Donald Trump’s Cabinet appointments seem to be based on each candidate’s ineptitude.  Rick Perry, head of the Department of Energy, forgot the department existed in his disastrous bid for president. (Click)  Scott Pruitt,  assigned to lead the Environmental Protection Agenc

It might be too early to worry about reverse discrimination with regard to women, but women-only colleges, like Wellesley, Mills and Smith are thriving and so are the ladies who lunch and wear extraordinary hats.   They are the ones who’ve kept the women-only associations alive. M

Recently, Ben Carson, head of Housing and Urban Development, proposed reducing rent subsidies almost threefold for the poorest of the poor.  If his proposal were to pass Congress, it  would mean the indigent would have to spend almost 2/3 of their income for housing, leaving 1/3 for

What if children in this country were treated as precious commodities, the way the desert treats rain drops?  What if each infant were given sufficient nurturing – healthy meals, a safe environment and a decent education?  What would our society look like in the future?  We’ll

A former student came to visit me at the retirement center this week.  As we sat down over coffee he managed a cheerful, “Wow, for 81, you look great.”  I gulped twice. First, I wasn’t  81 and second, I hate that caveat, “for your age.”  At almost 81, it�

Recently, I had a long chat with my broker.  The subject was how long I could be expected to live and how that projection could affect my investment funds. My mother is 100.  Assuming I inherited her longevity genes, I could go on for another 20 years.  My father and hi

A while ago, I wrote a blog suggesting that while oil stocks are depressed, it might be a good time to invest in them, because the economy isn’t going to eliminate fossil fuels any time soon. The observation irked one reader enough to drop his subscription to my blog, and I got a co

Using wealth to build monuments to oneself isn’t easy.  A person has to work to spend with panache, because bragging rights are becoming  competitive.  Recently, a Saudi Prince spent $450.3 million at Christie’s for Leonardo da Vinci’s, Salvador Mundi. (Click)

As our society becomes increasingly automated, some leading thinkers are talking about what to do for workers who lose their jobs. I’ve written a few blogs on the subject, myself. (Click)  One suggestion is to provide displaced workers a basic income.  Different from unemployment

Recently, I spent an hour dealing with one of the companies that provides credit score histories. I didn’t have a problem.  I was trying to prevent one after the business was hacked.  I’m not clear how these enterprises came into existence, or why they’re allowed to  track my