4 Customer Service Must-Haves For Investors

So, we’ve all been in these places… It’s the quirky restaurant that every city seems to have, and the service isn’t very good- but all the diners think it’s part of the charm. They’re willing to put up with it, so they can feel like they’re “in on the joke”. They’re typically a tourist destination, […]

5 Reasons Why You Should Care About A Bond Credit Downgrade

Is it really necessary to have a TV at a gas pump? I’m seeing these more often, and I think that I’m against the concept. Like many Americans, I like to stare off into space while I’m pumping gas- a bit of a mental break. Well, at least gas prices are at historic lows, which […]

3 Reasons Why Goldman Sachs Wants To Pay You More Interest

I saw a brand new Mercedes truck that has been customized into an ice cream truck. A real ice cream truck- driving down my street playing music to attract people. What’s the breakeven on the cost of a Mercedes ice cream truck? Seems that you’d have to sell a ton of ice cream… Have a […]

What A Cold Shower Teaches Us About Financial Planning

There’s no hot water….. So, I’m in a shower at the gym and the hot water goes out. The shower is getting colder by the second. Do I switch showers, or just grit my teeth and finish where I am? Tough call (I stayed in the same shower). This same scenario and be applied to […]

What A Urinal Ad Can Teach Us About Unconstrained Bond Funds

  It has to be the best urinal ad- ever. Right above the urinal a movie theater bathroom, in red letters “Flat rate divorce services”. The ad had a nice picture of an office and the attorney’s phone and email address. Talk about a captive audience- really sort of brilliant. You’re a guy, you’re absolutely […]

Trouble At The Genius Store (Auditing Inventory)

Author’s Note: Explaining accounting and finance can be pretty dull. That’s a problem, if you need to learn accounting or finance. On a plane from St. Louis to Seattle, I decided to try and fix the problem. What if I could wrap some accounting concepts inside of a quirky (funny?) short story? My goal here […]

What A Tattoo Can Teach Us About Relationships and Investing

  “I can choose peace, rather than this.” Pretty powerful, huh? It’s a quote from Wayne Dyer, the spiritual writing and speaker. It’s a good introduction into the topic of couples and personal finances. Sometimes, the process is not peaceful…. Have a question about personal finance or entrepreneurship? Join the Ask Me Anything live chats […]

How To Take Charge Of Your Debt: At Any Age

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” I love this quote with Winston Churchill. It’s one of several quotes I keep on a piece of paper in my wallet. I think the “attitude” of this quote can help anyone who is in debt. A debt problem can be solved- regardless […]

What Presidential Primaries Teach Us About High-Dividend Stocks

The New Hampshire primary results are in. Some candidates have dropped out, and supporters are scrambling to find a winner. The same thing is true with investors. As of Feb. 11th, the Standard and Poor’s index of 500 stocks is down 10.51% for the year. What about bonds? Well, here are some current yields for […]

How To End Poor Decision Making During Market Volatility

No one knows enough to be a pessimist. I love this line. It’s from Wayne Dyer, the speaker and author who recently passed away. Here’s another one I like: If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. These two quotes apply to investing decisions in today’s volatile markets. […]