Faithful subscribers…I need to take a break.
After nearly two years of posting every business day, the problem is not a lack of topics.
Just the opposite.
Instead, I have decided to take on additional responsibilities, working with a group of real estate investors, that will place a premium on the time I was once able to carve […]

That’s the title of the masterful biography of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., written by Ron Chernow, who had earlier authored The House of Morgan and The Warburgs.
I highly recommend it for your consideration.
I used to enjoy reading and writing fiction, but after the political, economic and financial upheavals of the past quarter century, it’s easy […]

The gravy train of mindless stimulus spending now has the nation’s newspaper industry lining up for their share of the swag.
I just finished watching the Journal Editorial Report (JER) broadcast twice daily every Saturday on the Fox News Network.  You need to add this to your information mix in order to watch intelligent discussion of […]

You can’t blame Ken Lewis, the beleaguered CEO of Bank of America, for wanting to quit early.
It’s tough enough trying to manage a universal mega bank, without getting sniped at by the feds and the newly installed board of directors.
The proximate cause of his departure is the hasty decision to acquire Merrill Lynch.
This happened back […]

Now that Schwab has dipped their toe in the water….take a look at the next four proprietary ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) that will be rolled out in December, bringing their total exposure to eight funds:
SCHG:  Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF
This index represents half (375) of the 750 stocks that make up the Dow Jones U.S. […]

Schwab had me already at “no commission”, on their new family of Exchange Traded Funds.
Then I took a closer look, and was astonished to see that their expense ratio was not only well below the fees charged by I-Shares and SPDRs—but also matching Vanguard on three of their offerings.
In fact, Schwab is the second lowest […]

Charles Schwab and Co has dropped a bombshell into the crowded ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) marketplace.
So, it looks like the price war that started with books and DVDs this fall has now, finally, come to Wall Street.
First, some background.
State Street brought the first ETF to market in 1993.  SPY.  The “spider”, so-called, allowed investors to […]

If there is a uniquely American character trait it might be this….
…our aspirations are focused on having our children routinely and comfortably exceed their parent’s level of attainment and achievement.
We commonly expect them to receive a better education…and to pursue career opportunities that were unheard of in their parent’s prime…and then to enjoy the harvest […]