It might be difficult to feel sorry for an exiled Russian oligarch who: 1) ripped off his native country by cornering some of its most valuable business assets; 2) sold them off for$8 billion and with his money bought equally valuable assists elsewhere in the world; 3) who lives in a

I wish I could mandate that only those who have lived in poverty be allowed to make laws regarding the poor. In “Getting Jobbed,” Virginia Sole-Smith outlines the absurdities that result when myths about the poor are translated into law by the Congress.  (Harper’s, October, 201

Last week, I did a search on Amazon, looking for the correct spelling of an author’s name. I didn’t want to buy his book, nonetheless for several succeeding days, I was dogged by promos whenever I surfed the web. I wasn’t intrigued. I felt assaulted. What I didn’t know was the

The trouble with money is us. Whether there’s too much or too little money spells trouble. In the case of too much, it creates the illusion of entitlement, as described in the ongoing property battles between the rich and famous in the Hamptons (“Boundary Issues, by Bob Morris, To

Over time, readers of this blog may wonder if there is a guiding principle because the topics seem so diverse. To be honest, I write about what interests me without regard to theme. Writers are students of life and that’s a broad field.  Women’s equality I address often because I

I’m not bragging but making a point. When I took over my local teachers’ union years ago, the organization was $10,000 in debt and bleeding members. Five years later when I left, the debt was paid and the organization had won a collective bargaining election. Surprised by what I�

Entrepreneur Warren Buffet, the nation’s second wealthiest man, (Click) was asked what advice he’d give to his wife about investing if he died before her.  His reply was she should buy  a low cost index fund, preferably from Vanguard. (Click)  An Index fund buys and holds stock

With the baby boomers moving into  retirement, the next generation, particularly those in the middle class are “increasingly aware that saving for retirement is on them.”  So says Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. (“Fast Facts,” Money, July 2015 pg. 18.)

When I revealed in an earlier blog that, prior to the election of George W. Bush, I’d been a registered Republican, readers admitted they were surprised. We live in a complex world, I replied, and I’m not averse either to profits or the stock market.  (Blog 5/19/15)   Not to pu

I became a stock investor by accident. An acquaintance moved into the CEO position of a small, public company.  As I’d worked with the man on a few projects and knew his banking acumen, I decided to buy a few shares.  When the stock rose appreciably, I sold some and bought into an