Question of the Day
« Previous EntriesQuestion of the Day – Should Banks Have to Pay a ‘Bailout Fee’?
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010Interesting article in today’s WSJ: Banks Brace for Bailout Fee
I think it’s funny, actually. The government wants to impose a fee on banks in order to help pay back the American taxpayer for the costs of TARP. Where does the government think this fee is going to come from? Do they think [...]
Question of the Day – The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission
Sunday, January 10th, 2010I read in this weekend’s WSJ that there is a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission that is responsible for figuring out WHAT caused the most recent financial crisis.
So, here’s today’s Question of the Day…
What would you tell them were the causes of the crisis?
Here are a few I can think of:
1. Interest rate policy by [...]
Are You Spending More, Less, or About the Same on Christmas This Year?
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009I don’t know about you, but I find this surprising…
This year 43% of consumers said they intend to cut back their holiday spending, compared to 55% last year. But the 43% figure is still much higher than in the previous eight years of 2000 to 2007, a period when the percentage intending to spend less [...]
Should We Bring Back Usury Laws?
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009In the last post, one of the questions I asked Charles Geisst was about usury laws. For those of you not familiar with the term, usury laws are essentially caps on the rate of interest that lenders are allowed to charge borrowers. In the past, usury laws were set at the state level [...]
Question of the Day – What Makes a Good Employee?
Thursday, September 10th, 2009Last night I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store. As I was walking into the store, I noticed a young man out gathering up grocery carts. I kid you not, a 90-year old with a walker could have moved faster than this kid was moving. Of course it’s [...]
Question of the Day – Your First Job
Friday, August 28th, 2009Here’s today’s Question of the Day:
What was your first job?
My first job was working for a restaurant called O.K. Corral in the town I grew up in. It was a restaurant that took over the building that was vacated by Sonic. My job was to get clean and cook. I HATED THAT [...]
Question of the Day – Executive Pay
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009Here’s today’s Question of the Day:
Should the government put forth measures to curb executive pay?
I’m torn on this issue. On the one hand, I abhor the idea of government intrusion. On the other hand, I don’t like the idea of companies excessively paying their managment. Here lies the problem: who decides what [...]
Question of the Day – Is the iPod Dead?
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009I just read a somewhat interesting article that raised the possibility that Apple may kill off the iPod. Personally, I think the author is just trying to get some attention and the way to do that is to make some bold headline like, “Is the iPod a Goner?” I’ll admit it got my [...]
What Should Happen to Angelo Mozilo?
Friday, June 5th, 2009The SEC has charged Angelo Mozillo with fraud. You can read the full complaint here (PDF).
The article seems pretty clear that Mozilo was aware of just how bad things were while he was dumping his company stock. Mozilo had always played the “I-don’t-know-how-this-could-have-happened” card. I remember reading in the Wall Street Journal [...]
Question of the Day: Kids and Money
Thursday, June 4th, 2009I was just taking a money survey over at Charles Schwab and came across this question:
Of the following, which are the most important lessons in saving and investing for parents to teach their children?
Select up to two options:
A. Live within your means
B. Begin saving at an early age
C. Avoid [...]