After a recent trip to New York City, a story in the New York Times caught my eye titled “Businesses Turn to Airbnb.” Airbnb, which lets travelers rent space for short periods, has set up a portal to attract business travelers looking for alternatives to hotels. I have been using Uber as an alternative to taxis and car services for some […]
Read moreMost retirees have investment goals of protecting their nest egg, but many also have income needs from their portfolios. Everyone is aware that stock indexes are at record high levels and interest rates are near historical lows. The safest investments like bank CDs and short-term treasury securities have extremely low yields that are below the rate of inflation. The story […]
Read moreIn a ruling last week, the Obama administration opened the door a crack for U.S. producers to export oil after a nearly 40 year ban. This ruling apparently applies to condensate, which is a very light form of oil, and a type of oil that is more common in shale production. According to RBC, condensate production is about 15% of […]
Read moreA couple of news stories caught my eye this week. One was in Tuesday’s The Wall Street Journal titled “Hedge Fund World’s One-Man Wealth Machine.” The article, by Rob Copeland , tells the story of hedge fund manager, David Abrams, who runs Abrams Capital Management LP which manages about $8 billion. The main points of interest are Mr. Abrams’s extremely low profile, small staff […]
Read moreThis past Sunday was a very hot day here in Dallas, so what better time to have a refreshing cold drink. Fortunately, my next door neighbor gave me the scoop on some great lemonade stands being set up in multiple locations around the city. I learned that these stands are part of National Lemonade Day. National Lemonade Day is a program designed […]
Read more“I could lift you up. I could show you what you wanna see. And take you where you wanna be.” Capital Cities – Safe and Sound Investors might not be feeling quite as safe sound after the way the stock market started 2014 (down about 5% ytd as I am writing this) as they did back in the good old days of 2013. […]
Read more2013 was a great year for U.S. stock markets and most stock investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the year with a 26.5% gain closing 2013 at 16,576.66. The S&P 500 index was up over 29% for the biggest gain since 1997. There were some hugely under-performing sectors in 2013, metals and mining being one of the biggest losers. Gold […]
Read moreBy now, most have probably seen the headlines that a federal judge Steven Rhodes has ruled to allow the city of Detroit to proceed with a bankruptcy filing. The ruling will be appealed, but it promises to have a big negative impact on the city’s pension benefits, retiree health coverage and its municipal bonds creditors. Here are a few interesting […]
Read more“Risk is good – not properly managing your risk is a dangerous leap”—Evel Knievel For those of you that don’t remember or are that were born after 1980, Evel Knievel was a daredevil who jumped motorcycles ramp to ramp over things like buses, Mac trucks, rattlesnakes and failed at an attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in Idaho. He […]
Read more“Toto, I’ve a feeling we are in Kansas anymore.” ~ Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz The government shut down due to Congress being unable to come up with a budget deal, forcing about 800,000 federal workers off the job and suspending selected federal programs. On a recent trip to New Orleans, our shuttle driver said, “You are now leaving […]
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