Recent content by aenlighten

The study was reported by Steven Levitt in his book Freakonomics. It focused on how contestants on The Weakest Link treated each other. No racial or sex based discrimination was detected, but informational discrimination against hispanics and taste based discrimination against the old was...

There have been recent studies in discrimination The largest and most ubiquitous was that against the old. It is both common and accepted. People will use anecdotes and stereotypes to maintain and reinforce it even though false. The truth is people don't like old people and don't want to...

I'm up to 4.1% I had a significant cushion because I was trying to delay tapping my IRA early. That is looking less possible to avoid. This economy is scary with the 10 year S&P already the worst ever. I didn't expect to see another depression but everything is unfolding like one.

It already is a repeat PEs have been shrinking all this decade. About the only question is whether it turns around by 2010 or takes longer.

The Germans invented SS At 72% they wouldn't have to save for retirement. Luxemberg does 100%. That is a bit too much for me since I would rather have the upside of equities. Perhaps it's my German background but I rarely shop more than once a week and normally carry a sizable inventory...

My tracking method is a number of envelopes listing expense categories that I tuck all receipts into as I get them. For the rare item that does not have a receipt, I make up one. Once a year I total everything up for an Excel spreadsheet. I spend about 6 hours a year balancing everything...

What have your expenses been? My expenses were around 25% of my final salary and have hardly changed at all. Now if I actually had to cut back that could be painful, but the only thing I had to trim were my expectations.

We are in recession along with the rest of the developed world But there is little evidence consumer sentiment affects consumer behavior. At best it seems more reactive, which is also what I would make of the media. Oil country is still doing well even with prices off. Little else is...

Working in a cyclical changing industry, many times Increasingly so later in my career. During industry meltdowns (2), company liquidations (2), and recessions (2). Once I took a contracting job after not finding anything for 6 months. The last time I would no longer accept contract work and...

Also in SoCal, relative to expenses Taxes 26% Mortgage 0% Savings 0% Food 14% Util 7% Else 46%

Socal so utilities aren't that much $481 a month for a 1550 sf ranch

Not so sure about the public though I am sure most were happy to see prices rise, I think many felt things were getting out of hand. Of course conservatives always look for someone else to blame for their failings; irresponsibility is a way of life for them. Now financial innovations like...

Google is lightweight Yahoo has so much more extensive information whether historical data, advanced charting, or analysis. It's portfolio has had associated news for years. Google isn't much more than quotes.

Looking at the historical data, there have been times when higher withdrawal rates were justified and these were when the market was very cheap, often after a decade of poor performance. The problem is these episodes are rather rare and most of the time the market has been more or less fairly...

Buying is a long term investment Rents rise over time, so if renting and owning are equivalent, owning is the superior long term option, but rents are normally less than owning where ever real appreciation can be expected, so the question is whether homes are temporarily cheap or no real growth...