Too-High Money Management Costs

 

                       

Avoid money managers if you can. You pay them a fee of 1% to 2% of your assets which amounts to about 20% or more of your earnings a year. If you invest with them in a hedge fund, you pay 20% or more of earnings off the top, plus that percentage management fee.

                       

Only a tiny number of money managers prove to be frauds, but you will sleep better by staying away from them all because of their annual cost that adds up to a large chunk of what you’re left with. As much as one third or more of your earnings.

                       

Hire an accountant, or a CPA, and if you have considerable funds, and a tax attorney. But avoid expensive money managers by sticking to plain, low- management-cost funds.(See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Question of Silkscreen Print Originality

                       

Sometimes referred to as screen printed or silkscreen prints, these works of art have commanded lots of attention from collectors.

                       

I have paid attention to the question of print originality as this is a factor in determining value. After all, when collecting, you must ask yourself what is true art?

                       

One of the several cogent factors has to do with the way prints are created by the artist. Each copy of a print made in multi-copies can be original if done according to established standards.

                       

I have always felt, along with experts on the subject, that the silk screen process does not produce a genuine original because the artist has no complete control over the finished work, as is the case with other print processes. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Your Own Investment Goals---Not The Media’s

 

                       

Consider your personal investment goals when investing, not media suggestions.

Media advice can be totally misleading because they invariably disregard individual circumstances. Namely. the investor’s age and ability to take risks.

                       

You can afford to take losses in your youth when you have time to recoup any errors that you cannot afford, when you are older or retired.

                       

Investors must also consider risk by taking into account their knowledge of the securities markets and other distinctive personal situations; age, ability to take risks, etc.

                       

Therefore, much media advice and commentary is universally misused. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Use a Temporary Job For a Career Pathway

                       

Why not look for a temporary job when permanent opportunities are scarce? There are a variety of temporary positions in different industries, over a variety of activities.

                       

This advice is for those just out of school with a new diploma but with no job offers in their chosen profession. Or a suggestion for those of you who have no idea what it is, exactly, you would like to do at work.

                       

You will get the on-the-job experiences you need, though few may relate in any way to what you studied in courses at school. You may even wait tables in some instances.

                       

But they will all add to your practical education. And, importantly, to your pocketbook. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

A Government Agency With Reduced Workers?

                       

I’ve seen some numbers pertaining to employees working at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or FDIC. We know the organization as the overseer of deposit insurance and the caretaker for solvency of banks.

                       

In 1995, the agency had had about 12,000 employees; the number is now down to about 4,500.

                       

I cannot say why this occurred while the other agencies grew.  Politics and inter-agency bickering is probably the underlying reason. I may add, however,

that the FDIC has done a far better job than many of the other banking and monetary agencies the U.S. government employs. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at twitter.)

Media’s Economic Misinformation

                                   

Most people are confused about personal finance, economics and business and related political slants. Because most folks are in the dark about the basics that they should have acquired in public school. College graduates often are just as lacking in fundamentals.

                       

Except for any leftist indoctrination they may have gotten from professors. Most have no knowledge of finance, economics and business.

                       

And unfortunately, most radio and Tv moderators and anchors have had similar “liberal” schooling, and are in no position to correct such views. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Bank Regulation Causing Financial Instability?

  

There’s lots of competition among banking regulatory agencies. You have the FDIC, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the SEC and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS). They’re made up of bureaucrats vying for dominance and power. Criticism varies; as one example, the OCC is said by some to be too close to the big banks,

                       

The question is whether such competition is healthy in that it may be imposing directives that make banks even more unstable in an emergency. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at twitter.)

College Students Aren’t Being Educated

                       

Interestingly, Richard Arum and Josipa RoksaIn in their study of 3,000 students at 29 colleges and universities, found that after two years in school, as much as 45% "did not demonstrate any significant improvement in learning." And after four years, 36% did not.

                       

To add insult to injury-by-education, students’ debts have increased well over 500% since 1999; many are in default. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at twitter.)

   

Government “Investments” for Economic Growth?

  

           

This is seldom taught in high school, or for that matter, college: There is a major difference between a dollar “invested” by government and a dollar invested by private industry.

           

State-control politicians believe that it’s better if government makes the decision to spend. Or as the administration says, “invest,” as opposed to private enterprise doing the function.

           

The government allocation is made by a political decision. That is often subject to pressures which have nothing to do with supply and demand. Rationing and corruption that’s bound to follow. Privately imposed decision is, however, more likely to conform what the public wants.

           

Moreover, private industry investment has a multiplier effect, while government spending does not. Government jobs have no leverage impact on the economy. Their purpose often has political, social and environmental intentions.

           

Governments do not innovate and create new companies and multiples of jobs. Nor do they enervate the needed psychology of a booming economy. Psychological effect is most important. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

           

College Costs Outpace Inflation

                       

Why should college costs have doubled, compared, as one example, to what is considered expensive health care? At least health care has vastly improved over the years, while education quality has stagnated.

                       

In fact, it’s estimated that going-to-college, despite its futile results, has seen its costs far, far outpace what the average graduate earns. Moreover, too many grads work at jobs for which they need mere high school education. (See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole at twitter.)

Non-Profit Companies Are Better?

   

                       

Government-operation proponents are always enthusiastic about non-profit business. They rant against profit-makers.

                                           

The so-called non-profits can lose fortunes for their backers, while the for-profits can make pennies-on-the-dollar of sales. Yet, the government-operation fanatics remain committed to left-wing perception and deception.

                       

Furthermore: It is impossible for private business to compete for long, whether it be the insurance business, health care, energy production, whatever, if opposed by taxpayer funds, grabbed by government for capital and operating capital needs. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)

Poor Fed Policy Also Hurts Small Investors

                       

Ordinary Main Street savers, who normally are seeking havens for their funds, have been cheated by Federal Reserve policies over the past few years.

                       

Investors see how little they can earn on their money, if risk avoidance is their concern. It’s the Fed that’s primarily responsible.

                       

And the Fed will continue with the mistaken notion and policy which, in effect, is inflating the currency while attempting to stimulate the economy. It will not work before complete financial disaster.

                       

A debacle is inevitable because such Fed policy also scares business folks and deters lenders from normal activities that foster the economy the Fed overlooks with its monetary maneuvers.

(See the Earl J. Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinesNewshole at Twitter.)

The Climate Can Pay Off

                       

Since the heat waves of any summer usually  replace the dire hardships experienced in severe winter, climate control is bound to always get media attention.

                   

                       

As a result, there are adherents who treat climate control as a religion and have no doubt the earth is warming.

                       

To others it’s a political cause that creates a road to office and helps to keep them there.

                       

To still others in government, it’s a subterfuge for quietly and indirectly raising

                       

taxes on consumers, as well as industry.

                       

And for others, it’s business in which you can buy and sell so-called cap and trade credits.

                       

They market a green philosophy in a variety of industrial and consumer products that you choose to develop for profit.

                       

Eventually the now-gullible public will find out the climate promoters can be grouped with the types who used to tell us the world would come to an end by a certain date. When that never occurred we just forgot about the quacks. (See the Earl J Weinreb NewsHole® comments and @BusinessNewshole tweets.)