Investing
Voting Shares
A United States postage stamp issued in 1998 commemorating the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution granting women the right to vote. From Getty Images. It is voting season. Although I prefer autumn, here we are. I have been receiving daily instructions on all the options for voting this year. Let no…
Read MoreWhat is an Index?
Indices are all around us. The index in a book. The Cost of Living Index. The Consumer Price Index. The Index of Leading Economic Indicators (my fave). Index fingers. Except for the index in a book and your finger, indices are used to measure something. Index is a jargony word in financial terminology. It is…
Read MoreThe Case of the Disappearing Dividend
DRIPS Dividend Reinvestment Plans As COVID continues to add uncertainty to the financial markets, some companies have cut or suspended dividends. [1] Wells Fargo: dividend cut from $0.51.to $0.10. Occidental Petroleum: dividend cut from $3.16 per share to $0.44 * Boeing: Dividend Suspension. Prior to change $8.22 per share Estee Lauder: Dividend Suspension. Prior to…
Read MoreKnow Your Limit Order
The country that has the highest posted speed limit is…Poland. The maximum speed limit is 140 kph. That is 87 mph. The equity markets seem to be going about 90 miles an hour in either direction daily. Do the equity markets have speed limits? In the equity markets there are speed bumps. If prices start…
Read MoreDonor Advised Funds
As expected during a financial crisis requests for donations are flooding in. I enjoy donating to various charities. My apartment building in New York set up a GoFundMe page to create a bonus pool for all the staff. It is not tax deductible but under the circumstances I don’t care. I gave. I read somewhere…
Read MoreLet’s Do the Contango
I have been fortunate to visit Buenos Aires many, many, many ( yes that many) times . Work related of course but I managed a few hours now and then to explore the city. You can see the blend of Spanish and European cultures; it is a beautiful city. Buenos Aires is known for great…
Read MoreShould I Align my Investments with my Values?
Casino Royale 1967 with Peter Sellers as James Bond, Ursula Andress and Orson Wells SRI and ESG Investing What does the movie Casino Royale have to do with SRI and ESG Investing? SRI and ESG are not acronyms for medical diagnostics. SRI means Socially Responsible Investing. ESG means environmental, social and corporate governance. Both terms…
Read MoreRent or Own or REIT?
REIT (pronounced reet, rhymes with street) is an acronym for Real Estate Investment Trust. Interest rates are low, providing an opportunity for homeowners to refinance their mortgages. Lower monthly mortgage payments, isn’t that what everyone wants? Not if you are renting. Rents rarely go down. There is no way to refinance your rent. And (…
Read MoreShare and Share Alike
Share and Share Alike Idiomatic expression: For members of a group, equal portions of or equal access to tangible or intangible goods, entitlements, or obligations—i.e., each person’s share like each of the other shares. Charles Dickens David Copperfield, ch. 31: [O]n his decease, the principal to be equally divided between Peggotty, little Emily, and…
Read MoreFind Those Fees
Changes are afoot in the fee world. Transaction fees for buying and selling stock are, for the most part, gone. Schwab , Fidelity , Vanguard and others have eliminated transaction fees to buy or sell stocks and some exchange traded funds. I tested out the new “ no transaction fee” policy by placing a few…
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