The newspaper and publishing businesses are dying.  In my opinion, you might not see print newspapers at all in 10 to 15 years.  The New York Times announced that they are cutting 8% of their work force.  This is another sign of many in recent years that the Times is all but healthy.  The Times isn’t the only newspaper struggling; several have gone bankrupt and more are in trouble.  This trend is likely to continue as more and more people get their news and content online.
Another similar but different industry, …

The following video was shown today on Yahoo’s Tech Ticker:

So, what’s the point in showing this video? Why do I try and convince people that America is in trouble? Is it because I’m against American power? Absolutely not. Instead, I’m trying to convince people that if America does not change her policies, we will be in trouble. We’re heading down a terrible path and we need to change course.
At a high level, this is what needs to happen for America to change course:

Get our fiscal …

I recently took a road trip through the southeast (post detailing my trip coming soon), including a stop in Atlanta for business meeting and to meet up with some old friends.  The stop in Atlanta had an impact on me for a few reasons.
First of all, I lived in Atlanta for a year after college so I’m very familiar with the city.  My recent stop there wasn’t much of a revelation but more of a reminder.  So what was I reminded of?  I was reminded that Atlanta is a great …

If you take a look at a recent headline, Obama is looking at all options to create jobs, you might be relieved that the government is taking the job of fixing the economy seriously.  When I look at the headline, I shake my head in disbelief.  Were they not looking at all options before?  What were they looking at when they passed a close to $800 billion bill for “recovery”?
The fact is that the stimulus bill was not meant to fix the economy, it was meant to satisfy political interests …

I really enjoyed this interview from this morning:

David has a great perspective on the markets, economy and the government’s role in our economy. A couple highlights:

Despite being a “perma-bear”, David was looking for an extreme bottom to become a big time buyer.  We never reached those levels.
He believes the market should be trading between 850 and 900 on the S&P.
Most of the recovery is dependent on the government
Skills, education and productivity should be the focus… not consumption and home ownership
We completed a 25 year period of living …

Continuing our series on ETFs to own in 2010, this time we’re going to look at the ETFs that you should definitely not buy, and if you like to be a little more risky, you may even choose to sell these short.  If you missed the first article, be sure to check out the Best ETFs to Buy For 2010.
It is my opinion that 2010 will not be a year of a healthy robust economy, instead we will still face significant structural problems in our economy.  As such, there are …

Watch the following video:

The Whole Foods Health Care plan is what should be adopted more widely in our country. High deductible coverage plus health savings accounts is a great formula for health care. By spending your own money that your employer contributes towards health, individuals will actually think about the costs vs. assuming everything is taken care of by an insurance company. This cuts down on wasteful spending.

The earning season each quarter has turned into a let’s see how much money the Wall St. banks are making.  Goldman Sachs (GS) and JP Morgan (JPM) both made billions in profits this past quarter.  That’s great.  These banks are back to making insane profits and most likely will distribute insane bonuses to their executives.  So, the rich Wall St. folks are back to pre-recession income levels.  Is that the purpose of the government stimulus?
I beg the question because as I look around at the real economy, the government stimulus …