Archive for November, 2012

Getting Smart About the Economy at Large: a Thank You to Paul Krugman

Many of us took Macro 101 somewhere along the way. That introductory macro course — macro being short for macroeconomics — looked at the very largest of economic phenomenon, such as money, interest rates, international competition, etc. Many of us also took Micro 101 — micro being short for microeconomics — which […]

Entropy, Dodo Birds, and Reducing Complexity in Your Financial Life

We learn today that Hostess — maker of Twinkies and Hostess Cupcakes — is going to cease to exist. It will be no more. Michael Pollan cheers. So do I (though, given the nasty labor vs. capital fight that is going on here, I limit my cheer to the part […]

Tommy Lee Jones, Ameriprise and the Double-Deal

I like Tommy Lee Jones, the actor. He can play lunatic nuclear-bomb-thrower as well as wise-old self-sacrificing native American father-in-law hero and everything in between. He also plays cops a lot — good cops. And these days, as time changes his face, he can do a fantastic quiet melancholy without saying a word, […]

The So-Called, So-Called Fiscal Cliff, Again, but this Time with Feeling and with an Emphasis on Negotiation Tactics

A friend asks, “John — What do you have to say about the fiscal cliff?” I’ve had quite a bit to say about the so-called so-called fiscal cliff (yes: that’s an intentional double-up on the so-called phrase, because these days, more often than not, when you see the FC phrase it’s either […]

Post-Election Financial Health Takeaways

Elections have consequences — sometimes quickly and obviously, sometimes over the long-run, and sometimes not so much. Last week’s election stands a good chance of being consequential. It stands a good chance of being quickly and obviously consequential due to the oncoming rush of the fiscal cliff. And it has […]

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