Penny Auction Finances

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Brian

People with smiling faces attest to winning $600 iPad or other prizes for prices such as $39.40 or $54.32, or other such steep discounts.  Sounds good enough to get my attention, so I signed up and spent a few nights watching auctions. Have you tried a “penny auction site”?  Let’s take a look at the finances with one of the sites, Quibids.com. Continue reading →

Posted in Computers, Finance | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Einstein, Oscillations, and the Stock Market

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Brian

“A Pivotal Trio: Stock Market, Dollar, and Gold”

Robert Wiedemer wrote recently about how gold is de-coupling from the Dow.  What does this mean?  His interpretation is that gold is finally being seen as a legitimate investment:

“Why is de-coupling so important for gold? Because it is graduation day for gold — the day it becomes viewed as an investment in its own right — an investment that goes up when the stock and bond markets go down and an investment that goes up even if other commodities go down. And it, when it is fully de-coupled it will be seen as a safe haven financial asset in turbulent financial markets and not as a commodity. As such, it will become an increasingly desirable investment.”

I read more into this decoupling. Think of the dollar, the Dow, and gold as a triad. Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bail Out Underwater Mortgages No Way

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Brian

Bill Spetrino recently wrote:

[I believe] the key aim should be to compensate the people who have suffered the most — the poor homeowner who has paid his mortgage faithfully but cannot sell his home because prices have dropped well below what he owes.

The banks, as part of the settlement, should reduce the principal of all underwater mortgage holders by certain percentage…

Who will be against such a deal? Many homeowners who are not underwater may feel this isn’t fair.But as a country, we need to put this terrible crisis behind us. And I believe there will be tangible benefits to be had.

Instead, I have an idea.. doesn’t the government own a huge number of foreclosed houses? How about a house swap deal instead: anybody who wants to can trade out of their house into another smaller house equal to their current equity. The government gets their fancy big house, and THEN their debt is forgiven.

Here are some specific concerns I have with what I think Bill is proposing:
  • This rewards bad behavior; what are you possibly thinking?  Have you ever trained dogs?
  • I get to keep my tiny pad I responsibly purchased, and they get to keep their monstrous house they should never have purchased?  What are you possibly thinking?
  • When debts are relieved, the IRS calls it a taxable gift. So the “..poor homeowner..” gets to pay taxes on the $80,000 they’re forgiven, right?
  • Have you become so buried inside of financial games that you’ve lost all sense of morality and responsibility?

Update 10 Sep 11

Posted in Finance | Tagged , | Leave a comment

America Has Become Soft

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Brian

I had an hour to read the 30 July issue of the Wall Street Journal today. I know what I’m going to say isn’t a popular position, but I’ve decided it’s time that our nation should be confronted with default. Continue reading →

Posted in Finance | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Knowing Right from Wrong(ed)

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Brian

Regardless of a person’s moral center, a mature person has times when they wonder if they’re centered correctly on truth. Knowing where you’re at is valuable and gives an inner peace. Continue reading →

Posted in Spirit & Heart | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment