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The most dangerous books are those with a lot of truths mixed with a lot of falsehoods.  The ironically named newly published “Debunkery” is one of those books.  Let me focus on just Chapter 16 for which I have particular abhorrence because it contains so much false information that should have been easily researched.  The […]

At this excellent post, six parallels are drawn between ancient Rome (Which- key point -doesn’t exist anymore by the way, in case you missed the memo) and the USA:http://www.progressivereader.com/?p=812In addition to these six, I would add #0:  Massive and growing income and wealth disparity.  Wealth oils the economic engine and if too much lubricant languishes

Due to complete lack of quality control, Ameriprise (actually its subsidiary broker-dealer, Securities America) was sued by investors when a couple of large Ponzi schemes were told to them by Securities America representatives.  Initially attempting to settle for five cents on the dollar, it appears the ante has been bumped up to about nineteen cents

Unfortunately, this myth is partially true.  Especially due to the manner in which mainstream media portrays what it means to be “wealthy” (having lots of stuff and power), most of us harbor an irrational belief that we, too, have a shot at it.  In truth, it’s a snowball’s chance in hell.Non-mainstream publication Mother Jones, has

I remind you, just to be sure, that these blog post headings are FALSE.  Alright.  According to a recent article at ThinkProgress,  if you have change in your coin purse, you possess more than the combined income tax liability of GE, ExxonMobil, Citibank, and the Bank of America, all of whom recently reported record-breaking profits

Lest there be any possible misunderstanding, the heading of this post is a MYTH, OK?  A solid myth.In a recent article, MONEY vilified Equity Indexed Annuities (EIAs) focusing, naturally, on the most sensational anecdotes, worst products, most corrupt advisers & most heinous practices.Their main talking point was that there were a couple of options other

“Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” There’s no way to tell what Dr. King meant by that statement.  But I know it was more than Pollyannaish foolish optimism.  He’s not saying he believes or has faith that the world will not go

I’ve been harping on this myth ever since studless snow tires emerged on the market.  Here are the reasons I believe studless tires are safer than studded tires, and are more economical as well: The feeling of safety from studded tires is more psychological than anything else, probably due to the aggressive sound of the

I know. The title of this blog post goes without saying, unless you’re a tea-brain talking about your favorite politician of the month. But I never for a moment thought that Barack Obama would be the latest President to disprove this myth: On December 6, he spouted a whole raft of lies. ( Sorry, with

This excellent article by John Persinos in “Investing Answers” deserves repeating. I could easily expand it to twenty-five. But here is my summary of the article:#5. Extended warranties for consumer electronics- Odds are that after the manufacturer’s warranty expires you can find a superior replacement for less than you paid for the original.#4. Payment protection