Nov 24
Somedays I feel like I am the only driver out there who still does not own a GPS for my car. When I purchased my new car this summer, I decided not to spent the extra thousands to have a built-in navigation system. I figured it would be better to instead spend just hundreds on a portable device. Then I started shopping for these things and quickly a simple purchase became oh-so-complicated! I had no idea these little devices came in so many flavors! Just narrowing my choice down to one maker (Garmin is my current pick) has not done as much as I hoped to narrow my field of choices.
Finally, I decided that whatever Garmin GPS device I end up buying, it has to be bluetooth enabled. Read more…
Nov 23
The Associated Press article: Americans save more but earn less as rates fall provides a very vivid image of what low interest rates are doing for savers (like Grandma in the example) and spenders.
But the government’s policy of stimulating the economy by cutting rates to try to get people to borrow and spend is essentially robbing the elderly of a vital income stream, argued Greg McBride, senior financial analyst at Bankrate.com.
“It takes money out of the pockets of senior citizens and anyone living on a fixed income and gives it to borrowers, many of whom are overly indebted,” McBride said.
Read more…
Nov 23
Probably the main reason why the S&P 500 has struggled to take out old highs in recent weeks is the performance of the Financial sector. It’s actually surprising that the market is where it is given how poorly the Financials have done. As shown in the first chart below, the S&P 500 Financial sector can’t even get above its 50-day moving average, much less test its bull market highs from a month or so ago.
The Financials led us into and out of the bear, and it’s hard to imagine the overall market continuing its bullish pace over the next few months without a resurgence in the Financials.
Read more…
Nov 23
Wanna buy a defibrillator? A snowboard? Some office furniture, a piano or an arc welder? Has Uncle Sam got a deal for you! 
Tips for online bidding
Those are a few of the thousands of items available through government property auctions. Decommissioned battleships, horses, defunct factories, exercise bikes, construction equipment, purses, lighthouses, slot machines, helicopters and even a strip club are some of the things the government has put out for public bidding.
These aren’t traditional “outcry” auctions, where you go in person and call out your bid. Most of these goods are auctioned over the Internet.
Read more…