Have you been to a casino?  Ever placed a bet in the office pool?  Played some poker with your friends?  Bought a lottery ticket?  You know as well as I do that these are all different forms of gambling.  Gambling is actually quite similar to investing.  You put up a portion of money with the [...]

Here in the US, today is a federal holiday. We honor those that have fallen fighting for our freedom. The US has participated in many wars and conflicts. Many of those wars were to protect our borders or our freedoms. Those that have fallen to protect our freedoms and our borders sacrificed their lives so [...]

About three years ago I really got into running.  I no longer had free access to a gym and running was a great way to stay in shape on the cheap.  I was up to running about 10 miles at a stretch and preparing for a half-marathon when I hurt my hip.  The pain was [...]

Say you’re an aid to a Senator in Washington.  You get paid practically nothing but the experience is amazing.  You’ve got a girlfriend who wants to get married but you have very little savings.  But you do know your boss is in the process of writing legislation that gives tax credits to green energy companies. [...]

Yesterday, Oprah said goodbye to The Oprah Winfrey Show. I missed it because I really don’t care. However Oprah’s future is kind of interesting and warrants attention. Oprah’s ratings have been pretty consistent over the years, but also in a consistent decline since the 90s. They’re still good of course, but they are falling off [...]

Do you have a cell phone? I’d hope so, after healthcare it’s probably the next 21st century “right”. And in 2011 most everyone has text messaging; many of us also have data plans for iPhones, Blackberrys, and the like. Further still, some of you may also use family plans to take advantage of the discounts [...]

This is another post in my ongoing series that deserves a name but doesn’t have one.  It’s about the common misconception that manufacturing is everything and we keep losing jobs to India and China and they’ll never come back.  Here are some of my more recent articles on the subject: An American “Manufacturing Renaissance” What [...]

We invest in all kinds of companies.  Alcohol, electronics, bomb makers, insurance, retailers, auto makers… you name the industry, and we can invest in it.  But there are a few exceptions.  One notable exception is lawyers. Lawyers make lots of money and being an attorney is a notoriously (potentially) lucrative career.  Sophisticated investors can quickly [...]