OPEC Calls for the Oil World to Turn Down the Faucet
During the last week of September we started hearing reports that OPEC had “agreed to agree” so the speak. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries preliminarily made a pact to put a ceiling on oil production among its members once the group met again in late...
How Useful is One Barrel of Oil (as answered through one impressive infographic)
Earlier this month I found this infographic from the good people over at VisualCapitalist.com. It caught my attention, and then continued to catch my attention. Now, I’m sharing it here with you to consume. Prefer bullet lists? Visual Capitalist thought to...
Real Estate Investment Tips, Risk Assessment and Strategy
Three Tips to Help You Avoid Stepping Face First into Real Estate Risk Limiting risk in real-estate investments substantially increases your chances of earning high returns. A solid risk assessment prevents you from getting burned, losing your initial investment or...
Reflections on the Holiday
This time last year, the dark clouds of a choking economy surrounded the eye of the 2008 holiday season. This year appears to bring more of the same. However, while it may be easy to get lost in the depths of these challenging times, there are still countless reasons...
Breeding pessimism: Part II
Moral hazard as the natural spawn of fractional-reserve banking By Geoffrey Lawrence “The bank mania… is raising up a moneyed aristocracy in our country which has already set the government at defiance, and although forced at length to yield a little on this first...
Acorn, Fannie Mae and the Housing Bubble: Who is Responsible?
In a recent WSJ piece, Edward Pinto links the housing bubble to liberal advocacy groups like Acorn. The argument goes something like this: government polices aimed at increasing home ownership forced entities like Freddie Mac to lower lending standards and acquire...
Real Estate, Retirement and the IRA
Retirement Planning Meets Real Estate (And Really Hit it Off) You are never too young to start saving for retirement. On the other hand, only your specific life circumstances determine if you’re too old. Although earlier is best when it comes to retirement planning,...
Commercial Real-Estate Crisis Squabble
For the past few weeks, financial news has been mixed on commercial real estate. On the one side, fear mongers like Randall Zisler expect crisis in the next few years. The meat of their argument is that high default rates and high unemployment will keep the market...
Real Estate Wrap-Up and the RIA
Residential Real Estate There are dozens of reasons why the residential real estate market bubbled and exploded, causing the ensuing credit crisis and economic strife. The popularity of loans requiring no documentation, the easy access to sub-prime loans and the...
Stimulus, Growth and Recovery: The Debate Continues
There is growing intelligent dissent to the administration’s stimulus policy. Critics argue that recent growth is the result of market principles. Edward P. Lazear wrote Monday in the WSJ, that he forecasted a return to growth without stimulus spending. He goes on...