Archive for October, 2008

31
Oct

Why You Shouldn’t Talk At Work

Posted by The Weakonomist in Friday, October 31st 2008   Comments Off   

I had a pretty sweet gig going on at my job. Many of my colleagues work from other locations, and the only other in-office employee was my boss. He is a great manager, and mostly stays out of my way. But over the past few months we’ve brought in a couple of new folks, and [...]

under: jobs, lists, personal    
30
Oct

The Weakonomist Reads a Book: Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

Posted by The Weakonomist in Thursday, October 30th 2008   Comments Off   

John Perkins, the author of Confessions of an Economic Hit Man should write fiction.  This guy can tell one hell of a story.

This auto-biography is Perkins’ account of being an economic hit man (EHM) for the NSA.  He did not know he was since he was never employed by the NSA.  Instead he worked for [...]

under: books, government    
29
Oct

NY Times and Consumerist Get it Close, But So Wrong

Posted by The Weakonomist in Wednesday, October 29th 2008   Comments Off   

What really bothers me is when “respected” media start out with the greatest of intentions and end up sending the wrong message.  Who am I kidding, what media outlet has good intentions?  They only aim to incite fear and anger.
I can’t think of many media outlets more well respected than the NY Times.  Though known [...]

under: banking, economics, government, media    
28
Oct

What Happens When a Mutual Fund Goes Out of Business?

Posted by The Weakonomist in Tuesday, October 28th 2008   Comments Off   

Yesterday, I talked about certain mutual funds being in trouble.  There hasn’t been a mass exodus from investing like this since 2000.  So today we’ll talk about what happens when a mutual fund goes out of business.

Like any business, times can get tough.  Once a company has more money going out than in, it must [...]

under: economics, investing, personal finance    
27
Oct

Mutual Funds Stuck In Between a Rock & a Hard Place

Posted by The Weakonomist in Monday, October 27th 2008   Comments Off   

Think back to our two courses on mutual funds, Weakon 205 and 305.  For a brief review, mutual funds are companies that pull investments from many people together.  The advantage for the investor is access to a professional advisory, the reduction in expenses over buying your own stocks, and quick and easy diversification.  I fully [...]

under: economics, investing, personal finance    
26
Oct

Haiku #4

Posted by The Weakonomist in Sunday, October 26th 2008   Comments Off   

The Bulls say we’re good
But the Bears respond “we’re screwed”
The Cubs made playoffs!

under: haiku    
25
Oct

Weakonomincs Weekend Edition: Public Library Edition

Posted by The Weakonomist in Saturday, October 25th 2008   1 comment so far   

I’ve been busy lately with some professional projects, and because of this I haven’t been able to read many books.  I am finally free of this burden and can begin reading again.  I was very proud to discover I have read 18 books this year.  That is about 16 more than my previous annual record. [...]

under: books, personal, weakend    
24
Oct

The Cost of Cash

Posted by The Weakonomist in Friday, October 24th 2008   Comments Off   

Ever wondered what behavioral finance is?  This is a great example:
As I signed the check to my most recent car payment, I noticed the current balance on the loan and my emergency fund were almost exactly the same.  ”I could pay off the car now and save some money” I thought.  I would save money [...]

under: banking, personal, personal finance    
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