Although it is trendy in the mainstream media to do so, I am not going to waste any time here debating whether inflation exists, is durable, or if it is a good or bad thing. I can tell you as a former government economist and someone who has managed a multi-billion-dollar bond portfolio (which is … Continue reading The effect of inflation on processed foods
Tag: Finance and Economics
Our largest tech companies dwarf the entire economies of developed nations
FAAMG = Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Google The performance of the largest tech companies since the 2008 Financial Crisis: Data courtesy of Goldman Sachs.
The stunning corruption at the Federal Reserve gets even worse
A few days ago, two top officials at the Federal Reserve suddenly decided to retire. I'm sure most Americans do not care about the comings-and-goings of Fed officials, but this was a truly unprecedented situation. The Fed officials retired after they were caught front-running important announcements regarding monetary policy. That is to say, they profited … Continue reading The stunning corruption at the Federal Reserve gets even worse
As the supply chain collapses, shipping lines post record profits
You can file this phenomenon under "the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer" in financial crises. Amazon, Walmart, and other retailers with massive online presences would have loved for the coronavirus lockdowns to carry on indefinitely - sure, millions of Americans were thrown into poverty, but they were rolling in the dough, and … Continue reading As the supply chain collapses, shipping lines post record profits
Our delta variant experiences, China, the supply chain, and inflation
I have not felt inclined to write for a while, as we've been dealing with a lot of crazy stuff over here. Both of my fully vaccinated parents became very seriously ill with the delta variant. We had an incredible struggle trying to get them into a place where they could get monoclonal antibody treatments … Continue reading Our delta variant experiences, China, the supply chain, and inflation
An economics and finance homeschool curriculum for middle school-aged kids
Photo by Ibrahim Boran As I have mentioned here before, I have worked in economics and finance for decades. I started off managing portfolios for high net worth investors, worked as a government economist, then managed a multibillion-dollar portfolio of government debt as the head of a government agency. My husband and I now own … Continue reading An economics and finance homeschool curriculum for middle school-aged kids
Montana is dropping federal unemployment benefits to force people back to work
We eat out all the time here, so it has been difficult to miss the employment shortage in restaurants. At one sports bar, they were serving everything with plastic picnicware. Plastic cups, plastic plates, plastic forks... This is something you typically do not see in Florida by the ocean, as we try to protect marine … Continue reading Montana is dropping federal unemployment benefits to force people back to work
Why Are Folks Moving to Florida? (Especially Tech Folks)
I have been amused but not at all surprised by the flood of people from the tech industry who are moving to South Florida, and Miami in particular. Our business is in financial technology, and we were lured to Florida years ago. What made us relocate? First, we love Florida's conservative - libertarian tax code. … Continue reading Why Are Folks Moving to Florida? (Especially Tech Folks)
State Unemployment Rates – Two Americas
People who live in different parts of the country have two wildly different economic situations right now. If your state reopened and, more importantly, reopened early, then you have in many cases literally half the unemployment rate of states that remained under lockdown. Living in Florida, I find it fascinating talking to friends in blue … Continue reading State Unemployment Rates – Two Americas
The Financial Experiment Behind President Biden’s Pork Spending Spree
Photo by John Guccione on Pexels.com Selfishness and greed, individual or national, cause most of our troubles. Harry S. Truman These days, I find it incredibly difficult to talk to politically conservative friends and impossible to suffer through conservative-leaning “news” programming. This has nothing to do with agreeing or disagreeing with their principles. I just … Continue reading The Financial Experiment Behind President Biden’s Pork Spending Spree
Days of Sunshine 