Category Archives: ECONOMIC TRENDS

Inconvenient Truths about the Stock Market

“The person that is buying a share of stock is convinced he knows something that the other person who’s selling it to him does not know. There’s no zero sum game in Wall Street.” -Bernie Madoff No doubt you’ve heard … Continue reading

Posted in 401K's & IRA's, ECONOMIC TRENDS, INVESTING ADVICE, WEALTH-BUILDING | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Political Ideals and Fiscal Cliffs: How to Cure the Post-Election Blues

“Both parties in Washington now agree that our country is headed toward a ‘fiscal cliff.’ The bad news: We just elected a guy whose campaign slogan was ‘Forward.’” “…Turns out it is not all bad news for the Republicans. It … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS, PERSONAL FINANCES | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Changing Face of Philanthropy

“Surplus wealth is a sacred trust which its possessor is bound to administer in his lifetime for the good of the community.” -Andrew Carnegie, from his essay, “The Gospel of Wealth” What does a philanthropist look like? Forbes Magazine recently … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Banker’s Secret: Life Insurance as an Investment

“Many banks have more invested in life insurance policies than they do in bank premises, fixed assets and all other real estate assets combined.” -Denver Nowicz, Equity4Profit Denver Nowicz was profoundly affected by watching how his family fared from following … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS, INSURANCE AS AN ASSET, PERSONAL FINANCES, WEALTH-BUILDING, WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE | 1 Comment

Mutual Insurance Companies: The Tortoise vs. the Hare

“Slow and steady wins the race.” Aesop, The Hare and the Tortoise We suggested in our last post that investors might benefit from boycotting Wall Street, as there seems little to protect consumers from risky schemes when even the rating … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS, INSURANCE ADVICE, INSURANCE AS AN ASSET, WHOLE LIFE INSURANCE | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rating Agencies: Can You Trust Your Financial Institutions and the Companies that Rate Them?

“The truly scary thing about undiscovered lies is that they have a greater capacity to diminish us than exposed ones. ” -Cheryl Hughes, professor of philosophy and ethics Financial institutions love to boast their AAA, AA, A2 and A+ ratings. … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Interest Rates: The Ups and Downs of the New Low

How low can interest rates go? In June, the yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond reached a new low of 1.47%, breaking the previous low of 1.48% in 1947. Then on July 16, the yield went even lower, dropping … Continue reading

Posted in ECONOMIC TRENDS, MORTGAGES, PERSONAL FINANCES | Tagged | Leave a comment