As I filled out and sent in my Census form the other day, I was thinking, why the heck isn’t this done online?  It would save paper, postage, etc.  Then I thought wow this is nice for the post office.  Especially since the Census Dep’t sent everyone mail telling them that they would be getting another piece of mail (the actual form) in a few weeks.
Assuming there’s at least 100 million households, two pieces of mail each.  That is 200 million pieces of mail paid for by the government to …

We’re continuing the theme of security this week.  If you read my other posts this week, I talked about how most people prefer security versus freedom & opportunity.  You can reads parts one and two.
My points from those posts was that more and more people are looking to the state or other people for their security.  Well, not me.  To show you how I define security, I’m going to spell out SECURITY in the following way:
S – Savings – Savings are the cornerstone of all financial success and progress.  It …

Philip Morris Int’l (PM) Covered Calls
First up, I had my covered calls on my Philip Morris Int’l (PM) position get called and I was forced to unload my position.  This is the risk of writing covered calls on some of the stocks you own: you miss out on potential upside.  I was forced to sell the position at $50 a share when the stock was trading at around $52 a share.
Upon realizing that the options would be exercised, I immediately sold a put for an equal number of shares of …

The market is really interesting.  Every day, nonchalantly moving higher and higher. We haven’t really had many big, big days either, just modest 40, 50, 60 point moves in the Dow taking us close to the 11,000 level.  It seems like a very complacent market, but that’s just my point of view.
Many insiders and market watchers have put their opinion forth that this market is absent of retail investors and is completely controlled or driven by the big boys.  Of course, we’ve heard the argument over and over that …

This is a continuation from a previous article.   Read Part 1.
In yesterday’s article, I went through the three factors that I believe have contributed to Americans preferring security over freedom & opportunity.  These factors were generational, the education system and the political scene.  Today, I want to continue the discussion.
Entitlement Society
For decades, America has been slowly moving towards an entitlement society.  Even the Republicans or conservatives are a far cry from the Founding Fathers’ vision of strictly limited government.  The Founding Fathers were terrified of a growing government.  They did …

The recent political / legislative moves in our country give a glimpse into the reality of America and Americans.  The reality is that more people prefer security over freedom these days, and freedom over opportunity.  I believe there are many factors that have contributed to this pursuit of security.  Let’s look at a few of them.
Education System
First up, the education system, or what Neal Boortz likes to call “government schools”.  I believe that the education system, whether intentionally or not, develops employees.  Secure jobs, secure employment, these are the pursuits …

Cuba’s leader Fidel Castro is praising Obama Care.  He called it a “miracle.”  The release wasn’t all praise, however, since Castro also took the opportunity to criticize Obama for not moving forward with battling climate change and immigration.  Cap & Trade legislation is very much on Obama’s agenda and some say immigration reform is coming in a matter of weeks.
Aren’t you excited that our direction in policy is lining up right with Fidel Castro?
Here are some good reads for you to check out:

Amazing comparison of the US Dollar and the …

CNBC is reporting that the spring outlook for housing is getting worse and worse.  Furthermore, the White House has announced a new $14 billion (do we even pay attention to these numbers anymore?) program designed to provide aid to people facing foreclosure – I knew I should have bought that pair of jetski’s instead of paying my mortgage last fall!
Is anyone else surprised that multiple years into the recession, after pulling out all the stops in terms of bailouts, that we are still needing more programs amidst more bad news?  …