One of the most important swing states in American politics is Ohio. It’s been almost half a century—when John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960—since anyone became President of the United States without winning the vote in the Buckeye State. 1 In the 2008 election, Ohio cast 20 electoral votes, the seventh highest number of...
Read More »
Back in 1987, I was working retail for a company that was then a major foreign exchange and precious metals dealer. A non-descript man entered the office with his family. The man, who was wearing a flannel shirt one might use for garden work, asked me what our price to buy gold was. I...
Read More »
Life is full of second chances, sometimes even in investing. In that connection, ING’s (ING) cumulative preferred shares plunged with the shares of the broader financial services community when the financial crisis reached its depths. ING’s 6.2 % perpetual debt securities issued in 2003 with a $25 a share denomination (ISP) reached a low...
Read More »
Congress adjourned for the July 4th holiday without extending long-term unemployment benefits that have been in place since 2008. 1...
Read More »
In October 2009, I argued-so far correctly-that hyperinflation concerns in the United States were exaggerated. Now fear of deflation...
Read More »
While the big news in government policy to fix the U.S. economy last week was the progress of the...
Read More »
We recently refinanced, taking advantage of the historically low rates precipitated by the financial crisis. But given the tremors felt throughout the banking industry, even homeowners with the best credit may have a hard time closing the deal. Here are some thoughts on what worked to get us a good deal: If you want...
The experience of a layoff is difficult for any marriage. My wife was laid off in January, and like many in my position I looked hard for ideas on what I should do to help. Internet searches yielded two kinds of articles: 1) posts from career counselor types who had some decent general advice,...
