should include this important liability. Knowing the extent of previously undisclosed liabilities would give an added edge.

Lovely picture! we're trying to get the sound to p...

2006-04-01T14:11:00.000-05:00

Lovely picture! we're trying to get the sound to play.

It seems as if we have moved from calfornia to sea...

2006-04-01T14:10:00.000-05:00

It seems as if we have moved from calfornia to seattle. It has rained for 40 days and 40 nights with more next week and will it ever end? We're also discussing and making plans for libba when she gets left behind. I am convinced I will be raptured any moment now.