38 posts
A few people have asked me why I stopped posting on finance. Until this week I didn't really have a complete answer. Now I think it was because I forgot what type of investor I was. When I forgot, I...
Read more →It is time to review my 2009 Financial Predictions. It seems like a million years since I wrote that post. > S&P 500 By the end of 2009 it will hit 633. This estimate is based solely off earnings...
Read more →These are some financial predictions by my pal and former neighbor Derek Wilson. He doesn't have a blog and asked that I put his picks on the record. My posting of his picks is not an endorsement....
Read more →Right now we are in the eye of the hurricane. For weeks we've heard economists talk about recovery and green shoots. Nonsense. Note that these economists are the same ones the missed the recession...
Read more →At the beginning of the year I listed 633 as my 2009 target for the S &P 500. We came close to that last week. My plan all along has been to lighten up on my short positions as I get close to that...
Read more →From Christmas through the New Years, I told several people who stayed fully invested in the stock market that they received a holiday gift. That gift was the Santa Claus Rally. It was a wonderful...
Read more →Yesterday I stumbled across a ridiculous article on Yahoo! Finance called Retirement Guide for 20- and 30-Somethings. It was provided by SmartMoney and sponsored by Fidelity. Gee, I wonder what their...
Read more →I am not into Technical Analysis, nor do I care to be. My financial thesis is based on valuations and statistics. Timing the daily or weekly movement is not something I am equipped to do. This means...
Read more →I want to expand on my 2009 Financial Prediction for the S&P 500. > By the end of 2009 it will hit 633. This estimate is based solely off earnings ($42.26 x PE of 15). Where did that $42.26 number...
Read more →Here are my 2009 Financial Predictions. My general thesis is: - Cash is King - If You're Long You're Wrong. S&P 500 - By the end of 2009 it will hit 633. This estimate is based solely off...
Read more →On July 30th, CNBC's Jim Cramer told his viewers: Yes, The Market Has Bottomed. > I am indeed sticking my neck out right here, right now, declaring emphatically that I believe the market will not...
Read more →A few days ago I posted Anatomy of a Bad Trade, where I openly discussed the worst stock trade I ever did and the lessons I learned. This week I had a picture perfect trade, where I followed my rules...
Read more →Occasionally I serve up a post on my investing successes. Now let me tell you about the worst trade I ever made and the lessons I learned. On January 3, 2008, on the post My Drudge Report Oil Short...
Read more →I love talking to people about investing. Listening to what people are doing and how they interpret the financial news is very helpful to me. Being a contrarian has been profitable to me. In the last...
Read more →Some guys go fishing and have fishing tales. I don't fish. I invest. Here is my tale. Across the field of battered stocks was EEV. EEV is an UltraShort of the Emerging Markets. I know I said I...
Read more →Since I have quite a few posts on investing, I thought it was appropriate that I add a disclaimer. I am not a Certified Financial Planner. I'm just a regular Joe with an interest in economics....
Read more →This weekend I talked to several people regarding the current state of the markets. They all remembered that I had called for this correction and advised moving their money into fixed income. Most...
Read more →Back when the S&P 500 was much higher, I announced my target for this index was 1000. From my July 15, 2008 post Shooting the Messenger: > I see the S&P 500 dropping to 1000 by the end of the year....
Read more →I really thought I'd find this book interesting. Nope. !Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H....
Read more →This post is a follow-up to Investing 101 - Before You Invest. The biggest lesson I've learned in the last few years is what I call the Baby Boomer Lie. I've covered this on other posts, so forgive...
Read more →On Monday, when the market crashed, I was away from my computer. I missed the entire event. In fact, I was having lunch with Market Man, who is also bearish on the market. While most investors had...
Read more →How does the bailout change my outlook on investing in the next year? Not much. Kirk on Reasons Unbeknowst asked this question in the post The Most Predictable Meltdown in History: > Would you rather...
Read more →Back in March, I wrote one of the most popular posts on this site titled Ultra ETFs and Counterparty Risk. It is a long detailed post where I outlined my concern that if a seismic shock to the...
Read more →In the last few years, I've read quite a few books that are related to finance. Here are my favorites broken-down by sub-genre. Basic Investing !Bull's Eye Investing: Targeting Real Returns in a...
Read more →Back in March, I reviewed a financial history book called Devil Take the Hindmost. In that post, I listed how America 2008 was starting to look like Japan 1990. One of the items I mentioned was...
Read more →Please don't blame me. It isn't my fault your home price is plummeting, your 401K is getting rocked, and your bank is in trouble. I'm just a student of financial history who saw things differently...
Read more →Over the past three years, I've read many financial books across various subtopics. Although I had intended to take a break from the finance books, I couldn't pass up a chance to read this book....
Read more →In a post earlier this week TheTailGunner posted his success buying individual stocks since 2004. From The Market has been good to me: > On July 16th, 2004, I opened this account with $11,107.66. > ...
Read more →In the post Meet Nassim Nicholas Taleb, I dropped in this quote without adding any comments. > the good investment strategy is to put 90% of your money in the safest possible government securities...
Read more →Last September when I restarted my 401K plan at my company I put 100% of my investment in the Cash Fixed Fund account. This sparked a conversion with a financial planner, who felt he could show me...
Read more →Karl Denninger has some excellent advice for regular investors on how they can outperform the stock market indexes with minimal research and minimal trades. His rule which he learned from his Chicago...
Read more →A pal of mine recently told me that I should read the 1922 investing classic: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator. !Reminiscences of a Stock Operator (Wiley Investment Classics) Reminiscences of a...
Read more →In my post Ignore My Financial Advice, one of my tips was to read financial history. One aspect of financial history I'd like to address is this baby-boomer nonsense that the stock market always goes...
Read more →From Wikipedia: > In Greek mythology, Cassandra was a daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy whose beauty caused Apollo to grant her the gift of prophecy. However, when she did not return...
Read more →When buying equities the game has a simple philosophy: Buy Low, Sell High. That's all fine and dandy if you believe prices are going higher. What happens if you wish to invest and you feel the market...
Read more →The chart below was borrowed from The Big Picture blog. This one image is more valuable than my Finance degree from college. Because investing is never completely rational, understanding the...
Read more →On the show Seinfeld, George pledged to read a book during his time off. > George: I'm really going to do something with these three months. > > Jerry: Like what? > > George: I'm gonna read a book....
Read more →There is this concept in investing called Socially Responsible Investing (SRI). According to Wikipedia: > SRI investors seek to align their personal values and financial goals by choosing to invest...
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