Much of a person’s economic worldview can be understood by answering a simple question: “Do you believe that all men, regardless of actions, behavior or character, are entitled to housing, three meals a day, health care, and retirement security?”.
DetailsGiven my two Wal-Mart inspired articles a few days ago, I thought this was germane. [mainbodyad]Wal-Mart is ending its profit sharing plan and upgrading it to include a $1,000 contribution to employee health care accounts so there is a greater cushion before workers have to pay medical deductibles plus moving to a system whereby they…
DetailsI had originally planned on reading today, then working on some detail work that needed to be completed but ended up heading over to the Country Club Plaza to go to the Apple store with my parents and sister. It turned into an entire day outing, which was wonderful. Here is my day in pictures.
DetailsBond duration is one of the biggest and most important things to understand when managing a portfolio that includes bonds or other fixed income assets. Managed well, bond duration can give the chance for huge capital gains profits. Managed poorly, bond duration can wipe out a supposedly conservative bond portfolio in no time, leaving nothing…
DetailsI woke up this morning, wrapped myself in the warmth of the substantial and soft terrycloth Brooks Brothers bathrobe, and went to have breakfast. Instead of the usual, I chose a blueberry muffin topped with brown sugar crumble and a cup of strong black coffee as I started reading Atlas Shrugged immediately, my eyes barely…
DetailsGiven the historical importance of the book, and my decision to finally read it, my brief introduction to a few pages of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand turned into an all day affair. I have some very significant reservations about the author’s stated philosophical belief system, Objectivism, but that deserves its own future essay. Suffice it to say, though she gets 70% of the equation correct by supporting free market decision making and individual liberty, I think her model of human behavior is incomplete and therefore not entirely rational and realistic when carried to its logical extreme.
DetailsI happened to start reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand today, inspired in part by Joe Woodhull’s recent undertaking of it. [mainbodyad]Back in 2004, I picked up a copy in Rehoboth Beach when Aaron, Jocelyn and I went to visit a mutual acquaintance of ours and hang around Washington, D.C., the Chesapeake Bay, etc. It was a…
DetailsPardon me while I get my Japanese RPG geek on for a moment … the Square-Enix store in Japan has a showcase of their masterpiece line of rare collectibles, such as $400+ replica 1/4″ scale models of Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts characters. With cool stuff like this – who cares about…
DetailsSam Walton’s heirs have an estimated net worth of more than $90 billion. To put that into perspective, the Walton family is as rich as Bill Gates and Warren buffet combined. Virtually all of this wealth came from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the publicly traded company that operates as the world’s largest retailer, bringing in a…
DetailsWhen you hear the name Bill Gates, what do you think? Microsoft. At least, that is what comes to mind for most people. It makes sense. After all, Bill Gates owns 620,973,551 shares of Microsoft. At today’s market price of $24.38 per share, this puts the pre-tax value of his holdings in the software giant…
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